The Princess- Zelda is not nearly as well adjusted as she portrays herself to be, thankfully this time she does not shy away from an offer of support. Oddly, I find this more reassuring than if she had genuinely been fine following her century long imprisonment within the Castle. After the struggle she went though, coming out unscathed in body, mind, and spirit would have meant there was a far bigger underlying problem. Something I could not touch.

She says that she was not fully aware of time passing, a blessing granted to her by her goddess blood, but her ability to discern dreams from reality is weak at times. Both herself and the Calamity succumbed to a slumber similar to my own, allowing their astral forms to oppose each-other which always ended in a stalemate.

The- ZELDA has developed an aversion to any of the areas around the Castle – understandable – and her rather manic glee at watching pork cook should be disturbing. However, I admit, I am incredibly weak to char-grilled pork myself and I am only too happy to indulge her.

But the most vulnerable part of her days are the hours of the early morning - that section of time where things don't quite seem real anyway. But we quickly came to an arrangement that suited us both.

Zelda stared at the roof above her; the moonlight from the unveiled window was casting a bright shape over the blankets covering her body. Her body was trembling slightly, but her stare was unwavering, her mind a great distance away from her physical form.

The roof above her told her that she was in Link's house, that she was safe. She had made it out; he had come for her like she knew he would. Yet, this feeling of dread and despair that she could not shake from her nightmares, persisted into her waking hours. Was she awake? What if she had not actually made it out and this was just her mind conjuring some fantasy to protect her psyche against the onslaught of the Calamity?

These thoughts jettisoned her straight into panic and a fight or flight response was initiated. As she had nothing before her physically that she could fight, her body went to flight.

Hands skittered over the blankets as she pushed them aside and she scrambled up from the bed, lunging for the railing to steady herself and make her way down the stairs. All the while she muttered to herself.

"No, no, no, no…."

She reached the base of the stairs and swung herself around it to reach the nest underneath it. She could see Link spread out across the mess of blankets on his back, a sand seal plush was held in one arm, the other artificial one bent above his head. She lifted up the covers and nestled herself in amongst the bedding, curling up at Link's side.

Her heart rate started to slow again, and her stuttered breathing evened out. She held his sleeping tunic in one hand, tightly, while she rested her head by his chest. Gradually, she forgot the cause for her panic; it seemed so far away now, unimportant.

In the morning, when the pair re-awoke, Link was understandably surprised and confused to find the Princess so very close in her night clothes and in his bed no less. But when he asked her, tentatively, if there was anything amiss she had responded in a small voice.

"Sorry. Bad dream. Thought you weren't real. Wanted to make sure that you were."

That had been enough for the appointed knight, who nodded to her and relaxed back amidst the cushions for a lie in. The Princess, however, retracted out from under the blankets and went back up to the loft to get dressed and start her day.

The same scenario played out again and again for the next few nights. Zelda would wake in the limbo hours of the morning, her unoccupied thoughts would send her down a path of helplessness, and she would flee down the stairs and into the amalgamation of blankets with her knight.

Yet, it still surprised her when she found, one day, that the nest under the stairs had been made slightly bigger so that they could both fit in it. Link had shrugged, and explained that if she felt better – happier - sleeping in the same place as him he didn't see why she shouldn't just start there.

"Besides," he deliberated for a second before saying, "it's nice knowing that I'm not here alone any more."

It vaguely occurred to Zelda, as they both curled up with their backs together surrounded by soft materials, that this arrangement should be odd to the pair of them. Sharing a bed with a man similar in age to herself would have been scandalous back in the castle and her Father would have combusted. But still, it felt comforting and right to be next to one another, like they were always supposed to be this close. She trusted him wholeheartedly and Link had always had her best interests in mind, restricted though he had been.

The pair were restricted no longer and they came to the agreement that they simply refused to bend to others expectations of them ever again. They were finally free to relax completely in each others presence, and they had no intention of ever giving that up.

There is of course the odd awkward morning where one of us has accidentally started using the other as a pillow. We've had to introduce a blanket statement that neither of us find it awkward as long as the other doesn't... it took a bit of getting used to.


We went to see Impa today. I'm actually writing this sandwiched between Koko and Cotla from the floor of Dorian's place. The Prin- ZELDA is staying with Paya, and I was intending to camp outside but Dorian found me. Apparently, his daughters had heard I was back and proceeded to pester him non-stop... So, I've been re-counting some of my adventures to them and now they're fast asleep. I don't have the heart to move them so I can get up, even though I should think about getting them into a bed.

