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Chapter Text

Link:

The Knight’s Pain

          Three months. It had only been three months.

          Three months since he drove the blade of Master Sword into the head of the Demon Dragon.

          Three months since Zelda was restored from the Light Dragon.

          Three months since he watched Mineru fade away into the afterlife.

          Three months since the waking nightmare that was the Upheaval finally ended.

          It’s been three months and he couldn’t shake the anxiety. He couldn’t move past the never ending dread that Zelda was just going to vanish again. That he’d wake up one day to find her not only missing from their home, but from the face of Hyrule itself.

          Link lost count of how many times he’d awake in a cold sweat from another nightmare with his heart in his throat fearing the worst…Only to find Zelda snuggled up next to him, sleeping away as peacefully as she could, or wide awake, her emerald green eyes wide with concern.

          Though some days the opposite happens, where Zelda wakes up in a cold sweat and he’s the one looking with concern. It was those nights that the two of them would decide to call it an early morning and start their day.

          Fortunately, as the sun started to set on Hateno Village, Link knew that tonight wouldn’t be one of those nights. The air was still, the sky barely cloudy, and the soup he was cooking smelled lovely.

          Zelda was staying late at the school, helping Symin with planning out the next week of lessons for the kids. From what Zelda told him, it was gonna be all about the Zonai so she needed to borrow Link’s Zonai charge belt, which he was fine with. Wasn’t like he had a real use for it anymore now that he had his own arm back.

          Though it was days like today where he wished he still had Rauru’s arm.

          For some reason, well Link knew the reason, his body started to randomly hurt all over. A lot. First it started out as just a few minor aches here and there that he could very easily power through. He once fought a Lynel with a broken rib…Or two, so a sharp dull pain in his lower back was nothing.

          Over a short time it got worse. It wasn’t just in his back, but in his legs, his shoulders, wrists, ankles, anywhere it seemed. There wasn’t a warning for when the pain would flare up, it just happened whenever, and Link just powered through it.

          Though he knew better, he knew he should tell Zelda…

          The only person he’s told about these issues was Purah, and that was the first time the pain appeared with his lower back. She told him one thing and it stuck with him ever since.

          “Linky, you gotta stop pushing yourself so much. You’re gonna end up seriously hurt.”

           Unfortunately her advice went unused. It was during the Upheaval after all, and Link wasn’t gonna stop pushing himself past his own limits. Also he just assumed it was an effect of the Gloom lingering in his body, he pushed himself just as hard during the Calamity and came out fine. But now?

          Just tell her. He thought. She’ll understand.

          Though…She’s got enough on her plate as is. Just keep going. It’ll eventually get better.

           Link knew he was lying to himself. It hadn’t gotten better. At all. It kept getting worse. He was eventually going to have to face it at some point, he knew that. Yet for some reason he just couldn’t bear to bring it up with Purah again. Let alone Zelda…He didn’t want her to worry about him again, she worried about him for so long after all…

          So Link buried the thoughts in his mind, and focused on the soup he was making. Cooking was a good distraction, the one thing he knew that he could always do. Tonight’s dinner was a soup with a seafood stock base, rice, carrots and other veggies with bits of crab mixed in.

          The last thing Link had to do before letting the soup simmer on the stove for a while was to chop up some fresh carrots he got at the store today. He set the four carrots down on the cutting board and grabbed the knife he used for chopping vegetables. Link was very particular in how he cooked, at least when not out in the wilds. He had a knife for meats like boar and venison, fish, vegetables, and fruits. He learned early on that each type of food requires a different knife to cut properly.

          He chopped up the first carrot just fine, sliding the orange veggie slices into the awaiting soup pot while humming along. Chopping the second carrot was not fine. Just grasping the knife’s handle with his hand caused his wrist to flare up with searing pain as if he had just dropped boiling water on his hand.

          Link silently cursed under his breath, which was now slightly labored, and swapped hands. He was partially ambidextrous, so using his left hand wasn’t that much of a hurdle. He carefully, meticulously, sliced the carrot into equal sized pieces, tossing them into the soup pot right as that wrist started to ache.

          “Oh forget it.” He sighed, gently placing the lid on the simmering pot of soup before taking a seat at the table nearby. At least the chair was comfortable. All Link could really do now was wait for the pain to subside, whenever that would be. Gently rubbing his pained wrists helped a little at least, and he could still set the table for him and Zelda in the meantime.

          All while he kept thinking about telling her about his pains…

          Link was putting the final touches in the soup when Zelda came home.

          “Link, I’m home.” She said in her cheerful voice, closing the door behind her. “Poor Symin can’t get a break. He lost the notes he took last week and we spent two hours tearing the place apart.” She laughed before giving Link a hug, which just made all of his worries vanish.

          “Whatever you’re making, it smells delicious.” She smiled, planting a kiss on his forehead. She was slightly taller than him so forehead kisses were very common.

          Link’s entire face grew red. “Oh just some crab soup. Pruce had some crab at the market today, figured why not?”

          “Crab soup huh?” Her face lit up. “I remember that dish, it was a good side dish for dinner in the summer at the castle when I was younger.”

          Link raised an eyebrow. “Really? Well I hope mine is just as good as-”

          “Please Link.” Zelda laughed, taking her blue jacket and hood off. “Your cooking is so much better than anything the royal chefs could dream up.”

          “I don’t think I’m that good.” He couldn’t help but laugh as he started to ladle the soup into their bowls.

          “Tell me Link, would you use a milk broth for a venison stew? Not as a base, but the whole broth.”

          That single line almost made him drop the ladle entirely. He faintly remembered Zelda and Urbosa both complaining about the food quality at the castle, but he never realized it was that bad.

          He must’ve had a shocked look on his face because Zelda immediately started to laugh again.

          “But why?” He asked while reaching for one of the bottles of wine on the top shelf above the stove. “Why would anyone even think that would be a good idea?”

          “Something about beating Termina cuisine?” Zelda mused while tapping her fingers against the table. “I think there was a rivalry, can’t remember exactly.”

          “Termina’s a year away by boat on the Necluda.” Link stated while pouring her a glass of Hateno wine. “I can’t imagine it was a rivalry, more like mimicry. Trying to be something they weren’t.”

          “Considering my father’s attitude towards things…That actually fits.” Her voice had a slight tinge of annoyance to it, which always appeared whenever her father was brought up.

          “His attitude towards anything was irritating.” Link sighed as he finished pouring his own glass of wine.

          Zelda faintly smiled. “One time he angered Urbosa so much, I swear to the Goddess that she was contemplating killing him right then and there.”

          He gazed up towards the picture of the Champions that hung on the wall by their bed. “That sounds like her alright.” He said wistfully. 

          Truthfully it sounded like any of them. They all had their gripes against King Rhoam, but Urbosa was practically Zelda’s surrogate mother, so whenever she heard of the King’s misdeeds to Zelda she had to secretly compose herself by venting her frustrations in her journal.

          “They’d be so proud of us.” Zelda softly replied. “We did it, we beat it all back. We won in the end.” With a small sniffle she tried a spoonful of Link’s soup and her voice picked right back up. “This is amazing, I don’t know how you pull it off!”

          Link’s ears perked up. “Love.” He blurted out. Just watching her readily devour the food he makes her always makes his heart swell.

          “If love is the secret.” Her green eyes met his gaze, making his heart swell even more. “Then no wonder the royal cooks sucked.”

          “Only the best for my princess.” Link couldn’t hold back his smile as he finally started to eat the soup he had spent several hours laboring over. Even he was occasionally surprised at how good of a cook he was. He tried to get another spoonful but the pins and needles in his wrist started up as soon as he gripped his wooden spoon.

          With a slight wince, Link grabbed at his pained wrist hoping that compressing it would ease the pain like it sometimes did.

          Well, might as well tell her.

          “Link, are you okay?” Zelda asked in that overly worried tone. The tone that makes his heart cry.

          He tried to speak, but nothing came out.

           “Pain. Wrist. Happens a lot. All over. Not getting better.” He signed to her instead. Each movement of his right wrist made him involuntarily flinch from the shock it sent through his body.

          “Link…” His love’s voice went soft. “Purah told me a while ago, you mentioned it to her.”

          He felt his stomach drop as he gave a short, almost shameful, nod. Too embarrassed of his own pain to even look at her.

          “It’s okay Link.” Zelda reached out and took a hold of his hands, her gentle touch sent shivers throughout his body. “It takes a lot to admit when you’re hurting.”

          She wasn’t wrong. Link’s commitment to bury his feelings, his problems, and even concerns had done a number on him…The wounds it left weren’t physical so no one, outside of Zelda and a few others like Purah and the Sages, even realized how bad it was.

          It took him a full year after the Calamity to even begin to truly start expressing his feelings again, to finally show emotion. Now here he was, having to start the process all over again.

          He took a deep breath, taking Zelda’s hands into his own. Just feeling the warmth emanating from her was enough to calm his senses. He finally looked back up at her. Those emerald eyes of hers were wet with tears, overcome with concern and worry but she was smiling. A smile full of love and compassion.

          “But.” Link weakly started to say, feeling tears of his own drip across his cheek. “How can I be the hero that Hyrule needs if I’m…Falling apart?” His gaze fell down to the table, staring at the dinner he made of the two of them.

          “Link, you don’t have to be the hero anymore.” Zelda’s grip on his hands tightened. “You can be yourself again. Just like how I’m trying to be Zelda again.”

          He glanced back up at her. “I’m trying.” He shakily whispered, doing his absolute best to keep himself together. “I’m really trying.”

          “I know you are. I am too. We’re gonna do this together.” Zelda started to slowly rub her thumb along the back of his hand. “Together.”

          Link repeated her words in his mind for a moment. Facing their issues together. No longer being the hero, just being himself. He liked the sound of that, even if it was just a return to his pre-Upheaval self. It wasn’t like he really remembered anything from the time before he met Zelda.

          “I would like that…” He said softly. “Together.”

          “Oh Link.” Zelda sniffled while her tender smile grew. “We’re a fucking mess…” She held back a laugh, but it was too late as Link started to laugh instead. The tension of the room had all but vanished with that. 

          Zelda didn’t curse much. She was raised to be prim and proper, like any good princess after all. But when she did, it was either under emotion or to really drive a certain point home.

          “We really are huh?” He giggled. “The princess and the knight, crying over a bowl of soup. Real fairy-tale material here.”

          That got a full laugh out of her. “It would be the worst selling book of all time.”

          “People only buy it for soup recipes after all.” Another laugh from Link. “Speaking of, you should probably finish it before it gets cold.”

          “You’re right, I should.” Zelda laughed again. “I’m actually quite hungry.”

          She let go of Link’s hands and wiped her eyes before digging into her bowl of crab soup. “You really need to start writing these recipes down.”

          “Have you seen my handwriting? It’s atrocious.” He chuckled.

          “Link, if I can read your handwriting it’s perfectly fine.” Zelda stated. “I personally love your writing.”

          “That’s because it’s mine.” Link replied before taking a sip from his wine.

          “Of course, I love everything you do.”

          “And yet somehow I fell for you first.” He dreamily said, remembering the early days of their friendship before the Calamity.

          “It’s only natural for the knight to fall in love with the princess, and for her to fall in love back.” She leaned across the table to kiss him, which sometimes would leave Link breathless like this one did.

          “It’s a fairy-tale story, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

          His face grew red hot, like he was standing inside of Death Mountain itself.

          “And when the knight hangs up his sword.” Zelda continued in her soft and dreamy voice. She was definitely tipsy from the wine, but then again so was he. 

          “She falls in love all over again.” She reached over and grabbed one of his hands. “Especially when he’s the best cook in all of Hyrule.”

          Link held back a sob. “Zelda, I love you so much. We’re gonna be okay are we?” He gently asked. He knew the answer, it was just reassuring to hear it from her.

          “I love you too Link, and we are.” Zelda reached over to kiss him again. “We’re gonna be okay.”

           He got up from his seat to kiss her back, and to just be next to her. Even if it meant awkwardly sharing a seat. Her warmth, the way she wraps her arm around him, the way she would run her fingers through his hair. Outside of putting him at ease, Link craved it. He craved being held, and cuddled, and loved and just all of it.

          “Link, my sweetheart.” Zelda sleepily started. “I love the cuddles, but I don’t think sitting halfway on a chair is the best place for it.”

          Link planted a kiss on her cheek. “This is why you’re the scientist and I’m the swordsman.” His voice was just as, if not more, sleepy than Zelda’s.

          “You were just waiting for me to go to bed first weren’t you?” She asked.

          “Yeah…” He admitted.

          “I’ll be up there in a bit.” Zelda’s voice in this state was like a lullaby to Link. If he wasn’t sitting halfway on a chair he’d be asleep already. “Tomorrow, we’re gonna see if Purah can’t do anything for your pain, okay?”

          “Okay. I hope she can help.” Link was struggling to keep himself awake at this point. The thought of his pain finally going away was exciting. At this point he’ll take it being less…Impactful on his day to day life.

          “It’s Purah, I know she can. I’ll see you in bed in a bit sleepyhead.” Zelda gave him a kiss on the top of his head before getting up.

          Link happily obliged. Especially as he could smell the rain in the air. The nights when it rained in Hateno were the best for both of them. Neither of them had nightmares, and that’s the last thing he wanted.

          As Link drifted off into sleep he wondered how Purah was going to help him. What wacky invention was gonna help this time? 

          It didn’t matter really. As long as it didn’t involve him getting shot up into the sky without warning. Though he couldn’t help but worry about it not working.

          As soon as Zelda crawled into bed next to him, he immediately fell asleep. This time he was the one who was being held, and it made all his worries about tomorrow melt away.

Chapter Text

Zelda:

Plans for Healing

          Thank the Goddess the travel gates still worked.

          Otherwise getting to Lookout Landing would’ve taken several hours on horseback. Not that Zelda would’ve minded, but her desire for horseback travel have been superseded by her worries for Link and how much pain he was in. With that in mind, a several hour long horseback trip was out of the question, especially with the Master Sword on his back. Maybe if Link didn’t have the sword it would be a different story, but she’d only take a short trip on horseback in that case. Not to a faraway location like this.

          Lookout Landing was a place hastily put together for a regrouping after the start of the Upheaval, using the Emergency Shelter for the caring of the sick and wounded and for planning a response to the growing crisis. Now? It had become a place where peoples from all of Hyrule would gather to trade, sell and buy goods, and spread local news around. The whole area was starting to expand as well, with talks of turning Lookout Landing into the main entrance of the rebuilt Castle Town.

          However, those plans were put on pause. Indefinitely. Even the expansion of Lookout to include an inn outside of the various beds inside the Shelter was put on hold. Just stepping out of the Skyview Tower it was very clear to everyone what the issue was, and why any further expansion of Lookout Landing, or even a rebuilding of the famed Castle Town would have to wait.

