A/N: I apologize for the late updates. I got a promotion at work, and it's been consuming my time lately. I'm doing my best to get these out as fast as I can, while maintaining quality. I'm a quality over quantity guy myself, so unfortunately for you guys, that just means you'll have to stick it out with me for a bit here. I guess it just builds the anticipation for the next chapter right?

It was odd. Link, never really thought about what would happen when he brought her here. Would she like it? Would she hate it? He knew it wasn't anything special, but he did put a lot of time into it. Specifically for her return as a matter of fact. He felt that she would get more use out of it than he would in the end.

He looked through his peripherals to gauge her reaction.

All he saw was a blank stare.

Before he could ask what was wrong, a set of arms wrapped around him.

"It's wonderful!" she said.

"It's not much. I'm sure you were expecting something more."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. It's our home, and that's all that matters."

"You want to go inside?"

She nodded with excitement.

When Link opened the door, Zelda was greeted with the inside of her new home. It was smaller than what she was used to, but if she compared it to Link's home as a child, then it was just right. The first thing that came to her attention were the wall mounts. There were nine in total.

"What's with the wall mounts?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "There was already one in here from the previous owner, and I figured that having some mementos might not be a bad thing."

"Mind telling me about them?"

"These three swords are of ice, fire, and electricity. One for each of the three goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Farore."

"A way to honour them?"

"More or less."

"What about the mounts on the right?"

"One of the shields is a remake of Urbosa's. The Gerudo crafted it for me after freeing, Naboris. The spear in the middle is a recreation of the one Mipha used to wield. And, the shield on the right is one from the Royal Guard. A way to remember my fallen brethren."

"These were made for you?"

"Yeah, that stone club and scimitar were also made for me. They were also used in the past by Daruk and Urbosa respectively."

"What about, Revali?"

Digging into his pouch, he pulled out the Great Eagle Bow.

"There's a spot on the wall for it, why don't you mount that one?"

"That spot I was saving for another, which..."

Taking off the Light Bow, he then mounted it on the wall. Giving a nod of satisfaction after.

"What about Revali's bow?"

"From what I remember of him, I feel that the best way to honour him is to use it."

Her heart clenched.

All of these are mementos of the people closest to him that he lost; minus the elemental swords, they're more of an award for completing each goddess's test. He reminds himself like this, because he forgot about them, about what they each meant to him.

"Over near the door is the kitchen. Not as big as the one in the castle, but enough for me to do what I need to do."

There was a wooden stove, countertop, and a few cupboards. The castle's was humongous, but she was prepared to downsize 100 years ago.

Next, he showed her the fireplace at the far end of the room, with a table and chairs just next to it. After that, was the mess of storage that he didn't bother to get into under the stairs. Once they got up top she seen a desk, small bookcase, and nightstand with a silent princess in a vase. There was also a dresser at the foot end of the bed. One drawer was for all of Link's clothes, the other three he saved for her.

"Looks like there is only room for one in this bed," she said with a waggle of her eyebrows.

"Like I said, I guess I better get used to cramming you in there with me."

She smirked, but the smile faded when she noticed the picture of them and the Champions hanging up on the wall.

"How did you get this?"

She thought it had been lost forever.

"An old friend managed to recreate the image for me. I should visit him soon, now that you mention it."

"Can I tag along?"

"He actually asked me if it was alright to meet you last we spoke. So, yes."

Zelda was curious about who Link was referring to, but they had more important matters to attend.

"Show me the outside?"

Taking her around the back of the house, he led her into a subsection of it.

"I built this about a month ago, it's the bathing area. Takes water directly from the pond, and it's got its own heating unit. A little out of the way, but I thought it was better here than inside the house."

Zelda couldn't agree more, due to the size of the house she felt that it could be an issue. However, she was surprised to see an almost identical bath to one she had back at the castle.

"How did you get a bath like this? These things must be impossible to find now."

"After seeing the one at the castle, I asked someone I knew about it. They remembered seeing old schematics for the same sort of thing. He said he would build it for me if I brought the materials and rupees."

It's basically a miniature version of my old bathing room.

Moving to the east part of the yard, Zelda was greeted with a white stallion tending to the food in it's stable.

"This looks just-"

"Like your old horse? Apparently, it's a descendant from the one you used to have."

"And this gear, it's identical to the set I used to have!"