After today, I really should just settle down to sleep myself.

The day had begun as most others had in Link's house, with one of the pair waking up much earlier than the other and beginning the careful process of trying to get out of bed. Without disturbing the other.

However, on this day, Zelda and Link had already made preparations to finally visit Impa. After the Princess had confided in Link what she planned to do, upon returning to Hateno she had written a message to be delivered to Kakariko Village.

It had been a joint effort to write the letter, as Zelda wished to remain polite and formal but at the same time also convey how apologetic she was that it had taken so long and that she had matters to discuss. Occasionally, the Princess had asked Link to skim over it.

"Does this sound too pushy? Too arrogant maybe?"

"Prin- Zelda … I think it's fine. She's pretty easy going."

"That's because you have this infuriating ability to be familiar with everybody."

Link had made a small strangled noise in response to this and Zelda, not noticing his now pink-tinged ears, assumed she had accidentally offended him.

"No! I didn't mean it like that. No, no, no, it's a good thing! I'm just jealous," she'd assured waving her hands at him desperately, all while her Knight tried battling off several different emotions at once.

The letter had eventually been sent, confirming the date they were to leave and sealing Zelda's fate. She appreciated that she was being a tad over-dramatic, and that Link had been correct in saying that no-one could force her to do otherwise, yet she still fretted. It was what she was good at these days.

On this particular day, her fretting had caused her to be the first to wake up and find that she had pressed her face directly into Link's back. He was curled up facing away from her and she had her arms wrapped around his ribcage. She vaguely recalled having a teddy bear she used to hold like this when she was a child and the thought nearly made her laugh out loud despite her stress.

The sudden bodily jolt she gave whilst trying to suppress the laugh was enough to rouse Link from sleep.

He uncurled from his sleeping position, legs stretching to their fullest extent and his back curving inward and away from Zelda. She withdraw her arms from around his body as all of his limbs then stretched forward in front of him before they were pressed against the wall. As he stretched he made an odd sort of squeaking noise before it became a yawn. The Princess was thoroughly reminded of a dog waking from a deep slumber, and placed both of her hands over her mouth in an effort to further contain her mirth.

"Morning," Link mumbled, relaxing back into the bedding, "time to get up?"

"I'm afraid so," Zelda lamented, who was also quite content to just stay in bed and have some more lazy morning conversations. They had been covering various topics, from what the pair planned to do now that the Princess turning Researcher had moved in with Link to which areas of Hyrule they should explore in detail first.

The former Knight groaned, mumbled some choice words, before rolling onto his front and levering himself up, fantastic bed-head splayed all over the place. At the moment, he looked less like a dog and more like a cockatiel. His blue sleeping tunic was hanging off of one shoulder, the sleek dark surface of his Guardium shoulder showing through and the pulsing orange glow from in between the swirling designs seemed to brighten as Link became more awake.

"Link, after we visit Impa," Zelda broached, causing Link to stop his attempt to climb out of bed without accidentally squishing her, "would you mind if I took a look at your arm?"

The small Hylian kneeled upright amidst a pile of cushions and huffed a laugh.

"I had expected you to ask already to be honest. Of course you can. Maybe you can actually explain to me how it works?"

"Didn't Purah or Robbie tell you?" She asked, shuffling out of bed to let Link escape after her, astonished at such an oversight on the Sheikah researcher's part.

"I just need to point and shoot," Link said, demonstrating by raising his prosthetic, straight armed and palm outward in front of him.

Zelda nodded; it was understandable that he probably had not had the time to really delve into the finer intricacies and would rather know how to use it as efficiently as possible.

Donning the white Hylian tunic, she had claimed as her own, Zelda grabbed the Sheikah Slate from the table and handed it to Link who had just pulled the Tunic of the Wild over his head. The white lobster patterned blue sleeping tunic was folded neatly over the back of a nearby chair. She was pleased to note that he was actually quite organised with his belongings, and it would be another great aspect of their partnerships when he travelled with her on research trips. They had both double checked all their provisions, not that they needed many, before allowing them to be deconstructed into the Slate. Zelda liked to think she was organised, and she was in the main, but when she was in the 'zone', as Urbosa had affectionately called it once, she tended to lose sight of her immediate surroundings and the chaos of notes she created.

Remembering Urbosa filled her with melancholy. Try as she might she could not escape the cold claws of truth that told her that her friends were well and truly gone. Link had dutifully relayed the messages their prior comrades had given him in their spectral forms. It had eased her concerns somewhat, but the void they had once filled would take far longer to get used to and live with. One day, she would be able to confront the Divine Beasts again.