          Not too far away was thousands upon thousands upon thousands of pounds of rock, dirt, stone, brick and aging decrepit wood suspended in the air by a massive singular pillar of rock and stone. Zelda’s former home from a time that now seems almost alien to her. Just staring at it brought back such… odd memories. Not unpleasant ones thankfully, but odd ones nonetheless.

          “What a sight.” She said to herself, taking in the view from the second floor of the tiny Depths research outpost that Purah and Josha had set up.

          “Equal parts terrifying and fascinating.” Link laughed next to her, resting his head on her shoulder. “I’m just surprised it’s still, ya know, up there.”

          “As am I, but it being up there is halting progress of, well, everything.”

          “What isn’t these days?” Link’s voice was soft. “It’s just how Hyrule is.”

          Zelda was going to say something in protest, but was cut off by Purah’s voice calling out to both of them.

          “Zelda? Linky? What’re you two doing here?” She asked while idly toying with her flute.

          “Oh hi Purah!” Zelda enthusiastically replied with a smile and a wave. Purah’s very presence was always uplifting, no matter the context. “We’re here for a very important reason.”

          “Please tell me it’s helping us figure out what to do with…With that.” Purah sighed, using her flute to point at the castle. “I have run out of ideas. Robbie told me one before he left, and I don’t like it.”

          “No, sadly, we aren’t here for that.” Zelda replied while gazing back at Link, who clearly wanted to be anywhere else but here right now.

          She felt awful for her love. Link was never very good at admitting to needing help, and despite the heartfelt and emotional conversation from last night, he still clearly felt shame for it. Something that could most likely be blamed on the “gossip mongers” of the royal court and of Castle Town. A term her father came up with to describe the more nosy of Hyrule’s nobles. It wasn’t just her they mocked…

          Zelda pushed those memories aside. It didn’t matter what the nobles thought anymore.

          Purah raised an eyebrow for a split second, clearly noticing the way Link was standing before giving a short nod. “I think I know why.”

          “Yeah…” Zelda sheepishly answered. “Link needs help.”

          “Oh no.” Purah’s voice quickly lost its normal cheerful tone as she walked right past Zelda, her mind clearly focused on Link.

          Despite standing a mere few feet away, she couldn’t hear what Purah was saying but whatever it was it made Link’s face turn a light shade of red as he slowly shook his head.

          Purah gave a nod. “Linky, you really did a number on yourself didn’t you?” Her voice was gentle and soft, a tone that Zelda had only heard Purah use a handful of times.

          Link’s sole response was a subtle smile. A smile that said everything Link needed to say. The smile that said that he’d do it all again if he had to.

          “Do you have any ideas on how to help?” Zelda asked before leaning up against the wall that supported the massive telescope above them.

          “A few, some a bit more… out there , but let’s do the tried and true methods first.” She replied, pressing her flute against her chin in thought.

          “I was honestly expecting you to jump right into the wacky stuff.” Link softly laughed while scratching the back of his head.

          “Well unfortunately you’re getting the standard Kakariko Village treatment first.” Purah rolled her eyes with a laugh. “I hope you like tea.”

          “You make it sound like a bad thing.”

          Zelda could only laugh alongside Purah, who had also decided to lean against the same wall. “Poor Link.” She whispered.

          “Is it that bad?” Zelda asked, her voice barely audible above the commotion from the nearby market stalls. She watched as Link took the Master Sword off his back and started to lay on the hard wooden floor. She couldn’t even imagine how bad it was for him, that lying on stiff wooden planks was better than standing.

          “Follow me.” Purah whispered before immediately going back to her normal voice. “Gotta check if I’m thinking of the right tea…And that reminds me, I have something to show you Zelda.”

          “You need me for something?” asked Link, who was now staring up at the sky.

          “No, you’re good. Right? That’s good for you?” Zelda had to ask, it did not seem comfortable at all.

          “Believe it or not, it’s helping.”

          “If you say so.” She reached down to playfully ruffle his oddly soft blonde hair before following Purah downstairs.

          The Depths research outpost was nothing more than a single room. An odd statue head sat in the corner, and a mural that was…Weirdly familiar to Zelda sat in the other corner. Outside of a few notebooks scattered on a table, there really wasn’t much here.

          “Josha’s busy in the Depths today, so we’re good here. He can’t hear us from down here.” Purah said quietly before taking her glasses off and cleaning them with her shirt. “Poor Link.”

          “How bad is it?” Zelda grabbed the lone chair that was tucked under the table and sat down.

          “He’s in agony.” Purah clipped her glasses to her shirt collar before leaning on the wall next to the familiar mural.

          Agony. The word floated around in Zelda’s mind as she felt her heart sink. Her dear Link was in agony and in that agony, he came to the conclusion that he couldn’t be the hero that Hyrule needed and that he should push himself harder. Despite the fact that Hyrule doesn’t need a hero anymore.

          She had to gather her thoughts for a moment.

          “Despite that, he’s still trying to be the hero. The knight that everyone looks up to.”

          “That’s just how he is. I blame the nobles.” Purah groaned. “Assholes. Thank Goddess you didn’t hear the shit they said.”

          “I sadly did.”

          “Couldn’t believe it. I was just in the rich section of Castle Town, and I was hearing it. Think I was going somewhere for my birthday, it was some flower shop…Flora Mart or something...” She tapped the flute against the side of her head in thought.”

          “And these people who ran the place with nothing better to do…They were just mocking him.” The scientist rolled her eyes.

          “And because he was a part of the Royal Guard, Link had to hear it whenever he wasn’t with me.” Zelda felt her eyes get wet just remembering the way Link was treated, the way both of them were treated by her father and the nobles. “He told me. I remember the things he said they’d say about him.”

          “I can’t imagine how he was feeling…” Another sigh from Purah. “Anyways, I have a few ideas on how to help. First up, compression gloves and wraps., like the stealth gear, but more practical, and you won’t believe it, but tea.”

          Zelda wiped her eyes clean and tried to think. The compression stuff made sense, Link had mentioned that squeezing his wrists tightly helped, but as for the tea…Too many herbal recipes flooded her mind to even properly focus on one so she just shrugged, slightly confused.

          “I’ll give you a hint. You’re wearing it right now.” The Sheikah researcher laughed.

          “I’m not wearing…Tea?” Now she was really confused.

          “Your perfume.”

          “Silent Princess?” Zelda raised an eyebrow. Her perfume was actually a gift from Link himself. One cold winter morning he presented her with a bottle of it, somehow figuring out how to concentrate the scent of the gorgeous flower. A lovely yet faintly sweet and floral scent. Perhaps the best present she ever got in her life. Many happy tears were shed that day.

          “Relaxes the muscles, that's why the Sheikah Assassins used to drink it all the time back in the day…Like…” Purah pressed her flute to her chin in thought. “A few hundred years ago.”

          The revelation smacked in her the face. “How come I never thought of that?” Zelda stared at her hands, imagining the flower atop her palm. “I’ve studied it for years, I swear I remember-” She was cut off, not by Purah or from anyone from the market stalls.

          Rather she was cut off by the very distinct voice of one particular Rito calling out to Link.

          “Is that…Tulin?” asked Purah, who immediately put her glasses back on. “What’s he doing here?”

          Without any hesitation, the pair went back outside, if one could even call the research outpost inside, to see what was going on.

          Sure enough Tulin was in fact here, standing over Link looking as confused as a Rito could look.

          “Link, what are you doing?” asked Tulin, tilting his head to the side while somehow not noticing or ignoring the fact that Purah and Zelda were both standing right behind him.

          “Bird watching.” Link answered softly.

          “Uh huh. I'm sure you are. Then what’s in your lap?”

          Zelda tried to see what Link could possibly have in his lap, considering he never left the floor as Purah would’ve heard him get up. Sadly Tulin was in the way, or rather his bow was in the way.

          “Linky, where did you get a cat from?” Purah asked bluntly. “I’ve never seen a cat here, where did it come from?”

          “Oh! Hi Purah! Hi Princess!” Now Tulin acknowledges their existence.

          “They just came up to me.” Link answered. “I can’t say no.”

          Carefully, as to not disturb or spook the cat, Zelda made her way around Tulin to actually see the cat. Sure enough, there was in fact a cat on Link’s lap, a brown and white cat who was comfortably sleeping on his stomach. It was the cutest, most heartwarming thing Zelda has seen all week.

          In fact the scene was so adorable that she had to take pictures with the Purah Pad.

          “You really have a way with animals don’t you?” Tulin started. “You need to teach me your ways.”

          “I don’t know how, I just am. Especially with horses. I’m very good with horses.” Link said confidently while gently petting the still sleeping cat.

          “Anyways, what brings you to Lookout Landing, Tulin?” Purah asked before weaving her way around the young Rito.

          “I was just getting some milk, I wanna try making Link’s cake recipes!” Tulin’s face lit up like the sky at sunrise as he held up a jar of milk.

          “My recipes? I could just write them down for-”

          “I wanna figure it out myself!” Tulin’s voice carried so much confidence and enthusiasm that just hearing it was inspiring Zelda herself to try and figure out Link’s recipes again. He had taught her a few, so she had a baseline to work with this time.

          “You know, speaking of milk…” Purah started. “Wanna know a cool thing about that cow logo?”

          “Cow logo?” Zelda asked. “Oh, you mean the one that is on the Hateno Village jars right?”

          “Yeah, that one.”

          “What’s so special about it?” Tulin was now staring at said logo.

          “It’s really old, I think it first popped up around two thousand years ago.” Purah spun the flute on her fingers as she gracefully stepped over Link, who was in her way. Doing that caused the sleeping cat to run off, prompting Link to dramatically call out.

          “Nooo! Not my kitty friend.” He laughed while getting up off the floor. Zelda noted that even getting up made Link slightly wince in pain, clearly trying to hide it from Tulin. It just made her heart ache.

          “What do you mean two thousand years old?” He started to dust himself free of any loose cat hairs.

          “You’d have to ask Tauro, ‘cause he found the documents. But the logo.” Using the flute, Purah pointed to the bottle of milk that Tulin was still looking at intently. “That cow face came from a place called Lon Lon Ranch.”

          “That’s a charming name for a ranch.” Zelda noted. In her mind she pictured a quiet homestead far away from the troubles of the kingdom. The type of place that she’d love to live in, if she wasn’t the princess that is.

          “It’s a cute name. Anyways, according to Tauro, this ranch that was run by two people somehow had a contract deal with the queen at the time. For some reason, he didn’t know why. And in time their logo kinda became synonymous with quality milk and cheese, being copied and surviving.”

          “Wow.” Tulin spoke up. “I came here for milk and got a history lesson. I wish more stores offered history lessons.”

          “The only history lessons you’d be getting would be lessons in how to plant crops.” Link said while stretching, a few audible cracks emanating from his body.

          “You good Link?” The Rito’s voice grew quiet.

          “Yeah, I’m fine, I could fight a Lynel if I wanted to right now.” Link’s voice was cheerful, but the look on his face told a different story.

           I don’t want you fighting anything anymore. Zelda thought, a small part of her just wanted to say it despite the fact that it wouldn’t deter him. That’s just who Link was, a natural protector of anyone and everyone. Paya once jokingly said to her that the only way to get Link to stop being the “people’s knight”, as she put it, was to become as good of a warrior as he was.

          “If you say so.” Tulin clearly wasn’t convinced, but he knew Link well enough to not push on it. “I’m gonna start heading back, it was nice seeing you again Purah! And you too Princess Zelda!”

          With an enthusiastic wave, and a few extra goodbyes from everyone, Tulin set off into the sky in a way that would make even the most agile Rito jealous.

          As soon as Tulin had left, Link just slumped down against the railing, heaving a heavy sigh before burying his face in his hands.

           “He looks up to me so much.” He signed slowly. “I’d hate myself if I let him down.”

          If her heart wasn’t hurting enough, now it was nearly broken. Zelda sat down next to him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder “You aren’t letting him down, or anyone for that matter.”

          “Hard not to think that way.” He croaked.

          Purah knelt down in front of him. “I know, I just wish I knew what to do to make those thoughts go away.”

          “If I just felt better, it’d be easier.” He signed again, his hands visibly shaking. Zelda just tightened her hold on him.

          “Well I have a few things that’ll help, calming tea, a hot spa, soothing salts. It’ll soothe the pain.”

          “A spa sounds…Nice.” Link whispered with a slight sniffle.

          “It does actually, I could use one.” Zelda decided. “Kakariko has them set up now, yes?”

          “Yeah, and you two…Lovebirds, should start making your way there. I gotta find Josha and see what she’s been up to.” Purah stood up, making her way to the stairs.

          “Lovebirds?” Link laughed. “Really Purah?”

          “Would it be better if I said…Oh I don’t know, future Prince-Consort Link?” She just had to tease him before calling out to Scorpis.

          “Uh, lovebirds is fine for now.” Link’s poor face was now a bright red, as was Zelda’s for obvious reasons.

          “Please.” Zelda planted a kiss on his forehead. “You’ll be a king. I’d make it so.”

          “Oh Goddess, I’m not a king, I am just a lowly knight.”

          “Stop selling yourself short.” Zelda gave him another kiss. “Are you okay enough to travel? If we head back to Hateno, we could make Kakariko by about half past noon.”

          Link just gave a nod before getting up, and slinging the Master Sword across his back. “How many people do you think know about…Us being a thing there?” He turned to watch Purah as she was currently heading out with Scorpis and two other researchers.

          “Paya and Tauro, Impa. That’s about it really.” She slipped her hand into his. “Your reporter friends would have a field day if they found out.” The mere thought of the pre-Calamity journalists finding out about their relationship made her skin crawl. Thankfully, Penn was not like that…Traysi though, the jury was still out.

          “Oh please.” Link giggled. “Penn would die of excitement. Speaking of, I think I see him off in the distance.”

          “Well, we should get a move on before he suddenly drops in on us. Don’t want all of Hyrule finding out just yet.” Zelda tried to see where Penn was in the air, but either Link’s eyes were that good, or he landed somewhere outside the log wall.

          “Ready when you are, I’m just looking forward to that spa right now.”

          “You better save room for me.” She mumbled while taking out the Purah Pad.

          “Oh believe me, I will.” Link leaned up a bit to kiss her. It was like he hoping Penn would see, and Zelda thought it was hilarious.

Chapter Text

Link:

Warming Cup Of Calming Tea

          There was one thing about Kakariko that unnerved him.

          It was that massive Ring Ruin that rested atop the hills to the northwest. Link felt like it could, at any moment, decide to randomly fall from the hills and onto the village. One piece already did, crushing Cado’s house. He wasn’t so worried about the one piece of ruin that was in fact floating in the air, but it still made him a bit on edge.

          Three months though, three months and it hadn’t fallen. Which was a miracle considering that all of the Zonai Shrines had lost power by now. He was certain that the floating islands also used similar power. Thank Hylia they didn’t, but it did mean that the Lightroots in the Depths weren’t lit anymore. It was always something.

          Despite the looming shadow of the Ring Ruin that may eventually collapse, Kakariko Village was the one of the few places outside of Hateno and Tarry Town where Link felt like he was. . .Safe. Home. As soon as his horse put one hoof into town, Paya practically came running to greet him and Zelda.