"Because it is. Some old man gave it to me after I showed him the horse. Apparently, one of his ancestors used to tend to the royal family's steeds. He had no more use for it, so he gave it to me."

"What's his name?"

"Osiris."

She thought that Osiris was an... unique name, but she recalled that her old horse also had an unique one. It was only fitting that the tradition continued.

Zelda scratched under his chin, the impeding shiver that followed caused her to laugh, "No doubt that you're a descendant from the royal line of horses, Osiris. I believe we'll get along quite well."

The yard was nice, and just a little ways down was the pond that was aforementioned.

"And that's basically it."

"Link, it's wonderful. Truly."

"You want anything to eat?"

She expected her stomach to growl, but instead, a yawn was what came in response.

"I guess sleep is more important."

"Shall we head off then?" she asked with her hand held out.

"We?"

"We're not doing this again. You're coming with me, no more staying up for days on end."

She was prepared to put up a fight, but all she got was a shrug of the shoulders and a small nod.

After getting washed up, Zelda joined Link in bed.

"What kind of bed is this? It's incredibly soft."

"Rito feathers. I slept on one in one of the inns, and eventually got my own."

While she was pleasantly surprised by the comfort of the bed, she already had the comfiest mattress anyone could ask for anyways.

After a few minutes of silence, Zelda eventually said, "This is something I never thought would happen."

"Why's that?"

"Father, Ganon, me being a princess and you my appointed knight, society, everything. There were so many things going against the idea, that I felt as though it would be a dream that would remain as just that. Everyone back then would be against the idea of me choosing anyone that was not 'fit' to become royalty. If I'm being honest, my eventual... husband, would have been someone not of my own choosing, regardless of how I felt about him. I would've eventually been someone who simply produced heirs and sat quietly upon her throne."

"That doesn't sound like something you could do."

"Back then, I would've eventually had to."

"I don't believe that. I mean, you've always done what's best for you anyways. Who cares what other people think, as long as your happy, then that's all that matters."

"But Link, the people-"

"If you gave everyone a piece of fruitcake, and they told you that they didn't like it, would you stop eating it?"

"Of course not, fruitcake is my favourite."

"Then why deny yourself happiness when a few irrelevant people say you can't? The only person's opinion that matters is your own. If you want to do something that you know will benefit you and make you happy, then do it. Don't feel pressured into doing something else, just because of what some people might think, or of your title. It is just a title, not something that defines you."

Zelda never thought of it from that perspective. She had been so worried about so many things going wrong in the past that she had to forcibly hold herself back. How many times did she want to hold his hand in public, to kiss him, to push their relationship further without the risk of being caught. She remembered all too well that feeling of longing and need that she had to suppress time and time again. It bottled up to the point where she relieved some of that tension in her trips to fantasy land, and when that didn't suffice the "warm me up" excuses were just one of many things she tried to fulfill those feelings. Maybe if she fought harder for her happiness, things could've been different back then. However, she looked at this situation as a clean slate, a fresh start, a new opportunity. She didn't get her way back then, but there wasn't anyone or anything that was going to stop her from being happy this time around.

"There you go, cheering me up again. Thank you, Link."

He ruffled her hair. Something that was becoming just as common as the finger on the lips thing he did. She didn't like anyone touching her hair, but she didn't mind if Link did so. It was just one of those "exclusive" things that only he got to do.

Zelda fell asleep soon after, Link on the other hand would not sleep this night, but that didn't bother him. After all, the one thing he fought so hard for was finally home.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The next morning, Zelda awoke by herself. In the past, it wasn't an unusual scenario. She never asked, but for whatever reason he'd always slip away at some point during her sleep. Putting on one of his spare undershirts, she headed downstairs to the main level.

He's not down here, nor are there any signs that he was here recently.

She checked outside.

He's not by the stable, or by the pond either.

Unease began to fester in the pit of her stomach.

"Link?" she called.

Knocking on the bathroom door, she called for him once again.

Nothing.

100 years ago, she knew that Link would always be in one of three places. The training yard, the kitchen, or the library. It would never take her long to find him, however, she didn't know the area at all. So, she had no idea where Link was, or where he could be.

What started out as slight worry, quickly evolved into full-fledged panic. Her mind raced with scenarios of Link lying face down somewhere.

We've only been together for two days and this happens! Goddesses, Link! Where could you have gone?

