Link blinked away the afternoon light, seeing only shapes and colors.

After Zelda's and Auru's joint speech of unconditional support on the balcony that was met by roaring excitement, he'd given several soldiers Zelda's command that Auru be listened to and followed constantly. When that was done, Link limped back to Shad's and had been heavily chastised and dosed with another potion, needing a few more hours before Shad's far more potent one would be ready.

As Link's eyes adjusted, so too did his body, and he realized that there was an awkward bend in his small mattress. So, looking off to his side, he expected something, but he didn't expect to see Zelda lying on top of his bed beside him in the clinic, curled up with her head resting on the backboard and a book in her nose.

Leaning forward, he caught a glimpse of the title. Strong Gazes. It had him cracking a grin as he leaned back into the wall on his other side.

"Are you reading one of those smutty romance novels when I'm lying right here?"

Zelda nearly dropped the book as she turned to him. Her surprise quickly turned playful, easy. Something he hadn't seen from her in a long time.

"This is not a romance novel. Though, that would certainly make this more interesting," she laughed. "I tried reading it once before and I just couldn't. I still can't."

He tried sitting up, wincing as he did, but managing to bring himself closer to her. "What's it about then?"

There was no wiping the grin from her face as she scooted down so she was beside him, the temples of their heads pressed together as they both looked at the pages.

Link made a face as he read the words. "To achieve the perfect level of comfort in any situation, you must first prepare yourself for the daunting task of asserting your authority. And like everything in this life, it comes with the practice and the blessings of the Goddess herself. Before you begin, thank her for her presence in your life. Then find a chair that is beside a table, desk, or otherwise raised surface. Sit in the chair and lean back, but be sure not to sit too far back or you may risk falling over. Once you've sat back, lift your feet onto the surface you've prepared and rest your arms comfortably behind your head. Stay like that for as long as it takes for you to begin to feel the Goddess' confidence flowing through you."

Zelda made a noise like a chuckle and placed a small object from her lap back between the pages before setting the book down on the ground and turning back to Link. "Not nearly as exciting as you'd hoped."

"I don't know," he mused, "Falling over in your chair because a book told you to lean back is pretty amusing. You don't need this book though, Zelda. What you did today was impressive. You just took an army from a king. You found every one of his weaknesses and hit him again and again. Toss this stupid book out. You're far more talented than this weird book is trying for."

She watched his mouth press into a tight line, suppressing another comment. And judging by the glint in his eyes, she knew exactly what kind of remark it would have been.

"Link," she chastised with a playful roll of her eyes.

He lightly laughed. "You know me too well."

"How are you feeling?"

"I've been better, and I've been worse."

"So, you're in pain still? Even with all these potions?"

He nodded, but it was accompanied by a casual shrug. "Pain reminds you that you're still alive. If I wasn't in pain after everything, it would be because I was dead."

Her eyes trailed down to his bare chest, to the bandages and the stitched wounds. The mark of Auru on his chest, old healed scars, bruises that made him look more discolored with purples and greens and yellows of healing bruises. Her eyes went up. His throat, a stitched line straight across it. Bruises on his jaw, dark enough that the light scruff on his face couldn't cover it, a split lip, and the smallest horizontal white line just to the side of it that she'd never noticed before from an old injury.

"What's this old one from?" she asked, letting her nail brush against it, too nervous to hurt him with any more pressure than a feather, inadvertently causing him to stiffen under her.

His lips turned up, moving her finger with them. She smiled.

"My tooth went through my lip when I was about fourteen," he muttered.

"Ew," she said with a grimace.

"Yeah, not fun." But his smile broadened as he watched her.

She wasn't doing anything particular, but just seeing her beside him after being apart, her smile, the way her cheeks turned red the longer he looked at her, the way her tongue snaked out to wet her lips though it was obvious that it was unintentional. Her eyes darted all around him, studying every injury, whether it was covered or not. Her eyes stopped on the bandage swathed around his arm and then down to his two wrapped hands.

Though she was on top of the blanket, and he was under, he kicked his leg out at hers to get her attention.

"I'm fine."

"I know," she said quickly, bringing her eyes back up to his. "I just… is it a bad thing that I'm concerned?"

"No. Actually, I really like all the attention you're giving me. Want to talk about all my scars? Pick one."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You know how to ruin a moment."

"Hey," he said, tapping her from under the blanket again. "My neck hurts and I can't turn over. Come here."

She rolled onto her stomach and perched up on her elbows. "How can I help?"

"I just want to be sure of something before I make any more comments to you. You're not betrothed?"

Shaking her head, she offered him a triumphant smile. "I'm not betrothed, Link."

She brought her lips to his, but he turned away for a moment to stop her.

