A/N: Well everyone. Guess who's back with another update? Obviously you know. Yes, it's me, and I'm the bearer of good news. Things have finally settled down for me, which means I can focus more on things that I want to focus more on. Writing being one of them.

With that being said, my updates should range from that 1-2 week mark over the sporadic 3week+ we've been dealing with. A win for everyone in my books. Anyways, enough rambling, let's get on with the story.

"You're still up?"

It was nearly dawn. Link had seen Zelda off to bed just over an hour ago.

"Not tired."

Riju chuckled as she joined Link.

"Do you ever rest?"

"Sometimes."

She leaned back on the palms of her hands, taking in the night sky.

"She's nice. It seems that I misjudged her. I'm glad that we talked before I had the chance to speak with her. I fear that things would've played differently if that had not been the case."

Link didn't need her to tell him that. He already knew.

"She's been through a lot. More than most when you think about it. I can't speak for her, but what I can say is that she's thinking about everyone's future. That's why she's doing this."

"I suppose you're right. It's not like you're not right all the time anyways," she smirked. "Talking with her during the celebration opened my eyes, believe me. I'm happy to support her.

"And to support you, too."

"You've done a lot for me as well..."

He reached into his pouch, and pulled out the Thunderhelm.

"I believe it's time I returned this to its rightful owner."

Holding it in her lap her voice shook, "Did it help?"

He turned his gaze towards her, "It did."

The sun was just peeking over the horizon. Basking them both in its warmth.

She smiled, "Then, I'm glad."

When her smile faded all too quickly. Link questioned her with his eyes.

"You'll be leaving again, and now..." she looked down at her family's heirloom. "There's no reason for you to come back."

"What makes you say that?"

"There's nothing that binds you here any longer. And, you know how bad you are with visiting."

He scratched the back of his head, "I can't deny that. However, I will say this. Look forward to when we meet again. It's better than dreading when we eventually must part."

"That sounds similar to something Mother used to say."

"Distance shouldn't break the bond we share."

"Of course not. I-I would just rather not have to deal with the distance. But... I do know of the burden you carry, and the role you play in this plan. So, for now, distance will have to do."

"I appreciate your understanding, and I appreciate you, Riju. Thank you."

Her smile returned. Cupping his cheeks, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his forehead.

"I'm going to turn in, it's been a long night. I likely won't be able to see you off, so this will have to do. Give Zelda my best wishes."

"I'll seal you later?"

She giggled, "Yes, you will."

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Zelda somehow managed to drag herself out of bed close to noon.

"You seem to be doing a lot of that lately."

"A lot of what?" she asked as she, once again, made her way unceremoniously to the bathroom.

"Sleeping as much as I eat food."

"I promise you, it never used to be like this."

"You don't have to defend yourself, I'm only teasing."

That didn't stop her from getting ready faster than she normally did, nor did it stop the tinge of red showing on her cheeks while doing so.

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"It's surprising to see the town already as it was before the ceremony," commented Zelda.

"They're used to these kind of things. Always something to celebrate."

"Wouldn't that get... you know... boring?"

"You'd think so, but the Gerudo always seem to look for an excuse to enjoy a drink. Or two."

Zelda smirked, "That sounds familiar. About someone wanting to enjoy a meal, or three."

Link rolled his eyes, which made it excruciatingly painful for Zelda to contain her laughter.

The two were just outside the main gate now.

"Give me a second. As much as I like prancing about in women's clothes..."

"Off you go, I'll wait here."

Once Link dipped into the shrine, Zelda took refuge from the heat under a tent nearby.

Soon, she was joined by another.

"So yeah, hey, the name's Bozai. I'm 35, single, and I LOVE jogging. Especially on sand. Yeah, everyone says I'm tenacious as a tick! And I think some of them meant it in a nice way, too!"

He then got uncomfortably close to her.

"S-So... you here on your own? Pretty rough and tumble place... Wanna hang out with me awhile?"

I feel like that's something he says to every woman he meets.

"My name is Zelda, nice to meet you. You were making some nice... tracks in the sand earlier."

"Ever since this other vai came by and swiped my sand boots, it's forced me to learn how to jog without them. Now, I'm as fast as I was while wearing them."

"That's impressive."

