Forgotten Instincts

by farore-or-less

Having been torn from Hylia and her sealing power, Zelda travels with Link as a companion to appease the corrupted Divine Beasts, but she must hide her identity because his memory is gone & mentality hanging by a thread. She has to live under an alias until his memory of her returns, even if that means he's falling in love with the woman she's pretending to be. (POV Link & Zelda)

7. Memory Dissociation

Chapter Summary: Zelda discovers a document on the Sheikah slate that helps her begin to understand just how serious Link's condition is, and he gets his first memory back. Zelda reunites with her old lab Director and Link surprises her with a frivolous purchase. Also, gremlin Link has thoroughly arrived.

Content Warning: PTSD, mental health disorders & issues, sexually explicit content

---

Zelda has never seen this page on the Sheikah slate before and the anxiety rising from the pit of her stomach is beginning to make her throat burn.

When the stars speckled the navy blue sky the night prior, Kass excused himself from their shared drinks and warming campfire to return home, but not before Zelda copied the ancient lyrics about Rabia Plain in her journal. The next morning, with lots of patience and a little help with some rain, Link managed to direct a stag onto the platform.

Within the Mezza Lo shrine, Link and Zelda argued about the proper steps to the ancient Trifecta. Link thought there was no 'right way' to get the puzzle completed, but she disagreed —saying the puzzle needed to be completed properly. He got so annoyed that he started moving the metal box around rather aggressively and just to spite him, she messed up the stage of the puzzle he was at and Link had to start all over again.

There was still a minor tiff between them when they exited, but as soon as she asked for his assistance on dismantling the shrine's pedestal; fluttering her large doe eyes at him with such alluring demure, he practically floated to her aid. Link had once declared that her womanly wiles would never work on him. Turns out, he was wrong.

Link used most of his strength to pull apart the heavy metal that had been loosened when the shrine rose from the ground. As soon as the opening he had made was large enough to stick her hand through, she started pulling and tugging at glowing wires and began tapping away at the slate contently, so then Link left her to her own devices and went to cook some lunch.

She accessed the Camera rune easily, the same way she did one hundred years ago, but she didn't stop there. She was at a new shrine -one glowing with blue completion energy instead of lying dormant, and there must be more information she could access now. She had been right, but at what cost?

Zelda lost track of the minutes she spent staring at the new screen on the Sheikah slate —because it's Link's patient file.

The slate must have acted as Link's documentation during his slumber since it had been connected to the same device he was revitalizing in for over a century. She's seen documents like this before; hastily written on parchment paper by nurses in the hospital ward of Hyrule castle. Except now, she's looking at a blue screen, and her heart is pounding and her mind is racing, standing frozen on the Mezzo Lo platform with all of Link's personal information in her hands.

Name: Link
Age: Indistinguishable
Titles: Hylia's Chosen, Master of the Goddess Sword, Legendary Hero, Hylian Champion, Princess Zelda's Appointed Knight
Days in Resurrection: 36586 (One Hundred Years and Eighty Six Days)
Diagnosis: Torn Rotary Cuff, Broken Tibia, Femur, Ulna, & Scapula, Eight Crushed Ribs, Collapsed Lung, Fractured Clavicle & Skull, Brain Damage, Depleted Divine Strength
Prognosis: Physical Injuries — Stasis Liquid [Healing Complete], Mental Injuries — Undetermined, Divine Strength — Champion Trials

Then, further down the slate's screen it reads:

Thorough Diagnosis Including X-Rays and Detailed Description: Damaged Files — Requires Shrine of Resurrection or Main Furnace.

She has read every word over and over again at least seven times, but her eyes are fixed on two words in particular.

Brain Damage

He has brain damage.

She almost chokes on the bile rising from her stomach, but she manages to keep it down. She swallows and speaks weakly, "Link?"

"Yeah?" He's a little distracted with the skewers he's roasting, but calls back anyways.

"I think you should see this."

He sticks the half-roasted skewers in the ground then skips up the steps of the shrine to join her. Link stands close; his chest grazing against her back as he peers over her shoulder.

She's about to start explaining the page on the screen but notices something different about him. No, it's not the recently acquired comfort and ease he has with her now, but the new height difference between them. He's getting taller. Link has always been a few inches shorter than her, but this angle is different —his nose is almost at the same level as hers. She's surprised that she hasn't noticed it until now, but then again, she hasn't been all that present with him lately.

"What did you want to show me?" Link asks softly and it pulls her back to reality.

"Right," she clears her throat, "look at this." She angles the slate so he can see better. "It's your patient file."

He's silent for a long time, eyes scanning the page then eventually says, "Wow, look at all the titles I have."

"Link," she drones, making a tsk sound with her tongue, "no, look." She goes to point at the diagnosis list but he snaps at her before her finger gets close.

"I see it Zel, I can read." He huffs and turns to head back to the campfire.

She starts following him down the hill. "There's more information regarding your mental state if we can repair the files at a main furnace. If my memory serves right, I think there's one in Haten—"

"Please don't dig into this, I beg you." He turns back to her with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Aren't you the least bit curious?" She tilts her head.

"Not really."

"But...why?" She's surprised at him, "don't you want to know?"

"No, Zel," Link's voice is soft and somber, "I don't."

They're both silent for a spell. He doesn't seem upset with her because he knows that she only has his best interest at heart, but there's a despondent expression on his face, apathetic almost. Then he meets her eyes sheepishly. "Do you think there's something wrong with me?"

Her features weaken but her voice still carries strong when she answers, "no, I don't think that. The only thing I'm concerned about is your memories. They haven't returned to you yet, and there might be something causing a mental block."

Link murmurs that he understands, then looks down and kicks a pebble with his boot. "At this point, I don't really want to remember." He adds with a shrug.

Hooking the slate to her belt, Zelda eyes him considerably. There's a few subtle changes about him besides his recently acquired height and the new build in his shoulders. He's still a knight in rank and honor, still valiant and irrevocably loyal, but she realizes the young man buried deep within, the one who wears his heart on his sleeve is no longer shackled and restrained. What he needs now is patience and attention, empathy and compassion. To be looked after and cared for —just like anybody else.

Zelda walks the few steps between them and slides her fingers around his palm, gently pulling and coaxing Link to sit by the fire with her. He follows her meekly, and to keep his hands busy, he goes back to roasting their skewers as she watches him.

After awhile, she asks; "why don't you want to remember the past?"

He sighs, "Because, if I was there during the Calamity, there must have been people that I...loved back then. Family. Friends. They're long gone by now. I'd rather let them lie peacefully, whoever they were."

She lets her head drop slowly to her chest then takes a long inhale. Ever since she spoke to Impa, it's been difficult to not look at Link without pleading and praying in her head for him to remember everything. It's hard to accept the way he feels because she is a part of his forgotten past as much as she is a part of his present and future, but she'll have to accept his decision nonetheless. Maybe he doesn't need to remember after all. Maybe she'll always be Zel to him now.

"I promise I won't meddle with your patient file," she speaks quietly as she raises her head to look at him, "and I won't try to dig into your past either." Link turns and meets her eyes, his expression a gentleness within the heavy conversation. She sends him a crooked smile in return, "but if you ever change your mind, I will be there to help you any way that I can."

"I know you will," he smiles and her troubles dissipate by the sight of it.

"Your file isn't all that I was able to access, by the way." She adds conspicuously, smirking with anticipation for his reaction to the new rune. She hands him the Sheikah slate, presses the button to operate the camera, then watches his face light up.

"Oh, sweet!" He almost drops the skewers in his excitement. She teaches Link how to use it and he immediately starts taking artsy pictures of the food he's made. Of course, she thinks. It'll only be a matter of time until there's an entire food log that's just pictures of the meals he's made. She expects nothing less.

After they eat, Link inspects all the new images he's taken and discovers the other photos in the album. When he asks about it she tries to keep her face as composed as possible and simply says: "whomever had it last must have taken them." She really doesn't want to lie to him, and so far the only lie she's made was about her name. Everything else could technically be considered insufficient or lacking in detail. Thankfully, he just nodded and got distracted by trying to take a picture of a fox.

They spend a couple more hours exploring Rabia Plain as Link takes pictures of everything. He found a way to take self-portraits so now instead of asking Zelda every five minutes if she could take a picture of him, they get to be in it together. When he wasn't taking pictures he'd be climbing every tree collecting bird's eggs, sporting his red bandana to investigate atop every boulder for Koroks, or running and slicing through the tall grass to catch insects, laughing and paragliding as they waste the day away.

The hyperactive kid that's always been buried deep within him is beginning to come out, and it's pleasing to see he's starting to grow into himself more —even figuratively. Link is regaining his strength at a very healthy pace. She can tell he's getting more flexible and agile with each fitness routine they do, becoming well practiced with a weapon and shield when he trains, and his energy doesn't run out as easily as it used to.

Despite some hesitation on Zelda's end, they decide to venture down Lanayru Promenade, leaving their horses to graze near the crossroads before the cobblestone path begins. She suggests to Link that they should only explore the ruins as far as they can, then head back to their horses so they can spend the night in the village again, but it doesn't end up that way. It's a warm and humid afternoon, and by the time they clear the Promenade's courtyard of lizalfos they lose track of time swimming and diving, climbing and pranking, enjoying each other's company by just being carefree young adults, forgetting that this world needs saving and that they're the only ones who can do it.

Right before she suggests they head back to their horses, Link notices the soft orange glow behind the waterfall. It's not long until they discover the Dow Na'eh shrine, and they complete the puzzle without any argument this time.

They make camp within the cave and Zelda designs a way to hang their wet clothes near the fire so they can dry as Link steps behind the shrine to change into his old shirt and worn trousers for the night. After their meal, she teaches him a new card game she learned from the big and burly chefs of the Royal kitchens when she was a kid; Slapjack.

Link, indubitably, loves this game.