In only her bare feet and a shirt that went just past her underwear, Zelda ran off into the village in search of, Link. It was just past dawn, so there weren't many people up and about, but those who did see her got a pretty decent view of her assets. The spectacle was about as unbecoming of royalty as it could've gotten; not to mention embarrassing, but she didn't care, her number one priority right now was finding, Link. She'd deal with the backlash later.

"Miss? What seems to be the problem?" waved over one of the female villagers.

Taking a moment to catch her breath she sputtered, "I'm looking for someone. He has dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, Hylian-"

"You mean, Link? You wouldn't be the first to be looking for him, honey," the woman sighed with a giggle, "What I wouldn't do to be in your shoes."

It took Zelda a moment to realize what she was referring to, and once she figured it out, she immediately went beet red, "D-Don't misunderstand! We-We're not-"

The sudden laugh cut her off, "I'm only teasing. If you're looking for Link, you won't find him around here."

"Where can I find him?"

Time was of the essence.

"Unfortunately, no one has the answer to that. He comes and goes. Sometimes we won't see him for weeks."

"Weeks? Who watches his house while he's away?"

"A few of us tend to it while he's away. He's done so much for us, that it's a small price to pay."

This idle chitchat wasn't getting her anywhere.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Sure, by the way, what's your name? I haven't seen you around here before. Are you a relative of his or something?"

She couldn't say that she was the princess of Hyrule, no one would believe that, and as much as she wanted to say that she was his significant other that wasn't necessarily true either.

"Just a friend visiting. Thought I'd visit him for a change since he always comes my way, but when I woke up he disappeared on me. I don't know my way around here, so I'm a little freaked out."

"In that outfit? You two must be awfully close. How come none of us other women have ever heard of you?" the woman squinted at her suspiciously.

"Er... I-"

"No need to tell, I won't pry. Just becareful. Some might not take to kindly to hearing that Link is unavailable."

"I said that we aren't-"

The woman turned around and waved as she walked away from her mid-sentence, "Toodles! Good luck on your search!"

What is up with her? Never mind that! I need to find, Link.

Zelda, searched throughout the entirety of Hateno Village to no avail. Link, was nowhere to be found. With slumped shoulders and dampened spirits, she headed back to the house. There wasn't anything more she could do currently, except hope for his safe return.

However, upon her return, what she didn't expect was to see Link cutting up some wood by the house.

A wave of emotions coursed through her. She had just spent over an hour looking for him, and there he was just casually doing yard work!

"Where were you?! I was looking all over for you!"

He shrugged his shoulders, "Sorry."

"Sorry?! You're sorry?! Do you know how worried I was?! I had no idea where you were or how you were! For all I know, you could've been dead! Why didn't you say anything?!"

"There was something I had to take care of. You were still asleep, no sense in waking you."

From a logical standpoint it made perfect sense, but Zelda was far from a state of rationale.

"But something could've happened? What if-"

"I can take care of myself, Zelda."

"And look what happened last time!" she immediately bit her tongue, and looked at the ground after she said that.

She knew the second that those words came from her mouth that she made a huge mistake. She had been worried sick and freaking out for the last hour, and the way he casually played it off just made her say something regrettable out of frustration.

Raising her head, "Link I-"

Before she could finish her sentence, he had already disappeared.

Link was gone.

With tears streaming down her cheeks, she slumped down to her knees.

What have I done...?

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Before she knew it, night had come. She hadn't eaten, her appetite just wasn't there today. Nor was her willingness to get dressed, she was still wearing one of Link's spare undershirts, and quite frankly, it might've been the only thing keeping her together. It still had his scent, it was still... something of him that she could hold close.

After sulking for about another hour or so, she eventually went to bed. Though, Zelda would not sleep on this night, her worry for Link far exceeding the need for sleep.

I wonder where he is right now, what he's doing. Is he okay? Is he eating right? Did he make one of his specialties tonight? Is he also lying in bed?

She let out a sad laugh.

Probably not. His tendency to stay up is out of control. He really needs to sleep more. One of these days I'll kick him of that habit.

The more she thought about him, the harder it was to remain composed.

Who am I kidding... I told him that he was useless on his own, I wouldn't be surprised if he hated me.

Just the idea of Link despising her was enough to make her feel depressed.

100 years I waited for him, and in less than three days I threw him away.

She groaned into the pillow.

Nothing about this is right.

