Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The fire was bright and warm, a pleasant contrast from the cool autumn air around them. Link threw some ingredients into the pot and sat down while he waited for them to simmer.

The food smelled divine. Before Zelda could even comment on it, it was done. Link handed her a plate full of meat and veggie rice balls.

“Oh my gosh!” She exclaimed upon her first bite. “How are these so good?”

Link smiled, his cheeks pink in the firelight. “I found the recipe at a stable. It’s meat, rice, and herbs.”

“This is amazing.” Zelda ate it all, then got seconds. She leaned against Link as he finished his thirds. “You’re amazing.”

They lay in the warmth, gazing at the stars until the cold nipped at their noses. “Say,” Zelda asked, “Can you teach me how to cook?”

___________________________________________________________________________

It was afternoon the next day when she got her opportunity to learn.

“Zelda,” Link’s voice called from downstairs, “Want to help make dinner? I can teach you how to make meat skewers.”

She ran down the stairs, abandoning the research she was doing. “Wonderful! What should I do?”

Link handed her an apron. “I have an extra apron that Yunobo gave me. It was too small for him, but it’s about our size.”

On the apron was a picture of rock roast with writing reading ‘rock on, nephew! Happy 99th birtthday.’

“This is an unfortunate gift for someone to give him. They misspelled birthday. And he’s not ninety-nine, is he?”

Link shrugged. “We can ask.”

“I worry it’s rude to ask a goron’s age. You know how snippy some people are about that. Regardless, how do I make a meat skewer?”

“First,” he said, “you make the sauce. It needs oil, acid, flavouring, and salt.”

“Hmmm… I see.” Zelda pictured Robbie pouring acid into a test tube, despite being the sort of scientist who doesn’t use test tubes. “And what does that mean?”

“Acid would just be something like vinegar or lemon juice,” Link said. It was as if he had read her mind. Perhaps he had had similar concerns at some point. “Not actual acid. Flavouring is something like soy sauce or spices. Salt is anything given to us by Revali.”

“Sorry?”

“Purah taught me new hip slang.”

“Purah? But she’s not, um, new or hip, so to speak.”

“She doesn’t care,” he sprinkled some salt into the bowl. “Now you mix them together, the same way Purah mixes new and old slang.”

Zelda added the oil, acid, and flavouring, then stirred it all together. She squinted at the brown liquid with garlic bits floating in it, then the oil and vinegar separating in pools within each other. “It looks a bit off-putting.”

“The worse the sauce looks, the better the meat will taste. I learned that when I watched bokoblins make pork chops.”

“Excuse me?”

“It took hours for them to catch and cook that boar, but it only took me a few minutes to kill them and eat it.”

Zelda decided not to comment. She wondered if those bokoblins were alive again. She wondered if they remembered Link taking their meat, and also their fangs and horns, and maybe their weapons and possibly some treasure. “You’re like a pirate,” she said, giving no context. He didn’t need any.

“Thanks.” Link looked very proud as he plopped the meat into the bag. “Now we add the meat, let it sit for a couple hours, and cook it.”

Zelda went back to her research, glad to rid herself of the apron, while Link sat beside her and had her explain what all the numbers meant, because he had never seen some of them.

(“That one means any number between seven and twenty-million.”

“Big difference. Good thing there’s a number for it. How often is it used?”

“As far as I’m aware, not often. I’ve only had the displeasure of using it once.”)

Once Zelda had finished her research for the day, they went downstairs to cook the meat. Link narrated as he worked. “Once you’ve seared it on one side, flip it over to another. Once all the sides are browned, it’s done.”

Zelda nodded, a determined look on her face. She put her skewer in the pan and waited. It started to sizzle, so she flipped it. “It appears to be working!”

“Looking good! Just keep doing what you’re doing.” The meat sizzled and popped in the pan. It was getting louder by the second until it sounded like static.

“Should I— ack!” Zelda clutched her eye. “Something has gone wrong!”

“Quick! Rinse it out with water!”

She wasn’t sure how that would help, but she swallowed the pain and grabbed the pan. She flung it into the sink.

“No!” Link cried, “Your eye! Rinse your eye out with water!”

Oh, she thought, that makes sense.

The sink burst into flames. “Oh dear!”

Link’s voice took on the same tone it did when he was a soldier, throwing out orders on the battlefield. “Go rinse your eyes in the pond! I’ll put out the fire!”

Zelda ran out to the pond as Link smothered the flame. She dunked the top of her head in the pond. The cool water stung, but offered relief from the burning sensation from before.