"We should visit King Dorephan after we visit Impa. I believe it would soothe him to know that even though he lost his daughter, she was still able to complete her goal and save civilisation. It won't be a complete consolation, and nothing ever will be. I also need to apologise; he was right. We never should have attempted to revive a power we did not fully understand."

Link, now fully equipped with the Master Sword on his back and the Slate clipped to his belt, came over to her and rested a hand against her upper arm.

"How about we get this visit with Impa sorted first. Then we can think of what to do after?"

His words had the desired effect and grounded Zelda to their current predicament. One step at a time.

"Of course, lead the way."

It took the pair until midday to reach Kakariko bridge on the back of Geoffrey. When Link didn't steer the horse to turn right and canter across the bridge, but instead guided him left, Zelda leaned forward to speak directly into his ear.

"Link, where are we going?"

"You'll see," was all he said in response.

About half an hour later and the Duelling Peaks Stable came into view. Slowing the dark horse down into a slow amble, they approached the stable owner and came to a complete stop.

Dismounting, Link went up to the desk and the man behind the counter greeted him warmly. Zelda entertained herself by watching people walking along the path to and from the stables and the Hylian Retriever that was sniffing his way towards her Knight. It was nice to see how in the face of adversity and even after the complete and utter destruction of Central Hyrule, little populaces supported by outposts like these created a wide reaching network. She had been informed of multiple stables all over the Kingdom, and the minimal but efficient communication between them all made it possible for horses to be transported to a specific stable ahead of time to meet their owners.

Zelda was constantly being greeted by more and more instances were people proved they were able to organise and liaise amongst themselves adequately without her interference. She wasn't about to come in and insist otherwise.

"Pr- Zelda."

Startled out of her musings she directed her sights down towards Link, who now stood beside the horse and was offering a hand up to help her off. She took it gratefully and dismounted, her boots crunching against the pebbles and sand of the pathway beneath her feet.

Still holding onto his hand, she was led over to the side of the stable where they stopped to watch a pure white horse being brought round from the paddock at the back. It was a large, well built stallion but what caught Zelda's attention the most was the Royal bridle it was sporting, the purple and gold standing out starkly against his snowy chest; the spitting image of her old horse from a century ago. Looking to Link for confirmation, who gave it in the act of inclining his head towards her, she started forward again. Gradually, her grip on Link's hand lessened as she walked towards the horse, letting go entirely to approach the new stallion. The pale beast snorted at her, tossing his head gently as if he was waiting for her to do something.

"Soothe your mount…" she murmured, reaching a hand forward slowly as not to spook him.

"Or they'll never know how you truly feel," Link finished; smiling in response to Zelda's turning her delighted face back towards him.

"You really do remember that?"

At Links nod, Zelda returned her focus to the white horse and stroked down his muzzle with more confidence. Hands stilling on the horse snout, she could feel the animal breathing in and out slowly. Moving around to the side but still in the stallion's line of sight, she pressed her open palms to the beast's ribcage as its lungs expanded and diminished with each breath.

"Oh, Link, he's beautiful. What's his name?"

There was a pause and Zelda tore her attention away from the horse, her horse, to see what Link what doing. He was shifting slightly, his eyes averted to the sky, and Zelda pursed her lips.

"What did you call him?"

"... Ophelia."

"Ophelia?!" She asked, not expecting that at all, "Link, you are aware that this horse is male, yes?"

"Yes … look it was a pretty horse that needed a pretty name; we've already established I shouldn't be in charge of naming things."

Laughing so hard that she needed help getting up onto Ophelia, Zelda and Link continued on their way to see Impa. She didn't notice the stable master looking at Link dumbfounded by the sight of her on the Royal steed, and she didn't see the grin and the carefree shrug Link gave him in response, either.

By the time their horses slowed to a trot as they entered Kakariko Village, the sun had started to dip down behind the hills that surrounded the valley the village was nestled in. The villagers, taking notice of two Hylians arriving on horseback, gave them a wave before getting back to work; closing up their stores or collecting up the tools they had been using for the day.

The pair followed the path, moving past all the residents' houses and the odd cuccoo, until Link pointed out Impa's home at the apex of the village. Dismounting at the base of the stairs, the Sheikah guards stationed either side of the entrance archway came forward to greet them.

"Welcome back, Master Link. I see you were successful. Well done."

Link turned to the one addressing him.

