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He woke up plummeting from the sky, wondering if everything he had just experienced was a dream or some strange vision. One minute he was riding on the Light Dragon having just watched the Demon Dragon erupt into flames and light, the next he was channeling the powers of ancient Hyrulean Kings and Queens to bring Zelda back from her draconified form.
Zelda.
He looked around in every direction he could while still not being fully aware of his surroundings, finally glancing up– or down, he saw the earth below the clouds– and his eyes locked onto her limp form. He thanked the dive ceremonies he completed for his skills as he straightened his body to accelerate, cutting through the air like a blade.
Finally he was in reach of her, and this time he was not going to fail. He stretched his arm out to her, relief flooding his senses when he had a firm grasp on her hand and he was able to pull her into his arms. The warmth of her body was a welcome sensation as he clutched her to his chest, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other covering her head. Conveniently, the pool below them looked to be deep enough to safely land in and he braced both himself and the girl in his embrace for the impact.
Cool water felt like ice on his skin, the shock of falling out of the sky something he could never quite become accustomed to. He wasn’t concerned for the state of his own wellbeing, only focused on pulling Zelda out of the water– that dress had to be heavy when wet, would she get sick? Worse, would she not wake up at all?
When they surfaced, he lifted her gently out of the water, gathering her in his arms like he would have if she was his bride. Each step was akin to walking with weights around his ankles, yet he pushed through despite the feeling of his knees about to buckle, just long enough to set the princess on the soft Hyrulean grass. Her golden blonde hair spread out like a halo around her, her braids somehow still intact after all the wind and water they had been subjected to.
Then he watched with bated breath as she began to stir, her eyes blinking open and taking in her surroundings while she began to comprehend what had happened. He didn’t want to overwhelm her, thankfully she seemed to connect the dots herself and he watched her facial expression turn from confused and reluctant to absolutely overjoyed. Goddess, he had longed to see her smile like that again. He vowed he wouldn’t let them go through this process a third time, he could hardly stand the burden of the Calamity and now the Upheaval, if he had to spend another day without seeing her shining smile he didn’t know what he would do.
“Oh Link… I’m home,” She sighed, and he finally let himself go from being the strong knight she needed.
Instantly, his eyes began to water as he tugged her back into his embrace, scared to let go of her in fear she would disappear for the last time. He cherished the curve of her body against his, the way she felt like comfort and home, like a favorite blanket he had snuggled up with. The tears that fell down his cheeks felt unnatural, he couldn’t remember the last time he cried, though he didn’t feel so alone when he realized that Zelda was crying too as he held her.
He wanted to apologize to her, to say he was sorry for not catching her the day Ganondorf awoke, sorry that she had to live thousands of years before they would meet again. To say everything was his fault, to bear every burden she had so she didn’t have to be responsible for it all by herself. He wanted to say a thousand words about how he would always be with her now, and if the threat of Ganon arose for a third time he would make sure she was safe. Yet all that left his lips were quiet sobs of her name, repeated like he was praying to Hylia herself.
She had said that she didn’t really remember being a dragon, and he thanked every goddess above for that. His mind raced with thoughts of how much pain she would be in if she had memories of the past thousands of years, how many times would she have watched the people of her kingdom rise and fall again? At least her memories were fond of the people she met and became friends with, but the pain of losing them had to be rough on her.
He wondered if she had thought of the champions when she met the original sages, if the Rito sage had reminded her of Revali’s sly remarks or if the Goron sage brought back memories of Daruk’s overbearing friendliness. If the Gerudo sage was as kind and motherly as Urbosa or if the Zora sage reminded her of Mipha’s sweet smiles and willingness to help however she could. They both still mourned their friends of one hundred years past, and he could only imagine the grief that was added to Zelda’s heart when she realized the ancient sages, Rauru, and Sonia, were gone as well.
Time passed while the two of them lay holding each other in the fields of Hyrule, and he wasn’t sure when it became Zelda who was comforting him instead of the other way around. When she had stopped crying and his tears continued to fall, fresh like the first rain of spring after a long winter. All he knew was her hands carefully combed through his long hair, her body swayed with the wind like she was rocking him gently, and the sound of her humming her favorite melody calmed him enough to breathe again.
“Link?” She had spoken after many moments of their quiet comfort, telling him, “Let’s head home to Hateno.”
The promise of their shared bed and quiet residence coaxed him into finding the strength to stand with her and prepare for the journey back home. He found his Champion’s tunic somewhere in his bag which ended up on the other side of the pond, and he allowed Zelda to borrow his Hylian tunic and hood while they traveled. She told him she wouldn’t mind the trek in her dress that Sonia had given her, she was quite fond of it actually, but the fabric was still damp and she found herself shivering once the sun began to set.
