After Zelda was woken up by Urbosa's quite surprising ability, Link had returned to the Bazaar whilst she and Urbosa returned to Gerudo Town. Link had been somewhat apprehensive of leaving her for another night, he just missed her a lot now. He couldn't tell why exactly. However, now he was sitting outside the entrance of the town, taking shelter under some shade in a small tent like structure. He heard voices coming from the entrance, one of them he knew well. Zelda and Urbosa walked out into the open and Link smiled slightly. He watched as they both said their goodbyes to each other before Urbosa leaned down to hug Zelda. He got to his feet and began walking towards the two of them, Zelda gave him a slight smile as he did so, she seemed quite relaxed today, most likely because of Urbosa's presence. Link found it incredible that Zelda still had the energy to smile and enjoy herself despite her constant failed attempts at unlocking her powers. "Don't go getting yourself into any danger now my Little Bird. But make sure to keep Link on his toes, won't you?" Urbosa laughed softly before Zelda nodded. "I'll try my best." She turned to face Link after Urbosa began returning to the town. "We'll make our way back to the castle, and from there we will make our way to Zora's Domain." She explained casually as he fell into step behind her. He didn't say anything to that, not having anything to add and not wanting to say the wrong thing. Even if things had been improving between them, he didn't want to risk anything. "Did you miss me?" Her words were unexpected, her tone was hard to distinguish, part of it sounded teasing but it also sounded hopeful in a sense. He thought about his words for a moment before speaking. "I suppose I did, I didn't realise that I would as much, but it was strange not having you around." She seemed to accept that, for she nodded. "I missed you too, Link." He felt somewhat joyful at that, but he couldn't tell why exactly.
Not a word passed either of their lips for some time, they silently traversed the harsh desert terrain. Link had taken an elixir that morning and he figured Urbosa had given one to Zelda. "How was your survey?" He inquired softly, he enjoyed listening to her speaking about anything related to what excited her most, research. "It was tiring, but very informative. Urbosa took me to multiple spots in the desert, showing me Arbiter's Grounds. Legend has it that it was once a very large structure, however all that remains of it now is a few stone blocks. There is so much history in this very desert, supposedly a King of this place was a mad tyrant who wished to control all of Hyrule, it would seem that a hero was tasked with defeating him whilst the Princess of the time had to seal him away." He heard her sigh sharply, she was most likely jealous of the thought of another Princess succeeding in unlocking her powers, for Zelda seemingly had no clue on how she could achieve her desires. They reached the Inn not too long after that. "I'm going to gather my stuff up, try not to wander too much. Stay close." He figured she would be fine, he was only going to be gathering his items for a few minutes. "Of course I'll be fine." She responded, and with that he walked into the inn to collect his gear.
--
Zelda watched Link step inside before deciding to stretch her legs. Even though she had been walking all day the previous day, she was aware that they would be riding their horses for multiple hours now, so she wished to exercise a little bit whilst she had the chance. She made sure not to stray far from the oasis. The desert was a dangerous place what with it being the home of the Yiga Clan. A flash of purple caught her eye, and she made her way over to a flower. "A swift violet.." She'd only ever seen them in books, never having had the chance to actually come across one. She knelt down and examined its petals, finding comfort in its beauty. She delicately removed the flower from the ground before separating the roots from the stem and placing it into her bag. As she stayed kneeling down her mind began to wander briefly. 'Link had missed me.. actually missed me..' She smiled softly at the thought, something about it made her feel warm inside. However, her thoughts soon changed as she heard a small footstep behind her. She turned her head slightly before seeing the infamous colour red. She quickly leapt onto her feet and began running, hearing the footsteps behind her in close pursuit. She ran as quickly as she could, though it was proving hard in such clothing. Her clothes weren't built to run, and neither was she. Her legs began to burn and her lungs begged for a break to take in oxygen, but she couldn't stop. She continued to run, not knowing where she could run but just knowing that she couldn't stop. All of a sudden two foot soldiers appeared in front of her and she pulled herself to a halt. The sudden break in momentum caused her to topple backwards, ruining her chances of escape. She looked behind her as the soldier which had originally began to chase her stepped forward. She expected him to tie her up before dragging her back to their base, expecting hours of interrogation and torture. She knew it would be tough, but they would find her. However, her thoughts turned grim as the soldier began to raise his scythe. She realised now that their intentions were much harsher, they were going to kill her in broad daylight. She cursed herself mentally for being so utterly stupid. This couldn't be the end, she had so much to live for still. The blade raised high in the air and she turned her head away, unable to watch. She screwed her eyes tightly shut before waiting for the inevitable end. But it didn't come, instead she heard the sound of metal clashing, and a moment later she heard a thud next to her. She opened her eyes, settling on the sight of a familiar blue fabric. Link, he was there, he saved her life. The other two soldiers were retreating slowly, eyeing him. As he shifted his sword they quickened their retreat before vanishing moments later. She was okay.. because of him.
