Chapter Text
By the grace of Hylia, it was nighttime when Link and Zelda reached Hateno village.
He was sure that the disturbance of his fight with Ganon- and subsequent disappearance of the pure malice swirling around Hyrule Castle- caused quite a stir. The last thing he wanted to deal with was a flurry of questions from curious villagers. Exhaustion weighed down his limbs, making his body feel numb in the saddle. The warm weight of the princess against his torso was the only thing keeping him awake.
Zelda was asleep, leaning back against his chest, supported by Link’s arms so as to not fall off the horse. He knew she would be embarrassed when she awoke, but he didn’t bother her. She’d nearly collapsed after the power of the goddess finally left her. One hundred years of fighting had left her spent.
He’d never answered her question. “Do you… really remember me?” She’d asked. Seconds later, before he could reply, she’d wobbled and clutched her head. Link caught her, lifted her onto his horse, and took off without another word.
All he cared about was keeping Zelda safe. He could save the hard conversations for later.
It took a day to ride to Hateno. He thought about her the entire way. His memories were returning in fragments- the things he’d remembered with the help of the photos on his Sheikah slate were crystal clear, but along with that, he was beginning to recall other things. His training as a knight, and the first time he grasped the hilt of the Master Sword. His relationships with the Champions. The sound of Zelda’s laughter, a rare phenomenon. A long and harrowing journey from Mount Lanayru… and, subsequently, the feeling of life leaving his body.
It was unnerving, remembering his own death. The details were fuzzy, like a nightmare he’d had long ago, but the feeling was clear as crystal. It made his skin crawl with fear.
Then Zelda shifted against his chest and mumbled in her sleep, and Link remembered that he was alive, and his duty needed to be fulfilled.
Hateno was quiet, but Link took the long way to get to his house, just in case any villagers were wandering about. He’d purchased it on a whim during one of his visits to the village and furnished it with the rupees he’d earned from selling gems from Death Mountain. He recognized distantly that he needed to take Zelda to Kakariko village at some point, where Impa would surely be waiting impatiently to see her, but that was a problem for later.
He needed… she needed… time. Time to rest. Time to be alone.
As they approached the house, Link urged his horse- who he’d affectionately named Baron, a noble title for the quick-as-the-wind stallion he’d spent a whole day trying to tame- to a halt. Gently, he squeezed Zelda’s arms. “Princess,” he murmured, his voice scratchy with exhaustion. “Wake up.”
Zelda startled, leaning forward and digging her fingers into Baron’s mane. The horse knickered with displeasure. “Ah- I’m so sorry. I- Where are we?”
“Hateno,” Link answered, sliding off of the horse and offering her a hand. She took it, her hand trembling. Link realized it must be cold. He hadn’t noticed through his armor.
“Hateno,” she mumbled. “I slept… for quite some time, then.” Her feet touched the ground, and she stumbled. Link caught her by the arms, holding her upright. Zelda shook her head as if she were trying to orient herself. “My head feels like it’s made of stone.”
“Come on,” Link said. He lifted her arm over his shoulders, placing a hand on the small of her back to guide her towards the house. If she’d been more awake, she probably would’ve complained, insisting his chivalry was unneeded. Now, though, she didn’t say a word.
The house was warm and cluttered. Link hadn’t cleaned it in some time, having mainly used it as a dumping ground for all of his things. Weapons, armor, and jars full of odds and ends were scattered in semi-organized places across the room. He led Zelda up the stairs to his bed, and sat her down on the edge of it.
He dug through the small chest of drawers against the wall to find a spare set of clothes. He settled on a comfortable traveling outfit- much too big for the princess, but it was clean and warm. He set the clothes down on the bed next to her. “I’ll go outside so you can change.”
Zelda didn’t seem to hear him. Her gaze was fixed on the room below. Link followed her line of sight to the wall where he’d mounted the Champion’s weapons after his battles to reclaim each Divine Beast. Revali’s bow, Mipha’s trident, Daruk’s boulder breaker, and Urbosa’s scimitar and shield were all displayed on weapon mounts.
