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Link is cooking dinner when he hears a sharp yelp come from around the corner of the house.
He straightens as he listens for any other signs of danger. “Princess?”
He’s making dinner like most nights, and like most nights it’s quiet around their Hateno house so he’s a bit alarmed by Zelda’s yelp. The veggies need to simmer in the pot for a bit anyway, so he gets up and lightly jogs around the corner only to hear splashing water and grumbling.
“Princess?” He says again, and he is not as surprised as he should be to find her knee-deep in the pond, sleeves rolled up and crouched low over the water.
She looks up suddenly with a small pout. “My frog hopped in the water. He’s a very fast swimmer.”
Link snorts and continues to walk closer to her with a smirk. He spots her study materials near the shore; journals, pencils, and books all scattered in the grass. Though they’ve only been living here a short time, she’s already claimed this spot by the pond and spends many days writing and sitting and studying. It’s her favorite spot, he thinks.
Zelda stands up straight with a sigh, placing her hands on her hips and looking contemplative. “I suppose that’s fitting given their nature. I was trying to get a sketch in…oh well.”
As Zelda starts to wade towards the shore, Link stands just at the edge and holds his hands out for her. “Hot-footed frogs, isn’t that right?”
Zelda smiles amusedly and puts her hands in his to steady herself. “Right.”
Link helps her as she steps out of the water onto the grass. “Well, I’m sure it wasn’t anything personal, Princess.”
Zelda chuckles sweetly and tilts her head back. At that moment, the glow of the setting sun hits her face, and Link feels his cheeks heat. That’s been happening more and more lately, and Link isn’t quite sure what to do with those feelings. Feelings that seem like they belong to someone else yet also to him. Feelings from a long time ago. Feelings from now.
Nervously, Link lets her hands drop from his. “Dinner will take a bit longer, so don’t rush,” he says, and then turns around to head back. “Would you like to eat outside tonight? It’s pretty warm—“
“Wait—“
Link feels Zelda’s hand grab his sleeve, bunching the fabric and pulling him slightly so that he stops. He turns to look at her and furrows his brows at her parted mouth as if the words are lost to her.
And she just looks at him for a moment, bright green eyes scanning his face all over, searching for something. She closes her mouth abruptly then, and lets go of his sleeve like it burns.
“Uh,” she starts, bringing her hands to her chest. “I…I’m sorry. I—“
A gust of wind blows through at that moment, loud and brisk, and Zelda squeezes her eyes shut as she braces it. Link blinks it away, attentive as he waits for Zelda to find her words.
She tucks her windblown hair behind her ear, looking anywhere but at him now. “I just wanted to say that…you can call me Zelda.”
Link remains still while his insides twist into a knot.
“You…used to call me Zelda,” she says her words carefully, cautiously. “Not in front of anyone. Just when…it was us. So…you can call me Zelda. If you want.”
You used to call me Zelda.
Link knows he needs to say something, but he can’t even find his breath. And he knows he’s made mistake when it's her that turns from him and starts rambling. “I’m—I’m sorry. I just thought—“
Link grabs her hand, stops her in her tracks so she turns around. When her eyes meet his, he still doesn’t know what to say.
But her beautiful, hopeful eyes draw him near. He takes a step toward her, closing the space so they are breaths apart. He can’t possibly deny her as she looks at him like this. Despite his own heart beating madly, he reaches up to tuck the rest of her windblown hair behind her ear.
Link holds her face in his hand. “Zelda.”
Her name feels warm and familiar on his tongue. It pulls a feeling to the surface, a feeling he no longer fully knows but can sense. A precious treasure meant only for them.
For Zelda, a different feeling is pulled to the surface. Her breath is caught in her throat when his tender voice floats to her ears.
He says her name just like he did all those years ago.
Does he know? Surely he doesn’t. Maybe he feels it like a whisper coming from somewhere deep inside. Maybe he doesn’t know, but Zelda sees in his eyes that he understands.
Link brushes his thumb across her cheek, and she smiles.
“Link.”