So, it's been four years since I last updated this story. How have you all been? It's been a wild ride for me, that's for sure. However, I'm back to continue the story. A lot has happened, with Tears of the Kingdom messing up a lot of this story's plot points. We'll just pretend that this takes place in an alternate timeline. Keeping up with Nintendo tradition. For now, I'm happy to be back and to bring you all this latest chapter. I hope you enjoy.
Rito flew from their homes, darting towards the nearby mountains to escape the horror that had suddenly appeared at their nests. On the heights of Rito Village, the Helmaroc King flew around, like a predator circling its prey. Within the meandering bridges and platforms, Link ran around, firing off arrows at the enormous bird, to little effect. He avoided its various pecks and talon slashes, leaving large gashes upon the mountain that served as the village's base.
Link jumped away from another attack and launched another volley of arrows, to which the Helmaroc King responded by flapping its wings to knock the arrows away.
Link returned to run again and called out, "What is this thing and where did it come from!?"
Zelda darted her eyes over the entry on the Sheikah Slate, she gathered as much information as she could before calling out, "It's called the Helmaroc King! From what its log says, it terrorized the Great Sea."
Paya asked, "The Great Sea?"
"A long time ago, this land was an ocean and the top of these mountains were their own lands. From what I can gather, it was a preventative measure."
"I'll ask questions about that last part later. How do we kill it?"
Zelda scrolled through the file and said, "Umm…its face is the weak point?" Zelda asked in confusion, looking at the metallic mask on the large bird monster.
"Got it!" Link called out and readied an arrow on his bow. He took aim and let the arrow fly through the air, which flew true and hit the Helmaroc King on its mask, where it bounced off. Link groaned, "Of course it's not going to be that easy."
The Helmaroc King quickly dove at him, shrieking angrily. Link jumped off the platform he was on and landed on one at the bottom, avoiding being crushed by the large bird's attack.
Zelda and Paya made their way to the top of the town's roost, taking refuge near Vah Medoh. Paya, with Zelda on her back, jumped high and landed on the summit, surprising Zelda.
Zelda commented, "You truly are a trained Sheikah."
Paya took a deep breath to relax her nervous nature, "Yes. I may be a nervous mess, but grandmother made sure I was trained well. Still, that's not important right now." The sound of the Helmaroc King's shrieks and attacks were heard and Zelda looked down from the summit to see Link and Teba running around, firing a volley of arrows to little effect.
Zelda scrambled to think of something quickly. Link would eventually run out of arrows and then there would be no idea what would happen. She scrambled to think and looked at her hands, seeing the Sheikah Slate.
"Wait…" She thought to herself, "Of course!" She quickly called out, "Link!" Link looked up at her and saw her throw the Sheikah Slate and yell out, "Catch!"
Link nearly screamed in surprise as he saw the priceless object plummeting down to the ground. He sprinted, avoiding another slash from the Helmaroc King. He then dove and caught the Sheikah Slate just in time.
Standing, he gave a sigh of relief and yelled out, "What were you thinking!?"
Zelda called out, "I remembered that you need that for your weapons and ammunition."
"You're not wrong, but give me some warning first!"
A cold but strong blast of air rocked Link, nearly making him lose his footing. He looked back to see the giant bird standing on some of the structures directly behind him, glaring down at him. Link took out his bow again, but was quickly set upon by the avian and grasped in its beak. It launched him high into the air and opened its maw to attempt to swallow him as he descended. The flight of arrows could then be heard, but it was accompanied by the hiss of a series of fuses burning. Within seconds, a series of three bomb arrows impacted the Helmaroc King and caused it to stagger off the structures it was perched upon and fall to the ground, where it quickly recovered and began to fly once more.
Link took out his glider and descended safely down to the safety of a platform, soon being met by Teba. Teba looked at him, asking, "Still in one piece?"
Link nodded, "Thanks to you."
A loud shriek cut the conversation short as the Helmaroc King emerged from beneath them and high above before going into a stoop, diving towards Link. As it gained speed, it broke the posture and extended a taloned foot. Teba moved to avoid the blow, taking flight, while Link quickly took out the Sheikah Slate and teleported away. The Helmaroc King impacted the side of the mountain, leaving a crack on its surface with a loud crash.
After a moment, it looked at where Link had been and seemed confused and shocked that it had missed, not finding the young Hylian anywhere. It looked around and saw a series of blue tendrils descending upon the summit of the mountain.
