Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Bokoblin Horns let out a cracking sound as they hit the cooking pot and began to split and fracture under the heat. Not a moment later a few lizard tails joined them and added their own sizzling to the strange chorus. Link looked up from his sword which he was in the process of running a whetstone over to observe the ingredients as they cooked. Across the fire sat Zelda who was watching the process as well with considerably more interest.

As the ingredients cooked the pan began to fill with a blue liquid which quickly began to bubble under the boiling heat and fill the air with a sickly bitter smell. Link's nose twitched at the unpleasant smell as he turned his attention back to the task at hand. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Zelda take out a notebook and begin to scribble a few notes in its pages.

After a few moments she finally seemed satisfied with the progress of her experiment. Digging an empty bottle out of her nearby pack she put a protective mitt on her hand and tilted the cooking pan to the side. The contents poured into the bottle which she held underneath it before she set the pan back down and held the bottle up to the light of the fire.

"This elixir seems to have a bit darker color to it than the ones from the castle alchemists." she said before placing the bottle on the ground and turned back to her pack to begin digging through it in search of something else. Link was distracted once again as she pulled out a bottle filled with a similar blue potion. With a bottle in each hand she held them next to each other in careful consideration of their colored contents.

Link couldn't help but swallow nervously knowing that whatever the cause was for the slight difference in color he was likely to find out first as Zelda's guinea pig. While Zelda wouldn't make him try anything if she thought it might be dangerous there had been more than one occasion throughout their travels where his willingness to let her test out her experiments had lead to some uncomfortable side effects.

Link's mind was filled with fearful thoughts as to what the worst possible side effects could be of her tweaks to the hasty elixir formula when his mind was dragged out of its pessimistic wandering by the very woman he was nervous about.

"Could you grab the slate please? I need a picture of the two elixirs side by side for future reference."

Link gave a nod and placed his sword and whetstone on the ground before standing up and stepping over to her pack which the Sheikah Slate leaned against. Link had never used the ancient device before but luckily the interface was fairly intuitive and he found the camera function after only a short struggle.

With the picture taken Zelda returned to her notebook, reading through her notes on her current topic of study and scribbling in extra thoughts and observations when necessary. Meanwhile Link's attention remained with the device in his hand. The young Knight was never one to be overly inquisitive about the world but seeing the Princess use the slate every day for the past few weeks had gotten him curious. Or perhaps it was simply the inquisitive nature of his traveling companion beginning to rub off on him.

Whatever the reason was however Link found himself toying with the device. Each tap of the screen would bring about an immediate reaction as it followed his every command. It was actually surprisingly enjoyable.

He explored every feature of the slate that he could. From the detailed and incredibly accurate map which he could not help but marvel at for several minutes, to the compendium of creatures and plants which he imagined Zelda found to much more enthralling than he did.

But eventually he found one section of the device that caught and held his attention, the album.

Link had known that the slate was capable of capturing true to life images and he had seen Zelda use that function on many occasions. But seeing the pictures on the screen, seeing them brought to life by the slate was made him realize just how incredible the achievement actually was. Every picture that he flipped through was incredible in its own way. From the grand majesty of a sweeping vista shot of Hyrule's landscape to the more subtle and subdued beauty of smaller moments. Even the close shots of animals and fauna that were clearly made for the sake of Zelda's research had their own charm about them.

However after a while he stumbled across a picture whose subject made him pause out of confusion rather than awe.

It was a picture of himself.

The screen displayed an image of him as he knelt next to a campfire and poked at the contents of the cooking pot above it. It was a moment not too dissimilar to the one the and Zelda were in now. His eyes rose from the slate and to the person who had taken the photo who was still too engrossed in her notes on the elixirs to notice his suddenly perturbed state.

When had she taken this picture? And more importantly why had she taken this picture? Was he among her topics of interest to be photographed and studied? Or was there another reason that he simply wasn't seeing?

He opened his mouth to give voice to these questions but the words died before they reached his tongue. He felt unsure of himself. Perhaps he was simply seeing more in this than there was. It was just a single picture after all.

Link quickly swiped to the next picture, a rather quaint shot of Hateno as they had entered it on the way to the ancient lab nearby. He fixed his eyes on it and tried to let it take his mind off of what he had just seen. It was just a picture after all, no need to let it get to him.

However it wasn't that long before Link stumbled across another picture of himself. This time it was from behind him as he sat atop his horse as they had rode through a forest.

Was Zelda in the habit of snapping pictures of him?

Link shook the thought from his mind. Such a notion was ridiculous. She had probably wanted a picture of the trees around them and he had just been in the shot. Although that did raise the question of what she had been trying to capture in the previous picture.

Link went to continue his look through the pictures only to be almost immediately greeted by yet another picture of himself. He had the Master Sword out and looked to be going through his routine exercises. But that was not what caught his attention most about the shot. It was the fact that he was alone in the center of the frame that did that. If there was any way to deny that he was the primary subject of these photos Link couldn't figure it out.

"Is something wrong?"

Zelda's voice made link jump in surprise. His loose grip on the slate faltered and it dropped to his lap with a dull thud. Looking up Link found that Zelda was close. Not unusually close but his current thoughts made it far too near for his complete comfort.

"Are you okay Link? You look unwell." Zelda continued when she was not given an answer. Her eyes fell to the slate in his lap and her expression slowly changed from that of confusion to that of recognition and then to embarrassment.

"Oh… that's um… I can explain… " She half mumbled as her hands came together and began to play with each other. The Princess wasn't one to avoid eye contact with her Knight, at least once she warmed up to him enough to actually look him in the eye. But at the moment she seemed to find a sudden interest in her hands as they played out their nervous habit.

Link opened his mouth to speak but found words just as difficult to come across as Zelda did. For a moment the only sound was that of the crackling fire. Zelda took a deep breath before managing to look back to Link and speak.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable Link." She paused to bite her lip before continuing, "I just…. I just enjoy taking pictures with the slate and…"

She trailed off before resuming in a voice that was little more than a whisper.

"And sometimes you just look really nice and make a good subject for a picture."

Link was still unable to speak. He had never seen the Princess this flustered before. What could he even say in response to all of this?

Silence returned as Zelda stared at Link, awaiting his response. The pause in the conversation gave him an opportunity to actually figure out how it was he felt about this. It was not as if he minded what she had done. In fact he found it quite flattering. But how could he express this without coming off as inappropriate or making things awkward once again in their partnership?

When the silence dragged on a bit too long Zelda seemed to take it as answer enough and acted.

"I'm sorry, I'll just erase them off the slate." She said, as she began to reach for the device in his lap.

Link wasn't quite sure exactly why he did what he did next. All he knew was that there was something about her embarrassment and the way it almost seemed to border on humiliation that told him that their partnership would take a turn for the worse if he let her do it.

Before he could think about what he was doing and without saying a word he took the slate from his lap. Zelda's eyebrows shot up and her mouth fell open. Her look of surprise was still joined by the fluster in her cheeks betraying her lingering embarrassment. Link noted it was actually kind of an amusing expression.

And it was one that was recorded permanently as he held the slate in between them and snapped a picture.

Chapter Text

Link shifted around uncomfortably where he stood. He was doing his best to do so discreetly but with so many eyes likely upon him at the moment he doubted that his efforts were successful. Looking down to the crowd of Knights in training gathered in front of him it seemed unlikely that nobody saw his awkward shifting and yet none of them seemed to notice or even care. He was hardly a year or two older than most of the young men and the fact that they were too in awe of him-or at least in awe of the sword on his back-to notice his behavior only served to further his discomfort.

