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)

10. A Fool's Journey

Chapter Summary: In a tarot deck, the Fool is the first card of the Major Arcana. They're depicted usually as a raggedy vagabond wearing tattered clothes and setting out for a journey. The Fool represents new beginnings, having faith in the future, being inexperienced, not knowing what to expect, improvisation, and relying on instinct.
Warning: sexual content, depression, swearing, violence, and a huge fluff overload.

Author's Note: I have no excuses why this chapter took so long. This story is my precious little bean and I only publish a chapter when I deem it perfect—or as good as I can write it.

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When Zel said she needed a few days to stop being mad at him, Link knew it was probably a joke, but he didn't want to take any chances. If he's going to do this; take that final step between them and kiss her, everything has to be perfect.

But then he died.

The day after they tamed Vah Ruta, they decided to leave Zora's Domain despite the disappointed look on Sidon's face when they told him. The Prince wanted them to stay longer—celebrate for freeing his sister and saving the entire city—but at that point, Link didn't want to dawdle any longer. It had nothing to do with his destiny of freeing the Divine Beasts or his internal conquest of regaining his forgotten memories. This journey was between him and Zel.

He had put all wants of advancing their relationship on hold to free at least one Divine Beast and now that they've done that, he's out of excuses. Naturally, he's still nervous —afraid that he'll pass up the perfect opportunity or have an auspicious moment ruined somehow, and he could take a wild guess at what she'd do if he tried to kiss her while she was still furious with him. She'd either slap him or smack him or push him away and say; "what are you, stupid? I told you, I need a few days."

So he's not taking any chances.

When they left the sparkling city, both of them chose to trek through Akkala instead of hike the treacherous trail to Goron City. They agreed that they didn't want to rush right into another burdening quest when they could collect more supplies in the highlands, train, and meet with Robbie first. After all, the crawling beast could be watched from a distance lurking around the volcano, but it didn't seem to be terrorizing the Goron citizens. There wasn't heat lightning or storms or immediate danger that they could see—plus, anywhere seemed better than a jagged mountain full of hot rocks.

Zel had been eerily quiet when they explored the Citadel, and it was only after she explained it to him did he understand why. She told him that many knights and soldiers had left the battle at Hyrule Castle—deeming it already lost— and went to defend the Citadel instead, only for it to fall just as quickly to the Calamity.

He could feel the ghosts lingering around every crumbling pile of rubble, could feel the hair on his neck rise when the only sounds to be heard were the droning of possessed skywatchers and the faded remains of dying whispers. He wanted to get out of there as fast as she did.

Due to the rain that night, they stayed at the South Akkala Stables and rented separate beds (once again). The next morning was cloudy and windy, but Link spent the majority of it petting all the farm animals, making friends with the dogs and ba-ing back at all the sheep. Much to his delight, he was allowed to hold some of the new lambs that had been born recently, and one of them even fell asleep in his arms.

Sitting together against a nearby oak tree, a relaxed expression fell over Zel's face as they watched the curly white lamb snooze peacefully in his arms. She was rubbing the belly of a dog lounging on the other side of her when Link leaned into her shoulder and asked if she'd consider getting a dog, a sheep, or maybe even a cow of their own someday. That's when a new smile blossomed along her lips, one that he's never really seen before; full of hope and promise and contentment. She met his eyes shyly, then said, "I would love that. All of it," and Link could've sworn his heart skipped a beat.

That was the first time he thought about life after defeating the Calamity, the first time he ever considered what he would do with his life if he had a choice. He plans on returning the Sheikah slate back to the Princess since Impa said it was hers to begin with... but then what? His oath to the kingdom would be fulfilled and if the Princess asked him to retake the position as her appointed knight, would he really want that? Because in that moment, sitting in the muddy grass surrounded by farm animals and one another's company, Link's vision narrowed and all he could really see was right in front of him... and that was more than enough.

Early that afternoon they made it to the Spring of Power, only for another memory to hit him like a bag of bricks. In the memory, he was staring down the long moonlit hallway, listening to the Princess recite her prayers until those prayers turned into curses. As he turned and watched her hug herself in the freezing waters, she begged for the Goddess to explain what was wrong with her, and it came as a surprise that Link was able to hear and even remember the Princess's voice this time. It sounded awfully familiar, but no matter how hard he strained, he just couldn't grasp it. She was still frustratingly out of reach, and it's starting to make him wonder if there's a mental block occurring that wont allow him to remember her, specifically. Why?... he's not really sure.

He never got the chance to know what intimate moment happened after that. As soon as he stepped into the holy water to make his way towards the Princess, the memory dissipated and Zel's worrisome eyes came back into focus. She had stood in front of him the entire time, keeping a firm grip on his shoulders, then slowly guided him down to the ground when his knees buckled because that memory was so vivid, so serene, and so long that his body and mind felt weak when he returned to the present.

As he told Zel about the memory, she was quieter than usual. He described the Princess as having long, beautifully styled hair that shined silver in the moonlight and milky skin that looked porcelain and delicate —thoroughly different from Zel's short hair and freckled skin that's been sun-kissed by the wild. Usually when a memory comes back to him, Zel would ask a few questions about what else he can remember; sights, sounds, details, anything that might help advance the memory just a little further, but not this time. Her face was stern, unreadable, but her hand never stopped massaging his shoulder and her eyes never strayed from his face, almost like she was waiting for him to say more, remember more on his own, but then he asked a question that made her expression weaken.

Slowly, he dragged his eyes from the cracked stone between them. "What do you think happened when I... I decided to get in the water with her?"

Her stoic face turned soft and Zel shifted where she knelt, moving closer so she could slide her hand from his shoulder and up to his cheek. Lightly, her thumb caressed over a small scar and, with quivering eyes, she answered him. "You held her," she said quietly. "You were a comfort the way you've always been to me."

That night, she started journaling.

Link knew it wasn't the typical bedside research she was scratching into the parchment because her behavior was different. She didn't have that focused, determined squint or made those silly movements with her lips like she usually does when she's designing something. Her gaze was relaxed but far away, and every so often she'd look up from her journal and stare out into the darkness, then languidly bring her attention back to her writing.

He never asked what she was writing about. Whatever it was, it was personal and made her feel better because she was very affectionate afterwards—so his interest on the matter quickly dissipated. Once they finished their meal by the campfire, they both changed into their sleepwear, rolled out their bedrolls, and when they were underneath the blankets, she immediately nuzzled her nose against his shoulder. The next morning, they woke to each others faces being closer than they've ever been, and neither of them wanted to get up just yet. They stayed like that as the sun rose along with them, laughing and flirting with their voices muffled by the pillows, until their laughs grew louder and their enticements grew playful and physical and Zel soon discovered his biggest weakness of them all; he's ticklish.

"I never knew my brave knight had such a tremendous weakness," she laughed after she poked him so hard, he squirmed his way out of the bedroll and into the dewey grass.

"Only for you," he said through his laughter. He didn't realize that he said it out loud until her jabbing slowed and their eyes met. His cheeks were growing hotter with every silent second shared between them, but eventually she smiled bashfully, leaned in so close his heart started to race, then politely asked if he could make honeyed apples for breakfast.

He did.

Later that day they made it to the Akkala tech lab, and Zel and Robbie behaved like old friends at a reunion. They yelled each others names in excitement and raised their hands in the air as they clashed into the biggest hug. Purah must have written to him about all their research, experiments, and inventions Zel made in Hateno, and vice versa; hyping Robbie's creations to Zel. She must have been thrilled to finally meet him.

"Goddess, it's so good to see you," Zel squeezed the old man's fragile shoulders delicately one last time before she released him. "You're much shorter than I thought you'd be, and I can't believe you have a kid!"

"Not my idea," Robbie smirked as his wife glared at him in the corner.

Zel sent a shy smile to Jerrin, then looked back to Robbie and added in a more somber tone; "I'm so sorry to hear about Cherry."

"Bah," the old man waved off her comment, "That was a long time ago Ze— uh... what name do you go by, again?"

"Azella."

"Right, right," he bobbed his head. "She'll be missed dearly, but I've got a new woman now. Not as great a dancer as Cherry, and nowhere near voluptuous, but—"

"That's strike two," Jerrin interjected, and all Robbie did in response was laugh.

Link stood quietly in the corner of the room, rapidly starting to zone out until Zel said his name and his eyes shot back to hers.

"I'm sure you remember Link, right Robbie?" And that's when the Sheikah finally looked at him.

Or more specifically, his bug-like goggles peered into him, but the old man's expression suggested otherwise; vibrant and lively. "How could I forget the Chosen Hero?" Robbie placed his hands on his hips and smirked. "You still owe me a game of strip pong, Sir Link."

"If that's true, I should probably just skip to the stripping part," Link joked sarcastically, "because I don't remember how to play and judging by how many games I lost against Purah, I'd be the first one naked."

By the shocked expression on Robbie's face, it was clear he wasn't expecting any kind of comment in return. The Sheikah cocked his head at Link curiously, then looked back at Zel.

"Wow, he speaks."

"I know," Zel smiled.

"Weird."

"Yeah."

"He's... cheeky."

Zel met Link's eyes again, and winked at him. "I like it."

They stayed with Jerrin and Robbie for a couple days. The two of them worked together to light every ancient lantern with the blue flame up to the lighthouse's furnace, abolishing every monster as they went. Each night, Jerrin and Zel would take tea upstairs while Robbie would take out his busted guitar and try to play him old jigs he thought Link could remember. It was a little awkward at first, until Link started making up silly lyrics to the old man's discordant playing and soon they were laughing so hard, Robbie nearly keeled over.

"I would've thought I'd see the end of days before the Chosen Hero could make me laugh," Robbie chuckled.

"I guess you kinda did," Link smiled back.

"You're much better for her now," the old man nodded at his own statement. "I wasn't sold on you before, but if you can gain your strength back and keep this new personality? —hell, I might even take a wack at ya," he winked.

Was he flirting? It felt like he was flirting. "You're a married man, Robbie."

"So?"

"So... get in line," Link winked back.

With another laugh, he patted him on the shoulder like they were good friends. "Keep smilin' kid," he told him.

Before they left, they stocked up on all the ancient gear Robbie and his wife had been inventing. It wasn't a lot; a single shield, a bladesaw, a couple short swords, and a plethora of ancient arrows, but Zel bought it all. Robbie had mentioned they designed a fabric that could provide additional defense against Guardian attacks, but the outfit he and Jerrin were working on wasn't completely ready yet. He told them to check back in a month or two, so they promised they would.

On their way to investigate the mysterious stranger at Skull Lake, Zel fought off a lynel almost singlehandedly. She was brash and reckless, bold and fearless, all the same words she uses on him when he'd battle alone. At the start, they worked together to fight the beast; Link would keep it distracted while Zel sent arrow after arrow into it's body, but their tactics had to change when the lynel's did. Unpredictably, the monster turned it's attention to Zel, roared violently and started charging, but she was quicker. Link saw the color in her eyes change, saw how she went from the focused archer he knows her as to a fierce Goddess of wisdom and war.

Before he could even intervene, she locked the stasis rune onto the lynel, jumped on it's back, and with all her power, she stabbed at it's throat and eyes until the wounds were so horrendous the beast fell to it's knees and wailed, exploding into a gust of malice and lynel parts.

