Quick Warning: Language escalates in this chapter.

In the morning, Link found Zelda had rolled off him and curled into herself facing the wall. He sat up and carefully set his arm on the other side of her body, hoisting himself up to see her face. He winced as the bed shifted and creaked, but her eyes didn't flutter. Even brushing back the strands of hair criss-crossing her face did nothing to make her stir.

Link sat back and considered. He didn't want her waking up alone, especially after last night, but he doubted she'd slept well. She'd likely sleep until lunch again, which gave him time to pick up supplies. And the sooner he could get her comfortable and settled in, anchored to reality, the better.

Decided, he stood and grabbed a small sheet of paper from his desk and penned her a short note, letting her know he was in the village in case she woke. He sanded it and let it dry as he washed up and dressed, and then folded it and propped it up against the vase he kept on the nightstand, where she would see it as soon as she turned over.

He grabbed fruit from the bowl to munch on and walked down to the village, marking the cold snap to the air. They'd have snow soon. He wasn't the only one taking note, as three farmers were holed up in the general store discussing the weather. "Too early," Pruce said once Link made it to the counter, nodding towards the farmers. "Or so they say. I personally don't see the difference a couple weeks makes, but they have nothing else to talk about with the harvest over and done with."

Link shrugged. "A long winter is hard for any farm. Though I hope there's enough food to go around, because I need groceries again."

"Of course, of course. And there's no concern here; the village always has plenty. It's the single homesteads out there that we're worried about. But those men and their families know the risks of living in isolation." As he spoke, he pulled out the book he used to track inventory. "The usual goods, I'm assuming?"

"Yes, but twice as much of everything each week."

Pruce looked up from from his book, raising an eyebrow. "Twice as much, eh? This wouldn't have anything to do with a lovely young lady who came in here last night, would it? The one with the most delightful smile?"

And now the rumors would start. "She's my guest." He had no right to describe her as anything else; it was up to her whether or not she wanted to reveal herself to the villagers. Though Hylia only knew what the story would morph into by the end of the day. Still, Pruce nodded and marked his order down just the same.

Next stop was Vestest, where he was able to coax Sophie out from behind the door with the promise of a large order of ladies' clothing. Sure enough, her quivering subsided as soon as they started talking gowns, and her eyes lit up when he asked her if she carried any Tabanthian wool. By the end of the discussion, she'd pulled several tunics and trousers aside for her father to tailor to Zelda, and was happily sketching dresses and pulling out scraps of trim. "Bring her here tomorrow," she said as he shouldered a bag of necessities. "I'll have several ideas for her to choose from by then. I'm so excited!"

Link left the shop, the corner of his mouth turning up when Sophie squealed with joy as soon as he closed the door. He wouldn't be surprised if she had at least one mock up made by tomorrow. He waved to Seldon and continued on to the cobbler. He put a down payment on a new pair of boots and promised to bring Zelda in for measurements the next day and headed back to the house.

As expected, she was still asleep. He dropped the bag of clothing next to the desk and headed downstairs to make brunch, deciding to make as much noise as possible. The pans clanged on the stove, and he slammed the door to the pantry as he went about frying eggs and stuffing them into rolls, but Zelda voiced no complaint at the noise. Once he had the table spread, he climbed the stairs again and frowned at her still form.

He risked her displeasure by pulling the covers off her and exposing her to the chilly air of the loft. This did nothing. He squeezed her wrist, partly to startle her out of sleep and partly to check that her heart was beating. The steady thump against his thumb and the rise and fall of her shoulders proved that she was still with him, but what the hell was going on? He braced his right leg against the bed and shook her. Nothing. He shouted her name. Nothing.

He rolled her onto her back; her arms flopped awkwardly across her body. How could she remain unaware? Yes, she'd slept soundly back in the day, but never anything like this. He grabbed her right wrist and felt for her heartbeat again before placing her arm at her side. She had a heartbeat. Link licked his lips. No need to panic. She was just asleep. All he needed to do was wake her up.

Fighting dirty with cheap shots to pressure points was the foundation of the Sheikah combat style. There were three nasty spots in particular, one on the neck, one on the lower back, and one on the shin. Link gritted his teeth and ran through them in quick succession, cursing the pain he would be causing.

And still, fucking nothing.

In the barracks, the other squires used to joke about pouring water on him to wake him up in time for morning drills, but he'd never seriously considered the method. He glanced at the wash basin before shaking his head and regrouping. Water wouldn't be enough, not if she wasn't even reacting to a Din-damned torture technique . He needed something stronger.