          “Link!” She excitedly yelled. “Zelda! Oh it’s so good to see you two again!”

          “You as well.” He replied, failing to hide his ever growing smile.

          “Tauro, can you tie up their horses?” Paya called out to the Zonai Survey Team Leader who wasn’t too far away, standing by the one shop that specialized in selling Swift Carrots, High Spirits Produce.

          Tauro was probably, definitely, assuredly, the strongest Hylian in all of Hyrule, and he knew it. Tauro did not care for shirts, jackets, coats, or the like. He simply wore a short vest that he kept open at all times, exposing his bare chest for all to see, not like that was an issue considering Tauro was as Zelda had put it one drunken night: “Built like a castle, and could move one too.”

          Link dismounted from his horse, a black mare he named Shadow. His last horse. . .He didn’t like talking about it. It wasn’t like he could do anything to prevent it from happening, but it hurt. . .A lot. He and Zelda both lost their trusty and well loved steeds that day. . .And both silently agreed to never take horses to the castle entrance again.

          Thank Hylia getting off the horse didn’t induce any random pain in his body. That’s the last thing he wanted right now, to embarrass himself in front of Tauro.

          “It’s good to be back. Kakariko has expanded a bit since the last time we visited.” Asked Zelda, who had just gotten off her grey horse. “The plum trees, they’ve grown so much.” She excitedly gestured to the various plum trees that had now been planted and transplanted throughout the village. The pink color in their leaves was so vibrant, even from far away.

          “They grow quickly under the right conditions.” Paya smiled widely. “And by conditions, I mean using Sundelions as fertilizer.” She awkwardly laughed. “That was Impa’s idea.”

          “How is Impa anyways?” Link asked as he helped Tauro tie the horses to a nearby post. They weren’t staying long so the horses would be fine.

          “She’s doing good actually. Currently burying her head in all the notes we have on the Zonai.” Tauro answered. “She’s obsessed with the inscriptions on those sky islands you found.”

          “Yeah. . .They’re definitely something.” Link said in a slightly hushed tone, trying his best to keep a few memories buried as he followed Zelda and Paya.

           Zelda is here, she’s not the dragon, she’s here. Zelda is here. She is not the dragon. He repeated in his head over and over again. The entire time he was finding those inscriptions he kept his mind blank. Hearing Wortsworth talk about Zelda, his Zelda, as if she was a completely different person because of those inscriptions broke him every time. He just kept it inside, where no one could see it.

          For a while no one knew outside of Impa, and poor Impa had to watch him at his lowest.

          Link recalled that time when he saw her in Wortworth’s lab a fair distance away, which was in the ruins of Cado’s house. She was just there, idly reading one of Wortsworth’s notebooks when it hit him.

         “Her sacrifice will not be in vain, Link.” Impa’s voice echoed in his mind, just like how it echoed off the stone walls in that forgotten temple.

          He didn’t say anything in response, he just collapsed and sobbed.

          Fortunately Link was taken out of this memory when he noticed the man standing next to Impa. A man in brown leather armor, hood and cloak. A greatsword was strapped to his back, at least Link assumed it was a greatsword given how large the handle was, as the sheath was covered up by the cloak. What struck him as odd about the stranger was the fact that he had his sword for a left hand draw, the handle being over the left shoulder.

           A left handed swordsman? Link thought, though he didn’t think much of it. Hyrule has been getting an influx of visitors lately from Termina. Making their year long journey over the ocean in search of money, fame, or just to start a new life. He was probably, if anything, asking Impa if she needed something done.

          “Silent Princess tea then?” Paya’s voice broke Link out his thoughts.

          “Yeah, Purah, said it would help, and I do want to try it.” Zelda’s upbeat voice warmed his heart. “And the spa, if they are up and running of course.”

          “Oh yeah, the tea.” Link softly laughed. “I uh-forgot about the tea.”

           Did Zelda already tell Paya about the pain? I gotta stop zoning out. He thought.

          “Well, good news, we just got the spa house built. Again.” Paya shrugged. “Hopefully it won’t be broken by a falling piece of sky island. Again. But first. Tea.” She raised a finger before slowly lowering it. “I don’t have a kettle anymore.”

          “What do you mean you don’t have a kettle anymore?” Zelda asked.

          While Paya’s face was slightly obscured by shadows thanks to the traditional Sheikah chief hat, Link was able to tell that she had turned a light shade of red.

          “It exploded.” The Sheikah chief plainly stated.

          “How. . .You know what nevermind.” Link decided to hold off on his question.

          “You know, it’s a nice day out. Let’s use that dining spot next to Trissa’s shop.” Paya quickly said to change subjects. “I’m sure Trissa could make us some tea.”

          “You blew up your kettle didn’t you?” questioned Zelda. “I’ve done worse. Ask Link.”

          “No you haven’t.” Link quickly asserted as he climbed up the few steps up to said dining spot, or tried to. The lingering pain in his body had finally decided to return, and this time it was located in his knees. Both of them, because of course it would be. Poor Link nearly caught the edge of one of the tables with his face as he tripped.

          “Oh dear.” Paya’s voice was worrisome. “It’s worse than I thought.”

          “No it’s not.” He groaned while getting up. Zelda was about to help him but he got up before she was able to.

          “I should be okay.” Link said through clenched teeth before finally sitting down. Relief washed over him as his knees no longer had to support so much weight, though he felt it everywhere else. Right now it was strongest in his wrists, so naturally the armored bracers that he wore came off.

          “Ow.” He unsuccessfully tried to laugh it off, as he then took the Master Sword off his back, laying the blade of legend on the floor next to him. The less weight on him the better.

           Zelda put her hand atop his. “Link.” She started, that lovely voice of hers filled his soul. “Maybe we should rethink your armor.”

          “Rethink?” He asked, placing his other hand on top. “You sure? I mean you-”

          “I designed the armor for you, but it’s not like you’ll be using it for the rest of your life you silly duck.” Zelda pecked him on the nose, which turned his face a bright red.

          “Yeah, alright.” Link finally relented. “Maybe a new design would help.”

          “I’ll tell Trissa to brew us some tea real quick.” Paya said before getting up.

          The Silent Princess tea was surprisingly good. Lightly sweet and floral tea that was oddly calming, more calming that Link had assumed it was going to be.

          “This is good.” He noted while clasping onto the tea cup with both hands, using the residual heat from the ceramic to ward off any pain that might appear there.

          “I think I’m going to make this myself.” Zelda laughed, which warmed Link’s body more than the tea did. “I really like it.”

          “And I think I know what kind of armor would suit Link.” Paya said enthusiastically. “A Stealth Armor base to start. Maybe not the full thing, but the compression around the joints and back.” She started to trace her fingers along the table.

          “Think that’ll help?” Link asked before taking another sip.

          “Worth a shot, what color would you like the armor in?” Zelda asked.

          He couldn’t exactly talk with a mouth full of hot tea, so he quickly signed: “Whatever color you think would look best. Surprised it’s not automatically blue.”

           “Oh I got some ideas.” Zelda teased.

          Link’s face went red again.

          It didn’t take long for the three of them to finish their cups of the quite wonderful tea. Sadly Paya said she had to check in on something, but that the spa house, bath house, whatever they wanted to call it was in the general vicinity of “up the hill. You’ll see it because it has steam coming out of it. It’s empty because I told Dorian to keep it empty.”

          “I wonder what Paya’s doing?” Zelda asked as the two made their way up the hill.

          Link shrugged as he turned around to glance back at Wortsworth’s lab again. Sure enough, Paya was there with Impa engaging in a conversation that Link couldn’t hear. The stranger from earlier had vanished.

          “She’s with Impa, checking out the lab.” Link said as he caught up with Zelda. He was careful not to jog too fast, fearing that his knees or ankles might decide that they’ve had enough for the day.

          Eventually, after a few backtracks, the pair found the small building that actually had the spas in them. As Paya had said, it had steam coming out of the top and it was in fact empty. Because Dorian was the one who had the key and had to let them in.

          “You see that guy with the cloak and hood?” Link asked, he was pretty sure that he was just a sellsword from Termina or a new hire for the Monster Control Crew, he just wanted to know.

          “The sellsword?” Dorian responded while fiddling with the key. “Yeah, I talked to him before. Strange fellow.”

          “I didn’t see anyone with a cloak and a hood.” Zelda muttered. “Where was he?”

          “In the lab with Impa.”

          Dorian raised an eyebrow. “I think he was delivering a letter to her.”

          “If he’s a sellsword, then he’s not from the Monster Control Crew. Think he’s from Termina?”

          Dorian shrugged as he opened the spa house door, causing a rush of steam to fill in the space between them.

          “He didn’t tell me.” The Sheikah scratched at his chin. “I’m gonna go see if I can find him past the entrance. Now you’ve got me curious.”

          Dorian jogged down the hill not a moment later, leaving just Link and Zelda alone.

          “Hyrule wouldn’t be Hyrule without something odd going on.” Zelda laughed before heading inside.

          The inside wasn’t as hot, nor as full of steam as Link thought it would be. But just stepping inside he felt like his very bones had relaxed. The air carried an extremely faint scent of salt.

           Soothing salts. Hope it works Purah. He recalled their conversation at Lookout Landing earlier in the day.

          The only thing of note in the entire building was that it was less of a house and more of a single room. Two wooden tubs that sat above whatever was heating the water. The floors and walls were painted white with the only noteworthy thing of mention being the various hooks on the walls with towels and a mirror that for some reason wasn’t foggy.

          It was the mirror that caught his attention after he finally got his armor off. The scars. . .All the new scars that marred his skin. He remembered where he got them, how it happened and the pain that rushed through him. Especially the pain, like his mind couldn’t let go. A mental barrier to getting better. 

          It was even more notable on his legs. . .Faint marks where arrows narrowly missed their target, where sharp rocks had cut into him, a healed burn from when the Gloom Hands had grabbed at his left leg in the castle docks.

          The Gloom. He thought while tracing out those scars on his chest and right shoulder. The angular pattern was ever so faint, barely visible to anyone but him.

           This is my arm. Link affirmed himself while staring at his right hand. This is my arm. The longer he stared at his hand, the more it started to resemble Rauru’s hand. This is my-

           “You good Link?” Zelda’s voice snapped him out of his downward spiral.

          “Y-yeah. Just lost in thought.” He answered, turning away from the mirror.

          Zelda was already in the spa, her short blonde hair was already wet. “This-this is good.” She smiled as wide as she could.

          He got in next to her of course, and immediately he knew what Zelda was talking about.

          “Good” was an understatement. All of the lingering pain in his joints just. . .Vanished. Link couldn’t believe it at first. He had forgotten what a body without lingering pain felt like, even if it was just a temporary bliss he’d take it.

          “Helps, this helps.” He closed his eyes, resting his head against Zelda’s shoulder. “I needed this.”

          “Note to self, ask Hudson to build a spa for us down the line.” Zelda kissed the top of his head.

          Link wondered about his “dream home” in Tarry Town. The one that was built with Zelda in mind. Maybe a move should be in order, a fresh change of scenery would be nice.

          That idea was for another day. For now, it was all about him and Zelda relaxing.

Chapter Text

Link:

Dragon Woes

          There was only so much socializing he could do in one day.

          Link wasn’t exactly a “social butterfly” as Sidon puts it, meaning that he could only handle so much socializing before he felt the need to just shut down. Luckily he and Zelda were back home in Hateno. She was in her study well, currently pouring over a handful of papers and documents that Paya had given her and Link was doing the thing he was best at.

          Cooking. By Hylia did the Hero of Hyrule love to cook as it was still the easiest way for him to show how much he loves the people in his life. As Link was chopping up a head of garlic he kept thinking about what Zelda had told him a few days ago.

           “To be ourselves again.” Her words echoed in his mind as he sautéed the garlic pieces in a bit of duck fat.

           “You don’t have to be the hero anymore.”

          That was going to be the hardest part. Sure, Link could re-learn to express himself more as he did before the Upheaval, but to not be the “hero” anymore was a whole other thing entirely. That’s all he really knew. Link the hero, Link the savior, Link, the bearer of the Spirit of the Hero.

          It was just in his very nature to protect others, to help those who couldn’t help themselves. Of course Zelda knew this, it was what endeared him to her in the first place. The way he interpreted it was that he didn’t have to be the hero that solved everything anymore. Link saw it first hand during the Upheaval, ordinary people with farm tools getting together to protect each other, and doing a damn fine job of it.

          Link didn’t have to be the hero anymore, because the ordinary people of Hyrule had become their own heroes. He was still the Hero of Hyrule, nothing could change that, but he wasn’t needed for the small crises anymore. That’s what Zelda was saying.

          The smell of nearly burnt garlic snapped him out of his train of thought.

          “Rats.” Link muttered as he set the now fried garlic bits to the side. Dinner for tonight was simple, definitely not as complex as some of the other dishes he can make, but seared steak with fried garlic and baked potatoes was on the menu for tonight. Zelda’s request of course, a request he was more than happy to fulfill.

          As he set the table, Link couldn’t help but wonder why Zelda hadn’t come up for dinner. Usually she would already be here, sitting at the table chatting away with him about her latest discovery or current train of thought.

          Perhaps she was really absorbed in her research tonight. Wouldn’t be the first time, so he didn’t think much of it as he got her plate ready, making sure she had the larger potato. To his surprise, Zelda really likes baked potatoes, so every time he makes them, she gets the biggest one.

          She still hadn’t come inside. Odd, but Link kept waiting, tapping his fingers against the table expecting Zelda to burst inside while apologizing profusely. Except that didn’t happen. The food was getting cold, so he went to let Zelda know that dinner was ready.

          But he didn’t find her in the well. He didn’t even get to the well before he found her, sitting on the stairs staring up into the dark cloudy sky. Her hands clasped together under her chin.

          “Link.” Her voice was quiet and tearful. Link, without hesitation sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.

          “They don’t remember me.” Zelda sobbed, burying her face into his shoulder.

          He was about to ask who “they” were but gazing up into the dark sky, he could barely see the image of one of the dragons flying away in the distance.

          Link’s heart broke into a million pieces.

          “I-I’m sure they remember you.” He shakily said, pulling Zelda closer to him, holding her tightly so she had an anchor to brace herself with.

          “I called out to them, pleading for them to respond. Please remember me, and I got nothing. Nothing at all.” She cried out. “Why, why don’t they remember me?”

          “Maybe they can’t communicate with you anymore?” He quickly responded with a shaky voice, doing his best to keep his composure. Seeing Zelda cry alway broke him.

          “What?” A sniffle. “What do you mean?”

          “Because you’re not a dragon.” He said softly, kissing Zelda on the top of her head. “They can’t communicate with non-dragons.” A truth that he painfully learned.

          “I-I guess. You’re probably right…It just hurts so much.” Zelda sobbed, struggling to regain her composure.