He stared at her, jaw agape and eyes bewildered as she caught her breath and wiped the lynel blood off her face and blade, dark crimson stains starting to settle into her clothing. When she noticed his stupefied gawking, Zel tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and actually blushed at him.

"I guess it's my turn to wash our laundry," she said with a nervous chuckle.

And if he wasn't completely baffled, he probably would have replied; gotten angry like he wanted to—like when he watched her almost get blown to bits by an active Guardian at Fort Hateno—but things are different now. With all the time and effort Link's been putting into building strength and muscle and power, Zel's been equally building in speed and agility, stealth and strategy. Her cleverness triumphs in battles just as much as Link's preferred style: wack until it can't wack back... except hers comes with less injuries.

Kilton and Zel hit it off immediately. That little grey stump of a man gleefully shared story after story over each inviting cup of tea he offered and Zel politely humored him. Link zoned out for most of their chit-chat which consisted of scientific experiments, the evolution of monsters, and the mention of cake somehow? —because he was enamored, lost in a blissful fog watching the soft light from Kilton's shop glow warm on Zel's hair and smile, highlighting those feminine features he craves so badly to graze his lips over, and when she turned to chuckle at him, he realized she was actually asking him a question.

"What?" He said, caught in his dreamy daze.

"I said," she laughed sweetly. "Would you bake monster cake for me if Kilton gave us the recipe?"

Honestly, he'd bake her a thousand cakes if it meant she would just kiss him already.

The next couple mornings he told himself today's the day; the day he's finally going to confess his feelings and dive right in, but the setting was all off. Lomei Labyrinth was desolate and ominous, and their journey down the coast was all high winds and rainy. It was beginning to seem like Akkala was deliberately toying with him —until the day he died.

They were in Torin Wetland when it happened. A mossy, swampy field full of rotting fungi and long-lost whispers blown amongst the decomposing trees. It was eerily quiet and chilling and another setting that just wasn't right, but Zel wanted to collect more Guardian parts and he wasn't about to object simply because he was on the hunt for the perfect place to lay one on her.

While riding atop their horses, Zel told him the wetland used to be a lively village. "There would be parties and theatrical plays here whenever the Royal family came to visit the Citadel. It was a town mixed with Zoras, Sheikahs, Gorons, and Hylians alike —very progressive in their day," she explained with a soft smile, but when she met his eyes, there was sadness there. A quiet sigh left her lips, then added in a grim tone; "It looks like the Calamity swallowed it whole now."

They stationed Jassa and Sasha to graze around the path as they set off on their search for tech parts. Both of them were very cautious approaching any mound of machinery incase it might still be active, but after awhile it seemed like the only active ones around were the walking stalkers. Alive and alert, roaming the wetlands like it was their own territory, but the Guardians didn't stand a chance between Link's new shield and Zel's ancient arrows.

Unless, of course, they were distracted and their backs were turned.

"Hey Zel," he began inquisitively, kicking a pebble over the cracked stone with his boot. They were standing in the ruins of a lavish building, catered with broken arches and overgrowth. "Do you think Robbie wears those goggle-glasses all the time?"

She paused for a moment, considering his question. Her back was to him and the slate was held between her hands, taking photos of the ivy climbing up the stone columns. "Come to think of it, I've only ever known him with those glasses on."

"Maybe he's programmed some kind of... extra sight into them."

"What do you mean?" She took her journal out and started sketching the botanicals. Everywhere they roam, she always documents the plants for medicinal and elixir purposes.

"Like..." he licked his lips and let his mind wander into suggestive territory. "Maybe he's invented a way to see under people's clothing."

"Right, because one of the brightest minds of his day would waste his time inventing something like that."

"I wouldn't put it past him. The old man's kinda... kooky."

"Kooky?" He could hear her smile even though she wasn't facing him. "You're getting too impertinent for your own skin, Sir Link."

"I mean no offense, mi'lady," he joked condescendingly and began to walk backwards, hands held up in defeat.

She let out a short laugh and shook her head. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd want to borrow them."

"And if I didn't know any better, I'd say you've already thought about it."

Her scribbles pause but her flirtatious energy remains the same. "Have I thought about borrowing Robbie's glasses or seeing you naked?"

She walked right into his trap. "All you had to do was ask."

"Oh, you little—" She turned around rapidly, cheeks rosey and smile wide, her journal raised in the air so she can swat him and he was ready; bracing for a tackle as their innocent laughter mixed in the air above their heads, but suddenly she stopped and her whole face drained of color.

There was a target on his back.

A Guardian, half devoured by the earth, was activated by his backward movements —but he didn't see or hear any of it over their flirtatious banter. Zel moved in record speed; snatching the bow off her back and loading an ancient arrow and, without hesitation or reassured aim, rained blue fire into the air. The arrow soared passed his face by inches and his eyes followed it to watch it sink into it's target, but a red beam filled his vision instead and piercing hot pain shot through his heart and all down his body and that's when everything went dark.

» . «

Clusters. Fragments. Broken and shattered and lost in time.

No, you can't do this to me!

He can't. He promised.

Not again!

...Again?

Green eyes like wildflowers. Flawless milky skin in the moonlight, so ethereal and delicate. No— tanned and toned and speckled with scars like a Goddess, but one of a different kind. Which one is just a memory and which one's real? Both? —No, that can't be true. It's not true.

So many pieces and they don't fit together, or won't fit together.

Suddenly, something stirs behind his eyes. New and invigorating. Not green eyes, but blue flames. An essence of hope and comfort and familiarity. Like falling water.

A different voice when the light finds him and yanks him back to the surface.

No matter when, or how bad the wound.

His own desperate gasping startles him. Heaving and choking, Link opens his eyes but he can't process his vision, and his addled mind is even slower. What happened? There was fear on her face. Whose face?—Zel's face. A blue streak through the air—an arrow. Vision gone red when he turned—a laser. Pain. Darkness. Then Mipha.

"I heard Mipha," he breathes, finally controlling the influx of air into his lungs. He's lying on the warm stone, but his head and neck are cradled, nestled gently onto a pillow. Not a pillow—an arm. There's a coolness combing through his hair and he realizes it's someone's fingers, and they're shaking.

With his vision coming back, he can see the shadow looming above him. A face he recognizes all too well, but with blood-shot eyes and absolutely petrified.

Oh no, he thinks. The look on her face tells him everything. He almost died right in front of her or maybe he actually did —either way, processing what just happened to him can wait. Immediately, he shifts to rescue mode like he's ready to catch something precious that's about to fall and shatter because her face is falling, those sturdy walls that hold her together are crumbling, and he needs to tell her, show her, that he's alright.

"I'm okay Zel," he reaches a hand to her face, but she retracts and the comfort of her arm wrapped around his shoulders start to snake away. To keep himself elevated, he props himself on his elbows as Zel creates more space between them; shuffling away clumsily as her face continues to break. "I swear, I'm not hurt. I think it was Mipha, she healed me."

"I believe you," she blinks and a tear falls down her cheek. "I'm sorry, I just— I need a minute." Rising from her knees, she turns around and starts walking away, but it's obvious her shoulders are trembling and she's covering her mouth with both her palms to keep her sobs muted, until she's far enough away so she can try to compose herself without him seeing.

"Zel, wait! I—" He calls, but it's no use. Whatever she went through —thinking he just died in her arms— she needs to be alone to suppress those emotions. He's not upset, doesn't even try to chase after her, because as long as he's known Zel she's always tried to protect him from the trauma of her past. She keeps a tight seal on her own memories, but he's received the smallest glimpses into her vault. Destruction. Abandonment. Loneliness. Death.

Here he is wanting to remember, when she'd probably do anything to forget.

They set up camp much earlier than usual due to the exhaustion that seeped into their bones. Dying, or nearly dying, made Link a little wobbly on his feet and when Zel came back to him in the ruins of Torin Wetland, not all of her returned. Absent of smile, couldn't even humor him with one, she struggled to meet his eyes whenever he asked a question. They watched the sunset in silence, their small meal barely picked at, and it wasn't long after the sun went down when Zel stood up from where she sat by the fire and announced she's going to sleep.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asks abruptly, looking up at her. "About what happened?"

"No," she answers plainly, her gaze set into the campfire. He already knew the answer before she said it —Zel doesn't like to show vulnerability. Her face is stern and aged, hardened around her jaw and brow line. Without a sideways glance at him, nod of the head, or measly goodnight, she turns away.

Not in the mood for their usual bedside antics, Zel unfolds her bedroll wearily and places it on the opposite side of the campfire from him —as far away as possible. With her back to Link, she changes into her sleepwear halfheartedly. The flicker of firelight on her bare shoulders make her movements seem jagged and sluggish and the tiny scars from the battles they've faced shine extra glossy against her tanned skin. When she removes her brassiere, it's like her clothes suddenly weigh a monstrous weight and that's when he realizes; her emotions are starting to swallow her whole.

He doesn't know what to do. She's suppose to be the strong one. His rock. Between the two of them, she has the head on her shoulders whilst he's the immature one; the raggedy, impulsive kid that doesn't know up from down, that sets whole fields on fire and blows up entire monster camps just because it's fun. One of the only times their roles were reversed was during her panic attack of the blood moon and Link relied on instinct, reacting so quickly he didn't have a chance to think about what he was even doing. This is different. Slow and dangerous and devouring, and who knows how long she'll be emotionally distant... just like she was in Kakariko.

As Zel pulls the blanket over her shoulder, Link just stares into the fire, too distressed to even move. Does he give her space, or go to her? She afraid of me, Link realizes. Afraid that I'll get hurt again, which means I'll be hurting her.

But then he hears a sniffle—the smallest, softest sniffle— and all thoughts leave him.

His eyes shoot back to her, through the crackling fire. Lying on her side at the edge of the darkness, her shoulder trembles slightly beneath her thin blanket and it takes Link several seconds for his eyes to adjust against the dance of the campfire flames to see what would have been so obvious in better lighting. She's crying.

Reacting on impulse, Link scrambles to his feet like a man on a mission. In the next second he's yanking her blanket over his own body and shuffling into her bedroll with her, moving so fast Zel barely has enough time to respond—just a startle of her shoulders and gasp in her throat and amongst the swaying shadows, Link has just enough lighting to see the surprised look on her face before he wraps her in his arms, sealing her in a tight embrace, and she instantly melts against him, like their bodies were made to fit this way.

Her breath hits warm and humid against his tunic as Link's mouth and nose press into her hair and their legs tangle together—not even asking for permission or if this close proximity is okay because of course it is —it's more than okay. She needs him solid and sturdy and grounding before her saddening thoughts devour her and when she finally gives in to him; leaving streaks of tears into the crevice of his neck and letting herself collapse and cry without shame or humility, he just pulls her closer.

"It's alright, I'm here," he whispers, golden strands of hair sticking to his lips. "I'm right here."

"I was so scared," she sobs, her voice rushed and fleeting.

"I know, I'm sorry." He tugs at her shoulder, encouraging Zel to wrap her arm around his waist and she does. Her fingertips snake up his back, digging into his leather chest-piece to pull him flush against her, like he's still not close enough.

