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No matter how much she insisted she was fine, Link wouldn’t take no for an answer from Zelda. For months on end, he spent every waking moment looking for her. He slept only when necessary, and oftentimes he only allowed himself enough sleep to continue on until he felt like he couldn’t keep his eyes open. For days he would go without sleep, sometimes even more than a week. Link was sore, exhausted, fatigued, and somehow, he was relieved. After all that time, he found her. Zelda was back, and she was okay.
Between the two of them, Link was obviously the one who needed rest. Sure, Zelda spent the last ten thousand years as a dragon, circling among the skies for eternity, but once she awoke in Link’s arms, she felt as fit as a fiddle. Seeing him again gave her so much energy back. She wanted to tell him everything about her time with Rauru, Sonia, Mineru, and the others. But one look at Link’s figure told her it could wait until he finally had a good night’s sleep.
“Link, I promise, I’m alright,” she maintained. “I can walk.”
But he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Despite her protests, Link swept Zelda off her feet and carried her to the nearest stable, only to embrace her from behind atop the horse as they trotted to Hateno Village.
“You were awake for millennia,” he whispered to her, his voice barely able to croak out any words. “You must’ve seen so much…”
“And you have experienced so much,” she argued. “I was in the skies, separated from it all. I barely remember much of my time in that form…”
Not wanting to bring the moment down, Zelda stopped after that. She felt Link’s arms tighten around her torso, gripping the reins to the point his knuckles turned white. His head rested on her shoulder, as if he couldn’t lift his head fully without her support. He said nothing, but she could tell he was upset. So, the two stayed silent the rest of the ride to Hateno, with Zelda not able to keep her eyes forward the entire time.
By the time they reached the village, two days had passed. It was nearly sundown. The sky was a dark orange, with stars littering the sky so slightly. Most of the villagers were inside their homes, but the ones who spotted the duo kept their distance. Even so, Zelda couldn’t miss their looks of astonishment seeing the two back in town. She gave a small smile in response, silently thanking them for their distance. The princess may have been missing, but she was well aware of how much everyone worried about her here. They were her family, and they knew the two of them needed space. Link and Zelda could speak to them in a few days after they got settled back in.
Even though Link seemed like he was about to fall over, he still refused to let Zelda get off of the horse without his help. Once he had hold of her hand, he didn’t let it go. Crossing the threshold to the inside of their home, he wasted no time guiding her up the stairs, silently urging her to get into bed.
Zelda could only chuckle to herself. “Link, I’m not tired.”
Not wanting to argue—and being a tad annoyed she wasn’t listening to him—Link just gave her a look that said “end of discussion.” He let her slide into bed first as he took off both of their shoes, and Link undid his ponytail, keeping the hair tie on the desk. There was no way he was going to lose that again, either.
Link practically dropped his body onto the bed, facing Zelda on his side. She hadn’t taken off her earrings, her tiara, or any of the makeup adorned on her face. As much as he loved her bare, she looked stunning adorned in these accessories. He hoped she wasn’t uncomfortable in the bed in such attire, but he didn’t want to waste another moment without her. The green of her dress brought out her eyes, the earrings making her visage brighten overall. But he was too tired to utter a single syllable to her. Link just wanted her by his side. He could finally fall asleep and wake up knowing exactly where she was. Zelda was here. With him.
Almost immediately, Link’s head went limp, his breathing slowing. Zelda couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. The two haven’t had a proper time to talk about the journeys they had with their time apart, but if it was anything like seven years ago during the Calamity, she could only imagine what he got himself into. She recalled his stories of the woman who was overprotective of her flowers, helping some Rito sisters with a song, and even delivering love letters. When Link awoke, she would eagerly listen to every story he had to tell her. She had her own she couldn’t wait to share, and she never got tired of hearing Link talk during the rare times he got in a talkative mood.