It was hardly his fault he could not stand still. At least so he thought. Whoever designed and made the dress uniforms for Royal Knights must have been some sort of sadist. The boots were a far cry from the rugged and comfortable pair he would usually wear and simply standing in them seemed irritate every part of his foot. The trousers were rather tight and restricted movement. And worst of all the shirt collar was tight enough to be more comparable to a noose than an item of clothing.

Link loathed every occasion he was made to wear the uniform which were thankfully less often as of late with his duties demanding constant travel. Unfortunately for him however upon Zelda and his most recent return to the castle his presence had been requested by the Captain of the Guard. There was a ceremony to mark the arrival of the next class of Royal Knights to the training academy at the castle. And much to Link’s displeasure the Captain thought that his presence would serve as inspiration for the aspiring Knights.

It was times like this that made Link especially loathe the attention that drawing the Master Sword had brought.

The ceremony dragged on with the Captain seeming far too pleased with the sound of his own voice as he stretched out his rather self indulgent speech. As much as Link might have agreed with the importance the Captain placed on duty he felt that man had said the word so much that it had ceased to actually mean anything. At the moment the word seemed little more than a strange sound that the Captain was obsessed with making.

Although there was one bright side to the man’s ramblings. When he finally finished speaking he seemed to have forgotten that he had asked Link to say a few words of encouragement and inspiration, instead moving to dismiss the Knight recruits and bring the ceremony to a close. Link’s shoulders dropped and he let out a breath he had been holding, glad to let the meager speech he had prepared slide from his mind and be forgotten.

As the recruits exited the courtyard Link followed the Captain off the small stage and made for a different exit. In his head he went through the castle’s layout and what would be the quickest route to return to his chambers. The sooner he got there and could change into his usual clothes the better his afternoon would be.

However Link barely made it two steps out of the courtyard and down the hallway when he heard Zelda call out for him. She was waiting by the doorway with the Sheikah slate held at her waist.

“Your Highness, is there something you need?” Link said, dropping into a bow. While Link knew that she preferred it when he used her name he could not be sure that they would not be overheard. Had he been more sure of their privacy he would have been less formal. Luckily she seemed to understand this and gave him a knowing but slightly sad smile as she answered him.

“No there is nothing. I was just watching the ceremony.”

It was an answer that gave Link pause. He knew that Zelda was never one to enjoy the pomp and circumstance of ceremonies around the castle. And even if she had her role as Princess meant she had plenty to attend, enough to make even the most dignified and majestic of royalty tire of them. And so the fact that she had gone out of her way to attend this one when she did not have to struck Link as odd to say the least.

“Yes… it was quite a nice ceremony.” As much as he may have wanted to comment on the Captain's long winded speech he could still not risk being overheard. And so instead he changed the topic to something he was much more eager to take care of. Getting out of this intolerable uniform.

“I was just on my way to my chambers to change into some more comfortable clothes. I will be able to return to my duties after.”

Zelda seemed to pick up on his discomfort and suppressed a giggle before answering, “Yes I’m sure your Champion's tunic is much more agreeable. Shall I accompany you? I can wait for you outside of your chambers so you won’t need to to looking for me when you are done.”

It was a good enough excuse to spend a bit more time together. And it was not as if Link would refuse her anyways, excuse or not. And so he motioned forward and gave a polite “After you.” before falling in a few steps behind her.

A few minutes and a few corners later -when they were reasonably sure that they had escaped the expecting eyes of the public- Zelda dropped back to let Link take her side and they fell into the more relaxed and friendly manner of interacting they had grown used to in recent months.

“You were right it was a nice ceremony. I’m sure those soldiers were inspired by the Hero Chosen by the Sword. Though I’m sure they would be thankful for anything to distract from the Captains speech.” She finished with a small laugh.

“In all the time I’ve been in his command I don’t think I’ve ever seen him run short of things to say.” Link returned with a chuckle of his own.

“I’m sure the prospect of having to listen to the Captain throughout their duties has the new Knights second guessing their decision to enlist. Perhaps we should save such tests of courage for the end of their training.”

The sound of both of their laughter mixed together and filled the empty hallway. When they finally collected themselves it was Zelda who spoke again.

“If I may be serious though, I meant it when I said your presence there helped. I think it’s good for the new Knights to have somebody to look up to during the ceremony. Somebody a bit more like themselves that they can aspire to emulate.”

He was caught off guard by the sincerity of her words. He knew that he had a lot of eyes on him ever since he drew the sword but he had always felt them to be more pressuring and judgmental. He had never thought that he might be a source of inspiration for young soldiers like himself. As strange as it felt to think of himself that way her words were comforting nonetheless. It was reassuring to know that the role as the Hero was more than the sword at his back and sword which seemed to hang above him.

“Thank you… It’s nice to know that my presence there wasn’t completely pointless.”

“It was hardly pointless. Though I was under the impression that you were going to say a few words as well. I’m sure the Knights would have appreciated your own speech more than the one they got.” Her voice took on a sad edge as she finished, seeming to lament the lost opportunity.

“Yes the Captain did ask me to speak but he must have forgotten when it came time to let me talk.”

Her tone went from disappointed to annoyed in an instant, “Hmph. What a self centered man. He can’t even follow through on things because he’s too infatuated with the sound of his own voice.”

There was something about the way she spoke that gave Link pause once again. She was acting not too dissimilar to the way she had treated him early on in their partnership when he would disobey her commands that he leave her alone. His thoughts went back to how she had chosen to watch the day’s ceremony and how she had sounded disappointed just now when talking about his speech. When combined with the extra annoyance she seemed to have for the Captain at the moment a thought occurred to Link that seemed almost too ridiculous to believe. And yet there was something about her behavior that made it difficult to dismiss. And if his hunch was correct than he had several other questions in desperate need of answers.

“Did you... “ Link felt silly giving voice to his suspicion but pushed on anyways, “Did you ask the Captain to have me speak for the new Knights?”

As foolish as Link had felt asking the question his suspicions were confirmed in an instant when Zelda’s eyes widened in surprise and her cheeks flushed red.

“It’s not that I…” Zelda trailed off as she looked back to Link. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh, seeming to accept the fact that she had been caught. When she continued her voice was quieter, he embarrassment evident.

“I’m sorry. I should have spoken to you about it before I asked the Captain to to that.”

“I’m not upset, more confused really. Why would you possibly want to hear me give a speech? You know I’m not exactly a man of many words.” She seemed to relax slightly at his words, relieved that he wasn’t mad at her going over his head.

“I’ll admit there was a small part of me that was merely curious. I wanted to know how you fared at public speaking. It’s a skill that might come in handy for you.”

Link wasn’t quite sure what she meant by that. What reason would he ever have to give speeches? Other than when she requested it. However before he could ask her to elaborate she pushed on and changed the subject.

“But I also thought it might be good for you. You told me how you thought you had to be quiet. How with all the eyes upon you you felt that was how you had to bear the burden.” Her hand found his own and gave it a gentle squeeze as she continued, “And I wanted you to know that that wasn’t the case.”

They came to a stop as Link turned to look at her, taken off guard by her sudden seriousness. If Zelda noticed she didn’t let it stop her.

“You’re more than just the Knight who carries that sword Link. You can sell yourself short sometimes but you have a lot of potential to inspire and to lead. And I it would be better for you if you didn’t just see this as a burden to silently bear, and if you realized just how much some of your fellow Knights looked up to you.”

