Renamed this fic; Set In Stone because I thought it suited the fic better than the last one, but it's still the same ol' fic as always! Now, onto the chapter!

Zelda would be lying if she said she didn't doubt Revali's words on telling her father about how she felt during this. She knew if she just stuck to yelling at him about all the ways he constantly seemed to ignore her; the way he couldn't tell her outright he was proud of her— that he would eventually see her point of view.

Truthfully, she knew her father had every right to be proud of Link, and even she could see how it would be easier for him to display pride because of his achievements that were widely known. The Master Sword was his biggest achievement yet.

But she could never come to full terms with the fact her father seemed to take more pride in him than he did with her; despite that day when he told her how proud he was, she knew it had been forced. Urbosa had probably sent a letter explaining how she wouldn't save him from this one which ultimately meant he had to toughen up, push aside his own pride, and tell her straight out how proud he was.

That had hurt more than anything when she came to terms with the knowledge in that moment.

It had been Revali of all people to tell her she deserved to have that same pride displayed all the time to her eyes. She knew deep down that Champion would go through hell and back for his friends, and if it meant flipping off his own King in order to make him see what he was doing wrong; then so be it. He'd march up to King Rhoam, growling and sneer, yelling at him about how clueless he was before flipping him off, taking her with him to make sure she was doing okay before offering her to stay in the Rito Village until her father understood perfectly.

She would be lying if she said it wasn't tempting to have Revali do just that and stay with the Rito until it got through her father's thick skull. She could still lead the Champions, and it would be easy to check on Vah Medoh if she stayed with the Ritos.

For a brief moment, she deeply considered asking Revali if she could stay with him for the next few days to get away from the castle and from Link. Nowadays, he wouldn't leave her alone; it was like he was a lost puppy looking for his owner and it was starting to get on her nerves.

He wouldn't let her out of his sight.

Wherever she went, Link would follow with the intention of keeping her in his sight. It's like they're back to being the personal guard and princess again and it's pissing her off; she wants to yell— but she knows deep down it wouldn't do a thing. Link seems unfazed about her words now, and there's nothing she could ever do to make him stay away from her.

The Champions have another meeting when she brings this up to Revali. The Rito Champion, at first, doesn't know how to respond before he takes a deep breath and gazes at her with a plan forming in his mind. But it all depends on how she responded to this.

"I have a plan," Revali tells her. "But it depends on how you'll react."

At first, Zelda didn't know what to make of those words. But then, she knows what it could have involved. Revali would chew Link out for not allowing her some space, and for a split second, she felt bad but maybe it would work? Maybe she would be finally allowed to have some time for herself?

Revali is willing to do this for her.

"Okay," she breathed out. But before he could respond, she held up a finger. "But, on one condition."

"Which is?" asked Revali.

Zelda took a deep breath. "Do it without the other Champions around," she insisted. She didn't want the others to see this happening because she knew they would immediately turn to Link's defense. "I don't need them seeing this nor hearing it. I know this'll make me seem like a horrible person, but he just won't listen to me."

Revali nodded as he held out his wing. "Of course, Zelda."

She shook his wing before heading off to check on the other Champions, giving him a chance to speak with Link as the knight moved to follow her but the feeling of Revali's wing on his shoulder stopped him from following her. The Rito gave him a look that said he needed to speak with him, nudging his head towards a corner that wouldn't be noticed by anyone.

In the corner, Revali didn't hold back as he chuckled before poking Link in the chest, making the knight confused before he realized the expression he was getting was an angered one and he swallowed heavily, wondering what he had done to make Revali so upset with him.

It turns out, he did nothing wrong to him but rather to Zelda.

Revali narrowed his eyes as he poked his chest again. "You haven't been leaving Zelda alone like she's asked you to do."

"I can't," Link replied. "I promised King Rhoam I'd watch over her— I can't break my promise to him, now can I? I'm only doing my duties as a knight."

"But you seem to forget she holds authority over you!" Revali pointed out. "You also have to listen to her, now don't you?"

Link didn't have an answer. He knew Zelda had authority over him and he was supposed to listen to her because she was his Commander, but her father held the most authority and could very easily fire him. Deep down, he had no intentions of making her mad at him because he was just doing his job, wasn't he?

"I have to keep watch—"

Revali snorted as he poked at him again. "Oh, you don't have to because she can look after herself! Do understand that before she tells you herself in a new way."