"I thought—I thought you died and... and I'd h-have to put you back in the Shrine of—of whats-it-called and—and wait another h-hundred years." She sniffles harsh into his chest and takes a sharp inhale. "I can't wait that long."

"Yeah, you'd be an old lady by then."

She scoffs at his comment, but he knows she's actually laughing, though it doesn't last for very long. "I should have been more alert, I—I should have paid attention. I was s-so... stupid, so naive, to think we were safe—"

"Hey," Link says gently and starts to comb his fingers through her short hair. "You did nothing wrong."

"And—and Mipha. She saved you. I can't—I can't do anything like that. How am I suppose to protect you when I—I'm nothing—"

By her words, Link's throat begins to burn like he's swallowed something sharp and charred. It's still stubbornly hard for her to accept that he's not so frail and weak anymore, but it must be even harder for Zel to realize her own worth and value. That without her persistent drive, passion, and witty cleverness, he'd have no cause for fighting, no roots in this wild ground, no personality. He wouldn't have the faintest idea of who he is or where he's going and, in all honesty, he'd probably be rotting in a ditch somewhere after trying to catch a Korok. He owes her everything.

Unable to bring his thoughts to words, Link exaggerates his breath instead—nice and long and slow, and she instantly mirrors him, like they're two parts of a lung breathing in synchrony. Then he places a soft kiss on her forehead as an unspoken oath and a silent promise that he'll hold her for as long as she needs.

Ever since the incident of the blood moon, he's told himself he'd be there for her, just like this, whenever she needed him. Unconsciously, she's slipped into the role of quietly baring all their burdens, both his and hers, and it's slowly starting to crush her from the inside, out —weighing on her already low self-esteem like her unshared past wasn't heavy enough. Based on the clues he's gathered, Zel had lived an awfully hard life before she met him, but whatever it was that broke her heart in the past; the death of her mother, the relationship with her father, the distance between her and her old friends, perhaps even the loss of a lover... he needs to show her that she can trust him. Trust him that he's not going to break her heart any more than it already is.

Link is silent for a long time, just letting her cry unabashedly into his chest and neck while his fingers have a field day grazing up and down the curve of her spine, intermittent with combing tear-soaked hair away from her face and pressing kiss after kiss into her forehead —lavishing her, holding her the way she needs because this is the burden he's decided to take. The burden of loving her.

When Zel grows silent besides the occasional slow, shaky inhale, Link pulls away slightly so he's able to see her face. Framed around the blanket and his arms, her face is red and puffy and there's a couple silly indents on her cheek where his leather armor pressed against her face for too long. Covered in snot and purely undignified, Zel sniffles so loud and so obnoxiously it makes both of them smile, and when she drags her eyes up to meet his own, they look like two little saucers of water. Like ice and evergreens and Din's fire.

With all the sweet thoughts running through his head—like how she's his favorite person or that he'll always be there for her—a stupid comment comes out instead.. "You look weird when you cry."

She laughs, a puff of hot air hitting his chin. "Thanks. I appreciate your honesty."

"Like a bokoblin."

"Hey—"

"But like, a cute bokoblin."

"Have you met many cute bokoblins?"

"No, just you."

At least she's laughing. All Link can think about now is how much of a dumbass he is.

But his comments seem to be the best he could have made because Zel's face changes into something softer. Sweeter. A look like the one she gave him at the stables; with waterlogged eyes full of warmth and admiration and he smiles back at her in much the same way, then wipes away her tears with his thumb.

"Thank you," she whispers, giving him an exhausted smile.

"Try to get some sleep, I'll be right next to you in my bedroll." He starts to pull away but her grip tightens and her body stiffens, anchoring him with an impulsive reflex that refuses to let him go.

"Stay," she asks quietly, shyly. "...Please? At least until I fall asleep."

Link pauses for the briefest second because frankly, he's a little surprised to hear her asking. The only times she has ever shown him an ounce of vulnerability is at night, when the ghosts of her past seem to creep nearer and the desire to have him closer cracks through her stubbornly hard exterior and he'd be completely out of his mind to refuse a request quite like this one.

The cool night breeze dances through his hair right before he flips the blanket over his shoulder and snakes an arm around her waist again, settling in. Indulgently, she nuzzles up close, sighing into his chest all lofty and sweet and the sound sends a wave of goosebumps across his entire body. Forever struggling with verbal expressions, Link really wanted to say something here; a comment that's romantic or sentimental, but the unspoken shift felt between them—one which promises the start of something new in the morning—well... that's more than enough.

Holding one another close, they stay like that for a long time. He doesn't know how much time passes—minutes or hours—but he eventually feels himself growing drowsy; mind relaxed and breath steady with the woman he adores wrapped in his arms. He can only imagine how tired Zel must feel if she isn't asleep already, but before he can peek beneath his heavy lids to check, she whispers his name softly.

"Link?"

"Hm?" His eyes are still closed and his lips are on her hairline. Languid, tired, but content.

She shifts beneath him, the slightest tilt of her head for her nose to graze against his chin. If he wasn't so sleepy, he'd be hyperaware of how close their lips are. By fractions. "One day I... I have to tell you something. About me—"

"If you tell me you secretly hate my cooking, I'll never forgive you," he whispers back.

There's a story she's keeping from him, one that shaped her into the person she is now, but buried somewhere deep and lost within the dense forest of his spirit, he feels like he already knows. However, he can't articulate this feeling into words and his humorous remarks seem to be working the best with her tonight. Besides, he wants to savor this moment just a little bit longer.

She laughs softly, her hand moving leisurely up and down his back like a lullaby. "Goodnight, Link."

"Night, Zel."

The last thing he feels before drifting off to sleep is the softest kiss placed upon his bottom lip, but that may have been a dream.

» . «

The moment was perfect.

It was everything he's been fucking waiting for. Praise Hylia and the highlands of Akkala and Hudson for needing bundles of wood to build a brand new town from the ground up and anything else that led them to taking their lunch break in a field of wildflowers because he couldn't have imagined a better setting even if he tried.

Despite the emotional night, their morning was cheerful and easy with lots of bashful smiles and flirtatious banter—a mood that flowed well into greeting Hudson at his construction site and spending the next several hours chopping down nearby trees to make into piles of lumber. Zel worked just as hard as he did, but Link could tell she was draining of energy and growing fatigued when he could easily keep going.

This is the first time he really noticed all the progress that he's made. He doesn't have to push himself to his limits just to keep up with her anymore, doesn't have to catch his breath after every swim or battle or climb. He's getting stronger and quicker, more powerful and deadlier with a weapon, and he's getting bigger, too. The first pair of well-worn pants he put on when he woke in this world are ridiculously snug on his thighs and backside, and he's already had to go two notches wider on his leather armor since his chest has gotten broader. Not to mention, he's been avoiding asking Zel to lengthen his Hylian trousers again because she just did it a couple weeks ago. If he doesn't stop growing, he's going to be a full head taller than her by the time they reach Rito Village.

So between Zel slowing down with the tree chopping and Link's stomach grumbling continuously, he suggests they stop for lunch.

They find a perfect spot to sit on the hill overlooking the beginnings of Tarrey Town—Death Mountain looming far off in the distance with all their troubles. The sun is bright over their heads and the breeze carries notes from the sea and earth; salty and floral with wafts of overgrown grass and seashells and wild daisies. Over a hearty meal of mushroom and meat rice balls, they chat about what this new town will be like, the type of vagabonds it'll attract, and with a mouthful of rice, Zel smiles enthusiastically and says to him; "Imagine what it'll look like in just a few years. It could become a major asset in rebuilding Hyrule and we're here, helping to build it's foundation." She takes another giddy bite of her meal and it makes him laugh, but she's right. He's glad to be here too, and it's not just because of the view.

Zel eats three rice balls to his five and when he takes three more out from the Sheikah slate, she gives him that look— one with a narrowed stare and raised eyebrow.

"What?" He says between gluttonous chews. "I'm a growing boy."

"I'll say," she flashes him a coy smile and drags her eyes up and down his body so suggestively it makes his cheeks flush pink, but he knows she's doing it on purpose, to get him flustered and nervous like he always is whenever she catches him off guard. With her musical laugh carried in the humid air, the sound melts into a sigh, then Zel leans back to lie in the tall grass and after he's done with his own meal, Link does the same.

Lying between the wild flowers of the Akkala highlands, shoulders brushing and minds completely at ease, Link watches the puffy clouds roll above them, admiring their shapes and changes. He loses track of time but he doesn't really care, and after a while he glances at Zel to find her eyes are closed and she's smiling. Tired, and relaxed, and happy.

"Zel?" He says, looking back up to the sky.

She takes a long, sated inhale before she answers him. "Yes?"

"Do you think I'll be able to grow a mustache like Hudson someday?"

She chuckles and it mingles with the rustle of leaves and the sound of a fox chirping nearby. "I think you'll have more than just a mustache."

"Huh?" He lifts his head from the ground to look at her. "What do you mean?"

Her eyes are still closed when she replies. "You already have the start of a beard coming in around your jawline."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, do you," she tsks her tongue at him. "Also, there's a small patch on the spot where your dimple forms when you smile."

He's about to protest some more, but then he grazes a hand over his own face, searching the spots she mentioned and, sure enough, she's right. She didn't even need to peek her eyes open to make sure she was either. She must know his face as intimately as he does hers, and the thought makes that dimple on his cheek appear again.

Without much thought to his next actions, Link takes his hand from his face and places it on hers instead. Softly, he brushes his fingertips up and around her jawline, mindlessly tracing the outline of a heart to the roundness of her cheekbone.

Barely louder than a whisper, he asks, "Do you really know my face that well?"

"I could draw it in my sleep," she says.

Suddenly mesmerized, caught in a lazy haze of physical desire and exploration, the thought of removing his fingertips from her skin never even occurred to him. He brushes over sun-kissed freckles and scars, connecting them like constellations and committing every subtle movement she makes to memory. There's the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest, the prettiest smile hinting at the corners of her lips, and the flutter of her eyelashes like she's dangerously close to dozing off if he continues to keep touching her like that. They're so far removed from reality, neither one of them would care if this moment lasted for days or weeks or eternity. Like they could just sit in the warm grass with the summer sun and let the whole world fade away.

Effortlessly, his fingers trace down her jaw and onto to the collar of her neck, casting goosebumps on her skin as he goes and his lidded eyes watch them, slightly astonished that he's never touched her like this before and still brazen enough to keep going—down to the ridge of her collarbones and plain of her chest—until his fingers stop at the start of her breasts and his lovely distraction is interrupted only by the sweetest inhale.

His hand rises with her chest as she breathes in deeply, so he glances back at her face. She's smiling and her lashes are still fluttering.

"That feels nice." It's barely even a whisper, let alone a coherent thought. She's half awake, half in a dream that's just her and him and his touch.

With a smile cresting on his own face, Link brings his attention back to the hand stationed on her chest. Leisurely, he drags his fingertips back and forth across her, from one collarbone to another, then back up her neck and along the side of her face, retracing the path his fingers have taken. When he tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Zel moans softly and angles her face towards him.

"Link?"

"Yeah?" His throat feels dry and all of a sudden he doesn't know what to do with his hand anymore.

She takes another deep inhale, then asks innocently; "If I fall asleep, will you wake me in a little while?"