He hesitated as he opened his pack to consider his inventory. As her chosen knight, he was supposed to protect her from harm, not fucking cause it. But what else was he supposed to do? He pulled out a shock arrow, downed a shock elixir, and grabbed a second bottle to hopefully keep the after effects to a minimum. Back up the stairs, quickly, before he lost his nerve.

She lay there, still as stone. He stared at the arrow in his fist and closed his eyes for a moment, brow furrowed and lips tight. "Hylia forgive me," he said, opening his eyes and driving the arrow down into the space between Zelda's arm and torso. The force of impact set off the arrow, sending a hideous spark of electricity through Zelda's body. She woke with choked gurgle and then heaved as she tried to suck in enough air for a scream, back arching and legs twisting as the arrow's power ravaged her body. Link grabbed the arrow and flung it behind him, wrapped his hand around her neck and pulled her up to sit, his other hand flicking the lid off the elixir and pouring the liquid past her gasping lips. And goddess, her eyes meeting his as she drank, wide, betrayed, and filling with tears.

But at least they were open. At least she was finally awake.

"What the hell, Link?" she snarled, as soon as the potion worked its magic to sooth her body. He ignored the tone of her voice and the grimace on her face and dragged her up and into his chest, twisting and pressing her to the mattress. He was still hanging halfway off the bed, and her legs were bent beneath his at an odd angle, but he didn't give a damn. He tucked his head into her neck and breathed her in, wincing at the faint smell of char. He'd burned her. The elixir would take care of the injury, but he'd fucking burned his own Princess.

She lay stiff beneath him for a long moment, but then he felt her chest press up into his and air escape from her lips as she blew out a breath, and her arms came up to wrap around his upper back. "What a peculiar situation," she said, voice irritated despite her soft embrace. "How is it, that you hit me with a shock arrow and yet are now demanding comfort? Could you please explain?"

"You wouldn't wake up," he said, face still tucked into her collarbone. "I tried everything I could think of, but you would not open your eyes."

He could hear her lips working as she worked out his words. "How long did you try?" she finally asked.

"I shouted. I shook you. I even hit pain points to try and wake you. Nothing worked."

She took that in, and then he felt her body release tension, allowing him to sink more fully against her. "I see." She tightened her hold around him.

They lay there until Link's pulse stopped racing, his muscles relaxed, and his senses returned to normal. Once his body returned to a state of calm, he lifted his head to seek her out. She was looking out the window. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't know what else to do."

"I'm sorry as well. I frightened you. I do not know the cause of this infinite fatigue, but it appears it's getting worse instead of better."

Link bent his arms and pushed himself up, hovering over her. "I know that it's only been a few days, but I'm concerned. Purah's lab is just a couple hours walk from here. Would you be willing to let her examine you?"

She smiled, strained and tired. "Of course I will."

He left her upstairs with Sophie's bag of clothing and started brewing the tea. She joined him at the table and they ate in silence before bundling up for the walk.

The midday sun was warming the town, but a bitter edge to the air led Zelda to tuck into his side for warmth. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, disregarding the stares from the people around them. Let them look. Let them talk. He was not letting her out of his sight anytime soon, not after that ordeal. And if he could keep her within physical reach, so much the better.

Zelda also noticed the looks, humming softly to herself. She did not, however, pull away from him; instead she surprised him by winding her arm around his waist. "I suppose it's about time for the two of us to discuss where we intend to go from here," she said, easily keeping pace as they started up the village hill. "Am I to reveal myself here? Or would you prefer we remain anonymous?"

"I leave that decision up to you."

Her fingers flexed against his side, a token sign of her displeasure. "This is your home," she pointed out. "The place you have chosen for respite. I will not take that away from you."

"And I intend it to be your home as well, for now. I leave the decision to you."

He peeked out of the corner of his eye, smiling when he saw her mulling over her words. She'd chew her lips raw by the end of the day if she kept that up. "Consider it," he told her, to spare her lips the chapping. "There's no rush to make a decision."

As the climb became steeper, they separated from their close embrace, but Link caught her hand in his to maintain the connection. When the tech lab came into view, he spoke again. "I don't know how much you've seen, but you should be warned that Purah is not how you remember. Not in the way you think," he said, seeing her open her mouth to argue. "There was an anti-aging experiment that went wrong, and she's reverted to the body of a little girl. She can be a bit sensitive about it so I wanted to prepare you."

"How little?" Zelda asked, brow furrowed.

"About six."

Her lips worked for a moment before she found words. "Was there a mental effect as well?"

"Somewhat. It's hard to peg down exactly what's going on in her head, but she has the attention span of a kid most of the time. Symin, her assistant, tries to mind her, but... well, you'll see." They'd reached the door, and Link paused to glance over at her. "Are you ready?"