Zelda looked behind her, having noticed the light and saw Link materializing behind her, giving off a sigh of immense relief. She ran over and said, "Great thinking! You would have a stain on the mountain."
Link shook his head, "I do NOT plan on becoming paste any time soon."
"And I think I've come up with a plan to hurt it."
"Please! Let me hear it so I can kill it." Link asked in an excited tone.
"Well, you see…"
Paya yelled out, "Umm…your Highness! Master Link! We need to run!"
The two looked over, seeing Paya running for them as the Helmaroc King rose to the level of the summit. It looked at the two and, with a mighty heave, flapped its wings, creating a strong current of air. Paya was thrown and pinned against the side of Vah Medoh's legs. Link was launched onto rocks, causing him great pain. He looked over and saw Zelda flying through the air and off the mountain. Link let off a hurt yell and got up, running to the edge and jumping after Zelda. Link dove down, trying to quickly catch Zelda as the two plummeted to the ground. He could see her flailing in the air, screaming for every inch she descended.
Link caught up and grabbed her carefully, pulling her onto himself and said, "Grab on tight!"
He felt Zelda apply a death grip onto him, giving him the affirmation he needed. He quickly pulled out the glider to stop the ascent, giving him and Zelda a sudden jolt. With a sigh of relief, he looked at her, seeing her with her eyes closed and terrified.
Link said to her, "Hey, it's okay. We're not falling anymore."
Zelda apprehensively opened her eyes and looked around and closed her eyes again, "Yes we are! Just slowly! Get me on the ground, this instant!"
Link stifled a laugh at her expense and continued gliding. He looked around and paled when he noticed the large figure of the Helmaroc King darting towards them. Link and Zelda were at its mercy at this point, as Link could not engage it in combat to defend himself and Zelda when they were so high in the air.
Link looked at the monster and noticed Teba flying above the Helmaroc King and blasting it with a volley of bomb and shock arrows. It let out a shriek and turned to chase after Teba.
Teba called out, "Get to land! I'll distract it!"
Link nodded and looked around, spotting a large tower of stone jutting from the water below. Figuring that it was an adequate place to land, he made his way over, hoping to quickly rejoin the battle to help Teba.
Within moments, he landed on the stone tower, allowing him the chance to rest his arms as he put the glider away as his feet made contact with the ground. Zelda continued to hold onto him for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief, feeling land beneath her feet.
"Stay here. I'm going back." Link said to Zelda, turning to leave.
Zelda quickly caught his arm and said, "Not without a plan you're not!"
"I don't know what I can plan here. It's a giant bird and I can't get close enough to stab it. So shooting it full of arrows is the only plan here."
"Just listen for a moment. I have two plans."
Link looked back at the aerial battle between Teba and the Helmaroc King, seeing Teba avoiding the large strikes from the beast and flying away to get away from it. He groaned and said, "Please tell me quickly."
"Plan number one, we use bomb arrows to destroy that iron mask that it has. Plan two, we use the Magnesis Rune on the Slate to rip it off."
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Just stay here where you'll be safe."
Zelda nodded and watched as Link knelt on the ground. She looked at him for a moment and asked, "Umm…what are you doing?"
Link chuckled to himself and looked at her, "This." A powerful gale quickly roared underneath his feet as Link jumped and took out the glider, having the wind carry him high into the air and aiding him in returning to the battle.
Zelda looked on in surprise and said to herself, "That's Revali's skill, isn't it? So, he inherited their abilities. Always full of surprises, aren't you?"
In the air, Link used the paraglider to return to the battle, as Teba could only hold out for so long. Link watched as the Helmaroc King managed to catch Teba in its talons, finally ending the annoying barrage of arrows.
Link withdrew the paraglider and took aim with his bow, sending a bomb arrow flying into the beast's face, exploding against the iron mask. The large bird shrieked in surprise and pain as it staggered from the blast and letting go of Teba, who quickly flew away, landing on the roof of a home to rest for a moment.
Link landed next to Teba and handed him a number of bomb arrows, "Here's the plan: Aim for that mask on its face and blast it to oblivion. Its face is a weak spot."
Teba took the arrows, placing them into his quiver. He stood and cracked his neck with a grunt, "Very well. The sooner it's gone, the better."
The Helmaroc King regained its composure and looked around for the two. It was hit on the side with a shock arrow, as Teba flew past, getting its attention. Once again on the chase, it flew after Teba as he maneuvered around the mountain village. After one lap around, Link jumped off a cliff and took aim, firing a bomb arrow, which hit the mask and staggered the large bird once more. In a rage, the Helmaroc King flew down and crashed its feet into a mountain wall. It removed its feet from the crater, holding onto large boulders. Flying high into the air, it took aim, and launched the stones down at Link, Teba, and the village below.