"Thank you, Cado. Zelda, this here is Cado and this is Dorian," he indicated the other guard. "They guard the village, but more often than not Impa herself."

Meanwhile, Cado and Dorian had done a double take at Zelda's name.

"You don't mean .. Princess?!" Cado asked, astonished.

Zelda waved at them both hurriedly to be at ease before either of them could start kneeling or saluting her.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both, and once I have concluded business with Impa I would very much to know more about the pair of you."

The guards were incredibly taken aback but they managed to shake themselves out of it quickly, and Dorian stood to one side.

"Of course, we would be delighted. For now, we welcome you to Kakariko Village. Lady Impa is expecting you, just this way."

With an arm swept open to the stairs, Dorian allowed Cado to pass by him, leading Link and Zelda up to the double doors of Impa's home, before following up after them. Once at the top, Cado and Dorian took up position on either side of the door

"We will be stationed right outside, let us know if you need anything," Cado assured, as the pair of guards opened their respective doors for the two Hylians.

"Ah, so you have finally returned to us, Princess. I must say it is delightful to see once again."

The doors closed softly behind them and finally, after over one hundred years, Impa and Zelda were finally able to see each other. The Princess gave a watery laugh in response, blinking back tears, and wondering why she had delayed such a meeting in the first place. Logically, she knew time had passed for everyone but herself and Link, and yet seeing her most trusted advisor, now nearing the end of her life was still a bittersweet moment. Countless hours had been spent together; dealing with Purah's eccentrics, hoarding all manner of ancient manuscripts, and often just sharing each others problems.

"It is delightful to see you too, Impa. You have no idea."

The Sheikah Elder patted the cushions she sat upon and waved Zelda towards her. The Princess of Hyrule obeyed, slowly walking towards her old friend, before surging forwards into Impa's open arms.

"I daresay I look very different from the last time you saw me, but at least you actually remember me," Impa said, jovially. Her eyes moved from Zelda's golden hair to Link's slightly-averted blue eyes. "Oh, come now, no need for that."

Link shifted, tapping the toes of his boots against the floor in turn and only looking up when Impa spoke. Zelda had leaned back from her hug and turned to look at who the elder Sheikah was talking to, sniffing slightly, the sensation of fresh tears on her cheeks. With a beckoning gesture from his charge, Link came forward to join Zelda in front of the Sheikah Elder and the pair were invited to sit on cushions that had been placed on the floor. They settled down, Zelda wiping away the dampness from her eyes as they watched a much younger Sheikah carry over a tray supporting a tea pot and four cups.

"This here is my granddaughter, Paya. Paya, this is the Princess of Hyrule who has been containing the calamity for the past century," Impa explained.

Zelda laughed nervously at such an introduction, and the two women inclined their heads politely to one another. Link wasn't quite sure who was pinker in the face at the moment.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Princess. My Grandmother has told me many tales about you, and your accomplishments with researching the lost arts of the Sheikah."

Paya spoke quietly, but she looked proud of herself for managing to speak without stuttering. Link gave her subtle thumbs up and her blush only got deeper.

"Oh! Impa!" Zelda chastised, watching as Impa chuckled, "what have you been telling her? Oh, Paya, it is a pleasure to meet you too. I do hope we can spend some time together to get to know one another. I assure you I am not as grand as she has made me out to be. Please sit with us."

"Th-that would be delightful, Princess, thank you!" Paya said, back straightening to improve her already perfect posture.

"Now that we are all introduced and comfortable I believe congratulations are in order first of all, and a heart felt thank you from all of us in Kakariko. Thanks to your combined efforts the Calamity is gone and this Kingdom can begin to heal."

Zelda beamed with pride, accepting a cup of tea from Paya as the younger Sheikah finally knelt down beside her, but Link started to frown. He pointed at Zelda, eyebrows knitted together and disbelief in his eyes.

"You disagree, Link?" Impa asked, raising one eyebrow slowly

"Yeah. I didn't do jack shit," Link said, incredulously.

Zelda immediately snorted a laugh in an aborted motion to drink her tea while Paya's mouth fell open and she nearly suffered whiplash with how fast she turned her head to stare at Link. The knight himself could have sworn he also heard either Dorian or Cado face-palm outside the closed doors.

Impa herself remained impassive for several seconds before a laugh built in volume until she was near enough cackling.

"Travelling all across Hyrule, battling and defeating fractures of the Calamity, freeing the Divine Beasts of their century long curse plus freeing the Princess herself is you doing … nothing?" The Sheikah Elder proposed, both eyebrows now raised as her mirth was subdued gradually.