"Wait, Zelda I mean it; is this going to be a bad idea? Are you going to have to go marry Prince Midos for a bridge in a few weeks? I don't understand how it works, and if that's what's going to happen, it's probably better that we don't have to do that all again. I've been made very aware of what I can't do that I almost don't know what I can do anymore."

She sighed and rested her arm on his chest before promptly lifting it when she saw him flinch in discomfort, realizing she'd rested right on a deep bruise and added some distance between them. "I don't know about my future," she said, as honest as she could be. "If I have my way, no, I will never marry someone just for their political assistance. Auru was proof that I can find another way. What I want is you. I just… I don't know how to do that yet. If you're okay with keeping it between us, as we'd been doing before… I mean, people seem to figure us out anyway, so it would likely be the worst-kept secret, but we could still be possible. Unless I figure something else out, that's all I can think of. And if you have any ideas at all, please, let me know. But is that… is that a good enough answer for now? Until there's another option on the table?"

"Yeah, that's good."

He sat up on one of his arms, hoping to hide his grimace, and his other arm slid around her neck and pulled her back down to him. He felt himself crash back down against the pillow, sore from the movement and sucking in a deep breath.

Zelda chuckled as she hovered over him, careful not to touch him. "A little too eager?"

"Dammit, Zelda I can barely move. Just kiss me."

"I was trying to before."

"Zelda."

"What? You turned away from me. You denied your future queen what she wanted. That's punishable by the same standards."

"I think you might just like your power a little too much," he snorted. "But I know I'm not the only one losing out right now."

"You just said you can't move," she laughed. "Technically, I'm being nice."

"I still have a working mouth and tongue."

He winked, and Zelda's eyes bugged out. She fought to keep a relatively neutral expression on her face, though it wasn't working. "Link!"

"What?" he balked with a wide smile of fake innocence. "I was asking for a kiss. Where's your mind at, oh future Queen of Hyrule?"

"Oh, stop! This is a clinic, Link! It's a place of healing. The walls are thin, and Shad will hear."

Link's eyes glistened and he bit back a grin, unable to stop himself. "Well, that depends on how quiet you can be."

She covered her face and hoped desperately that the burning red in her face would subside before she could look at him again. She could feel him laughing, the bed shaking, though he was interrupted by a bout of coughing.

"You know that's not what I meant, right? I meant he can hear you talking about us," she muttered, peaking out to look at him.

"I know," he grinned. But he reached out, wincing as his arm left his side to brush against hers where she kept her face hidden. "I'm not actually trying to make you uncomfortable but damn, Zelda, you made it really easy."

"I wouldn't say 'uncomfortable' is the right word," she grinned as she shook her head.

He raised his eyebrows and gingerly brought his arm back to his side. "We'll call it payback for the way chess ended." She watched his eyes close quickly, sucking in a harsh, pained breath before he turned to meet her stare. He gestured to his arm. "It's nothing. I just banged into a stitch."

"It hurts that badly?"

He shook his head. "No, just a sharp pain when I hit it, and then it goes away. Just don't throw yourself on my arm and it's fine."

Zelda made a noise of acknowledgement and moved back over his face, her hair spilling down so it brushed against him. "Okay. I'll do my best."

"Thanks," he muttered, capturing her lips in his with ease.

It started out soft and tender. It was a reminder. But they relaxed into the kiss as if they'd never been parted in the first place, and it became a languid and lazy exploration of the other, for once not feeling the rush of stolen kisses or checking for guards over their shoulders.

Every now and then, Zelda would want to touch Link, and her hand would rest on his chest or by his throat with just too much pressure and he'd hiss into her, his body jerking away in pain before returning to her lips with a light pull on her elbow – the only spot his arm could reach—asking her to come back in the only way he could really to let her know he was still okay.

"Zelda!" a voice called as the door swung open.

Quickly, she finally pulled away from Link and turned to Shad, who'd been too distracted to notice them. "Yes?"

Link snorted at her innocent expression, and it turned Shad's attention to him. "Oh good, you're up. How are you doing?"

"Oh," Link said, casting Zelda a mischievous look that she instantly hid her knowing grin from. "My lips are feeling a little swollen."

"Really?" Shad hummed, looking at Link's cut lip with interest. "Odd, but the potion I can give you in a bit should help take care of everything. And Zelda, yours is done."

"Yours?" Link asked, tapping her so she'd turn her red face back to them. "You made one?"

She nodded, feeling genuinely shy for the first time in a long time. "Shad gave me a lesson. If I can get potions down, then I can move on to internal stitches."

"So why haven't I had it then?" he asked.

And he knew it was the right thing to say the as her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Really? You'd try it? It'll help with some of your pain, but it probably won't taste great."