Link ran out and sat next to her. “Are you okay?”

She took her head out from under the water. “I’m alright. How did the fire go?”

“It’s out now. Your meat skewer didn’t turn out, though.” He held up the still-smoldering skewer. It was clear that it was meat, but it was even clearer that it would give one food poisoning if they attempted to consume it.

“Oh. That’s… unfortunate.”

“We can make more. Want to go get dried off while I do the rest?”

She nodded. “That would be best, I think.”

___________________________________________________________________________

“I thought of a recipe that can’t go badly; salad!” Link said, gesturing to the table. On the table sat various vegetables and two big bowls. “It’s perfect because it can’t hurt you.”

Zelda watched as Link’s hand sliced the tomato and added it to the bowl of chopped lettuce and shredded carrots. She took notes, which Link seemed to find both adorable and unnecessary. She just wanted to get it right! She didn’t understand what was so endearing about that.

“You just chop up vegetables and mix them together,” Link said with a smile. “It’s pretty easy. You don’t even need to measure, you can go by what feels right. Needs more carrots? Add more carrots. Same goes for other ingredients.” He paused. “Add more of that ingredient, I mean. Not, if it needs something, add more carrots.”

She was glad for the clarification. She hadn’t thought he meant ‘when in doubt, add more carrots’, but the clarification was helpful nonetheless.

“Alright.” She put on one of Link’s aprons and pulled her hair back. “I can do this.”

“You can do this!” Link agreed. “You’re smart, capable, and—” A horse made a noise outside. He and Zelda both looked over to the wall from behind which it came, as if they could see the problem from their kitchen. Link frowned. “I’m going to go check that out.”

He stepped out the door, but before it had even shut, he popped his head back in. “And talented! That’s what I was going to say.” He popped back out, leaving her alone in the kitchen.

She looked at the ingredients, then at Link’s finished product. It didn’t seem hard when he was doing it. She decided to give it a go while he was gone. Maybe she’d be done when he was back, and he’d be surprised and amazed by her salad-making skills!

___________________________________________________________________________

“I’m back,” Link said from the doorway, “Epona heard the word ‘carrots’ and got mad that she wasn’t eating any. Then Storm decided he was mad, too.” He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He looked at her salad bowl, which was covered by a dish towel to keep it from drying out while they waited to eat it. “You did it!”

Zelda smiled nervously at him. “Indeed! I tried very hard. It… well… I’ll show you. Go ahead and sit down.”

Link did as he was told. Zelda presented him with the salad. “I think I did something wrong.”

Sitting on the table was a pile of what appeared to be charcoal. Charred black cubes sat in a pile, looking far less appetising than ideal. If one looked at it from a distance, they might think, “look, some burnt brick shards. Let’s walk away quickly.”

On top of the chunks of not-salad lay a single spinach leaf, small and uncooked. Zelda wasn’t sure how this was. She hadn’t put any spinach in the recipe.

“It burned?!” Link exclaimed, his voice an equal mix of disbelief and confusion, “How do you burn a salad?”

Zelda grimaced. “I do not know, but I have no desire to eat this.”

“What’s in it?”

“The same things as are in yours! Lettuce, tomato, carrot, cucumber, onion, and dressing! Wait, no. I forgot the dressing. Dammit!”

Link looked just as surprised as Zelda had hoped, but in a bad way. “I don’t think the lack of dressing is an issue. Did… did you cook it? Or bake it? Or, uh, set it aflame?”

“I didn’t! I swear, all I did was mix it together. Perhaps the lack of dressing is an issue. Perhaps it’s combustible without the dressing to moisten it?”

Link’s brow furrowed as he looked at the salad. He nodded. “Did you add peppers?”

“None.”

“Gems?”

“No.”

“Did you set the sheikah slate on it?”

“I’d never put something so valuable on it.”

“Do you know what did happen? Because salads aren’t supposed to look like this.”

Zelda sat down with a huff. “Argh! I know they aren’t! But I have no idea what went wrong!”

Link sat and poked at the salad. “Hmmm… Not warm. Maybe something came and replaced it with something? Looks kinda like cooked wood.”

“I didn’t even add wood!”

“Maybe it was a korok that replaced it? Or maybe it was a korok who…. uh… became it?”

“Oh good Goddess,” Zelda gasped. “Did I cook a korok?”

Link’s eyes widened in alarm. “Wait! No need to panic. We can fix this!”

“We can’t fix this! I cooked a korok! This is bad!”