“Zel..da…”
A quiet murmur brought her out of her thoughts, her eyes focusing on the sleeping man’s lips. His body was relaxed, but his face was slightly scrunched, his brow furrowed. Had he already forgotten in his sleep where he was? That she was here? Not wanting to wake him, but not wanting him to stay stressed in his slumber, Zelda gently placed her hand on his head. Gingerly, her fingers combed through his wild hair. She was careful not to pull on any tangles, as she just wanted to comfort him from whatever in his dreams made him uneasy.
Stirring, Link’s figure shifted closer to Zelda’s. Their faces were so close, but Zelda could still get the best view imaginable if every feature on his face. She could see every pore, every wrinkle, every stray hair growing from his chin, the darkness under his eyes from lack of proper sleep, the few freckles he grew over the years from his time outdoors. He was incredibly handsome. Even with his exhaustion, his good looks were still undeniable. Somehow, it still made Zelda blush. This was nowhere near the first time they shared a bed together, or had their bodies this close. But, it had been quite some time since she got a decent look at her knight. All this time later, she was still smitten.
Letting out another light moan, Link’s hand reaches out to Zelda. She went to meet his hand halfway, but he brushed it away. Instead, his hand tapped on her shoulder, then to her cheek. His hand was warm, and Zelda couldn’t hide her smile. She loved feeling his tender side, and when he showed her affection, but it was also hard to hide a smile at such a silly action done in one’s sleep.
As she held in her laughs, Link’s hand continued to move. His fingers found her lips, then her nose, and then her eyebrows. Gracefully, his finger traced them repeatedly, the soft hairs seemingly a comfort to him. What in the goddess’ name is he doing? Zelda thought to herself, a chuckle escaping her lips.
When Link’s hand came to a halt, Zelda grasped it in hers firmly. Link was a serious and kind of stoic man, but he was also an absolute goofball. She couldn’t wait to tell him about this when he woke up. Cuddling close, she fit her head underneath his, her face buried in his chest. Her head fit perfectly. This was where she was meant to be. In their shared bed, in their shared home. Finally, she could have her quaint, simple life, and they could have peaceful night’s sleep for the rest of their days.
Before she knew it, Zelda drifted off to sleep, as well. Feeling so at peace and comfortable, it was bound to happen, no matter how awake she was prior. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see Link staring down at her with a wide grin across his face.
Letting out a yawn, she tilted her head to face him better. “I’m surprised to see you awake.”
“Me, too,” Link admitted. “But, I slept really well. I haven’t felt this great since… before.”
He didn’t need to elaborate. They both knew what he meant. The days leading up to investigating beneath the castle, Link didn’t sleep well, either. Anxiety wasn’t something Link experienced often, but especially after the Calamity, it struck him bad every so often. It was always most prominent before Zelda wanted to explore somewhere they had never been before, and there was little answers on what they were going to face.
“No bad dreams, then, I take it?” Zelda asked.
Link simply shook his head. “Not that I have you back here with me.”
“What did you dream about then?” she asked, her voice having a hint of mischief in it.
A beat passed, and Link pursed his lips. “I don’t remember. But, nothing bad, I don’t think.”
“Are you sure you didn’t dream about me?”
Chuckling, Link nuzzled his face close to Zelda’s, as if almost giving her a noogie. “Why would you ask something like that?”
Laughing with him, Zelda nuzzled against him, the two fighting with their affection. “Last night in your sleep, you traced over my face!” Taking her hand, Zelda imitated how her beloved did the same the night before. “Just like this.”
Link laughed at her actions, disbelieving himself. “Did I really do that?”
Zelda nodded, her laugh infecting their home.
“I guess I just really missed you. So, I just wanted to make sure you were still there.”
Touched by his words, Zelda’s smile became more bashful. “I missed you, too, Link. I really did.”
“But I found you. So I won’t have to miss you anymore.”
She nodded again. “That’s right. You found me.”
Smiling softly at her, Link slowly leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I’m never letting you go again.
“Now, let’s go back to sleep. I want to spend more time with you.”
Without any more words, Zelda agreed, bringing her body close to Link’s, and tracing her hands over his biceps. The two quickly fell back asleep, the trails of their soft touches lulling them to their shared dream of happiness—the dream they were already living every day, and would continue stronger than ever after today.