          “Believe me I know.” Link spoke quietly. “Maybe, whoever it was, was checking in on you.”

          “Checking in on me?”

          He nodded. “Making sure you were okay.” He was pretty sure that the dragon was just flying around, but that didn’t matter. He chose to believe that whoever the dragon was, flew by to check up on Zelda.

          After all, Link did the same thing so many times.

          “Y-Yeah.” Zelda sniffled again before wrapping her arm around Link’s waist. “They miss their sister.”

          “No, their sister is right here.” Link said. “They just want to make sure she’s happy.”

          “Happy.” She repeated. “Well, I am happy. I just miss them, even though I barely even remember a single moment from that endless time.”

          He thought for a moment. If he was somehow able to get a hang of a few Zonai Wings and a couple of Fans and a Control Rod…It wasn’t like he had any capsules left, they got destroyed during the fight with Ganondorf when he became the Demon Dragon.

          “You know, maybe we could visit them. I kinda know their flight patterns.” He gave her another kiss on her head.

          The bit about knowing the dragon’s flight patterns was a partial lie. He knew Dinraal’s pattern made him a frequent visitor to Tarry Town and that Farosh was to the south mostly. But there was one dragon that he knew the path for like the back of his hand.

          The path of the Light Dragon.

          “Their flight patterns?” Zelda questioned as she wiped her eyes free from her tears with a handkerchief. “You mean mine don’t you?”

          Link just smiled. She was too smart for his tricks after all.

          “I’d like that, I’d like that a lot.” She said gently.

          “Anything for you Zelda.”

          The two sat in comfortable silence for a while, watching as the sky above grew darker and darker.

          “Oh Hylia, what would I do without you?” Zelda laughed, pushing her way into Link’s side for warmth.

          “Go insane?” Link just held her close, just feeling her warmth made the heartbreak from earlier dissipate completely.

          “Yeah, probably.” She gazed up at him. Those beautiful green eyes of hers always made his heart skip a beat, or two.

          “Lucky for you I’m not going anywhere.” Link softly kissed her as a cool breeze blew between them.

          “We should probably get inside before it gets too cold.” Zelda shivered a bit. “I take it our dinner is as cold as ice by now?”

          “I can reheat it, no big deal.” Link helped her stand up, forgetting the fact, for a brief split in time, that she was taller than him. He enjoyed the very few moments where he felt tall, but he never had that moment with Zelda. She was one of the first people that he ever met, that he could remember, who didn’t care about his height nor mock him for it.

          Unfortunately, Link would eventually remember the insults from the nobles about his appearance, height, identity and damn near anything else that they didn’t like about him. But he couldn’t even remember the name of his own father, despite all the memories he’s gotten back since the Calamity's end.

          Those insults didn’t matter. Link didn’t want to be tall anymore, in fact he once told Riju that he would beg to the Goddess to make Zelda taller than him again if he ever grew in height.

          Riju laughed, thinking it was a joke. It wasn’t.

Chapter Text

Zelda:

Archaeologist State Of Mind

          This is what she needed.

          While the trip to Kakariko was nice, the spa or sauna was relaxing, and the steak dinner that Link made were all wonderful, nothing truly beat getting back into the swing of her archaeology studies.

          Literally. Zelda was in the underground sections of the castle with a massive hammer swinging at a brick wall. If her calculations were right, and the old maps weren’t lying, there was a sealed off room just behind the wall. Normally in such circumstances; Link, Tauro, or anyone else who happened to be nearby would offer to do such a task. Not this time, as Zelda actually wanted to break the wall down herself.

          Besides, with how much Link has been hurting lately, she couldn’t stomach asking him for help. Maybe Purah would volunteer as the wall started to be an annoyance.

          “Why!” She swung the hammer and it smashed against the stone brick with a thud. “Won’t!” Again. “You!” And again. “Fall!”

          She leaned the hammer against the wall with a few short breaths. “It’s not even budging.”

          “Maybe we need to change our approach…” Purah started, placing the mouthpiece of her flute against her chin. “Linky, any ideas?”

          Link shrugged as best as he could while holding the lantern they were using for light. “I would say blow it up, but that’s not exactly something we can do.”

          Zelda thought for a moment. Link was right, although it could work and there was no way in Hylia’s name was she about to ask Link, the one who is currently dealing with tons of chronic pains and-

          “Let me try.” He said after handing Purah the lantern.

          “Linky, are you sure about-” Purah tried to talk Link out of it, but it was too late. He already had the hammer.

          “Just stop if you’re hurting okay?” Zelda said reassuringly, putting her hand on his shoulder before giving him room. While she wanted the wall down herself, she knew that Link wouldn’t allow her to strain herself.

          The stone brick wall didn’t stand a chance against Link’s swings as it all came tumbling down within a few seconds, filling the dark hallway with a cloud of dust.

          “Walls down.” Link laughed a bit once the dust settled, he set the hammer down and grabbed the lantern again. He leaned inside the room to check it out, just to be safe. Never know what’s down in these old hallways.

          “Why is that mirror shaped like a shield?” He asked. “Check this out.”

          With a curious mind, Zelda stepped over the collapsed bricks and into the once sealed off room with Purah right behind her.

          The first thing she noted was the square shield that was hung on the wall behind Link. A silver border and a surface that was highly reflective. It was that reflection that revealed that the room was larger, way larger, than it was shown to be on the old maps. 

          It was practically the size of a tavern with various shelves and tables dotting the entire room. Each of which were covered in books. Hundreds of books all stacked atop each other.

          “Link.” Zelda’s heart stopped. “WHY WAS THIS SEALED OFF?!” She shouted with pure excitement flowing through her veins. “Is every book a historical archive?! THIS IS THE BIGGEST FIND YET!”

          She pulled Link into a tight squeeze. “Oh Link! We’ve just found history!” She could feel the heat emanating from his face as she gazed into his beautiful sapphire eyes.

          “Lovebirds, the both of you.” Purah laughed. “Never in my life-OH HYLIA THAT’S A LOT OF BOOKS!” The researcher just stood in front of one of the tables in the dim light of the lantern mouth agape.

          “I know! There’s so much. Just…How are we going to get them out of here?” Zelda asked before grabbing a hold of one of the dusty old books. She wiped away the dust to reveal the book’s title.

          ‘The Twilight Invasion and The Resistance Thereafter; by Link of Ordon.’

          Ordon? Zelda thought while watching Link mess around with that odd mirror that was hanging on the wall behind him.

           The old village? Ordon Village, from what Zelda had read a while ago, was a small farming community somewhere in the Faron region. It didn’t last long, being wiped from maps only a few decades after it appeared on them.

          “This book.” Zelda started. “About an invasion of “Twilight”, written by a “Link of Ordon”...Implies that there were more heroes of the past than we know of. But it just raises the question of why? Why was this sealed away behind a wall?”

          “Maybe someone was trying to cover up what happened?” Link took the silver shield and placed it under the lantern. The mirrored surface reflected the light and partially illuminated the room far better than before.

          “That just raises even more questions. Why would you even cover up something like that?” Purah said while reaching for one of the books. “This one is titled; “Recolations of the Imprisoning War” but I don’t think it’s talking about the same Imprisoning War.”

          Two Imprisoning Wars? She thought back to the mural she and Link found before the Upheaval. Was I thinking of a different Imprisoning War?

          “This is…Huge. I think Link’s right.” Zelda said with a short breath. “Someone in the not so distant past was trying to cover up our history. But who? And why?”

          Purah shrugged. “Could be a Yiga Clan infiltrator. Maybe someone who wants the illusion of a permanent peace? We only got old books, archives and records to go off of.”

          “Then the royal guards must’ve been blind as a bat.” Link responded. “Then again, from what I remember, they weren’t that great when I was in the core.”

          “No no, you’re right. They were…How do I put this gently?” Zelda started to laugh. “Incompetent.”

          “You’re right, that is putting it gently.” Purah joined in with the laughter. “Aright, how are we going to get all of these books out of here?”

          “Hand cart, just grab a few and let’s head out.” Zelda said while taking a few of the larger books into her hand. She tried not to read the barely visible dust covered titles of these books, lest she spoil the surprise of the contents within.

          Purah was left holding the lantern, as Link had the most books in his hands, and had secured the mirror shield to his back. The way the handle of the Master Sword reflected off the surface was oddly beautiful with the brilliant blue color seeming to radiate around it.

          Going back the way they came was easy enough. Zelda was brimming with excitement the whole time. Until they were stopped by the glow of a torch just up ahead.

          At first Zelda thought it was one of the guards coming down to check in on the three, fearing a repeat of the last time her and Link went down into the castle underground. But it wasn’t. It was the stranger from Kakariko, the one in the green and brown leather armor with the hood and cloak. The same one who was talking to Impa.

          She could feel Link tense up next to her. Though she didn’t know why as neither of them had any reason to not trust the man, she understood why. One could never be too careful.

          “Oh.” The stranger spoke with an accent that Zelda couldn’t place. “There you are. Scorpis had me come down here to check in with you guys.”

          “That’s very kind of him.” Zelda spoke up. “But I’m afraid we don’t exactly know who you are.”

          “Oh, pardon me.” The stranger pulled his hood down with his free hand. While she couldn’t make out any tiny details of the man’s face, she did make note of the fact that he had an eye patch covering his left eye.

          “My name’s Raven. I guess you could say I’m new here.” He laughed.

           New here? That explains the accent. More strangers from Termina, though Hyrule does need the help.

          “Well, would you mind helping us carry more books then?” Purah teasingly asked.

          Raven nodded. “Of course, it’s not like I’m doing anything important.”

          Zelda watched as Raven disappeared into the hallway behind them. “Curious man.” She whispered over to Link. “Come on then, let’s get these books out of here.”

Chapter Text

Link:

Too Much Noise

          Thank the Goddesses, thank Hylia, that Raven was a huge help.

          While at first Link was uneasy about the stranger, those feelings started to wash away at seeing just how helpful he was. There were just so many books to get out and Link did not have the energy to even attempt to make that hike over and over again. Even with a few hand carts, getting them down into the castle underground was a huge pain.

          And that was ignoring the giant hill that led up to the castle.

          And that was also ignoring the pain he was in, a deep lulling pain in his lower back that forced Link to sit on the stairs by the research outpost at Lookout Landing, watching Zelda, Purah and Josha off in distance discussing one of the books that Zelda had found.         

          In total, Scorpis and the guard with Raven’s help had dragged about two to three hundred books of various sizes back to Lookout Landing. All from that one sealed off room, which just baffled Link’s mind. The various hows and whys that fluttered through his thoughts preoccupied him as he studied the weird shield that was also in the room.

          The “Mirror Shield” as he took to calling it, was about the size of an average soldier’s shield but instead of being rounded, this shield was shaped more like a diamond. The back of the shield was covered in a sturdy brown leather wrap, and the handle and arm straps were also made of this leather.

          He admired the pure craftsmanship that went into such a piece of armor, the way the silver metal border was covered in vine like engravings, the way the mirrored surface of the shield reflected the light from the sun. The fact that despite being a mirror, a typically fragile piece, the shield was sturdy and hefty. Link felt like he could do some serious damage against someone by just hitting them with it.

          He flipped the shield over in his hands and spotted what looked like an indentation in the leather. Very faint indentations in the shapes of letters parallel to the handle, though it wasn’t the only indentations in the leather. Near the bottom of the shield, perpendicular to the handle, was a bunch of very…Odd writing. The letters were very swirly in nature, and almost looked like vines curled into itself.

          With a raised eyebrow, Link set the shield down at the table behind him that wasn’t covered in books and went to find a piece of paper and some charcoal. It was a technique that he’d seen Zelda do several times, where she would carefully rub the charcoal against the paper while it was pressed onto the engravings she wanted to “lift”.

          Link had to be gentle as he slowly dragged the piece of charcoal over the indentations, which wasn’t doing much wonders for the cramp that was developing in his wrist. Between this and the pain in his back that was more noticeable every passing second, he wondered how he was even able to function.

          Pushing the thoughts of his pain beside, Link studied the lifted indentations. While most of it was nothing more than a blur he did notice two partially readable things. The indentations were from someone writing a letter, using the back of the shield as a hard surface to write on. That explained the massive rectangular blob of nothing in the center.

          At the top of the lifting, Link could barely read out the words; “To Malon, my love” .

           Malon. He repeated the name several times in his head, hoping that it would trigger a memory or something. The name just…Sounded awfully familiar for some reason.

           Was she named after Malanya? The Horse God?

           Link didn’t linger on that thought for long before reading the next batch of readable letters.

           “Yours, now and forever, Link.”

          It sent a chill down his spine. That was his name. A past hero. Someone else who most likely had pulled the sword too early. Who felt the same judgmental gaze from everyone. Alienated from his peers, friends, and family.

          It’s something that Link wouldn’t wish on anyone, not Rhoam, not Kohga, not even Ganondorf. It changed him, and now…Now Link doesn’t even remember who he was before he drew the Master Sword. He remembers basically none of it…Not even the name of his father, his mother, or any of his family. It’s something that he wanted to ask Zelda about, but could never find the courage to even try.

          All he knows is that he lived in Castle Town, and his father was the captain of either the guard, the knights, or the royal guards. That’s it. That’s all he’s ever remembered. A blue blood who pulled the Master Sword at the age of twelve. Whoever that kid was before, Link couldn’t remember.

          With a shaky sigh, Link set the shield down on the empty table and sat down on the stairs. It felt good to get off his feet anyways, and there was just so much going through his head that he could barely focus on anything, especially with all the noise that Lookout Landing can produce.

          He wanted to meet this other Link, this past hero, and just talk. Maybe over a cup of tea, or a glass of wine, but he wanted to just know. What was he like? Who did he face? How did he overcome the fear? The pain? The worry? The heartbreak?

          How did he adjust back? If he ever did.

          Link sighed while burying his head in his hands, trying to both block out the thoughts raging in his mind as well as the commotion around him. All the noises of the various horses at the stable towards the entrance, the tens of conversations happening by the dozens of market stalls, the sounds of the new Monster Control Crew members training, their arrows striking a wooden target repeatedly.

          Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

          A nearby Hudson Construction crew project, somewhere outside the log walls. The banging of a hammer against iron nails.

          Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

          The beat from his own heart was grating against his nerves.

          Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

          Link’s skin started to crawl as his lungs refused to draw air in properly. He needed to get away from all of this, to find a corner to bury himself in and hope the rising tense panic in his body would subside and give him some much needed respite.

          There was that one room above him, which once held a bunch of maps during the Upheaval but was now relegated to storing miscellaneous items. Outside of that, he didn’t really think anywhere would be a good place for him to just…Get away from the noise.

          Link slowly stood up from the stairs while trying his best to subtly keep his left hand on his ear. A vain attempt to block out some of the troublesome noise. Just getting up the stairs was proving more difficult than expected. Each step sent a wave of piercing agony through his ankles, and the light, oh Goddess Hylia, the light from the sun, so bright and nearly blinding. How he wished and prayed for a single cloud in the endless blue above.

