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Link huffed as his feet met the grass. Stumbling a bit, he shoved the paraglider back into its holster. The wind was a bit rougher than it had felt from the top of the steep hill he had scouted from, having needed to swerve quickly to miss a tree on his way down because he’d miscalculated his speed.
The trek from Death Mountain to Tabantha was proving to be tedious. He’d considered stopping back in Hateno to regroup after freeing Vah Rudania, but there wasn’t a warp point close enough to the direction he was headed and he would have to retrace his steps either way. He decided he would take a break when he reached Rito Village, where he could return quickly when he felt a bit more stable in his plan again.
Despite the use of his protective armor and elixirs while there, and a few days between them, he still felt lethargic from the heat of the mountain.
He walked slowly through the tall grass, scanning without much focus for anything he could take with him when he spotted it.
There, sitting alone between a copse of trees, was a Silent Princess. It swayed gently in the breeze as Link stepped over to it, keeping his feet light. He squatted down next to it, extending his hand to pinch one of its velvety petals between his fingers.
“Hi, love,” he said quietly to it, bringing his hand back to rest on his knee. “It’s good to see you again.”
He’d started talking to her a while ago, through the flowers, but only when he saw one that wasn’t near any others. He also didn’t start the habit by calling her love right off the bat, that had just slipped out one day and he didn’t correct himself when it continued.
Link wasn’t sure why he was compelled to start talking to the no longer endangered plant, but he didn’t allow himself the space to question it. There were a lot of things he wasn’t sure about since he woke up, and if he let himself spiral away with that thought he might never come back out. He’d also tried to get one of the flowers to grow in his garden in Hateno, but it hadn't worked. Apparently he could only talk to her if he found her when he least expected it.
The first time it happened was after a particularly rough day, he was nursing his wounds and feeling sorry for himself when he stumbled upon the flower alone near a small pond. The sight of it after reliving the memory of her telling him about it pushed him over the edge and he had thrown himself to the ground in front of it crying and dribbling in the rain. He’d unloaded all his stresses and worries onto the little plant in a flurry of words that cascaded from him at a frequency he couldn’t control until he fell asleep, body curled around where it was rooted.
It didn’t say anything back, of course, it was a flower. Link knew that, but after that day he stopped to tell them of his travels every time he could.
He would tell her about all of the places he wanted to take her, and people he’d met. He told her about how he was helping build a new town between visits to the divine beasts and shrines. He told her about the monsters, and how frustrating the blood moons were, even if he was grateful to hear her voice in his head when they came.
He told her he missed her.
Just like calling her love, one day it had blindsided him. A punch to the gut and he had curled in on himself.
He really missed her.
He let out a long breath and allowed himself to fall back onto his rear, crossing his legs and letting his head fall onto his hand, holding it up, elbow braced against his knee. He eyed the flower, looking at the smooth transition from blue to white that burst out from the center.
“I wish I was closer to coming to get you than I am,” he said with a sigh. “I just want to be fully prepared, you know?”
The flower waved in the wind as a reply.
Link considered it in silence for a moment before sighing again and falling back into the grass, looking up at the sky through the breaks in the leaves above him. He could hear all of the different rustling around him from the air moving around nature as it pleased. He thought that if he closed his eyes and listened close he could hear her laugh. He let himself smile at the phantom sound.
He hoped she was waiting for him, hoped she wouldn’t be like the Champions and remain a feeling in his spirit that would never be physical. The thought of freeing her just to lose her again hurt him more than any blade could. He huffed and opened his eyes, he couldn’t allow himself to think about that.
“I’ve been trying to remember to take pictures for the compendium,” he said, changing the subject even though he was the only one having the conversation. “I’m not as good at it as you are.”
He thought about all of the pictures he’d taken of random objects and flora leaning against the back of a stable when he realized that the princess might like to have the items filed for her to study upon her return. He hoped she’d appreciate his effort.
He also hoped she’d like him.
Based on his fragmented view of the life he used to have, he was different. The kid he saw in his mind was closed off, reserved. He wondered if he’d changed too much, and she wouldn’t want to be around him anymore.
He heard a bird call in the distance, high and sweet. It’s companion sang out a reply from farther away.
He should keep moving.
With a grumble, Link pushed himself up to sit again, moving his eyes back to the lone flower in front of him.
“I miss you,” he said, reaching out to caress the underside of the petals. He pulled his hand back and made to stand when he noticed a small smudge of yellow contrasted against the black of his glove and froze, staring at it.
He felt his eyes sting at the sight of the pollen on him and balled his fists, sucking in a breath to recenter himself, he stood.
“I’ll see you soon,” he murmured, never goodbye, he turned and made his way out of the trees to reach the path.