The Shrine was already opened, a feat in which she was never able to accomplish on her own, but the Sheikah Slate still did not accept her instructions when it came to actually entering the Shrine. Link took the Slate back, used the same controls that she had, and the platform on which they stood began to lower – on its own! Zelda nearly jumped at the sudden downward movement, her hands automatically reaching for Link's in the moment of panic, but she managed to stop herself, fiddling her with fingers to keep her hands to herself.

Adjusting was… hard. She felt for Link, she truly did. His situation wasn't one to be envied, but she stood next to someone she used to be so familiar with. Now, that was just gone. No casual touches, no inside jokes, no history.

But being in a Shrine – finally being inside a Shrine – made her briefly forget her worries. Her hands covered her mouth as she looked at the inside of the Shrine in wonder.

"Are they all like this?" she asked, turning back to Link. He stood just a step away from the platform as she had traversed a little further. He held out a hand and rotated it side to side to say, 'kind of.'

Before her were two platforms, much larger than the one they entered in and with a supporting pillar. On one was a large metal cube. Link, now by her side, pushed the Slate back into her hands and gestured for her to try it out.

Zelda switched the Slate to its magnetism and stood on the lowered platform, right behind the giant metal box. She activated the Slate and began to move the box upward and forward when she heard a sound from Link – not a word, more like a beginning of one or perhaps a warning – and the next the she knew, Link had joined her on the platform with his sword drawn.

She almost asked him why when she realized the reasoning of his actions. The Shrines weren't just about puzzles. It made sense when she thought about it in the context of why the Shrines were created in the first place: training the next Hero. She nodded in confirmation and carefully set down the box on the other platform, lowering slowly. Link stood between her and the wall, so as they rose up, she saw what he was concerned about.

It wasn't close to them, not in the immediate sense, but the sight of an active guardian nearly froze her in her place. It was small, much smaller than the ones she had worked with (and later ran from). Link made quick work of it, running forward and hardly taking a minute to take it down. She watched as he took a few steps back and watched it combust, leaving behind only its weapons and a few parts of which he stashed away in his pack. His hand, just after dropping off the items, hovered over it for a moment like he was considering something but decided against it as his hand dropped back to his side.

She spent her time in the Shrine in silence, wishing she had a journal to write her notes down in. She ended up settling on using the Slate's picture function for future observation since Link had already collected the remains of the small Guardian.

"What function does this have?" she asked as they approached what looked like a glowing box, turning so she could see Link's response.

"The Sheikah monk Yah Rin used to be there," he signed. "He disappeared after I completed the trial and awarded me a spirit orb?"

"A spirit orb?" Zelda questioned. She had never found any mention of that in the texts she scoured over in her research. "Can I see one?"

"It's… not a physical thing," he signed, looking almost apologetic.

"Oh." She was a little disappointed, that was true, but she didn't know what else she was expecting. A tangible orb of spirit? If it was more of a blessing or a spiritual gift then… then that would explain why she saw Link at Hylia's shrines so often when she checked in on him, seeing as Sheikah monks were dedicated followers of Hylia.

They left soon after, returning to the platform and leaving the Shrine. Despite having felt like they were in the Shrine for an hour at most, Zelda saw that the sky glowed with the warmer hue of a sunset.

"I think time works differently in there," he signed with a bit of a shrug.

She would definitely have to test that someday, but not now. Below, she could hear the sounds of a crowd. She took a few steps forward to get a better view, seeing the people of the village gathered around with Rozel standing at the front.

And then someone yelled, "It's her! Princess Zelda!"

The moment of complete silence that passed nearly killed her, waiting to see if the reaction to her was a good or a bad thing.

A cheer erupted and a breath of relief left her. After a few moments of cheer, the people stilled, looking at her expectantly. She caught a knowing look from Rozel and then a nod, as if to confirm for her of the village's decision.

Oh dear. She should've prepared a speech.

"I must sincerely apologize to all of you for concealing my identity when we first arrived. It was not my intention to deceive you. The world has changed since I last lived in it, and I was unsure of how to approach you in my return." She paused to take a deep breath. "The world has changed. For better or for worse, this hundred year-long tragedy has forged a stronger, more resilient people. With Calamity Ganon gone, we won't just rebuild the old Hyrule but create a better one."

Somehow possible, the cheers of the villagers were even louder than before. A hand touched her shoulder, and she turned to Link, smiling. She smiled back, feeling a weight on her shoulders lighten.

"What was it like all those years?" one of the kids asked, his face lit up by the fire they sat around.

The village had gone on in celebration, much like the night before, after the agreement to help Zelda rebuild Hyrule. Afterwards, some returned back to their cabins, but a handful of those that did not have early morning duties to attend to continue into the night, culminating in this moment of fireside conversations.

"It was… different. I knew that time passed, but a minute didn't feel like a minute. It wasn't my attention but rather my energy, I believe, that was required in keeping Ganon partially sealed. Sometimes my mind would wander, but it never had a point of focus until Link woke up. I saw parts of the world through him, but it was never for long."