With a relieved sigh, Link combs his fingers through her hair one more time. "I promise," he says, then retracts and lies back on the grass to watch the clouds roll overhead again. Sure, he'll let her sleep, but he can't keep reaching this point and being too scared to go any further.

Link, climber of all trees and cragsman of many mountains, has an incredible fear of falling. It's ridiculous, he knows, because he's leaped off so many cliffs blindly, have dove into shallow lakes from risky heights and no injury has ever left him thinking he'll never climb again. Except now he's standing on the edge of the highest peak, bracing himself to jump without a paraglider and without knowing what will happen when he does.

After a short while, he turns his head to look at her. Framed around tall grass and wildflowers, she snoozes peacefully beside him with the remnants of a smile still lingering on her lips and he suddenly thinks if he doesn't take that leap now, he'd be a damned fool.

Torn between letting her sleep or waking her with kisses, he measures the odds to find somewhere in the middle. It won't be long until she begins to stir—because she never naps for very long—so he doesn't have much time to plan this out. What he wants to do is wait until she takes that deep, waking inhale and that'll be the signal to roll on his side, propping himself on an elbow to get into position. With his other hand, he'll cup her face the way he was before; with a feather-light touch of his fingers, and she'll know before she even opens her eyes that she's safe and he's right there and that's when he'll lean in close and place a kiss on her cheek as his fingertips start to slide into her hair and he'll only pause in his movements so he can admire how she responds to his lips touching her skin; maybe a sated inhale or even a lazy moan. And when he angles his lips over hers, he'll move slowly but confidently, calm and composed, because there's no turning back now. He'll kiss her just as softly as his touch has been this whole time, and whether she was expecting it or not, she'll kiss him back ardently, like she's been starved of it. They both have.

As their kiss deepens, she'll open up for him and he'll press his upper lip between her own with the silly intention of grazing his facial hair against her skin—all rugged and masculine—and she'll sigh into his mouth, the sound of it casting carnal waves down his entire body, and he'll start a rhythm with their lips that she can follow easily. A slow push and pull that has her still wondering if this is a dream, if she's even awake yet, and as he takes a long, intoxicating inhale of her, she'll slide a hand along his jaw, pulling him a little closer and he'll submit to her, like how he'll submit to anything she wants him to do at this point because everything after this will be different. He'll be branded to her now, and she to him, like a searing scar that refuses to heal. Like a star that's fallen with no chance it will ever return to where it was stationed in the night sky.

But he never gets the chance to do any of those things.

Suddenly, an ancient roar echoes off the steep mountains and hills, thundering swiftly across the plain and violently shaking them from their separate daydreams. They sit up quickly; Link grabs for his axe in a panic as Zel jolts from her sleep with a gasp, trying to process their surroundings. Then another roar ruptures across the land; oddly mechanical and strangely artificial, and all eyes turn towards Death Mountain.

They both stare wide-eyed at the distant beast, then at each other. "Vah Rudania," Zel breathes, her fingertips digging into the earth. She takes the Sheikah slate from her belt to hold it up to her eyes so she can see farther. The beast is visible, crawling around the mountain, but from this distance there's nothing out of the ordinary—except for the roaring. That's definitely new.

Lowering the slate from her eyes, Zel turns towards him with a grim face. "Link, I think we have to go."

He can only nod at her, completely stupefied.

Hastily, they leave their perfect sanctuary nestled amongst the wildflowers, stopping to drop off their bundles of wood to Hudson and apologize profusely that they have to leave so suddenly, but Hudson understood. "Duty calls," the older man said with a chuckle, then scratched his head. "I guess in this case, it really did."

They galloped hard and fast across the Akkala highlands with minds uneasy and anxieties rising and Zel mumbling to herself all the possibilities of what could have made Rudania call out like that. There were intellectual hypotheticals spooling from her mouth like; does this mean something's coming? or are the Goron's attacking it? —never expecting Link to actually respond. For the entire horse ride to the Eldin region, Zel was absolutely unaware of how close Link was to kissing her and completely oblivious to the thoughts rolling around in his own head. Thoughts of wanting to set fire to the whole bloody beast if it wasn't already fire-proof.

By the time they approach the Foothill Stables it's early evening and the temperature's rising and Zel is still spiraling down a rabbit hole of indecipherable ramblings and Link has to interrupt her, cutting her off from herself to say, "Zel, we can't ride all night. The horses need to rest and my ass is numb."

With a defeated sigh, she slows Jassa down to a walk. "You're right, we should rest here and ready our supplies," she says, then looks up at the looming volcano. "At least Rudania hasn't cried out since earlier, it's just... why? Why did it—"

"Zel, please." Not this again. "We won't know anything until we get there."

"Sorry, sorry, I know I've talked your ear off by now." She glances at him, a small hint of guilt in her weary eyes, then looks away. "Maybe they'll be travelers here willing to trade fireproof items or elixirs."

"Whatever you say," he groans lazily and slides off Sasha even lazier. It's already a few degrees too hot for him and all he's thinking about now is getting some food in his belly.

In all honesty, neither one of them were ready to travel to the Eldin region yet. Sure, they've collected supplies in Akkala; rock salt and other cooking ingredients, extra weapons and many different kinds of arrows, but as for any items that will help them combat the intense heat of Death Mountain, they fall scarcely short.

Blowing a raspberry between his lips, Link takes in the sight around him. It's barren and rocky, desolate and drab, with a thin layer of gravel dust on everything and the tall redwood trees look starved of water. It's very different than the surreal wilderness of where they began their day, and tomorrow they'll be thrown into the fires of a monstrous volcano.

How romantic.

He's just about to start complaining, but that's when the music hits his ears.

Standing in front of the humble stable, Kass the traveling bard has his accordion between his feathers and is playing a lofty tune that Link can physically feel settling into the core of his heart. Nostalgic and inviting, a tune that feels as old as time and warms every fiber of his being, making him forget for a moment all their encroaching burdens and responsibilities.

Zel slides off her own horse and starts walking up to him. "Kass!" She smiles with a cheerful wave.

The Rito stops his music abruptly and meets her eyes across the way. "Ah, is it not the dancing Hylians from Rabia Plain. What a pleasant surprise! How are you holding up?"

Link follows quickly behind her and places his hands on his belt. "Just fine. Wasn't really expecting Rudania to cry out like that, though," he says, bitterness laced in his tone.

"Indeed," Kass nods sternly. "I was here when it happened. The whole stable shook to it's foundation," he gestures towards the tent behind him. "This morning there were several travelers ready to hike the Ternio trail, but all of them have changed route—too frightened by the beast to venture any further... but something tells me that's not the case for you two."

Zel and Link share a look before responding. They haven't exactly been boasting about their world-saving journey. "Yes, that's true. We've come to help the Gorons," Zel explains casually.

"How very brave of you." There's something hidden behind Kass's eyes; equivocal and suspicious, but still warm and kind. "The breeze has spoken of news that Vah Ruta has been appeased. I take it you have just come from Zora's Domain?"

"No, we were in south Akkala," Link interjects.

"My, my, you two have traveled quite far." Kass shifts his eyes between them. "Have you been together since the last time we met?"

"Of course," he answers automatically.

"You are lucky then, my dear friends. This world can pull us in different directions just as easily as the wind changes."

"Spoken like a true Rito," Zel smiles, then switches topics quickly. "You wouldn't happen to know anyone we could purchase heat resistant items from, do you?"

Kass shakes his head. "No, I'm sorry. Many left soon after Vah Rudania's roaring."

Zel chews the inside of her cheek, thinking deeply. "Do you know if the Southern Mine is still operating?"

"Actually, yes," Kass bobs his head with a light sway of his body. "I've heard many travelers mention the Southern Mine, although I'm uncertain if it is as much of a resting stop as it once was."

"That will have to do for now," Zel says, then looks to Link. "I remember the path to the Southern Mine wasn't the easiest, but that was the last stop before Goron City where you could station horses without it being unbearably hot."

"When was the last time you visited Death Mountain?" Link asks curiously. It's easy for him to forget that Zel was just a traveler before they met—that she was born into this lonely, empty world as it is now, and that she had been a drifter without a home or purpose, just like most Hylians.

She stares at him for a few seconds too long, then looks beyond his shoulder. "Many... many years ago."

Not wanting the silence to fall between the three of them, Kass asks; "Is it safe to assume you'll be heading to Rito Village after you visit Goron City?"

"Certainly," she answers, a new smile blossoming on her face. She always smiles at the future, never the past.

"Fantastic news," Kass replies. "I should hope to see you there as I plan to return home the day after tomorrow."

"You have a wife and daughter at the village, right?" Link asks, vaguely remembering the mention of them.

"Daughters," he chuckles softly. "Five of them. My own little orchestra of Ritos."

"They must miss you when you're gone."

Kass meets his eyes kindly and says, "Ah, but that's the beauty of love, my friend. With it, you're never truly apart."

Flustered and tongue-tied, Link remains silent for the remainder of their conversation—except the mumbled answerhe gives when Kass asks if they'd like to hear a song about the defeat of Ganon 10,000 years ago. It's a majestic song full of motivational words, triumph, and victory, but Link isn't in the mood for any of it. It makes him feel terrible and rude for thinking such selfish thoughts, but he's already failed once at defeating Ganon and any mention of the successful heroes before him just piles onto his mound of self-doubt and crippling anxiety.

Against his wish to relax by the cooking pot, Zel persuades him to complete the Mo'a Keet shrine instead while she mingles around the stable to find anyone willing to trade or sell heat resistant supplies. She seems to think that if they can't find enough here at the Foothill Stable, then the Southern Mine is their last resort, and he has no reason to disagree with her.

After awhile, he returns to the stable to find Zel sitting on their bedrolls by the campfire, humming contently as she rummages through her small travel bag. She only carries the bare necessities in it like their waterskin, her journals, a few medicinal phials, and a couple hundred rupees so they don't have to reach for the slate every time they need something, but that isn't what he's smiling about. Before they bought their house in Hateno, Zel never hummed. Now she does it almost as much as he does; when she's journaling or sketching, tailoring their clothes or tuning their bows. Sometimes she even adds lyrics to the stupid songs he makes up off the time of his head, like the one he sings when he washes the dishes.

These plates are a mess, it's gross I confess — they're so dirty, oh c'mon hygiene.

This mindless little quirk is something she picked up from him, and that would put a dorky smile on any man's face.

"What?" She asks with a chuckle. He hadn't realized he's been standing over her for several long seconds, smiling like a fool.

"Nothing," he shakes out of his daze and sits down beside her. Hunching over, Link rests his elbows on his bent knees and starts scrolling through their inventory for something to eat. "Did you find the elixirs we need?"

She shrugs apathetically and turns to continue her bag rummaging. "I was able to get one fireproof elixir from a woman that works at the stable. She had a couple more, but she didn't want to sell them to me. She was afraid Vah Rudania might start attacking as far as this stable."

"What, like crawl down the mountain?"

"Maybe?" Zel brings her hands up in an I don't know gesture. "She wants to stay protected and I don't blame her. There's still so much we don't know about the Divine Beasts." She looks up from her lap to gaze across the horizon, straight at Vah Medoh flying in the distance. "Luckily, in order to make our own, I believe the only items we're missing are fireproof lizards. So, on our way to the Southern Mine tomorrow we can catch some, then craft more phials at the next stable."