          By some miracle, the door was left unlocked, and he stumbled inside the dimly lit room. Which now only contained a lone table, a few bookshelves, and a lone chest. He took the Master Sword off his back, setting her down on the table, and leaned up against the wall before collapsing onto the wooden floor with a soft thud.

          He heaved a heavy and shaky sigh. The noise from outside was still audible, but only just so. It was just ambient noise in the background now, but at least it was manageable. Bearable. Link let his head fall into his hands again, which were only being supported by his knees.

          “What a great hero, getting panicked over noise…” He muttered in defeat.

          As the feeling of panic left his body, shame took its place, and it burned. Searing, scorching, it burned at his very soul. He’d take the anxiety and panic over this, why is nearly every waking moment some form of tormentous oblivion? Why can’t he go a day, a single day without something hurting him? 

          What did he do to deserve this? Was this Ganondorf’s last trick, some sort of curse against his body? Was it some punishment for not saving Zelda before she fell into the past?

          Why couldn’t Link just be okay for once, was it too much to ask for?

          His whole body, day in and out, just ached. It hurt, and he only ever found temporary relief from it. Hot saunas, spas, baths, warm medicinal teas and stews could only do so much.

           Hylia please. Link pleaded in his mind. Can you make it go away? I can’t fight like this, how am I going to use the sword if I can barely run?

          Was it a pointless prayer? Maybe, but he knew the Goddess could hear him. He heard her at times, so she would have to help, he’s her chosen hero after all.

          Link was so lost in his mind and in the pains that covered him, that he didn’t register the fact that someone had opened the door and was now sitting next to him.

          But he felt them, that warmth, the scent of those regal flowers, the soft caress against his back.

          Her voice. It was her voice that broke him free from his downward spiral.

          “Link?” Zelda’s gentle voice echoed in his ears. “Are you okay?”

          He wanted to lie, to just tell her that everything was okay. But, he couldn’t do it anymore. The conversation a few days ago about his pain was the first crack in his facade. This? This was the entire wall starting to come down.

          He couldn’t even sign, he just shook his head. He wasn’t okay. He hasn’t been okay in a long while.

          “I know…I know.” Zelda’s voice was quiet. She wrapped her arm around him, and he just fell into her lap. Unable to carry the weight of his own body anymore, and even unable to open his eyes.

          “I’m here for you. You’re gonna be okay.” She brushed her fingers through Link’s hair, which sent chills down his spine.

          A warm loving embrace, oh how he always craved more of it, such a stark contrast to the pains of combat that he was so accustomed to.

          “I know how much you’re hurting, you don’t have to hide it from me.” Zelda took a hold of his right hand. Her grasp was warm like the sun.

          “Link, my love, my sweet, my light in the darkness, I’ll do whatever it takes to make you feel better.” She sobbed, gripping his hand tightly.

          He felt his own eyes start to water. “Don’t cry.” He quietly croaked out.

          “Can’t exactly help it.” Zelda softly laughed. “Not when my Link is hurting.”

          “Just want it to stop.” He could only manage a whisper. “Why won’t it stop?”

          “I wish I knew…But whatever it takes, whatever happens, I will be there.” She leaned down and kissed the side of his head.

          He held back a sob. “I don’t want to lose you again.” Another whisper. A deep fear of his. The Light Dragon broke him, and broke him again, and again, every time he saw her.

          “You won’t. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” Another kiss.

          “I can’t do it again.” Link weakly raised his left hand in the vague direction of where he had placed the Master Sword. “Too damaged.” That burning shame came rushing back.

          “You’re not damaged, and besides, you don’t need to do it again.” Zelda affirmed, her voice was so caring, so sweet, so loving and tender. “And if you must, I’ll fight with you.”

          Link wanted to protest, though he knew it was futile. Besides, Zelda was better with the bow than him. She wasn’t just saying things.

          He finally found the courage to open his eyes, though all he could see was the legs of the table in front of them and the floor below. Carefully, as to not trigger more pain throughout his body, Link moved onto his back. Now staring up at Zelda.

          Zelda just stared back, her green eyes wet and tears dripping down her cheeks. He hated seeing her cry. He reached up and gently cupped her cheek, wiping away her tears with his thumb.

          “I hate seeing you cry.” He croaked, trying not to cry himself, the sight of his love being upset always sparked such intense emotions.

          “I know.” She murmured while breaking out into a smile with a slight laugh. “You and me both, I hate seeing you cry.”

          “But that smile.” A single laugh escaped him. “That’s what kept me going.” Link ran his fingers through her hair, still amazed at just how soft it was while being shocked that he was still able to speak.

          “I guess I just have to smile more.” Zelda laughed, a laugh that warmed his soul. A laugh that was infectious as he broke out into a smile himself.

          “Link?”

          “Yeah?”

          “I love you.” She smiled wide. So full of life and happiness, that Link couldn’t help but do the same.

          “I love you too.” He laughed, a genuine real laugh that he hadn’t had in months upon months. No, years upon years. A time before he got his shattered memories back.

          And then…And then he cried, a shriek of pain finally letting loose after being held down for what felt like an eternity. The wall had finally come down.

          “I can’t be like this anymore.” He sobbed, not even attempting to maintain some semblance of composure. Link didn’t care about that anymore.

          “I can’t bear it anymore, the burdens, the stoic knight who just takes it. I just want to be me, not a damn figurehead.” Tears ran down his face. “And I don’t even know who “me” is anymore.”

          “Then we’ll find him together, Link.” Zelda said with a tearful smile. “I’m sure of it.”

          He just closed his eyes with a quiet whimper, as Zelda ran her fingers through his hair again. “I would like that. I would like that a lot.”

          “But, I’m scared.” He weakly muttered before gazing up at her. “I’m scared. What if I’m not the Link that you remember Zelda?” The thought terrified him more than the thought of losing his arm forever or even the ever present fear of death.

          “You will always be the Link I remember.” Zelda closed her eyes for a moment with another wide smile. “Even back then, I could see the real you past the stoic image. The silly, caring, loving, sweet, carefree Link.” She opened her eyes and met his gaze. “You haven’t changed, you’re still him, and now you can finally be yourself again. Both of us.”

          Was it relief that washed over him like an ocean wave? Or was it joy? A mix of both. But here was Zelda, the love of his life, nay his existence, telling him that he’s still the same Link she remembers.

          “Despite everything, you’re still Link.” She said before pulling him up towards her into a deep kiss. “You’re still my love.” And then into a tight hug.

          A warm loving embrace.

          All Link could do was sob into her shoulder and hold her back.

          “I love you so much, I love you, I love you.” He spoke between his cries. “I love you. I can’t live without you.”

          “I love you too.” Zelda whispered in his ear with a sob of her own. “And neither can I.”

          The stoic image of Link, the one who silently bore all burdens, was no more. He was going to find his old self again. His true self.

Chapter Text

Zelda:

The Desire To Protect

          She held him close.

          It hurt. Hurt in a way that words couldn’t really describe. A primal ever present pain. A knife to the heart, over and over again. The way his body shook with every sob just twisted that very knife. Again and again.

          Her poor Link…

          Zelda would do anything to make his pain go away, but even she knows that her wish is an impossibility. All she could do is pray, pray to the Goddess Hylia, to the Golden Goddesses, and any other deity that she can think of such as the Light Spirits mentioned in old texts to a strange goddess figure known simply as Ordona.

          If only she could do more…If only she could take his pain unto herself. He’s suffered so much, put himself through so much pain and agony because of…Because of her. Zelda hates to think of it like that, but how else could she rationalize it in her head?

          If she didn’t fall, if she just got her powers sooner than this whole thing, all of this suffering would’ve never happened. It’s all her-

          “It’s not your fault.” Link weakly croaked, as if he was able to read her thoughts.

          Zelda glanced down to look at him. Link was just starting back up, his eyes wet, red and puffy from crying, a slight frown was drawn on his lips.

          “Don’t blame yourself, please. I know that look.” He quietly said resting the side of his head against her. “I would do it all over again to be with you.”

          She felt sick, it was the only way to describe it. Here was Link, in utter agony, in so much mental and physical anguish that he was literally shivering in her arms. And he was willing to go through all of it again, just to be with her?

          Zelda looked back at him and her heart sank into her stomach as her head spun around in circles when she noticed that Link…Link was smiling. Despite all of the crying he’s been doing, just being with her is cause for him to smile.

          Forget having a noble heart, as she told Sonia in the past…Link was too pure for this world. A beacon of light in a world that keeps wanting to shroud itself in darkness, like some sort of proverbial curse from ages past that makes the prophecy of Calamity’s return seem ancient in comparison.

          If such a curse were to exist, it’d be as old as Hyrule itself. Mayhaps the “Founders”, as Rauru had called them, knew of it. He and Sonia had started the kingdom, but they didn’t find the land. Two Hylians did, though their names, and entire story have all been lost. Even to Rauru, Mineru and Sonia, despite them claiming that they weren’t that long ago.

          Still, curse or no, Link was, and always will, be a ray of light in a world that for whatever reason, can’t seem to know peace for long. All Zelda can do is hope that she and Link know peace long enough to rebuild this fallen kingdom, and pray that he never has to raise a sword again.

          “I know.” She replied after a moment. “I know you would…I just pray that you never have to.”

          Link only responded with a quiet sob, which prompted her to hold him closer.

          “It’s Hyrule.” He whispered, his voice coarse. “Something is always bound to happen.”

          Zelda ran her fingers through his hair, accidentally taking Link’s hair band off. It always surprised her at just how long his hair is, and how soft it is. She was basically petting him like a cat at this point, though Link didn’t seem to mind. In fact it seemed like he was enjoying it.

          She gazed down at Link again, slightly taken aback at how content he was, and it got her thinking.

          If Hyrule were to face danger again in their lifetimes, she’ll protect him this time. She’ll get a sword made, a custom set of armor, a custom bow, all of it. She could still picture his broken body after the Gloom had destroyed his arm. His screams of agony…How they haunted her darkest nightmares.

          Zelda will not have Link be hurt in combat again. Never. Again. The Sheikah could teach her, she’ll be a dangerous warrior in no time, and so could Link. The best swordsman in the land, she’ll be unstoppable, and that’s not even including her powers.

          “I wouldn’t worry about it, Link.” Zelda said. “If anything were to happen, I’ll take care of it.” 

          “That’s my job.” Link protested, though his tone was playful like he knew her real intentions.

          “I guess you have competition.” She gently teased. She was going to say more but the words escaped her mind when the door to the outside was abruptly opened by a very frustrated Purah.

          “So damn loud.” The Sheikah scientist cursed under her breath as she closed the door with a thud. “I really-” She stopped herself mid sentence upon noticing Link and Zelda huddled together in the back of the room.

          “Uh…You two okay?” Purah asked while scratching the back of her head.

          “No.” Zelda sheepishly replied. Link just signed “no” instead.

          “Yeah, I can tell…” With a sigh, Purah sat down on the floor in front of them. “Too loud out there? Swear it’s louder than standing by a waterfall somedays.”

          Link gave a nod. Zelda knew from experience that Link didn’t do well in crowds, or in spaces with a lot of background noise.

          “That’s why I’m here…What about you Zelda?” Purah asked while rubbing her temples.

          Truthfully, she didn’t have an answer outside of looking for Link. Originally she was going to gush about the historical finds, but seeming him curled up in a ball made her forget everything.

          “Same thing.” She lied. “You know how we are around crowds.”

          “Yeah, a bunch of instruments tuned for a different band here.” Purah softly laughed. “I just hope Link’s doing okay. Are you okay Linky?”

          “Trying.” Link signed.

          Purah nodded. “That’s sometimes the best thing we can do. Link, you may not like what I’m gonna say, but I’ve been thinking.”

          Zelda raised an eyebrow, there were a few things that she had in mind that she wanted to tell Link, but none of them were things he possibly wouldn’t like. One of them just so happened to be a proposal, but she wanted it to be special. Not like it wouldn’t be special, but she wanted it to be perfect.

          Plus she didn’t even have a ring yet.

          “I think you need to put the Master Sword back.” Purah stated gently. “Carrying it around isn’t doing you any favors. I can tell.”

          Link just shut his eyes with a slow nod.

          Zelda knew that he had very… Complicated feelings about the Master Sword. But still carried her despite those feelings, though now Zelda wonders if those feelings are driving Link’s depression, or rather them worsening it.

          “I…You’re right.” Link nervously uttered.

          “You don’t have to do it alone okay?” Zelda gripped his hands tightly. “We can go another time after we aren’t such a mess okay? I know you don’t want to go to the Deku Tree like this.”

          Link gave another nod.

          “Alright, good.” Purah subtly smiled. “Come on, let’s get out here if you can. I gotta talk to Robbie and I don’t want to be here while it’s raining.”

          Zelda gave the scientist an odd look. “Raining?” She said. “There wasn’t a cloud in the sky not too long ago.” Link also agreed with a nod, signing that the brightness was giving him a headache.

          “Yeah, I was talking to Josha, trying to block out the noise and focus on all these books, and I think this is just my headache talking.” Purah laughed. “I swear to Hylia I heard music on the wind. I think it was just someone playing a flute at that mini stable, but the sky started to grow dark not long after.”

          “It’s the tail end of the rainy season.” Link wearily spoke. “Not surprised.”

          “Yeah, I can’t wait for the harvest season.” Zelda cheerfully replied. “I love the colors, and all the pumpkins. It’s so lovely.”

          Purah just gave a thumbs up as thunder shook the room. “I think we should get going before it gets to Hateno.”

          “You’re right.” Link softly said before getting up, which was clearly painful for him. It just made Zelda’s heart ache more, and reinforced that idea in her head.

          From now on, she’s the protector. Link needs it, now more than ever.

Chapter Text

Link:

Scientist Respite

           Link loved Robbie, there was no doubt about that.

          What he didn’t love was the gutted Guardian that was draped atop the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab. He felt that, at any moment, the rusted head of the ancient machine would suddenly spin to face him. Its laser pointed right at his body all while shrieking those terrible words that the Guardians always said when starting combat:

          “Target verified. Commencing Hostilities!”

           Link knew it was impossible, the Guardian was literally nothing more than a hollow shell, but it still unnerved him, even if it was admittedly a funny decoration.

          “So, what’re you gonna do after you take the sword back?” Purah asked as she opened the door to the lab, tucking the book she brought with her under her arm.

          Link just shrugged. He truly had no idea what to do after he put the Master Sword back. Currently, he had put her and his Champion’s tunic in his house down the hill. Which felt weird, it was so…Odd walking around with Zelda without a sword, or chainmail or any form of offense or defense.

          It was a feeling he was going to have to get used to. If he was going to become just “Link” and not “Link the Hero” or “Link the Champion”, he needed to “hang the sword up”, as Zelda said not too long ago.

          At least, for now, he can focus on other things. The inside of the Ancient Tech lab was, for once, not a cluttered mess of projects and paperwork, but actually had accommodations and not just a bunch of tables. Granted the room still had a bunch of tables, but now there was a couch, and a table in front of said couch that was for things other than notes.

