Hope I didn't keep you guys waiting too long, I'll start off with the reviews!

Federermagic: Oh my goodness, bless your heart :D Thank you so much!

Orbital: Ah yes, the short chapters. I'm so sorry about that. The reason why I keep the chapters short is because I tend to update at a faster pace. But if I instead choose to type up long chapters, I would dread writing them thus stall uploading them :'( I hope you understand.

JustinThePokemonMaster: THANK YOU!

wonthousand: holy crap, thank you for cheering me up!

DHM: I WILL GIVE YOU MORE PAL

Lala: Thank you :)

Lord Draxus Hellborne: Thank you! I tried my best to balance the fluff and drama :)

Guest: Thank you!

more: okay okay okay okay okay okay okay okay okay oka-

Shuujin: Wow! You already beat him? I could beat him right now, but I refuse xD I know I'll be sad once it ends so I'm purposely ignoring Ganon for right now (I know, I'm weird). And AHH! That is so kind of you to say :) It means a lot to me, thank you!

A/N: I'm trying something new with this chapter by adding in drama. Note that this is something new that I'm going to attempt, so if it is terrible then I am sorry. Also, just so you don't get confused, BOTH Zelda and Link are going through their own separate issues in this story. Zelda finds herself to be more depressed every day since Calamity Ganon's defeat for reasons you'll find out later in the story, AND she is also deeply saddened by not being able to be there for Link when he is unknowingly pushing her away. Link on the other hand is depressed due to him not being able to really remember who he was 100 years ago. Small memories here and there aren't helpful when it comes to finding out stuff about his personal life (parents, where he was raised, why he was chosen to be a knight, etc). The only thing that sticks with him is that he was the so called 'hero' that has failed Princess Zelda, his biggest regret.

Chapter 3

Both Link and Zelda were headed towards Zora's Domain. They had awoken at sunrise to begin preparations for the long journey ahead of them in hopes of not stopping along the way. Sadly, the ride there was bittersweet for Zelda. She expected that last night's conversation would have changed things between them, but Link continued to stay silent. She couldn't quite peer over to examine his expression since he was sitting in front guiding Epona, but nonetheless, his stiff posture gave it away.

A couple of hours have passed until they had made it to the bridge that connected the field with Zora's Domain. Link jumped off first, brushing himself off. He offered his hand towards Zelda in which she silently obliged. Mimicking his actions, she quietly brushed at her clothing.

"The stable isn't too far from here, I'll take Epona back and meet you inside Zora's Domain soon." Link flashed her a miniature smile before she opposed, "Why didn't you just drop off Epona earlier when we passed the nearby stable? I'll come with you-"

He shook his head, "there's no need for that, I didn't want to make you walk." Link grabbed Epona's bridle and commenced walking the opposite direction from Zora's Domain, "you'll be safe here. I'll be back soon." he gave a small wave before continuing on the dirt path ahead of him with his horse.

There he goes suppressing his feelings again. She couldn't help it, she felt like breaking down for him again. She knew he did that on purpose so he could spend some time alone instead of talking it out with her. Did that talk last night really not get to him? Zelda quietly enveloped her arms around her body as it began to quiver.

Zelda felt her worst nightmare coming to life. She never thought in a million years that Link would ever push her away. Of course she tried her best to not take it to heart, I mean, the poor boy has little to no reconciliation of his past. But at times, she wanted Link to come to her for comfort, not keep his feelings bottled up. She feared the worst that he will push her so far away that he would initially hurt himself in the end.

When he was finally out of sight, Zelda began taking small steps across the lengthy bridge that connected to Zora's Domain. Once she reached the domain, she received shocking expressions from the fish around her.

Incoherent words were heard from afar.

"Could that be the princess?"

"She has golden locks, like they say in the stories from 100 years ago!"

"It must be her!"

She could hear everyone around her whispering, feeling put in an awkward place. It wasn't too long until a tall red fish appeared before her.

"Good heavens... is that you?... Princess Zelda?"

She raised her head and greeted him, "yes." Clearing her throat, she quickly added, "and you must be?"

Disregarding her question, everyone started cheering in pure joy including the man standing before her.

"Link did it! He did it!"

"Who would've thought a shrimp like him could have saved the princess?!"

