Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Link took a deep breath as he handed off the slip of paper, glad for a small break in between transmissions to relax until the next one came down the line.

Being a telegraph operator paid well, but… it was a bit of an intensive job.

Another series of dots and dashes began to come in through the headset, and he reached for his pencil and another slip of paper before noticing it wasn’t addressed to anyone, and sat back in his chair, still automatically translating it into letters in his head.

../.--/---/-./-.././.-./../..-./../-.-./---/..-/.-../-../-.-./.-/-/-.-./…./.-/…./---/-/..-./---/---/-/./-../..-./.-./---/--.

I W O N D E R I F I C O U L D C A T C H A H O T F O O T E D F R O G 

I wonder if I could catch a hot footed frog

It wasn’t anything special. Just another operator sending something down the line when they were bored, a common occurrence.

He smiled at it though. It was probably meant to only pass a moment in time and then go out into the void without any response.

But such an unusual statement made him curious. They wanted to catch a hot footed frog. How peculiar. A telegraph operator, an adult. He could understand a child or perhaps even a teenager wanting such a thing, but he wanted to know why an adult might want to…

So, without really thinking about it, he began tapping out a response.

.--/…./.-/-/.--/---/..-/.-../-../-.--/---/..-/-../---/.--/../-/…./../-/---/-./-.-././-.--/---/..-/-.-./.-/..-/--./…./-/../-/./-./-..

What would you do with it once you caught it end

He hoped he would get a response before another actual message came through and he needed to actually do his job.

It was several minutes before anything began to come over his headset. As soon as he determined that it wasn’t addressed to anyone in particular again— and therefore not something he actually needed to write down— he smiled and put his pencil down, content to mentally translate it.

I want to see the effects it has when ingested end

Link frowned. Ingested? That meant… eating it, right?

Memories plagued him of younger days out in the countryside where he was open to eating anything he could, doubly so if it was on a dare. And, to be fair, he still was largely that way, but… there were a few things that the taste simply wasn’t worth experiencing.

He wanted to spare this poor, curious soul from such a fate.

He sent another response, hoping that they would get it.

Dont stop they taste terrible end

After ten minutes had passed without another message from them, he decided that either they hadn’t gotten it, had been swept up into work, or had been offended and chosen to end the conversation on their own.

It wasn’t long after that an actual telegram came through and he had to focus on working again. It had been only a small moment of fun in an otherwise rather tedious job, but he enjoyed it all the same.

To be honest, Link had forgotten about the exchange, and expected nothing more to come of it.

Well, forget wasn’t quite the right word. But it had been a fortnight since, so he was hardly thinking about it much. It had been one short if interesting exchange and how could he ever expect there to be a continuation of it?

Well, that was, until a couple of weeks later, on an unusually slow day, when something came through his headset without being addressed to a city and person, causing him to set down his pen as he mentally translated it.

You are strange for eating frogs you know stop but you were right they do taste terrible end

An unusual message. But clearly a followup on that conversation. It brought a smile to his lips. Link had nothing better to do, so he figured why not? What was the harm in indulging them in another conversation, perhaps making a new friend, no matter how unusual the friendship would be with their distance apart. He started tapping out a response.

I tried to warn you stop there are a lot of things I will eat but frogs are not one of them end

He bit his lip and leaned back in his chair as he waited for a response. It must have been a slow day for them as well, because it was only a couple of minutes— probably just enough time for the message to travel the wire both ways— before there was another unaddressed reply coming through on his headset.

Maybe I could have just asked you what happened then rather than making the mistake of trying it myself stop what effects did it have on you stop I wasn’t able to tell at all because I couldn’t manage to stomach it end

Link bit his lip, trying to stave off a chuckle even though they were hardly in front of him to be offended by it. That would be the normal response to it, wouldn’t it, not actually managing to eat like he had?

He tried thinking back to what he had felt like afterwards, though it had been quite a few years since then. He had felt… jittery? More alert with his senses? Faster?

Faster felt like the right word.

I felt… faster stop quicker which is a lot because I was a boy with lots of energy to begin with end

He looked down at the blank sheet of paper in front of him, and absent-mindedly began doodling a frog on it as best as he could remember one looked like.

How long did the effects last end

Link tried to remember. But really, it had been a very long time ago. And he had been ten or eleven, so it wasn’t like having lots of energy was that unusual for him at the time.

A few hours stop I dont really remember too well end

There was a longer pause than was necessary to craft and send a reply on their end. He managed to finish his picture of a frog, even down to the specks on its back. It wasn’t a terribly good picture, but he still quite liked it.

