A/N:

This story is meant to bridge the gap between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, with some (a lot) of creative liberties taken.

This author's note contains the single spoiler for Tears of the Kingdom I plan on putting in this entire fic (excluding events detailed in diaries and such), so feel free to skip it if you haven't gotten the chance to play yet. If you've reached Hateno Village or don't care about spoilers, read on.

This story is the result of my adventures through gloom-invested Hyrule and a bit of diary snooping. In Hateno Village, if you return to where Link's house is bought in Breath of the Wild, you'll find two diaries: the first is a journal, detailing the diplomatic work that Zelda and Link have doing after the fall of the Calamity, and the second tells of Zelda's admiration of Link and her hope of giving him a gift she thought he'd love.

That's where this story came from; the curious mind of someone who loves the idea of the bond between Link and Zelda, and has for a very, very long time. And in that same mind is an idea that sparked, that flamed out, that makes me wanna write this, and make it the first fanfic I possibly finish. I wanna know what those weeks, months, or years were like for the duo, but I doubt Nintendo will ever give us that, because a lot of people wouldn't like it. So here I stand, writing this in hopes that it'll quell both my mind and a few people who have similar minds.

Quick heads up: This fic will be unapologetically ZeLink focused. I wanna develop their friendship up until the end, mostly just because I've loved their dynamic (or what we've seen of it) for a very long time. I also wanna note I have no idea how long this fanfiction will be, or if I'll be consistent in writing it. The only thing I can promise is I have a lot of hope for writing this story, so whether or not it gets ten or ten thousand views doesn't really matter to me.

If you've made it to the end of this note, congrats; you've endured my painful rattling. I'd ask that, if you have the time after, tell me what you think; what can I do to improve it? What aspects do you like about it? And most importantly; What do you think of Tears of the Kingdom so far? I'm borderline in love with the game, and I'm barely a quarter through the thing.

That's all, for now. If I decide to leave any Authors Notes from here on out, it'll be either left at the end or will be super short at the beginning.

Enjoy.


It was a cabin high up, deep in the Hebra mountains, abandoned and frail but still somehow standing. It looked like something out of a fairy tale; the wood along the walls was dark, the windows had frost and snow clinging to them, and the chimney had smoke billowing out of it, mingling with the snow that continued to fall around it.

The smoke, as it happened, was caused by two people that had decided to stay the night there, in order to escape the cold.

First, there was the boy; his blue tunic fell long, down to his knees and over a tan pair of fluffy pants and fluffier boots, perfect for trekking in the snow. His blond hair fell medium over his head, over a pair of pointed ears with blue earrings, and an even more pointed blue-eyed glare, mixing food in a pot that smelled indescribably delicious.

The second was a girl, a little shorter than the boy. Who wore a similarly blue shirt, tightly tucked into pants black as night, with the same boots. Her hair was cut short, braided tightly into the back of her hair. Her eyes rested on the man in front of the pot, without even realizing she was staring.

She felt… awkward.

"Link," her voice was elegant, but also wavered slightly, "I could be more helpful, you know. It's my fault we're in this situation…"
She was cut off by his hand, and a shake of his head. There was no aggravation, no anger, not even a hint of disappointment; just that same, strange fire that his eyes - no, that he - always let off.

He continued to work on the food.

After visiting Rito Village and confirming that the fishing season was to be fine, Zelda had decided their next stop was to visit the mountain peaks in order to see if they could find one of the Great Fairies that had mysteriously vanished after the vanquish of the Calamity. Along with the Shrines, the Towers, and the Guardians, they all just seemed to have… disappeared. Link had told her of the powerful abilities of the creatures, which made Zelda wonder - were they goddesses? Descendants? Where did they come from?

This idea, of them being goddesses... It would explain how they were poof and gone, but then why?

She didn't just want to know. She had to know.

And now, here they were, alone together in a cold cabin because she thought she could be clever.

Her hands fell back to her lap as she watched him. He poked and prodded at the broth, the soup ladle in his grip dipping and bobbing below the surface in order to stir their meal.

To think, of all the skills he learned in the wild, cooking would be the one he perfected.

Her sighs would be in vain; as of this snowstorm hitting, they had no way of leaving this cabin without getting frostbite; she was foolish enough to only pack a nightgown and some other commodities, whilst Link seemed to be able to hold an entire arsenal of who-knows-what in that pack of his.