There was a brief pause before she could hear him muttering to himself, "Alright Bozai. Now, you're in. If you play your cards right in one fell swoop we can successfully woo."

Does he not realize that I can hear everything he's saying?

"W-Will you go o-out..." his voice trailed off.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME?"

His hands were clasped together while on all fours.

Zelda didn't know how to handle this situation, dealing with confessions were never her strong suit.

"Sorry, she's with me."

Zelda counted her blessings when Link came to her rescue.

"Oh, I didn't know you were already with someone."

She laughed awkwardly, "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to cause you any trouble."

"You'll find the woman for you someday, Bozai. I'm sure of it," encouraged Link.

"You're right! Someone out there is the right one for me. I just have to keep at it. Don't mean to cut this convo short, but there are trails to be blazed for Bozai!"

The two watched Bozai dart off around the corner.

Zelda's cheeks suddenly turned a deep shade of crimson, "Erm, I..."

"You don't need to explain yourself. He is a good wooer."

Her hands were clenched at her sides, "That's not...! Never mind! Let's just go already."

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"I think our next stop should be Rito Village," said Zelda when they made it to Kara Kara Bazaar.

Link took a seat on a nearby rock to look at the map on the Sheikah Slate.

"The fastest route is through the Gerudo Highlands."

"That can't be right. Let me see."

She joined him on the rock.

"What are you saying? It's clear that there's a massive drop on the north side. Wouldn't that take even longer to move across? Besides, I've only heard of the highlands being accessible from the desert."

"I bet you we can cut our time in half by going this way."

There was a certain gleam in his eye that made her feel uneasy about the whole thing. However, against her better judgement, she reluctantly agreed to his plan.

"Before we go, here."

She was presented a vial, and she didn't have to read the label to know what the contents were. Her gag reflex was letting her know exactly what they were.

"What's the matter, Zelda?"

There was plenty wrong watching someone drink an elixir without flinching.

I don't understand how he can do that. How can anyone be alright with digesting monster guts?!

"Well? We're losing daylight here."

"I-I know that!"

Against her better judgement, Zelda brought the vial up to her lips...

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As the hours went on traversing across the desert, her uneasiness only got worse.

Maybe it's that I never really ventured into the highlands. Although, we were warned at the castle about the countless dangerous monsters that resided there. Not to mention that it also harboured the hideout for the Yiga Clan.

Just thinking about the name caused her to shudder.

Is it that I'm scared to go?

The slight tremble in her legs were her answer.

She tugged on his arm, "Hey, Link, I really think-"

Link would never knowingly put us in danger. How would it look if I questioned his judgement like that? I need to show more confidence in him.

"Zelda? You think what?"

She waved her hands, "I just wanted to ask if it's as cold as the Hebra mountains."

Get it together, Zelda!

She slapped her cheeks, which earned her an eyebrow raise from her travelling companion.

"I'm still a little tired! The heat might be draining me more than I thought."

"That's weird, the elixir I gave you should have lasted another hour. I'll give you another."

When she seen him reaching into his pouch, she immediately stopped him, "No, no, no! Just water is fine."

He passed her his canteen. Unfortunately for her, the swig of water only made her cheeks burn that much hotter.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

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Once they made it the checkpoint that Link made himself when first came here, he suggested that they make preparations for the cold here.

"Or would you rather have another eli-"

"I will change!"

He handed her a pair of his clothes to change into.

Her eyes grew wide, "These are-"

"Snowquill set. I'll let you use my snow boots as well."

"Snow boots?"

"They help you move effortlessly through snow. Supposedly, they're one of a kind."

The boots intrigued her. They never had anything like that 100 years ago. The armour was nostalgic. It reminded her of the time they spent in Link's home village.

The thought both uplifted and depressed her, but now wasn't the time to dwell on such things.

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"It's a lot colder than I imagined."

"Not as bad as Hebra though."

"Why's that?"

"Not as windy. Right now we're sitting at -15°C. Which isn't too bad. However, I've reached temperatures of -50°C in Hebra."

"How was that experience?"

He looked back at her, "Hopefully... something you never have to."

Just what happened in Hebra? Then again, there's still a lot of things regarding his journey that I don't know about. I'm still wondering if that's a good or bad thing. Regardless, it concerns me. Just how much weight are you still packing with you, Link?