Cursing inwardly, Link and Teba took aim and fired off as many bomb arrows as possible, blasting away at the boulders, turning them into a rain of rocks. Link got close to Teba and summoned a barrier from Daruk's Protection, protecting himself and his ally. The village around them was pelted by the stones, causing quite a bit of damage to the village itself as an unfortunate bit of collateral.
Teba looked around, watching the destruction, he growled angrily and gripped his bow tightly, "I will not forgive this harm brought to my home."
Link nodded, handing him more bomb arrows, "No mercy."
Link knelt down, collecting power, and then sprang up in a mighty gale. Teba used it to rise quickly as well and shot towards the approaching beast. Using his speed, he avoided the monster's attempt to clamp its beak down on him and retaliated with a bomb arrow to its mask, cracking it. Link followed, diving down and fired off another bomb arrow and blasted the mask once more.
The Helmaroc King let out a shriek of anger and began to flap its wings, causing a strong gust to blow towards the two warriors, knocking them off balance in the air. Soon, the two flew back to the village slamming onto the side of the mountain.
Link and Teba groaned from the pain of the collision. They opened their eyes, seeing the enormous bird diving towards them. Teba recovered and fired an arrow at the Helmaroc King, which responded by stopping and flapping its wings again, causing another gust of powerful wind to blow the arrow away and slam Teba back onto the stone. The Helmaroc King landed in front of the two, continuing to blast them with wind to hold them in place and repeatedly slam them onto the mountain side.
The Helmaroc King raised its head, aiming its beak towards Teba and lunged at him for a devastating peck attack. Teba closed his eyes for the impending attack, sure that his end had come and he would meet it with honor, but it never came. Cracking his eyes open, he saw the Helmaroc King stuck in mid-motion, its mask glowing yellow as it fought to move its head. It angrily groaned as it fought against the invisible hold.
Link looked around, wondering what had happened. Soon, he spotted Zelda nearby, having teleported to the village, holding up the Sheikah Slate. It was clear that she had used Stasis to stop the attack by affecting the mask itself. Link got up, his body in pain from the slams, but fought against it to get to her.
Zelda looked at him and said, "I know you'll be angry that I'm here but I…"
Link cut her off and took the slate from hands. He then aimed the slate at their foe, grabbing the mask with Magnesis. With a mighty heave, he slammed the beast's face onto the mountain. Then he did it again, then again, again, again, and again. He kept going until the mask on its face shattered, revealing its face to the group. The Helmaroc King collapsed on the ground, its body hanging off the edge, as it tried to recover from the trauma of the blows.
Link ran up to the downed beast, who opened its eyes to look at Link as Link sank the Master Sword into its forehead. It screamed in pain as the blade sank into its head. It began to shake its head, trying to get him off. With one shake, it threw Link into the air. Link corrected and looked down as he descended, seeing the Helmaroc King coming up to him, mouth wide open and aiming at him. Its ascent was stopped as it was suddenly pelted by a barrage of bomb arrows by an angered Teba. Link saw his opportunity and dove down, readying the Master Sword. With one motion, and with the speed of the descent, he plunged the sword into the Helmaroc King's head with a sickening crack from the force. The Helmaroc King and Link fell back to the earth, with the beast crashing onto the ground and Link falling onto it, the feathers breaking his fall.
The Helmaroc King flailed on the ground for a moment, as its body began to be engulfed by purple flames, causing it to shriek in pain. Link groaned as he tried to get off the beast, but he was still a little rattled from the fight, the shock catching up to him. Teba flew over, grabbing Link and flying away, just as the flames engulfed the Helmaroc King's body.
Teba landed next to Zelda, putting Link down as he recovered, "There you go! Safe now."
Zelda knelt down next to Link, checking on him, "Link! Are you alright?"
Link nodded and threw up a thumb's up, "I'm a-ok. Just a little shaken from being slammed onto a rock repeatedly. I'll be alright."
"Good!" Zelda said, clearly relieved.
She looked back to the burning corpse, watching as the purple flames dissipated, revealing a skeleton on the ground, with the Master Sword sticking out of the cracked skull. Zelda stood and walked over, as Link sat up and watched her.