They had probably just gotten an actual message to either send or receive and were simply doing their job now, but… Link wanted to keep the conversation going. He had quite enjoyed  this admittedly silly conversation, and he didn’t just want it to end with him answering some 

So, after a bit, he carefully thought of what he wanted to say and tapped out the message.

Youre awfully concerned about such trivial details for a frog fanatic end

For all he really knew, it had gone out into the void. But hopefully at least with the moniker “frog fanatic” the wrong person wouldn’t pick it up. Link wondered if their thoughts had been the same, just as anxious, when they sent out the message earlier.

The reply actually came more quickly than he had thought it would even if there would be one.

Thats Ms Frog to you thank you very much end

Oh. “Ms.” Miss.

He hadn’t honestly given it much thought, whether it was a man or a woman he was talking to, much less whether or not they were married. This was someone he would never see, at least never see and know, just a friend to talk to when they could. But… an unmarried woman… well, he was going to be a little self-conscious about that fact now, he was sure.

He added a little bow on the top of the head of his little frog picture. He hadn’t particularly been thinking it was supposed to be an image of them, of this “Miss Frog,” but now that he had added that, he kinda liked it. A silly picture for a silly correspondent.

And who are you calling frog fanatic when youre the one that actually ate a frog end

Or… maybe they were just the same, slightly ridiculous person he had started talking to. It wasn’t like it really mattered, anyway. He could just talk to them like he would’ve otherwise in the first place.

Link couldn’t help but snort. They had eaten a frog as well. At least for him it was when he was a child and on a dare. He wasn’t the adult who had been warned and disregarded that for— he wasn’t quite sure what yet, he supposed he would have to ask… her later. Wanted to understand what effects it would have, sure, but what for?

He chose to tap out an equally snarky response. 

Thats Mr Frog to you thank you very much end

There was a longer pause than her usual responses, and for a moment he was worried that the joke didn’t land. Or maybe she had just been pulled away to work again. But soon enough the reply started to come through.

Only if you call me Mrs Frog in return end

M…mrs?

His mind went into overdrive again. She had distinctly spelled out M-S before. Link knew he hadn’t lost a “r” in there somewhere. Which meant that she was unmarried, and to call herself “Mrs. Frog” right after he had joked about being “Mr. Frog,” well…was that… was she flirting with him?

…did he mind?

No, he discovered as he considered it. In fact, he might actually kind of like that. Exchanging words with this interesting girl, with this “Mrs. Frog,” sounded… fun.

Link glanced down at the picture one last time, then up at the mostly empty bulletin in front of him in his workspace, and finally grabbed a loose tack and pinned the drawing up there.

Putting up a “picture” of her already, when they’ve barely exchanged any words at all? Perhaps he was a little hopeless. But that didn’t make his interest any less sincere.

Alright Mrs Frog end

To Mrs Frog

Zelda perked up at hearing the address. It was Mr. Frog!

They tried to keep in touch as often as they could, though they had both sent out messages that went unreceived because the other was busy at the time. But they enjoyed their little chats— or at least Zelda did and as best as she could tell it sounded like Mr. Frog did as well— enough that they could barely stand to be pulled away when one of them had to be pulled away for actually doing the job they were paid for.

I have a very important question for you stop one that is more in your area of expertise than mine end

Her lips curled into a smile. Though they had started their correspondence— that existed somewhere between friendship and flirting— talking about frogs, it had since changed to other topics. But it had quickly become obvious that while they both enjoyed the outdoors, Mr. Frog’s interests were more in enjoying the adventure of everything while Zelda enjoyed things in a more academic fashion. She was not a betting woman, but she would be willing to wager that it had something to do with that.

To Mr Frog you have caught my attention stop now please dont let me die of curiosity and tell me end

There was a lengthy wait before his reply finally arrived. He did that sometimes, as if he had to think things through before he could respond to her. It was one of the… many things she found cute about him. But she smiled as the clicks started to come through the headset.

Ive heard that certain gemstone accessories can have effects to ward off certain things stop is that true end

Zelda considered that. The answer to the question was simple enough. Yes, there were some accessories that could ward off the heat or the cold, but… usually you saw them in the form of jewelry.

That’s what made her hesitate. Was he asking her about jewelry? And if so, did he mean anything more by it than honest curiosity?