Instantly his mind flashed to their childhood when their friendship had come to an end, and he swallowed. Would she be like that, expect even more mad? He hoped not.

"I understand."

He was looked over before he got a sharp nod. "Good," Revali said before waltzing away to join the others.

Link swallowed as he ran a hand through his hair. He was just doing his job, wasn't he? He was doing what was meant of him. Perhaps he should take a step back and see it from Zelda's point of view to understand this whole thing. They shared different views, no doubt, but…

Surely, she understood he was just doing his job, right?

...

After Revali's little warning to him, Link found himself with the cold truth on how much Zelda really did want him to leave her alone. She was much more angry with him, always ignoring him whenever he tried speaking up, and he found himself becoming sadder with every ignore and roll of the eyes he caught being done. Yet, despite all of that, his feelings for her never faded away.

He could still imagine them being together; being happy. He could picture them getting along, their love getting stronger with each fight they had— always proving them they could work. Their destinies that were intertwined with dealing with Calamity Ganon was making them closer with each step of the way.

To make sure he could protect her, even with her complaints, he found himself training away each time he had the time. After Champion Meetings; he could be found outside doing push-ups, slashing his sword at a dummy, or even running laps to get his stamina up. His body ached each time he would push himself past his limit but he couldn't care as he continued doing what he was doing.

At one point or another he was sure he started skipping meals.

Tora would bring him water every time he found him outside. Nikolai would watch with amazement as he pushed himself further before barking at the guards at why they couldn't be like that. His parents would watch from a distance with worry but didn't say anything; how could they when Link was so firm on his decision to workout?

What he failed to realize is that the Champions had taken notice. Revali would stare as he whispered to Daruk about the commintant Link had made; Mipha would share her worries with Urbosa as the Gerudo firmly agreed with what the Zora was saying about their fellow Champion.

If he continued this, he would get sick.

When they tried to point it out, Link laughed and shook his head, holding up his hands as he explained he was watching himself and his limit. Revali frowned and flicked his wing out to point at him, and for a brief moment; Link's mind flashed back to the warning he had gotten about leaving Zelda alone.

"You're getting skinnier," Revali pointed out, narrowing his eyes. "Do you even eat meals? When was the last time you let yourself have a day off from training so much?"

Link shifted. When was the last time he had a meal? Not just a snack or two he had gotten from the Apple Trees that were growing, but an actual meal his mother had made for when he and his father got home from a long day at work. But his mind fell short in coming up with an answer.

The expressions that flashed on the Champions weren't good as he smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he laughed awkwardly.

"You don't eat," Daruk replied. His eyes wide as he failed to think positively. For the first time, he couldn't think of anything good to say about Link's actions. "Little guy! You gotta eat, dude! How else are ya gonna stay awake?"

Urbosa folded her arms. "Not to mention your parents must be worried. What would Dovina say if she found out her little boy isn't eating properly?"

"I…" Link hesitated, unsure how to respond. "She might've… already known and tried to make me eat a meal… and I might not… but I need to get strong. Stronger than I already am if I want to defeat Ganon."

Mipha blinked. "But you're strong enough," she said, sharing a look with the other Champions. They didn't seem to have a clue on what Link had meant when he said those words about himself. "Why would you need to become stronger when you're already plenty strong?"

"Because what if I fail?" Link stressed, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. His body ached but he held back from mentioning that. He could handle the pounding pain that his muscles were giving off due to the lack of rest. "It'll all be on me because I have the Master Sword and no one else has that burden on their shoulders! It's all me who takes the beating of the failure. They'll tell you that you tried and if it weren't for me— you would've sent him to the grave."

( The judgemental looks they were giving him was enough to make him step away from the others, watching in the background as everyone comforted the Champions, making sure they were in top shape to make their mistakes into their greatest success but they wanted someone else to hold that sword. It was clear he couldn't.

A child shouldn't be wielding the sword anyways. )

The Champions were clearly shocked by his words as they exchanged looks, Urbosa looked like she wanted to argue on the matter; how it would be all on their shoulders for the failure because they were a team and they would go down together. They would accept the blame together, but she couldn't speak up because Revali placed his wing on her shoulder to silence her, sensing Link wasn't done.

And he wasn't.