"Well," Link started, but a hand placed at his elbow from Zelda halted any arguments he was still trying to construct. Over her shoulder, he could see that Paya was now staring, mouth still open in shock, at her Grandmother.

Maybe I shoulder consider another self-imposed vow of silence, Link thought, before he realised how upset Zelda would be if he suddenly went back to being a mute constantly.

"Link, we did this together, as we were always meant to," Zelda cast her sights to the side, biting her lip for a second. "We may have been about one hundred years later than expected, but we got there … eventually."

"That you did," Impa said. "As it is, better late than never, and I do not believe it to be fair to either of you to blame what happened on yourselves. No-one can control what fate has in store for them."

"Yeah, but, Zelda, I couldn't be there with you when you went to confront the Calamity like I should have," Link argued, sounding ashamed.

"Honestly, Link, you had suffered so many wounds and you were beyond exhausted I was amazed you still had enough left in you to get me safely out of Hyrule Field," Zelda countered, trying to sound comforting.

"It cost you one hundred years in constant stalemate with the literal incarnation of darkness and destruction. Compared to that, fighting petty clones of the original doesn't seem that hard."

"You had no memories!"

"Only because of your quick thinking allowing me to survive and come back to you! Which is a fair compromise."

While the Hylian pair bickered, trying to outdo each other as the best supportive friend, Paya had collected herself and given her Grandmother a cup of tea. The two Sheikah simply watched the back and forth between Princess and her Knight, a pleased smile growing on Impa's face, highlighting deep wrinkles as her joy grew. The younger of the two watched silently, face obscured behind her cup but her eyes flickered between the two Hylians in rapt attention.

Eventually, Link and Zelda petered off into an embarrassed silence as they realised they were arguing in front of the person they had come to see.

"Have you two come to an agreement of sorts?" Impa asked, not looking at the pair as she leaned down to hand her cup to Paya so she could fill it with more tea.

The once Princess of Hyrule and her Appointed Knight turned to each other and nodded resolutely, both secretly pleased by the perseverance the other exhibited for their cause. With a fresh cup of tea in hand, Impa motioned for Paya to leave them for a short while and then fixed them both with her calm eyes.

"As I understand it from your letter, there is something pertinent that you wish to discuss with me," The Sheikah Elder prompted, after Paya had left them quietly to walk outside.

This was it, the moment was here and Zelda took a deep breath, feeling a small nudge from Link beside her. Her mind was made up, ultimately she would not be swayed, but Impa's response would still mean the world to her.

"Impa … I'm not rebuilding the monarchy."

The cup of tea in Impa's old but steady hands paused on its way to her mouth.

"I'm afraid I'm going to need some clarification on that matter, my dear," the Sheikah Elder said, sounding calm but the tight grip on her tea cup demonstrated otherwise.

The divine-blooded Hylian repressed a nervous fidget and decided to just get it all over with.

"I've seen what is left of Hyrule and while, yes, there are vast areas that have been destroyed and that are crumbling, the functioning towns and villages are doing just fine. Admittedly, organisation between these residential zones is lacking in some areas, and there needs to be a better system of communication between the races, but these issues can be solved by forming a council. With representatives from each region, issues can be brought forward and discussed, leading to partnerships with one another for a solution. You don't need a monarchy for that. I would serve no purpose but as a figurehead. I hold no actual power any more, Impa. I cannot force anyone to bow to me simply because I bear a title that hasn't been used in over a century, and, honestly, I think it would be insulting to try. Hyrule has survived without a monarchy for one hundred years, but it was an arrogant monarchy that nearly brought it to ruin forever."

There was a long pause; Zelda's most trusted confidant was watching her with intense focus. Occasionally she took a sip of tea as she considered how to respond, but she had not interrupted and waited to ensure that Zelda had said all she wanted to before presenting her thoughts.

"I can see you've given this a lot of consideration," Impa sighed, cradling her empty cup carefully in her lap, "and I must say, I am impressed."

A wide smile filled Impa's face and Zelda wasn't sure whether she dares to hope that she might actually be able to pull this off, or if this was the calm before the storm.

"Do you really mean that? You're not going to try to convince me to rebuild the Kingdom?"

"Good heavens, what is it with you two," she gestured between the pair of Hylians sat before her, looking stern, "and second guessing my intentions. If you had wanted to rebuild your Kingdom, as it is yours by right, then I would have made any necessary arrangements to support you. However, it soothes my heart to know that even after all this time you are still confident in your own ideals, and not some agenda you feel you must adhere to for the sake of appearances."

