A/N: This is the first LoZ fic I ever wrote seriously. It actually was started about three years ago and has been finished on and off after having survived through three hiatuses and a serious consideration of scrapping. But I decided to give it another chance, and am actually quite pleased with the results. Rated PG-13 for violence and Link's surprisingly dirty mouth; warnings include angst, sadness, violence, Link/Zelda pairing (no citrus), and alternate realities. The timeline I'm basing things on is a quasi-alternate-reality of my own creation: I base most if not all of my Zelda fanfiction on the idea that all the deeds done and chronicled in the Zelda games (with the exception of the Wind Waker for obvious reasons) were the deeds of one brave young lad chosen by Destiny and the three Goddesses as the Hero of Time, the Legendary Hero. Oh. And I don't own Linky (more's the pity) or Zelda or any of the game's other characters. They are copyrighted to Miyamoto Shigeru-san and Nintendo, the lucky bastards. I own, however, sole copyright of each and every one of my original characters. Steal them and I will hunt you down and break your elbows. Remember: A vague threat is no one's friend.
-Act V-
Restoration
2
The Hero of Time stood in Zelda's sitting room. The hood of his cloak was pulled back, and it hung open to reveal his clothing beneath. And instead of the usual green tunic and hat Zelda had grown so accustomed to seeing him in, he stood resplendent in a hunter green doublet of velvet, his long hair left unbound to pour golden down his shoulders. A thin band of dark leather circled his brow, the strands of it tied and hanging beside his face. A feather hung at the end, a bright crimson plume from a desert bird's tail, no doubt, a few beads of blue and gold hanging down beside. "Your father would be very proud of you," he said quietly.
Something inside Zelda felt uneasy at seeing him. She pinpointed what the problem was. He wasn't smiling. She tried a smile of her own, one that didn't seem to want to stay on her own lips. "I'd like to think so," she murmured, her eyes going to the floor as her smile fell away.
"He watches over you still," he said then. "He always has."
She looked back up. There were tears in her eyes. "I m-missed you." The words stumbled from her lips as she fought the urge to cry. "Why did you go?" her voice broke on the last word.
And as her voice broke, so broke his resolve. "Come here," he said gently, opening his arms to his Princess.
That was all it took. She ran to him, burying her face against her protector's chest, the sobs shaking her entire body while she wept. And through it all, he never spoke, simply held her tight while she made his arms her sanctuary.
She thumped one small fist against his chest, angry at him for making her worry, angry at him for leaving, for running when he should have been by her side. "How could you go?" she asked quietly, slender brows knit together in distress.
He placed a finger to her lips to quiet her, pulling her over to a nearby chair where he sat and pulled her down as well. "I had…to think. I needed to be alone, Highness. And I knew if I told you I was leaving, I never could." Link sighed, his eyes still carrying a muted sadness and pain that was a close relative of the pain in his eyes the night he had slain the King of Evil. "I had to do it. I wanted to tell you…but I couldn't. Not without hurting you." He pulled back from her just enough to run his rough, scarred fingers down her cheek, smiling faintly at how she leaned into his hand when he began wiping the tears away. "I knew I'd come back…" he smiled. "Had to be here for your coronation, didn't I?"
Her blue eyes came up to meet his then, her lip trembling for a moment as she spoke. "Will you leave again when it's over?" she asked, and he could see the vulnerability in her eyes. She'd left herself wide open for whatever he might say.
"No," he replied gently. "I won't leave when it's over. I'm here to stay this time."
She put her head down against his chest, greatly soothed by this, though she wasn't sure quite why. Well, that wasn't true. But she wasn't ready to admit it to anyone yet. So far as anyone else knew - even Link himself - they were merely good friends. "I'd like you to stand beside me during the coronation," she requested.
He arched a brow. "The only other people that know I'm back are Kiron and Akana." He thought about it. "Well, John and Kate and Kitara probably know by now. Of course Kiron would tell them."