That was the real problem with their relationship. As much as she enjoyed his friendship, she also couldn’t deny she liked it when they flirted. But he did seem a little uncertain. And there were times like now, where she couldn’t quite tell if he was indeed trying to flirt. She didn’t care to draw attention to it, because that would make things awkward, and sometimes when she even got a little bold he would back off, so she had to be careful.

But if he was trying to flirt, and he was initiating it… well, she couldn’t deny that she liked it when he chose to be bolder. So while she couldn’t be too blatant about things, she would certainly try to encourage it.

They do have effects the same way eating certain plants or animals does stop why do you ask are you trying to dress yourself up pretty end

Mr. Frog’s response came with such alarming speed that she had to wonder how much time he normally spent contemplating his responses.

I wish

Zelda chuckled at that.

But no some friends and I are going to go hiking in the mountains this weekend and then I saw the weather report in the newspaper and got worried about how cold it would be end

Her mouth gaped open at that. It was fall! Mountains were always colder than their surroundings, and for all she knew he was in Hebra. She knew Mr. Frog loved the outdoors and wouldn’t be deterred by much, but that was insane! Especially with the cold front that was passing over all of Hyrule this week!

Please tell me you have a full ruby set with a circlet necklace bracelet and maybe even earrings if you’re doing something that crazy end

I

It trailed off for a long moment, like he was hesitating about what to say.

have some rubies

He didn’t even end it with “end.” It was practically the equivalent to someone muttering something they realized wasn’t very good in real life. Like he had thought he could just take some rubies with him up into the mountains and be perfectly fine. Ah, well. Time to inform him.

The cut of the gemstone draws out its effect far better than just the gemstone itself stop the proximity to skin helps ward off whatever that particular gemstone does which makes it better to be in the form of jewelry stop the process takes precision and takes time but since supplies are also an issue most jewelry merchants that specialize in such accessories will give a discount for someone bringing in the kind of gemstone for the type of accessories they want end

It had been a long response, so Zelda wasn’t really all that surprised that it took Mr. Frog a long moment to respond. He probably had to process everything that she told him. It had been a lot, especially if he (clearly) wasn’t familiar with the information.

Thank you

He hesitated before continuing.

Do you like jewelry then end

She couldn’t help but smile at that. It sounded like he was definitely flirting.

No, she certainly didn’t care for most of the jewelry she came across in her life, though she certainly did appreciate this sort for its practical effects. But Zelda was terribly interested in the fact that he, apparently, wanted to know if she liked jewelry. 

Not… that it would ever matter. Chances were that, no matter how they felt about each other, well… they didn’t live in the same town or city. That much was obvious. And they hadn’t even shared their real names or where they were located yet, so it was hard to imagine either of them uprooting their lives and actually making anything of their flirtations.

I like knowing about things especially useful things in general stop I certainly enjoy my impractical indulgences though nothing as extreme as some of the stories you tell me end

Well I like hearing you talk about all the things you know stop and if you like to hear my crazy stories I am more than happy to tell them to you end

Zelda smiled softly. It was when Mr. Frog said things like this that she really knew she liked him. He was just so nice and sweet and she couldn’t help but love his words.

The sentiment is quite reciprocated

Her smile turned a little playful as she tapped out the next bit.

Though I cannot hear you end

He sent a reply quickly this time.

Maybe we’ll have to change that and actually meet each other end

Oh. Now that was quite blatantly flirting. Neither of them had actually entertained the idea that they might be able to meet someday. Of course, they would need to plan it out a lot better and it was still probably a long way off, but Zelda couldn’t help the honesty in her reply.

I think I would like that end

Just like so many times had happened before, their conversation ended because Zelda was pulled into receiving an actual telegram, but perhaps this time, she still felt a little giddier than usual from their conversation as she got back to work.

Another vote for Urbosa Naboris.

Another vote for Urbosa Naboris.

A rare vote for Ruto Zorana.

Another vote for Urbosa Naboris.

As Zelda handed off the latest note to one of the runners, she breathed a sigh of relief when no string of dots and dashes began to come through the headset. Not that she had anything against the election, but… being in Castle Town, in the capitol during the election, receiving votes for every citizen of age from every region of Hyrule, was a bit overwhelming. She hardly got a moment of rest during her shift anymore.

She let her eyes wander around the room, finally stopping when they met Impa’s red eyes staring right at her. She had a break in the incoming messages as well, it would seem. She took one earpiece off, gesturing for Zelda to do the same.

“So?” she asked in a loud whisper. “Heard anything from your Mr. Frog ?”