"You have a willing test subject, Zelda. Let me try it."

She bit her lip in excitement as she slid off the end of the bed and slipped out the door.

"It doesn't look very promising," Shad warned him as he peeled off a bandage to check if the potion was speeding up the healing. "It should work effectively, though. The ingredients for healing are all in there."

"But it will help with pain?" Link asked carefully, sitting up a bit with Shad's help.

"Yes, why? I have a topical mixture if it's something on the surface."

Link glanced at the door and rubbed his chest. "Actually, will you burn this symbol off? I don't care about the mark it'll leave, or the pain, but I won't be keeping a scar like this one."

"Burning over scars is painful, and dangerous. I wouldn't advise it until you're healed. Well, I wouldn't advise it at all."

With a casual shrug, Link checked the door one more time. "You do it or I do."

"Fine. At least I know you'll have that strong potion afterwards." He dropped his knife into the fire and watched Zelda hurry back in.

"Okay, I really think it looks bad," she said, eyeballing the liquid inside the bottle. "I don't think you should try this one."

"Give it here," Link said, holding out his hand slightly. "I'll tell you what it needs." She uncapped the bottle and handed it to him. "Well, Zelda, first off, I think you should work on making it a color other than brown."

Sitting beside him again, Zelda made a face. "Yeah. Probably."

Link would have taken the potion in a single, swift swig, but the liquid inside was sticky and ran slowly down the side of the bottle. Likewise, it pooled into a thick lump on his tongue, like honey or molasses, but without any of the flavor. And though most potions were room-temperature, somehow, her potion managed to be warm, and not in a soothing way like tea. What it made up for in looks, it made up for in an over-abundance of intense flavors; it tasted like grass rather than herbs, and like water than had run through a dirt filter rather than the contraptions healers used to make the water safe.

And yet somehow, he managed to drink it all down.

He started to cough but held up his hand as he cleared his throat. "It's definitely too thick," he noted as she watched him with excited interest. "Way too thick. But honestly," and he was being honest, "it's not as bad as it looks. It looks much worse than it tastes."

"Are you serious?" she asked as a smile shot across her features. "It wasn't that bad?"

"Not that bad," he said, emphasizing the word 'that' in his brain. "I think you'll be a million steps in a better direction just by thinning it out."

As much as he loved seeing Zelda's smile, he knew how important this was to her. His suggestion wasn't a dodge. He knew she'd have to add more water to the potion, and that would take out half the disgusting flavors he could still taste, as well as the thick goop that it was.

But gods, was she smiling.

"I can fix that. If Shad is willing to give me another lesson later, perhaps we can focus very specifically on the consistency?"

"I'd be honored, Princess," Shad said. He glanced at Link and shook his head, admiring the soldier's bravery that had nothing to do with the battlefield. But he pushed the thoughts of everyone aside and gestured to his knife. "Ready?"

"For?" Zelda asked, though she'd followed Shad's eyeline to the knife.

"I want this thing off," Link said, patting the scar on his chest. "Shad's going to burn it off for me."

Letting out a long sound of exasperation, Zelda lightly pulled at her hair. "You know how to stress me out, Link. Burning it off? Are you crazy?"

"Sometimes," he laughed. "You don't need to be here, but I'm doing it."

"Fine," she muttered, knowing that no argument would lead to both of them being satisfied. "Is this considered a serious procedure?" she asked Shad.

He nodded, grabbing the knife and inspecting it while he kept it over the flame. "Yes it is, and no, you cannot perform it. But if you wouldn't mind, could you grab something for him to bite down on?"

"Goddess," she muttered as she rifled through a few things, returning with a belt.

"Okay, Princess, please stay near the door. I need room to maneuver."

"Right," she said, hugging her arms to herself. Link winked at her before Shad moved into her line of sight. And once Link began to make muffled, pained noises, she was almost glad that she couldn't see him, and wasn't too close to the smell of his burning flesh.

Stepping outside the room, she really understood why the rule was in place that stopped people from working on those they loved. She wasn't sure she could do that to Link, even if it was what he wanted.

Moving back inside, she grabbed all the mixtures and bandages that Shad would need and set them down. He muttered a thank you as he finished, and she took the knife for him, placing it back in the fire as she listened to Link's rapid breaths.

"Princess?" Shad asked, "Would you grab the potion from downstairs. This looks a little worse than I thought it would, and I'd like to use the potion now rather than wait between yours and mine."

When she'd stepped out, Shad finished covering the wound in a light paste that was refreshingly cool before covering it with a bandage.

"Are you satisfied?"

Link nodded and closed his eyes.

Shad wiped some sweat from Link and moved away, taking the potion from Zelda as soon as she walked in and nearly forcing it down Link's throat.