Once they got a little ways into the highlands, Zelda took some time to explore her surroundings.

"It's a lot more beautiful than I imagined."

"I never really had the opportunity to soak it in for what it was."

"Why is that?"

Right after she asked, she bit her cheek. She knew it was a bad question to ask. Which made it all the more surprising the way he responded.

"I was too busy fighting. From the Yiga, to the hordes of monsters. Since many people don't venture here, it was easy for them to manifest over time."

"You don't think that this is where he was amassing his army?"

"I can't say for certain, but it's plausible. I spent a considerable amount of time here thinning out numbers. It started when I heard unsettling rumours of monsters spotted in the highlands that were of a variety never seen before."

"What did you find?"

"That the Yiga were... you could call it, experimentation..."

"They were manipulating them?"

He helped her up a small ledge, "Precisely. Augmenting their very genetic code."

"How, exactly?"

"After dealing with the Yiga, I found a log. It mentioned that they were only able to modify one aspect of the monster; with effectiveness varying from a case by case basis. Lizalfos were quicker, Moblins hit harder, Bokoblins could regenerate lost limbs... Nothing too different from the silver furred ones, save for the Lynel..."

Imagining Link fight those things made her stomach churn.

"How many of them were there? Surely, they couldn't have gotten far with their research."

"Despite having 100 years to do so. It seems that the Yiga never really figured out how to make gold furred monsters. Not consistently anyways."

"Gold fur?"

"Yes, proof of their status. They also have purple stripes that glow, another step up from their silver counterparts. There were many incomplete bodies, but there was one. A Lynel, and it's level of intellect was something I've never seen before."

"His intellect?"

"At a level of sentience."

Zelda's eyes grew wide with fear, "You mean-"

"Yes, he can talk just like we can, think for himself, etc. The log mentioned that he was the same as a Silver Lynel, but the mysterious transformation stemmed after being struck by lightning."

She began to nervously laugh, "But, now that Ganon's gone. There's no way he-"

Link shook his head, "He's out there... somewhere... He's the reason for this scar on my arm."

He revealed the thick scar which went from his wrist, up to his bicep.

Seeing his scars never sat well with her, and even now, she was starting to feel sick.

She wanted to bite her tongue, but she had to ask.

"H-How did it happen?"

Zelda flinched before he even said a word.

"Never mind. I shouldn't have asked."

His voice was low, and solemn, "He was better than me. That's all there is to it."

"Link?"

"It's survival of the fittest out here in the wild. If you're weak, you die. It's just that simple. I should consider myself lucky that this scar was all I got."

"H-How did you manage to get away?"

"The north-side cliff. He knocked me off it."

W-What?!

"You can't be serious, right? The map showed it's basically a straight drop hundreds of feet."

"Luckily, the snow broke the fall. Or else-"

"Don't say it! Don't you dare..." her voice trailed off.

The two then engaged in a stare down, and Zelda was finding it more and more difficult to keep her tears in check the longer it went on. Link's expression meanwhile, remained stoic.

The stare down lasted what seemed like an eternity before Link was the one to break it. Zelda watched him take a few deep breaths, before he started walking ahead of her.

She was apprehensive, but she called to him anyways, "Link?"

"Let's... let's just go."

She wanted to say something, anything to make this right! But, she just didn't have the courage to speak up, and so, she followed behind him silently.

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It was one of things that she was really not starting to like about herself. Curiosity. It tore her apart inside knowing that she was the one that made him... unhappy.

A few times now it happened between them, a spark of the moment thing. And, each time it did happen, it didn't make Zelda feel any better about herself after it was all said and done. In fact, she would go as far as to say she hated going through those experiences with Link. She never intentionally wanted to bring up things he endured on his journey. Of course she was curious, but after realizing how much trauma it inflicted on him the first she asked, she didn't feel that it was something worth pressing. She resided herself to the fact that he would open up to her about it when he was ready.

Was it wrong of her to want to know? She didn't think so. Zelda wanted to know about what he's gone through, so he didn't have to carry the weight of his trauma alone. Not only that, but she felt that it would bring them closer together. She wanted to be... well, many things for him, but most importantly, she wanted to be there for him. To help him move past the things that continued to plague him.