Link wasn’t quite sure what to say or what he could even say. A moment passed in silence before Link was finally able to let out a quiet but sincere “Thank you.”

Zelda, who’s cheeks were still tinged pink with embarrassment, opened her mouth to say more before seeming to think better of it. Instead she turned to face back down the hallway and moved to continue their trip to Link’s chambers.

The next several minutes were spent in silence with Link thinking over what she had said as they rounded corners and climbed stairs. It was odd to think of himself the way Zelda had described. He had never viewed himself as an inspiring figure for the other Knights, or for anybody else for that matter. And yet he couldn’t help but think that perhaps she had a point. Maybe part of carrying the Master Sword was being an example for others.

Link shook his head at the thought. Whatever it was Zelda saw in him that made her think he could inspire others or lead by example was beyond him. But even if he wasn’t the Hero others needed at the moment, maybe he could be eventually. After all if Zelda could work so hard and for so long to unlock her powers then he owed it to her to work just as hard to be everything he could be as well. And his current penchant for silence would hardly help him there.

Before Link knew it they had arrived at the door to his chambers. Zelda took a step to the side to stand next to the door. Her eyes were on the floor before she forced herself to look at him. She was readying herself to speak before Link cut her off.

“I meant what I said. Thank you.” Link still wasn’t quite sure what all to say but pushed on anyways. “I’ve never thought of myself as a leader or an example like you said. But maybe I should try more to actually be those things. I’ve been looking at my role as nothing more than carrying the sword. I’ve thought of it as a burden when I should have viewed it as a challenge, an opportunity to be a better Knight and become what Hyrule actually needs me to be.”

Link felt a bit of heat rising to his own cheeks, realizing that was more than he had spoken at one time since he had drawn the sword and probably a while longer before that as well.

As Link spoke he couldn’t help but realize the smile coming over Zelda’s face. Her shoulders relaxed and she let out a happy sigh before speaking herself.

“I’m glad you feel that way. But either way I should have spoken with you directly about the speech rather than going behind your back to arrange it. And for that I am truly sorry.”

Link let out a small chuckle. “Well don’t worry about it too much because you’re forgiven. And for what it’s worth I’m sorry you didn’t get to hear that speech.”

“Well it’s not as if the day was a complete waste.” she said with a sly smile. Link raised a questioning eyebrow in return.

“It’s not every day I get to see you in that uniform. It looks good on you.” She said before raising the Slate, which Link had forgotten about, from her waist and snapping a picture.

Link’s blush stayed with him even after he had changed into his regular tunic and trousers. Try as he might to ignore it and act normally Zelda kept flashing him that knowing, almost flirtatious smile of hers whenever she saw his still slightly tinged cheeks.

And when a few weeks later Link had to put on the dress uniform once again to escort Zelda to a Royal Ball, he didn't find the uniform quite so uncomfortable. It was all to east to forget his aching feet and confined neck when he would occasionally catch the glances she threw his way.

Chapter Text

The hallway was quiet, much to Link's frustration. His knocks at the door in front of him were the only breaks in the oppressive stillness and the only response they got was more silence. As much as he was taught and trained to hone his hearing to even the smallest noise there as not so much as a whisper coming from the room behind the door in front of him

And that was a problem. The Princess rarely locked herself in her chambers and had not done so since she had stopped avoiding him. In fact Link had never seen her as quiet had she had been the past few days.

It had all started earlier in the week. He was with her as she spent an afternoon in her study going over the most recent notes on ancient Sheikah technology. Her focus was broken when they heard some noise from outside. They had stepped out to see the Sheikah researchers in the courtyard down below gathered around a guardian. The ancient machine was taking small steps and turning its head to take in its surroundings.

The Princess's excitement had been undeniable and infectious. For once she could see the efforts of her research truly bearing fruit. For once she could let thoughts of her sealing powers slip from her mind. It was perhaps the most genuinely happy Link had ever seen her.

But life so rarely saw fit to let such moments last long and unfortunately this time was no different. The only thing of note about this occasion was just how quickly things came crashing down.

It wasn't even a minute later when the King joined them on the small bridge between Zelda's study and her chambers. Link had dropped into a kneel as soon as he had seen the Monarch. He had been left with nothing to look at but the stone beneath him and nothing to listen to except the King's words. And the King's anger and harsh words had been almost too much to bear even from the sidelines.

Even now Link could feel his frustration bubble at the thought of how Zelda's father had berated her. In mere moments he had buried the accomplishment and pride of the occasion. And in its place he had left nothing but shame and guilt.

If only those emotions had been as fleeting as the positive ones.

The confrontation was short but its effects had lingered in the days since. Zelda had spent most of her time since in the castle's shrine, dedicating further hours in search of her powers. And yet she didn't even seem to mind that they still proved to be elusive. Instead she simply seemed to be resigned to the failure. At the conclusion of hours long prayer sessions in the cold water of the shrine she would not even shiver. She would merely let out a sigh and make her way back to her chambers, not even seeming notice or care about her soaked clothes or pale color.

If she wasn't in prayer than she would lock herself behind her chamber door just as she had right now.

Link was worried. He has never seen the Princess's melancholy last this long before. Part of him was seriously considering kicking down the door and pulling her off on a journey to the corners of Hyrule just to get her away from the castle. Unfortunately for Link if Zelda wanted to be alone then he would have to let her. It wasn't his place to force his presence upon her even if it meant letting her wallow in her gloomy state. All he could do was make his company available, even if it was likely to be declined.

When his last attempt at a knock went unanswered Link let out a frustrated sigh and walked away.

Concern continued to gnaw at his mind as he made his was through the castle's halls, headed nowhere in particular. How long could Zelda's current melancholic state last? Could it even possibly get worse? He didn't think the King was an exceptionally cruel man, but neither could he rule out that he may put even more pressure on his daughter and make things worse.

Link grimaced at the possibility. But it did at least lead him to another thought.

Perhaps he should not be worrying about how long this would go on, but instead how long he was going to let it go on. It may be foolish to think he could fix this by himself however that didn't mean he had to just sit there.

Zelda had thought he could be more of a leader and wasn't part of being a leader taking charge? Even if it would only cheer her up for a short while he had to try something.

Link's hand found his chin as he let out a short and frustrated breath. He had a few ideas that might help her improve her mood, but that was only half the problem. The other issue was how to actually get to Zelda if she insisted on locking herself in her room.

As Link stepped outside and looked up at the tower that housed Zelda's study an idea stuck him.

It was reckless and it had a good chance of landing him in some deep trouble. But it just might work.

As the sun set behind the mountains to the west Hyrule castle began to turn in for the night. The Castle Guard were soon to switch over to the night shift and most of the staff had retired to their chambers.

Link however had other plans.

He had been going over his little scheme all afternoon, second guessing and fretting about it. However after a public dinner during which a dejected Zelda hardly touched her food he could not stand the thought of delaying action any longer.

And so he found himself at the base of the tower to Zelda's study preparing to climb it.

He knelt down and opened his pack, double checking that it held everything he would need. The bottle with Zelda's favorite tea had been easy enough to get. The kitchen staff didn't say a word when he had asked for it after dinner. He had anticipated the other items being a bit more difficult to obtain.

After all he had no good reason to have the Sheikah Slate or the ancient core from a guardian.