Pushing herself off her tower of cushions, in a surprisingly agile manner, Impa came forward to pat Zelda on the shoulder.

"Please try to relax now, dear, you're wound tighter than a bow string. You will always be welcome here no matter what you choose to do with your life. I'd say you've more than earned the right."

Impa continued to totter off in search of Paya outside, no doubt by the offering statues, leaving Zelda and Link sitting on the floor staring after her. Neither could believe it had been that easy.

Dorian has just informed me that he's on night patrol today and that I should take his bed. I'll move the kids into their own beds and go to sleep.

I wonder what Zelda and I will do tomorrow. Things are going to be very interesting from now on.


Apparently, the first port of call was to visit the tailors, I think Claree may have had a small heart attack when Zelda introduced herself. Clearly, the Sheikah are far more versed in the legend of the Calamity than the rest of Hyrule, for which we can be thankful.

Now with her future fully within her control, Zelda is going full speed ahead with her desire to become a Researcher. That includes getting herself an outfit for field excursions and experiment work, and it only took Claree a week, which gave us time to introduce Zelda to all the villagers.

Personally, I think she simply missed her old outfit, but I am the last person to judge her on aesthetic preferences.

Zelda did a twirl inside Claree's shop, now wearing a brand new royal blue coat, styled after the clothes she used to wear outside of the Castle before the Calamity. The front of the coat fastened together as her old shirt had done, but the tails of the coat draped over the sides of her hips and down the backs of her legs. Trimmed in gold ribbon, it contrasted wonderfully with the rich colour of the main fabric, a durable cotton blend that the Sheikah textile's master had worked a little magic into.

"I may have given it some resistances, after you told me what you would be doing in it," Claree said, off-handedly, as she leaned over the counter to watch Zelda continue to prance around in her new outfit. "It was a good challenge; I would love to design more items for you in the future should you need any thing specific."

The Sheikah winked, and the ecstatic Hylian in front of her nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh absolutely, I know I most certainly will have some specifics. Quite soon, hopefully, but that depends on some things I need to speak to Link about."

Both women turned to see Link looking a little dazed in Zelda's direction and Claree snorted, loudly.

"Hey, Hero boy, Hyrule is calling!"

"Huh?" Link came back to himself, turning his head to Claree in confusion as she started sniggering.

"Nothing to worry about, Link, I take it you like my new coat?" Zelda asked, hiding the immense pleasure she felt at managing to catch him so off guard, and because of her no less. Talk about an ego boost.

Link gave her double thumbs up with a happy smile and Zelda could almost imagine him with a furiously wagging fluffy tail.

"Excellent. Thank you once again Claree, I'm looking forward to going out into the field with this. In fact, I'm going to go right now," she decided.

Turning on her heel, she walked briskly out of the shop and Link found himself following her on autopilot. He caught Claree waving at them as they left, smug smile still set in place and gloating eyes following Link all the way out.

Zelda's wandering found them traversing over the grass fields outside the hills of Kakariko. The tall grasses of the Sahasra Slope swayed intermittently, and there was a constant background of soft chirping from insects and birds a-like. Admiring the view for a solid minute, they could appreciate the light reflecting off Nabi Lake ahead of them and the lax nature of nearby animals.

Following by example, Zelda knelt down and lay back into the grass, her coat fanning out around her legs.

"I feel amazing right now," she breathed, eyes closing, "I don't even remember a time I felt this good."

Link dropped down to his knees gracelessly, before flipping round to lie down on his back with a flump. A couple of disturbed dandelions shed some seeds and they drifted over Zelda's face, causing her to scratch a sudden itch on her cheek. He placed his hands over his stomach, not needing to actually look at what his artificial hand was doing in order for it to go where it was meant to. The weight registered on his sternum and over the tune of everyday grassland wildlife he could hear the deep humming coming from within the manufactured arm.

"We used to do this a lot," Zelda said, she sounded quiet but only because anything louder would have disturbed the natural ambience of their resting place. "Towards the end, when I realised you were not silently judging me, you would always indulge my desire to stay out of the castle for as long as possible. You never questioned my spontaneous desire to investigate a random patch of grass half way across a field. You never raised an eyebrow when I asked you reach something from a tree or a high cliff. You just … did it. Anything I asked." Zelda tilted her face to the side to see Link staring back at her, "why did you do that?"