Link bobs his head in understanding. "Sounds good. Oh, and here," he adds, materializing a couple items from the slate that he's certain she was looking for in her own bag. In his hands, Link holds two menstrual pads out in her direction. "Keep these in your bag since you'll need them tomorrow or the next day," he says unbothered, not even realizing he's fallen into a pit he can't climb out of.

When she doesn't say anything in return, he glances at her and a muted minute passes between them before she blinks and asks slowly; "How... did you know that?"

Spiraling down a pit of despair, he clears his throat. "Because you— you were looking for them and you um... eat more when you're about to..." No, that sounds terrible, he says in his head. "B-because I like to keep track—" No, that's even worse. With his face growing as red as a hearty radish, he blurts; "because your breasts are bigger."

...Oh my gods so this is how I die, he thinks.

Despite the heat, Link has frozen into a cryonis block of pure embarrassment. Not only has he confessed to keeping track of her monthly cycles, he also confessed that he stares down her shirt like an obsessive creep. Maybe if he rides all night he could make it to the Temple of Time and figure out a way to rewind so he's not sitting here, petrified, with his jaw slack and unable to remember how to breathe properly.

The most mortified second passes too slowly before Zel eventually moves, but Link shuts his eyes quickly—not wanting to know what she's going to do to him. He winces for impact, expecting a furious shove or a serious slap across the face, but it never comes.

"Do they really seem bigger to you?" She asks distractedly.

Link peeks an eye open and immediately wishes he didn't. Zel's staring down at herself, squeezing her elbows into her ribs to push her breasts together and the movement causes her to spill out of her blouse even more than usual. Then she places a hand over one of them, cupping and squeezing and Link's eyes bulge open as his fear of being smothered to death by menstrual pads vanishes completely because she's touching herself right in front of him. In all fairness to Zel, it's more of an examination, but he adds it to the pile of fantasies he has. Thoughts that involve kissing her neck or tasting between her legs or fucking her in that white dress against a wall of their home in Hateno... and now there's this.

He doesn't know how to answer her. "I um.. It's only when—"

"No wonder my back always feels sore right before a new cycle." She sighs and tilts her head over each of her shoulders to stretch the stiff muscles in her neck, completely fine and absolutely comfortable with having Link's eyes roaming all over her breasts like it's no big deal. At least she's comfortable with him doing it. After all, she did gift him with a full view at the Seabed Inn, but it still doesn't mean he's as comfortable with this as she is just yet.

By the time they've made their meal and eaten it too, Link isn't frozen with humiliation anymore thanks to Zel asking so many questions about the shrine he was just in. It must have been pretty obvious to her that he was flustered by it, but he wants to find a way to redeem himself so he's not falling asleep cringing every time he thinks about her breasts. Which is a lot.

The night sky has fallen around them, the twinkle of fireflies speckling the corners of his vision as Link shifts his attention between the bright stars above and Zel feeding the horses close by. There's a relaxed smile on her face and she's humming again. Perhaps the one charming trait about the Eldin region is there are no storm clouds or rain or villages to pollute the sky with limited visibility. Link hasn't seen this many stars since trekking across the Great Plateau.

By the time Zel returns to the campfire, Link is lying on his back with an arm bent under his head like a pillow, his other arm resting on his abdomen as his legs stretch towards the cooking pot. In his peripheral, he watches Zel get comfy next to him; scooting close and mimicking his pose. Several minutes pass in a peaceful silence before Zel asks quietly, "Do you remember any constellations?"

He squints his eyes, trying to remember, then shakes his head lazily. "Can you tell me about them?"

"Hmm, let's see. There's one I can spot very easily..." she says laggardly, then eventually points towards the north western sky. "See those three bright stars in a row?" She asks and he nods. "They're on the belt of a great hunter. His name has been lost in history, but legends say he was a heroic archer from an age long past. You can see the outline of his chest above the three stars and his tunic just below them. Some even see him extending his bow to the right, just there," she gestures, sweeping an arm across his vision, resembling the curve of a bow.

"Do you think he was as good as you?" Link asks, trying to be suave to make up for his awkwardness earlier. He sends her a silly smirk and she chuckles softly.

"Possibly," she fires back, then looks up at the sky again.

A cool breeze dances in the air. Link shifts closer to her and naturally, she does the same.

"There's another one," she says, pointing towards the south this time. "It's debatably the most popular constellation. Do you see that crooked square those four stars make?" He shakes his head so Zel props herself on an elbow and leans into his eyesight to point more directly.

"I see it now," he whispers. She's so close to him, he's honestly not paying much attention to the night sky anymore.

"Some see that as a chariot the Princess rode into battle on. And there," She points again, "If you follow that big star upwards, you'll see another box, only smaller. That one's for the hero." She glances at him, but he's captured her gaze because the mention of the Princess has perked his attention.

"Is that…Princess Zelda?"

Gradually, her gaze trails off his face and rests onto the fire. "Not the Zelda from a hundred years ago, but yes." she nods weakly. "For countless generations, whenever there is a firstborn girl birthed into the royal family, it's tradition to name the child Zelda, so there had been other Princesses in the past with the same name. A firstborn daughter from the Hyrule King doesn't happen very often but when it does, there's always demise that follows."

"So... she's like an," he pauses to search for the right word. "An omen?"

"That's what many, many say," she sighs. "It's believed that she is the Goddess Hylia incarnate, destined to battle an evil prophecy, while others believe the Royal daughter carries the blood of the Goddess. Whichever the case, a hero is also born around the same time to help her banish the evil plaguing this world. That's why there are two constellations. They mirror each other. They're separate, but connected."

"What do you mean, connected?" He asks, propping himself on his own elbow so they can face each other better, the sky no longer a map to their conversation.

"Well, it's uncertain, but there's an ancient story that depicts the Princess and the Hero as two pieces of the legendary Triforce. They represent wisdom and courage while the third is the power they must subdue... but of course there are a plethora of theories, and no one knows for sure."

"What do you believe?"

The crackling from the fire and the noise of quiet chatter coming from the inn fill the silence for a while as Zel squints into the flames. He watches the progression of her features change; a trance-like stare with a hardness to her jaw, slowing morphing into a tired look around her eyes as she chews the inside of her cheek. He's surprised it's taking her this long to answer.

"I believe their souls must be connected somehow," she eventually says. "A Princess is never born without her hero and a hero is never found without a Princess. They are forever locked in a cycle of rebirth, only reappearing when the world needs them. They are forever destined… and cursed," she adds basely, "to find one another over and over and over again."

He lets the quiet settle before he asks his next question. The conversation has shifted from theoretics to a comprehensible tie to him directly, and they're both aware of it. "If it's true, that I'm connected to Princess Zelda... how come I can't remember her? Why is she the farthest one from my memory?"

"Maybe..." she begins slowly, her eyelashes fanned out along her cheeks as she looks down at the small space between them. Her hands are fidgeting. "Maybe if you look closely, you'll find her."

But he doesn't want to. If there's an infinite amount of Heroes and Princesses and war, followed by a peaceful age he'll never get to see in another life, there's still only one Azella.

Extending a hand across both their bodies, Link cups her cheek in his palm. She feels cold even when they've been sitting by the fire, but his touch doesn't warrant a reaction until he brushes his thumb gently across her cheekbone and it makes her breath hitch. She takes a long inhale, like she's preparing herself, then meets his eyes.

Green to blue, freckles to scars, aligning like the constellations above, and he says; "What if I've already found someone else?"

Perhaps she wants to agree with him. Tell him that she thinks so too and melt into his touch like she usually does. To start leaning into him as he leans into her and their lips would meet somewhere in the middle, but his attempt at being romantic and charming didn't play out like he was hoping. Instead, she looks exhausted. A fatigue that seems heavier than any amount of tree chopping or horseback riding they've done all day. Her eyes are weary and glossy, but she gifts him a soft smile anyways—even if it's forced.

"It's getting late," she says quietly. "We should rest, we have a long day tomorrow."

Hesitantly, he retracts his hand and nods with an uncertain smile. He could've sworn she would have loved that line. Would have swooned and sighed and gotten weak in the knees, but maybe talking about fate and destiny and being connected to some other woman wasn't the right time to bring up their relationship right now, the same one he's been too nervous to talk about with her openly, and he's starting to lose faith that it's never going to happen.

With a long sigh, he lies back down on the bedroll and tries to fall asleep.

» . «

Link hasn't said a word all morning.

Whenever Zel asks him a question, he'll either sign or shrug or ignore her completely because his cheeks haven't stopped blushing scarlet and his nerves haven't calmed down yet. He knew this would happen one day, he just wasn't expecting it to end the way it did.

When Link began to stir from sleep, there was no way he could maneuver his way out from the position he was in because frankly, he didn't want to. Zel was snoozing almost completely on top of him with her head on his chest and her arms stretched out at weird angles around his shoulders. They were comfortable and she was adorable and he would've stayed like that all morning if he could, but he was growing increasingly uneasy with every soft shift she made in her sleep, especially when her knee was moving higher and higher up his thighs.

And with every innocent movement she made, his erection was only getting bigger. There was a part of him that wanted to shove her off, yank her from a peaceful sleep and not tell her the reason, all because she was about to feel his dick through his trousers, but another part of him figured she wouldn't care. That she might even like it. If they were falling for each other, wouldn't she want all of him, accept all of him, maybe even get a little aroused by him?

So he took a gamble and decided to sink into the moment. He began brushing his fingers up and down her back rhythmically and the motion made her inhale deeply and a smile started to blossom on her lips. Everything was perfect, even when she stretched out and curled back in again like a cat and that was the same time when her knee brushed right over his erection. Twice. The second time seemed like she did it deliberately. He held his breath and hoped to Hylia she wouldn't judge him because there's not a chance in hell she's naive enough not to notice it, to not feel him so stiff and hard or how he reflexively pressed up against her as she moved, but she seemed unbothered—just like he hoped she'd be. With a heavenly sigh, Zel nuzzled her cheek into his chest and started brushing her own fingers along his collarbone.

He couldn't have imagined a better way to wake up. Peaceful and languid, her hair tickling his chin as neither of them paid much attention to the waking stable surrounding them. The way they both touched each other felt far from platonic anymore, and the shame of spending the last several weeks hiding his morning wood suddenly felt so unnecessary.

But their tranquil little moment might as well have been trampled on and burned to the ground along with Link's confidence and dignity when they heard the sound of footsteps approaching and a taunting voice giggle; "Someone's an early riser."

They both groaned at the same time, pulled confusingly from a relaxing and gentle waking. When Link squinted his eyes open, he saw a woman with a broom and purple lipstick standing over them, smirking so much she was nearly laughing. And she was staring straight at his crotch.

"You're a lucky lady, miss," the woman said when Zel lifted her head from his chest to gawk at her.

Zel didn't respond, but she did glance down his body to where the woman's eyes were still ogling at. Since neither of them changed into their sleepwear last night, Link was still wearing his Hylian tunic and unfortunately, it must have ridden up with Zel's movements and his tight tan trousers were showing the outline of his erection like a pitched tent.

