The house in Hateno is untouched. Zelda was expecting the door to be kicked in, the windows to be broken, the roof to be caved in. She expected scorch marks, or even for it to look like the shells of buildings now scattered around Hyrule. She was expecting a ruin.
But it's still quiet. Familiar. Peaceful.
The inside is the same too, except the shelves where she kept her plants and her journals are bare, her research materials relocated to Pura's lab and her magically enhanced pockets. All of Link's displayed weapons, shining, unique pieces of culture and history, have been replaced with battered, mid-level armaments. There's a spiked boko club where the Lightscale Trident once hung. There's a sledgehammer in the spot for the Boulder Breaker and a second sledge hammer where the Scimitar of the Seven once stood. The first thing Link does, after he kicks off his boots and stretches, is swap everything out. He pulls out the Great Eagle Bow from his stores, and Zelda realizes that he's been carrying these treasured possessions around since they fled the house.
He takes a wooden shield painted with a blue fish off the wall, then steps back, gesturing her to the blank spot. It takes her a moment to realize what he's asking of her. When she sets the Daybreaker back in its place, it settles into the grooves of the display as if it missed being there.
Link smiles at her.
Zelda unpacks her sewing supplies and her Goron-made tools and lines her collection of journals back on the shelf. She then goes upstairs and takes a nap, curled in a ball.
They brave going into town that evening, because Link has a craving for dairy. Now that they're back in Hateno, not even an angry mob will stop him from eating something with both cheese and butter in it.
People look at them as they pass, but then they roll their eyes or scoff and move along. Zelda can't make sense of it. As they pay for their purchases at the general store, the woman behind the counter looks at her from the corner of her eye and says, "That was a dumb prank you played on people, saying that Divine Beast was coming."
Zelda blinks at her. Then at Link. Then back to the woman. Slowly she says, "When we realized how vehemently everyone didn't want the Divine Beast here, we warned her pilot to fly past Hateno."
The store owner rolls her eyes. "Sure you did, honey. And I got that one up on the volcano to stay away by beating the king of the Gorons at arm wrestling."
Zelda sucks in breath to protest, but she doesn't know where to start, and Link hooks an arm around her waist to steer her out of the store. Over her shoulder, she splitters, "The Gorons don't even have a king!"
As soon as they're out on the street, she finds her voice. "They don't believe us! They have no idea of all the hard work we've been doing! They have no idea of how much things have progressed in the last few months. They don't know who we are! Oh, that sounded pretentious. But still! How could word not have reached them? What do we need to do to get them connected to the rest of Hyrule? You would think travelers from Lurelin would have made it here by now. Perhaps they're no longer making the journey, since they can sell their wares through Medoh. It is a long trip. But then you'd think they would notice the drop in visitors. Perhaps we should talk to Rozel and see if anyone is up for the journey, or encourage some of the Gerudo to make the trek to trade textiles. They could ride Medoh to Kakariko and go the rest of the way on foot. By the time they reached here, they'd be so irritable that they'd let everyone know that Hateno needs to be on Medoh's circuit."
She brainstorms the whole way to the house, only noticing at the door that Link is grinning.
"What is it?"
"I missed you."
She huffs. "This is serious. Hateno is tragically out of the loop."
"That is how they survived the Calamity."
"But the Calamity is over!"
He shrugs. "I kinda like that they don't know who we are. It makes it easier to relax."
She imagines it: living here for years while the townspeople think them to be eccentric outsiders. How could she work to move the rest of the country forward while living in a town obstinately locked in place? It would be like she was living a secret life.
But then again, would she and Link ever be more than outsiders anywhere?
Link cooks, and Zelda sits beside him at the cooking pot and starts to write. She has to get all her ideas, everything she's learned from Naboris out of her head before it all slips away. It's all a bit frantic, half sentences and shorthand and arrows connecting thoughts.
Link holds out a plate of stuffed duck and bread that he bought instead of baked, and she takes it one handed without looking up. He pulls it back from her. She looks up to glare at him, and he offers, "I'll trade you." She reluctantly hands over her journal, so they can sit shoulder to shoulder and watch the evening sky while they eat.