When he had gone to Purah that afternoon to make his request he had given her an excuse about Zelda wanting to do some research. Purah had been reluctant to give them to him at first and doubtful of his claim. After all the Princess had never used him as an errand boy before. If she had wanted to look at something from the researchers she would speak to them herself. For a moment Link was worried that his plan was about to fall apart before it truly began. And yet as he made his shaky excuses and tried to convince the Sheikah researcher she suddenly changed her mind.

It was Link's turn to be confused but it did not take long to figure out why she had given in to his request. The fact that she had told him what it was they were currently trying to figure out so that he could tell Zelda and had given him a knowing wink when she handed him a set of tools told him all he needed to know. As one of Zelda's true friends she knew the Princess was in a dour mood as of late. And for somebody as smart as Purah it probably wasn't difficult to see through Link's ruse.

It was embarrassing not to have been honest with Purah and to have been caught in his little lie. But she didn't seem to mind and had even given him a bit of help he hadn't expected to get.

And so with his bag packed with everything he needed he had made his way to the ground beneath Zelda's study, being careful to avoid the castle guards along the way. Purah may have been understanding but he doubted his fellow Knights would be so forgiving. Especially if they caught him him on the way up.

As the sky darkened and the coast seemed to clear Link knew that it would be now or never. And so grabbing a firm hold of the stone in front of him and pushing up with his legs he crossed over the point of no return.

The climb up was more difficult than Link had anticipated. The height of Zelda's chambers and study didn't seem to be quite so high when he was up there. And as the stone began to chill with the evening air his hands began to quiver and shake. Although at least he didn't have too much sweat to worry about.

When he finally reached the top and hoisted himself over the wall and onto the walkway between Zelda's room and her study his hands were sore and his arms burned. He was not looking forward to the trip back down but he would just have to worry about that later. When he had finally collected himself he stepped up to the door to Zelda's chambers and knocked.

Again there was no answer. But Link had doubted that he would get one anyways. After all the room had been so quiet the other times he had knocked it was as if it were empty.

Turning on his heels he looked to the other door which stood on the opposite side of the walkway. If Zelda was not in her chambers than she was most likely to be in her study.

His suspicions were confirmed when his knock at the study's door was answered by her voice. However it was quite clear that he was not who she was expecting, f she was expecting anybody at this late hour. After all with the door to her chambers locked there was only one person who should be able to get out here. The only person with the authority to unlock the door to the Princess's room.

"Yes Father, I'll be right out." It was not difficult to hear the strain or the stress in her voice. And the heavy sigh he heard through the door made it clear that she was not looking forward to opening the door. Link could only guess that she was dreading a repeat of her earlier confrontation with her Father.

And so it was that much better to see the relief on her face when she opened the door and saw who it actually was who came knocking at her door. At least until her relief was replaced by confusion.

"Link… what are you doing here? How did you even get here?"

"Purah sent me. She had something she wanted you to look at." It was not technically a lie as Purah had approved of Link's plan once she had caught on. And if he could avoid having to answer Zelda's other question he would probably be better off for it.

If Zelda doubted his claim she still seemed to surprised by his presence to question it. She merely gave a weak nod and moved aside so that he could step into her study.

As Zelda closed the door behind him Link looked around the small room which he had come to know well over the past months. Unfortunately it was not quite as he had grown accustomed to. The schematics and drawings of ancient technology that had adorned the walls had been taken down and rolled up. The books and notes which were once sprawled across her desk had been cleaned up and stacked on the floor.

The room looked little like it had a week before, the way it should have been.

As Link placed his pack down he reached in and pulled out the various contents and placed them on the desk. When he turned to look at Zelda he saw that her eyes were glued to the glowing ancient core which sat before her. She bit her lip and furrowed her brow before speaking in a tone which sounded as if she were trying to convince herself as much as Link.

"I… I really shouldn't. Father forbade me from partaking in this research until I have unlocked my powers." Her hands found each other and and began to wring them as she continued. "I'd be happy to review her findings but I'm afraid you'll have to tell Purah that the King has ordered-"

Link cut her off by pressing Purah's notes on the core into her hands and gesturing to the tools which sat next to the mysterious object on the desk.

"The King's not here right now. And I think it's safe to say that anything you choose to do will remain between us and whatever you do with that core will be between you and Purah."

Zelda's shoulders relaxed and she even sat down in front of the desk, placing Purah's notes down next to the tools. However her face still betrayed her doubt. As she looked between the notes and the core she seemed as if she might leave the desk at any moment. And as Link slid the Sheikah Slate out of his pack and onto the desk she spoke once again, giving voice to her obvious hesitation.

"Link I… I know what you're trying to do. And while I appreciate it you really should not." She had placed the everything back onto the table and her hands were once again wringing each other. She wasn't the only one who was nervous as Link began to doubt how open Zelda was to being cheered up. But he pushed such thoughts out of his mind. If she had truly not wanted to relax and do some experimenting with the core than she would have sent him away already, not sit down at the desk.

And so he said nothing, waiting for Zelda to elaborate. And after a heavy sigh she did so.

"The King…. Father may not be here but he was still right the other day. Until I've unlocked my powers that I will need when the Calamity comes I should remain focused on them." She paused for a moment and Link jumped at the opportunity to dissuade her.

"Zelda enough of that. You know as well as I do how hard you've been working at gaining your abilities. It's not your fault that they have yet to make themselves known."

"You don't know that Link." she snapped back at him. It was the first time in some months she had sounded irritated when speaking with him. However Link was confident -or at least hopeful- that it wasn't actually him she was irritated with.

"You've done everything that's been asked of you Zelda. You've remained steadfast and dedicated to your prayers for years despite being denied for so long." Link leaned back on the desk and placed a hand onto her shoulder, staring into her eyes as he continued.

"I don't know why the goddesses have denied you your powers for so long but I do not believe for a second it's because of a lack of devotion or effort on your part."

Zelda looked down to the floor and though her hair hung down and blocked her face Link heard a sniffle and saw her hands go up wipe her eyes. Silence reigned in the small study as Link could only gently rub her shoulder, offering what encouragement he could at the moment. When Zelda spoke again her voice was soft and strained and she kept her eyes cast downwards.

"Even so it matters not whether it's my fault or not. The entire Kingdom is counting on me to gain my powers. Everything will be lost if I am unable to do my part in stopping Calamity Ganon. It would not be right of me to be enjoying myself while Hyrule remains in peril."

She was at least not blaming herself again and so Link thought that there was progress being made. And so he pushed on, addressing her new argument.

"Depriving yourself of your hobbies will not get you any closer to your powers. In fact in making yourself miserable it's more likely to push it further away if anything. And despite what the King may say your research is hardly some frivolous waste of time. Every little bit of the insight you help give into the Guardians and the Divine Beasts will help when the Calamity comes. It might make the difference that saves who knows how many lives."

As Zelda looked up to him he could see the tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes. Link's heart swelled as he tried to put her self deprecating line of thinking to rest.

"As important as your efforts to unlocking your powers are the other things you do should not be dismissed so easily. Not by the King and certainly not by you. Not only will your research prove helpful to Hyrule but if it makes you happy than that alone is reason enough to do it."

Link wasn't quite sure where all those words had come from or how he had found the resolve to say them. Voicing any criticism of or disagreement with the King -and to Zelda of all people- would have been unthinkable not long ago. But as he thought about it Link realized how much he needed to say how wrong the King was when he had scolded her days ago. Or rather he realized how much Zelda needed to hear it whether from him or from anybody else.