Zelda walked over to the skull and grabbed the Master Sword, pulling on it, but failing to get it to budge, "Quite a brutal way to go." She commented to herself. Scanning the bones, she could sense an energy coming from them, one she had never sensed before. It gripped her attention, her senses leading her to a source. She pushed some bones to the side as she dug around, trying to find the origin of the energy. Pushing aside another bone, she saw what appeared to be a black blade among the carrion remains. The design was not known to her, a further enigma to an already surreal situation. She could feel the energy coming from it, as it resonated with her own; the forces appearing to reach out to each other.
Zelda gasped as she sensed the energy, "What in Hylia's name is this? It feels…familiar…or rather…"
She placed a hand on the blade, feeling the energy as it began to pulse softly. She then saw as the energy began to wrap around her arm, crawling up slowly. The energy kept moving upwards, which caused Zelda unease. Trying to pull her arm back, Zelda tried and tried to do so, finding her arm stuck. The purple energy soon took the form of a hand, holding onto Zelda's arm and keeping her in place as she fought the grip. A featureless female form began to rise from the blade, standing face to face with a horrified Zelda. The being looked at her and let out a pulse of energy as Zelda's vision began to fade.
Waking with a shock, Zelda shot up to a seated position. She looked around, finding herself no longer at Rito Village and no mountains in sight. Instead, she saw herself in a barren forest, with no leaves clinging to the spindly limbs of the trees. She found herself in a dry pit of sand and dirt. Around her she saw broken pillars that lined the pit, the pieces spread around in a collage of rubble. She followed the pillars until she saw a large statue that was broken into pieces from the torso up.
Zelda did not recognize the subject of the statue. While only a fragment, it was clear that it was not a statue of Hylia or any deities she was familiar with. The sculpting style was foreign to her, at least from anything she had studied before. Standing, Zelda stepped forward, her feet sinking into the sand until they touched something hard. Looking down, Zelda saw nothing but sand and dirt. Testing the same spot once more with her foot, she again felt something hard beneath the sand.
Zelda knelt down and brushed away the sand for a moment, trying to find the buried object. Soon, she could make out the object, which became more visible as she worked through the top layer. Before her, a stone face was revealed beneath the ground, quite possibly that of the statue. It was the sculpted and lean face of a woman with her eyes closed and what looked like a crown of roses around her head, the thorns sinking into the flesh of their forehead.
An ethereal whisper came from behind her, catching her attention, "Hylia."
Zelda spun around looking for the source of the whisper. She could find nothing, just airborne dust and swaying, dead trees.
"Hylia." Whispered the voice again.
Zelda looked around, scanning the trees for the speaker and called out, "Here I am! Where are you?"
No response came; no voice, no whisper. Just bitter, empty silence. This did nothing to dissuade Zelda's anxiety. She could not see who she was with but she could feel their eyes on her. Zelda looked around once more and saw what looked like the figure in between the trees, looking at her. She blinked and the figure vanished.
Zelda grabbed a rock from the ground, holding it in her hands as an improvised weapon. She had confirmation that she was not alone and that something definitely was with her, stalking her.
"Hylia." The voice returned, again behind Zelda.
She turned slowly and looked at the statue, seeing the figure sitting on the jagged stump. The figure jumped down and landed in front of Zelda, kicking up a cloud of sand and dust into the air. Zelda backed away, watching as the figure rose to stand face to face with her once more. It stepped forward, to which Zelda stepped back, her heart pounding in palpable fear.
She heard the figure once more whisper, "Hylia."
"I am not Hylia." She stepped back, "What do you want?"
The figure stomped forward and hissed, "Hylia!"
Zelda gasped in fear and swung the stone at the figure, who caught the arm with a hand to stop the attack. The figure swung their free hand across and slapped Zelda, sending her to the ground, clutching her cheek.
Zelda groaned and rolled over, her cheek stung and her breathing was erratic from the sudden shock. She opened her eyes and saw as the figure jumped on top of her, wrapping its hands around her neck. Zelda grabbed their hands, trying to pry them off, but they were strong, very strong.
The figure hissed at her as Zelda could feel herself losing consciousness from the strangulation. She watched as the figure's featureless face began to ripple like water until two eyes suddenly formed over the face, revealing piercing purple pupils. They were glaring at her with a hatred she had never seen before.
The being got her face close to Zelda, watching as she began to lose consciousness. It then whispered to her, "Not yet…soon I will have what's mine." These were the last words Zelda heard as her consciousness faded to darkness.