He didn't give them anymore time to stare. Sliding out from underneath Zel, he scrambled to his feet and began walking in a mindless direction and he didn't return back to camp until that creepy woman was nowhere to be seen and Zel had already prepared everything for their trip.

Atop their horses, they waved goodbye to Kass and began venturing into the maw of Death Mountain, but they haven't gotten far yet. They've been guiding their horses slowly, side by side, so they can catch fireproof lizards easier and not exert more energy than needed due to the rising temperatures. It's also been very apparent that Zel's trying to find a way to pull him out of his shell. She's acting goofier than usual and being silly when she jumps off her horse to catch a scurrying lizard. She's even vented her own frustrations about the incident.

"I can't believe she had the audacity to say that, let alone stare at you so shamelessly. I mean, seriously, where does she get off?" Zel huffs and takes a sip from their waterskin, then seals it shut and tosses it to him. "And why was she sweeping the gravel anyways? So strange."

This is the second time she's said something along those lines and if he didn't know any better, he'd think she was acting rather territorial. As much as he's turtled into himself this morning, he does appreciate that she's been sticking up for him and not saying things that will embarrass him even further. Between sips of water, he glances at her to find that she's smiling back at him weakly—tucking a strand of hair behind her ear like she feels almost as bashful as he does. After all, she was caught on top of him, rubbing up against his erection either unknowingly or on purpose, and maybe she's worried she had crossed a line, one that she shouldn't have, but he really wishes he could find a way to get passed this mute chagrin and pick up where they left off.

Truthfully, he wishes he could tell her everything. How badly he wants to kiss every inch of her. How he wants to wake like that every morning (without someone looming over their heads), and just confess it all so he doesn't have to feel like this anymore, but words don't come easy to him and every time the moment arises or the setting is just right, he gets tongue-tied or stalls or misses the mark completely.

With their horses loafing along the wide gravel path, they enjoy a panoramic view of the natural springs around them. Although there's no vegetation in sight besides half-dead shrubs and tumbleweeds, the landscape is admittedly scenic. The gargantuan clay-colored boulders contrast with the cerulean hues of the water in an intimidating, yet enchanting way and the sound of the waves lightly sloshing against the rocks adds a sense of tranquility to the steamy air. Zel spots a Korok balloon hiding within the rusty scaffolding way high above them, so they station Sasha and Jassa beside an iron lantern that's been nailed into a boulder and they both slide off their horses. Zel hits the target on the first try.

"Correction," she says, turning back to him with a smirk. "I doubt the great hunter in the sky was ever as good as me." She wipes her fingernails back and forth against her shoulder in a jokingly pretentious way and it makes him smile. He knows she's doing it to try and make him laugh, but it's rare to hear her speak about herself in that way, and that's why he's really smiling.

Returning to their horses, Link climbs atop Sasha quickly, ready to continue up the trail, but Zel pauses. With a foot in the stirrup and a hand stretched out atop the saddle, he could tell she's thinking about something —perhaps they forgot an item at the stable or maybe she can hear a noise that he can't. He almost breaks his silent streak by asking her what's wrong when she backtracks. Returning her foot to the ground, she steps away from Jassa, stares Link straight in the eyes, and begins undressing.

His hands are frozen on Sasha's reins to be able to sign. "Wh-what are you—?"

"I think we should take a dip in the springs," she says, untying her corset strings.

"Why?"

Her corset comes undone and she drapes it over Jassa's saddle. "Because Vah Rudania hasn't made a sound all morning and I don't remember the last time I bathed, can you?" She thinks about it briefly, then shakes her head, returning to the present. When Zel lifts her white blouse up her belly and over her shoulders, Link tries to swallow, but he must have forgotten how. He coughs instead.

"Someone could see us," he hisses. What is he even saying? She's usually the one to tell him to stop playing around and put his clothes back on—why is he questioning this? Quite frankly, he blames his prudish behavior on the unfortunate event this morning.

"Who?" She argues back, hands swiveling around in a searching gesture. "There's no one out here besides you, me, and that Korok," she points, "and I'm quite sure they're not wearing any clothes either."

"They wear masks."

"Ugh," she groans. "Not this again," but there's a smile tickling her lips as she rolls her eyes at him, then she starts kicking off her boots.

At this stage in their journey, there's been numerous displays of nudity between them, but never out in the open like this and never with the promise of getting physically active and frisky and wet. And it absolutely does not help that she's sliding her riding pants down her legs and bending over to pick them up from the ground and now all she's wearing is that white lingerie set and a vexatious expression on her face, trying to loosen him up with an invitation filled with enticement and mild seduction and honestly... it's working.

Except she mistakes his guileless gawking for his previous hesitations. With an exaggerated harumph, Zel flips her hair dramatically, swivels on her heels, and looks over her bare shoulder at him. "Suit yourself," she chirps whimsically, and starts walking across the path.

Several prolonged seconds later, Link breaks free of his paralysis and practically does a front flip off Sasha. When his feet hit the ground, he immediately starts unclasping all his belts—dropping his sword and shield, the slate and his quiver, discarding his items like a trail of breadcrumbs as he stumbles to catch up with her. Like a madman, he frees from his clothing at an alarming rate, leaving his dark blue boxer briefs on, and runs to meet Zel who has stopped at the end of a tall ledge, blissfully unaware of his encroaching stampede until the very last second. She turns with a surprised look on her face, but it turns into a scream and a laugh all at the same time and both of them leap from the edge together, jumping into the water with a huge splash.

They spring up moments later, water droplets glittering in the sun as the sound of Zel's unrestrained laughter hits his ears. The water feels warm and exhilarating, like it's actively healing the small cuts and bruises he never applied medicine to. It even feels like it's helping to mend his tarnished ego from this morning, although that could be more to do with the successful attempt of Zel getting his mind off everything. Whipping his soggy bangs out of his face, he spins around in the water until she's in his vision. As soon as their eyes meet, she splashes him.

So he splashes back.

This, undoubtedly, results in an all-out war amongst archer and hero, causing obnoxious ripples and waves within the once calm waters as their laughter ricochets off the cliffs around them. Dry rocks become soaked in a tide of unstable waves caused by the friendliest and most innocent of battles as they fight to out-splash the other, though both of them are already completely drenched, but filled to the brim with puckish energy.

After a short while, their energy sizzles out to lingering chuckles and gentle movements—no obvious victor from their splash war because that wasn't the end-goal to begin with. As Link floats in the water leisurely, he tries to remember the last time both of them did something fun like this, together. For weeks they've been battling monster camps or training ruthlessly, solving shrine puzzles or helping others, and Link enjoys all of that when he's with her, but it's a rare moment to see Zel so unabashedly playful and unapologetically herself that he can't help but watch her with a smile on his face as she swims calmly back and forth across the water from him.

Catching his gaze, Zel chuckles and lifts her head from the water. "Have you ever played the game, cucco?"

Still soaked with impish vigor, he replies with a smirk and a rather condescending tone. "Well, if I did, I don't remember."

"Alright, smart ass." Using her thumb and middle finger, she flicks water at him. "Do you want to learn how to play, or not?"

"Obviously," he flicks back.

Her smile never strays from her face as she explains the game to him. It seems simple enough; there are four people and two of them get on the other's shoulders and whatever pair can knock the other team over, allegedly, wins. This is the type of game that seems better suited for him than logistic puzzles or card games—besides slap jack. That's his favorite.

When she's done explaining, he asks; "Should we play?"

"We don't have four people."

"Oh," he says, slightly disappointed. "...do you want to see if I can pick you up on my shoulders?"

"Yeah," she nods enthusiastically.

Attempting to get Zel onto his shoulders is a challenge since he's never tried to do this before. The humid air fills with giggles both of masculine and feminine design as she chuckles her way through explaining what he needs to do. "Turn around and crouch down —No, you're going to have to crouch lower —lower," she laughs louder and it makes him laugh too because she's behind him and all he can feel is clumsy wet fingers and toes sliding down his back as she tries to climb onto him like a slippery wall in the rain.

With a deep inhale, Link holds his breath and crouches down until he's fully submerged underwater and she immediately jumps on top of him. Her legs hook over each of his shoulders, making her inner thighs press against his ears and her groin against the nape of his neck. She taps her hand on his bicep several times over, communicating that she's ready for him to rise from the water, but when he does his adrenaline gets the better of him. Springing from the water too quickly, Zel loses her balance and in one swift motion, her legs flip back over his shoulders and the sound of a humorous yelp gurgled together with a huge splash clashes behind him as her back hits the water again, and she goes under.

In rescue mode, Link spins around and plunges his arms into the water, grabbing at skin until his hands find her back and he's able to hoist her upwards. It's a mess of clumsy limbs and rapid ripples, frantic movements and frothy bubbles, but her legs quickly wrap around his torso and he's able to get a good grip on her back. With a combined effort, they manage to pull her from the water and before she even resurfaces completely, she starts laughing.

Contagious and uncontrollable, Link holds her close and laughs right along with her. There's water raining down his face by droplets from her drenched hair and their failed attempt was so funny to them that their laugh lasts long and loud and plentiful. But when he slowly opens his eyes to see the green in hers, like an ebbing tide, their voluminous laughter trickles away and their giddy facial expressions resort to something more serious because reality has set in and they're suddenly both extremely aware that Zel's legs are clenched tightly around his torso and Link's hands are on her bare back, securing her against him. There's only a small space left between them filled with steamy air and dying chuckles and an unfathomable desire that's been debatably ignored and continuously repressed since the moment he laid eyes on her, when she was nothing but a peculiar stranger without a purpose or a home, and he was nothing but a raggedy boy that fell from the sky right in front of her.

With a heart rate beginning to accelerate, Link tries to breathe, but all normal thoughts and decisive actions are lost to him now. He's utterly distracted by how the water sways over her breasts and how her nipples are almost completely exposed through the soaked linen of that white brassier, can feel her shaky breath on his skin and how her hands are slowly moving up his chest and over his shoulders, until they curve around the nape of his neck and her fingers push gently into his hair and he's so lost in the sensation of it all that his breath hitches at the inhale and his eyes snap to hers, looking for guidance and searching for answers because he's unsure of what to do or even think anymore.

There's a look in her eyes; hopeful but insistent, burning incredibly impatient as she holds his stare briefly before her gaze betrays her and trails longingly down his cheeks and nose and stop at his parted lips and it instinctually makes him close his mouth and swallow.

"Zel, I... I want—" Despite getting a mouthful of water earlier, his throat feels incredibly dry. He doesn't know what he's trying to tell her, but she seems to understand when she whispers back.

"Me too," she says and tilts her head down until their foreheads meet. Their lips are aligned and their breath is in harmony, but she closes her eyes and doesn't move any further. Then it dawns on him that she's waiting. That she's been idling here in this position for a long time—much longer than this moment—just waiting for him to catch up.

And finally, he's ready.

The buoyancy of the water keeps her in place as his hands start to shift away from her back and onto her arms and he has to pause in his movements to take a chokingly sharp inhale. Of this slight hesitation, Zel's lips twitch and she angles herself even closer to him like the closer they get, the more her stubborn restraint is dwindling. There's a pleading desperation crinkling around the corners of her eyes as her fingers grip harder in his hair, physically demanding that he finish what he started.