It took everything Zelda had in her not to sigh at the way she said that. Impa was a good friend. But she was endlessly teasing, and couldn’t help but laugh at her expense.

“Zelda, with the name of princesses of old, wants to kiss a frog and make him her prince,” she had giggled out when she first confided in her about him. At that point she chose to leave out the detail that she was going by “Mrs. Frog,” though she had admitted that he didn’t know her name, either.

“I wish,” Zelda breathed out. “But you know how busy it’s been. This is the first chance I’ve had to really catch my breath the past couple of days. I’m sure he just hasn’t been able to get through.”

Impa raised an eyebrow. “You can be the one to contact him, you know.”

She rolled her eyes at that. “You know perfectly well that I’ve done that plenty of times before. Is it so bad to take a break for a minute first?”

“That’s true,” Impa mused. “But I was thinking more along the lines of, wouldn’t it be better if you actually arranged to meet, so that you don’t have to be looking like a sad, lost puppy just because you can’t talk to him?”

Zelda paused. Was that true? She certainly did want to talk to him some more, and maybe she wasn’t as good at hiding that as she thought. But… well, talking about how they should meet was still a daunting task. She’d want to exchange their names first, at least, she would think.

Though she almost questioned how necessary that was, considering she had fallen in love with him when all he called himself was “Mr. Frog.”

Wait. Fallen in love with him?

Zelda hadn’t thought like that before. But… it was true, wasn’t it? The more she considered it, the more obvious it was that she did, indeed, love Mr. Frog. How thoughtful he was, how he listened to her ramble, how she knew he listened, because he would ask her about it later. His silly little stories, his sweetness and tenderness, it was… well, it was quite unlike anyone else she had ever met. Maybe she had never seen his face, and maybe she didn’t know his name, but she still loved to spend time with him in a way that she didn’t want to with anyone else.

Maybe if they met in person he wouldn’t be quite so cute or charming (though she couldn’t see how) but… well, if their conversations were anything like what they talked about over the wire, she wouldn’t mind just talking with him for the rest of her life. Just always getting to know him better.

“See?” Impa interrupted her thoughts. “I knew you wanted it, too.”

Zelda couldn’t deny it. But that didn’t make the task less daunting. “I need time to get used to the idea. After this election is over, I’ll do it. I swear.”

She shrugged. “If you’re okay with waiting that long.”

She wasn’t. She really wasn’t. But that wasn’t too far away, and it gave her time to come up with a plan.

To Mrs Frog are you there end

Zelda perked up and it must have been obvious on her face because Impa just gave her a sly smile and put on her headset, saying, “Go ahead. Talk to your man.”

Her man. Impa had called Mr. Frog hers . She liked the sound of that. Maybe it could be true one day. Zelda repositioned the headset so that it was over both of her ears and began to tap out a reply, grinning.

To Mr Frog yes I am stop

Oh, how she wished she was able to properly convey her enthusiasm. That yes, she was here, they could talk the way they liked that they hadn’t been able to for what felt like ages but had actually only been days.

We have been busy here with all the votes for the upcoming election stop I cant wait until its over so I can talk with you again end

There was always the barest moment of anxiety, of fear of if he wouldn’t respond, wouldn’t like it, that Zelda couldn’t help while she waited to hear something in reply. She knew it was ungrounded, but… sometimes, not being able to see his face, needing to wait so long for the words to crawl both ways through the wire, made her wonder if he really liked this, if he was really willing to talk to her despite this ineffective method of communication.

But the joy when his words came through again always blew it away.

So thats where youve been stop I was wondering if Id have to go fight a dragon or something to free you from whatever had been holding you captive end

Zelda laughed. How ridiculous. She loved it.

She furrowed her brow as more dots and dashes started to come through a second later. That was odd. He had ended, put [END]. It wasn’t impossible for him to decide to add more onto it, but—

T O C E N T R A L H Y R-

Ah. It was an official telegram. Her actual work was here, yet again. Time to get back to the grindstone. Zelda sighed and started writing it as the letters came.

Another vote for Urbosa Naboris.

“Are you sure about this, little guy?”

Link looked up at Daruk, and smiled at the big Goron. “I am. I really am.”

Daruk frowned. “I dunno… it’s just that Castle Town is so far away. And you seem like more of a Hateno sort of guy than going to the capitol of all places.”