And as Zelda's face began to soften and her lips spread into a small but noticeable smile Link couldn't help lucky that he was the one who got to say it. It was a feeling that doubled when Zelda stood from her chair to take Link into a tight hug and whisper words of gratitude to him.

The next several hours passed mostly in silence although Link didn't much mind. He was happy to watch from next to the door as Zelda did her work and occasionally refill her cup of tea when it ran low. With every stimulus provided to the ancient core, every tweak made with the tools, and every observation added to Purah's notes her smile grew little by little.

When Link finally got up to inform the Princess that he needed to leave and be off to bed he found that she had beaten him to it. Her head lay on the desk facing the notes which her pen had trailed off of mid sentence. Link let out a soft chuckle at the sight before noticing the slate which sat nearby displaying reference pictures of other ancient technology. It was then that an idea crossed his mind and he found her sleeping expression to be far too cute to resist his impulse.

And so after he had carefully picked her sleeping form up and carried into her chambers to lay her down in her bed he left the slate on her nightstand. On it's screen was displayed a different image which had little academic value but he hoped would be appreciated nonetheless.

It was a picture of the Princess with her head on the desk sleeping as silently and peacefully as she did out in the wild.

Chapter Text

Zelda held her hand up to cover her mouth as she let out a long and strained yawn. Sitting a few feet away from her Link couldn't help but empathize the young Princess. It had been a long day after all. It had begun with an early morning at the castle so they could make their departure in time to reach Kakariko village by mid afternoon. And once they had gotten there Zelda had to go through a long meeting with the elders of the village. The topics had been numerous from advice in the search of her sealing powers, to helpful wisdom for when she would one day rule Hyrule, to the local concerns of the Sheikah community.

Link was quite tired himself and he had not even had to participate in the meeting, only sit through it. Though for Zelda's sake he had tried to pay attention and take note of what had been said.

But now as the sun set behind the mountains which surrounded the quiet settlement they were finally freed from the day's obligations. Zelda sat at a table near the village center and Link sat near a fire a few feet away working on their dinner for the evening. It wasn't much -only some locally grown carrots, Hylian Rice, and some Goron Spice which Link had tucked away in his travel pack, whipped up into some curry- but after the long day of travel a small quiet mean was preferable to a large feast which the village elders had graciously offered. But thankfully they had been as understanding as they were generous and had obliged when Zelda and Link had politely declined their offer.

The meal did not take long to cook. Before long Link was handing Zelda's portion of the food to her which she accepted with a 'thank you' before digging in. The meal itself passed in relative silence. After all not only were they both quite tired but Zelda was likely in in the mood for some quiet at the moment after spending the last several hours in serious conversation with the village elders. And for his part Link was never one to mind some comfortable silence, especially over a good meal.

As usual when Link emptied his bowl Zelda still had a ways to go with her meal. Without the food to focus on Link's mind wandered to the next day's travel. They would certainly be able to make it back to the castle by sundown tomorrow, but it would take another day's travel like today's. Link wasn't too keen at that prospect and judging by Zelda's mood throughout the day she probably shared his reluctance to push themselves once again tomorrow. And while he doubted that she would actually give voice to the sentiment he knew she wasn't in any hurry to return to the castle and the King.

Placing his fork down in his bowl and clearing his throat to get Zelda's attention he spoke.

"I figure it would be best to sleep a bit later tomorrow, catch up on our rest for the journey ahead of us. It may mean we're not able to get back to the castle tomorrow but we do have the supplies to camp out an extra night if needed."

Zelda looked up to him and nodded in approval as she swallowed down another mouthful of curry.

"Yes that does sound good. It will be nice to get some more rest after the early morning today."

A few more forkfuls of food seemed to satisfy her hunger and so she put her own bowl down which Link soon collected along with his own. Standing from the table he motioned over to the nearby pond.

"I can take care of the dishes. If you'd like you can head over to the inn and turn in for the night. After today I'm sure a warm bed wouldn't run amiss of anybody."

But as Link walked over to the water and began to scrub the dishes he was surprised to find Zelda coming along with him. He glanced over his shoulder to her face and saw that her brow was tense and her mouth was pulled back into a thin line. Dropping his eyes to find her hands he noticed that they were also being wrung.

"Is something wrong?" Link asked, placing the bowls down and turning to face her. For a moment Zelda seemed surprised that her apprehension had been noticed but her shoulders soon relaxed and she let out a small sigh.

"It's nothing really I just... " she trailed off, taking a deep before continuing, "I want you to know you don't have to say yes to this but I was hoping that you might be willing to go for a short walk before we turn in for the night."

Link raised his eyebrow at the request. "You're not tired? I mean it's been a long day. I'm surprised you're not wanting to go to bed a bit early."

"I am quite tired and some sleep would be nice." she answered him, "But with how much we've done today it feels like we haven't actually done anything if that makes sense. What I mean to say is that I was hoping for a bit of time alone before we retired for the evening."

She paused for a moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before looking Link in the eyes and continuing.

"I would enjoy your company and I know your own duties wouldn't allow you to let me go on my own anyways. But I also know that you must be tired as well after everything today. So if you desire to turn in and go to bed know that I will not complain nor go sneaking off by myself."

Link bit his lip as he considered her request. He was looking forward to a warm bed after spending most of the day on the road and fending off a few wayward groups of Bokoblins as well as the stray Moblin. Plus it was already getting quite dark outside.

But as he looked at Zelda's anxious face as she awaited his answer he found it difficult to worry about those things. After all the darkness wasn't a problem that a simple torch couldn't fix. Plus she had declined to make it an order -as she very well could have- and instead seemed to desire to spend a bit of time alone with him, as Link and Zelda rather than Princess and Appointed Knight.

And if things were going to be like that he doubted he could say no to her anyways.

He gave short nod in agreement before picking up the bowls and starting to walk back to the fire where they had their packs. "I'll be right back and then we can be on our way."

At the sight of her grin he found all desire for the cozy inn bed and a good night's sleep slipping from his mind, replaced by a sudden fondness for the brisk evening air and some warm company.

The journey up the hill that overlooked the village was mostly a quiet one. They had walked arm in arm to keep up proper appearances for the villagers they passed of a Knight escorting the Princess on an evening stroll. But as they crested the hill and Link waited for Zelda to separate he found her continuing to hold on.

Link was about to do so himself when he realized he has no desire to do so. He told himself that it was wise to stay close and not get separated. But as they made their way up into the woods above the village he found it difficult to shake his thoughts away from the warmth of her skin on his and the way it seemed so much more pleasant than the heat from the torch in his other hand.

The evening dew clung to the grass and dampened their feet as they ventured into the small forest. The gentle breeze swayed the branches and leaves of the trees creating a chorus of rustling leaves which was joined by the singing of the restless crickets. The cool night air was alight with fireflies as they mingled in the trees and grass. For a short time Link was content to let conversation lull and the quiet moment resume. Zelda seemed to share the sentiment. With the Calamity growing ever closer peaceful times like this with nothing but the quiet beauty of nature and a good companion at your side had to be treasured.

They strolled through the forest taking in the sights and sounds, crossing over a wooden bridge which stood above a small pond. The creaking of the planks and subtle splashing of the water below them added their own notes to the evening's melody. Had they not already reserved rooms at the Kakariko Inn Link might have suggested sleeping out here for the night.