"I always had faith in him!"

"Do my eyes deceive me? It really is Zelda! Link succeeded in saving her!"

The crowd went on and on- causing Zelda to acknowledge every word that was being spoken about her. She almost forgot about the presence of the towering man in front of her. She hastily twirled back to face him, "Link seems to be very popular around here. I'm going to take an educated guess and say you all have met him before." She chuckled while she nervously looped the ends of her hair with her finger.

"He was successful in freeing the Divine Beast, we are all very grateful to him," he expressed great spirit in his voice.

Despite the current situation she was in with Link, she couldn't help but smile at how much he's accomplished. Sometimes, she forgets that she wasn't the only fortunate soul who was saved by this courageous hero. Her smile quickly vanished when new thoughts emerged. That was the thing. He has done so much for everyone, but he would always silently bear any burden that appeared on his path. It's not a bad thing that he did that, but even a hero needed a break, he just couldn't see that.

The fish who stood before her cautiously interrupted her thoughts, "Please forgive me, I haven't properly introduced myself yet," he bowed before the princess, "I'm Prince Sidon."

Zelda graciously bowed in return, "Ah, yes! Link has spoken greatly of you." her lips curved upward into a smile.

Sidon and Zelda both had an interesting, uplifting conversation. Sidon seemed like a very generous, kind man. He made Zelda laugh uncountable times during such a short walk, he carried that unique charm with him. As they were talking, he led Zelda to an inn that wasn't too far from the entrance.

"Thank you for escorting me here, you are very kind." Zelda smiled and continued, "Link should be arriving shortly. I'm sure he will be overjoyed to see you."

"Rest well, princess." Sidon flashed a bright smile and gave her a thumbs up before walking off.

Sunset was slowly approaching, painting the sky with ominous orange hues. Leaning over the balcony, Zelda was trying to think of possible ways to cheer herself up from her own depression as well as cheering her friend up from his terrible situation of not remembering who he really is. Though, she was deeply aggravated by her own lingering sadness that she couldn't even think straight.

Suddenly, she heard people cheering. Swiftly turning her head in the direction the noise was coming from, Zelda caught glimpses of the crowd from her balcony view gathering around someone...

It was him.

Squinting her eyes in hopes of confirming it was him, she saw Link's bright blue tunic stand out from the others. She let her arms fall back to her side. For some reason, Zelda felt emotionless. This morning, Link had said that he would have been back in less than an hour. It was also apparent that he wanted time for himself with the lack of communication between the two during the silent trip. Sighing, she was starting to believe that she was indeed the only one who had feelings towards someone who most likely didn't return them. Six hours later, he returned.

"Why... why am I crying?" her voice was barely audible. Calmly, Zelda wiped her tears away and slipped underneath the covers of her bed. She didn't bother changing into her night gown, for she did not have any energy to do so. Dealing with her sadness as well as Link's was definitely not a great mixture to benefit her own mood. Sighing, Zelda shut her eyes in hopes of forcing herself to sleep.

Footsteps were heard approaching the room. Zelda was half asleep, not completely aware of who it was. She swore she heard Link's voice conversing with another male with a huskier tone.

'Oh, for Hylia's sake, what time could it possibly be?' Zelda thought.

She opened her eyes and immediately shut them when she saw Link enter the inn with another man.

"It was nice catching up with you, Link," the man whispered to not wake anyone around him, "I hope you'll find your stay here rather extravagant."

Link smiled and nodded at the man before saying their goodbyes. When the man left, Link scoped around the room in search for Zelda. He was told earlier by Sidon that Zelda turned in early for the night when she arrived before Link. Sighing, he couldn't help but feel remorse for not spending time with her today. He knew things were off between them, and he takes full blame for it. Zelda poured her heart out yesterday and spilled tears for the both of them, in hopes of Link being able to open up to her more. Of course at that time, Link smiled and agreed that he would, but the next day, he couldn't help but fall back into his depression.

Slowly but surely, Link took large strides towards her bed she was currently sleeping in and gently took a seat next to her. Zelda was now fully awake, but acted like she was in a deep slumber. She was too nervous to face him right away. Keeping her eyes closed tight, she suddenly felt his hand brush at her visible cheek. Trying her best not to jump at his warm touch, she quietly forced herself to embrace it.