          Robbie was standing in front of his chalkboard as the trio went inside, muttering to himself about a “hand cannon”, whatever that was.

          “Hey Robbie!” Purah called out. “I brought over some friends.”

          “Friends?” Robbie stepped down from where the chalkboards were. “Oh! I wasn’t expecting a visit from Zelda! I should’ve cleaned up-”

          “Robbie, you're fine.” Zelda laughed. “It’s not even messy, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

          “Besides, it’s gonna get messy tomorrow.” Purah joined in before handing Robbie the book she was holding. “Take a guess how many we found down there?”

          “Uh…” Robbie adjusted his goggles. “Twenty?”

          “Yeah, add on three hundred and seventy five to that.” Purah replied as both Link and Zelda laughed in the background. It was a mind boggling amount of books to say the least.

          “WHAT?!” Robbie shouted in disbelief while taking his goggles off. “I swear every new development from you three shaves off an additional two years of my lifespan.” The scientist shook his head with a chuckle before glancing at Link.

          “You know, it’s weird seeing you without armor or a sword.”

          Link shrugged as he flopped down on the rather soft and plush couch. “Get used to it I guess?”

          The scientist scoffed. “Get used to it? I can’t even get used to the new farmhand Dantz and Koiyn hired. How do you expect little old me to get used to you without a weapon?”

          “Wait, what’s this about a new farmhand?” Link asked while fiddling with a piece of loose paper that was on the table in front of him.

          “Some guy, kinda looks like you, named Rusl or something like that. He really, really hates it when I “disturb the goats ” with my experiments.” Robbie rolled his eyes. "How is a man supposed to test out Zonai Cannons in peace these days?"

          “Take care to not disturb his goats?” Zelda sat down next to Link before wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

          “Maybe they shouldn’t be scared by the cannons I’m working on.” Robbie crossed his arms.

          “They’re animals, Goggles.” Purah shook her head. “Loud noises spook them.”

          Link just smiled as the two scientists playfully went back and forth. If he was being honest with himself, he really missed this sort of playful chaos. As the scientists bickered, which now included Zelda in the “debate”. Link just closed his eyes, letting himself fall over onto her lap. Not like she minded or anything, he just liked being as close as possible to her.

          Zelda radiated an invisible warmth to Link, a warmth that he so desperately craved. Her fingers started to run through his hair, which sent chills down his spine and throughout his whole body. It made him crave more, he’ll never get used to this feeling. Most physical touch throughout his known life was just repeats of suffering. These gentle touches of love and appreciation were mostly foreign to him. Only Sidon really hugged Link before he reunited with Zelda.  

          It’s no wonder why he’s so starved for it.

          “Is he a cat now?” Robbie’s voice cut into Link’s mind. He opened his eyes to find both Robbie and Purah looking right at him.

          Link knew exactly what to say to such allegations, especially when Zelda was still tracing her fingers through his hair.

          “Meow.” His cat impression still, admittedly, needed some work.

          Robbie just blinked a few times with a short nod. “Fair enough. Anyways, I was gonna ask you if you would be interested in-” He took a deep breath for emphasis. “The Robbie Pad.” The scientist’s voice went low and serious for even more of an impact.

          While, yes, Link was interested in the so-called “Robbie Pad”, the only thing on his mind was the question Robbie had posed not so much as ten seconds ago.

          So, naturally, he meowed again.

          “Well then, I’ll take that as a yes, and as a note to add “cat” to the list of the Hero’s ever growing identities.”

          That got a soft laugh out of Link. His “identities” were just ways of expressing how he was feeling, not as a person, but something else entirely though he lacked the words for it. Link never cared for the whole dichotomy of “man” and “woman”, and all of the rules that followed. It wasn’t because of his amnesia from the Shrine of Resurrection, he was always like that…Much to the ire of the nobility, which was funny because Link was nobility as well.

          “What’s even on that list anyways?” Zelda asked while gently rubbing the tip of Link’s ear.

          “Oh a lot of things.” Purah piped up. “Knight, and swordsman are the two I can think of right now because poor Linky didn’t know what a gender was for a solid three months back then.”

          Link felt his face grow hot. “It still doesn’t make sense to me!” He exclaimed.

          “It didn’t make sense to you back then!” Robbie chimed in. “What was it that you claimed? A scam that not even Malo Mart would sell!”

          His head felt a bit empty at the mention of Malo Mart , a store that he didn’t even remember, but it did sound like something Link at one point would say.

          “Yeah that sounds like me. Can’t wear a dress because of some arbitrary reason that makes no sense.” Link stated. “It’s so limiting and boring.”

          Robbie gazed at Purah with a wide grin. “Oh he might not come back the same.” He said, mimicking her voice. “He might change.” He laughed, dropping the voice. “If anything the Shrine just made Link more…I don’t know what to call it. Weird? Weird. But like in a good way.”

          Link couldn’t help but smile. He was weird, but so was Zelda. Princess turned scientist and archaeologist with a proficiency in her magic that’d make most sorcerers jealous.

           Sorcery. A bolt of lightning sparked in Link’s mind. Sorcery, that might be it.

          If Link’s body wasn’t going to permit him to be a good sword fighter anymore, then he’ll just have to fight his battles from afar with spells. Only problem is that most, if not all, Hylian Sorcerers left Hyrule for Termina a century ago. But that was a problem for future Link.

          “I’d say Link was one of a kind, but I guess there’s someone else like him running around Hyrule now.” Robbie continued. “He stopped by a few days ago with a letter from Impa actually.”

           Few days ago with a letter from Impa? Link thought back to his visit to Kakariko. “Did he have an eyepatch? Leather armor with a cloak?”

          Robbie nodded. “Yeah, blonde hair, a bit lighter than yours, same eye color too. Had himself a claymore on his back. You know him?”

          “Raven. He’s the one who helped us get all those books out from the castle underground.” Zelda chimed. “Scorpis sent him to check in on us, guess he’s a sellsword.”

          “Raven…” Robbie stroked his chin. “Interesting name…Anyways, he came by with the letter and mentioned something about being a tree after I told him to be careful going back.”

          “In a metaphorical sense?” Zelda asked.

          “No literal. I asked.”

          “Well that’s new, I’ll be sure to ask him the next time we run into each other. It sounds exciting."

          Being a tree in a literal sense peaked Link’s interest. He was half tempted to race back to Lookout Landing to find Raven again and ask, but right now all he could really think of was getting something to eat. Or rather, making something to eat. For everyone.

          “Anyone hungry?” Link asked while meeting Zelda’s glance at him. “I’ll cook.”

          “I was going to say no, but if you’re cooking then yes. I’m a starving child and I haven’t eaten in two weeks.” Robbie chuckled.

          He forgot how much Goggles loved his cooking, more than most people in fact. No one else, besides Zelda and the Sages, came close to the sheer satisfaction in having one of Link’s dinners.

          It was a warm feeling, and he was chasing those feelings.

Chapter Text

Link:

Dream Of The Unknown

         Link loved hosting dinners.

         He loved providing for people, it was something that he could still do for others that didn’t involve fighting monsters, or bandits, or the like. It was the simplest way he could help others, which satisfied that innate need inside him. The feeling was warm as Link saw Purah and Robbie off, the moon glowing overhead, bright and full.

          There was a nip in the air, which meant that tonight he’d be extra snug in bed. All those warm and fluffy blankets surrounding him with Zelda wrapping her arms around him. Oh Hylia, how he wanted to crawl into bed at that very moment.

          Which he practically did, and like most nights as of late, Zelda held him close. It just made Link fall asleep almost instantly, she was so warm, and all he wanted was that warmth.

          “Goodnight Link.” She whispered softly into his ear.

          “Goodnight Zel.” He replied as his eyes closed, barely being able to keep them open.

          Moments later, he opened them to a dark fog filled forest.

          Link was riding his horse, Shadow, into this forest in the dead of night for some reason. His dreams never made any sense if they weren’t nightmares, and Link was really really hoping it was one of those nonsense dreams.

          That’s when the voice appeared. A disembodied voice filled with so much dream it made Link’s skin crawl despite it being in a dream.

          “I have awoken something terrible …”

          Without warning Shadow lurched back with a panicked whine, nearly knocking Link off before galloping headlong into the woods. Link tried to rein her in, leaning over to the side to pet his steed but only found himself falling off the saddle. The only thing keeping him attached to his horse being his foot, now caught in the stirrup.

          This meant that Link was being painfully dragged along the forest floor, fallen leaves, sticks and rocks were all being kicked up in the air by his horse’s panicked galloping.

          “Hey!” He called out while trying to get his foot free, to no avail. All he could do in this situation was keep his head off the ground and watch in sheer horror as Shadow ran right towards a giant hole in the ground.

          His veins turned to ice instantly, panic filling his soul as Link patted his body in a desperate search for a dagger or something sharp to maybe cut the stirrup loose from the saddle itself.

          There was nothing. No dagger, no sword, not even a knife. He could do nothing but watch as Shadow plunged the both of them into the dark abyss.

          He hit the ground with a loud thud. It didn’t hurt oddly enough, what was odd was that Shadow didn’t hit the ground. Only he did. Link opened his eyes, taking in his new surroundings. A grassy meadow at night with a large, but lone, oak tree in the center. 

          His steed was gone, no trace of her even existed. The only evidence for her existence was the various scrapes that covered his back and the dirt that covered his clothes.

          These were his clothes, right? Link never recalled wearing or even owning a green tunic with chainmail underneath. His tunic was blue, it had always been blue. He had green clothes, but not ones he wore with armor.

          It didn’t matter, what mattered was the fact that there were people in this field. From where Link was standing he could tell that they wore all white, with masks covering their faces. Carefully, Link approached one of them, noticing that they were actually children. Smaller than him. It just made his heart sink for some reason, like they were victims of some great evil.

          “W-what is this place?” He asked one of them with a slight stutter.

          “We don’t know.” The child in the mask answered. The mask was darkly painted, the only visible features being a single red eye painted in the center.

          “All we do know is that something terrible has awoken.” The masked child continued, echoing the line that the disembodied voice said earlier.

          Link’s blood ran cold again. “What do you mean?”

          “It hungers.” The child answered bluntly.

          “What’s with the masks?” He asked, changing the subject, hoping that maybe he’d get something from the kid that wasn’t cryptic.

          “Masks to hold our souls.” They replied with a harsh tone.

          Link was taken aback by the answer, nearly jumping in his own skin, unable to even form a response.

          “A dead God dreaming.” Another child responded, their mask was shaped like a Zora from the old statues that Sidon showed him years ago.

          “Justice undone. Another war.” Another voice, another child. This one was further away, closer to the tree. The tone of their voice was heartbreaking, all Link wanted to do was to pull the little one into a hug. To tell them that it’d all be okay.

          The mask this child wore bore the face of a Gerudo. It looked just like Riju for some reason. Oh Goddess, what was going on?

          “Oath to order.” It happened again, their voice was filled with a tiredness that Link knew all too well. This masked child was even closer to the oak tree. Link could see that their mask was the face of a Goron, and that they held a toy wooden sword in their hand.

          Link reached out for a hug, but the Goron masked child just walked away. Why were all of them so heartbroken in their tone? What happened, why can’t he help them?

          “Rage of the damned.” This voice was nearly crying. They stood by the tree, wearing a mask that resembled a Rito’s face. One that had features from both Tulin and…And Revali.

          It hurt. His heart just hurt. Every time he tried to help them the mysterious masked children would walk away from him while shaking their heads. The only one he didn’t approach yet, was the one by the tree itself. Sitting down in front of it, head in their lap.

          They were alone.

          Link slowly walked up to them, a gentle breeze started to blow through the dark meadow. As he got close, the child looked up at him, wearing a very different mask.

          It was heart shaped, painted a vibrant blue, with bulging yellow orange eyes, and spikes around the edge. It…It didn’t feel right looking into such a mask.

          “Another cycle. Ad infinitum.” The child said in a deep voice that was impossible for a child to make.

          “What do you mean?” Link asked, trying to keep his composure for the child. He didn’t want to scare them more than they already seemed to be given their voices.

          “The professor gazed into the stars one day, and saw the truth. He wanted a wish, the spirit got its way. All his friends went away.”

          Now Link was really confused, on top of being an emotional wreck.

          “Do you know who you are?” The child asked, tilting their head to the side.

          Link just shrugged. “I guess…I just don’t remember much.” He didn’t know why he was being so honest to such a strange child, especially in a mask that gave him the creeps.

          “Do you know where you came from?”

          He shook his head with a blink, and realized he wasn’t in the meadow anymore. He was in by the entrance of a small farm, its iron gate was rusted and worn down, permanently stuck open. A sign that had clearly fallen from a now decayed wooden archway read in an older style of Hylian text; Lon Lon Ranch.

          The name burned itself into his mind.

          Lon Lon Ranch. Where had he heard that name before? It was driving him crazy.

          With nothing else better to do, Link crept inside the old dilapidated ranch house of Lon Lon. It was just as abandoned on the inside as it was on the outside. Old wooden chairs that would break if a leaf on them, a table that would collapse if Link so much as set his hand upon the surface.

          “Do you know where you came from?” The voice of the heart shaped masked child spoke again, but it came from inside his own head as he approached a mirror in what was left of the master bedroom.

          There was barely enough light from the moon outside to see his reflection. Or rather, a reflection, as it wasn’t his own. It didn’t startle Link, it just…Was there, it was a bit unnerving, but rather tame to everything else he’d seen.

          In the mirror was the image of two large wolves staring at him. One with luminous golden fur, its left eye shut by a scar, and the other wolf with blue eyes much like own, with weird white markings upon its brown fur.

          They just looked at him, blinking slowly. Link noticed that their tails were wagging, but he didn’t know why.

          “Do you know who you are?” The voice asked again.

          Link felt his heart sink, he didn’t understand. What was his mind trying to show him?

          “Link?” A different, much more familiar, voice spoke to him.

          He forced his eyes open, only to be nearly blinded by the brightness of the morning sun through the window.

          “Ow.” He muttered while blocking the sun with his hand. “What happened?” He asked as his mind adjusted to being awake and the hurt in his heart leaving.

          “You looked like you were having a bad dream.” Zelda said before planting a kiss on his temple. “You okay?”

          “Yeah.” Link responded, still a bit groggy, and thirsty. His mouth was rather dry. “Just a really weird dream. I’m fine.”

          “Okay. I’m here if you wanna talk about it.” Zelda whispered while wrapping her arm around him, the move sent chills throughout his body.

          Link just let his head fall onto her arm. At least it wasn’t a nightmare this time. He was thankful to the Goddess that he hadn’t had one in a while now, and he prayed that it stayed that way.

Chapter Text

Zelda:

To Put The Sword Away

          Link’s dream was certainly very weird.