With the rules being simple and the objective being as easy as slapping a jack whenever it arises, Link wins almost every round. The sounds of their unrestricted laughter and shuffling cards are heard within the cave into the late hours of the night, until Link is doing more yawning than winning so Zelda changes behind the shrine into the simple purple tunic she obtained from the Enchanted shop. The tunic is long enough to wear as a nightgown as the seam drapes along her bare thighs, but the slits on the side give a teasing sight of skin —which she's caught Link glance at on occasion.

As she returns to their humble camp, Link already has their bedrolls out and he's nestled inside his own, tossing an apple into the air over and over again. When he hears her footsteps, he twists his head at a weird angle so he can watch her sway back towards him with less clothing than she had on before. She smirks as she slips into her own bedroll, shakes her blanket out, then sits upright and looks at him because he hasn't stopped looking at her.

"What?"

"What?" He tosses the apple again and catches it without looking.

"What?" She's laughs.

"Nothing," he laughs back.

"Well," she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "Why do you keep looking at me?"

"What? —I can't look at you?" His smile grows playful.

"You can look at me all you want," she matches his smile then breaks their gaze, and twists to fluff her pillow behind her in such a way that presses her breasts together rather strenuously. The next sound she hears is a loud clunk echoing against the hollow cave walls. He's dropped the apple on his face.

She looks over at Link as he's rubbing his eyebrow, the eye underneath squinting in reaction. He laughs nervously through the pain, but mostly at himself, and it's only a matter of seconds until she's laughing with him.

Zelda shakes her head then meets his eyes, "goodnight goof."

"Goodnight, mi' lady."

She falls gracefully back onto her bedroll and chuckles, "mi' lord."

The trip away from the village has been good for both of them —she hadn't realized how suffocated she felt within Kakariko. The village isn't large enough to walk around without seeing the Chief's house in some way, and peering at it was just a reminder of the conversation she had; how absolutely sure Impa was about helping Link unlock his power the same way she had. She's still not entirely convinced, but she fears this is the result of her not wanting it to be true. She loves Link —she knows she does, and having love occur naturally is one thing —but manipulating and persuading it on someone? That's not possible.

She has decided to disregard Impa's speculation. What could she do with that type of information anyways? When she tried an advancement on him at the Rucco Maag shrine, something as light and consenting as snaking her hand through his hair, it quickly resulted in a flustered Link almost sprinting away. He's nowhere near ready for any type of relationship or intimacy, but when he is it shouldn't be at the hands of Zelda's influence. If he wants to pursue her, she has to let it happen naturally, when he's ready.

Zelda falls asleep to the sound of him crunching on the apple.

» . «

The next morning, Link wants to explore the rest of the Promenade and Zelda couldn't come up with a great reason not to. Hyrule is still so new to him and no stone goes unturned in his presence, but she's getting increasingly more anxious as they approach the East Gate. This is where her whole world came crumbling down.

"Everything okay?" Link stops along the path and turns to look at her. She's been unknowingly dragging her feet and hadn't realized he was several steps ahead of her already.

"Sorry," she says as she catches up to him. Link has several dirt and blood stains on his tunic from the monsters they just defeated. They'll have to do laundry when they get back to Kakariko, she thinks. And after that she'll have to buy more arrows. Maybe purchase more travel clothes for herself. Maybe a Hylian tunic matching Link's. Honestly, she's trying to focus on anything else besides the terrible memory she has of this place.

"Something just doesn't feel...right —here." She shivers even though it's a warm spring day.

"Yeah, I agree. There's something familiar about it though," he scratches his chin and looks forward. "Let's make it to the end of the road, then we'll head back, alright?"

"Alright." But it wasn't.

A thunderous and terrifying roar echoes through the Promenade, ricocheting off the cliffs and booming violently, making Zelda cover her ears with her hands. Link takes a step towards her protectively and she can see his body grow tight. His head and eyes dart around the cliffs to spot the monster, but she already knows that beastly cry.

When the sound falls away and they're left with the whistling breeze through the ruins, Link turns to her, "what do you think that was?" His eyes are wider than usual.

"I know what that was," she breathes. "That's a Lynel."

"A...what?"

They approach the tall ivy covered columns of the archway at the end of the path and stand behind them as they peer around it. She points at the monster even though she doesn't need to. The Lynel walks leisurely in the opposite direction, sniffs the air, then roars again, and Zelda looks to Link with a face full of fear, but he's still watching the creature curiously, observing its behavior. He unlatches the slate from his belt and takes a picture of it as she tries to keep her hands from fidgeting.

They argue in hushed whispers about battling the monster; Link wants all that Lynel gear and Zelda doesn't want anything to do with it. Eventually, Zelda wins and they begin to descend down the path the same direction that they came —but Link's movements slow and now she's several steps ahead of him before she notices his reluctancy and turns back around.

"Link, honestly, neither one of us are strong enough to battle a Lynel right now. They're highly intelligent creatures—"

"No, it's not that," Link stares up at the Lanayru East Gate again. "I think this is one of the pictures from the album."

She doesn't respond, only watches as he unlatches the slate from his belt and opens the photo album. She knows he's right because she took that picture before they mounted their horses and charged back to Central Hyrule to face Ganon. Zelda doesn't even know why she snapped the shot; she just remembers thinking that it was probably the last time the sky will ever be that blue again.

Zelda starts walking towards him as he taps on the photo to view it at full screen, stands next to him as he looks up to the gate again, then down at the slate, and he does this several more times but faster now, like he's spiraling into a trance —until she places a soft hand on his shoulder and that's when it happens.

Link takes a startlingly loud inhale, but the rush of fear that shivers down her spine starts the moment she sees his body begin to convulse. He throws his head back involuntarily like he was hit with something powerful and invisible. Eyes huge and rolling into the back of his head, Link becomes blinded by the sudden shock that renders his entire body. He starts to collapse, his hands no longer able to hold onto the slate as it clatters to the ground along with him, but Zelda catches him. Her arms wrap desperately around his chest and shoulders, easing him down to the moss and cobblestone. His body goes limp but he continues to breathe painfully as his eyes shut tight, unable to see Zelda cradling him close or hear her frantically calling his name.

Tears start to collect at the corners of her eyes as she holds him the same way she had a century ago in the ashes and rain. With shaky hands, she pushes away loose strands of sandy blonde hair, wipes the cold sweat from his brow, and frames his jaw like he's porcelain and precious, all the while shouting urgently as if he's miles away because mentally he is.

She rocks back and forth unknowingly, gripping his shoulder like a vice as she tilts her head up and wails at the sky. "What do I do —what do I do? Please Hylia, help me —help me, I don't know what to do!"

Then suddenly she hears the sound of beastly grunting in the distance and everything stops. It's closer now. Horrifyingly close. She snaps her head in the direction of the Lynel and sees it watching her from the other side of the East Gate; perplexed and studying her movements. Her breath hitches, lodged and stuck in the back of her throat, and now she's not breathing anymore, not even moving —just sitting on her shins in the dust and dirt with a limp hero in her hands as the most ferocious monster eyes her down like easy prey.

It stomps a front hoof and flares its nostrils, dragging a hoof along the ground several times as an arm goes to reach behind its back, grabbing for a bow longer than Zelda is tall. Her breath and movements return back to her then, rapidly reaching across Link to grasp the Sheikah slate abandoned on the ground. With tremors encasing her whole body, she still manages to open the map on the screen as the monster pulls an arrow from its quiver. Placing the slate on Link's chest, she pulls him even closer, tapping at the first pulsing blue icon she sees. She doesn't know if this is going to work, but she presses the travel button anyways as she folds herself over Link in a protective embrace, repeating inaudible prayers and desperate OhGodsOhGodsOhGods over and over. She hears the all too familiar creak and pull of a bow, then its drumming release of an arrow rocketing high in the air, only for ancient buzzing to drown out the sounds of her surroundings as she and Link become weightless and their bodies transform into trillions of blue glowing particles just in the knick of time before the Lynel's arrow bounces and clatters to the ground at the spot they just were.

For several long breaths, Zelda doesn't open her eyes. Just stays curled protectively over Link's body, immobile and shaking with her face buried in his hair. They've rematerialized on the platform of the Ta'loh Naeg shrine overlooking Kakariko Village, and Zelda has saved them both from a gruesome death at the hands of a Lynel, but Link is still paralyzed and unmoving; eyes closed, head in her lap, and his breathing has resorted to almost nothing. She doesn't even know why or how this happened, but something must have triggered him when he viewed the picture of the East Gate, though she wouldn't know for sure until he wakes —if he ever will.

It's then that she hears Link's rhythm of breath change; slow and soft and sated, and she lifts her head from his hair to watch him come back to himself. Zelda frames his face in her hand, thumb moving mindlessly over his cheek, and Link presses into her touch as he releases a hushed moan from his closed lips. His eyes start to flutter open but she's unsure if he can see her or if she's nothing but blurred movements in his vision. Her arm wraps around him tighter when she can see the blue of his eyes, even if they're glossed over.

"Prin...cess?"

All the air escapes her lungs —worse now than when she was staring a Lynel straight in the face. Was he delirious or has his memory returned?

With a broken voice, she answers, "Link?"

Weak and boneless, he raises an arm, fingers trying to find her face even though he's looking right at her. His hand is unusually cold when it meets her cheek and he blinks hard several times, trying to process where he is, or when.

Realization trickles across his features and with a breath of relief, says her name; "Azella."

His fingers flinch against her cheek as his hand starts sliding towards the nape of her neck so he can pull her down to him. He angles and directs her towards his mouth, parting his lips and she faithfully follows his lead, heart pounding and mind unknowing of what his intentions are, or if he even has one —but before she gets too close, Link's movements halt abruptly. His eyes go wide and his body shudders as he begins coughing and gurgling. She releases him instantly, giving him space to move freely, and she watches as he squirms and twists away from her and vomits over the side of the shrine's platform, into the grass.