“I know,” he said. He wouldn’t deny that he was nervous about the exact same points his friend was bringing up. He had been born and raised in Hateno, which wasn’t too rural, but it was hardly as urban as Castle Town. He wasn’t even totally positive that was where Mrs. Frog was, but he figured that was where she had to be if she was that busy during the election. Because that’s where all the votes would be received. And the election may have ended yesterday, but when he talked with her last, she said she couldn’t wait until it was over because she wanted to talk with him again.

He had wanted to come see her for a while, but that had been the breaking point. He wanted to talk with her again. He wanted to talk with Mrs. Frog all the time, more than he wanted to hide behind the relative safety of just talking on the other side of the line.

He had tried sending her a message later that day, trying to see if he could have found her during a free moment again and ask if that would be alright, if he could know who and where to look, but to no avail. Each attempt the following days had been the same, and she hadn’t contacted him since, either.

Once he had figured that she was probably in Castle Town, Link decided to go regardless, and started making plans. A good telegraph worker could easily be hired anywhere, so he decided to quit in Hateno and walk away with a letter of recommendation, and got everything settled to leave on a train to Castle Town this morning. Daruk had come to see him off.

He hadn’t meant for it to be a surprise, but… well, he hoped it wouldn’t be unwelcome. Maybe he just looked at their conversations with far too infatuated and hopeful a light, but he thought she liked him as well. So he would arrive in Castle Town this afternoon, find the telegraph station, and wait for the day shift to end, and just hope that people wouldn’t act like he was too crazy until he finally managed to actually find the “Mrs. Frog” he was asking for.

And… he reached his hand into his pocket. Perhaps it was the most far-fetched of all his hopes, but he figured it didn’t hurt to be prepared, either. But he would worry about it later. He had to get there first.

“I know it’s rash,” Link said, coming back to the present to answer Daruk. “But I love her. I want to see her. And I’m willing to try this, even if it doesn’t work out, if only on the chance that I might.”

Daruk smiled. “Alright, little guy. I’ll miss you. Just make sure to come back and visit even once you settle down in Castle Town and have a family, okay?”

There was a loud squeal through the air as the train that was taking him arrived at the station and came to a stop. Link picked up his luggage and started to head on, but looked over his shoulder back at his friend one last time, and raised a hand in farewell.

“I’ll miss you too. Don’t worry. I’ll come back to visit.”

To Mr Frog are you there end

Zelda waited. For a minute. Two. Three.

Five minutes. No response.

That was probably longer than she should have waited, especially considering that she had been sending messages to him the whole day, now that she was finally free to do that since the election was over and there were no more votes coming in. It was the first day she had really had a chance to talk to Mr. Frog in a week, and he hadn’t responded. He probably simply wasn’t there today for one reason or another, but she couldn’t help but be worried, and wonder, and wish that he would respond.

Even if it was just that she had the worst timing today and somehow managed to catch his attention while the shift was ending and he just responded enough to let her know he was there .

But he didn’t.

A hand touched her shoulder, and she looked to see Impa standing behind her. “Come on, Zelda. Maybe you’ll have better luck tomorrow.”

Zelda took a deep breath. “You’re right. You’re right. I should… go now.”

She was silent as she let Impa lead her back into the coat room, feeling as if she was only going through the motions as she pulled on her coat and hat and wrapped her scarf around her neck. Not at all with her usual enthusiasm to go home like she often felt at the end of a long day of work. Impa was still there, looking at her worried, and hooked their arms together, a silent offer to go home together. She didn’t protest, because she didn’t really think she should be going home by herself when she felt this down in the dumps.

They went out into the cold together, Zelda with her head still looking down at her feet, so she didn’t know why Impa stopped, didn’t see the man standing there, didn’t know anything until he spoke.

“Um, by any chance, do either of you know ‘Mrs. Frog?’ I’m looking for someone who… goes by that, sometimes.”

Mrs. Frog. Mrs. Frog?

She only knew of one person that would know to call her by that name.

Zelda snapped her head up, wide-eyed, taking in the sight of the man in front of them. He was around her height, and she might even be a bit taller than him, and he had long dark blond hair that was tied back, looking at both of them with uncertainty in his piercing blue eyes.

“Mr. Frog?” she asked, hesitant, not wanting to be too hopeful in case it wasn’t actually—

Those gorgeous blue eyes of his lit up and focused solely on her, and a smile even crept onto his lips. “No, only a hopeless frog fanatic that is willing to eat one on a cousin’s dare.”

It really was him. She smiled. “Still far more sensible than someone that ignores a warning and eats one anyway as an adult.”