Link went on about how he would be the one to blame in the end, he wouldn't live up to the Heroes of the Past because he couldn't do what they had done. He'd be the Hero where the tale would end with him being disowned as one— shamed to a descendant.

He wasn't the Hero of the Skies reborn; wasn't the Hero of Twilight or Hero of Time coming back to finish what they hadn't been able to finish during their time. All he was was a living failure of being the Hero and didn't deserve to carry that title.

"Link," Revali sighed heavily. "It's normal to have these doubts— but if you fail; we fail in the end too. It's not just you who gets the blame."

Daruk nodded. "Yeah! Revali's right! We all take the blame."

Link shook his head, clearly frustrated they seemed to think they would get the blame too on the manner. "No! You won't," he shot back. "Everyone admires you because you don't get to be judged on your mistakes— I do. I have the bigger burden."

"That may be," Revali began, stepping up, "— but in the end, we're a team. No one gets all the blame. You get blamed, shamed, disgraced… so do we. There's no way we're allowing you to get all the blame yourself."

For a split second, Link was taken aback. He never imagined Revali being comforting, allowing himself to be known as a failure due to his pride. But it was comforting to know he was willing to allow himself to be shamed with him— a Hylian who he despised.

Mipha smiled as she gave him a hug. "Yes, I'm willing to accept it too," she declared. She wasn't going to let him be taking the blame alone either. "We're in this together because we're a team."

"And they stick together!" Daruk hummed as Urbosa nodded.

Link smiled happily as he relaxed. Maybe they were right. They would stick together because they were a team; a family.

…

Zelda didn't want to believe it, but as soon as she saw Link pushing himself doing push-ups, she understood what Urbosa had told her. Link was overdoing it. He wasn't giving himself a break and she swallowed. Had she done this?

Had Revali's warning about leaving her alone made Link go through such lengths to prove himself as the Hero reborn instead of protecting her everywhere she went? A bitter taste formed in her mouth— it was like she hadn't brushed her teeth at all today, and she hated that taste.

Link was pushing himself up and down, counting under his breath, sweat forming on his forehead as he continued on. His tunic on a rock as the Master Sword laid against the same rock as he stared directly at his birthright each time he came up during the push-up. He was staring as if the sword was mocking him about never being good enough like his namesakes.

How he would never be the ancient Heroes everyone admired and loved.

Zelda swallowed thickly as she approached him, watching as he continued on before getting up, making his way over to a tree and jumped to grab a hold of a branch and began to push himself until his chin was just over it before lowering himself. He was really trying to make himself stronger by going through just lengths without a rest, and it was clear he wasn't eating that much.

Dovina and Larkin had even stated he wasn't and asked her to bring him some lunch they had made just for him. It was his favorite meal, and they hoped he would eat, if not; she was to be with him until he did so.

She even brought him some water.

"Link!" she called out, watching as he paused in his actions. "I brought you something to eat— your mother made it."

Link smiled sheepishly. "I'm not that hungry, princess."

"She's demanding you eat," she replied as she sat the box down on the rock, guestering to it. "She even said I have to make sure you eat; so stop what you're doing and come eat. That's a command from your Commander."

"But princess—"

"Now." Zelda growled lowly and Link sighed before dropping down, making his way over and reached for the box.

When he opened it, the smell of his favorite meal hit his nose and his stomach went off into a welcoming growl. She shot him a smirk as he chuckled weakly before sitting down, silently chewing on the sandwich before he caught sight of the canteen bottle in her hands. It had to be full of water— it was the only liquid it was used for.

"Here," she said, passing it to him. "Drink."

He nodded, swallowing the food in his mouth before he unscrewed the lid before taking a big swing of the cold water. He never did realize how thirsty or hungry he truly was until he took the sweetness of the sandwich and the coldness of the water.

Pure heaven.

"That's better," Link hummed as he licked his lips. "I never did realize how thirsty and hungry I was. Funny. I thought I wasn't."

Zelda giggled. Link's heart fluttered. Her laugh was cute. "That's because you don't eat, Link. If you did— you'd know just how empty your stomach is and how it wants something to fill it."

"Oh hahaha," Link replied, rolling his eyes. "How 'bout you stop sticking your nose in those books and learn how to eat, eh?"