After a moment, the back of his shoulders are heaving hard, and he's trying to stabilize his breath. Feebly, he turns back to her and his face is flushed with streaks of tears down his reddened cheeks and he's shaking in a cold sweat again. Their eyes meet briefly before he starts reaching for her, desperately trying to feel her touch and comfort again, so she reaches out to him with the same fervent energy until he's back in her embrace and she's holding him tightly. He curls his body around her lap as his head rests heavily in the crevice of her forearm, and she tries to soothe him with a gentle hand combing through his hair and a serene cooing of her voice.

"I...remember," he chokes out, but it turns into an unhinged sob.

"Shh, I've got you now, Link, you're alright," she speaks softly even though her insides are churning and emotions running rampage. What does he remember? And does he remember...her?

With every slow stroke along his hair and soft murmur of his name, the tension in his body subsides and then he's breathing regularly again.

They stay like that for what seems like hours until Link begins to make slow movements in her arms, suggesting he's ready to sit upright. She recommends they head back to their room at the Shuteye and he simply nods, not trusting his ability to speak just yet. When she helps him onto his feet, his legs buckle and he comes tumbling down to the ground, dragging her along with him. Zelda attempts to move him once more, prepared to brace most of his weight this time and they manage to make it down the path by the tree where Dorian and his daughters are sitting. As soon as the older man notices them, he immediately jumps to assist Zelda, and helps carry an almost flaccid Link back to their room and onto his bed.

She assists Link in stripping down to just his undershirt and trousers, which are soaked with sweat and tears, then tucks him underneath the covers as Dorian idles in the doorway. She requests one last favor from the kind man before he leaves; to retrieve their horses so she doesn't have to leave Link alone. He nods courtly then closes the door on his way out.

When they're alone in the suite, Zelda fills a bowl of cold water and grabs for a small wash cloth. Link is curled beneath the soft duvet, lying on his side and facing her, silently watching her movements as she sits on the edge of the bed next to his bent knees. She moves slowly; dipping the cloth in the cool water, wringing it out until it no longer trickles droplets, and then reaches for his face. He closes his eyes when she wipes at his mouth delicately, sighs when she washes the perspiration from his face and neck, and he tries to speak when she folds the cloth into a long rectangle, placing it atop his forehead.

"Thank you," he mouths to her. He must have wanted to say a million things, but resorted to simplicity.

Because Zelda felt the typical response wasn't enough, she says; "I mend your wounds because you mend mine."

Link peeks an eye open to look at her. Then the other. Then he snakes a hand from beneath the covers and she holds onto it immediately. He gifts her a tired smile before closing his eyes again, and drifts off to sleep.

He doesn't wake until the next morning, and Zelda doesn't leave his side the whole time.

"Ow!"

"Shit. Sorry, I didn't know you were there," He says immediately after the loud smack of his bare foot met Zelda's face and her instant outcry. When he dangled his feet off the side of the mattress, he accidentally hit her right in the nose. She had set up her bedroll on the floor beside his bed so if he were to wake, she'd be there if he needed anything. She wasn't expecting a foot in the face though.

She wiggles out of her bedroll to sit upright because she can feel the collection of liquid starting in her nose. For such a compact man as Link, he has alarmingly big feet, and the way he tried to swing out of bed was in no way graceful. She leans her back against the night stand and tilts her head to the ceiling.

"Oh fuck, your nose is bleeding."

"Yes, it happens sometimes when my nose is dry, or...when my face gets kicked?" She says nervously.

"Sorry," he whines apologetically, "here." He takes the wash cloth from the nightstand, then plops his body down to the floor to sit perpendicular to her, and she scoots to make room for him. He hugs his knees into his chest, tucking his big feet beneath her blanket and grazing her leg as he hands her the cloth. Zelda holds it against her nose for a couple minutes as they sit in silence, but she can feel him wiggling his toes against her skin and the silly motion tickles more than just her leg. She eventually peeks an eye open to look at him, and he's watching her with a concerned frown. Cautiously, she angles her head back down, and dabs away at the dried blood between her nose and upper lip, then sends him a joking smile.

"We're a mess, aren't we?"

"Yeah, we are." his features soften but he winces at the pain in his head when he tries to laugh.

Link exhales loudly and drags a hand down his face. He pulls out the blue hair tie that's still clinging onto his hair, wraps it around his wrist, and starts clawing his fingers through his mane, combing out the matted tangles made from the sweat and mental collapse. She watches him greedily before she speaks again.

"You scared me yesterday."

"I didn't do it on purpose," he states shyly.

"I know," she matches his tone, "and I'm not wanting an apology either. Not even for the nose kick." She smiles when he chuckles, and she twists to return the wash cloth to the nightstand. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

He nods weakly, but it's a little while longer until he speaks. He tells her of the memory he had; following the Princess back to the East Gate as the Champions awaited their approach. How they shared a dispirited conversation about her dormant sealing power and when the Zora Champion tried to share some advice, the ground shook and Calamity Ganon slithered out from beneath the castle.

"So...you were standing there...when it happened." It's not a question, but Link nods anyways and tilts his head back against the mattress behind him. She tucks her hands underneath the blanket, attempting to hide her shaking fingers. "Do you remember what they looked like?" She asks.

Link squints his eyes intensely, like her question is a lot harder to answer than it should be. Slowly, he begins shaking his head. "No," he answers honestly, "I can remember what the Zora and Goron Champions looked like vividly, but as for the Gerudo Champion; I can only remember her voice, and the Rito as just a gust of dark feathers."

"...and the Princess?" Zelda holds her breath.

He drags his fingers across his lips and searches for the right words. "I was standing behind her so I never saw her face, but I'm having a hard time trying to keep her image in my head, at all. Like she's just fractured pieces I can't put together. I can't even remember what she sounded like, but I know what she said. She didn't say much, but she seemed extremely sad...and hopeless."

Zelda's silent for as long as she dared —not wanting to respond and not trusting her voice to break the second she does. Link still can't remember her. She's still Azella to him —but if he's able to start regaining his lost memories, will he eventually piece her broken image together, or will she always be too distorted in his mind?

"Zel?" Link says quietly. He doesn't speak again until she gains the momentum to drag her eyes to his. "I think I'm ready to learn more about my patient file. Whatever information is on there might help me adjust so I don't collapse again when a memory comes back to me."

She sends him a weak smile, "then let's head to Hateno."

It wouldn't be for another three days until they actually left Kakariko Village. Link was only able to move about sluggishly for the first day, spending most of it babysitting Koko and Cottla for the help Dorian had been. It's not a surprise that Link loves children. Her heart grew fonder as she watched him cook with Koko, and obeyed every request of Cottla; brushing her hair, playing hide & seek, or letting her sit atop his shoulders. He had found Zelda staring while she washed their laundry, but instead of blushing profusely she smiled adoringly at him, and he to her. Their stare had been broken when Koko tugged at his shirt to help her chop the pumpkins for their stew, and it was in that moment when she couldn't stop herself from imagining Link having a daughter of his own someday.

That same night he was physically booted out of Lasli's home when he tried to lift the woman's spirits by releasing a myriad of fireflies in her room. Zelda ran up to him as he was lying on the grass in front of her house, rubbing his backside. He said that Lasli called him an unromantic buffoon who couldn't notice when a woman was trying to flirt with him. She tried to hold back her laughter as she offered a hand to pull him to his feet.

"I know when you flirt with me." Link said in protest.

"Yes well," she chuckled as he regained his footing, "maybe I shouldn't make it so obvious to you next time."

He stared at her for a long moment, observing Zelda with wide eyes until he squinted them suspiciously, "...are you flirting with me now?" He pestered her about it all the way back to their shared room, creating a defense for himself as he went; "I've only been awake for a month" and "I can be romantic. I mean, I don't know that for sure, but I probably could." She just laughed and told him she'd believe it when she sees it.

They awoke the next day, planning to leave town, but a robbery had occurred within the Chief's house that refrained them from doing so. When they spoke to a crying Paya and stoic Impa, the two Sheikah's never once gave Zelda's identity away in front of Link. In fact, they disregarded her entirely and she was grateful for that —the stolen heirloom being a higher priority.

It was a shock to both of them that night when they followed Dorian up the hill to the orange glowing platform to discover his Yiga secrets. Zelda had been petrified to battle the Blademaster, but her fear evolved into pure rage the second Link ran in front of her. He took a deafening blow from the enemy's windcleaver, sending him crashing into a tree trunk and injuring his back so severely, he struggled to regain his footing. She sent arrow after arrow into the enemy until the Yiga member dissipated into a cloud of malice with at least seven arrows through his chest and one through his thigh. Link had to hold her hands and calm her shaking fingers before they could even enter the Lakna Rokee shrine.

Inside the shrine she attended to Link's injuries since she couldn't see very well in the darkness and rain. He had a clean cut across his abdomen that wasn't too deep, a couple bruises on his arms, but the injury on his back was the worse. She could barely rub pain reliever onto his skin without him screaming in pain. Eventually, the salve began to take effect and Link was able to walk without a hunched back again.

That was the same night he decided he would need some stealth gear and she couldn't agree more. If they were going to leave for Hateno in the morning, They should be prepared for whatever enemies that lie ahead of them on the road. They entered the Enchanted boutique and she said her goodbyes to Claree who thanked her for all the help she'd been at the shop. Zelda purchased a couple new pairs of riding pants and a Hylian tunic that matches Links, but fitted for a woman's figure. Link leisurely browsed the racks of fabric and clearance items while the two women spoke, then he timidly inquired about the stealth set. Claree just smiled and suggested he try it on in the back room.

Zelda had been sharing small banter over the front counter with Claree when she heard Link calling her name. She excused herself politely and turned the corner of the doorway to find Link in the skin tight set readjusting the fingerless gloves on his hand. Her eyes betrayed her as they scanned his body from head to toe, and then their eyes met and it jolted her back to reality.