He was positively beaming. His expression was full of joy, and now that she finally knew that this is how Mr. Frog’s face looked, she wanted it to always be that cheerful. A smile looked good on him.

Impa pulled her arm away from Zelda’s and took a step back. “Well, I think I’ll leave you two alone to get to know each other better, if that’s alright. Just as long as…” She approached the man and narrowed her eyes. “What’s your name? I don’t know you well enough to trust you alone with my friend, so can you at least give me that, Mr. Frog?”

He looked understandably startled, blinking at her, but managed to choke out, “Link Wild.”
She still studied him for a couple of moments, as if still unsure whether or not she should actually leave. Finally she turned away from him and made her way back to Zelda’s side. “Do you want me to stay this first time you meet him? Or do you trust him enough and would rather spend it without me tagging along?”

Impa made a good point. Lies were hard to spot when they were just speaking over the wire. But when Zelda peeked over Impa’s shoulder to look at him standing there, fidgeting, and then glancing up to catch her eyes, offering a shy smile, there was just something so genuine about that and she knew. She knew that this really was her Mr. Frog that she had fallen in love with. She wouldn’t be reckless, would stay in public, well-lit areas, and she did know some self-defense if this was somehow one large elaborate ruse and he was just a phenomenal actor, but… she doubted that.

“I can take care of myself,” she told Impa. “But thank you for making sure.”

Impa smiled and took a step back, in the direction of her apartment, ready to leave. “Well then, I guess I’ll leave you two alone, to get better acquainted.”

And with that, she shot a wink at Zelda and left.

Zelda’s cheeks heated up. She hadn’t told Impa her realization from a few days ago, but the Sheikah somehow always had a way of knowing more than she should. She shook her head and turned back to look at Link, trying to figure out what to say.

She had gone from absolutely distraught that she hadn’t been able to talk to him earlier to overjoyed because… well, he came! Was that where she should start? It seemed like as good a place as any. “So… is this why I couldn’t talk with you today?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I was traveling here all day. I wanted to get here before you would be out of work, um…” He paused, and hesitated before he asked, “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what your real name is.”

Her mouth fell open. That’s right. They hadn’t properly introduced themselves, and she had only barely heard his name herself. “I’m Zelda. You said your name was… Link, right?”

He nodded. Link nodded. As much as she had liked Mr. Frog, she imagined that she would grow to like Link far more. “ Zelda. It suits you.”

And oh how Zelda liked hearing her name in his voice.

“So, Zelda, would it be alright if I walked with you?” he asked. “You were on your way home, right?”

She was tempted to shake her head and say that she would rather get to spend more time just talking to him than just the short walk to her own apartment, but, well, this felt like too much at once, almost. It still felt hard to believe that he was really here, rather than just some dream she had conjured. So a short talk during that brief walk sounded like a good place to start.

She nodded, and he smiled.

They started walking, not linking arms, they weren’t really quite that easily able to grasp the fact that they were together , like actually together here and now and they could do that. But even so it was comforting to be in each other’s presence at long last.

“So, where are you staying?” Zelda asked, curiosity getting the better of her and bringing itself to the forefront of all the many, many questions she had for him.

Link glanced at her and their eyes met for a moment before they both looked away. “I’m staying in a small hotel nearby for now. But tomorrow I’ll start to look for somewhere to actually live.”

Her eyebrows shot up at that. “Wait. You’re moving here?”

“Yes,” he replied, nervously looking at her. “Like I said, I came here because I wanted to see you… I don’t want to just spend a few days here and then go back to our exchanges when we can find the time, no matter how enjoyable they may be. And now that I’ve met you I’m sure that it would be even harder to go back.” 

“I don’t mind,” she quickly said. “In fact… I’m honestly quite glad. I like talking with you, as well.”

Link stared at her for a long moment, looking like he was on the verge of saying something, when she stopped, noticing they were in front of her building.

“Oh.” She turned to him. “This is where I live. Thank you for walking with me.”

“Of course!” he said a little too quickly, betraying his nervousness. Well, that was only fair. She was still a little nervous herself. But this seemed to be something more , even, and his hands kept fidgeting until he finally shoved them deep into his coat pockets in an attempt to get them to stop.

“It was nice to finally meet you in person like this,” she said. He had taken a huge leap of faith to come find her— she still wasn’t sure how he had figured out where she was, she’d have to ask him about that sometime— so if his nerves were getting the better of him now, it was the least she could do to make sure that they met and talked again. “I’d love to talk with you some more. It’s… nice, not having to wait three or four minutes for a reply. Would you like to go for a walk with me at the park in front of the station tomorrow? I have the day off.”