She began to struggle for air, the reality of the situation began to crash down onto her. She nearly died! She gasped for air but failed to fill her lungs. In an instant she heard Link sheath his sword before crashing down onto the sand next to her. "Zelda, you need to calm yourself down. Breathe, you can do that. Just suck in and then blow out, okay?" She struggled but eventually managed to inhale some air. "Good, and out again, there you go." She repeated that process manually for a few moments before thrusting herself towards Link, wrapping her arms around his neck and beginning to cry into his shoulder. He felt his body tense up before slowly relaxing as she felt his arms rest on her back. "Link, I'm so sorry! Thank you, thank you so much!" She continued to cry for some time, but her sobs became softer and less frequent as time progressed. After her tears came to a close she sighed shakily. "Thank you for saving me, Link" She pulled her head away from the comfort of his shoulder before looking up into his eyes. "That's kind of my job, Zelda." Despite herself she managed a giggle before gazing up into his eyes. They were worried and fearful.. but she also saw what could be identified as desire. She noticed him glance down at her lips, and without a second thought she pressed her lips up against his. She felt him tense up again, trying to resist her actions, he tried pushing her away by her shoulders, but eventually his arms snaked around her waist, pulling him closer to her as he began to kiss back. His lips were so soft and smooth, they tasted sweet too. She melted into him, and they stayed like that for some time. Eventually, she had to pull away to breathe. She separated their lips and rested her forehead against Link's. She opened her eyes and saw that his were half opened, but looking back into hers. His face was tinted red as well as the tips of his ears, and he was panting softly. "Zelda.." The way he said her name, it was barely above a whisper. That had felt so incredibly right, he was so extremely perfect. "That was incredible." She smiled shyly before nodding. "It really was." She pulled away from his grasp before standing up and dusting herself off. "We should probably be heading back.." She sighed gently, she didn't want this moment between them to end, and she knew that when she gave Link time, he would realise that they made a mistake. She didn't want him to think like that, but that was how his mind worked, she knew that by now. "Zelda, we shouldn't hav-" She pressed her finger against his lips, forcing him to shut up. "Link, stop it. It was a nice moment, we both enjoyed it." His eyes were full of conflicting emotions, she felt bad for playing with his emotions. She removed her finger, but he didn't finish his earlier sentence. "Come on, your Father will be waiting." He stood up and brushed any dust off of himself before giving her a nod signalling he was ready. She turned away from him and began returning to the stable.
--
Link couldn't believe it. They had kissed . He had tried to stop it, but the more he tried the more urgent her kiss became, and he found himself falling under her spell completely. Her lips tasted like sweet wildberries, and the way her body melted into his was so perfect. But it was all so wrong.. as much as he knew that it would amazing to be able to continue such actions, it was completely forbidden. He was a knight and she was a Princess. Any further relationship beyond that was frowned upon. Even his father had received backlash in the past for simply being friends with the Queen. However, his mind began to wander briefly and he found himself remembering what he saw before he saved her. He could see her being chased, he watched as the Yiga foot soldier taunted her with his blade, if Link had been a second later he would've lost her. And for that reason, a part of him wanted to ignore his protocol. She was uneasy, he noticed her fidgeting with her hands. This most likely wasn't easy for her either. She knew that boundaries were in place, she knew that she couldn't feel this way about him. But neither of them could help their emotions. They would just have to put their feelings aside and hope that this whole thing burns out. "Can we stay at the stable tonight? I'm still shaken up after all that.." Her tone was soft, and strained almost. He didn't see a problem with them returning one day later. "Of course, Princess." She winced, he realised what he had called her. He most certainly hurt her with that. "Zelda.." She corrected him softly, this was a prime example of why he was afraid to speak. She kept her head down and stayed silent until they reached the Gerudo Canyon Stable. The air between them felt tense, neither of them knew how to feel, what to say. They would need time. "I'm getting an early night, I'll see you tomorrow." Link nodded before watching Zelda make her way over to one of the beds and close the curtains around her. And as he made his way to a table, he couldn't mistake the faint sound of muffled sobs. He frowned and looked down, that was his fault.