She wipes her plate with the last of her bread to get every last bit of sauce, then holds out the dish to trade again. He's reluctant to hand back her journal, and as soon as she starts writing again, he leans in closer and watches her sketch.
"What are you working on?"
She doesn't appreciate the way he's obviously checking in on her, but she sucks down her irritation and twists her journal to show him. Her fingers drag over the sketches as she explains.
"This is a smaller version of the pressure system the Zora use. It moves water from the Zora River up through the crystal pillars and into the pools. They use the current of the river to power it, but we don't have that kind of natural power source at Frilly Pond. So I'm repurposing the piston system on Vah Naboris to power it. We'll be able to turn a crank at the top of the ravine to get the water flowing and pipe it up into the bathing room. It will be quicker and less physically demanding than the current system we have. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to use the ancient furnace and the tools I received from the Gorons to construct all the pipes. Assuming, of course, we can find some scrap metal or at least obtain some from the Gorons."
"Wait. So you're working on making the house nicer?"
"Yes." She looks up at him. "I'm also thinking about the repairs to Medoh, and what towers we should visit next, and how to do repairs on the Tabantha Great Bridge, and how I could start making you your own slate, and when we should make another visit to Zora's Domain, and how there's that nice crimson fabric at the store and I'll need some cold weather clothes soon. But I thought I'd start with this."
"Really?"
"I...yes?"
He kisses her. Deep and warm, cupping her face in both hands. It's sudden and overwhelming and welcome, and she's suddenly struck with the thought that it's been a while since he last kissed her like this. She tries to remember when. Before the battle on Naboris. Perhaps when they separated at the Yiga hideout. Link deepens the kiss, and she stops trying to remember.
They pull each other up, and he walks her backwards towards the house. They somehow manage to get there with their eyes closed and their lips sealed together and their legs knocking against each other. They make it as far as the stairs before their burst of coordination falters. They land together in a heap, spread over the stairs, and Link seems to decide that that's good enough. He kisses her harder, squeezing her in his hands as they drag from under her ribs to her hips to her thighs, as if he's wringing out all the parts of her that are holding her together and leaving her a raw, exposed nerve. His thumbs dip low on the inside of her thighs as he presses her legs apart so he can fit more snuggly against her. Her hand tightens in his hair, a sharp pull that makes him gasp and start a gentle rhythm rocking against her.
It's thrilling and taunting and the hopeful anticipation that sets her nerves on fire is nearly painful. The certainty that this is as far as he'll go looms over her.
She arches her back, trying for a better angle, and ends up with her chest in his face and one of his hands splayed between her shoulder blades to hold her there, and yes. Good. Good. Very good.
But not enough.
He presses his nose between her breasts, his forehead to her sternum, and he's breathing so hard she can feel it—hot and damp and needy—through her shirt. It spreads in puffs, rolling, tickling across her chest, and it's so good. So good. So good she wants more. If he'd just—If he would—
She tugs his hair, but he doesn't move.
She groans and drops her hands from his hair, her whole body deflating. "I hate the rules."
He stills and sighs. The warm draft of air from his mouth sends shuddering bursts across her skin, rolling like lightning in a thundercloud. He twists gently, rolling onto his back on the stairs and pulling her on top of him. "I know," he says, stroking his fingers through her hair. "I do too."
"Then why? Whatever knightly vows you took are null and void, and you hate all that pompous nonsense anyway. I'm not a princess anymore, and I promise you that no one will execute you for licking my breast."
He's sucks in a sharp breath, his eyes fixed determinedly on the ceiling. It takes him a long moment to manage, "I think the rules are pretty important."
"I know you do, but I don't understand why. You need to explain it to me."
"That's a first."
She narrows her eyes at him, and he must feel her disapproval, even though he's still not looking at her.
"I know they seem silly, but I also know how my fantasies go, so just trust me. They're good rules."