"Can you still use your sealing power?" a young woman asked.

"I… haven't tried. Link kept me from any harm on the way here, so I haven't had an opportunity to test it." Zelda raised her hand, looking at the tips of her fingertips. She remembered how it felt to have the power flow through her, like it was the essence of her entire being. It felt light and warm, soft and intangible. She had felt like that for so long after her power had awoken, and only now did she take notice that she felt solid and grounded. She reached into herself and thought of…

Her hand glowed. The symbol of the Tri-Force didn't show on the back of her hand in this small display, but it amazed the people of Lurelin village nonetheless. They oohed and aahed at the sight, saying nothing as it dimmed.

Her eyes caught Link's, who sat a few people away, the light of the fire illuminating his blue eyes. He didn't look as amazed as the others, considering he had seen her in a much more impressive light in their fight against Ganon. But she couldn't help but notice the slight furrow in his brow, the light purse of his lips-

"What was Hyrule like before?" the girl next to her asked.

Zelda was shaken from her thoughts, and she pushed herself back into the moment and smiled. "I'm not sure how to answer that, if I might be honest. Hyrule now, from what I've seen is… more wild, but that isn't a bad thing. The heart of what Hyrule was, it's still here, just smaller."

The girl didn't look entirely satisfied with the answer, but Zelda wasn't sure how else to answer it. Was she supposed to talk about the towns long gone, of the communities that used to reside in them?

"Link!" the girl called, and she immediately had Link's attention. "What was Hyrule like?"

Zelda looked to Link, nervous for both how he'd react to the question as well as his answer. She wracked her brain for something, anything to say that could give Link a way out of the discussion if he desires, but in that moment, she could only draw blanks.

But despite the silence and the stares, he didn't answer. He sat there with his eyes trained on the fire, unresponsive. Zelda's heart hurt at the silence, and she realized she wanted to know Link's answer just as much as the young girl had, though for different reasons.

No one pressed Link for an answer, not even the young girl who asked it. And they seemed to have taken notice of Link's non-answer and moved the conversation onto other topics, discussing travel and general activities that went by the wayside in the times of a seemingly endless spawn of monsters.

Link slipped away at some point, though Zelda was not sure of when that was. He was there and, when she turned to find him, suddenly he wasn't. She wanted to go and find him, but it proved harder for her to leave unnoticed as any move she made generally put her face to face with another one of the villagers. She could have decided to move on after a few pleasantries, but she knew the importance of making connections with them if she was to undertake the responsibility of restoring Hyrule.

Leading was never meant to be an easy job without sacrifices. She just hated that it meant putting aside her concern for Link who had already sacrificed so much.

Eventually, she did manage to leave once she started telling people how tired she was and how she should head to bed. Though with plans to wait a moment and then slip out to search for Link, she found him in their room, just sitting on the bed with a thoughtful look. The first step she took into the room grabbed his attention and he stood to greet her, but she waved it away and he sat back down.

"I noticed you left a little earlier," Zelda started. "Are you alright?"

His eyes flickered down, avoiding her gaze. Tentatively, she took a seat next to him.

"Do you want to know what Hyrule was like for you?" she offered. That got his attention. He looked up at her in a look she read as surprise, and she gave him a soft smile.

"You told me a bit about your life before serving in the Royal Guard – not everything but I believe it may be enough for this," Zelda began, feeling like her heart was beating in her throat with every word she spoke. She hoped this would help more than it'd hurt. "You lived in Castle Town. You've… seen the ruins. It was, uh, mostly two story buildings, a lot of shops on the first floor with homes above. It was more well-to-do than the other towns in Hyrule at the time. The castle had quarters for the cooks and the servants and the knights, but a lot of them had families that lived in town. Since the castle attracted travel, the town could afford more than just one general store or just one tailor, that sort of thing. I believe there was even a Guerdo woman who opened a jewelry store there.

"You lived on- on, uh the east side, I believe. Your father often worked in the castle, and your mother worked in the library as one of the few scholars in residence. Your mother would often go about, and you told me stories of how she'd travel and take you with her. While your mother did her work – Link?"

He had gripped her wrist – not so hard that it hurt but strong enough that she knew it was not a tender touch. Looking up from his touch to his face, she saw the silent plea written across his face.

Enough.

She nodded, and he let go. He leaned forward, holding his head in his hands. After she waited a moment for any further responses and received none, she stood and returned to her own bed and laid down, facing him. Her exhaustion from the day finally caught up to her as she laid in the soft bed, warm under the covers, and so she watched as Link continued to sit there, his eyes fixed to the ground as she slowly and gently drifted off into sleep.

That night, she dreamt of fireside stories from the past. They were scenes of the past, of traveling with Link after she made up with him, when he was starting to open up to her and talk to her. He told her of home, of his mother, of his travels.

When she woke and found that Link had made plans to travel to another village, she realized that the Link in her dream spoke but made no sound. That even when she tried right then to remember, she could not recall his voice.