“I was planning on going into the station in the morning to see if I can get a job there,” he said.

Oh. Of course he would have plans, he was moving here, this wasn’t simply a vacation or trying to get closer to someone already settled, he was busy and she was being selfish just asking for time when it was convenient for her—

“But I’d love to join you for a walk after that.”

She blinked. Oh. He would love to join her for a walk. Maybe she didn’t have to worry about her feelings being so one-sided.

But that was a little too much to worry about tonight.

“Well, then.” She cleared her throat, feeling a little stuck on what to say. “Then in the morning?”

He nodded. “It should go no later than ten.”

She smiled. “I look forward to it then.”

Zelda headed to her door, and decided to look back at him one last time before going inside. “Good night… Link.”

Link gave a wide smile back at her in return. “Good night, Zelda.”

The middle-aged man— Mr. Talon, the plaque on his desk read— hummed as he read over the letter of recommendation and then looked up.

Link tried not to fidget too much. Really , he did. It wasn’t like he would just leave Castle Town if he couldn’t get a job as a telegraph operator, but… well, it’d be nice to have a good job that he was familiar with.

“Well, Mr. Wild,” Mr. Talon said in a gruff voice. “It sounds like you’re exceptional at your job. We could always use more operators here, especially during the day shift. So I would like to offer you a job.”

He tried not to be too obvious about the sigh of relief that he took, but made no effort to hide his grin. “I’d be happy to accept, sir.”

The older man smiled appreciatively at the title. “Well, when can you start?”

“I’m trying to get settled here in Castle Town, sir,” Link said, figuring it didn’t hurt to use the respectful title again. “But I can start at the beginning of next week.”

“Alright. See you then.”

It was a trial to walk out at a normal pace and not just rush out the door— though once he was outside he no longer resisted the temptation to just jump with joy. He could stay here , in Castle Town, with Mrs. Frog— no, with Zelda —

His train of thought was cut off by the ring of laughter.

Zelda.

He just stared at her for a moment, just drinking in the sight of her. Of course, her beauty hadn’t been what he had fallen in love with, but he still appreciated it, and couldn’t get enough of looking at her. Something about her long golden hair, rosy cheeks and forest green eyes seemed to be the perfect personification of the Mrs. Frog he had fallen in love with. And that smile and laugh, the most beautiful of all. Her her her, all of it was her, and he never wanted to be without it again.

Link was grinning like a dope. He didn’t even need to feel the smile on his face to know.

He quickly hurried down the steps up next to her.

“Zelda,” he said, breathless. “You’re here. I thought we said ten.”

She shrugged. “I wanted to see you earlier. And it didn’t take that long, so I’m glad that I did.”

Oh. She was just too much. She was just going to make him melt with how amazing and caring and cute she was. Maybe it was a good thing that they had gotten to know each other just by their words because there was no way that he could have struck up a friendship with her if he had to deal with constantly being in awe of both her brilliant mind and pretty face.

“So?” she asks with that charming smile on her lips again. “What’s the news?”

“I got the job,” he managed to answer dumbly. “Day shift.”

“I’m glad.”

Link was certain that his cheeks must be just as red as hers right now, even though he hadn’t been out in the cold for nearly as long. “You ready to start that walk?”

Zelda nodded, and looped her arm through his.

They hadn’t had much of a chance to talk last night, so he had hardly expected this warm an interaction this morning. But he wasn’t complaining in the slightest.

“So, if I may ask…” she began as they reached the park and started walking along one of the paths in it. Link looked directly at her, gesturing for her to continue. “How did you know I was in Castle Town?”

“I didn’t,” he admitted, raising his free hand to rub bashfully at the back of his neck. “It was a guess. Since you were so busy during the elections, and of course everything was coming into the capitol… It was an educated guess, but I’m still lucky that you were here.”

She raised her hand to her open mouth. “I knew it was a bold move to just move here, but I didn’t realize just how much it took…”

Link gave half a shrug. “Call it courage. Call it reckless. I wanted to see you.”

She squoze his arm tighter. “You know, if you had just waited , I was going to ask if we could meet as soon as the election ended.”

“But now we get to meet all the sooner.”

Zelda gave him her beautiful, wide, warm toothy smile again. “Well, I am glad for that, I’ll admit.”

Suddenly, he felt something wet land on his head. Link looked up to the overcast sky, and saw several large white flakes drifting down.