"Because you asked me to," Link answered.

"You needn't have though. It wasn't as if you would have gotten into trouble for not following my orders, you took you're Oath before my father, not me."

"You asked me to, and I knew it would make you happy."

If Link continued to be so damn honest Zelda wasn't sure she was going to be able to keep her composure much longer. She was saved from having to respond to that statement by feeling something land on her head. It took a lot of effort to refrain from springing up into a sitting position and instead she tried to evaluate what had decided to rest in her hair. A strained noise to her right indicated that Link was in a similar position.

Tilted her head up slowly, Zelda roamed her eyes up over Links face and then up into his tousled hair. There, sitting without a care in the world, was a tireless frog. It blinked its eyes independently at her.

"You have a frog," she said, looking back down to Links eyes.

"So do you," he responded, "what colour is mine? Yours is green."

"It's a red one. Wait! Link give me the Sheikah Slate, slowly!"

With great care, and not breaking eye-contact, Link reached a hand to his side to unclip the Sheikah Slate from his hip and hand it over to Zelda.

"Scooch in a bit, I have to document this," she said, in a hushed voice lest she disturb their visitors.

As Link shuffled over a little bit, the frog on his head started to walk down over his face. It placed a webbed foot directly over his eye, and Link stopped moving immediately while Zelda giggled.

She snapped a shot of the pair of them lying down in the grass, hearts light and souls carefree, as Link tried desperately not to shake the frog off his face and Zelda continued to laugh.

I am a little suspicious, however. After Zelda got her new coat, she told me to step outside for a minute and I wasn't allowed back in until she came to get me. I wonder what she was doing.


Zelda gifted me something today. I've never received a gift like this before, but at least now I know why I was shoo'd out of Claree's.

Apparently, the idea came to her when we were discussing visits to the four nations within Hyrule. Obviously, the question of how I had managed to get into Gerudo Town was asked and I had to explain my amicable agreement with Chief Riju.

It seems she had noticed that my affinity for pretty objects was still alive and well even after the Shrine of Resurrection. I had also told her of various times I had been complimented on my appearance when in my Vai outfit by the Gerudo. Most would have shrugged it off as a man simply basking in a woman's attention, thankfully the Princess Zelda knows me better than that.

I was pleasantly surprised by what she gave me.

It was setting out to be a day of intermittent sunshine and showers, which meant it was a perfect excuse to stay inside and work on the house. There was a knock at the door that signalled that weeks morning post and Zelda went to answer it with a spring in her step, clearly energised from her blackberry and nettle tea.

Opening the door she greeted the mailman warmly, who bowed good-naturedly in response. He was always happy to go a little out of the way from his regular mail route to deliver here, as he was always given such a cheerful reception. She took the bundle of correspondence from the mailman, and asked him how his wife and son were doing. Last she had asked his son was taking some sword fighting lessons, and Zelda had been of a mind to discuss it with Link but she inevitably got distracted by something else.

After wishing the postman well, Zelda handed over the required rupees and then bid the man farewell as he started to walk back across the bridge leading away from Link and Zelda's house. Turning back into the house she started to rifle through the various letters and small paper packages. No doubt the small packages were from Paya, containing an assortment of plant seeds she collected from around the Fairy Fountain next to Kakariko Village. The door was just about finished swinging closed when she stared at one sheaf of paper in her hands and shoved the rest of the mail onto the dinner table before darting back out of the door.

Link didn't even have time to open his mouth to ask how the postman was.

Zelda returned just under an hour later with a package wrapped in brown paper tucked close to her chest. Setting the package down on the table, she ignored Link's questioning gaze as she came into the house.

While Link got up to make another pot of tea, with less nettle and more blackberry this time, Zelda was carefully peeling back the paper bundle to peek inside. She let out a appreciative noise and started to bounce on the tips of her feet. The former knight was immensely curious but trusted that she would explain when she ready. He didn't have to wait long.

"Link?" She said, turning around in a full spin to locate him.

"Hmm?" Link responded, pausing in his measurement of dried nettle as he turned to her.

"Could you come here, please?"

Dutifully, he stopped what he was doing and came to stand beside her. She instantly started tugging at his hylian tunic.

"Take this off."

Considering, that by this point she had asked more bizarre things of Link he only hesitated for a couple of seconds before dragging the material up and over his head, making sure to place it carefully over the back of his chair. She then grabbed him by the upper arm to drag him over to the full length mirror they had propped up against the wall next to the shield displays.