He smiled mischievously when he saw the flush spread across her face, "do you think this set is too tight—"

"Gods, no,"

"...On my thighs?" His smile grew wider.

To Zelda's credit, she did try to answer his question truthfully, but her gaze couldn't seem to make the trek to his legs. They stopped at his groin and remained there for an indistinguishable amount of time, until Link cleared his throat and her eyes shot back up to his.

"I know it's easy to sneak a peek, but I'm gonna need you to keep your eyes—" he finished his statement by gesturing his hands up to his face.

"Sorry, sorry." She clawed a nervous hand through her hair and took a long inhale. It was suddenly very hot in that small back room.

She mumbled a breathy answer to his original question with the only words she could muster, which was something along the lines of; thighs good, good thighs. Then she swiveled inelegantly on her heels and returned to the front of the shop. It's not like she's never seen Link so bare and exposed before, but Hylia almighty, has it been a long time.

Link purchased the stealth set with all the smugness in the world, and Claree threw in the Hylian hood as a gift.

They leave Kakariko early the next morning as all the villagers line up along the path to see them off. It's a bittersweet farewell since they had spent so long in the village, working and getting to know so many of them. Some farmers approach Link with small satchels of dried seeds with humble words of advice and smiles on their faces, saying; "for when the two of you settle and start a family of your own —your children will grow big and strong if they eat home grown vegetables!" Link was too busy choking on the blush dominating his face to correct any of them, while Zelda didn't have the composure to do much but smile politely.

At the last gate of the village, Paya stands waiting for them with an item in her hands wrapped in a large beige parchment. They stop their horses to speak with her, but before Link could slide down from Sasha, the young Sheikah speaks first.

"M-master Link, if I may...may h-have a word with your p-partner."

They glance at each other briefly before Zelda dismounts, and Paya guides her along the path, out of ear shot from Link.

"Do you have something for me, Paya?" She asks, glancing down at the package in the girl's hands.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Paya says quietly, "m-my grandmother t-told me to g-give this to you...p-personally." She begins to unwrap the package. "She said n-noone has t-touched it since it w-was placed in her c-care a..a hundred years ago. M-my grandm-mother thinks you should b-be the one to mend it, and p-present it to Master L-Link when he's w-worthy."

When the package is unwrapped, Zelda's breath catches and she instinctively places a hand over her heart. It's Link's Champion tunic. The one she embroidered and designed herself, despite such reluctancy on her end. She had made the Champion's adornments at her father's request, insisting to Zelda that this is what a Princess should be doing; not assisting the nurses in the hospital ward, or doing the grunt work of attending to the Divine Beasts, but tailoring and praying and choosing a suitor to continue the Royal line.

She never dared to allow herself the dream of seeing Link wearing the mark of a Champion ever again. That dream had been squashed the second Link descended from the Plateau in nothing but patchy apparel. The two Sheikah scouts must have given it to Impa for safe keeping when they arrived in Kakariko shortly after Zelda left to face Ganon alone. Now she's staring at it like a ghost has risen before her, haunting her memories once more.

The tunic was still torn and battered in the same manner as how Zelda remembers it, but the grass and blood stains were gone. Impa had tended to the fabric delicately but could not repair the rips herself —she had never been skilled with a sewing needle, and she possibly didn't trust anyone else with such a significant relic. Zelda meets Paya's eyes like she's searching for permission to touch it, before she extends a hand down to the fabric and rubs it gently against her thumb and index finger.

"I never thought I'd see this bloody thing again," Zelda's eyes have glossed over.

"M-my grandmother made a...a b-bet with me that you'd say that."

Zelda laughs as she feels a tear fall down her cheek. "Am I really that obvious?"

Paya's turns her head in the direction of Link, "n-not to him, Your Majesty."

She follows Paya's stare and now they're both looking at him. Link grew bored moments ago and they watch as his lazy stare turns into panic when a bug flies on his shoulder, and he almost falls off Sasha trying to swat it away.

They laugh softly, and return their eyes to one another, but the forlorn look on Zelda's face deceives her.

"He had a memory return to him. Of the Champions and myself but he...he still can't place me." Paya's face softens with compassion, "you were raised by a wise woman, Paya. Why...why do you think he can't remember me?"

The girl is silent for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "Auntie Purah w-would know more than I but...m-maybe Link needs to s-see you as just his p-partner right n-now. Maybe s-somewhere deep inside, he does know, and he'll be able t-to recognize y-you when his p-power is r-restored."

Zelda looks down at the blue tunic as she considers it. Perhaps she is right; maybe Zelda is worrying over something that will only happen in due time. But still, to be left out of his memory makes her feel isolated, angry, and confused.

After a moment, Zelda collects her emotions and raises her eyes to look at the young girl, then sends her a cherishing smile, "thank you, Paya. You are truly as kind as your grandmother has always been to me." She speaks with hope and ambition, even if she doesn't feel confident saying it, "If my father's kingdom is ever restored, I shall be seeking your aid as Advisor."

Paya gasps and averts her eyes as she bows, shaky and ungraceful, "Y-your M-Majesty I-I...I would be h-honored."

» . «

They pass Fort Hateno in the late afternoon and spend a couple hours collecting Guardian parts. Zelda assumes that if the older woman Purah has become is anything like the spunky Director she used to be, then she'll be grateful for all the extra bolts and gears they can find. Link forages on one side of the road as Zelda works on the other, both mindlessly rummaging through moss covered metal and yanking loose parts away. Every so often Link would hold up a specific piece of machinery, shouting across the field to ask if it's worth salvaging and Zelda would answer with a thumbs up or down every time.

Having just answered Link with a downwards thumb, she turns her back to him and continues walking towards the end of the Fort's wall when she hears it; the eerily recognizable sound of metal on metal, protector gone predator, whirling and droning and rumbling through her ears the same way it seeps into her dreams. Mind gone white with fear, her feet are rooted where she stands as she watches a supposedly dormant Guardian head swivel around wildly until it's robotic eye finds her and targets her right between the eyes.

Then suddenly she's not there anymore. Her vision goes blurry and it's no longer a sunny day spent traveling with Link, but a dreary apocalyptic nightmare with ashes raining down her face and a wounded Hero at her side. She can't run; it'll only follow her. Can't hide; it'll only find her. There's a million more where that came from anyways—if this one doesn't kill her, another one will. Zelda tries to choke out a scream, tries to raise her hand to call upon her sealing power, even to release just one measly gasp, but her whole body denies her the luxury to defend herself. It keeps her frozen and vulnerable like easy prey, but the targeted laser is strobing faster and faster and it's too late to run and just—

The Guardian shoots its laser, but a flash of blonde covers her vision before the bright energy beam does. Link steps between her and the incoming attack, raises his shield just in time, dodges and parries and sends the beam straight back to whence it came. She finally blinks and just barely registers over the top of Link's shield that the half buried Guardian has sputtered out and the grassy mound it was lodged into dissipates to a purple cloud, leaving several ancient bolts behind.

Just faintly could she hear the sounds of Link's sword and shield clattering to the ground when he turned around to face her. His eyes are huge and breathing rapid, but his voice is still very far away. Like she's floating underwater as he shouts at her. She's only jolted back to reality when he grips her arms with both his hands and shakes her almost violently.

"Why didn't you run!? Wh-why didn't you yell for me? You just stood there! I was halfway across the field shouting at you, didn't you hear me at all?! You—you could've been killed!"

With one final jerk of his hands, she blinks again and her eyes snap to his as the air returns back to her lungs.

She's gasping and coughing as Link grips her firmly, waiting for an explanation —the gentleness typically displayed on his face and in his touch gone completely. He's so angry that she could have died and she did nothing to try to stop it —it's so unlike the person he knows her as but by the subtle realization dawning in his eyes, he's starting to understand what just happened to her. She wanted to reach out to him then, to be pulled into his warm, protective embrace, but she could barely coordinate words, let alone move.

"I—I was...I couldn't— I'm—" She looks down at Link's boots and exhales, "I'm sorry."

He doesn't move for a long moment, just watches her. Then his grip begins to soften and he sighs as he drops his hands from her arms. She feels suddenly cold by the loss of his touch, only to find it relocated on the top of her shoulders, gently guiding her away from the mound of miscellaneous tech gear.

After recovering against the ruins of Fort Hateno for awhile, Link suggests they stop foraging to make camp just on the other side of the wall and they end up running into Dr. Calip returning back to his cabin. Zelda is instantly intrigued by him and he to her, especially because she refers to him as Doctor. The older gentleman offers them tea and they spend the time sipping and sharing research notes as Link grows bored in the corner of the room. It's not long until his ears perk up at the mention of a riddle and Dr. Calip guides them a little ways away, down a small path that's littered with ancient statues. They solve the riddle easily—so easily Calip is slightly embarrassed by not thinking of shooting an arrow into the eyes himself.

When Link and Zelda enter the Kam Urog shrine, he immediately tells her he needs to do this alone. He's still a little stiff and overly protective due to the Guardian incident, so she stands meekly at the entrance of the large rotating puzzle and helps guide him through the right movements. He follows her words dutifully and they finish the puzzle without conflict.

They make their camp at the cooking pot in the darkened woods by Dr. Calip's cabin. Link cooks a bountiful stew and decides to make honeyed apples for dessert which Zelda could not resist eating most of —despite the protest of her already full stomach. They sit contently and close to one another by the fire, not speaking much but not really needing to either.

She watches Link as he tends to his Phrenic bow. His movements are remarkably graceful and practiced, his eyes a lazy, focused stare as he restrings the bow with a thin linen strand. In the past she has told herself that she's completely fine with her and Link not being anything more than what they are now —companions, partners, friends— but as she sees his war scarred hands shift against the flicker of firelight, her mind darts to the memories of when those same hands were splayed out and urgently moving across her bare skin, grabbing and cupping in the most intimate of places, searching for that certain touch to quench the insatiable thirst he used to have for her. She rubs her thighs together tightly, and tries to push the protruding thoughts away.