He doesn't remember sliding his hands from her shoulders and onto her face. Doesn't remember the exact moment when he closed his eyes and he began leaning into her, but he does remember the soft nose she made when their noses touched, like it was something out of a dream he once had. He returns back to himself when that happens, when he can't hear anything anymore besides the quiet tremors in her breath, can't feel anything besides her burning cheeks beneath his thumbs and her golden hair tangled between his fingers. With her nose brushing up against his own, slowly, gradually, he angles his lips to hers so he can close that final gap between them, one which contains a single measly inhale. That's when their upper lips touch and press hard and firm against the other and Goddess, she feels so soft and perfect already and he's just about to tilt his chin and seal their kiss and spiral down an unknown path filled with flurries of kisses and groping hands and hearts spilled vulnerably out to one another when—

"Ahhoooy!"

It was all chaotic splashes and oddly thrown limbs after that. Unfortunately, the unknown assailant jolted Link from his stance on the slippery rocks and in one false move, he loses his balance and his hold on Zel and both of them fall ungracefully into the waters, bumping their heads together as Link accidentally elbows her in the temple and she accidentally kicks him in the gut.

Gasping and choking on water, they emerge from the surface moments later, paddling around in the waves as they try to find whomever it was that ruined their private moment. A Goron the size of a boulder is running down the maw of the mountain, his bulky travel pack swaying behind him as he runs, and he's got both hands cupped around his lips as he calls out once again.

"There's an Eldin ostrich stealing your stuff!" He shouts and points down the trail and their eyes follow the direction. Beyond the rocks and passed their horses, there's a large two-legged bird awkwardly galloping away and within it's mouth is Link's trousers billowing in the wind like a humiliating flag.

But Zel doesn't stand frozen like he does. With a loud gasp in her throat, her head snaps to him, says in a panic; "The Sheikah slate!"

Link's swearing gets drowned out over the sounds of her frantic splashing as she struggles to make her way out of the waters. When she finally has a handle on the land, Zel lurches from the shore and starts running towards his bow and quiver that he carelessly dropped somewhere in the middle of the path and he watches, stunned and dazzled, as she skids and slides and props herself on one knee and in an instant, she loads an arrow, draws the bowstring back, and fires.

That big dumb bird didn't stand a chance.

Usually, Zel doesn't like to do the hunting despite being the better archer. She's killed her fair share of game, but she prefers to prey on the monsters, using her talents for defense and valor rather than of sport, but as the lifeless animal falls to the ground, the slate drops and tumbles along with it. When the dust starts to settle, Link's eyes slowly trail back to her as she lowers the bow and sighs out a long exhale. Her shoulders slump in gracious relief and she turns her head to look for him still standing in the steamy waters. Even from a distance he can see her expression weaken and her eyes soften— compassion and disappointment shown clear on her face.

He can't believe their half-way kiss was ruined by a rogue ostrich stealing his pants.

Between sourly bitter lips, Link blows out a raspberry and falls back into the water with an obnoxious groan. He considers sinking down to the bottom just to sit and sulk and pout there for hours.

But eventually, he drags himself out of the spring and back onto the gravel, painting dark red spots from his soaked hair and underwear as he goes, barely paying attention to the heroic and mildly intrusive Goron that's walking up to them, catching his breath.

"Phew, I was worried your pants were a goner, my brother," the Goron says to Zel who has Link's bow strapped behind her and is awkwardly crossing her arms over her breasts in a very poor attempt to keep them out of view.

"Yes well, thank you for calling out to us." Zel tries to smile, but Link can tell she's gritting her teeth in frustration. Just like he's doing.

The rest of their journey was somber and humbling. After a few minutes of chit-chat, the Goron named Kairo continued on his way and Link and Zel were left with the task of reluctantly collecting all their items that had been splayed recklessly on the ground. With the blazing sun almost directly overhead, it wasn't long until their hair had dried and they were fully clothed again, but neither of them said anything. They stayed quiet, lost in their own thoughts as they climbed onto the backs of their horses and began ascending into the maw once again.

The only time words were shared between them was when Zel spotted a Guardian further up the trail. She insisted Link stay hidden with the horses as she used her talents of stealth and agility to sneak upon the possessed machinery. He didn't want to argue with her, but to keep his own mind at ease, she did agree to equip a Guardian shield for protection if it shot a laser unexpectedly, and they were both grateful when that didn't happen. It took Zel only one shot with an ancient arrow directly in the eye for it to explode into a pile of ancient parts before it could even locate her.

Higher and higher up the trail they venture, the hotter and hotter the temperature gets. Due to the heat, their horses slowed significantly when they entered a caved portion of the trail containing numerous ore deposits, fire keeses, and chuchus. Link collected every mineral piece he could find and fought off most of the tedious little monsters by throwing bombs or slicing through them with a sword if the keese flew too close to him or Zel.

By the time they exit the other end of the tunnel, it's late afternoon and the heat is so hot, the air tastes like iron and ash and all around them soft embers float like smotherwing butterflies. Zel is having an easier time with the heat than he is albeit both their shirts are soaked through and their hair drips tiny droplets of sweat, but their horses are another issue entirely. He keeps it to himself, but he's starting to gravely worry that Sasha and Jassa won't make it to the Southern Mine if it gets any hotter than this, and that thought doesn't last for much longer.

Just up ahead on the trail to Goron City holds an obstacle neither of them had prepared for. A steep wall full of jagged rocks and steaming boulders comes into view and as they get closer, it becomes rather obvious that it would be physically impossible to lead a horse any further. Glancing at Zel, Link can tell by the expression on her face that she's shocked by the scene in front of them. From what she can remember on her last hike to Death Mountain, this road block probably wasn't here, but that must have been ages ago because all the heavy rocks have long settled by now. They stop their horses just on the edge of the incline.

"No no no no no," Zel struggles to inhale like the smoldering air is gagging her. "How are we suppose to get Sasha and Jassa up this?" She gestures at the large rocks before them.

The closest thing he has to an idea is using the magnesis rune and a large block of metal, but he doesn't voice this idea out loud. Too inhumane, Zel would say, and he doesn't have any metal larger than a shield anyways. "Was it like this before?" He asks instead.

Their eyes meet and she shakes her head. "No, I swear. Back then, the trial was treacherous, but horses could at least make it to the Southern Mine."

"I believe you," he says, then starts getting off Sasha. "Stay here. I want to climb the rocks to see what's up ahead."

Minds whirling to find a solution, Zel doesn't react or even respond to him, just watches nervously as he climbs up the small cliff. The heat is so immense under his fingerless gloves, that it feels like he's putting his hands further and further into their wood fired oven at home. When he reaches the top, he stands to scan his eyes over the new area. All he can see are pools of bubbling lava and even more embers floating in the hot air and there's a Guardian stalker far off in the distance. He takes a couple steps further and it suddenly feels like he just walked into a furnace.

Like he'd been physically burned, Link retreats immediately and rushes back to lean over the ledge, yells down to her; "We're gonna need that fireproof elixir now."

"Already?—" Zel shouts back in a shrill voice, but she's cut off by another sound, and this one's screeching.

High above the blistering rocks and lava, Vah Rudania's mechanical roaring rattles the settled pebbles from their places and makes their fatigued horses whinny and shift restlessly on their hooves. Zel grabs for the reins of her horse then reaches over to soothe Sasha, but that's at that same time when another sound rings out across the ruined land. It sounds just as ancient and ferocious, but it's not a roar. It's a caw.

"That must be Vah Medoh!" Zel shouts as she climbs off Jassa, her head turned towards the north west horizon. They search the skies for the ancient machine, but the skyward rocks are obstructing their view. "They're... they're communicating."

He turns back to her, still in shock. "How is that possible?"

"I don't—I don't know," she says, voice trailing off.

Climbing cautiously down the cliff, Link stops halfway and scans the south western skies. "Do you think Vah Nabooris might be behaving this way, too?"

"That's an... unfortunate possibility. The Divine Beasts are an enigma, but they were dormant like the shrines and the towers until you activated the slate at the Great Plateau, which means they—they're all connected somehow. Connected to a hive mind that's adapting and evolving and defending it's territory..." she pauses, her eyes quivering back and forth like they usually do whenever she's trying to solve a puzzle. After an entire minute of silence, she meets his gaze again, but there's a sadness in her eyes now that almost makes his heart stop. "Link... I think we—I think we need to split up."

"What?" He honestly doesn't understand what she's trying to say.

"There's—" She swallows like there's a clump of sand in her mouth. "There's two Divine Beasts that are terrorizing a populated area that have just tried to communicate, and there's only one fireproof elixir between us."

"We can share."

"No, we can't," she says weakly. "If we divide it's effects, we won't know if it will provide enough protection to make it to the Southern Mine. Besides, we can't just leave the horses here."

His heart is racing and there's a panic rising in his voice, but he continues to fight her. "We can head back to the stable. Make as many elixirs as we need. Start fresh tomorrow."

"We've wasted enough time as it is," she sighs, though it's dangerously close to a sob. "We can't back track now, but... but we can be in two places at once. I can travel to Rito Village to calm Medoh while you appease Rudania."

"But there's only one Sheikah slate, Zel." He resorts to physical gestures because his voice is failing. Snatching the slate off his belt, he waves it in the air to show her, like she doesn't already know. "And—and what if taming Vah Rudania can calm Medoh down, too?"

"That doesn't seem very likely. After you freed Mipha and Vah Ruta, it wasn't long until Rudania started crying out, like it's trying to warn the others that a threat is coming. And we were able to stop Vah Ruta's downpour without the slate, remember?" Clawing her fingers through her hair, Zel takes a deep breath. It doesn't seem like she's satisfied at winning this argument. "Look, Link... the last thing I want to do is leave you, trust me, but I—" She meets his eyes. "I have to let you play your part and... you have to let me play mine."

There are storm clouds beginning to cluster around his heart and vision, narrowing his focus until the panic starts to blind him. He should have known that she'd use his own words against him eventually. Why couldn't he just allow her to stay by his side every second of every day and let her fight the Ploymus Mountain lynel with him or activate all of Vah Ruta's terminals together or partner in battle against the Waterblight Ganon?

Because that's his role. Not hers.

"So, that's it then?" He asks, balling his hands into fists. "You'll just travel across Hyrule, alone? With—with just a bow and a travel bag?"

"I'll have the horses with me," she tries to sound reassuring. "And I can travel with Kass, he said he'll be leaving for the village tomorrow. I'm sure he wouldn't mind the company and it would probably help our reputation with the villagers if I showed up with another Rito. By the time you get there, they'll be eagerly expecting you."

"How?"

"I'm a sweet talker, remember?" She gifts him a crooked smile. "They're stubborn and proud, but the Rito are talented archers. I'll be better suited to aid them than the Gorons."

"And what about me?" He's resorted to passive aggressive comments, but he can't help it.

When she doesn't answer, Link drags his eyes from the ground to meet hers. They're a vibrant green against the dull landscape and although her short hair is damp with sweat and there's a streak of dirt on her face, she's still so beautiful.

"I'll be waiting for you," she smiles, and it's a real smile this time. "Like always."

