Needless to say, I was a big fan of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. It got me back into the world and characters from Breath of the Wild, and inspired me to jump onto this.
However… For those who have played that game, it should be noted that this story is not based on its twists and turns. I actually had an idea concerning a more sad aspect of Breath of the Wild's canon while playing Age of Calamity, and this is it. Anyone who hasn't played the newer game doesn't have to worry about spoilers here; it's set at a point between Breath of the Wild and its upcoming sequel. I might have some more ideas for Age of Calamity in particular, but those can wait for another time.
Cool? Cool. Let's get heavy. Merry Christmas, to those who celebrate~
Hyrule settled nicely into a peaceful state in the year after Calamity Ganon was sealed away. While major settlements of the Hylians, Zora, Goron, Rito, and Gerudo all underwent plans to expand, liberated from the threat of the Divine Beasts and inspired by the hopeful story of Tarrey Town, the wilds of a dilapidated kingdom still stretched as far as the eye could see.
Where once the shimmering moonlight brought along cries of monsters and rattling bones around every bend and tree, now the night was quiet. No longer did the residents of Hyrule have to fear a rising blood moon if they wanted to watch the sun set through the Dueling Peaks, or listen to late-night recitals at the Warbler's Nest. The only sounds that still broke through the night were the haunting calls of lone wolves and the mute buzz of fireflies around the glowing Tower beacons scattered across the land.
Swampy marshland across Hyrule attracted hordes of fireflies, and one of the most potent sites to encounter this phenomenon was Lanayru Tower — resting on the edge of the Lanayru Wetlands under the watchful gaze of Divine Beast Vah Ruta.
However, only one tent was pitched just off the road north of the wetlands this night. Its inhabitants had already tucked away from the skin-nipping air that basked under the moon's light; the embers from a campfire outside had long since petered out.
Inside the tent are a haphazardly strewn cot and a mess one could misconstrue for signs of a struggle. Yet most of the mess was discarded clothes scattered around a pair of backpacks and a darkened lantern, so given the pair of Hylians comfortably snuggled under a quilt in the middle of the roomy enclosure it's safe to assume the battle was more carnal in nature.
The member of the blonde duo lying on his back, Link, is wide-awake and staring up at the folded ceiling. A comfortable, post-coital heat stagnates around the darkened tent like steam and tries to tug his crystal blue eyes shut, but the man seems unfazed. A sleeping Zelda, the girl overlapping his frame as an arm slunk around his side, settled her head gently on his bare chest so her cascading golden hair hid her form before running deep into the recesses of the blanket. Her soft, steady breathing matched his, which was soothing — but not enough for the boy to really relax.
Link runs through Zelda's hair over and over with his hand not trapped numb under her body, brushing out each individual strand as if to commit the silky texture to memory. His inner monologue repeats the same refrain over and over: One. Two. Up. Counting the amount of time he spent with her hair in each pass.
He hopes this can take his mind off the nagging thoughts that kept his back tense and his head overheating. Yet he can't escape his subconscious.
The two Hylians; plucked from their lives 100 years prior and reunited after their arduous ordeals to save Hyrule; had returned to their rapport almost immediately after the battle with Calamity Ganon. He was her guardian, but also her companion. She offered her ear readily to him, though he still rarely ventured to speak up.
But as the weeks and months passed, it became more apparent that their century of physical and spiritual isolation from the world left both Link and Zelda with a deep longing for intimacy. Something — anything — to fill the void of being displaced in time from the friends and loved ones they treasured.
Once they shared a bedchamber for the first time, they couldn't let one another go. The pair took every opportunity to have their fill of one another, frequently stopping along their endless journey to help plan Hyrule's rebirth for one more chance to memorize each crease and birthmark they could map. The openness of their coupling and blossoming love for one another led to Link and Zelda no doubt doing some things far too debauched for a woman of Zelda's upbringing. But she didn't care.
The only rule the princess maintained was they avoid anything with trees. A traumatizing memory of Link pulling a nasty splinter from her cheek was still too raw.