"Do you want me to restring your bow, too?" He asks softly without breaking his gaze from his work.

She clears her throat to diminish her thoughts, "sure, if you don't mind." Link raises his head to meet her eyes, and smiles as he shakes his head. She places her bow next to him and after a short while he begins working on it.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you back there," he nudges his head towards the Fort's wall but keeps his eyes on her bow in his lap. Something tells her Link must have been thinking about this all evening because he's been exceptionally reserved since the incident.

Zelda hugs her knees into her chest, "you don't need to apologize—"

"But I want to," he says quickly. "I think I was more mad at myself because I was scared I wouldn't reach you in time for the —for the laser." He sighs and glances at her briefly, "besides, I don't think I'm the hot-headed type. It felt weird to be that angry. I—I didn't like it."

She smiles and places her palms behind her on the ground, "That is true. You're not exactly the angry type," then adds, "that's why I like you."

He looks up from his work and grins, the soft orange glow of the fire highlighting his boyish expression. "What type of person do you think I am?" His question seems honest and curious, like he doesn't really know himself.

"Well," she drawls, creating a long gap of silence so she can choose her words carefully. "You are more...empathetic than I thought you'd be. You're a listener, not a talker, which is great for me because I talk your ear off constantly and you never tell me to stop." He chuckles softly as he works on her bow. "You are kind-hearted and startlingly selfless, not to mention very sweet." His movements slow but his smile remains. "—And you're quite tactful even if you are foolish sometimes," he sends her a playful glare but there's a soft blush forming on his face, so she leans towards him to finish her thought. "You truly are no ordinary man with a soup ladle."

He laughs into his chest, "haven't I outgrown my ladle phase by now?" Their eyes meet before she answers.

"I hope you never do," she says.

He finishes with her bow and tests the tautness of the string with his index finger several times, checking the durability. Soon afterwards they tuck themselves into their separate bedrolls, holding onto the last bit of energy they have from the day. She's lying on her back, staring into the fire when Link says her name inquisitively.

She angles her head to look at him. He's lying on his side with an elbow on his pillow and he's plucking out a few strands of grass from the ground in front of him.

"Don't you want to know the type of person I think you are?" He looks a little nervous for some reason.

"No, I do not," she enunciates every word, then looks to the canopy of trees above them.

"Why?" He laughs, assuming she's going to be playful and flirtatious, but this topic is all too familiar for her. Every time she heard someone share their input on the type of person she was as the Princess, it was always just shy of an insult —and those scars are still too fresh for her to pick at.

"Because Link," she huffs, "I already know what you think of me."

"Yeah?" His voice sounds nervous again, high-pitched, but challenges her anyways, "—and that is...?"

She sighs, agitated by his pestering and keeps her eyes fixed on the night sky. When she starts to speak, she gestures with her hands to release some uneasiness. "It's easy to figure out what you think of me because everyone always says the same thing —that I'm capricious and fickle and spoiled, or they talk about how much of a sore loser I am, or how I'm naive and inconsiderate, or that I have a nasty attitude that's just miserable to be around and..." she swallows, "—and that I'm nothing but an incompetent amateur playing at being a scholar."

It's silent for a long time, allowing her words to settle into the nooks of their bones and sink into the corners of their minds. Even the relaxing sounds of the fire seem subdued by her roasted comments. She doesn't take them back though. What she said may have been rough, but she needed to hear it out loud. Halfway through her rant she was no longer speaking at Link, but to herself —repeating the same words she heard the gossip mongers whisper a century ago. She needed to voice to the world that she did hear all those rumors, and perhaps in a roundabout way, maybe they were right.

As soon as she begins to hear Link shift in his bedroll, she turns so her back is to him. Her throat has suddenly constricted, the words she spoke feeling oddly suffocating, and she doesn't want to talk anymore. Zelda closes her eyes and takes a long inhale in an attempt to dislodge the lump forming in her throat so she lets out the shaky exhale, but as soon as she does she hears his quiet voice break through the thick silence.

"I think you're beautiful."

Her breath catches as she opens her eyes, hoping she heard him correctly. Gradually, with subtle movements and a fluttering heart, she twists her torso to look at him. He's still propped on his elbow and his expression is immensely shy as he fiddles with the loose fabric of his old shirt. He meets her eyes briefly before he loses his nerve again and darts them back to his fidgeting fingers —awaiting more of her reaction.

Zelda shifts and turns so she's facing him again. He's never called her beautiful before —at least not to her face, but even after a hundred years and a thousand words shared between them, it still manages to bring an adoring smile to her lips. Link sneaks another glance and when he registers her expression, he scoffs at his own embarrassment, realizes; there was nothing to be nervous about. He moves to lie on his stomach, hands snaking beneath the pillow, and when his eyes meet hers again, they don't break away this time. Both of them stare for a long while, never casting their gaze from one another's sleepy smiles, until Link yawns harshly and nuzzles his face into the pillow.

"Thank you," she finally says. She wanted to say a million things to him but settled for simplicity.

He peeks at her under heavy lids and whispers quietly, "goodnight, mi' lady." His husky voice sounds like a lullaby.

"Mi' lord," she sighs and watches him until that silly whistling sound is heard through his nose.

Repositioning on her back once again, Zelda takes a long releasing exhale —feeling as though all those insulting descriptions and manipulative opinions plaguing her mind have vanished because the only opinion that matters anymore besides her own, is his.

When she closes her eyes Zelda prays to the Goddess like she does every night that her terrible memories won't creep into her dreams, but unfortunately her prayers have gone unanswered thus far. Only once had there been a time when the night terrors didn't startle her awake; the night Link descended from the Plateau. As soon as he began to drift off she held onto him as much as she dared, resting her cheek onto his thigh —the feel of him a comfort, and just knowing that he was right there by her side seemed to protect her from the shroud of despair that always blankets her dreams.

She has long accepted the truth that she'll be jolted from her sleep with floating images of evil eyes and charcoal horns of a gargantuan bull that's slithering and charging straight at her, swallowing her whole and tearing her apart until her body is nothing but specks of golden dust trying to encase the beast in a castle of smoldering ruins. The night terrors have a field day when it comes to choosing which memory to haunt her because sometimes it's replaying the moment Link falls limp into her arms, watching his body hoisted away while she sits in the rain, and sometimes it's her mind making up new scenarios of how her father died; did he live the rest of his life as a defeated and lonely nameless man or did he fall with his knights and soldiers, defending something that could never be saved.

Sometimes her dreams are so vivid, she'd startle herself awake with wails and horrified gasps only to find she had accidentally awoken Link too. He'd be sitting upright in his bed, breathing almost as heavy as she was, stuttering questions of concern. He'd never ask her about it in the morning though and she's constantly thankful for his lack of nosiness, but she's expecting it one day.

As Zelda's mind and body drift towards the astral plane, she tries to hold onto the new memories they're making together post-Calamity. Where they can finally just be themselves around one another, without limitations in their personalities. In her mind she replays the fonder moments when they shared a bottle of mead at the stable, or danced to Kass's music at sunset. She remembers all the times they played cards together into the early hours of the night until his yawns draw closer together, or when Link's expression blossoms into a handsome smile when she catches him looking at her. She always falls asleep with a smile on her face, even if it's quickly snatched away by her nightmares.

That night at Fort Hateno she wakes up gasping and panting and sweating from the reenactment in her dreams; the droning sounds of possessed Guardians chasing her and hunting her down. When Zelda has some control of her breathing, she lifts her head to look over at him —afraid that her commotion had awoken him too, but it didn't. Link's cheek is squished on the pillow, mouth wide open, and there's a dried trace of drool on the corner of his lip. The sight of him completely and unapologetically himself slows the racing of her heart and makes it flutter softly, and her quivering mouth transforms into a peaceful grin. She exhales quietly, closes her eyes, and falls back to sleep once more.

She begins to stir when the light yellow hues of morning start to penetrate through her deep slumber. Innately, she rolls to her side and that's when she hears the distinct sounds of rustling fabric, realizes; someones slipping into her bedroll with her. Someone warm and broad and familiar. With hope and eagerness, she opens her eyes to see the blueness of his and there's that ethereal smile she can never get enough of. She almost gasps and starts stuttering questions of why and how and —now? but all the words in the world are suddenly lost to Zelda.

He closes the distance between them —moving with complete certainty and absolute eagerness, rushing like he's making up for lost time. His fingers push into her hair, hand cradling the side of her head as he stares into her eyes like she's something to be adored and admired, to be loved and remembered, and she suddenly doesn't even care what made him pursue her; bravery or remembrance, because he's here now.

For one agonizingly suspenseful moment, their breaths are hushed but heavy. Tremulous but fervent. It's him wanting her just as badly as she wants him, and then Link moves first. He presses his lips to hers with rapture and rhapsody, drawing her in and showering her with avid kisses that she's been waiting a lifetime to receive. His hand in her hair gripping with intensity and ardor, angling her head the way Link wants her so he can deepen the dance their lips make against the others.

A high pitched whine escapes her throat as her hands fly to his chest and it's only then she realizes the slick stretch of fabric that he's wearing. She pauses and pulls away from his lips to glance down at his chest and sees the red symbol of the Sheikah from his stealth suit, but she doesn't linger on it too long. Link's lips are on her skin, soft and searing and dragging down her jaw and onto her neck, creating a fiery sensation in her body that hasn't occurred in over a century. She tilts her head to expose more skin and Link plants hot and wet kisses all over her throat, marking her as his own as he reaches her pulse point to suck and nip and bite at her flesh, trying to draw that whining sound from her lips again.