Heart leaping from his chest, Link skids frantically down the rest of the cliff, desperate to hold her. To touch her. They almost crash when he lands and he cups her face in both his hands, thumb brushing away the dirt on her cheek. "But... but, you and I, we—we're so—"

Maybe she tries to respond, but the sound that leaves her mouth is more like a sob than anything. Her eyes are shut, sealed forcefully with emotion as she tries to breathe—the panic Link has felt for the past several minutes suddenly hitting her as well. When she inhales, it's jagged and short and sounds awfully painful. She's trying to choke down her feelings, but it's a losing game.

He tilts his forehead to hers, whispers desperately. "I can't do this without you."

She doesn't try to correct him, to reassure him that he'll be okay or that she'll be fine on her own because she's unable to speak anymore. Sliding her arms under his, Zel wraps them around his back and nuzzles her face into the crevice of his neck and he moves with her; sealing her against his chest as they both try to process and cope with the fact that this will be the last time they see each other for a while. There's nothing left to do now besides hold one another close for as long as they possibly can.

Whatever time that passed would never be enough, but slowly Zel starts to shift beneath him—arms unraveling across his back and he only complies at releasing her so he can look at her face again. It's soaked with sweat and tears, just like the collar of his tunic now. She sniffles, then wipes away a fresh tear with her fingers.

"I um... I want to give you something."

Despondently, she walks over to Jassa and starts riffling through her travel bag. It takes her longer than necessary, but she pulls out a soft package wrapped in folded brown paper and twine. She turns to him and clears her throat.

"Paya gave this to me when we left Kakariko. Impa had hoped that I could mend it for you." Walking over to him, she places the package in his hands and he starts unwrapping. "Ever since you gave me the sewing machine, I've been working on it little by little whenever I would check-in at home. I got help from Purah and Sayge from the dye shop to find the right tools and colors. When we were visiting Robbie, Jerrin helped me sew in an extra layer of the enchanted fabric they designed to protect you against ancient machinery, and while we were chopping wood yesterday, I got the Great Fairy Mija to increase it's defensive properties altogether."

In his hands, Link holds a tunic he's never really seen before. Delicate but surprisingly robust, there's a familiarity to it that he's only noticed in his regained memories. Little flashes of details like when Mipha was healing his arm atop Vah Ruta or when he glanced over his shoulder as he listened to the Princess at the Spring of Power. It's the same, but... it isn't. There are obvious mends to the fabric, slightly off-colored thread added to the embroidery, and patches sewn where tears used to be. Broken and forgotten, but repaired and given a second chance by the same hands that helped him repair his own dignity and pride. That helped repair him.

Rubbing the soft fabric between his thumb and index finger, Link glances at her in question. "This is mine?"

She nods. "It's your Champion Tunic. It was battered and frayed when I received it. I would have given it to you straight away, but I didn't want you to see it like that. I'm sorry."

Already being a man of very few words, he struggles to conjure any. Not even a flimsy thank you because it doesn't seem like it's enough. Instead, he starts removing his leather wristbands and with a smile, Zel closes the small distance and helps him. Unclasping the armor of his other wrist, it quickly turns into her removing his gear for him, piece by piece as he watches, smile mirroring her own and indulging in the intimacy of her hands capering along his shoulders and around his waist to unbuckle every belt that's swung over him.

With a circle of accessories pooling around his boots, Link keeps his chainmail on when Zel helps pull off his Hylian tunic and swaps it for the mark of a Champion. When his head pops through the other end of the blue collar, Zel pulls it all the way down his abdomen, then leans back and beams at him.

"I was worried it might be a little loose, but—" Her eyes meet his and they're shimmering like emeralds. "It fits you perfectly."

He has spent countless weeks over-analyzing every moment down to the minute details, has hesitated and stalled and passed up perfect opportunities all because he told himself the landscape wasn't right or simply because he wasn't ready, but there's no thought involved to his next actions. Relying on instinct, Link takes that one measly step between them and just—

He kisses her.

Wildly, fervently, his hands sliding along her waist and up to her shoulder blades as his lips press hard and firm and perfect against her own and there's a sound that leaves her mouth, one that he'll never forget for the rest of his life. It's a disrupted gasp of shock muffled by his lips and a tilt of her head and she kisses him back just as urgently, fiercely, her hands moving unceremoniously up and down his chest just like his are doing along the curve of her spine, until her arms wrap around his neck to pull him closer and he couldn't have imagined that she'd kiss him back any other way.

There's nothing delicate or soft about it. It's chaotic and messy, wild and insistent, hands uncertain of where to roam next though their lips never stray and their kiss never falters. It's just quick and honest and desperate with their heads tilting at new angles with every push and pull of their lips against the others and when Link feels her begin to pull away, it's like her lips are stuck to his and she has to physically push against his chest to tear herself away.

For a fleeting moment, he thinks that maybe she changed her mind. Had realized what was happening and decided she didn't want it, but when Link's eyes flutter open, that momentary doubt leaves his mind quicker than it came. Breathing heavily with a hand over her heart, Zel staggers back slightly like she's intoxicated, and there's the biggest open-mouthed smile on her face.

"Holy Hylia," she pants. "You haven't— I mean, you've never—" Zel takes a long resetting inhale before she huffs out the breath, then meets his eyes again. Her cheeks are flushed like a bright pink peony. "Sorry, that made me a little dizzy."

Her initial reaction makes him laugh and he starts combing his fingers through her tangled hair. He caused those tangles. Because he just kissed her. "I know, I should've— I just wanted— I wasn't sure—"

The sound of her unabashed laughter cuts off his pointless ramblings. Between his hands, she shakes her head and says; "Just shut up and kiss me."

He doesn't even hesitate.

This time it's more rhythmic than before. Slower, but just as ardent and needy. To feel her lips moving against his feels like the first time he can remember smiling. Like when he was wandering aimlessly along the Great Plateau and had spent nearly all his arrows trying to hunt down a wild boar. With his final arrow, he struck true through the heart, lowered his scraggly bow, and smiled. It feels like hope and strength mixed with a little luck and a huge amount of instinct because the way their bodies move in unison feels so primal and simple and when she sighs against his mouth, he tilts his chin to capture her upper lip and drags his tongue against it.

He doesn't hold back his feelings, doesn't try to hold her like she's fragile or like he needs permission. He's not even that subtle about it when he palms over her breast on his way up to cup her jaw in his hand. Being a man not of words but of actions, Link has learned from her long ago that he should only say or do something if he means it and he has made a lot of mistakes with her and he's only going to make a bunch more in their future, but Goddess is he going to kiss her like it's the last thing he ever does. Every. Damn. Time.

And she doesn't stop him. Doesn't protest when his tongue teases into her mouth or when his pelvis tilts uncontrollably and his erection rubs right against her thigh. Doesn't seem bothered at his roaming hands or the fact that they're wasting even more precious time by standing here with her fingers gripping hard in his hair, making him hiss through his teeth and so he nips at her lower lip, just to make her moan.

Her movements are growing more persistent, more needy, with her lips pushing harder and her hands sliding lower and it takes the strength of all of his past lives just to pull his lips away and whisper; "We... we should probably divvy up our stuff in the slate."

In a breathless daze, it takes her a couple seconds to respond. "Right, yeah—no, definitely."

Everything feels a bit different now. They're still the same Link and Zel and they still bicker about who gets what as they sort through their items in the Sheikah slate, but there's a subtle energy in the air. Like a relief has been lifted off his shoulders and no matter how much they argue about who takes their last phial of sanitizer or how he insists she take more pre-made meals than she wants to, he can't seem to stop smiling.

With the last portion of their items divided, Link drinks the ash-tasting fireproof elixir as Zel straps a bedroll onto the back of her now packed saddle. Her travel bag is filled to the brim with cured meats he's made, there's an extra bow hung to Jassa's pillion along with their strongest shield and a pouch overflowing with rupees. As Link materializes another silver rupee and a package of salted trout, she tsks her tongue at him.

"Seriously Link, I have more than enough money and I'm quite sure I can manage to cook a meal without burning it by now."

He doesn't respond with words. Just raises an eyebrow at her suspiciously.

"Fine," she huffs. "Give me the damn fish."

They both chuckle softly, but it trails off and grows quiet and that smile that's been so adamant on his lips starts to fade away when it dawns on him that he won't know how long it'll be until he sees her again. The longest they've ever gone without the other was only several hours at best—when he'd go hunting for shrines or she'd tinker in the lab. Since the day they met, they've slept by the same campfire, within the same stable, under the same roof, and in the same bed, and now it'll be days, weeks, maybe even months, until he can sleep by her side again. It's that thought that makes his vision blurry and a lump starts to lodge in his throat.

"Please— please don't—" she says unexpectedly because his eyes have flooded and he can't really see her face very well anymore.

In rescue mode, Zel wraps her arms around her neck and pulls him into a tight embrace, making hushed cooing sounds that help to calm his rising anxiety, but it still doesn't stop the tears from falling. He holds her just as tightly and buries his face in her hair. She smells like sweat and dust from the trail and that spicy floral aroma that floods his senses whenever he's close enough to smell her. If he had a choice in any of this, he'd take the four of them—him, her, Sasha, and Jassa—off this forsaken mountain and back to their home in Hateno and just lie with her in their bed for days, kissing her and holding her and only getting up to cook meals and feed the cuccos and perhaps when all of this is over, that's exactly what they'll do.

"It's alright, Link. We'll be alright. We always are." She pulls away to meet his eyes before placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. "The Gorons will keep you busy," she says, then moves slowly to his other cheek and places a kiss there, too. "And Mipha will be with you," she kisses his nose, then wipes away his tears. "And I'll be waiting at Rito Village, I promise." She kisses him on the lips softly. "Just don't forget to check-in at home." Another kiss. "And make sure you water the plants." A lingering kiss this time. "And for the love of Hylia, don't over-feed the cuccos. You feed them way too much."

Her attempt at making him laugh is a success and through the chuckles, he kisses her like they've been doing it for years. His hands move to cradle her face as her own cling to the fabric of his tunic and their lips are shaky with a bittersweet indulgence that tastes like salt and feels like endless adoration and swells with the promise to continue another day.

He pulls back slightly, just enough to feel her heated breath on his lips, and he whispers; "If you don't leave now, I... I won't be able to let you go."

Slowly, her lips close and she nods, but her instincts betray her and she leans in again to kiss him one more time, and he doesn't dare deny her.

Like floating away from shore, Zel steps back as her hands stay pressed against his chest until the very last moment her reach comes to an end and her arms fall to her sides. With a crooked smile, she turns her back to him and climbs onto Sasha, but when she meets his gaze again, her expression has changed. She holds the face of a warrior; strong and brave and resilient.

"I'll see you soon," she says casually, but there's a demand in her eyes, and he understands it perfectly.

"I promise," he answers back and she nods in approval.

She guides his horse as Jassa follows alongside her, back down the trail towards her own destined path, and Link turns—rather begrudgingly—the other way. I'll see you soon, he keeps on repeat like a humming mantra in his head. I'll see you soon.

---

Little Note: Just want to say; I appreciate you so much for reading this story so far. To the ones who leave reviews, you seriously make my entire day, and for those that follow or favorite, you help build the encouragement I need to keep writing.

Thank you thank you thank you, and I hope you'll continue to read my ridiculous shenanigans!
- Genevieve 3