After settling their tent on the driest, sturdiest patch of wetlands they could find, the two quickly took advantage of their last night before reaching the Zora's Domain — tasked with once again repairing Vah Ruta's surprisingly leaky mechanisms.
In a moment of bliss, Zelda swung her head back while sitting atop Link. Briefly he caught sight of her near pristine, graceful form bathed in flickering red lantern light and deep shadows; her hair falling in a slick curve like a dolphin's tail.
Then, Link wasn't with Zelda anymore. He was with Mipha: the Zora Champion, his childhood friend. Slain by Waterblight Ganon some 100 years ago.
He couldn't escape that stomach-churning image, no matter how many times his calloused fingers split Zelda's hair; a reminder of her humanity. He found himself second-guessing everything, even if he did his best not to let on while Zelda mumbled sweet nothings, barely hanging onto consciousness after they were done.
How could he be having fantasies of another? The sheer gravity of the idea sent sharp pains through his heart imagining how crushed Zelda would feel.
Yet, it was something deeper than that. Link found out about Mipha's affection for him only after she and the other Champions were gone. For weeks after saving the Zora's Domain he felt haunted by the idea his friend could have died with such a regret, but now he wondered if the melancholy he held with her memory was something more all along. His own regret thinking that if she had just said something he would have-
"… I know you're not asleep, Link."
The boy feels his soul leave his body in a distinct shiver as Zelda's voice echoes out; just quiet enough to keep a moody atmosphere.
Link's hand hovers above Zelda's scalp. Had she read his mind? Did the Goddess' powers allow her to do that?
He was fucked, wasn't he?
Zelda rustles out of her comfortable position and onto her belly, careful not to move too far away from his warmth. She, too, looked wide-awake as she offers him a concerned glance; chin digging into his left pectoral.
"You've been brushing my hair for what feels like an hour," Zelda says matter-of-factly, her lightly accented tone of voice gentle as she puffs hot air against his chest. "What's the matter?"
Link winces slightly at her soft gaze and shifts his head away from it, instead staring off at the tent wall. He brings his right hand up to brush his own hair back this time, itself fairly long and shaggy when not tied back.
As Zelda follows his gaze, pointed left ear planting on his chest, she sees Lanayru Tower's bright blue spire of light barely fading through the canvas.
The girl pouts her lip and takes a deep breath.
"Would you mind if I hastened a guess, Link?"
Link takes a beat to lift his upper body by propping up on both elbows; just enough to get a better look down without forcing her to move.
"… Nah."
"Were you thinking about her, by any chance?" Zelda lifts her head up so she can plant her chin again, meeting his blue eyes with her own. "Mipha."
Link emotes a slight grunt as an apparent shame washing over his expression. The color drains from his face so fast that Zelda was concerned he would pass out on the spot.
"It's okay." She quickly assures, her cooing voice lively to emphasize the lack of anger or disgust underneath her words. "Really, it is."
Link swallows his nerves hard, eyes darting about. Both his hands move under the covers, and wrap around the small of her back. Zelda briefly closes her eyes to still a quiver up her spine.
"I mean it!" The princess lifts her upper body up now, surrounding him with both arms like an arch. Their blanket rolls off her back slightly; leaving her supple chest and his hard, battle-worn core equally exposed to the darkness their eyes now cut through.
"As long as it has been since they roamed Hyrule, we haven't had near as much time to grieve. I know she was special to you," Zelda says with a warm smile, and then nearly breaks into a giggle. "If anything I feel I should be flattered by the comparison."
That jovial break in the conversation does cast away Link's sour, contemplative expression — if just a little.
Zelda seems comforted by the slight smile that comes to his face. She squirms her hips just enough to send him the hint she wanted to move again, and as soon as he unclasps his hands from around her she shifts to lie on her side. The girl's left arm bends between her head and the cot like a pillow, meanwhile her right hand rests against his heart. Despite letting out an unconscious huff as her thumb begins to brush against his skin, Link still seems apprehensive.
The girl mulls over his look for a beat, rolling her head along her arm and letting her toes tickle against him under the covers.