          Weird in a way that she couldn’t exactly explain, and she hated when she couldn’t explain something. She was a researcher for Hylia’s sake, but for the life of her she couldn’t figure out what any of it meant.

          Fortunately for them, it didn’t matter. As nothing about the dream screamed danger, or anything about some upcoming prophecy. It was just a really weird dream, nothing more, nothing less.

          She kept a close eye on Link as they got ready for the day as there was an air of melancholy around the former knight. Link’s feelings about the Master Sword were conflicting on a good day and everyone who was even remotely close to him could tell. Link’s life was forever changed because of the Master Sword, for the better and for the worse as he had to abandon his dream of being a royal chef and train as a knight instead. A fact of his life that he doesn’t remember, like his father and sister. She’ll tell him about them eventually, whenever he’s ready.

          Zelda chewed on that thought for a moment, and came to a realization. She was pretty sure that even if Link wasn’t dealing with chronic pains, he would still put the Master Sword back. Too many bad memories with it, for both of them now. She wasn’t going to admit it, not wanting to influence a decision that should be made by Link and Link alone, the blade is his after all, but Zelda is… Relieved that she won’t have to see her for a while.

          Hopefully never again.

          She gave her Secret Stone to Purah, not being able to stomach even being in its presence and the very idea of holding its sends her into a small panic. She could only imagine what Link was going through with the Master Sword, especially after knowing what she went through to restore her.

          It was hard to accept the fact that was burned into her mind. The single truth about her ventures into the legends of Hyrule’s past, a single detail that’ll keep her up at night for the rest of her life, however long it’ll be.

          She, Zelda Bosphoramus Hyrule, had died. 

          There was no softening that truth. She died when she turned into the Light Dragon. That was it, she had resigned herself to fate that morning. A day that she’ll hope will be forgotten entirely. Though there was a morbid humor in the fact that she and Link have both died at one point. At least her’s was quick. Link suffered. He struggled. The sight of his half destroyed and scorched body will forever be burned into her eyes.

          Zelda takes a sip of water while she watches Link slip his boots on. His hands are shaking, and it’s not from his pain. He’s scared, scared to disappoint the Great Deku Tree, even though he’ll never be disappointed. Link looks up to the ancient forest spirit as a father figure of sorts, the likes that Hudson couldn’t fill.

          “Are you okay?” Zelda asks gently while placing a hand on his shoulder.

          Link hastily nods. “Y-yeah.” With a slight sigh, he finishes lacing his boots up. “I just hope that he understands.”

          She rubs his shoulder for comfort. “He will. I know it.” She leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “You aren’t the first to put the sword back, he’ll support you.”

          He gave a nod while standing up. “I got a marker in the forest thankfully.”

          Zelda thought back to the map of the Purah Pad, while she was amazed that Link had managed to-yet again-get all of the map data, she always wondered why he placed Robbie’s travel medallions in such odd places. One was behind their house in Hateno, one was by the Deku Tree, and the last one was next to Lover’s Pond.

          Every time she sees that marker she has to wonder how long Link was there, was he reminiscing about the overnight trips to the pond? Those slow warm summer nights with the only light illuminating the space between being the dim glow of the Sunset Fireflies dancing in the air. The warmth of their bodies countering any chill breeze that came from the nearby ocean. Those brief moments where they were allowed to just be alone to themselves without any risk of prying eyes.

          In the time during the Upheaval, it might have been one of his safe spaces outside of the sky islands, weather permitting.

          “I guess I should grab her.” Link mournfully spoke as he went for the Master Sword. With a quiet sigh, Link took the sword into his hands. “It’s been a long time coming.”

          Zelda pulled him into a hug. “I know.” A gentle squeeze as she felt his body shake. “I know.”

          “Ready whenever you are.” He whispered into her ear. “We’ll be in and out.”

          She gave him a nod. The fact that Link didn’t even want to go outside before traveling to the Korok Forest said a lot. Whenever Link was stressed out about something he had a tendency to hide himself away, to make himself small and unnoticeable.

          “Okay Link.” Zelda slowly pulled away from the hug and grabbed the Purah Pad from her desk. Tucking her hand into Link’s free one, she hit the marker, instantly transporting both of them in strands of blue light.

          If it wasn’t for the subject at hand, Zelda would’ve asked Link if he wanted to stay the day. There was something so majestic about the area around the Great Deku Tree, the way the light shone in from above creating this subtle heavenly divine glow that surrounded the entire area. The glow was most noticeable around the pedestal that houses the Master Sword.

          And that’s where Link was already heading for. Zelda stayed close behind, but knew that he needed to be alone with the blade for this.

          “I can only hope.” He started to say while unsheathing the divine sword. “That the next hero won’t appear for a long time.” He held the blade up in the air, staring at his reflection.

          She knew what he was thinking about, she could tell from the way his tearful eyes darted back to her and to the sword. There was a high chance that Link had glimpses of Zelda’s transformation into the Light Dragon when he retrieved the Master Sword. If he did, he wasn’t going to tell her, and she was thankful for that. 

          She had enough heartbreak during the whole ordeal. She wrote so many letters in the faint hope that one of them would somehow survive and make it back to Link. Confessions of love and desire, the hopes and dreams she had for the future.

          Zelda, at that time, truly thought she would never see Link again. Never see his smile or hear his laugh, never rebuild the kingdom that they once knew and loved. Never settle down and just live the life they never got a chance to actually live. She wouldn’t be a teacher anymore, let alone the princess, and Link... Zelda had heard the faint whispers from Riju and Sidon. 

          She knew of Link’s desperation to find her, and how utterly broken he was when he did. She heard Riju mention that Link had seemingly lost all of his hope. That his one goal was to kill Ganondorf and that nothing else mattered to him. He still helped everyone he could, but in Riju’s own words:

          “He was hollow. The only thing keeping him going was rage. I shudder to imagine his state if Zelda hadn’t returned.”

          Zelda couldn’t recall a moment in her life when she was as angry towards the Goddess as she was in those final hours and the few days after she came back. Now she didn’t know how to feel. On one hand she felt relief, on the other pure rage.

          She still loved Hylia even though her feelings about the Goddess were complicated and convoluted at best. Maybe there was no other way, how else would she have gotten back? Traveling over ten thousand years back into the future by random chance wasn’t exactly ideal.

          “I just wish that I wasn’t broken and falling apart.” Link’s pained voice snapped Zelda out her thoughts.

          “No.” She gently replied. “You’re not broken.”

          “The Princess is right, Link.” The Great Deku Tree himself spoke up in his gentle and affirming voice that was also a bit loud, it wasn't like he could help it.

          “I know, it’s just hard to-” Link started to reply but the Deku Tree cut him off.

          “Hard to imagine yourself in any situation that isn’t being a hero? Link, you have more than earned the gentle peace that all true warriors strive for.”

          “I guess.” Link sighed, lowering the Master Sword as Zelda gently put her hand on his shoulder for support. “Part of me wonders if the past… Links? I don’t know how to phrase it, would understand. From what I’ve been told they kept going.”

          “I can assure you Link, they would. Especially the Legendary One himself.” said the Deku Tree.

          “The Legendary One?” Zelda asked, a tad confused. “I’m not familiar with such a title.”

          "Another hero I know of. A hero from a forest much like this one," the Deku Tree started, his voice carrying a somber tone, "a hero who the sands of time almost all but forgot. A hero who bore the weight of the world upon his shoulders when he hadn't even reached maturity. One who was forced to start a long bloody conflict, one who swore an oath to order and peace. A hero who all of Hyrule had forgotten, but who still fought for them. For he is the hero I will always remember. The Hero of Time; the one who gave it all and got nothing back."

          The Hero of Time. The name fluttered in Zelda’s mind for a moment. Something seemed so familiar about it, like she knew him, even though this was the first time she’s ever even heard of such a hero.

          “Link.” The Deku Tree continued. “I can assure you, with the same certainty that the sun rises in the morning, that he would not only understand you, but admire your courage, like so many, in the face of everything.”

          Link held back a sob and gave a nod. “I-I-you’re right.” He held the sword above the pedestal ready to put her back. “If Hyrule does need me again, I’ll be back. I’ll try, it’s the least I can promise.” A sigh as he set the Master Sword into the pedestal, Zelda watched as the sheath of the legendary blade dissipated into nothing.

          “If it means anything, Link.” The Deku Tree started. “I do not foresee Hyrule needing you, or anyone like you, for a long time.”

          Zelda glanced up to the giant tree spirit, though his face didn’t convey many emotions, she could tell that he was proud in the same way that she was.

          “Thank you.” Link said, slipping his hand into Zelda’s. “I’ll be back to chat later, I just-”

          “Don’t worry, Link, I understand. You and the Princess both need time to recover. One cannot rush their recovery, lest they reset the progress.” The Deku Tree gently affirmed.

          He gave a short nod and let his fingers fall on the crossguard of the Master Sword. A silent goodbye. Despite everything he went through, he loved the sword deep down. Zelda knew as she felt the same way.

          The pair said their goodbyes to the Great Deku Tree and then Link said goodbye to Hetsu and the other Koroks, which Zelda couldn’t see. It had something to do with the Hero’s Spirit, and she doesn’t have said spirit.

          With the goodbyes said, she swiftly warped them home, clipping the Purah Pad back onto her belt before Link even realized that she had brought them home.

           “Thank you.” He signed, holding back another sob. “I’ll talk to him later, I just… Why am I like this all the time?”

          “Because you’re hurting.” Zelda just pulled him into a hug. “He loves you, I can tell.”

          Link nodded while burying his face into her shoulder. Even though this embrace was a melancholy one, it was still nice as Link was always so warm to the touch. It was no wonder she likes holding him in her sleep as he’s basically her own personal hearth. Also the fact that Zelda just likes holding him, and that wasn’t counting for the fact that they’re together and that at this point he’s Prince-Consort in everything but the title.

          It was just that Link was so cuddly. He would make these cat-like chirps and other various noises whenever she squeezed him if he was tired enough. He was a living weighted blanket if said blanket also made cute noises when held.

          Sadly their warm loving embrace didn’t last long as Link’s head suddenly jolted upright. 

          “Shit, it’s Penn.” He said while pulling away. He started to quickly straighten his black shirt out and wipe at his eyes.

          Zelda was about to ask what he was talking about, but she didn’t have to as shortly after she saw the Rito flying overhead. The last thing the two of them wanted was the Lucky Clover Gazette running a story about Princess Zelda and her relationship with her personal swordsman, Link.

          Besides, Link has definitely heard enough “jokes” about him being her “swordsman” from people who probably had too much ale to drink.

          “How do I look?” He asked with a slightly panicked tone, rubbing his eyes quickly.

          “You look fine Link, come on.” Zelda beckoned him to follow, normally she’d take his hand, but this was Penn they were about to see.

          The Rito was over by the bridge that led into town, a cloth bag carrying newspapers slung was over his shoulder. His goggles reflected just enough light to make his head glow. It was a funny sight all things considered, Penn the Rito Journalist gets bathed in similar lightning as the grove that houses the Great Deku Tree and the Master Sword.

          “Ah! Hello Princess Zelda. I got the latest for you!” Penn excitedly said before handing her a newspaper. Just holding the paper reminded her of the fact that Traysi managed to find a printing press, get it working, and operate it on her own. She might have the largest ear for gossip in all of Hyrule, but her technical skills were a marvel.

          “Ah Link! I wasn’t expecting to see you here, partner!” Penn piped up, handing Link a newspaper of his own. It just made Zelda wonder if Penn truly didn’t know about their relationship, or the fact that Link technically owns this house, or was just pretending that he didn’t know out of respect.

          “Glad I found ya! I got a letter from Sidon for you!”

          Link’s face lit up instantly as he happily took the letter from Penn.

          Thank you Sidon. You probably have no idea what’s going on with Link, but your letter just helped him a lot. She’s gonna have to thank him in person when she gets the chance.

          Zelda glanced towards the headline of the paper, and it made her do a double take.

          Damaged boat from the Kingdom of Termina washes up in Tarry Town. 

          The blurb below the headline mentions that there was only one survivor from the ship.

          “What’s this about a damaged boat?” Zelda asked in hopes that Penn knew anything. The mere fact that the boat came from Termina nearly swept her off her feet.

          “Crazy stuff.” The journalist started. “This really beat up galley just sorta crashed into the massive rock pillar under the ground bridge into town right. Only one guy was on the boat, and he mentions that his crew all got washed away by this massive storm halfway through his journey.”

          “That’s awful. Is he okay?” Link asked in that voice Zelda knew all too well. The “is there anything I can do to help” voice, the hero voice. There was no stopping it, Link will always be the hero of the land. He’ll always offer help, that’s just who he was and that’s one of the reasons why she loves him so much.

          “Yeah, as far as I can tell. Couldn’t really get anything out of him for an interview, guy was probably still reeling from that, but you’re more than welcome to try!”

          “What’s he look like?”

          “A little taller than the Princess, has this blue half cloak that buttons in the middle of his chest, it’s draped over his shoulders. Wears a dark grey outfit underneath that. He’s got dark blonde hair, which he wears over one eye, green eyes, and the visible eye has this small tattoo mark under it. A semi circle.” Penn went on to mention that the man from Termina was a sorcerer as well.

          An actual mage. Hyrule had lost all of her mages many many years ago. This was an interesting turn of events to say the least.

          “Interesting, I’ll be sure to check it out when I get the chance.Thank you, Penn.” Link said, folding the newspaper under his arm though he kept the light blue envelope from Sidon in his hand.

          “No problem! Got more papers to deliver and more news to find!” Penn gave a salute to both Link and Zelda. “Soar long!” He exclaimed before taking off.

          “I see why you like him.” Zelda commented. “He’s got a lot of energy.”

          “Heh, tell me about it. So I guess we’re going to the Domain?” Link let his head fall on her shoulder.

          “And Tarry Town, because I want to see this other house of yours in person, and because I want to meet this sorcerer.” She turned to give his head a quick kiss.

          “Same here. I wonder what Sidon and Yona want? I hope it’s an invite to a fancy dinner, they throw the best parties.” Link said dreamily.

          A fancy party wasn’t exactly what Zelda had in mind, but she wasn’t about to turn down a chance to have dinner and get to know Yona better. Sidon’s wife was an absolute sweetheart to both her and Link. She knew immediately that they were together, which is probably because Link told Sidon and Sidon told her.

          Zelda didn’t mind, Sidon and Yona can both keep things under wrap until the time comes.

Chapter Text

Zelda:

To Wear Or Not To Wear A Mushroom Cap

           Link’s excitement over the letter from Sidon had certainly put a bounce in his step.

          Though the invitation to dinner was much appreciated, Zelda nor Link had appropriate clothes for such a fancy occasion. She wasn’t about to show up in her traveler’s clothes, and the royal dresses she still had held bad memories. As for Link? He didn’t own anything fancy outside of his old Royal Guard uniform. There were those Zonai ritual dresses he found, but those were for special occasions… Between the two of them, and no one else.

