After a long day of traveling, Link and Zelda made their way up the Tuft Mountain path to rest for the night. At the top, Link stopped walking at the sight of Lover's Pond, as he remembered that people gather here to meet their soulmate. Zelda noticed his reaction,
"Is there something wrong?"
"No…I'm gonna go…gather ingredients…for dinner." he replied
"What a peculiar shape," Zelda began, as they were still in earshot of each other. She rummaged in her pack for her book 'Landmarks of Hyrule' and continued,
"Let's see…ah! Lover's pond. Located on top of Tuft Mountain near Lurelin Village. Widely known for its heart shape, it is said that citizens of Hyrule travel from all over to gather here and find their soulmate…"
Zelda paused to take a deep breath and looked back at Link, who had stopped collecting ingredients.
"Link…"
Link looked over his shoulder towards Zelda at the mention of his name.
"I've been wanting to say…"
Link then walked over and sat down next to her, looking at her as she looked at the heart-shaped pond. She continued,
"I'm sorry…for the way I treated you all those years ago. I was wrong to be resentful…I mean…we both had such a burden to carry and I had no right to be so…selfish and naive…I…regret not seeing clearly earlier because…well…I guess what I'm trying to say is that if it weren't for me…you and I could have…"
Zelda suddenly realized that Link's right hand had been on top of hers the whole time. She looked at Link and tried to continue,
"We could have…"
Before she could finish, Link clasped her hand and kissed her. Although taken by surprise, she felt comfort as Link's other hand pulled her closer. After a few seconds, Zelda rested her head on Link's shoulder and they watched the rippling sunset across Lover's Pond. After a while, Link realized Zelda had fallen asleep on his shoulder, so he laid her down gently with a blanket and stayed up to keep watch.
Early in the morning, Link had been looking out at the nearby beach when he heard his name.
"Link." Zelda said.
Link turned around towards Zelda but it appeared that she was still asleep.
"Link!" Zelda said once more, but this time with an urgency that prompted Link to run to her side.
"Link…you're going to be just fine…no…I'm here…I'm right here…please…I need you…Link…Link!"
Zelda sat straight up, waking from her nightmare to see a concerned Link by her side.
"Oh Link, I'm okay, it was just a…" she said calmly until she quickly touched her lips, now remembering the kiss that had happened the night before.
Link proceeded to scratch the back of his head while Zelda blushed and pulled her hair back behind her ear. They looked at each other with a slight smile until Zelda realized the time and stood up rapidly.
"I should…w-we should…" Zelda started
"Get going…r-right…" Link replied
They packed up their horses and started towards Hateno Village.