"I suppose you must think it's embarrassing still, and I can understand that." Zelda's overtly cheery look begins to subside. "If I told you something embarrassing in return, would that help you feel better?"
Link is taken aback at first, but he nods. Then, he offers her a smile as though it were a tacit agreement not to laugh.
Zelda giggles at this. Then, her mood sobers up, and she lifts her right hand just enough to start tracing along his sternum with her index finger.
"Sometimes," she begins slowly to collect her thoughts. "When we're together like this, and I can touch your big, heroic muscles like so…"
Again, she pauses for effect. Link takes the bait, chuckling at the drawn-out delivery of her compliment. He starts to roll onto his side a little so they could face each other directly, hand on her hip under the covers.
Now that their faces were closer to one another, the moment seems to weigh on Zelda. Her expression sinks to a blank slate, a sad contrast from before.
Zelda swallows gently, yet her voice comes out hoarse as she continues. "I can't help but wonder if… Urbosa would have felt the same."
The Hylian boy's eyes widen a bit at this, and Zelda quickly looks away with a dismissive, weak laugh.
"It's silly, I know." She plucks her hand away from his chest, and it then lingers against her own. "She was practically family. Like my aunt or something."
Her half-hearted attempt at diffusing her own story was clearly for her own benefit. Yet, it doesn't seem to work. Zelda frowns now, her breathing picking up.
"I'd never really thought about it until she was gone. Now, all I can ever seem to consider is how different things might have been if she wasn't. If there weren't the pressures of my father and my royal status." Zelda starts to shiver under the covers, though Link could tell she wasn't cold.
"If… I was smarter. Or braver. Or… Stronger."
The last quivering word barely makes it out. Zelda cover her mouth as she falls victim to a hysterical sob, and then she tries to hide in the crook of her arm-pillow while letting a few more hard breaths wrack her body.
Link responds with immediate compassion, offering a few reassuring coos and bringing his hand out from the quilt to caress her exposed cheek.
"Hey, hey…" He mumbles. He remains a rock as long as she needs, and watches her try to compose herself as quick as she could.
Eventually she calms herself enough to look up and speak again, though her chest still shook with each hefty exhale.
"I'm okay," she whimpers.
Link gives her a moment longer, and then gently bumps their foreheads together before pulling back enough to give her the space so she can continue.
"This is the problem." Another deep breathe. "There's nothing we can do about it now, and if we keep lingering on the past we're just going to make ourselves sick. Then what good would we be for anyone?"
The hero's eyebrows furrow and his mouth contorts into a sort of diagonal line, emoting a rare mix of concern and skepticism.
Zelda sniffles, and turns her head to rub her nose against her grounded arm.
"But you know what's really helped me through it?" She asks with a more nasally tone as her nose is buried.
Link's expression softens as Zelda looks up to meet his gaze. She manages to pull a smile through the pain that tugs at her whole face.
"Knowing that there's one other person who truly understands how I feel." Her hand desperately grasps for his under the covers, and Link weaves their fingers together. Zelda's smile grows. "Someone who I know I can learn to cope through all the awful feelings with. Together."
Link nods. "Together."
He brings their clasped hands out into the open again, and kisses the back of hers.
Zelda giggles at the gesture, and then leans her head in to kiss him proper as their interwoven fingers droop to the floor between them. It's long, but chaste and quiet — clearly an excuse just to be close.
After they separate, Zelda starts to shift, this time rolling over so they would be lying in the same direction. Link starts to spoon her, hands gingerly wrapped around her tummy, as Zelda's hands lay limp in front of her. He rests his head on her shoulder, snuggling their cheeks.
Silence lingers as the pair close their eyes, both more ready to sleep than ever.
However, before either can fade from consciousness, Zelda breaks the silence again. "We can cut my hair if you think it might help?"
Link pulls his head up just enough so she could peer at him.
"I know Mipha had that long, pretty tail. Could mitigate the comparison." She smiles. "Besides… I have always kind of wondered how I would look with shorter hair."