“The first snowfall of the season.” He looked over to her standing next to him, eyes enraptured on the sky from where they had halted on their walk. “It’s a bit later this year than others… which is rather peculiar considering how the cold set in earlier this year than others. Though there was also a considerable amount of cold rain in the fall this year. I wonder what caused that…”

Zelda continued to ramble on, about things about weather patterns and whatnot that he wasn’t really able to follow. And he knew one thing. Scientifically-inclined Zelda was just as attractive in person, perhaps even more so when she was better able to just ramble on without having to tap it all out, as she was over the wire.

“I’m in love with you.”

Link didn’t even realize he had blurted it out until she snapped her head around to stare at him. A dozen excuses sprung to his tongue only to be wiped away when she gave a breathy laugh and replied, “Oh good. I thought I was the only one. I love you, too… Link.”

That wide, lovestruck grin fell back on his face. “I love you, too, Zelda.”

She laughed at that. “You already said that!”

“I know,” he said. “I wanted to say it again.”

Zelda didn’t say anything, just leaned into him more as they continued their walk as the snow slowly kept falling.

“You know, Zelda,” he began hesitantly. The silence while he just got to be with her was nice, but he still wanted to talk. He hadn’t planned to confess quite so soon, but now that he had… he wasn’t quite satisfied. He wasn’t sure if he would really do it yet, but there was one more thing he wanted to do. “I was a little nervous about moving here and starting a new life away from my friends and family. But… I think it really is worth it, now that I’ve managed to find you, my Mrs. Frog.”

She tucked her head against his. He… could definitely get used to this. “I can’t deny that I’m just as happy about that as you are. I don’t know if I could’ve done the same thing.”

Everything about Zelda was so bright and warm like she was the sun, and every little thing she did made him feel like his heart was going to melt away in its warmth. But he still wanted to cling to it in spite of that, let her share that warmth with him and hope it didn’t consume him. As long as she would let him.

“You know, I’ve done some research about frogs, myself,” he began, trying and failing to keep the nerves out of his voice. He had gone to the library to look up something about frogs, trying to figure out something that could by extension be meaningful to them , but now that he was starting to try to say it the words he had so painstakingly crafted and memorized felt slippery in his mind. “Did you know that… when frogs are looking for a mate… they start just calling out into the… the dark bog to find… and, erm, a… a duet…”

Gah! This wasn’t working!

With every single word, his face got redder and redder until he finally gave up and reached into his pocket and pulled out his gift, hoping she would accept it, holding it out to her as he earnestly finally managed to say in alarming clarity considering how much he had messed up his analogy, “What I’m trying to say is, would you like to be my Mrs. Frog? For real?”

Zelda looked down at what he was holding in his fingers. It was a ring, silver, with a delicately crafted flower on it with a sapphire set into the center.

She wasn’t saying anything, just staring at it with wide eyes.

Oh, he really hoped this wasn’t too much. Confessing that he was in love with his correspondent of a few months right after meeting her was one thing, but to propose marriage? That was quite another.

“I know it may seem a little rash,” Link spouted, rambling on. “But… well, I’ve already told you I love you. And I would understand if you want to get to know each other in person a bit first, but I wanted to let you know that—”

“Yes.”

He paused, staring at her. “What did you say?”

“I said yes,” she told him with a smile. “I’d be delighted to marry you.”

He blinked, half-convinced that he was in some sort of daydream with the words that were coming out of her mouth, and then she leaned in and pressed her lips to his in a kiss. It caught him off guard, but he didn’t waste more than a moment before he began kissing her back. This was beyond his daydreams even, so it must be real because this was amazing in a way that his mind could not make up on its own.

Finally Zelda pulled back. “Yes, Link. Being ‘Mrs. Frog’ with you has been one of my absolute favorite things the past few months, and I’ve enjoyed myself so much. I would love to keep being Mrs. Frog. And it doesn’t hurt if we’re a little rash, I think. If anyone asks, we can just tell them we’re a little… Wild.”

It took him a moment to realize that she had remembered what his last name was and made a pun of it, but as he drank that all in, he smiled. “You’re right. That doesn’t sound so bad at all.”
She leaned in, looking at him with a mischievous smile. “You know what else that means?”

“Hmm?”

“I get a say as you look for somewhere to live.”

Well. That really didn’t sound so bad at all. It was probably for the better, even.

Zelda barely waited long enough for Link to slip the ring over her finger before pulling him in for another kiss.