"I don't think one can properly prepare for what you've just described. Let's go."

Link opened the door and entered first. The creak of the hinges drew Symin's steady gaze, and Purah's as well, though her head bobbed up and down as she tried to alternate her attention between Link and whatever she was scribbling on a piece of paper. "Linky!" she cried. "Just who I wanted to see! You need to explain what happened with all the Divine Beasts!"

Then Zelda stepped in, peeking cautiously over his shoulder, and the young scientist's eyes grew round before a look of maniacal glee crossed her face. "Zellie" she shouted, knocking over two glass jars as she scrambled to her feet. "Zellie, Zellie, Zellie!" she continued to chant, as she lurched across the lab and barreled into Zelda's midsection, promptly lifting up her legs to dangle haphazardly from Zelda's waist. Link had to quickly back up and grab the Princess to keep her on her feet. "Oh, Zellie!" Purah wailed, looking up with shining eyes. "I always knew you loved me best! And when Impa finds out you came to find me first, she is going to be so, so MAD!"

Zelda had caught the little girl by instinct, but now, still braced against Link, he could sense her internal panic. Thankfully, Symin reached their little group and peeled Purah off of her. "Please, Purah," he said, pulling her back to the table. "Give her Highness a moment."

"Oh, knock it off, Symin," she snapped, kicking her little legs until he let go. "Don't you get it? Zelda's back after one hundred years! Which means that the Calamity is gone, which means that the castle is safe again, which means that we can finally get out of this backwater and into a decent lab again! Let's get ready to celebrate!"

As Purah continued to caterwaul, Link stepped forward to better see Zelda's face, which let him catch the minute shaking of her head as she dealt with the shock. "Yes," she said to him, reaching out to catch his arm. "I see that I was right. No way to prepare."

With that, she pulled him over to the table. "Purah," she said, interrupting the girl mid-sentence. She surprised Link by dropping his hand to kneel, looking at her friend in the eyes. "There are no words to express how delighted I am to see you again. It's honestly a little odd, to make a century long jump, but it's a relief to see someone that I counted as one of my closest friends. I want to hear everything you've done. Everything you've researched over the years, how you survived the Calamity, how you came to be here, all of it."

Zelda words and sweet, earnest tone had an immediate effect on Purah, as her grin nearly split her face in two. "Well, then what are we waiting for?" she cried, leaping up to her space of choice standing on the table. "Symin, bring out the beer! Zellie and I have some catching up to do!"

She had to settle for tea, though she rolled her eyes and called Symin a nanny goat when he delivered the service. Symin shrugged the insult off, as usual, and beckoned Link back to his haunt by the bookshelves as Purah began babbling answers to Zelda's questions. "Have you gotten word to Kakariko?" he asked, eyes worried.

Link shook his head. "Not yet. I brought her straight here. She desperately needs time to recover, and though I know Impa would have the best of intentions, that's not what she would find with the Sheikah."

"I understand, but we need to get a runner there before the snow. Impa needs to know. A few days ago, the Divine Beasts shot out these enormous blasts of energy, and we've all been half panicked ever since. We weren't sure if it meant victory or desperation. Impa and the others need to know."

Link considered this. "Is anyone in town headed that way for the winter?"

"Not that I know of."

Link glanced over at Zelda who was still smiling at Purah, and decided. "I'll go there myself. She'll be safe with the two of you; I can warp there and back in no time." Funny, he'd told himself he wouldn't let her out of sight, and here he was, off again as duty called.

Still, the wrinkle in Symin's forehead smoothed at Link's words. "Convenient, that. Purah's been griping that her Slate isn't linked to all the individual Shrines. Keep an eye on yours. She may try to swipe it."

"I'll keep that in mind."

They both turned their heads as something crashed to see Purah, now prancing about on the table, waving her arms to make a point. Zelda face was caught between amusement and horror.

Link smirked and turned back to Symin. "While I'm gone, though, I need a favor. From both of you."

That got Symin's attention. "Something wrong with the Slate?"

"No, it's about Zelda." The man turned to watch her again, and Link followed suite. "I'm concerned. She's been sleeping. Excessively. At first, I just blamed it on exhaustion from the battle, but this morning, she would not wake. I had to hit her with a shock arrow; nothing else worked."

Symin's brow furrowed. "It took a shock arrow? That is disconcerting."

Understatement of the century. "Can you think of anything it could be?"

"Not off the top of my head, no, but we'll run some tests. There's bound to be a logical explanation."