There were spurts of what she was hoping for, but it was soon followed by a disaster. For whatever reason, things just weren't going the way she wanted. It wasn't for a lack of trying, although, the way she's handled this... change in Link has been nothing short of a nightmare. One minute she feels like she's got a handle on things, the next, things are spiralling out of control. Because of that, she may have really hindered things between them. To the point where she didn't know if it was repairable.

Maybe I'm overthinking it. Goddesses I pray that I am. I don't want to lose him again. Once was more than enough.

Looking out the window from her spot on the bed, Zelda could only hope for his safe return.

Please come back. I miss you too much already.

Zelda knew the feeling of having the most precious thing she valued taken away all too well. To relive that feeling so soon... it was something she never thought would happen again, let alone in three days. The sooner Link was home, the better.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Unfortunately for her, three more days would pass before Link finally returned. She hadn't eaten, bathed, or do really anything except lie in bed the entire time. When Link left, all of her motivation and energy left her.

When he stepped through the door, Zelda had to drag herself out of bed to greet him.

"You're back..." she said, leaning against the wall coming down the stairs.

He did a once over of her before moving to the kitchen.

"Link?"

"You haven't been taking care of yourself."

She made her way to the table, "Where were you?" she asked, trying to dodge his comment.

"Out."

She crossed her legs and began twiddling her thumbs.

"What did you do for almost four days?"

"There was some business that I needed to take care of."

"Oh? Doing what?"

"Don't worry about it."

That didn't ease her conscious in the slightest, however, she wasn't in any position to push further. She didn't know how much she strained their relationship, as of now, the ice she was on was about as thin as it gets.

If Link leaves now, he may never come back.

The thought terrified her.

The long silence was really bothering her though. She had no idea where he was for the past four days, and he'd barely said more than a sentence since his return.

"Link!" she blurted out. She covered her mouth when she realized how abrupt that sounded.

"Sorry, er no! I mean, well yes, I'm sorry," she cleared her throat. "I'm sorry for what I said to you. I didn't mean it."

"But you did, or else you wouldn't have said it."

"I was just worried sick-"

"That doesn't justify what you said. Whether your emotions were running high or not, you meant what you said."

"I didn't mean it like-"

He dropped the ladle into the pot, and turned towards her, "Then, how did you mean it? Your message seemed pretty clear."

Zelda froze, she tried to formulate words, but her mouth was acting similar to that of a fish. She felt the ice under her feet begin to crack. The way his eyes held her in place, the way they burned into her absolutely frightened her. She had never seen him this angry with her before, even with all the stunts she pulled back then to intentionally piss him off, never, was he this mad. His voice was still the usual low tone, but his message still got across loud and clear. It was his eyes that said everything that needed to be said.

Her bottom lip quivered.

If she didn't think she messed up before, she certainly knew now.

"I-I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm s-sorry! So, so sorry! It was never my intent! Goddesses you have to believe me... I would never try to hurt you intentionally!" her eyes were closed with her hands clasped together against her chest as she rambled on her apology.

She suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her.

"I forgive you," he whispered into her ear.

Her eyes shot open, and her breath hitched. Zelda buried her face into his neck as she clung onto him. She had just learned a hard lesson. One that she would never forget.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Link, had just returned from a hunt in the Tabantha Snowfield. He was running out of fresh meat, and decided to hunt for a Tabantha Moose while Zelda slept.

Actually, I should probably go and check on-

"Where were you?! I was looking all over for you!"

Guess she's awake.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Sorry."

"Sorry?! You're sorry?! Do you know how worried I was?! I had no idea where you were or how you were! For all I know, you could've been dead! Why didn't you say anything?!"

"There was something I had to take care of. You were still asleep, no sense in waking you."

From a logical standpoint it made perfect sense, he thought he was doing her a favour since she seemed so tired last night.

"But something could've happened? What if-"

"I can take care of myself, Zelda," he said quickly to reassure her and ease her worries.

"And look what happened last time!" she immediately bit her tongue, and looked down at the ground.

Raising her head, "Link I-"

Before she could finish her sentence, he had already disappeared.

Link was gone...

He just picked a place and left, not at all caring for the destination. For he knew that he was going to lose it on her if he stayed there any longer.

When he finished teleporting, he realized that he was in the middle of the Gerudo Desert.

There's a Molduga nearby. I'd be doing Gerudo Town a favour for eliminating it, besides, I need to blow off some steam.