“We’ve defeated Ganon! You’ve sealed away an immortal evil! I slayed two lynels and ten moblins in minutes! If we could do that, we can do this!”

“None of those things relate to bringing back a dead korok! How could we have done this?” She took a deep breath. “Okay, okay. We have to remember. We can see koroks. It couldn’t have been the lettuce. And if a korok was just hiding in our lettuce, we would have seen it when we chopped up its hiding spot.”

Link followed Zelda’s breathing example. “That’s true. It would have jumped out at you.”

“And I didn’t heat it at all, so I couldn’t have burned it like this.”

“I’ve seen a talus throw its arm at one, and all it said was ouch.”

“Then my knife definitely didn’t kill it. Thank goodness.” She let out a breath of relief. “It’s fine. No koroks were harmed in the making of this… not-salad.”

“At least we have the other salad.” Link scooped his salad from its bowl into two smaller bowls, then sat one in front of Zelda. “We can work on more tonight, if you want.”

She sighed and took a bite. It was fine. She wasn’t much of a salad person, and she lost her appetite every time she thought of the “food” she had made.

“I’m full. Do you want the rest of mine?”

Link nodded and took her bowl. “Sure. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“It’s okay to not be fine.” He put one of his hands on the table for her to take. She did. “You’re not a failure just because you can’t cook.”

Zelda raised an eyebrow. “How did you know what I was thinking?”

“Um, well, it’s usually what you’re thinking when things don’t go well.”

She sighed and put her head on the table, something that would never have flown 100 years ago. “I don’t understand. I unlocked my powers. I proved I’m not a failure. So why do I still doubt myself when I mess up?”

“You never get mad at me when things get screwed up. It doesn’t mean *you* messed up. Sometimes things just don’t go well.”

Zelda thought of the time he had made her fruitcake, but had accidentally turned it into monster cake. She hadn’t thought him any worse for it. She knew he loved her just as much as she loved him; to the heavens and back. She was realising, the longer she got from her childhood, that love meant not expecting someone to be who they weren’t.

“It’s okay not to be good at something right away. No one is going to get mad at you for not living up to an unattainable ideal.”

“I just… I feel like such a fool. You know all these things, and I don’t know anything.”

“You don’t know anything? Zelda, you are the smartest person I know. You’re wisdom itself. Just because you didn’t have the chance to learn the same stuff I did doesn’t mean that you don’t know anything. You know so much. You can name all the bones in the six major species, in alphabetical order. I didn’t even know Hylians and Sheikah had different bones. You went your whole life being told that it didn’t matter what you knew or did, that all you were was a vessel for Hylia, but you still kept learning and growing, despite what people thought. That’s amazing.”

This may have been the most Zelda had ever heard him speak.

“Thank you. I love you.” She took his other hand. He squeezed both of hers.

“I love you, too.”

___________________________________________________________________________

“Good morning, my queen!” Link kissed her forehead. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining through the open curtains and the birds were quiet, which was preferable to their noise. Quiet birds meant they were busy pooping on the horned statue, and Link liked the idea of that. It was like revenge for stealing part of his life force that time, despite the birds knowing nothing of that. “I have an idea.”

Zelda opened one eye. “Is it a good idea?”

“I think so.”

“Doesn’t sound promising.”

“You’re so unsupportive when you’re still half asleep.”

“I have 100 years of sleep to make up for.”

He sighed and shook her. This woke her up for real. “Oh! Good morning!”

“Good morning. I have an idea.”

“That sounds promising!”

“Like a whole different person.”

“Than whom?”

“Asleep you is so much meaner than regular you.”

“My apologies. She and I have not met. What is your idea?”

“Well, you know how you like to eat fruitcake?”

“I do.”

“What if I teach you how to make it?”

She shot up and clapped her hands. “Wonderful! I’d love to try. I will do my utmost, though I can not guarantee it will be edible.”

“That’s okay. I got out the ingredients, go do your skincare routine and meet me in the kitchen!”

Zelda went to do her skincare, which consisted of washing her face and putting on facial lotion. It was elaborate in comparison to Link’s, whose skincare routine contained zero steps. It was a wonder how that man did not have a constant coating of dirt on his face. Or perhaps he did, and she was just too used to it to notice.

When she went into the kitchen, she looked at his face. It did not have dirt on it. In fact, it look clearer and cleaner than hers.

‘Well that’s a bit unfair,’ she thought.

They look turns measuring and adding ingredients until finally, they had a batter.

“Amazing!” Zelda bounced on the heels of her feet. “It actually looks like it’s supposed to! Not burnt or flaming at all!”

