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Still Nintendo and the content still belongs to them

CHAPTER 2: Back to the Wild

After saying goodbye to the King and packing all the necessary supplies, they set off from the stable on the outskirts of South Castle town. Link was already prepared having barely arrived from his own trip and Zelda once again wore the white, gold, and blue travel attire that she had missed so much. Link, still wore his Champions Tunic as well, it was essentially his uniform now. The pair rode their mounts side by side as they headed towards the Dueling peaks that were clearly visible on the Horizon. Zelda glanced over to her Knight, he was silent and unreadable as usual, simply staring out to the horizon. He still carried the Master Sword but he now had the fabled Hylian Shield which was gifted to him by the King after their defeat of Ganon. It had only been a year since she had last seen him but he already looked much more mature than he had before. Still noticeably a 19 year old but the experience shone in his eyes. Zelda was brought out of her thoughts as he noticed her staring and gave a small smile. A faint blush snuck onto her cheeks as she looked away but she still spoke up anyways.

"I want to stop by Kakariko Village first to speak with Impa, it has been far too long since I last spoke to her in person. From there we can stop by Hateno to rest before hiking up Mt. Lanayru to get to the Spring of Wisdom, does that sound alright to you?"

He simply replied with a nod and a smile in her direction, a long time ago that would have bothered her but now it just felt natural with him. She could always tell he was listening and that was all that mattered. She then took the journal Link had given to her, it contained notes regarding all 120 shrines he had found scattered across Hyrule. Zelda always knew Link to be smarter than some would have perceived him to be but she still did not expect the level of diligent note taking he showed within the journal. The names of the shrines as well as detailed descriptions of each filled the journal and although it wasn't a firsthand account, it still made her feel as if she had been there with him. The scholar in her grew more fond of him by the second and soon she was lost within the journal as they travelled silently down the path.

Although his expedition to all the shrines had proven to be quite the adventure he was glad to be back by her side. He had missed Zelda more than he liked to admit and the year apart only served to remind him of the feelings he held for her but he would never show it. As long as he wasn't stuck in the castle and as long as he was by her side he was content. Out of the corner of his eye he glanced over at Zelda who was intently studying his journal. Link had done his best to take the best notes he could, he knew how much she loved her research and he wanted to impress her with it. It may have been a little improper of him to wish such things but there was no harm in giving her good notes. Link brought his eyes back to the road, at the pace they were going, they might barely make it to the Dueling Peaks Stable by sundown but he could care less. He was in no rush and he wanted to enjoy every minute of their trip together.

As he predicted, they arrived at the stable by sundown and got themselves 2 beds as well as feed for the horses. Link slept lightly, although now they were technically in an era of peace he didn't want to risk any chances. Morning came quickly and Link was up early enough to make them a quick breakfast, his year out in the wilderness had made him a proficient cook which Zelda complimented him on. Soon they were off again, they decided to walk to Kakariko since it wasn't so far from the stable and it wasn't until they reached Kakariko bridge that Zelda spoke up again, "You know, one of these days you must tell me all about your adventures. I am disappointed that I was unable to join you through your journey but based on your entries, it seems I may have been more of an impedance."

Link chuckled lightly and replied, "As you wish, Princess."

When they arrived in Kakariko, Zelda took a moment to look over the small village and admired the beauty of it all. It was a lot quieter than Castle Town and she enjoyed the peace that seemed to flow through it. As they walked down the path towards Impa's home, one of the residents call over to Link in a sultry voice, "Hey Hero, I knew you missed me but I hoped you'd come by more frequently. It's not nice to keep a lady waiting you know." Link knew her as Claree but as far as Zelda could tell she was the Shopkeeper to the store called 'Enchanted' which she stood in the door of. Upon hearing Claree's words a light blush appeared on her cheeks but hers was hardly noticeable as she looked back at link who's face was practically red with embarrassment. It seemed that her Hero got up to a lot during his adventures and she made a mental note to ask him about it later. Upon reaching Impa's home, they found Paya out in front. She was cleaning the porch with a sponge which she promptly dropped as soon as she laid her eyes on Link.

"M-Master Link! It's g-good to see you b-back." Paya nervously stuttered through her sentence.

Link only returned a smile which made the girl practically fall apart as she hid her face. Zelda didn't remember Paya having a stutter the last time she had met with Impa, and didn't know her to be so flustered all the time. Maybe it was another one of Link's… adventures… during his expedition. She would definitely have to ask him about it now. Link respectfully gave Zelda her privacy as he opened the door for her to enter but remained outside to stand guard. Zelda spent a few hours talking and catching up with the older woman. Impa had always been one of the mother figures in Zelda's life seeing as she didn't have a chance to grow up with one. However, Link was used to standing guard for long periods, so he passed the time using mental exercises while still scouting out the area. It was Kakariko and they were very definitely safe but old habits really do die hard.

After Zelda had finished up her reunion, they set off once again, making it to the stable quicker than they had made it to the Kakariko on the previous day. They picked up their horses and began riding to their next destination. As they passed by the Ash Swamp, Zelda couldn't help but stare at the familiar site. This was where she had unlocked her powers, Link had been fighting for so long but the sheer number of guardians where clearly overwhelming him. He had forced Zelda to hide while he tried to take them all on but it wasn't until one targeted him from behind that she ran out to protect him. Zelda couldn't help but wonder how differently things could have been had she failed in that moment. She would have never unlocked her powers if it wasn't for him after all, and that was when she realized how she actually felt about her knight. As far as she could tell, he didn't feel the same way, he was always unreadable after all. Before she got too lost in her thoughts, her mind flashed back to the two scenarios they encountered in Kakariko. Both that shop owner and Paya seemed to have some kind of history with Link, one that caused them to interact with him in such weird ways. She had never imagined Link to be a philanderer but the thought of it alone made her heart sink a little bit.