Her legs crossed, uncrossed, crossed again. She felt uncomfortable, for a reason she couldn't identify. She wished they could return to Hateno, to a nice warm summer-like night, Link fast asleep and her studying, preparing for…

Her thoughts were shaken up by a bowl of soup being placed in front of her. It contained multiple perfectly cooked (and heavenly smelling) ingredients, including buck's meat, toadstool, and… was that carrots? Such an expensive commodity, Endura carrots, and yet he used them to cook, of all things?

She placed the spoon into the broth, sipping it; a perfect mix of Goron and Gerudo spices that sent a shiver down her body.

"Simply marvelous, Link," her voice was genuine, taking another sip from her meal, "your talents seem to be never ending."

Link shrugged. His voice was softer, but still graceful:

"You'd be surprised what you learn from a stable."

Zelda couldn't help but give a small giggle. Hearing her knight talk was a treat always, and to hear him have pride in what he did, no matter how small, meant the world to her, after all he'd been through.

They continued to eat in relative silence, besides the sound of the storm outside and the occasional howl from a wolf or two. It wasn't long before the two were finished, and Link set the bowls outside in the snow to effectively wash themselves, then snuffed out the fire in the chimney.

It was late; the sun had been down for a few hours, and Zelda felt her eyes start to get heavy. She yawned, and it was a second after Link began prepping the only bed the cabin had; soft red linen over a surprisingly firm frame. Zelda stood next to him as he did it, helping him spread out the blanket.

"I'm fine using a sleeping bag tonight, Link," she said, reaching for his pack. "You've treated me to a wonderful dinner, it's the least I can do."

To that, Link simply shook his head, pulling his pack away and getting onto one knee, readying his sleeping bag with speed even she couldn't keep up with. Before she could argue, he was inside of it, turned away from her.

Her soft huff was the only response she could give, which got a slight chuckle out of Link. She rolled her eyes, before laying down herself, pulling the blankets up to her chest and crossing her hands.

So here they were, under the same roof again but in separate worlds, it seemed. Zelda didn't understand Link's determination to put her first above all else; he was a knight, sure, but it felt like he'd gladly cut off an arm just to make sure she didn't fall or something, whatever it took to make sure she had the best of the situation.

She'd be lying if it was said she didn't enjoy it, but even then it had its limits. She wanted to see his face light up when someone did something kind for him, which despite it all, was something that didn't happen often, if at all.

She wondered about his past; if maybe it was due to his upbringing. He'd been so young when he started training to become a knight, only 15 when he was accepted to become her official royal knight. Was it all he knew?

She'd been coming up on her 16th birthday at the time, and she had hated him back then. For two years, while they prepared for the Calamity, he spoke nothing to her, nothing but following her and listening to her rambles without adding anything interesting.

Finally, though, at the cusp of her 18th, she'd begin warming up to him; they'd share nice moments together, and he finally began speaking to her, and seemingly only her - he only spoke to others about important matters and missions, but when it came to her, he seemed to genuinely want to be himself.

And then the Calamity hit.

Those hundred years, waiting… They were torment. They were painful.

They were lonely.

She thought about many things, waiting for him to return. She thought about her father, her mother, of Purah and Impa, of the world she watched move on without her. She thought about her friends, her champions she failed to protect, who's souls remained to be tormented within the Divine Beasts.

She thought of Link, and if he'd be up for the task when he awoke from his slumber.

She watched over him from the castle, longing to be next to him, imagining what they'd say when they finally reunited, how she'd finally say the magic words that would connect them, once and for all…

She rolled over, looking at his seemingly asleep form. She'd had these thoughts, so many times, over the last few weeks with him. It would befall her in the worst of times; not only when she was on the verge of sleep, but also when she would walk beside him, seemingly losing her bearings and nearly tripping over herself; hearing certain words or phrases could lead to this state of being, or just the strange feeling of the wind sometimes broke her down to this state.

There had been several times when she had been riding on Epona with Link, when she felt herself falling back down into the feeling, of being in the castle, alone with that… creature, for so many years, and she could feel herself diving lower into the dark recesses of her mind, her fingers digging into link's tunic as tears rolled down her face in memoriam.

But… things were different now, right? Link was right there, so close to her, so much. She hated to admit it, but she had developed a dependence on him. Zelda was afraid of being alone, something that she realized the first time her and Link had explored after the fall of the calamity, in search of the Great Fairies. He went hunting for dinner, and she sat, lonely, falling into that place for the first time. Only him coming back, seeing her on the floor, crying, and having to pick up her pieces.