His fingers finds her ribcage and his thumb drags over the bottom of her breast, lazily teasing, and then suddenly his hand cups over her; kneading her breast with dexterity as he licks a wet strip all up the side of her neck, past her jaw, until his lips find hers again, and without any permission or reassurance, because he doesn't fucking need it, pushes his tongue into her mouth.

Moans growing rough and loud and vibrating against the others mouth, the hand she placed on his chest moves to frame his jaw as her other hand selfishly snakes down his body, past his chest and rigid plain of his belly until her hand tucks underneath his waistband and everything slows. With fingers splayed wide, she cups him greedily, rolls him in her palm as he groans into her mouth, runs a loose fist along his length as he ruts a little into her hand.

Their movements pause because she's breathing just as hard as he is and he pulls away by fractions so their eyes can meet. While it's almost devastating to not have his lips on hers, she marvels at the cerulean of his eyes, watches the tenderness of that sweet smile spread across his lips, becoming playful and hungry, and before Link can say it, Zelda says it first.

"Off —take them off," she squirms, indecisive on where exactly to place her lips and hands. "Now."

The next second, Zelda is bare from the waist down, both still lying on their sides facing one another, and Link's hands go to assist Zelda's as they tug at the tight fabric around his hips. Soon he springs loose from his restraining pants and Zelda drapes a leg over his waist and shifts even closer —until the tip of him taps against the apex of her thighs where she's wet and slick and aching for the stretch and feel of him. With shortened breaths and foreheads meeting, Link angles his hips between her legs as all hands dart down to help in any way they can, then Link presses at the spot where she opens up for him then slides into her gently.

Breaths are filled with nothing but tremors when she takes him in fully and Zelda thinks for the flightiest second if she's dreaming. She slithers her hands back up Link's front until his face is in both her palms and soon his eyes trail up to meet hers. His expression is soft and honest with weakened brows and parted lips, eyes capturing her gaze with an intensity that makes her heart feel like it's going to burst from her chest but then he whispers her name, her real name, and she can almost feel the riveting sound rooting into her bones.

"Zelda," he whispers as his eyes quiver back and forth between her own.

She chokes on a sob, "you —you remember me?"

"I could never forget you." His words tattoo on her heart.

Her next breath is shaky with emotion, nerves ready to begin unraveling, but then Link spreads his fingers out wide across her buttocks and pulls her that much closer, the movement pushing him that much deeper and all the feelings that were created by him saying her name transforms into the most ravenous groan to ever escape her throat so her eyes shut tight as her head tilts back on it's own volition. The feeling hits her like a force she could never reckon with. A craving she'd been resisting for what feels like lifetimes. Her whole body is throbbing so hard and heart beating so fast that she's honestly not going to last much longer.

Suddenly, Link rolls them over so she's on her back and he's hovering above her; palms planted on either side of her head for purchase as he begins to grind into her. He fucks her long and slow and steady as she rolls her hips to meet him every time, instantly adapting to one another's rhythms. She knows he's groaning along with her but the corporeal sounds spilling from her own mouth are too deafening to hear over, and all her other senses fail because she's too busy feeling every deep push and slow pull, every touch of skin on skin, every kiss he brands to her neck.

In a matter of undignified seconds she feels that cresting wave about to cascade over her body so she drags him down by his hair as he keeps a solid, heavy pace, but harder now. His increased effort making her whole body shift up and down, up and down with every thrust of his hips as his raspy voice hums words of praise in her ear, enticing and persuading, wanting and thriving to coax her and ride that wave with her and then he keens the same warning in the same way as he did a century ago; "Zelda —Zelda —oh fuck, Zel" and then suddenly she's peaking, the crest of that wave falling; with nipples peaked and toes curled, head thrown back and blinding vision, Zelda comes so hard she wakes herself up.

If it wasn't for the blanket concealing her body, every shudder and twitch that spooled out of her would have been visible, but thankfully most of her orgasm had been contained from view. After a long while, her eyes open to the bright daylight of morning as she mourns the dream of Link's hands and lips and body on top of her. She doesn't move until the final tremors have subsided and her breathing has slowed, too afraid to sneak a glance at Link's bedroll to see if he had noticed her moving and moaning in her sleep, but when she finally gains the courage to look over, he's not there.

She drapes a forearm over her eyes, blows out an exasperated exhale, and tries to burn the dream into her mind so she can tuck it away for later use if she needs it. After a few minutes alone with her thoughts, Zelda hears the soft patter of Link's footsteps approaching camp, so she peeks out from beneath her arm to see him still dressed in his usual sleep wear. He smiles warmly down to her, but there's a tinged blush blatantly displayed across his face that she's very suspicious about. Little did she know Link had scrambled to hide behind a tree when her languid sounds and sensual movements became too apparent to ignore any longer, and because a full erection occurred between his legs that he was all too grateful for, but still embarrassed about.

"Sleep well?" Link asks rather condescendingly.

"...Why do you ask?" Her eyes narrow.

"No reason," he shrugs, and hums his way through making their breakfast.

» . «

They enter the gates of Hateno close to noon with sour faces displayed across their features. She's angry at Link for the dumb stunt he pulled along the road. After they stopped to deal with a few bokoblins lashing out at passerby's, Link tested the stasis rune on a tree trunk he chopped down, then whacked at it profusely before he hopped aboard and went flying with it once the timer went off. He wasn't hurt, thankfully, just laughing hysterically until she began lecturing him about respecting the functionalities of the Sheikah slate, but then he argued back that he was, so she started mocking him in a high-pitched voice by saying "my name's Link and I'm a little gremlin that has zero regard for my own safety" and he just rolled his eyes and pouted.

Their disgruntled moods were soon dissolved as their horses loafed further into the village, clomping along the main street and cobblestone bridge until they decide to dismount past the inn and beyond the creek, allowing their horses to graze around the eastern windmills. The whole slow venture through town, Link's face lit up by the children running in the courtyard, local villagers nodding welcomes as they passed, and the warm scents of the tavern and soft notes of hay and freshly plowed soil filled their noses with a charming bliss. Zelda can tell he likes it here.

Walking the steep incline path up the cliff to the lab, Link grows considerably concerned about the wooden signs emphasizing no visitors or soliciting, but Zelda, surprisingly, isn't as nervous as he is —at least not in the same context. She's ecstatic to see Purah again and since Impa had sent a messenger warning her that Zelda will be accompanying Link under the guise of an alias, Purah shouldn't be spooked to see her. However, witnessing the fate of Impa's old age was hard for her to bare and she can only imagine what Purah looks like now. The two Sheikah sisters were just a few years older than Zelda, or that's how it used to be. She's assuming Purah is well and healthy since she's still operating a whole research facility when she's close to one hundred and thirty years old, but still; the thought of her spunky friend with a hunched back and crow's feet didn't suit Purah at all and the idea of it made her slightly anxious.

She knocks lightly on the rickety doors of the Ancient Tech Lab and stares up at the frog with big red bubble glasses that are so familiar to her, and it makes her smile nostalgically as Link looks around the building cautiously. Instantly, the sounds of rustling papers and nervous murmurs are heard inside. Link sends her an anxious glance before a small child's voice, soft and nasally says, "it's open."

Link enters first as Zelda follows quickly behind, instantly tripping over a pile of papers as they walk in to the dimly lit and cluttered research facility. She shuffles over by the large platform and finds a clear spot on the floor to stand. She waits as Link approaches the small Sheikah girl scribbling away at disheveled papers atop the long wooden table in the center of the room. She lets Link do all the talking since he's the one with the slate.

With her gaze falling to the floor in front of her, she listens to the conversation Link has with the young girl. She relays that the director can be found in the back by the bookshelves, which makes Zelda glance up briefly to see a Sheikah man with his back turned, flipping through a book in his hands. That can't possibly be true, Zelda thinks. Purah would never, ever, work under anyone else's authority...so where is she?

As Link strolls across the room to speak to the older man, Zelda can't stop her eyes scanning the messy room trying to find an older woman slouched over a work bench or sitting at a desk writing notes, but finding no one besides the little girl and inquisitive man that has turned to speak with Link.

"Psst," She hears and immediately darts her distracted gaze from Link's conversation to the girl bobbing up and down on a tall stool. Zelda sends her a shy smile, but the girl grows increasingly excited when their eyes meet.

She whisper-shouts again, "Princess, hi!" she waves excitedly.

Zelda raises an eyebrow and stares at the girl intensely, and then it dawns on her.

"..Purah?" She mouths and the girl nods.

"Yeah Zelly! It's me!" She smiles brightly.

She's about to rush over to her and have a hushed conversation spanning a million questions, but that's when Link turns and walks back with an irritated face. Purah flashes her a sly smile and raises a finger to her lips before she turns to speak with him.

Waiting patiently, Zelda listens as the young girl explains that she's actually the Director and was just messing with him. She tells Link that before she can help him, she'll need all the lanterns lit from the main furnace they passed on the way up to the lab. The whole time Purah is explaining what he needs to do, he keeps looking over to Zelda with an uneasy look —like he might not be too convinced that a young girl at her age really runs this whole facility. When Link asks how old she is, Purah's whole story unravels; about how her anti-aging rune went awry, making her younger and younger with each passing day until she hit the age of six and seemed to stop. That was two years ago. She's eight years old now.

Link still seems weary but with Purah's constant pestering, she manages to convince Link to do the grunt work of lantern lighting. He hands Zelda the Sheikah slate and as he begins to leave asks if she'd be fine waiting here, but Purah interrupts before she can respond.

"Oh, don't worry about your partner, I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about," she winks then she turns to her assistant and shouts; "Symin, pour a couple pints from the ale barrel!"

Link coughs and the room suddenly goes silent as all eyes turn to him. He speaks hesitantly, "aren't you —aren't you a little...young to be drinking beer?"