Soon they made their way through a cluster of trees and the sight which awaited them in the clearing on the other side was enough to bring Zelda to a stop at Link's side. There in front of them sat a patch of Silent Princesses. Their numbers were in the dozens, perhaps even approaching a hundred or so.

Link's mind went back to their conversation they had in the hills north of Hyrule Castle. It was a day Link had remembered well for the beautiful weather and the fact that it was one of the first times Zelda had seemed to warm up to him. They had stumbled across one of the flowers and he remembered just how happy and excited she had been over a single one, telling him how they were endangered and rare. Link didn't know too much about the flower but knew that finding so many of them, much less in one spot, was quite unlikely. A glance to his side at Zelda's stunned face served to confirm that hunch.

She looked up to meet his eyes and after a moment's hesitation left his arm and walked out into the clearing. Link stepped back and leaned against a nearby tree content to watch with a grin. In front of him the young woman dropped to her knees at the edge of the flower patch, leaning down to observe the closest of the blue flowers as if to confirm that it was real and actually what it appeared to be. When she seemed satisfied that her eyes were not deceiving her she reached down the the slate at her hips. What followed was a flurry of pictures to document the discovery.

Eventually the slate fell to her waist as she paused. From where he stood Link could see her mouth pulled back into a thin line and her furrowed brow as she looked between the flowers and the slate. It was a look Link was not unfamiliar with. It was an expression she held whenever she was split between taking detailed notes as her scientific side demanded and simply experiencing a moment. Usually her urge to research won out but this time Link was questioning whether or not it would. After a few moments of watching her indecision he decided to give her a nudge.

"We can come back tomorrow morning when we leave the village." He called out. At the sound of his voice she looked back to him before dropping her shoulders and letting out an audible sigh. Her mind made up she sat back on the grass, placing the slate at her side. She leaned back onto her elbows and looked around, taking in as much as she could of the secluded spot and its beautiful surprise.

As Link stood there watching her watch the flowers he couldn't help but notice the way she looked in the subtle blue glow of the petals or the way the light reflected in her eyes. She seemed so relaxed. She seemed so happy. And as the forest sung its serenade and the flowers gently swayed in the evening breeze Link realized that she had never looked so beautiful.

Link closed his eyes and let out a slow, deep breath as the thought sunk in. The implications and feelings that came along with it were at the same time both troubling and calming. He had finally but a name to the thoughts that he had grown to dwell on in recent weeks. He knew he shouldn't harboring these thoughts. After all there were as many rules and reasons forbidding them as there were bricks in Hyrule Castle, all boiling down to one simple fact.

She was a Princess. And he was a Knight.

But as the minutes ticked by Link found that he didn't much care. In this moment, in this spot, they were not Princess and Knight. They were just Link and Zelda.

And he loved her.

His feet acted before his mind did, pushing off of the tree and closing the distance between them. When he reached her side he sat down on the grass by her side, mirroring her posture and leaning back on his own arms. It wasn't some grand moment that the court poets at the castle would sing about but Link wished it could last all night and then some.

But the flow of time is always cruel and nothing lasts forever. It was Zelda who broke the silence.

"We should be getting back. We wouldn't want anybody back at the village to start worrying and we'll need to get our rest for tomorrow's travels."

Despite her statement when Link looked over to her he saw that she had not moved and her eyes remained on the field in front of them. She didn't want to leave either and yet her words were true. They would need to be leaving soon.

Link's eyes fell to the ground between them. It was there that the Sheikah Slate sat where she had laid it down earlier. An idea struck him and he looked over to his other side where a Silent Princess of a different kind rose from the grass. The flower may be endangered but surely picking just one would not hurt overly much. And if there was any spot in Hyrule that would not miss one it would be here.

Leaning up off of his arms his right hand found the slate while his left wrapped around the stem of the flower and plucked it from the soil. Zelda seemed to notice that he was moving and must have thought him ready to leave as she followed his lead a few seconds after. But before she could stand Link was kneeling down behind her.

His left hand took the flower and ran its stem into her hair behind her ear. Meanwhile his right brought the slate around her other side to hold it in front of them. Its screen displayed a likeness of them both as it Link readied to take a picture. His face bore a small but genuine smile while hers wore a look a surprise.

But when Link took the picture it was his expression which took on a note of surprise for the slate to capture. There on the screen was recorded the instant the button was pressed. Link was looking ahead at the slate but Zelda was not. Her face was turned to him as she closed her eyes, leaned in to close the separation between them, and plant a kiss on his cheek.

Chapter Text

Waking up from the Shrine of resurrection was certainly the strangest experience of Link's life. He was pretty sure it was anyways even if any bizarre moments or trials that might rival it were currently out of the reach of his memory. Whatever his life may have been like before he died -as uncomfortable as that was to contemplate- he doubted he ever could have been as off kilter as he had been since climbing out of that cold dark cave.

Skills that seemed like they should take a lifetime to master came to him as if they were second nature. Swinging a sword, shooting a bow, and preparing animals to be cooked were all things he was able to just do without instruction. While it made since to him that he might have known these skills in his life before the Calamity he would have thought he'd be rusty to say the least. While it was certainly convenient to have hit the ground running and as nice as it was to have a few less things to worry about he couldn't help but feel a little bit unsettled with how natural it all felt.

Those weren't the only things that troubled him either. Chief among them was the fact that people knew him, or rather people he was seeing for the first time knew him.

It had started with the old man -or as Link had to keep correcting himself, The King of Hyrule- on the Great Plateau. At the time he had been too busy getting his bearings and then too in awe of the elder's transformation to think about it. But in the days after it began to sink in just how daunting it all was. To have the King of an entire nation not only know more about him than he did himself but also having said Monarch place upon him the expectations of saving both his daughter and his Kingdom was enough pressure to make sleep difficult to come by.

But the King was far from the only person who knew him. When he had arrived in Kakariko Impa had recognized him in an instant. Her familiarity with him made him more confused than anything at first. Had he not been unconscious for the last 100 years? But after learning of, or at least relearning of, the Sheikah's long life span it at least made sense that a servant of the royal family would know of him.

But as difficult as those encounters were to digest they were nothing compared to what waited for him when he had reached Zora's Domain. Though he had no recollection of it he had apparently spent a lot of time there in his youth. Zora claiming to be childhood friends had been shocked to see him and had asked him where he had been. Link had absolutely no idea how to answer them. It had been difficult enough to just not let on that he had not even known their names. And to make matters worse the Zora King had been insistent that his daughter, the late Princess and Champion Mipha, had loved him.

The whole day had been a whirlwind of emotions. So much so that when Prince Sidon had instructed him to climb a mountain and face down a Lynel to obtain a bundle of shock arrows he had been happy for a distraction. That evening when it had finally come time for him to lay his head down at the Domain's inn he hardly got a wink of sleep. All night he tossed and turned as the storm inside of him raged harder than the storm outside.

What small amount of relief he had to have some part of his past life to grab onto was drowned out by the downpour of other emotions. He had felt like a pretender as if her were some sort of voyeur partaking in the personal remnants of somebody else's life. He had felt grief for Mipha who despite his limited window of recollection of her he could feel was very near and dear to his heart.

But above all he had felt guilt. Guilt at having not remembered the people in the Domain who obviously thought of him very fondly. Guilt at having let all of the Zora here -and indeed all the people throughout Hyrule- down with his failure a century ago. And guilt at hearing the tale of Mipha's love for him with a sense of discomfort more than anything. It was as if he pitied the long dead Champion for even with what he could remember of her he could not find the same feelings she had in his heart.