The fight itself was nothing spectacular, Link simply abused the fact that the beast was hyper sensitive to motion. Roll a few bombs around, and the rest was a piece of cake. It took awhile to kill due to its tough hide, but that was ideal for, Link. The longer he could let out his frustrations the better.

After it was all said and done, it was close to midday.

Even after a few hours he still wasn't ready to head back to her. He may have calmed down, but that didn't quell the feeling he felt.

Anger. It was an emotion he didn't handle very well. One thing for him was that he always liked to remain composed. However, when he was angry, his composure was susceptible to slipping, which only angered him more when he did lose it. He knew that what Zelda said was a heat of the moment thing, but that didn't excuse what she said, nor the meaning behind it. If he were to go back now, he would only be adding fuel to the fire. The best course of action was to let things cool down between them, and then talk it out when he decided to return.

The real question was, when should he return?

I wonder if she'll be okay by herself?

He thought back to what she said to him just that morning.

She doesn't need me. We both could use the time apart to clear our heads.

Only time could indicate Link's return, and until he felt ready, he would roam about the desert in solidarity...

Three days was the amount of time that he isolated himself in the desert. He kept himself busy by taking care of a few things that were plaguing the people in Gerudo Town and Kara Kara Bazaar. Which entailed eliminating a couple monsters and enemy camps.

I suppose it's time to head back. I wonder how Zelda managed? She doesn't know Hateno Village at all, and she never really had to take care of herself before. Not like that anyways.

He shrugged his shoulders before teleporting back.

I'm sure she found a way...

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

After they reconciled, Link finished preparing something for her.

She doesn't look too well. I don't think she's bathed, eaten, or even gone outside since I left. There's deep bags under her eyes, and it looks like she's even lost a bit of weight. What in Hylia? I didn't anticipate it being like this.

He wanted to ask her what happened, why she decided to not take care of herself, but the answer was obvious. It was written all over her.

"Here, it's light on your stomach. Take a bite, then wait about a minute before taking another," he cautioned after handing her the bowl of soup.

"Thank you," she replied.

Zelda, did as instructed and took her time eating her meal. After she was finished with that, Link got a bath ready for her. He let her use whatever she needed in there, and while she bathed, he washed her clothes. Once her clothes, or rather, her article of clothing was dry, she was ready to come out. When she came from the bathroom, Link noticed that she decided to wear the same undershirt.

"Not feeling it today?"

She shook her head timidly.

He thought it was early, but judging from her body language he could tell that she was done for the day. Leading her up the stairs, he took a seat behind her on the bed.

"Your hair... It'll become a nightmare if something isn't done about it now."

"I'll do it tomorrow. It can survive another day."

Pulling out the kit he used for his own hair, he began to brush hers.

"Ow!" she yelled in pain.

"Sorry, like I said it's pretty bad."

The two sat in silence while Link brushed her hair, with the occasional yelp from tangled hair being forcibly straightened breaking it.

He ran his fingers through it to verify his work.

"There, finished."

Zelda fidgeted with her hands in her lap, making firm eye contact with anything, but him.

"T-Thank you. That was kind of you."

"I like seeing your hair like this. It suits you, same can be said for your smile."

"Eh?"

That caused her to face him.

"Being down like this doesn't suit you."

"After all that's transpired... it's hard not to be down about things."

"True, but what's getting down about it going to do?"

She averted her gaze from him, however, Link cupped her chin and tilted her head back up towards him.

"You know the answer already."

She nodded.

"The road that lies ahead will be tough, but I'm hoping that you'll be patient enough to go through it with me at my speed. I know that I'm not what you imagined, but I'm doing my best regardless."

Those words resonated within her.

He's trying his best. I can't give up! We can get through this. We will get through this!

"I'm trying my best too," she cupped his cheek. "I won't give up on you, Link. Even if it takes me another 100 years to figure it out, I won't."

They stared at each other for a moment, and Zelda thought for a second that her chance might have come, but before she could capitalize on it, Link had scooted off the bed.

"Get some sleep, I'll be around when you wake."

She figured that there was no way of talking him into bed this time around.

"Please don't leave, okay?" she mumbled from under the covers.

"I won't leave the house."

"Promise?" she asked from behind the covers.

He rolled his eyes, "Promise."

She smiled, "Good night, Link. I'm glad that you're back."

As Zelda fell asleep, Link took a seat by the fire, pulling out a book to read to pass the time by. The two were reunited once again. Tomorrow was a new day, with a new set of challenges sure to come...