“Now we bake it on medium heat until the top is brown.”
 

Zelda could barely wait for it to be done, but it was worth it. It wasn’t perfect, it tasted a bit too flour-ey, and the fruit wasn’t evenly dispersed, but as far as they were concerned, it was the best they’d ever had. They ate the whole thing in one sitting.

“Well then,” Link said, swallowing his last bite of cake, “I think you’re ready to try to make the meat skewers again.”

Zelda turned her head to look at him so quickly that she got dizzy. “I think I’ll leave the meat skewers to you. I’m happy being the cake baker. You can do the rest.”

Link grinned. “Works for me.”

Chapter Text

It was amazing, watching Link fight. Whether he was practicing against a dummy or slaying a lynel, the way he parried and flipped set Zelda’s heart ablaze. She watched him as often as possible, because she was a scientist at heart, and liked information. Not because she liked the way his muscles tensed, pressed against his clothes, slick with sweat, or the way his hair seemed to fly in a halo around him, or the smile he gave himself when he had won. He said that when he flipped out of the way at just the right moment, it felt as if time slowed down around him. For Zelda, time seemed to slow down whenever she watched Link at work.

She was amazed by his skill. He made it seem so effortless, like it was as simple as breathing.

And if she was being honest, completely honest, she might admit she felt a teeny bit jealous. She had never gotten to learn how to fight. She knew he had worked hard, and that he deserved all the power and ability he had, and she was proud of him, she really was! But she wished she had gotten to learn to fight, too, instead of spending all her free time trying to unlock her powers.

She had the ability to create bombs, but with no knowledge of how to use them, bombs didn’t do her much good. Neither did stasis, though magnesis came in handy whenever a metal object was just out of reach and neither she nor Link felt like getting up and getting it.

___________________________________________________________________________

The ambush wasn’t likely intentional. No, Link and Zelda had just been careless. Even in broad daylight, exploring the ruins was dangerous. The bokoblins just happened to be there, minding their own business. Zelda and Link had been exploring, minding their own business. The bokoblins didn’t seem to realise that two groups could mind their own business at the same time, and didn’t have to fight.

The leader of the bokoblins noticed them first. It screamed and pointed before running to get its club. The other bokoblins followed suit.

Zelda didn’t need to be told to hide. She wished she could help, but she knew she would be a hindrance if she tried to assist, so she ran and hid behind what used to be a wall. She watched from safety as Link slayed bokoblin after bokoblin. He finally took out the last one, delivering a blow to its head that turned it into violet dust.

He ran over to her and held out his hand to help her up. “Are you alright?”

“I should be asking you that. I’m fine, just a bit dusty. Did you get hurt?”

Link shook his head. “I’m okay. They were just blue ones, they’re not too hard to kill.”

“You certainly made it look easy.”

They kept exploring the ruins until lunch time.  Link had made lunch today, and he had done an excellent job. He had made bread, then took thinly sliced cooked meat, thinly sliced cheese, and whipped egg white and vinegar sauce, and pressed them together. He called it a bread smush, because it was food smushed between two pieces of bread. He also brought honey candy.

“Say,” Zelda asked, swallowing a bite of bread smush. “Can you teach me how to fight?”

Link’s smile spread so wide that Zelda thought of the phrase ‘grinning like a fool.’ One of her handmaids had always said that, because she was mean and liked to take the fun out of things.

“Yes! I’d love to. I know just the place to learn!” He bit down on his honey candy with a crunch.

“I think you’re supposed to suck on them, not bite them.”

Link shrugged. “You’re supposed to, but the food fixes the tooth pain pretty quickly. Anyway—” he stood up and held out his hand. Zelda took it and stood, too. “I can’t wait to show you something. C’mon!”

“Wait, right now? I’m not against it, but what of the ruins?”

“You can just put down the teleportation circle and we can come back! And we can show Impa our findings from today.”

“Impa?”

“Yeah! Oh, dang. I forgot that it was a surprise. The shrine I want to show you to fight in is in Kakariko.”

“Am I even able to go in shrines? They refused to let me enter 100 years ago.”

Link considered this, then grinned. He had been doing that more lately, with the stress of saving the world gone. Zelda wasn’t sure if he was expressing his emotions more, or if she had just gotten better at reading them. Either way, she was glad to see him happy. “There’s only one way to find out!” he decided.

“Well then, I’m in!” Zelda placed the transportation circle and linked arms with him.