With a yell, Zelda shot up, panting hard as she felt her neck, trying to find the hands that she recalled pressing down on her. There were no hands and she could breathe freely, much to her immense relief. She looked around, trying to find the being, but she was no longer in the barren forest. She was in a home, one she recognized. She was in a bed by a window, with a warm glow of candlelight and a fireplace illuminating the home. She was back at home, in Hateno. How and when did she get here?
A whimper caught her attention as she looked down to see Daina sitting at the side of the bed, looking up at her. As their eyes met, her little tail began to sway back and forth, happy to see her owner awake.
Zelda smiled down at her and reached down, picking up the puppy, and placed her on her lap, petting her, "Hello, Daina. Did I worry you, my darling?" Zelda said, the puppy giving her comfort.
She truly was home. Link must have brought her back when she fell unconscious. She touched her neck again, trying to process what had occurred. Was it a dream? It felt so real. The strangulation, the sting from the slap, and her fear. Yet, she was home and was unharmed. At least she hoped she was. She did not understand.
"At last the princess awakens." A voice said besides Zelda.
Zelda darted her head to the side to see what spoke, worried about possibly seeing the figure once more. Thankfully, she saw the small figure of Purah, sitting on Link's bed, putting down a book she was reading.
"Oh! Purah! It's you." Zelda said, her relief immense and unable to be hidden.
"I figured you would wake up and be looking for your knight boy. Sorry to disappoint, but it's just me. Though I'm far more of a looker, aren't I?" She said with a giggle, striking her usual pose.
"Where is Link?" Zelda asked. She had not noticed him there, nor could she feel him nearby.
"He went with the town doctor to pick up some medicine. He'll be back. He asked me to stay here and keep watch of you. Now, from what I heard, you suddenly passed out after some battle with an overgrown turkey. Too much excitement, princess?"
"I don't know. I touched a blade and then…I was…somewhere else."
"Somewhere else?"
"Link brought you into town and dragged me and the doctor here to take a look at you. The doctor couldn't find anything physically wrong with you, but was worried about you suddenly fainting. As for me, he wanted me to take a look at the blade you touched."
"And where is that blade?" Zelda asked, clearly fearing the mention of the blade.
"It's in my lab being analyzed. If I find something, you two will be the first to know. It's a peculiar thing. It's not of Hyrulian, Rito, Zora, Gerudo, or Goron craft. Not even Sheikah or Yiga forge. It's definitely foreign to these lands, but I'm not too familiar with it. I'm still investigating, as you can see." She said pointing to a stack of books and papers on the bed.
"I need answers. I need to see that blade again." She said, trying to get out of bed.
Purah moved quickly and pushed her back down onto the bed, "Oh no you don't! You rest, little pretty missy. That's an order. I'll let you see it on another day, but you need to take it easy."
"But…"
Purah cut her off, "No no no! No buts. Link is worried enough as it is. Don't make it worse for him, please. Don't want that handsome face of him to slump with sadness, no?"
Zelda lay down, Daina resting on her chest, licking her chin in an attempt to receive attention. Zelda patted her little head and said, "So he was worried?"
"Of course your hubby was worried. His princess suddenly falls like a rock and doesn't wake up for four hours, would do that to him."
Zelda was surprised, "Four hours!?" She looked out the window to see the night sky, with the moon hanging high above.
"Yeah, you slept like a baby. He brought you here, covered in cuts and bruises, but demanded that we care for you. Seriously, not much we can do while you're asleep. So the doctor is getting you medicine while also tending to his wounds. Boy can take a beating."
Zelda sighed inwardly, "He's still doing his duty, even though I don't want him to worry about me anymore."
"Yeeeeeah, that's not happening. He made a vow and he's sticking to it. As long as he lives, he'll be taking blows for you. That's what a knight does."
"But I don't want him to be a knight. I want him to be himself. I want him to be…"
"A lover?" Purah interjected with a mischievous smile.
Zelda quickly turned red and yelled out, "No! I mean I want him to be free from any vows he made to me and my father."
"Tough chance of that happening, princess. He may be dense and rough around the edges, but the boy is resolute. As much as you hate it, you're stuck with him until further notice. Then again, I could dismiss him for you. Tell him to kick bricks and find another pretty little thing to watch over."
"Don't you dare!"
"What? You're not lovers. Let him taste the fruits of another tree. If you don't want him, I'll shoot my shot. Change my body back to that of an adult when I was darn sexy and see how it goes."
Zelda shot up and said, "Purah, don't you dare!"
Purah again smiled, "Oh? Struck a nerve? You going after him?"