He glanced back at Zelda. She had a sorrowful expression on her face. Link reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder.
Zelda blinked rapidly and shook her head. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
Link pulled his hand away and gestured to the clothes. “For you.”
The princess dug her fingers into the blanket. “Thank you.”
He left her to her thoughts, heading outside to give her privacy. He took the time to tie Baron up against the fence. The horse’s trough was still full of water, thankfully. Link wasn’t sure if he had the energy to bring water up from the pond.
He fished an apple out of Baron’s saddlebags and fed it to the horse. The poor thing was just as exhausted as Link. He made a mental note to get many more apples as a reward. He left the horse to recover and headed back for the house.
Link paused to knock, and was answered by a faint “I’m dressed.” He headed back up the stairs, picking out a clean outfit for himself and starting the process of unstrapping his armor. It was dented and blackened in places from his fight with Ganon, but he had no major injuries- just an uncountable number of bruises and a burn on his leg where the armor didn’t cover. He’d gotten tossed around quite a bit.
He felt Zelda’s gaze on him as he went through the ritual of freeing himself from his armor and stacking it on a stand against the wall. He would take stock of his injuries later, when she wasn’t watching his every move. Silently, he headed back down the stairs to change under the stairwell, out of her sight.
His pants had a hole in them where Ganon’s fire had burned through, and his shirt was torn in places where a bad fall from Baron had taken its toll. He tossed them in a pile by the door and painfully got into his new clothes. Every inch of his body hurt, and he could barely keep his eyes open.
Even so, he walked upstairs to check on Zelda one more time. “You can sleep here,” Link said, since she was still sitting on the edge of the bed with a slightly uncomfortable expression. “I’ll talk to the construction workers about putting in a second bed tomorrow.”
Zelda pressed her lips into a thin line. “You don’t have to-”
“I do.” Link said firmly. Her expression didn’t change, so he sighed and turned around. “Get some rest. I’ll be down there if you need me.”
“Wait,” she said. Her voice was quiet and trembling. “I- could you- if it’s not too much to ask-” The princess swallowed thickly. “Do you mind sleeping up here? I just- I don’t want to be alone right now.” Link turned to look back at her. Her eyes shone with tears. “Please.”
Link felt his heart clench with sympathy. He nodded. Wordlessly, he retrieved his camping bedroll from downstairs and laid it out on the floor next to the bed. Zelda had buried herself under the blankets by the time he returned. He blew out the lamp on the nightstand and laid down.
The floor was uncomfortable, but he’d slept in worse places. He could probably sleep on cold stone with how exhausted he was. He curled up on his side and listened to the sound of Zelda’s shaky breathing. It was still hard to believe she was real- alive, safe, sleeping in his bed. He kept imagining she would vanish in his sleep, a figment of his imagination after all.
There was a rustling of fabric, and then the princess’s pale hand snaked out from under the blanket. Her fingers twitched as she reached for him. Without hesitation, Link lifted his hand and twined their fingers together. The warm press of her palm was grounding.
The position was uncomfortable, but he didn’t dare let go. He closed his eyes.
Sleep came quickly, and for the first time since he’d awoken in the Shrine of Resurrection, his dreams were peaceful and light.
-
Link woke up at sunrise. It was a habit he’d adopted during his training as a knight- and one he’d retained, even as an amnesiac. Plenty of knights in training at the castle had complained about their strictly managed sleep schedule, but Link found comfort in the routine.
His fingers grasped at air, having slipped from Zelda’s hand during the night, and he sat up to check on her. His bed was empty. With a jolt, he realized the princess was gone.
Panic flooded his body. His breathing became short and erratic. His sheets were rumpled where she’d slept, but- where was she? Had she run away? Been taken by Ganon’s minions- or the Yiga, maybe? Link was on his feet in an instant, grabbing his sword from where he’d left it by his armor and racing down the stairs in one fluid motion. He shoved the door open and-
Almost ran right into Zelda.