Zelda flushed as she realized he was hinting at her own obsession and habit of being caught up in a book and forgetting to eat and drink herself. For the past meetings and training sessions, she would be reading all about the Guardians and how far they had come; Purah had sent her a book explaining about them, saying she wanted her to know just in case. Impa had even sent her a book about the hidden power she had within to know more about it.

It didn't help knowing all of her own ancestors had the power and had unlocked it with ease. She was the only one who hadn't unlocked it yet and Calamity Ganon could awake in any moment in time.

"I've gotten better!" Zelda sputtered out, trying to defend herself. "Unlike you, Mr. 'I need to train a lot,' so don't go beating on me!"

"Revali had to smack your head to gain your attention," Link pointed out. He swallowed some of the food before continuing. "That happened to be the last Champion training session we had. Not even Urbosa could snap you out of it. We nearly gave up until Revali smacked you."

Zelda blew a raspberry. "That wasn't fun."

"It got your attention now, didn't it?"

"Shut up."

"Yes, princess."

Silence took over them as they sat awkwardly. The only sound was Link eating and drinking the water. Eventually he couldn't help himself as he looked over to see Zelda admiring the clouds, his eyes trailed upwards and couldn't help but remember a time before Julia's death had separated them from each other.

( They would always be out watching the clouds nowadays. Zelda would point out animals and Link would point people-looking ones; maybe ones that looked like weapons. They would laugh and have a good time Dovina and Julia came to get them. At night, they would be out watching the stars as Link got a fire going. They would stay warm that way; no amount of scolding would ever stop them.

No way; watching the stars with a fire going was too fun to stop. )

Maybe this could be his chance to speak with her about the topic they seemed to avoid the most. Where it all went wrong for them.

"Hey, princess?" Link asked shyly.

"Hmm?" Zelda hummed.

Link took a deep breath before continuing, "Can I ask why you pushed me away the day of your mother's funeral? All I wanted was to comfort you and you pushed me away, telling me to stay away."

Zelda's breath hitched as she thought back to that day. She could remember saying everything. Leave me alone! I don't want to see you again! Go away! Leave me alone! You're just a dumb peasant compared to me! We were never really friends! Her heart twisted even more each time as she heard her own words echoing in her mind. She was depressed, unsure how to deal with death; her emotions were on a spin, out of control and she didn't know how to handle it.

But that didn't excuse her actions.

"I was…" she swallowed and Link took her hand softly into his own, squeezing it gently with encouragement. "I was… unsure how to deal with everything happening. I was young and stupid— I lashed out because I was scared of what would happen next; what this meant for me; for Hyrule. I didn't think straight and I took it out on you."

"You could've approached me, you know," Link stated gently. "Secretly deep down, I was hoping you'd come near me again and say sorry; act like nothing happened and ask if I wanted to hang out instead of doing chores. Run around escaping the guards and knights. Be alone. Just the two of us; but it never happened and eventually I accepted you probably meant those words, but I never allowed it to get in the way of my hopes."

Her heart broke a little. She could fully imagine that child with those big eyes and blond hair staring at the clouds, hoping she'd show up and when she didn't; he'd wait around the fire he made and stare at the stars until he, himself, gave up and moved on from doing what they used to.

She was an idiot.

"I'm sorry," she breathed out, voice slightly shaky. "I'm so sorry for saying those things, Link. I never meant them— never."

Link smiled. "It's okay. Because of it, I wanted to become a knight to see you again!" he confessed; it was his end goal to restore their friendship; to try again as teenagers, and see where they went. "Now look, we're working together to kill Ganon for the final time. We're taking on our ancestor's burden together. We'll make it."

"You're too positive," Zelda snorted.

"So? Not a bad thing— I mean, look at Daruk."

Zelda laughed. "Yes, I can see what you mean. I swear that Goron doesn't think anything negatively. A big brother at heart."

Link snickered as he nodded in agreement. The entire group was one big family with them taking on certain roles. But he was just happy he got to see Zelda more than he did growing up. Especially since they were going to be working on restoring their friendship back up to the point where it left off.

He gave her hand another squeeze as he shot her a charming smile. "So, are we good?"

"Yes," Zelda nodded. "We're good."

He smiled brightly. That's all he ever wanted to hear from her at this moment. Hopefully, during another; he would hear a new set of words being spoken from her mouth to him and he prayed it would come soon enough.

Because he really wanted to say; I love you.