Why did she feel that she wasn't even able to do that?

He was right there, a few measly paces in front of her, and yet, he couldn't have felt more further away.

While I truly am thankful to have him here with me. Maybe... maybe it would've been better off if I never set on this quest to begin with. I feel that I'm only losing traction on the things I don't want to let slip away.

Zelda was so lost in thought that she bumped into Link.

"Link? Why are we-"

A familiar index finger stilled her lips.

What could he-

She gasped in fear as the tears started to well up in her eyes.

This can't be happening...

Visibility was low due to it snowing, and it being nighttime, but Zelda was able to recognize those red gleaming eyes anywhere. The purple stripes running across his body were glowing in a way that seemed supernatural. She wasn't able to see his body, but she got a good idea of how big he was.

He's got to be at least twice the size of a regular Lynel! This is what Link was up against?!

Zelda took a step back, and inadvertently cracked some ice that was hidden beneath the snow. She covered her mouth to try and muffle her screams as the holes being burned through her were unbearable.

Link brought her down into the snow with him before speaking in such a low voice that he was basically mouthing the words to her.

"Stay low, and move in sync with me. We'll use the cover of snow to sneak past him."

Zelda shook her head, and whispered back, "Why don't we just turn around, and get out of here?"

"It's too late. He knows we're here, he's just trying to snuff us out. We need to get to other side of him, then we can use the cliff to escape."

Adrenaline was pumping now, her ears were ringing from the blood rushing through, her heart racing. Basically, it was a game of hide and seek. The difference being, if they're caught, they're dead.

She had to steel her nerves, or at least as much as her sanity would allow. Facing against Ganon was nothing compared to this. Against Ganon, it was a battle of two archaic powers, where she was simply the carrier. She still didn't understand the ethereal, other-worldly enigma that was her birthright; and she didn't have to, to begin with. Once she finally unlocked her powers, it was like, someone flipped a switch in her brain that put her on auto-pilot. There but not there. Seeing but not seeing. Her actions never really felt like her own. It was more along the lines of someone whispering in her ear telling her what to do. That experience meant absolutely nothing when it came to dealing with this. Ever since the demise of Ganon, she's never been able to successfully call upon her powers. On top of that, she had no actual combat experience. Needless to say, Zelda was shaking, and it wasn't from the cold.

Their movements were slow, but they were making progress. Everything was going well until the Lynel roared, and suddenly disappeared. Zelda squeezed Link's hand unbearably tight when she seen the Lynel seemingly close the gap in half in the blink of an eye.

"He can teleport?! Link, he can teleport!" she whimpered.

He only nodded. Link knew all too well what this Lynel was capable of. And, in knowing that, knew that the longer this game prolonged, the less likely they were going to make it out alive.

And, it seemed that luck had a funny way of making things more interesting.

They were almost at the end. All that was left, was to move along the side of a snow bank, then they were home free. The wind was picking up, and the snow was falling more heavily; a blessing in disguise.

Sort of...

They've been sneaking about for well over an hour now. Zelda's face was numb, and she was certain that the tips of ears, fingers, and toes were getting frostbite. However, in a fight for her life, she was willing to put up with anything to survive.

If you're weak you die.

Link's words resonated loud within her.

I'm not weak. I'm not-

Zelda slipped on some ice and lost her footing, causing her to slide down to the bottom of the bank.

The Lynel teleported to the edge of the bank. There was a 50 foot difference separating the top and bottom, so he was incredibly close to her. Zelda looked up at Link, who gestured her to keep her head down, and lie still.

She was so terrified that she couldn't move even if she wanted to.

Despite the 50ft elevation difference, it wasn't that steep. Which allowed the Lynel to easily make his way down it.

Each step he took felt like an earthquake to Zelda. They were slow, tantalizing, calculated.

After a few more steps she could hear his slow, deep, heavy breathing reverberating in her own chest he was that close. Which made his sudden roar into the sky elicite a small shriek from the back of her throat.

Zelda's hand flew to her mouth, she knew she made a mistake.

One step.

Two steps.

Stop.

He's going to find me! Goddesses, he's going to find me!

She could now feel his breath on the back of her neck through the snow that blanketed her figure. Her heartbeat was ringing loud in her ears. She didn't know how long she had been holding her breath, for fear that he would see the vapour coming off her.