          Right now, clothes were the last thing on her mind, as Link was currently in the kitchen making the two of them breakfast. A feast of fried eggs, strips of steak with buttered toast and fresh squeezed orange juice. The sounds of all the sizzling foods, the scent of the freshly seared steak, and the ever faint aroma of recently toasted bread filled the air and made the already cozy home of theirs that much more inviting.

          As always, the meal that Link made was just perfect. Flawless, perfection in culinary form. How Link was this good at cooking will always astound her despite the fact that she knows why he’s so good at cooking. Being trained, even for a little bit, as a royal chef imparts skills and techniques that can never be forgotten. 

          “Say Link.” Zelda spoke up. Their breakfast was rather quiet, but it didn’t bother her.

          Link looked up from his eggs and tilted his head to the side.

          “What kind of outfit do you have in mind?” She asked before sticking a piece of toast in her mouth.

          Link shrugged. “I honestly have no idea, I don’t think that old uniform of mine is a good idea.”

          Zelda could only agree with a small laugh. “Maybe Cece has something for us?”

          Link made a snort-like chuckle. “So we can both look like mushrooms? I’d rather not walk around looking like food.”

          “Link, you’re already a snack. I don’t think a mushroom appearance is gonna change that!” She didn’t mean for this to come out like that, but it was too late. Though Link’s bright red face told her everything.

          “Snack huh?” Link tried to contain his laughs but failed. “Am I really that good-”

          “Yes. You’re adorable.” Zelda cooed before leaning over the table and taking Link’s hands into her own. “Silly and cute.” She gave him a quick kiss on the nose.

          Whenever she would kiss, hug, or hold Link he would seemingly melt into it. Like her very presence was allowing him to be at ease. It made her heart comparatively melt every time.

          After their breakfast, the pair set off for Cece’s. Fancy clothing for a Zora dinner wasn’t going to find itself. The weather in Hateno today was rather warm despite the fact the harvest season was approaching. A season of long shirts, sweaters and scarfs. Zelda couldn’t wait to see the leaves change colors every year, nor could she wait for the chilly days where snuggling up to Link for warmth in public wasn’t seen as unusual.

          “Hey you!” Teebo’s voice ended Zelda’s thoughts about the upcoming season. “Are you suspicious?!”

          Both her and Link directed their focus down the hill to where Teebo was pointing a small stick at someone. Said someone was carrying a rather tiny goat in their arms.

          “Are you suspicious?” The black haired boy asked again while pushing his large glasses back on his face.

          “Not at all.” The one holding the tiny goat replied with a slight drawl to their voice. “I’m just getting this here escapee.”

          Teebo gave the man holding the goat a glance over before running off back to the town gates. The man just shrugged, dragged a hand through his dark blond, almost light brown, hair and started to head through the town.

          “Escapee huh?” Zelda asked him while gently reaching out to pet the soft fur of the tiny white goat.

          “Oh yeah, this little one keeps on tryin’ to scatter. He’s a rascal.” The young man, who oddly shared a few facial features with Link, ruffled the top of the goat’s head. “Been takin’ care of goats for a long while now, still shocked when one of ‘em tries an’ actually gets away.”

          Zelda gave a nod, while doing her best to not look at the man’s face. Even his eyes were the same shade of blue as Link’s… It was weird to say the least. At least Link was having a blast petting the goat. She had forgotten how silly he could be around animals.

          “He seems to be takin’ a liking to you!” The rancher laughed in a very similar way to Link. Was this the man named Rusl that Robbie mentioned? The one that looked like Link? Because he more than just looks like Link.

          While Link waved the man and the baby goat off, Zelda couldn’t help but wonder who he was and why he resembled Link so much. For a split second Zelda thought he could be related to Link, but sadly remembered that Link didn’t have any living family left as they all perished in the Calamity. The man reminded her of Link’s father, one Captain Colin Vilkas, but Captain Vilkas only had two children: Link and his little sister Ilia. Link’s mother died when they were young, from what she knew.

          Link didn’t remember his family, nor did he ever ask, though Zelda would tell him if he ever brought the subject up. Until then, she’ll keep their memory alive. Though thinking of his father made her remember a silly little detail about his and Link’s relationship.

          Link outranked his own father in the military. Captain Vilkas led the Hylian Guard and Knights, while Link was the captain of the entire Royal Guard, and was able to order his own father around. In fact, Link was such a high rank that only two people could give him orders. Herself and her… Bastard of a father, King Rhoam. And this was before Link became a Champion.

          As Lasi, the Kakariko woman who’s studying under Cece, welcomed the pair inside Cece’s shop; Ventest Clothing Boutique, Zelda kept wondering what their relationship was like. Link never really mentioned his family, and she had only met little Ilia once. She was a sweet little girl who cared greatly for her older sibling.

          “Oh, hello, hello.” Sophie’s quiet voice finally snapped Zelda out of her thoughts. “I wasn’t expecting you two here. What can I-”

          “By the Goddess is that the Princess herself?” Cece exclaimed with a gasp before fixing the collar on her mushroom themed coat. “And Link! Oh what a surprise.”

          “Yes, that’s us!” Zelda cheerfully replied, though she was taken a bit back by Cece’s energy level. “We were wondering if you had anything for a fancy dinner party?”

          “A fancy dinner party? Oh do I!” Cece laughed. “I say I know the perfect outfit for you, Link.”

          “Is it mu-” Link started to speak but Cece cut him off.

          “You’d look fabulous in one of my student Lasi’s outfits. Yes!” Cece clapped her hands together twice before rummaging in a glass display case. As she did, Zelda gazed around the room at the various mushroom themed outfits that were on display. She thought the mushroom lights that dotted Hateno were a bit weird yet cute and charming, but this… This was something else that she couldn’t put her finger on.

          There was this one cap with a similar shape to Link’s own beret, the Royal Guard Captain one, but decorated with tiny ruby red mushrooms that from afar, made the cap shine and almost sparkle like a Rupee.

          “This’ll do for a knight like you.” Cece exclaimed as she pulled out an outfit that was very close, design wise, to Link’s old Royal Guard uniform. Zelda was going to mention that Link wasn’t a knight anymore, but he actually beat her to it.

          “Sorry Cece, I’m not a knight anymore.” Link explained while gently ruffling his hand through his hair. “I’m just Link now.”

          “Just Link?” The fashion designer raised an eyebrow.

          “Just Link, not a knight, not a swordsman, just Link.”

          Just hearing Link say that filled her with a sense of pride. Yes, Link is just Link now. No hero tag, not a knight or a swordsman. Just Link. Her sweet gentle carefree Link is back.

          Cece glanced at Link then to Zelda and then back to Link. With a nod, she put the outfit back and went digging into another display case.

          “Hmmm, something more regal, yes. Considering your… Closeness.” She laughed and evoked an eye roll from Zelda. 

          “How many people know?” She asked quietly in a slight irrational fear that someone outside was listening in.

          “Rumors, lot’s of rumors, and jokes. So many jokes.” Sophie spoke up from the corner of the room. “I do wonder about them.”

          Zelda felt her face get hot. Of course people made jokes, but she didn’t expect people to wonder what Link and her were up to… Then again she did make a trip “alone” to Lover’s Pond that one time… So all of Lurelin probably knows by now.

          Ah yes, she was just going there to paint of course. Paint… just paint. Nothing else, nothing more, Link just so happened to tag along. And if things happen to get carried away, then the painting can wait. Things did get carried away but that’s besides the point.

           We should go to Lurelin again soon. She thought as the Upheaval had stolen their yearly visit which was on their anniversary.

          Link’s face was redder than a tomato but he just had a small laugh. “Oh I’ve heard.”

          “Right.” Zelda laughed with him, though hers was more forced. “What do you mean by more regal anyways?”

          Cece just chuckled to herself and held out a dark blue dress jacket with black embroidery decorating the cuffs and collar. The dark blue reminded her of Link’s uniform, though that didn’t seem to bother him as he exclaimed that it would work perfectly.

          “We are meeting with Sidon and Yona, the royals after all.” He said. “We gotta look as fancy as possible.”

          While yes, they were indeed going to have dinner with the Zora royals… It was also a dinner with Sidon, Link’s best friend in all of Hyrule. So Zelda knew that she could be a bit silly if she so pleased.

          And that red cap was calling her name.

          “What about that cap over there?” Zelda asked much to Link’s surprise.

          “OH! A cap like this will simply dazzle and impress everyone around you Princess!” Cece cheerfully answered while trying not to shout. She opened the display case and gave the cap to Zelda. It was a bit big on her head. Her and Link were both short in a way. Link more than her, but neither of them were average height for anything.

          “Hmmm, well I can tailor this down a size in an hour or so…” Cece pondered while investigating the cap. “I suppose the suit won’t fit Link either because he’s just short, no offense.”

          “None taken, am short.” Link replied with a giggle.

          “Well that settles it, I’ll have Lasi track you two down when everything is ready! Ta ta!” Cece waved them off while reaching for a box of what Zelda could only assume was sewing supplies.

          As soon as Zelda stepped outside with Link, Teebo’s voice once again called out accusing someone entering Hateno of being suspicious. It was rather cute, she had to admit.

          “Are you suspicious? No suspicious people allowed!” Teebo exclaimed while raising his stick towards a man in brown leather armor with a cloak and a claymore strapped to his-Wait a minute that’s Raven isn’t it?

           “I beg your pardon?” The man’s voice confirmed Zelda’s thought. 

          “Are you suspicious?” Teebo asked again.

          “Considering who sent me. I hope not.” Raven replied, his voice oozing with confusion. “You’re too young to be holding a weapon anyways.”

          “Am not! I’m seven!” The boy protested.

          Link and Zelda both had to contain their laughter. Watching Teebo effectively stop Raven in his tracks was now the highlight of their day so far.

          “Yeah, you’re definitely too young.” Raven crossed his arms. “Though you won’t listen to me will you?”

          “Nope! My pa is proud of me for doing this!”

          “So was mine…” Raven paused, Zelda made note of his somber tone. “Well, you’ve got the courage at least. Remember that, a sword, or stick, has no strength unless the hand that wields it has courage.”

          Zelda was honestly taken aback. Where did Raven learn such sage, heroic advice from? The guy just raised a lot of questions whenever she thought about him, which was barely at all. But now he’s gonna pop up more in her head due to this.

          “Okay mister! I got a town to protect!” Teebo gave Raven a quick salute before rushing back to the town gate.

          “Too young.” Raven shook his head. It was an odd response to a child playing pretend, unless Raven had experience with this.

          “How old were you when you picked up a sword?” Link asked, finally revealing that he and Zelda were watching all of this unfold.

          “Nine.” Raven bluntly stated. “When I was nine, my father died. Had to pick up a sword. Long story.”

          Zelda knew next to nothing about him, but she couldn’t help the stab to the heart that statement gave her. Link also drew the sword at a young age, it ruined his dreams of being a royal chef.

          He turned to face them. “Well, you two are easy to spot. Take a guess why I’m here.”

           A guess? Zelda raised an eyebrow. She just assumed he was a sellsword or a traveler. Sure Scorpis had him check up on her in the Castle underground but that was just a one off. Delivering a letter, as to what Robbie alluded to, was being a courier.

          “I no longer have a sword.” Link spoke quietly. “You’re our swordsman.”

          Our swordsman? Now she was just confused, who would possibly hire a complete unknown to protect her and Link from threats? Then again, he was talking to both Impa and Purah, and only one of them would know that Link was going to put the Master Sword away.

          Zelda was going to have to get a playful revenge on Purah for this. She didn’t ask for protection, but she couldn’t exactly be mad about it either. Hyrule was still dangerous, and the Yiga Clan still existed after all. And if Purah trusted Raven, then so did she.

          “She said you’d figure it out instantly.” Raven laughed while rubbing his one good eye. “Don’t worry, Purah gave me the rundown on everything. Though I could’ve probably figured it out on my own.” He snickered while adjusting something on his left hand. It was a golden ring, was Raven married?

          “Do you even have a place to stay?” Zelda questioned, she wasn’t even going to bring up the whole swordsman bit. That was a topic for not in the public.

          “I do, don’t worry.” Raven dropped the hood from his cloak. “I guess I should keep this down around you two.”

          Two people now had Link’s features. It had to be a coincidence, Link wasn’t bringing it up so maybe he encountered more people with them. Right? She wasn’t going crazy noticing the fact that Raven and Link had the same damn shade of blue eyes like the rancher from earlier. It’s just eye color it’s not that outlandish to assume that-

          “What am I going to do with this?” Raven’s stunned voice shattered Zelda’s spiraling about his face. Her new swordsman was holding up a bottle of milk that Ivee had given him.

          “It’s a free sample!” The woman cheerfully said before ducking back into the general store.

          “Free sample… It’s a glass bottle…” Raven shook his head. “You want milk, Link?”

          Link shrugged. “I can make something with it, maybe some cookies for the kids.”

          “Yes, that sounds lovely.” The swordsman tossed the bottle of milk in his hand. “Oh Malon…” He mournfully sighed before handing the bottle to Link.

           Oh. Zelda went from assuming Raven was married to knowing he was a widow in about two minutes. His voice was just so… Broken. Though the name Malon gave her pause as if she heard it before... Wasn’t there something special about the milk bottles that Hateno makes? She couldn’t remember, and frankly, it didn’t matter.

          “Anyways, what’s the plan for today? Please tell me we aren’t going anywhere, I’ve been walking for days.” Raven’s voice went back to normal as if nothing happened.

          Link’s ears perked up in the way that always made Zelda’s heart flutter. “We’re actually going to the Zora Domain today! Luckily we know a shortcut.”

          The travel medallions of the Skyview Towers being shortcuts to Link made Zelda laugh. It was one of those ugly sudden laughs that she couldn’t suppress, though she didn’t care. Neither did Link, nor Raven it seems.

          “Shortcuts? Okay, I was told about this.” Raven pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m going to get a headache from you aren’t I?”

          “Yes.” Link nodded with a smile like he was proud of that fact.

          And he should be, because Link likes to ramble on about the things he loves, and he needs more people to ramble on to. Raven will just have to learn to adapt to it.

Chapter Text

So yeah.

I've kinda lost all motivation for this project, for now, as you can tell due to the notable lack of updates. Which I am sorry for, I really do want to continue this AU but every time I open the doc to write for it my mind goes blank.

But this doesn't mean that the Hyrule Schism project is dead, no, it'll come back. I think what made me lose my motivation was the fact that the story start to not focus on Link and Zelda's relationship/healing and more so on the background AU plot. Which is something I've had issues with ever since the beginning of my writing for literally anything.

Though there is good, I hope, news. I'm going to, instead of just letting this sit until I get motivation to write the AU, repurpose the stuff I wrote before the addition of the AU elements. Basically I'm going to do a full rewrite.

My idea is that there is two "The Quiet Moments". One is the Hyrule Schism AU, and the other is the original plot that I had envisioned for the story.

Anyways, that's all. If this fic gets updated again, it'll be a continuation.

Thanks for your understanding.