There would have to be, with everything Purah and Symin pulled out in preparation for a physical. Purah's Sheikah slate was propped up, projecting a diagram onto the wall of the lab. Vials and needles and all sorts of nasty tools were spread out on the table, along with several textbooks detailing Hylian physiology. The sight gave Link hives, but Zelda looked perfectly at ease, shooting questions at the researchers and taking notes from the books on a spare scrap of paper.

He knelt by her chair. "Are you comfortable enough here for me to leave for awhile?"

She fumbled, the pen in her hand clattering as it hit the table, and she grabbed for it before jerking around to face him. "Leave?" she demanded, a frantic note in her voice.

"Just for a bit," he said, quick to assure her. "Symin asked me to get word of our survival to Kakariko. If I use the Shekiah Slate, I can get there and back in an hour. I'd just be underfoot during all this anyway. But I'll only go if it's alright with you." He'd rather not leave at all, but he could also do with not watching Zelda be turned into a pincushion. And he'd be quick.

Her eyes seemed to flicker in the light, and she turned away from him. "I'm not your prison warden, Link. You are free to come and go as you wish."

Link chanced a glance at the other two occupants of the room and found them bickering over a jar of red goo. His hands had been bracing his weight against the floor; he caught his balance and laid both on Zelda's knee. "That's not what I'm implying. I don't want to leave you; I would rather stay close. But you seem to be content here, and so I would like to quickly do this favor to Symin. I agree that Impa deserves to know that you are alright. Are you willing to be separated?"

She rested her hands on his own and gave his fingers a quick squeeze. "Yes, you are right," she said with a sigh. "Impa needs to know, and I'll be fine here." She smiled at him then, a hint of playfulness showing in the curve of her lips. "But don't be gone too long. I refuse to sleep in that bed all by myself."

Another glance proved that the scientists were still busy arguing, so Link dropped a kiss on her knuckles. A pretty blush stained her cheeks, and he grinned at her as he stood. "I'll be back before you know it," he said, and with a quick bow, he left the lab.

Kakariko ran warmer than Hateno, snug in a valley as it was. Cado and Dorian were used to Link paragliding right to Impa's steps and moved back to let him through, but he immediately noticed their dour faces and clenched fists. "She's alive," he said and brushed past them as the smiles burst through.

Impa was awake, kneeling on her tower of pillows, and the ornaments on her hat clanked back and forth as she watched him enter. He closed the door behind him.

"Zelda's alive," he blurted, seeing the shadow that crossed her face as she realized that he was alone. "I came here with the Slate. She's with Purah right now."

The old woman closed her eyes, and her lips stretched into a wide smile. "Oh, Goddess Hylia," she said, bowing at the waist until the edge of her hat obscured her face. "With gratitude in our hearts, we offer a prayer to thee. We thank thee for preserving the life of our beloved princess and returning her to us. And we beg thee to continue to grant thy divine grace to her as she leads this blessed land back to prosperity. In the name of the Holy Trine, Amen."

Impa straightened, the crags of her face twisted into a satisfied expression, and she folded her hands in her lap. "Now," she said. "Sit, and tell me all that has happened."

Link obeyed, bowing and kneeling formally before the Sheikah leader and detailing both the battle with the Calamity and all that had occurred since.

"I see," she said, eyes hooded as he explained Zelda's exhaustion.

"It's not what took her mother, is it?"

"No. Her mother's fever led to hallucinations and difficulty breathing. She barely slept in the days before she died. Loathe as I am to say it, Zelda is best served by Purah right now. If there is a solution, my sister will find it."

"That's what I hope to find when I return."

Impa nodded. "You'll both winter in Hateno then; it's too late to travel through the passes. That's fine, but we'll be expecting her here with the thaw. There's much to be done."

Which was exactly why he hadn't brought her here first. Still, he bowed. "We'll be ready when spring comes."

She snorted. "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking, boy. Enjoy the reprieve, but remember that duty doesn't end just because you've won us victory. She is still a Princess, and you are still her Chosen Knight. You'd best take care of her."

He chose not to respond to that, bowing silently instead.

After warping back to the lab, he entered to find a scene quite different than the one he'd left. Zelda was nowhere in sight, and Symin and Purah were sitting side by side on top of the table. When they saw Link, neither smiled.

Link hesitated, and then ground his teeth and walked forward to stand in front of them. "How bad is it?"

The two scientists exchanged glances before Purah spoke up. "There's nothing physically wrong with her. Her bone density, her blood, her vitals are all what we expect from a woman her age. She has a clean bill of health."

"Then why—"

"The thing is, we don't know exactly how the age of a soul affects the body." The look in her eyes, wistful and a bit sad, reminded him that the young child before him was also a fountain of age old wisdom. "That's why I tested the rune on my own body rather than risking anyone else. My soul is still over a hundred, and for all we know, once it decides it's had enough, I'll drop dead with no warning.