Purah bats him across the top of his head with her tiny hand and Link ducks and cowers, stunned silent that he has just been hit by a little kid.

"This is going to be sooo annoying that you can't remember anything," she rolls her eyes and glares at him, "you were there when I was crowned Champion of the beer drinking tournament. You even held my glasses when I got so drunk I could see better without them." She scoffs, "You Royal Champion's thought controlling a Divine Beast was difficult —try walking back to the lab from Castle Town on uneven cobblestone after guzzling ten pints of Lon Lon ale!"

Yep. That's Purah.

Soon, Link is quickly ushered out the door by a frisky Purah nipping at his legs as she bounces and trails behind him until he sends Zelda one final glance of concern before Purah pushes him out of sight and says, "now don't come back until all the lanterns are lit and so is the furnace just outside this door!"

Zelda chuckles as the front door slams shut by Purah's full-forced shove and then suddenly the young Sheikah is skipping straight towards her and she knows what's going to follow.

"Princess! It's so good to see you!" Zelda bends down and wraps Purah in her arms, squeezing as tight as she thinks Purah's new tiny frame could handle, and angles her nose into her short white hair that's about the same length as her own now. She smells like musty books and dust and mechanical oil. Like nights spent at the Royal Tech Lab. Like her old friend.

They settle onto a couple stools at the table and Symin serves two glasses of dark brown ale then bows deeply at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty," he smiles wide and Zelda nods and mirrors him. He leaves the two girls to their own devices and returns back to his side of the tech room.

"I got the letter from my sister just a couple days ago and let me tell you —after I read through it about eight times, I had to get Symin to read it out loud just to make sure I was seeing it correctly! I can't believe you're here, and alive! and look at your hair! You look great Princess," she glances down at Zelda's cleavage teasing out from beneath her low cut blouse, then makes a circle with her thumb and index finger, gesturing sensually with a wink.

Zelda's cheeks turn flushed and warm, "it's astonishing that even when you're at the age of a prepubescent, you still manage to make me blush," she laughs and takes a sip from her glass, but then coughs a little by the strong ale. She sets it back down on the table and asks the question that's been lingering in her mind since she arrived, "did—did R-Robbie survive the—"

Purah makes a tsk sound with her tongue and blows out an exhale, "that boy can never be killed."

"Boy? Are you trying to tell me—"

"No, sorry," she shakes her head, "Robbie's as old as stone and blinder than a bat, but he's still my little cuz. He needs special glasses to see now. He's living in Akkala with some Hylian he got knocked up years ago. I think they're married now."

"Wow, Robbie has...has a child? So Cherry didn't—"

Purah shakes her head slowly and looks down at her glass, "I'm afraid not Zelly, she had been in Castle Town when it happened."

She swallows hard and sighs, "—and what about Fran?"

The Sheikah girl is silent for a long time, takes a small sip of ale and shivers, "No, Princess. She had been traveling through Central Hyrule on her way back to Gerudo Town. That was the region that was hit the worst."

"I see," She places her elbows on the table and claws her fingers through her hair. Her voice breaks when she tries to speak, "I should have been able to save—"

"Nope." Purah holds up a tiny hand to stop her, "Don't even go there, girlfriend. None of this, is your fault. Look at all the people who got to live for one hundred years because of your sacrifice."

"More people would have been able to live if I succeeded."

The two friends were at a loss for words then, unable to comfort the other by the memory of their fallen loved ones. Eventually, Purah moves a hand across the table and Zelda holds onto it immediately —the new touch of her old friend helping to heal some of their shared wounds.

"You're here now. He's here now," she nudges her head towards the door. "That's all that matters."

Zelda sends her a soft smile and takes a long exhale. Both women take another sip of their glasses to reset the conversation, then Purah speaks with an inquisitive and sultry tone.

"So, Zelly, I was told you'd have some questions for me. Spill the deets."

She catches her up to speed with everything; recalling what Impa said about the Master Sword and how she thinks Link's power to wield it will be unlocked the same way that Zelda's did. She tells her about Link's patient file, his collapse in Lanayru when he regained a memory, and then showed her the documentation on the Sheikah slate. She lets Purah scan over the document considerably before she speaks again.

"Do you think we can repair the rest of his file? —so we can see what kind of issues he's dealing with?"

Purah pulls her sleeves up to her elbows and smiles, "Challenge accepted."

"I have a question for you before we start tinkering with the slate though. I know you and your sister are...polar opposites when it comes to theology and science. Wha—what do you think about Impa's hypothesis concerning Link's power and my....assistance?"

"Well," Purah rubs her chin then takes another small sip of ale. "Understanding divinity wasn't really my forte and if I had never met Franny I could easily sit in front of you right now and tell you it's all bogus, but—" She looks down at the slate for a long time, then meets Zelda's eyes again, "I never felt more powerful and more...whole in my entire life than when I was with her." She sighs and smiles weakly, "don't you feel the same when you're with that hyperactive idiot?"

She tries to laugh but it comes out with more emotions than she predicted, "yes, I suppose you're right."

Purah scoffs and rolls her eyes, "I'm always right."

It's at that moment when the front doors open, revealing a disheveled and slightly out of breath Link with a new burn mark on his hand, but smiles through his heavy breath when his eyes fall on Zelda.

He looks over to Purah and huffs, "it's done. They're all lit."

"Even the one down by the sea?"

Link's eyes go wide. "What?"

But Purah simply throws her head back and laughs, "I'm just messing with you Linky, thanks for doing that. Now I'll be able to see the path when I come home at night."

Link walks over to Zelda in a few long strides and stands beside her, "I thought this was for science purposes?"

Purah watches him, then smiles and glances at Zelda. Before she speaks, she places a hand on her hip and looks back to him, "The furnace yes —we'll need that energy to power up the slate, but lighting all the lanterns along the road was just for me. You wouldn't want me to trip and fall down the cliff in the middle of the night now, would you Linky?"

He grumbles something indistinguishable under his breath and leans over Zelda to snatch her glass of ale. He drinks the rest of the liquid in several easy gulps and his mouth twitches by the bitter taste. He belches briefly then bends down to place his elbows on the table.

"Did you tell Purah about the file?" He asks.

"Yes, and she thinks she can program some enhancements into the runes and help me to overwrite the system, allowing more slots to store our items, seeing as though it's now holding for two people," she smiles at him, "but it will most likely take some trial and error spanning over a few days."

"Sounds good. It's not like we're in a hurry or anything. We just got here," he smiles back at her.

Purah clears her throat then and all eyes turn to her, "Zelly and I were going to have another pint of ale and talk about girl stuff —like mechanical engineering and moon cycles, care to join us?" She flutters her eyes.

"Um." Link's ears turn red, but Zelda just laughs and places a hand on his elbow so he turns to look at her.

"Why don't you go into town and buy us a couple beds at the inn. They might have a suite we could rent since I'm assuming we'll be staying here for probably just as long as we did in Kakariko—?" She states as a question, hoping he'll agree.

He ponders the thought briefly, then answers. "Maybe even longer. There's another tower in the distance and a shrine in town. I think I might be able to get a job with that construction company we saw."

They smile at each other then nod in agreement. She hands him the slate back so he can pay for their room and start dinner, and he unfolds from the table but places a warm hand on her shoulder and leans in a little closer, "will you be okay while I'm gone?"

She hears Purah scoff but doesn't acknowledge her, "I'll be fine. I'll meet you at the tavern in an hour."

He squeezes her shoulder affectionately, then turns to Purah, "it was nice to meet you —er um, see you again?" He shakes his head by the concept then adds, "don't start any drinking tournaments with Zel. She doesn't wear glasses and I'll probably have to carry her back down the hill and through town. That might not be the greatest first impression with the locals."

"—Not that you'd complain if you had to carry her, right Linky?" Purah winks at him and Zelda can almost feel his body tense with nervousness.

Link grumbles again as he leaves and Purah releases a flurry of giggles when the door closes behind him.

"He's more talkative than before. I like it."

"Yes, me too —even if he sticks his foot in his mouth sometimes," Zelda smiles.

Purah asks Symin to serve them another round of ale and he does so reluctantly —she'd do it herself if she could reach the barrel. After their drinks are refilled and Symin is back to his research, Purah voices her opinion.

"If what my sister said is right then I don't think you'll have to worry about his ability to wield the Master Sword, Zelly."

Zelda removes the glass from her lips, "what makes you say that?"

"Because he's already in love with you —again. Or maybe he never stopped."

She cups the glass with both her hands, mindlessly fidgeting with the rim of it, "—but he doesn't remember me. To him, we've only known each other for little over a month." her shoulders sag slightly, "in the memory he regained, he told me he couldn't remember what the Princess looked or sounded like. That she was just fractured pieces he couldn't put together...what do you make of that?" Shyly, she meets Purah's eyes and she watches as her friend scratches her head and wrinkles her nose in thought.

"Hmm, I'd have to do more research on memory loss and brain damage, and we'll definitely know more once we've repaired the rest of his file, but what I could perhaps speculate is that his brain has rewired you as someone else entirely as...Azella, right?"

She nods.

"I'm assuming that his brain can't comprehend how you could be the same person, so one image has to go and it's not going to be the woman standing before him in a low cut blouse and thick thighs, Princess."

Oh.

Even though Purah's speculation had been complimentary and honest, Zelda still had a hard time conjuring a response. The mind has always been a mystery to Hyrule —to its researchers and scientists, scholars and healers, and perhaps it always will be. It has such a strange correlation to it's other half. Lodged protectively beneath the ribcage, the heart tries it's best to follow the demands of the mind but sometimes it wanders and strays down a path the mind simply can't follow —and maybe right now Link's mind is battling over comprehension and understanding with his heart, and perhaps at this moment, one is stronger than the other.

Purah's sweet voice breaks through the silence with a huff, "I think it's better this way Princess, honestly. Look at all the freedom you and Link can have now. You're no longer his charge and his responsibility, and he's no longer your employee or protector. You two seem actually...happy."