Zelda nodded. "So not only is Ganondorf gone for good, but I'm being crowned tonight and the Hero of Time has come home. Unless you want to announce that John and Kate got married a month ago - which they will murder you for, and besides, the entire kingdom was there anyway, even though you weren't -"
Link smiled enigmatically. "I was there," he said. "You think I'd miss it? Kate would hunt me down and pull my ears off."
Zelda laughed brightly. "You sneak!"
He nodded. "I've always been good at getting in and out without being seen," he reminded her with a smile.
She nodded. He was that. "Keep that cloak on during the ceremony, and I'll signal you when to remove it…I feel like giving the people a surprise tonight."
-Act V-
Restoration
2
The Hero of Time stood in Zelda's sitting room. The hood of his cloak was pulled back, and it hung open to reveal his clothing beneath. And instead of the usual green tunic and hat Zelda had grown so accustomed to seeing him in, he stood resplendent in a hunter green doublet of velvet, his long hair left unbound to pour golden down his shoulders. A thin band of dark leather circled his brow, the strands of it tied and hanging beside his face. A feather hung at the end, a bright crimson plume from a desert bird's tail, no doubt, a few beads of blue and gold hanging down beside. "Your father would be very proud of you," he said quietly.
Something inside Zelda felt uneasy at seeing him. She pinpointed what the problem was. He wasn't smiling. She tried a smile of her own, one that didn't seem to want to stay on her own lips. "I'd like to think so," she murmured, her eyes going to the floor as her smile fell away.
"He watches over you still," he said then. "He always has."
She looked back up. There were tears in her eyes. "I m-missed you." The words stumbled from her lips as she fought the urge to cry. "Why did you go?" her voice broke on the last word.
And as her voice broke, so broke his resolve. "Come here," he said gently, opening his arms to his Princess.
That was all it took. She ran to him, burying her face against her protector's chest, the sobs shaking her entire body while she wept. And through it all, he never spoke, simply held her tight while she made his arms her sanctuary.
She thumped one small fist against his chest, angry at him for making her worry, angry at him for leaving, for running when he should have been by her side. "How could you go?" she asked quietly, slender brows knit together in distress.
He placed a finger to her lips to quiet her, pulling her over to a nearby chair where he sat and pulled her down as well. "I had…to think. I needed to be alone, Highness. And I knew if I told you I was leaving, I never could." Link sighed, his eyes still carrying a muted sadness and pain that was a close relative of the pain in his eyes the night he had slain the King of Evil. "I had to do it. I wanted to tell you…but I couldn't. Not without hurting you." He pulled back from her just enough to run his rough, scarred fingers down her cheek, smiling faintly at how she leaned into his hand when he began wiping the tears away. "I knew I'd come back…" he smiled. "Had to be here for your coronation, didn't I?"
Her blue eyes came up to meet his then, her lip trembling for a moment as she spoke. "Will you leave again when it's over?" she asked, and he could see the vulnerability in her eyes. She'd left herself wide open for whatever he might say.
"No," he replied gently. "I won't leave when it's over. I'm here to stay this time."
She put her head down against his chest, greatly soothed by this, though she wasn't sure quite why. Well, that wasn't true. But she wasn't ready to admit it to anyone yet. So far as anyone else knew - even Link himself - they were merely good friends. "I'd like you to stand beside me during the coronation," she requested.
He arched a brow. "The only other people that know I'm back are Kiron and Akana." He thought about it. "Well, John and Kate and Kitara probably know by now. Of course Kiron would tell them."
Zelda nodded. "So not only is Ganondorf gone for good, but I'm being crowned tonight and the Hero of Time has come home. Unless you want to announce that John and Kate got married a month ago - which they will murder you for, and besides, the entire kingdom was there anyway, even though you weren't -"
Link smiled enigmatically. "I was there," he said. "You think I'd miss it? Kate would hunt me down and pull my ears off."
Zelda laughed brightly. "You sneak!"
He nodded. "I've always been good at getting in and out without being seen," he reminded her with a smile.
She nodded. He was that. "Keep that cloak on during the ceremony, and I'll signal you when to remove it…I feel like giving the people a surprise tonight."