He saw a dry tear streak. Reaching his hand out, he brushed it away with his thumb. The guilt he carried expanded from here.

'She crying earlier...' he thought.

She felt his body rise off the bed. Wanting him to come back, she fought the urge and let him wander off. When she was completely sure that his absence was confirmed by the door shutting all the way, Zelda bursted out with silent tears. Her breathing became uneven. Scrunching up into a ball, she held onto her knees tightly. The tears refused to cease.

She felt his pain during that short encounter. His thumb trembled onto her cheek greatly... it frightened her.

She knew what she had to do.

But... did she have the courage to do so? There was only one way to find out.

Slamming the door wide open, Zelda made it her top priority to search for Link. She hurriedly sped down the vast amount of steps Zora's Domain had. She began to outwardly sob, not caring about holding it in anymore. Gasping for air, she began to sprint over the bridge when she caught sight of Link's back.

"Link!" she shouted. Surprised, Link turned around and faced her, "Zelda...?"

As she approached him, Link's eyes widened in shock. He saw how deeply upset and distraught she appeared to be, with her fresh tears proving her point. He held back an urge to reach out to her, but instead took a small step forward.

"What happened... I thought you were asleep-" she quickly cut him off. "Link."

Still shocked, he kept his attention on her in order for her to continue.

This was it. It was now or never. "What... are your feelings for me?" she blurted out.

Link was briskly taken aback at her sudden question that put him on edge, "Zelda?-"

Her quiet sobs had now become slightly more audible, "fine, we don't need to talk about this now..."

It was killing Link, the way he was acting. Why was he holding himself back? He knew exactly how he felt towards Zelda. But, why couldn't he just outwardly admit it? He clenched his fist at his own stupidity.

"I think it's clear that we need a break."

His eyes were immediately filled with rage at her words, "what are you saying!" he countered back almost too quickly.

Zelda simply flashed him a sad smile while wiping away any remaining tears on her cheeks, "It's obvious that you and I are dealing with our own issues at hand. It's causing us to... dare I even say it... drift apart, Link." He was too startled to reply, "I don't want that, Link... I don't care who says it first anymore. I-... I indeed carry deep feelings for you. The way we've been acting towards each other this past week has been killing me, Link." Her tears started up again.

"You... have feelings for me?..."

Zelda silently nodded her head.

He took watchful steps near her until he was a few inches away. Link soundlessly raised his thumb up to her cheek and wiped away her tears. Sighing, Link opened his eyes and cupped both of her cheeks with his hands.

"If I tell you that I feel the same way about you... will you stop crying? This sight is painful to watch." he displayed what looked like a sad smile, tilting his head to the side.

"That depends... do you mean it? Or are you just saying that so I can stop crying." Zelda furrowed her eyebrows.

Chuckling, Link stook his head, "Of course I mean it, Zelda." he released his hands from her cheeks and quietly wrapped them around her delicate body, embracing her.

Zelda reciprocated the same actions.

"I'm sorry. I've always vowed to myself to never open up to you due to the fact that I would open up more problems for you. You've already dealt with enough as a ruler, I didn't want to bring in extra unnecessary issues of min-" Zelda quickly pulled away and flashed him a enraged expression, "Don't you dare say your problems are unnecessary! Quit belittling yourself in comparison to me. I don't care if I'm a ruler and you are a knight. Everyone is equal in my eyes, and so are their problems. Do you understand me, Link?"

Her words were adamant and rough, enough to shake Link. He looked into her eyes, not knowing how to reply. She always had that affect on him, her choice of diction always threw him off. It was always fascinating to him. He couldn't help but shoot her a half-curved smirk towards her direction before pulling her into another warm embrace.

This time, he had surprised Zelda with another hug. She couldn't help but let tears fall again. This time, they were tears of joy. She wrapped her arms around his neck happily as her tears were absorbed by his tunic.

"I'm sorry."

Her voice was barely audible, "for what, Link?"

"Pushing you away."

She instinctively tightened her grip around him as her reply.

Zelda was glad that she was able to hold on to the last bit of hope with her dear life... because it brought her towards Link once more.