She hated herself for being so weak, for the torment her own mind put her through.

She shook the thoughts out of her head as she noticed something about Link that she hadn't a few moments ago - he was shivering. She realized, then, that the fire was out, so the floor was - to put it simply - freezing. She huffed, wishing he had taken her up on the offer for the bed, instead of being the stubborn idiot he always was.

She couldn't just leave him there to shiver and freeze, he'd probably catch a cold. So what was she to do? She knew it'd be a death sentence to sleep down there by herself, so leaving the bed wasn't an option.

She couldn't make a fire in the fireplace either, because it lacked the grate needed to keep the fire from simply hopping out and exploring the cabin. That happens, and the legendary swordsman and princess are out in possibly the most foolish ways possible.

She bit her tongue. Then she spoke.

Her voice was soft, in order not to surprise him: "I know you're there, Link. You're awake too?"

His shaking stopped for a moment, and Zelda could see him attempting to stop moving so that she thought he was asleep; but she could tell he was holding his breath by how he wasn't breathing, it seems.

"The floor must be really cold, Link. It can't be comfortable. Would you like the bed?"

No response.

"It's…" A gulp. "It's big enough to share, you know. The blanket is large, and the bed seems to be made for many." A sigh. "You don't have to suffer for my sake."

Nothing, for a second, then a small head shake from Link. Zelda bit her tongue again.

"Please?"

The emotion within the word was obvious, and cut through his resolve like a blade through dirt. He turned, slowly, and sat up, staring at her groggily for a moment. She sat up herself, a blanket wrapped around her.

"It's much warmer up here, I promise."

He said nothing, at first, before pushing the shaggy hair out of his eyes and standing, stretching.

Zelda froze for a moment, the realization of what she had just done weighing down on her; her only thoughts were Hylia help me what did I just do -

He stood, directly next to the bed, sleeply looking at her as she sat, frozen, a red blush crossing her face (hopefully unseeable in the dark)

Her brain turned off, she moved, pushing herself to the wall as he climbed in and pulled the blankets over himself. She felt his arm brush against hers, warm skin against hers, and her blush picked up again.

He was so close…

There was something different about this interaction, compared to all the times they'd touched skin before. This was much more… intimate? More than anytime he'd grabbed her hand or touched her shoulder to alert her of something. It's like Link was trusting her, more than usual, due to this being the only time he could be vulnerable.

Her breath picked up, and she felt her arms start to shake at the thought.

Don't think about it like that, her brain chided; You are the Princess of Hyrule. You're more grown-up than to imagine… his reaction to…

Her breath picked up again, and the shaking continued, before she felt Link shift next to her and she went completely still, holding her breath, and only then she felt the irony of what was happening, but not before she felt Link's gaze on her.

She felt the shiver come back, before looking to her companion.

He lay on his side, and through the dim moonlight she could see his eyes - softer than she'd seen them in a long time - Look for hers. There was a shift in the blankets, and she felt the warmth of Link's hand guide it's way to her face, pushing a bit of hair back from her cheek. She moved softly, mirroring his stance, her face warming up and her eyes meeting his.

"You're cold…" His voice was low, but full of warmth she hadn't heard from him before.

No, no no NO, Actually quite the opposite, I…

Her thoughts began running, sprinting, through her skull, warming up her face more.

But she couldn't speak; instead, her eyes fell down, tracing the white lines on his tunic, her mouth failing her.

The blanket began shifting again, and her brain was about 10 seconds behind - she barely recognized the feeling of his arms wrapping around her waist, the feeling of his warm cheek on top of hers, and the feeling of her arms on his chest, wrapped in his embrace and his warmth.

Her body began heating up, feeling his soft breathing next to her, and her stomach started turning. She tried to breathe a little smoother, and she just then became aware of his heartbeat - it seemed to be going at the same rate as hers.

Through this storm of emotion and anxiety, the simple idea that he might be going through the same made her calm down a little.

It mixed, fairly easily, with the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around her, and the realization of how… comfortable, she was, laying there with him.

She felt her fear begin to melt away, as a warmth blossomed in her chest, and in its place was a sense of exhaustion, and she pushed her face into Link's shoulder, her eyes betraying her and closing.

And thus, she fell asleep.


A/N: I'm not completely sure on when I'll finish the next chapter; more than likely once I figure out what direction I want this story to go. Thanks for reading; if you see this, you're awesome :)