Link wasn't sure if he had forgotten such feelings or if there was nothing to forget. And he couldn't figure out which would be worse as each prospect prodded his heart with renewed regret and sorrow.

Indeed the weeks since his awakening had been a difficult emotional burden to bare. But they had not been without their moments of calm and reassurance, as rare as they might have been.

Most of them had been when holding the Sheikah Slate, the odd device he had taken with him from the Shrine. It was incredible to say the least. Of all the achievements of ancient Sheikah technology which were scattered throughout the land he had seen nothing quite like the strange stone tablet. And yet as special and as rare as he sure it was he could feel an odd sense of familiarity with the device, more so than he had felt with most of the people he had come across. The weight of the tablet in his hands had yet to fail to bring him a feeling of calm and send a tingling nostalgia through his mind.

As strange as it was to feel such sentimentality over a piece of ancient technology that was surely one of a kind it was a feeling that was at least simple and easy to deal with. His only other source of comfort in the time since waking up was as calming as it was exciting and upsetting.

It was a voice. It was her voice.

It had been the very first thing he had heard upon waking up, before he had even opened his eyes. The voice had been soft and gentle, almost pleading with him to awaken. It had been so soothing to his pounding head and burning muscles. But had had brought along with it a pit in his stomach and an aching in his heart.

His distress had multiplied when he had stepped out of the cave and onto a nearby cliff. The whole majesty of Hyrule had been laid out before him but he could not draw his eyes away from the castle. As a storm of malice around the castle spires a single pure white light shone through as if it sought him out specifically. Though at the time he had no clue as to why but he had wanted to jump down the ledge in front of him and go running off to the castle to do…. to do something.

He hadn't even known what exactly it was he wanted to do much less why he wanted to do it and why he was in such a hurry.

Answers had come when he spoke with the King. He had learned that the storm around the Castle was Calamity Gannon. He had learned that the light in the tallest tower was the doing of Princess Zelda and that she was also the voice he heard upon awakening. And he had learned that one hundred years ago he had been sworn to her service as her appointed Knight.

Link figured that the last point might at least explain part of his feelings. It had been his responsibility to protect her as well as Hyrule and so it seemed natural that he should be eager to correct his failures in those duties.

And yet he had his doubts. During his nights out in the wild since leaving the plateau he would often make camp in sight of of the castle. And on those nights he would lay down staring at the light which still shone from the sanctum as if to bask in its warmth. His eyes would not move from the castle and his heart would fill with desire to storm the fortress until he drifted off to sleep, if sleep came for him at all.

Surely such an obsession could not be the result of duty alone. The must have been another reason for his compulsion to confront Gannon before he was ready. There must have been something more to it.

It was a question that puzzled him even as his quest across Hyrule stretched out from weeks into months. With Impa's guidance he had managed to recall bits and pieces of his former life. Zelda had apparently left behind pictures of various locations throughout the land that might jolt his memory. While it was a relief that his efforts were finally starting to bear fruit it was not without frustration. His life before the calamity was a book with all its ages torn out. As many as he may recover there always seemed to be so much more that eluded him. It was a task which seemed to have no end.

When the trickle of answers finally increased it came all at once and it had threatened to all but drown him.

Link was at the castle when it happened. He had managed to reclaim three of the four divine beasts and would soon be heading into the desert once again to take back Vah Naboris. Before he did so however he wanted to scout out Hyrule Castle, relearn its ins and outs, and figure out which would be the best route to take when it would soon come time to face Gannon once and for all. His sneaking around the castle had been interrupted by a strong sense of deja vu when at the base of one of the towers.

For a time he had remained in the shadow of the tower. With one hand on the cool stone he had looked up its height and dug through his mind trying to piece together what it could have been that triggered such a sense of familiarity. Unfortunately no matter how long he stood there and no matter how closely he felt to the cusp of revelation nothing solid came to him.

With a heavy sigh of resignation Link had went to move on. He could only hope that whatever it was that had stimulated him would come to him eventually or was at least unimportant. However before he could make it far he had been brought to a halt in his path. In front of him stood two guardians patrolling the area in front of him with another guardian turret a ways behind them with a clear field of fire.

Sneaking past would be impossible and fighting past them would have been ill advised. As easy as it would have been to let loose a few of his ancient arrows on the machines it wouldn't be a great idea to use them. He had only brought a few with him for emergencies and going through supplies on what was supposed to be nothing more than a scouting mission would have been foolish.

And so he had turned back and quickly found himself right back at the base of the tower where the pang of nostalgia returned in force. Link tried to push the feeling aside as he searched his surroundings looking for a way forward. Eventually his eyes climbed the stone in front of him until they reached the top where a small bridge connected the tower to the main castle structure.

Link grumbled in frustration. It would have been such a waste to turn back now and cut his scouting expedition short. And so with a heavy sigh he took his climbing gloves from their resting spot on his belt and pulled them on before starting the process of scaling the tower. At least it was not raining so the task before him wasn't any more difficult than it had to be.

But once he was into the rhythm of the pulling and pushing with his arms and legs he found the earlier feelings growing with every inch he moved upwards. He paused for a minute of reflection as he looked up at his destination. Had he done this before? He had never felt such emotion climbing anything else throughout his travels. Was it something about scaling the stone of the castle which was so familiar to him or was it because of this spot in particular?

Whatever it was he wasn't likely to find out hanging to side of the tower. And so he tried to stay focused on the task at hand as he made his way upwards. Although as he approached the top he could feel a sense of anticipation joining his nostalgia. He couldn't help but feel as if there were something -or rather somebody- waiting for him at the top although he knew that such an idea was ridiculous to say the least.

When he finally hauled himself over the railing and onto the bridge between the tower and the castle he realized that the feelings he had were not for nothing. A look at the Sheikah slate confirmed that this was the location of the last memory Zelda had left for him to find. That would explain the sense of familiarity although not necessarily the intensity of the feeling. He could only hope things would make more sense once he made the recollection as he took in his surroundings.

Before long his eyes started to drift shut and he could feel the memory coming back to him. Images ran through his mind in an intense vision as if he were reliving the moment from a hundred long years past. When the sensation finally began to recede from his mind he was left with a new sense of confusion.

Why had he felt such a strong feeling of nostalgia on his way up here? After all the memory he had just reclaimed was not a happy one, far from it in fact. So why had he felt such anticipation and longing for the recollection of Zelda being scolded by her father? It simply didn't make sense.

Link let out yet another heavy sigh. It had not been the first time regaining an old memory had left him with more questions than answers but it was still just as frustrating as the first. If the task of reclaiming his old life was to be so endless and so lacking in any true satisfaction would it have been better to never have bothered? He figured that at the very least leaving his past self in the past would have saved him a fair amount of pain and frustration.

Pulling the slate up from his waist he navigated over to the screen which cataloged the memories Zelda had left for him to find. Tapping on the image of the castle walkway on which he stood to check if off he could feel his frustration renew itself and grow into anger. He had found all twelve of these memories and for all they had helped he still felt so far away from his old life, so disconnected from the person he once was.

When he had started on the road to piecing together his past life he had anticipated that things would be difficult but he had thought that there would at least be more solid answers waiting for him. And yet there were still a thousand little questions that nibbled at his mind and eroded what confidence he had in his identity as Link the person rather than simply Link the knight.