Then.

Silence...

It was dead silent. So silent, that it felt that they were in a vacuum of space.

After about a minute of silence, the Lynel snorted once, before climbing back up the bank to where it was originally.

Zelda was finally able to let out the breath that she had been holding, and began to sob uncontrollably soon after that. She had no idea how she managed to survive the ordeal, but she did.

She wasn't much a fan of the snow before, but winter was quickly becoming her favourite season after what it had just done for her.

Link slid down from where he was hiding to help her out of the snow.

After dusting her off, he did a once over of her, "I think he's given up for now. Zelda..."

How close was I to losing her again?

Memories of the desert spurred within the recesses of his mind. He knew how close he was.

I had no idea he'd be here. If I had known that...

His eyes were downcast, "I'm sorry, Zelda. I didn't mean to put you through this. I..."

How could she ever forgive me after all the trauma I inflicted on her?

That only made her reaction surprise Link just that much more.

"I-I was so scared, Link," she sobbed as she clung onto him. "I d-didn't know if I was going t-to make it.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Forgive me," were amongst the nonsensical things that she continued to mutter against him.

He didn't know what to say to make her feel better, if there even was anything. All he could do in this moment was return the gesture.

It was a scene similar to that of a 100 years ago. Link promised himself he would never put Zelda through that kind of experience again. Yet, it seemed that history had a funny way of repeating itself.

Even if Zelda was somehow able to forgive him, he didn't think he could forgive himself.

Now's not the time to dwell on such things. I need to get her out of here first and foremost.

"Zelda, we need to leave. He may be gone for now, but he will be back."

She nodded weakly against him.

That doesn't seem promising.

"Are you able to move?"

She got up, and managed to wobble a few paces before her legs gave out.

Looks like the adrenaline wore off.

He knelt in front of her, "Here, get on my back."

In any normal situation, Zelda would be far too embarrassed to do such a thing. However, considering the circumstances, she didn't give it a second thought.

He had to put away his sword and bow to make sure she could actually get on his back comfortably, and he'd just have to make do with the shield being on her back for now. He wasn't in any position to fight as it was, so the shield was all he needed anyways. Besides, all he had to do was make it to the cliffside. Then, he could paraglide all the way to the Tabantha Stable.

Just a few hundred metres left.

Unfortunately, Link didn't anticipate having to deal with a Lynel. So, after all this time spent sneaking around, the effects of the elixir were wearing off. Not only that, Zelda was wearing his snowquill set and snow boots. Not only did he have nothing to keep himself warm, he had nothing to help him traverse the snow either. Factor in the extra weight, what was initially around the shins for depth, he now was trekking through mid-thigh level snow.

I can't fall here. We're so close.

Bit by bit, Link inched them both closer to the edge. Bit by bit, inches became half inches, half inches became quarter inches.

His vision was becoming blurry, he had gotten frostbite as soon as the elixir wore off, everything was becoming stiff. He could hear the Lynel roaring in the distance, but he didn't care. Nothing was stopping him now.

He was now on his hands and knees crawling through the snow, his legs unable to support them both any longer.

So... Close...

The end was in sight. Just a dozen or so more metres, and he could get them to safety. All would be as it should.

But nay...

Link couldn't go on anymore, everything was shutting down on him. He crawled a few more feet before face-planting into the snow.

He hadn't heard a peep from Zelda all this time. He didn't know whether she was alive or dead at this point.

The laboured breathing coming against his back answered that question, or maybe, that was his own. He couldn't feel anything anymore anyways.

He turned his head towards hers.

"Zel-Zel..." he didn't have the strength to formulate words.

"Shh. You gave e-everything you c-could, Link..."

Why doesn't it feel like it?

"I'm p-proud... of you..."

Link looked towards the cliff.

It seems so far still. Did I even make any progress?

He looked back towards Zelda once again.

The tip of her nose is a little red from the cold. The snow flakes in her hair never seemed more perfect. Her lips lush and plump, like you couldn't even tell she was on the verge of freezing to death.

I've never seen her more beautiful.

I wonder... would she be mad if... I...

A/N:You guys know the deal. Like, share, and comment to show your support.

And see you guys in the next chapter.