___________________________________________________________________________

When they arrived at the Ta’loh Naeg shrine, they saw a blupee sitting in the grass. Link did a backflip and shot it with three arrows in quick succession.

“Why?!” Zelda shrieked, “That’s so unnecessarily dramatic! We just ate!”

Rupees exploded from the startled blupee before it ran away.

“It’s fine,” Link said, “It’s just a blupee, they don’t die when you shoot them.”

“Ah,” she said, “I thought it was a rabbit. In that case. I should like to learn that jump you did.”

“Did you think I was going to eat raw rabbit meat?”

“You’ve eaten rocks! And you eat monster teeth!”

“But never a raw rabbit! Way too gamey.”

Zelda was not feeling disagreeable, so she agreed. “Far too gamey. I assume. I’ve never actually eaten raw rabbit before.”

“It’s not good.”

They visited Impa to show her their findings. She was interested, but confused as to why they were showing her. They spoke to Paya, who seemed just as infatuated with Zelda as she did Link, and they bought a pumpkin and some carrots with the money from the blupee. Zelda showed off her newly discovered cooking skills by making a pumpkin soup, which Link said would be perfect for the shrine. Zelda didn’t understand why, but it seemed promising.

It was late afternoon when they decided to go into the shrine. Much to Zelda’s surprise, they didn’t even need to scan the Sheikah slate to get in! They just walked right in, and down they went.

The shield and sword that were originally in the shrine were gone, used by Link a few years prior, but he had brought a similar sword and shield as replacements.

“To you who sets foot in this shrine… I am Ta’loh Naeg. I share with you my knowledge, so that it may please Hylia.” The monk’s voice rang out, echoing through the chamber.

“Wow!” Zelda’s head turned slowly, taking in every aspect of her first shrine. She hoped Link would take her to more sometime. “This is amazing!”

Link grinned. “It’s pretty cool. You know that move you like to watch me do, the flurry rush? This is the shrine that taught me how to do it.”

The tips of Zelda’s ears turned pink. “Ah, yes. I enjoy the data I gain from watching.”

Link pursed his lips together, holding back a laugh. “Right. Well, I’m sure I’ll like ‘collecting data’ about your fighting, too.” He did air quotes when he said it.

She turned away quickly so Link couldn’t see her face. “Let’s start! What do I do first?”

“Just walk to the middle of the room and it’ll start. I believe in you!”

She walked toward the center, where there was a large hole in the floor. As she stepped forward, a platform rose. On it sat a small, deactivated guardian.

The guardian lit up and spurred to life, wielding a sword.

“Use a side hop to avoid enemy attacks,” the monk spoke. Zelda nodded to herself. A side hop seemed pretty straight forward.

The guardian lunged at her. She jumped to the side, but not soon enough. The sword slammed against hers, knocking it out of her hand. She scrambled to pick it up.

“You did great!” Link shouted, “Now this time, make sure to look at it while you jump!”

 “Okay!” She executed a great side hop. The guardian missed her by a mile.

“Do a backflip to avoid enemy attacks and create an opening to strike back,” the monk instructed.

“How do I do this bit?” Zelda called out. Sparks flew from the guardian’s broken arm. It swung its sword, then lunged again. It brushed her side, tearing the outermost layer of her shirt.

Zelda screamed at Link, “Help me!”

“You got this!” he shouted back, “Just follow what the monk’s saying! At the last second, backflip out of the way!”

“I don’t know how to backflip!”

“Oh, shoot. Right, I remember that. Okay, uh, then just jump to the side again!”

The guardian thrust its sword toward her. She jumped to the side, but too early. The guardian moved closer and readied its sword.

“Parry!” Link shouted, “Parry!”

“I don’t know what that means!”

“It means use your shield!”

“How do I do that?”

“You just move it like this!” Link showed an example of a parry the best he could without holding a shield himself.

The guardian swung its sword. Zelda moved to parry, but didn’t get to. The sword went right through her shirt and into her skin. “Ow!”

Link grimaced. “I think you’re losing.”

“No shit! Get me out of here! Now, please!”

Link ran over and scooped her up, then teleported them to the shrine by their house. He ran her inside and put her in their bed. He gave her some hearty elixir, then looked at her side. “There was a cut before the elixir, but just a small one. I credit the pumpkin soup.”

“Yipee.” She said, not sounding sincere.

“And nothing’s broken. There’ll probably just be a big bruise.”

Zelda didn’t say anything. Link didn’t, either. Unlike Zelda’s angry silence, his was out of not being sure what to say. He tried anyway. “I forgot you couldn’t backflip yet. Want me to show you how?”