"I…umm…never said that."
"Then no harm, no foul. He's free pickings."
"No! Link's min…" She quickly put a hand over her mouth to stop herself. Which caused Purah to begin to laugh loudly.
Purah took a moment to compose herself and then said, "That was great! Riju's right, you're so easy to tease. It's so much fun. I'm so happy you two are awake again. Before you came around, Link didn't speak too much, now he's so expressive. I love it. You two are some of the best things to ever happen to me. You keep me entertained." She took another moment to breathe and said, "Okay, I'll stop. I won't tell him. Still, it'll do you some good to have a talk with him about your relationship."
"What?" Zelda asked, unsure.
"Look, it's clear you two are very close and very clear that you're interested in each other. Just take a chance and get your feet wet before you jump into that pool. You might find that you like it more than keeping things hidden in this annoying denial. You two already live together and most of the town thinks you're married. Might as well give it a try. If you don't like it, then that's that. However, it's best to be mature about this rather than act like lovestruck school children. Then again, I can't blame you. You two didn't have much of a childhood. Which means, you shouldn't hesitate to do things now that you have a second chance. Try to take this time to enjoy this life you have now."
Zelda considered her words, holding Daina close for comfort, "I suppose you're right."
"I usually am. Now, be honest with me. Do you like him?"
Zelda hesitated for a moment and then said, "Well…umm…when it comes to what you would call attraction, I suppose I…"
"Nope! Answer the question directly and don't beat around the bush. Yes or no. Do you like him?"
"Look, I just think…"
"Do…you…like…him!?" Purah asked, her voice raising in growing frustration. "Yes…or…no! I won't accept any other words right now and am not putting up with this finicky malarky."
Zelda sighed and then responded quietly, "Yes."
"Come again. Say it louder."
Zelda groaned and reiterated louder, "Yes. I like him."
"Good! See? Easy. No need to hide things from me. It's just between us ladies. Doesn't it feel better to just admit it than to skirt around the issue with overthinking? If you keep that up, you'll never move forward because you'll keep getting in your way. Got it?"
Zelda considered what she said for a moment and said, "I suppose I do."
"YES OR NO!?" Purah yelled out.
Zelda called back in shock, "Yes! Alright, yes."
"Good! We understand each other. Now then, she sat on the side of Zelda's bed, "What happened to you that you woke up in a cold sweat?"
Zelda paused for a moment and said, "Well…I dreamt something…but it felt so real. I woke up in a dried out spring within a barren forest. It was abandoned, in rubble, and overgrown. As if no one had gone there to worship in ages. There was this statue of what I would assume to be a goddess, but it was destroyed and desecrated. I found its head in the dirt. From there, this creature appeared calling me Hylia and then it attacked me. It began to strangle me. Then, before I blacked out, it told me that…soon it would have what is theirs."
Purah listened attentively, taking in the information that Zelda was relaying to her. She pondered this for a moment and said, "Hmm…I worry if touching that blade exposed you to something that knows of your bloodline. I will have to investigate further to get some answers for you. Most likely, this was just a nightmare. However, there are too many variables that I cannot ignore. For now, all we can do is investigate and try to find answers. I say keep living normally, but if this happens again…well…we'll cross that bridge if we ever get to it. For now, try to relax. It has passed."
Zelda nodded, "Thank you, Purah. You're a great friend."
The door to the house opened up, with Daina barking and running down to greet a returning Link, now covered in bandages. He walked upstairs to see the two women on Zelda's bed, looking at him.
Link sighed in relief, "Thank Hylia, you're awake." He looked at Purah and said, "Thank you for watching her for me."
Purah hopped off the bed, "No problem. It was a pleasure. That being said, I should head back to the lab. Come see me in the morning. There are things we must discuss, Linky. For now, I'll leave my books here. Take them to my lab. For now, you and the princess should talk. See ya both, later!" She quickly left, leaving the two alone with the closure of the front door.
Link turned to Zelda and looked at her for a moment. Both of them were quiet as they tried to find the words to say.
Zelda took a deep breath, "Umm…Link…I…umm…"
Link suddenly walked over and hugged her, causing her to let out a surprised yip, "I was so worried. I'm glad you're alright."
Zelda smiled and hugged him back, melting into the warmth of the embrace, "Likewise."
I promise I won't vanish for almost another half decade, if I can help it. I'll be working on this story and the other stories as well at my own pace to try to stay as consistent as possible until they're done. For now, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. For now, take care everyone. Ciao!