They weren’t far away from Hateno, so stopping by the stable to take Epona with them made their walk much faster. She got them to the village within an hour or so, after the sun had gone down but night hadn’t fully settled across the land. Most people were already in their homes by the time they came trotting in, but the few people who saw the pair respected their privacy and let them arrive mostly unnoticed. There would be time for celebrations and formalities later, after a good rest and time spent with each other.
Once Epona was settled in the stall outside, he prepared them a simple stew from meat and mushrooms he had saved in the house, and they ate while Zelda rambled about the distant past.
“Rauru and Sonia, they were so wonderful to me when I just suddenly showed up in their time, they treated me like their own daughter,” she remarked with fondness as she recounted her experience. “They would have loved to meet you, I wish there had been a way you could have.”
“I did.” He replied, simply as if it was an average thing to have said. Before the princess could ask how, he quickly added on, “They came to me in spirit form, Rauru’s arm replaced my own when I woke up, I was able to speak with him. Sonia I believe I met briefly, as we… changed you back.”
She hummed in understanding, it wasn’t the first time Link had seen spirits of those who had died, “Well, I’m glad you were able to see them if only for a moment, they were so special to me.”
He watched a bittersweet smile form on her face and he offered his hand to her across the table, which she took with a light squeeze. Little moments like these were how he showed his affection, never the type of person to be able to find the right words to express his feelings or to comfort others. He hoped with that hand hold she knew he was there for her, in any way she needed him.
They continued their meal, one hand still occupied with the other’s until they finished and the knight took on the responsibility of doing the dishes. He heard Zelda go up to the loft, the quiet padding of her feet on the floor a welcome noise after he had missed hearing such a small detail for so long. During the whole Upheaval, he hadn’t spent much time here, it reminded him too much of her and the way his chest physically hurt from longing for her drew him away from the house. He had even gone as far as to start building another house in Tarrey Town, the prices were extremely cheap and he traveled enough to justify having a second home further north in Hyrule. He would show that to Zelda when things calmed down, she could help him redesign the interior and decorate their bedroom how they both liked.
Once he finished the chores, he joined his lady upstairs, finding her laying on the bed with just his Hylian tunic on as a nightshirt– all of the armor aspects removed. The sight made him smile, eyes softening as she looked up to meet his gaze when he entered the room.
“I hope you don’t mind, I wanted to wear something of yours after all this time,” she admitted shyly. He shook his head, he loved to see her in his clothes when she chose to steal them from his closet.
He stripped himself of his armor and changed into a more sleep appropriate pair of baggy pants which were soft on his skin, opting to rest shirtless tonight for comfort. After he was dressed again, he joined Zelda in their shared bed to which she happily hummed and curled up next to him the moment he laid down. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and undid her braids for her, a nightly routine they had started not long after they started sharing a house together and thus a bed. His hands ruffled through the mess of slightly curled blonde locks, pulling his fingers through to make sure there weren’t any tangles or knots to fix.
Her hand came up to rub against her scalp, wincing as she said, “I hadn’t realized I was beginning to get a headache until you unbraided my hair, it’s a strange kind of relief that hurts yet feels good at the same time.”
He knew the ache of a tension headache all too well, often getting them if he wore his ponytail too tight or for too long. While he didn’t have the means to make a pain relieving elixir tonight, he did the next best thing for her and began to massage the princess’s scalp, taking care to use enough pressure to work out the stress in her skin but not irritate it. Similarly to how she petted his dirty blond hair to comfort him earlier, he switched between running his fingers through her hair and massaging her head.
“This helping?” He asked, and judging by the satisfied sigh she let out, he took her answer as a yes.
Oh, how he had missed this, the weight of her body laying partially on top of his chest, her warmth reminding him she was there with him instead of a bittersweet daydream. He felt a bit selfish, likely one of the only people in the entire kingdom who knew the princess had returned, who knew she was safe and sound and resting in his arms. Zelda herself would have told him he wasn’t being selfish though, if this was what she wanted too, so he allowed himself to relish in the privacy they shared.
She was beginning to fall asleep, the soothing massage lulling her into a blissful slumber but not before she could mumble, “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he whispered in reply, finally letting himself start to drift to sleep alongside her.
That night he didn’t have nightmares of the Calamity nor the Upheaval, he didn’t vividly see the memory of Zelda falling into the void of gloom after he missed her hand. He didn’t dream of fighting and defending himself to the brink of death, he didn’t imagine the pain and ache of his injuries burning into his body. No, instead, he dreamt of the sun shining on his skin and silent princesses brushing up against his legs. He saw his own princess, although not so silent as she once was, dancing in Hyrule field to music only the two of them could hear in their heads.
Instead of nightmares of the past, Link dreamt of their hopeful future.