She stares feebly into her ale, "I just feel like I'm lying to him every second of every day."

In an instant, Purah hops onto the table and darts a tiny hand out to bat Zelda atop her head.

"Would you listen to yourself! You're not lying to him and you're not living under an alias just for his protection either. Do you think if you traveled across Hyrule right now going by the name Princess Zelda you'd be greeted with tears of joy?" She flutters here hands wildly, "There'd be mass hysteria! —not to mention the Yiga would be on your ass in a heartbeat. It's better for no one to know who you are, not even our Linky."

Zelda rubs her head at the spot Purah had hit her as she listens submissively. She's never considered that before. Her mind has always been too busy fussing over Link's safety that she has admittedly forgotten about her own on several occasions; recklessly climbing the wet cliff up to Misko's cave that if Link hadn't of caught her she would've plummeted to the ground. Or trying to defeat a Stalnox all on her own so he wouldn't get injured, or approaching a suspicious stranger on the road that resulted in a large scar across her thigh.

No. If anyone found out the Princess had been freed from the castle, a plethora of political questions would arise that she obviously wasn't ready to answer, and anyone —whether it be Yiga or those skeptical about the Royal crown would be out looking for her. To assassinate her.

Zelda nods her head and repeats, "I suppose you're right."

"How many times do I have to say it? I'm always right," Purah sneers and they share a laugh.

The reunited friends chat and talk and share their second round of ale before Purah's small frame gets too sleepy by the booze and Zelda thinks it's about time to check on Link anyways. She says her goodbyes, promising that she'll be in tomorrow and each day they spend in Hateno, and Symin comments how he's never seen Purah more excited —not even when she woke to find she was in her early twenties again, and Purah points out because it only lasted a few hours until she grew a pimple.

Zelda enters the Great Ton Pu Inn and it's crowded with travelers and local villagers sharing a meal or brew after a long humid work day. She smiles as she scans the room for Link, but doesn't have to search long until she sees his broad figure secluded in the corner of the room with a pint of ale in one hand and petting a cat with the other. She allows herself a private chuckle before closing the short distance between them —she's always assumed he was an animal lover, just as much as she was.

Before she's able to start walking, Link's eyes dart up to see her and his relaxed gaze immediately grows excited. He straightens to stand and almost runs up to her, spilling and sloshing his beverage as he goes. He speaks before she can.

"Zel—Zel, I have a surprise for you."

She squints at him suspiciously, "the last time you said you had a surprise for me, you instructed me to close my eyes and when I did, you put a fish's mouth on my lips."

"What? —oh yeah, I did but this is different. I promise, no fishy stuff this time—and you don't need to close your eyes."

Before she can even protest, Link grabs her hand and drags her out the door and all the way across town; over the creek and past the dye shop, beyond the modern block houses and across a rickety bridge leading to a large stone house with a damaged red roof. There's a lovely green pasture with unkept wildflowers and an ivy covered wooden terrace placed before the doorway that gives it a certain humble charm. Link turns to her with a ridiculous boyish grin and bright blue eyes, then speaks excitedly.

"What do you think?"

"It's quaint. Did you want to stay here instead of the inn?" She asks hesitantly, "I'm sure we could rent it from the owners—"

"We're the owners," he says.

"I beg your absolute pardon?"

"Yeah, I kind of —sort of—bought us a house."

"How? When?...Why?"

"Well, when I approached the Bolson Construction Company about a job, they were about to tear this house down. I just thought it would be a waste so I asked Bolson how much it would cost to buy it and we already had the rupees and amount of wood he asked for so I—" He finishes his words by gesturing at the house again.

She's stunned—she's never...lived anywhere before. Growing up in the castle had always been something more communal. The halls were always filled with nosey mongers and servants, chefs and her father's trusted council members. It was always crowded with people, even if it had felt so lonely.

Now she owns a house. With Link.

It's the most domestic, and honestly normal, thing that has ever happened to her and it's all a little too much at once so she could do nothing but stare for several long minutes.

Eventually, Link moves to mindlessly scratch the nape of his neck, perhaps a little nervous that he had just dove into something they both weren't ready for yet —had purchased something expensive with their shared wealth without discussing it with her first, so he starts to backtrack.

"I just figured that renting a room at the inn would be just as expensive as owning this house and Sasha and Jassa could have the pasture to graze, and we'd have a place to store stuff we don't want to carry with us and we'd have some," he swallows hard, "privacy." His face tinges a soft shade of pink before he meets her eyes. "Well? Do you...do you like it?"

"No Link," his eyes grow wide with fear until she finishes her sentence, "I love it."

Darting a hand to his chest, Link exhales in relief, slouching a little when the tension leaves his body, "Goddess, I was so scared you'd be mad at me."

She chuckles softly, "How so?"

"I don't know," he says with a bashful smile, "I thought you'd say something like 'here you are buying a house to renovate when there's Divine Beasts to conquer and a Princess to help.'" She laughs as Link's tone sounds like a bickering old grandmother and he chuckles along with her, "but it's not like the King gave me a deadline to—"

"Stop." She holds up a hand, "the King...what now?" Her hearts starting to race.

"Oh...yeah," his voice slows, growing apprehensive, "That hooded old man who gave me the paraglider turned out to be the spirit of the last King of Hyrule. I guess I never told you about it the night we met because I figured you'd think I was crazy," he laughs nervously. "What was his name? King—"

"Rhoam. King Rhoam Bosphoramus." Zelda answers him with a trembling voice. Her chest is suddenly constricting, her heart squeezing so tight she's growing increasingly concerned that it might climb into her throat and gag her.

"Yeah, that's it," Link smiles weakly. "Of course you'd know, you've probably read several books about the Royal family."

"Yes," she breathes, "something like that."

"Zel, are you okay?"

She blinks once to hold back her tears and opens her mouth to answer, but can't seem to form any words. She resorts to nodding and lifting a finger to excuse herself and begins walking back across the wooden bridge. She doesn't hear the sounds of his footsteps trailing after her —he probably knows her well enough now to know she needs a moment alone, even if he doesn't understand why.

Following the small path just beyond the modern houses, she walks right past a Goddess statue, barely registering that it has horns, and down to the small Firly pond. Kneeling over the edge of the pond, she splashes the cool water on her face but it isn't helping to stop the tears that have already started to fall. She sits back and curls into herself, dropping her head into her palms, and allows her emotions to spool out.

Finally she has learned the fate of her father. He has wandered this cursed world as a spirit, waiting for the fallen knight that his daughter loved so that when Link awoke he could instruct him on where to go from there.

She has never had a great relationship with him —most conversations starting with how disappointed he was of her, then ending with a new rule she had to follow or another forbidden activity she couldn't do. For a very long time, she had blamed the whole Calamity and her dormant sealing power on her father —faulting him for her own inability to love. If she had been shown what love felt like between a father and daughter, perhaps it wouldn't have been so hard to open her heart to Link and the Goddess.

It took a long time for her to realize that her father had his own burdens to bare and he didn't quite know how to express them to her. He had lost his wife and still-born child and was left with one who was too young to understand most of what had happened. Her father had closed his heart to the world and his Kingdom, and without realizing it, made Zelda do the same. She doesn't blame him anymore, but she doesn't pity him either. She just wishes she had been able to say goodbye.

Twenty minutes pass until she feels the gentle warmth of Link's hands on her shoulders. She peeks her head out from beneath her crossed arms that are rested atop her knees, and watches silently as he moves to sit beside her.

Link meets her eyes and tilts his head, "do you want to tell me what happened?"

Her mouth quivers, "sorry just—just the thought of the King and his daughter...they had such a strained relationship, y'know?"

"Almost like you have?"

"Exactly," she says.

He sighs and looks down into his lap. "I can't remember my own family, but I'm assuming most families have their hardships. Maybe I had a sibling I always competed against, or I had issues with my own dad—"

Zelda shakes her head, "no, you came from a loving home."

"R-really? Y-you think —have you thought—?"

"I think about your family a lot," she confesses, "You followed in your fathers footsteps; becoming a knight, and then a Champion —and I think you also developed his humor because you make a startling large amount of dad jokes. You learned sign language and how to cook from your mother and I've always imagined her with short brown hair and your smile, and you had a younger sister that you were protective of, like how an older brother should be, and I think that's why you're so naturally protective of the people you care about."

She hears Link take a shaky breath, but when she looks over he's adorning a soft expression and his eyes have glossed over. He drags a hand down his face to collect his emotions, then smiles at her.

"What do you think my sister's name was?"

She smiles back at him then takes a couple seconds to consider it because he's never told her. She could kick herself for never asking. "I think you had a dad that would've thought naming his children with the same first letter was humorous, so I think it started with an L, but it had to have been cute and pretty, for your mother's sake. Maybe Lily, or Leonie."

Link blows out a loud exhale, then repositions to place his elbows on his knees and stares into the pond. "I came to comfort you and here you are comforting me—"

"But you have," she says.

Their smiles grow wider when Link looks at her, and after a while he taps a hand onto his shoulder, beckoning Zelda to lean into him and she does. She rests her temple against his broad shoulder and closes her eyes, allowing herself to be comforted by the smell and feel of him —just as much as his presence alone gives to her.

After a long while Link's body shifts beneath her and she watches as his opposite arm reaches across, tucking the tangled strands behind her ear and away from her cheek and now he's leaning and bending and his nose makes the softest touch into her hair. Then she hears him take a slow inhale; long and sated and breathing her in —the same way she's doing to him. Because of the conversation they just had, their languid touches against the other do not feel suggestive or risqué, but comforting and needed. That after all the losses they have gone through, just being together seems to fill the empty spots within their minds and hearts.

Link is the one to break the silence, "come on roommate," she feels his lips move against her hair, "let me show you our new home."