"Zelda's soul is almost as old as my own. And her soul is tired. I've seen cases before during the early years of the Calamity where people lost their will to live, and they didn't even have to bother with the suicide. They just gave up and died in their sleep. And looking at what we're seeing with her, that may be what we are facing. Somewhere deep inside, her will is faltering. So she will either live, or she die. She'll find something in this world to tie her down and inspire her to regain her vivacity, or she'll give up and die in her sleep."

Link stared them down, his jaw grinding at the looks of pity in their faces. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Link," Symin started, but Link didn't bother to wait. He turned around and headed for the ladder, ignoring them both.

She was sitting on Purah's bed, arms wrapped around her knees. She looked up when he stalked in, but then immediately looked away.

Her body language, frail and defeated, only made him angrier. "Please tell me that you're not actually accepting this bullshit."

"Is that what it is?" she asked, voice muffled by her arms. "It sounds reasonable to me. Even after all this time, my will is still weak."

"You are not weak." He moved forward to kneel in front of her. "I could kill them both for implying that to you. You fought Calamity Ganon on your own for an entire century, Zelda. I can't even fathom the mental fortitude that took. You are the strongest woman I have ever met. I don't care what Purah has seen is the past, or what they're seeing now. They're wrong."

"But what if they aren't?" she said, and he cursed the evenness of her voice. "If this is what is to be, then what can I do? If the natural course of life had occurred, we would both be dead. I am a relic from an ancient time; perhaps an unwelcome one for many people. If I am to die, then I—"

"Do you want to die?" He interrupted, incredulous.

"I may not have a choice."

"Oh, fuck that. Look at me, and tell me that that is what you want."

She finally turned her neck and met his gaze, and then Link saw the tears in her eyes. "No," she said softly, "but what am I supposed to do? Reclaim my crown? Rebuild my fallen kingdom? When I pray, I still have no answer. She still refuses to guide me. And now it appears when I have finally succeeded and won Her a victory, she will snatch my life away. I want to live. I don't believe Purah when she says that I've lost my will. But I can't say her words surprise me, because when has Hylia ever cared about what I want?

"If I die, I die. And I will have to accept that."

Link pushed himself back to stand, wanting something solid under his feet. "Are you listening to yourself?" he snapped, crossing his arms. "Because I can't believe the words I'm hearing coming out of your mouth." That got her attention. "You're blaming this on Hylia? That's even worse than Purah's ridiculous theory. Why do you speak of Her this way? She gave both of us invaluable aid. We wouldn't have defeated the Calamity without Her. Yes, I know it was frustrating that your power didn't awaken when we wanted it to, but that doesn't diminish what She's done for us."

Zelda shook her head as he spoke, standing up from the bed and brushing the rumples from her clothing. "You say that because you don't understand. None of you understand."

"Zelda," he said, making an effort to school his voice. "I don't. I don't understand where this anger is coming from. Before, I know your struggles were difficult, and I'm not trying to minimize them, but what you're saying now is bordering on blasphemy. If the Sheikah hear this, it will cause problems." She laughed at that, short and bitter, and his fists clenched. "Zelda, seriously," he said, temper rising. "This isn't a joke. You used to aspire to your mother's faith. You're acting like you hate Her, and I don't get—"

"Oh no. No, no, no. She is the one full of hatred!" Link stepped back, startled by the raw anger in her voice. "She may have accepted my grandmother and my mother; She may even have loved them, but me? No, she would never love me. She would have been pleased if you'd saved Her a lot of trouble and just left me on that field to die. And do you want to know why? Do you want to understand why She despises me? Because She is obsessed with you. You are the one She loves, and She was willing to let the kingdom burn just to get me away from you!"

Her chest heaved as she finished speaking, and Link watched her eyes widen as she realized what she'd just admitted. He stepped towards her, reaching out as her fingers covered her mouth, and then she shook her head and dodged. He tried to grab her arm, but she wrenched it away and ran out, trying to slam the door behind her. Link got his arm up in time to block it, but by the time he got over the threshold, she was already out of sight.

He let her go, frantically trying to process everything she'd just said. He fell back to lean against the doorframe and rubbed at his face. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?" he asked aloud, and then winced and found himself wishing the words felt less like a prayer.

Notes

I LIVE!

Long story short, I fell down the stairs and hurt my back and neck after posting the last chapter. Recovery is coming along, but I've got problems with migraines and headaches now, so screen time tends to get limited. I'll do my best to keep up.

Hope you enjoyed!

SJ