When it was all gone, Shad nodded to himself. "Okay, that should take effect soon, and you should be feeling significantly better by tomorrow Give it a full day or so. It's no fairy, but it's strong enough to get you on your feet. We'll keep dosing you with potions until it's time to fight."

"Thanks, Shad," Link muttered as the man left them again, closing the door as he ducked into the hall.

"Are you done getting yourself injured?" Zelda asked, arms crossed as she looked over him again.

"Yeah," he said, scooting over and patting the spot beside him. "Are you going to stay for a bit? I know you have things going on back at the house."

"I'd rather stay here, at least for a while, if that's fine with you."

"I'd hate that," Link chuckled.

Zelda grinned before looking uncomfortably at the bed, remembering what a challenge it had been to avoid accidently touching him before, and now, he had a giant burn on his skin as well. "I don't want to hurt you any more than I already have."

Link looked down at his chest and nodded, scooting back so the spot on his other side was free. He offered her his bandaged hand. "Climb over. There are fewer injuries on that side."

Zelda made a face but climbed up and practically rolled onto his other side, landing hard into the small space for her on the mattress between him and the wall. She felt herself giggling as she turned to him. "I think I'm meant to be more graceful than that. Sorry."

Though he couldn't turn onto his side, his head lolled over to watch her. "You want to—" he stopped himself and just gestured to the blanket.

"Oh, you're looking for the old days," Zelda mused as she slipped under and moved closer to him. "One bed at an inn."

"Mhmm," he muttered. "Caught me."

But Zelda's face turned serious as she stared at him intently and her hand lightly brushed the untarnished skin of his neck, sending a shiver through him. "I thought you were going to die yesterday. There have been times where I've been concerned, like when you didn't come back with everyone in Saria. But I've never seen you bleeding so much and stumbling and then that man was on you and I saw his sword in your throat. All I knew was that I couldn't let you die.

"You spent days in an enemy camp doing incredible things," she whispered, lightly dragging her fingers down his throat to rest near, though safely away from, his bandaged burn. "You've become a leader. Finn and the others look up to you, did you know? He almost seemed a little lost while you were gone. I know Leon was. You've made a difference in more lives than just mine."

Though his movement was limited, he bent his arm so his fingers ran lightly along her cheek.

She smiled into him but didn't stop. "When you and I met, I was just trying to learn what life without my family meant. Ganondorf had taken away the three most important people in my life right in front of me, and sometimes, I still forget that they're gone. But Ganondorf gave me one gift: he gave me the most important person in my life now. You helped me pick up the pieces of myself that were broken when they died, and then… it's like you helped build something completely new in their place. You've always been more than just a soldier to me, Link."

Link let his fingers move around, down her neck, up to her ear, anywhere he could reach. He was in too much pain to even turn to kiss her, no matter how badly he wanted to.

"You make me want to be more than I was, Zelda. Even though I know it's impossible, you make me want to be someone who could be worthy of you."

She carefully leaned into him and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. "You've always been worthy. We'll figure this out if you're willing to just blindly stumble around in the dark with me on it."

"'Willing,'" he scoffed. "I love you. Gods, I'm in love with you. I was 'willing' to follow you while you were on another man's arm with less than no hope for anything between us other than possibly a strained friendship. I'm 'willing,' Zelda."

She lightly tapped her finger on his chest pensively, though not without a mischievous smile and more than a few excited butterflies banging around in her gut. "Sorry, I couldn't hear you. What did you say?"

Though his eyes had begun to droop from the effects of the potion, he chuckled and strained to bring his other hand up to cover hers over his chest, stopping her nail from tracing more patterns against him. "You know you're the biggest tease in Hyrule, right? I'm supposed to be trying to rest."

"Oh please, you think I'm bad?" she whispered.

He hummed out a laugh, fighting his eyes and body just to look at her for a moment longer. "I can't keep my—the potion is working fast. I know you have… other things to do. You… you don't need to stay."

"What if I want to?"

"Then by all means," he muttered, feeling her move just a little closer, still careful not to touch him except for the hand he still covered. "Zelda," he whispered, his eyes barely slits as he looked at her. "Do you want to know a secret?"

She could see, even with him half asleep, that there was something playful in his gaze and she nodded, half expecting some comment about how he'd loved her since the moment she first hit him in her sleep or something like that.

So when he gave her a wide, toothy, lazy grin, she was unsurprised when he perked up at her expectant expression.

"Before I met you, I never used to sleep with a shirt on."

Zelda found herself shaking her head as she giggled at him. "You've been depriving me? And you call me the tease."

His eyes drifted shut and his head lolled into hers.

"Link?" she tried.

"Mmm?"

Tired from her near sleepless night, she let her own eyes close as well. "I love you, too."