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A few times a week, Zelda would walk up and spend most of the morning and early afternoon at the Hateno Village Research lab studying, researching, and talking with Purah and Symin (well mostly listening to them argue more than anything, something Zelda found more humorous than she let on). Sometimes, Link accompanied her, but on this particular occasion, she had visited the duo alone.
It felt comforting, healing in a way, to be able to put all of her focus and passion into the work that she loved. No longer having to worry or stress over someone pressuring her to be or act differently, and in fact be supported and encouraged by those closest to her, to reach those goals and dreams she had so long been forced by destiny to push aside.
Checking out the Sheikah Slate Zelda had brought with her, she looked at the time and chose to walk back home before the sun began to set too far. Packing up her things and picking up her coat, she waved at the two scientists, leaving them to another of their regular “passionate” disagreements, them just barely acknowledging her before returning to their argument as she opened and closed the lab door.
Walking from the hilltop lab back home wasn’t the easiest for Zelda, regardless of how many times she had done it in the months following the end of the Calamity. Fortunately, compared to how exhausted she felt the first time she and Link had walked to and from the lab, she was confident that her legs were slowly regaining their strength, each trip feeling slightly less tiring than the last.
As Zelda breathed in the cold winter air, she felt a chill pass through her, despite the many layers she had chosen to wear before she left and the sun still being in the sky. The snow from the previous night remained on the ground, the weather too cold for it to melt, but beautiful nonetheless, even if it wasn't the easiest to walk through.
She wouldn't complain however. The peaceful quiet of the day, only broken by her steps crunching along the snow-packed path, the breeze softly whispering through the trees, and as she got closer to the village, the sound of children playing in the snow, brought a sense of quiet joy that had once felt almost unimaginable.
Having made her way home, Zelda stood still for a moment and took it all in, looking down into the village and the people whose lives grew and blossomed, slowly at first but since the end of the Calamity even more so.
It was beautiful, these times of peace, and there was no amount of rupees and treasures in Hyrule or beyond that could attempt to buy this away from her.
Turning around to go inside, Zelda was startled as she realized that Link was standing by the entrance, his head slightly tilted, with a calm disposition, but even from their distance she could tell that his eyes were sparkling as he watched her. She tried not to blush, seeing his cheeks pink from the cold, and his body wrapped in a coat that matched hers, making him look even more adorable in her eyes.
“Link, how long have you been standing there?” Zelda asked with a huff, now slightly embarrassed. For a second he turned serious as he approached her, before that sparkle in his eyes returned, and that smile she loved so much crept on his face. Taking his hands in hers, he stood there for a moment before replying,
“Long enough to remember how beautiful you look standing in the snow.”
If Zelda was cold before, she certainly wasn't now, feeling her cheeks blush uncontrollably as she melted at his compliment, no longer able to look into his eyes. The lava’s heat that surrounded Goron City couldn't compare to how she felt when he complimented her, even as he had slowly grown more comfortable in doing so the last few months.
It was something she didn't think she could ever get used to… and part of her hoped she never would.
With feigned annoyance, she softly pushed Link away, walking to the door of the house before stopping, and briskly returning to his side. Zelda looked at him for a moment, her gorgeous greens matching his beautiful blues, his expression still calm but his eyes telling all, both in joy and his feeling of success from her reaction to his compliment…
Until at once she pulled him by his coat and kissed him, his eyes opening wide in clear surprise. Zelda could tell he could feel her smile on his lips, but before he could reciprocate, she pushed him away again, significantly harder this time as Link nearly fell to the ground, and she rushed inside, her heart beating fast as she all but slammed the door behind her.
Holding her hand to her chest, Zelda took a moment to think about what had just transpired, before a giddy laughter slipped from her lips. She didn't think she could love him more than she already did, but she greatly appreciated being proved wrong on an almost daily basis.
As she finally began to calm down, Zelda deeply breathed in the warmth from the quaint home, before taking her coat and boots off so as not to track snow further into the house. Taking a quick look at the small kitchen, she noticed that he had started preparing dinner, a wonderful smell beginning to waft through the home.
Walking upstairs, she quickly changed into a fresh set of clothes, putting a sweater and fresh socks on to stay warm, before not-so-gracefully laying on the bed, her eyes looking up at the roof, while she kicked her legs back and forth off the edge.
It was amazing how at peace she felt, the tranquility that at one point in her life would have felt entrapping and suffocating, but was now one of her favorite feelings in the world. As she thought about that boy-turned-young man just outside, and how his home had become their home , and his bed had become their bed, every day her heart and mind felt clearer and filled with more hope than ever.
Pushing herself further into the bedspace, Zelda yawned as the day’s journey caught up with her. It was still somewhat early, and dinner wasn't for a little while, she told herself as she laid there, a short nap being appreciated considering her usual schedule of early mornings and late nights.
As she closed her eyes, Zelda could feel the cozy warmth from the bed, as her breath steadied, and she began to slip away into a soothing slumber, only momentarily broken by her beloved oh so quietly joining her shortly thereafter.
As Link wrapped his arm around her waist, she moved further into his embrace. Zelda could feel the warmth from his body, and smell the slight earthy scent from his tunic. The sound of his heartbeat as he held her, and his soft kiss on her forehead as he relaxed by her side, brought her so much peace.
And as she fell back asleep, she began to dream, not for the first time, and certainly not the last, of their future together, hand in hand, side by side, in love and living life for the rest of their days.