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Swimming in her own consciousness, Zelda felt a whisper caress her face, voices long forgotten were reaching her after thousands of years of slumber. A light, so faint at first, shined brighter, enveloping her mind, like a warm hug from the sun itself. Familiar power seeped into her skin, she felt her body become lighter and lighter, the wind started to slow on her skin, she was feeling the sun on her face.
And then she was falling.
The air whipping in her ears, her body crashing down from gravity reclaiming it’s power over her. Her muscles in atrophy, slowly getting used to existing on the physical world again, her heart, beating loudly against her rib-cage, pumping hot blood back into her brain and lungs. She felt the earth tug at her back, wanting to claim her again, before a hand clasped in her own, the person it belonged too grasping her whole body into theirs, flipping her around seconds before a loud bang shook her to the core.
And cold, the cool feel of water clinging to every inch of her skin, into every piece of fabric covering it, slipping into her mouth as she was dragged back to the surface.
Head heavy as she felt herself being grabbed back to the shore and laid down in the grass, hands on her chest pressing hastily but heavy, air breathed into her mouth. After a couple seconds, she finally opened her eyes as water flung out of her lungs.
The light was blinding, everything felt heavy, her entire self ached to just be. And then her eyes focused again, and she laid her gaze on her savior, on the girl she had done this all for, on the girl she has sacrificed her mind and body for, on the girl she had loved for the past ten thousand years, and her heart burst out of her rib-cage, pounding hard to see her alive, and well, and so so pretty.
Her eyes so blue, so full of worry, so full of hope, and after a few seconds of total stillness between them, she darted to her and locked her arms around her waist, burying her head in the crook of her neck, and she left everything flow out, every tear of worry, of sadness, of joy, of hope, of love, and Link’s arms surrounded her waist and pressed her hard onto her own body. She was trembling, and Zelda felt some tears fall on her own shoulder, waves of relief coursing through the both of them, they stayed there for a few minutes, holding each other.
Link released her grip ever so slightly and leaned back a bit, shifting her hands from Zelda’s back to her face, cupping her cheeks and softly stroking at her skin with her thumb. Ignoring the shivers resonating through her entire body, the princess gazed back into the warrior’s eyes, shifting quickly between her lips and back to her face. For seconds feeling like hours, they stayed still, a silent question floating between their lips, and then she leaned in and pressed her lips against her lover’s, drinking in her air, tasting the salt on her chapped lips, the love in her gasped breaths, and in that moment, she felt alive like she had never felt before. She then retreated and moved to kiss her cheek, going down her neck, biting her collar bone, feeling her, tasting her, making sure she’s real, and here with her, before whispering in a quiet sob
“I’m home. I’m finally home Link”
And they embraced each other again, basking in their mutual presence on this shore, at this moment in time, their war was over, they were at peace.
“Link! Everything okay? I saw a big dragon shoot out of the castle and then that gigantic laser in the sky, and the champions…”
Purah stopped at a distance, all the champions on her tail, gasping at the sight in front of her, rendering her silent for a moment
“P-Princess? Link! Princess Zelda! are you okay?”
The scientist ran down straight towards the two forms hunched in each other on the shore, Riju flanking her closely, they quickly closed the gap and embraced the two heroes, stifling a few tears, grasping a the cloth of their lost princess
“Link...Link told us you were gone, that you sacrificed yourself” Riju cried out
Zelda looked up from her knight’s shoulder and into the chief’s eyes, tears glistening in her own, and she wrapped her hands in her hair, putting their foreheads together, exhaling simply in a whisper
“I’m here. I’m back home”
Shortly after, Tulin, Yunobo, Sidon and Mineru joined in the cuddle pile, most of them a crying mess after feeling the pressure of their kingdom fall off their shoulders, now full of happiness seeing their princess back from the past.
Hours later, after a meal and heartfelt conversations, Link and Zelda rode back to Hateno in silence, pressed against each other on their horse, stopping in front the square building they lived together in.
Taking her hand, the warrior took the princess’s hand and helped her down, leading her to the entrance. Closing the door behind her, she embraced Zelda once again and whispered softly
“Welcome home”