Demanding that he stay put, she went back over to the far side of the table to retrieve the still mostly wrapped package and came back. Zelda tapped her fingers rhythmically against the paper as she looked at Link over the top of the bundle in her hands.

"I need you to close your eyes."

To this, the Champion blinked in response, beginning to become slightly wary of her intentions. A certain elixir debacle was still fresh in his mind.

"Do you not trust me?" she asked, aiming for teasing but still coming across as unsure.

"Of course I do," Link said, quickly to assuage her fears.

"Then close your eyes!" A bright and happy smile was back on her features once more.

Link obeyed immediately, standing before a mirror baring all his scars, in nothing but his hylian leggings. There was a loud crinkling noise and then fabric rustling to his right. He felt Zelda tap his upper arms, and then her hands gently grasping his wrists as she drew them up straight above his head.

"Stay there."

Then fabric was being draped past his arms and over his head, at least he assumed it went over his right arm too as he could only feel it on his left. After pulling it around his chest, Zelda let the fabric fall around his hips, and Link felt her pulling at it in various places. She then moved to adjust the fabric around his arm - arms?- slipping something over the middle finger of his left hand and, he guessed, his right. Giggling, she tugged at his arms to bring them back down by his sides once more after he had left them up for no reason. Her hands then went to the back of his head, undoing his hair tie and letting his blonde tresses flow down the back of his shoulders. She fluffed his hair a bit and then placed something on his head and secured it to sit on his brow.

She fiddled with the fabric in a few more places, and drew strands of hair out from behind the object on his head.

"Ok, open your eyes."

Whatever he had been expecting upon seeing his reflection again, he would never have imagined this.

The fabric he had felt being draped over his form was a long ice blue tunic that fit snugly around his torso and flowed into long, loose sleeves. The sleeves gathered at the cuffs around his wrists before covering the backs of his hands in a diamond shape. He spotted a small loop of ribbon at the tip of each diamond which he put around his middle finger to secure the cover in place. The design of the sleeves meant they easily fit over his prosthetic and wouldn't restrict his movements. The object he had felt being placed over his forehead was his own sapphire circlet which could be seen in between the strands of his hair, the main centre piece holding the stone rested against his forehead.

"I can get you a darker coloured one so you can still beat up monsters and not have to worry about staining it. It's just that this colour suits you," Zelda assured, watching as Link started to swish the looser fabric around his thighs. He looked awed at his appearance before turning to Zelda sharply at her words.

"You don't mind … this," he gestured at his clothes and then at himself.

"I'm the one who got it for you, of course I don't mind. If you mean, more specifically, do I mind that your attraction to pretty objects nearly rivals that of a magpie? Then that is also a no. Which is precisely why I asked Claree to make this for you. The letter I got this morning was to say it had arrived in Hateno's Dye shop."

Link responded with a smile and turned back to the mirror, getting more particular with his adjustments as he truly settled into his new outfit. He looked thoughtfully at the circlet on his head before removing it and placing it down gently on the table beside them. He leaned over the table for the Slate on the other side, dragging it closer to him as he selected the headgear from the Desert Voe armour. The items appeared on the table next to the slate and Link picked up the choker, turning back to the mirror to fix it in place around his neck. Placing his hands on his hips, he admired his appearance for a few seconds before turning back to Zelda and rewarding her with a huge grin.

"Thank you."

Zelda approached Link again, standing beside him as they both look into the mirror.

"You're very welcome, now you don't have to wear that Gerudo Vai outfit anymore. Don't think I hadn't noticed the tan, those clothes do nothing to protect you from the sun." She paused for a moment before posing her next question. "If I may ask, why the choker?"

Link shrugged.

"I just like feeling something around my neck, it's comforting."

"Oh."

If the smaller Hylian noticed Zelda look off to the side for a second, her ears a bright red, he read nothing into it. She turned back, and they inspected their reflection in contemplative silence for a couple of minutes.

"You know, you really are almost as pretty as I am. Almost."

Link just nudged his head against hers, laughing, whilst privately thinking to himself, no-one is prettier than you.


Fun fact, got the white horse and called it Ophelia before getting the quest and I didn't realise it was specifically referred to as a stallion until too late. But it fits in with the running theme I have for Link that he's terrible at naming things.

So, the DLC2 dropped while I was writing this so I had to do 3 chapters instead of just 2. I need that bike.
(Also I'm so glad that some of my plans for this fic can now have some canon backup and I WILL be working in some of that DLC2 stuff in later chapters, with Zelda along for the ... ride)