"So Link, I noticed that you had a certain… affinity, towards the local shop owner in Kakariko?" Zelda said with a mischievous smirk as she looked over to him.

His eyes widened a bit and he was back to his same shade of red as he was earlier, "Princess, I only bought out her stock during my adventures which made her very happy. I never did or said anything to her otherwise." He stumbled over his words but he didn't seem like he was hiding anything.

"Hmm, and what of Paya? What ever did you do to cause that girl to be so uneasy about you."

"That was none of my doing. She may just have a small crush on me.." He replied with a hint of shame mixed in his embarrassment.

"Oh, she told you?" Zelda asked, clearly noticing his shame.

"Not exactly, I accidentally read her diary in Impa's home." This caused Zelda to laugh almost a little too loud but despite his embarrassment Link was glad it brought her some amusement.

"It seems you've become quite the heartbreaker in your journeys." Zelda said barely containing her laugh as Links own joined her.

Nothing was said after that which let Zelda's mind roam with speculations. Paya was a cute girl after all so for Link to not act on her feelings toward him, he must already have a mistress on the side. Amused as she was from their conversation, she didn't want to make it awkward by asking him now. It would probably come soon. As they passed through the woods just West of Hateno, the front archway became visible to them. They had finally reached the quiet little town of Hateno. It was this time that Link spoke up,

"Princess, I have a home, its not much but it has the necessities if you would prefer to stay there rather than the local inn."

"I would like that." She replied simply, but internally her mind was racing with all kinds of questions.

With a nod he led them up through the town and across Firly pond where they found Link's house. He opened the door and allowed her in while he stabled and fed the horses around back. Link really wasn't lying when he said it had only the necessities, Zelda thought to herself. But it was still a cozy little house. Link walked in behind her with both their travel packs and he guided her up the stairs to a small loft with a single bed. "You can sleep here tonight," Link said putting down her pack next to the bed.

Zelda glanced around but didn't see any other places to sleep, "And where will you sleep?"

"You don't need to worry about me Princess"

We could share the bed. The scandalous thought crossed her mind but instead she replied, "I would feel bad taking your bed from you like this, I can sleep on the bedroll from my pack"

"I will not have the Princess of Hyrule sleeping on my floor, you're my guest, I insist."

Zelda eventually succumbed and agreed to sleep in his bed. That thought alone still sent strange feelings throughout her. Link went and set up his bedroll in the small passage beneath the stairs and tried to get some sleep. Desperately he tried but his mind was filled with thoughts of her. Seeing her again after so long had rekindled what was there before, but he didn't dare name it for what it was, She's still the princess. I shouldn't be thinking of her that way. He wasn't going to get any sleep like this so he went over to the bookcase by his door, picked up the first book he saw, deciding to read at the table until his eyes tired out. His eyes skimmed over the words but his mind wasn't really paying attention. He was lost in thoughts of Zelda, thinking about their adventures to the shrines, thinking about a future he wished he could have but would not be. Link asked himself why he even fell for her in the first place but the answers quickly rushed into his mind. Her dedication to her studies, the way her eyes lit up when she laughed, her beautiful gold hair and they way her emerald eyes contrasted it, the way that her legs filled in her—No… Stop thinking of her that way. He was interrupted from his thoughts as he heard the wood of the stairs creak. Zelda had just stepped of the last step and was smiling over at him.

"Can't sleep either?" She asked barely more than a whisper but Link still heard her. He always listened intently when she spoke.

"Yeah." He replied not breaking eye contact as she walked over to lean on the back of the chair across from him.

"I always knew you were an enthusiast when it came to cooking but that's still strange reading material."

Link blinked in confusion until he turned over the book in his hands. It was a recipe book but he had been so lost in his thoughts he didn't even process it. He blushed profusely and just smiled up at her, trying to fill the awkward air between them he asked, "Tea?" in a questioning tone.

"Yes, please." She replied as she took the seat.

Link stood and prepared some tea made from the petals/leaves of warm safflina. Maybe the warmth would help them fall asleep sooner. He set down a mug in front of her as he sat down with his own. Neither said a word or made eye contact, they simply enjoyed the silent company of the other and lost themselves to the steam of their mugs. Zelda whispered in a way that made Link unsure if she was speaking to him directly, "I missed you, you know."

He stared up at her wide-eyed but before thinking of what to say it slipped out of him, "I missed you too." Link would later have to chide himself for his momentary lapse in judgement, but he cherished the moment.

Zelda's cheeks were turning slightly pink, Link tried to convince himself it was only because of the warmth of the tea. She cast him a quick look as she finished the rest of her tea. "I should really get to sleep, I'll need all my energy for tomorrow." And she stood quickly washing her mug in the sink and heading straight up the stairs to the bed. Link stared at her until she no longer was within sight. He decided she was right, finished up his own tea and returned to his bedroll. Thoughts of her still didn't leave him but the warmth at least helped him fall asleep. Tomorrow was going to be far more eventful than either of them would have expected.