He understood that most of it could not be helped. For example he could hardly expect the Princess to help him recall things from his childhood or his life outside of his Knighthood. But the fact that the one aspect of his life which was the focus of what he had recovered -his time in the service of the Princess- still had so much missing left him feeling hopeless. If he could not feel confidence in his memories of events which he had help recovering then what hope did he have when it came to the rest of his previous life?

He was drawn out of his thoughts when a beeping came from the slate in his hands. He felt a bit thankful for the device for distracting him before he could get to wrapped up in his self pity as he looked at the screen to try and figure out the cause of the alert. A search through the device's functions revealed nothing until he went back to the gallery of pictures. Next to the collection of pictures Zelda had left for him was a flashing icon. Link tapped on it and was rewarded with a message that finding the previous twelve locations had unlocked another directory with more pictures from Zelda.

A bit of the hope which had left him started to return. Perhaps these ones would do a better job at filling in the gaps in his memories. And if she had more for him than the twelve moments then perhaps the Princess would be able to answer some of his questions herself when he finally freed her from her stalemate with Calamity Ganon. And now that he had been all over Hyrule then surely the next set of images would not be so difficult to find.

As happy as he was to have more of his old life to grasp onto however he was not prepared for what awaited him when he opened the directory. The pictures that greeted him were not of scenery and the landscape. They were of people, or rather two people. Just him and Zelda.

It occurred to him that this was the first time since his awakening that he had actually seen the Princess and yet he had no doubt that it was her on the screen. He knew that it would be unlikely for anybody else to be in these pictures but that fact felt like an afterthought in the piecing together. One look and he had simply known. One look and the vague images of her in his memories took on a razor sharp clarity as if he had always known.

He soon found himself falling back against the stone wall behind him as he went through the pictures, each one hitting him like an arrow to the heart. A picture of Zelda by a campfire, a look of surprise on her face. Another one of him dressed up in his finest Royal Guard uniform. A captured moment of the young woman peacefully sleeping, a small content smile on her face. He lost count of all the pictures he swiped through. Some just had her in them, others had himself, and a few which Link felt a special fondness for had the both of them.

And in every single one of the pictures they seemed to be smiling.

Each image brought with it an immediate surge of emotions and vivid memories in his mind. He could remember what he had seen in those moments the pictures had been taken, what he had heard and for the first time he could remember what he had felt. He sat there for what must have been hours looking at each image again and again to take in every last detail that he could.

Now that he could place emotions alongside the moments on the screen the trickle of memories turned into a stream and then to a raging river. Each recollection which returned to him brought with it the missing pieces to others. Moment by moment and day by day it was if the entire story of his entire life was reaching out to him from a hundred years in the past.

The flood of his forgotten life, the thoughts and feelings that had been left behind, was almost too much to take. Especially so having been so resigned to their loss just moments ago. Just as he thought he might drown in it all he reached the final image in the album. He had almost known it was going to be there before reaching it and yet it still pierced its way to his heart.

The image was a close up shot of the two of them. In the background he could see they were in a forest bathed in night. In the center of the screen was the both of their faces lit up by the light coming from the Slate's screen. Zelda's face was turned towards his as she placed a kiss on his cheek.

When he had finally taken in all he could of the image on the screen Link brought the slate to his chest. Sitting there on the stone bridge he took in slow deep breaths as he tried to steady himself. He held the slate close to his chest, holding onto the memory of that evening so long ago to maintain what he could of his composure.

When Link finally got back to his feet the sun was approaching the horizon in the west. It would soon be evening and Link found himself much more exhausted than he could have anticipated when he had departed for the day's objective. His arms and legs were still shaking slightly and he doubted he was in good shape for the trek back down the tower wall. A glance towards the nearby door gave him the solution to the complication.

He would simply rest in Zelda's old study for the night. It would be safe from the guardians which roamed the grounds as well as the elements. And he couldn't deny the appeal of sleeping for the first time in a truly familiar spot and perhaps pretending -if only for a short while- that things were still as they were.

As he opened the doorway he paused for a moment before walking in. Looking up he locked his eyes on the castle sanctum far above. Zelda's light still shone down open him seemingly brighter than ever through the fog of the Calamity. He knew in that moment it would not be long before he saw her again. In the morning he would make haste for the Gerudo Desert, free Vah Naboris from the Calamity's evil grasp, and then he would let nothing stop him on his way back to the castle to free Hyrule from this shadow of malice.

The deafening roar of the great calamitous beasts slowly faded as they echoed off the hills, marking what it the monster itself had become. It was no more than an echo now. The blood red tint of the sky gave way to a clear blue as the clouds parted to make way for the sun. Meanwhile a second sun shined brightly in Hyrule field. The blinding ball of

holy light seemed as if it would reach all corners of Hyrule.

But even it was becoming smaller and smaller with each passing minute. Where it had once rivaled the great Hyrule Castle height it quickly halved itself in size. Before long it was no bigger than a melon, no bigger than an apple, no bigger than an acorn, and then no larger than the tip of a needle. Eventually it blinked itself out of existence and took with it the final remnants of the greatest evil Hyrule had ever known, Calamity Ganon.

To Link it hardly all seemed real. The cloud of malice which had settled over the land had seemed like a simple fact of life since his awakening. Despite his efforts to defeat the evil he had never actually thought what it might be like to actually see it gone. It took several long moments of silence for his accomplishment to actually sink in.

He had done it. They had done it. The Calamity had finally been defeated and Hyrule was finally freed from its long terror.

All at once his exhaustion hit him and he dropped to his knee, leaning on the Master Sword for support. The efforts of the day had taken far more from him than he had through himself even capable of giving. He didn't know when it had started but by the end he had felt himself driven not by his own energy but my something else entirely. Something that he doubted he could ever put a name to. As he tried to catch his breath a voice came to him over his own gasping for air and the gentle summer breeze which was making its return to Hyrule field.

"I've been keeping watch over you all this time…" It was her. The person who had been half the reason for his fight and perhaps an even greater one than his destiny of the freedom of Hyrule had been. Her voice was a balm for his aching wounds and a second wind to his tired body and mind. He found his way back to his feet and made his way to close the short distance between them though he stopped a few feet away from her. It felt as if her presence was due to his belief and that coming any closer might shatter the illusion.

"I've witnessed your struggles to return to us as well as your trials in battle." She began to turn and face him and at once his doubts left him for whatever forsaken place Gannon had been sent to. "I always thought -no, I always believed- that you would find a way to defeat Gannon."

For the first time in a century he could see her in her beautiful entirety. As tired as he was she didn't look much better. Though if she were almost dead on her feet she had a century's long reason to be. Yet despite the exhaustion which wore on her face she looked as incredible as she had in the woods above Kakariko on the night so long ago.

"I've never lost faith in you over these many years…. Thank you, Link… the Hero of Hyrule" The Great Deku tree was right. Her smile was like the sun. And for the first time in a hundred long years Link felt the warmth of that sun grace him yet again. He felt as if the great ball of light which had sealed Gannon away could have still been before them had he would not have noticed.

"May I ask…. Do you really remember me?" Links tongue was heavy and he could only answer the question with a half sob half laugh as a smile to mirror her own spread across his face. He tried again and again to speak but words continued to elude him and he doubted he could find any words that could truly do his thoughts at the moment justice.

Zelda seemed to understand his silence, her smile growing wider as he struggled to talk. She may have known what he meant and what he felt but she still deserved an answer.

And so without saying a word Link dropped his hand to his waist, pulled the Shiekah Slate from its holster, and took a picture of the most radiant sun to ever shine upon Hyrule field.