“Ah!” The princess stumbled away, nearly dropping the plate of food she was holding as she did. “By the Goddess! You nearly broke my face!”
“Sorry, I-” Link forced himself to calm down. She’s safe. She’s safe. “You were gone.”
Zelda frowned. “I went to wash up in the pond, and then I…” She blushed. “I was hungry, and I also wanted to make you breakfast, as thanks. But my cooking knowledge is severely lacking, so it took me quite some time…” She trailed off, glancing down at the sword in Link’s hand. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
Link sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s alright. I’m just…”
“On edge?” Zelda finished sheepishly.
“Yes.” He set his sword down by the door. “Come on, come inside. Before the villagers notice you.” They weren’t quite in view of the village’s main street, but Link didn’t want to take any chances. He held the door for Zelda, and she slipped past him into the house.
Zelda set the plate of food down on the table. “I woke up quite early, since I slept the entire ride from the castle. You must have been exhausted to not even stir when I left. Your ears are usually quite sharp.” Her chattering seemed aimless, intended to fill silence. A brisk cover for the emotions surely boiling beneath the surface.
She looked… very mortal, like this. Zelda had always had an aura of holier-than-thou-ness about her- whether it was her status, or her clothes always embroidered with gold, or her position as a priestess, to Link she always felt difficult to reach. With the exception of her weakest moments, she was ethereal.
Now, she was just Zelda. Just a girl, not a princess, or a priestess. Her hair was damp with pond water, her clothes far too baggy and held up with a makeshift belt made of a leather strap she’d likely scrounged from the clutter of Link’s house. Her eyes were tired, her skin lacking its normal youthful glow.
Link liked her a little better like this, he decided.
She was still talking, and he realized he’d been staring at her. Zelda glanced at him. “What’s that expression?”
Link’s face felt suddenly warm. He looked away.
Zelda snorted and sat down at one of the chairs at Link’s table. “I made eggs. And found some berries. It’s not as good as your cooking, but…”
Link sat down across from her and scooped up a handful of berries off of the plate. They were cool and damp from being rinsed in the pond. He felt a wave of shame- he should’ve been awake! There were monsters in the woods! He had to forcibly stamp it down. She was fine and he wouldn’t slip up again.
“Thank you,” he finally managed, lamely.
They ate in silence for a time. Zelda seemed distant, but altogether a little more relaxed. He felt for her. He, too, was coming to terms with the loss from one hundred years ago. The more his memories returned, the stronger his grief for the friends they’d lost. Zelda had never lost her memories, but he was sure she hadn’t had much time to process things while fighting for her life.
“It’s strange,” she finally said, quiet and solemn. “I’ve been looking forward to this day for so long, but I feel quite… despondent.” Zelda folded her hands and rested her chin on them. “My home is destroyed. My friends and family are long dead. I’m sure Hyrule is a shadow of what it once was. I am queen of a lost kingdom, and my title holds no meaning, and yet…” She closed her eyes. “We did save the world, didn’t we?”
“We did,” Link agreed. “We succeeded.”
“But the cost…”
“Zelda.” She jolted, unused to Link saying her name. Indeed, it felt strange on his tongue, but right to say. “We can’t change what already happened. What matters now is that we saved what we could. All we can do is move forward. Rebuild.”
Zelda’s bottom lip trembled, but she nodded fiercely. “I just- it’s all… a lot to process.”
“That’s okay.” Link stood and walked around the table, dropping to one knee to look up at her. “You can take all the time you need. We can rest. We can figure things out.” Zelda reached out and took hold of his hand. Tears began to slip down her cheeks. “It’s okay. You’re safe now. It’s over.”
She let out a sob and pulled him up into her arms. He was reminded, briefly, of that moment in the forest in Hyrule Field- holding her tight in the rain, fearing for their lives- before it was swept away. There was no fear anymore. This was comfort. This was safety.
Link held her as tight as he could. They would survive. They had each other.