She tilts her head against his chest. "Well. I think I need to hear all about these fantasies before I can judge the effectiveness of the rules."
He snorts.
She props her hands under her chin and waits.
"What, really?"
"Yes."
"Like...now?"
"Yes."
"I—I just—"
She waits.
He sighs and lets his head fall back onto the stairs with a thunk. He rolls his shoulders, and the courage granted him by the Goddess is visible in the grim set of his jaw. "I think a lot about the way you took off the flamebreaker armor."
That's...unexpected.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Just...You did this thing. With your hands. You...crossed them over and pulled the armor up from the bottom. And then when you came out, your face was all flushed and your hair was all...And you looked so determined, and you were glaring at me the whole time." He tugs at the hem of her red shirt. "If you ever took this off like that, I think I might die. Or, you know, pin you down and..." He trails off, too embarrassed to put his thoughts into words or too lost in his imaginings to continue. He rubs the fabric between his fingers.
"I would like that," she says.
He drops her shirt to scrub his hand against his face. "Hylia and all that's holy, I want that so much."
"Then why aren't we doing that?"
"Because. It's just...I know you're not acting royalty, but you're still a public figure doing important work. You still have to sway people, and you need people to respect you, and you still have a reputation to uphold, and…I'd hate it if people thought less of you because of me. Because I couldn't control myself. I can't let that happen. You know?"
She doesn't.
He finally looks down at her, his face regretful, pleading. She wishes she could smile and reassure him, but this still makes no sense.
"I think it would be both of our faults, and not just yours," she says.
"Yeah, I know. But I didn't want to say it."
"Have there been people who've refused to work with us?" Maybe she missed it. Did she not notice? Surely she would have noticed that.
"Not yet."
"So...Why would that change?"
"Because we haven't had sex yet."
"No, but—"
"I know the rules don't say no sex, but I feel like if we just ignore the rules we have often enough, it'll be easier to just plow—plow straight through. And at least now if we slip up on one, we at least have a few others to keep all my resolve from crumbling and just..."
She stares at him. "So what you're saying is no sex, because people might judge me for my lustful ways."
"I wouldn't judge you," he hurries to say.
"I certainly hope not," she says. "And you're saying no glaring at you while I remove my clothes or reaching my hand down your pants, and no to you removing my underthings with your teeth and putting your tongue to good use, because those will lead to sex, which will lead to people judging me for my lustful ways."
A red flush blooms its way up his throat, where a couple of words catch without getting loose. She may have broken him.
"I...appreciate that you've put thought into this," she says slowly. "But. We are not exactly chaste as it is. Everyone we've met knows we live together. Half of Hyrule knows we sleep in the same bed whenever we can manage. Both the Rito and the Gerudo have publicly teased us for our physical affection for one another."
He's still having trouble speaking. "But. That's about...kissing and stuff."
"Link, you're not getting it! Everyone already assumes we're having sex. No one cares."
He blinks at her. "What?"
She raises her eyebrows. "How on earth would they know what we do in the privacy of our own home? It's not as if I'll turn bright green the moment we have vaginal intercourse."
He's not breathing, just staring at her in confusion.
"I can name three Zora and at least two people in Lurelin who think we're married," she says.
"What?"
"Yes."
"That's..." he shakes his head like he has water in his ear. "This whole time?"
"Pretty much."
"This whole time?"
"Yes."
He thunks his head back onto the steps.
She gives him a moment, then reaches up to press her hand to his cheek. "If you don't want to, that's a good enough reason, I just want to underst—"
"I want to."
"Good. Well. I mean. I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet. But I am ready for...other things."
He nods quickly. "Right. Yeah. Underthings. Tongue. Yes."
"That was just an example."
But he's nudging her hips, urging her to stand, mumbling something that sounds a lot like, "Teeth."
He pauses suddenly and looks up into her eyes. "Are you sure?"
"About wanting you to touch me? Of course, I'm sure."
"Okay. Good. Touching you. Tongue."
She laughs as he scrambles up and grabs her hand and pulls her upstairs.