She grumbled, “Honestly? I don’t want you to teach me anything ever again.”

Link found this fair enough. “Want more soup?”

“I just want to go to bed.”

Link almost reminded her that she was already in bed before realizing this was a figure of speech. “Alright. I’m going to go check the door again.”

Every night, Link triple checked the locks on the door and windows. Zelda wished he felt safer, that he didn’t feel the need to be so cautious, but she couldn’t say she was much better. After the calamity, she only really felt comfortable sleeping when she was in Link’s arms. She imagined it was even worse for him, what with the soldier upbringing and all. Theirs was the only house in Hateno with a lock. Several locks, actually. And windows that locked, too.

This was not a night that Zelda fretted over Link’s anxiety. The pain in her side was somehow worse than the pain in her hand when she got frostbite from being in an icy spring too long, and it distracted her.

She wondered how many times Link had gotten hurt when she had been holding off Ganon.

She fell asleep easily, once she had taken some medicine. When she awoke, she was surprised to see she was alone in bed. Link wasn’t downstairs, either. That was odd. He always told her before he went somewhere unexpectedly. She hoped he wasn’t mad at her for her snippiness last night. Finally, she spotted a clue. On the table was a generous slice of fruitcake with a note.

‘Sorry about the wound. I hope you’re doing better today. I made you this to help. I completely forgot that you’ve never had any training or anything. I want to help you learn how to fight without you getting hurt, so meet me outside once you’re ready, please :) ‘

Beneath the writing was a smiley face, if one could call it that. It was drawn in an unsettling fashion, so if looked more like a dying moblin than a smiling person. No one is skilled at everything, she supposed.

After gobbling down the fruitcake, she walked outside to see Link facing away from her, setting up a dummy similar to the ones in Ashai’s flirting class. In fact, Zelda was certain he had borrowed one from her. It had lipstick on its face and everything. On the ground next to it lay 2 wooden training swords.

He turned to her. “Oh, Zelda. Hey.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I wanted to apologise about yesterday. I got so excited that I completely skipped the first several steps of learning to fight. The Ta’loh Naeg shrine was not a good first impression.”

Zelda sighed. It was not a sigh of agitation, but of resignation to the fact that she did not have fighting skills. “It’s alright. I’m just not as good as you.”

“Not yet. But here, I’ll teach you. Let’s start with how to hold a sword.”

He gave her a sword, then stood behind her and wrapped his hands around hers. The wood was warm in her hands. “Start like this.”

Chapter Text

Sheikah clothes were designed to withstand the rain. Their wearers were always dry in them, and they never had soggy socks. Unfortunately, Enchanted didn’t sell them, and neither Link nor Zelda felt comfortable asking to borrow someone’s. Whoever they asked would have said yes, they were sure, but they felt it would be taking advantage. Besides, with all the battles they got into, there was no guarantee the clothes would even come back in one piece.

Right now, Zelda wished she had swallowed the discomfort and borrowed Sheikah clothing. She wished she hadn’t left the house today. She wished her socks weren’t soggy. She wished for many things. She didn’t, however, wish for an umbrella. Normally she would have, but with the way the horses were acting, she would have been impaled.

“This was a mistake!” she cried, trying (and subsequently failing) to soothe Storm. Link and Epona weren’t doing any better.

Link wasn’t listening, but had he been, he would have agreed. Their trip to Lurelin had been going well up until now. They had left at seven in the morning and were set to arrive by eleven at night.

Until the rain. The rain was unlike any they had seen before, even in Faron and by Zora’s domain. Link was planning to teach Zelda to rock climb somewhere along the way, wherever they found a good spot. It didn’t seem like that was going to happen.

The icy rain lashed against their faces, soaking them to their bones. Zelda was shocked it wasn’t snowing with how cold it was. She felt as if her eyelashes would soon grow icicles. The cold pain in her ears made her wonder not for the first time in her life if earwax could freeze, and if it could, what effects would that have on one’s health long term. Would it cause the ear canal to expand? Was that how Hylians got such long ears?

It was bad enough before the horses started acting up. Storm, despite his name, had had enough of the storm. He was angry at his rider for subjecting him to this misery, as if she had planned the rain ahead of time specifically to make him suffer.

“Let’s pull off the path! I know a cave around here. Give me a couple minutes to kill the monsters around it, then we can make a fire and everything.”

“Yes, please!”

They pulled off the path and through the woods. She tied up the horses while Link got the monsters. She’d been helping him fight monsters often recently, but someone had to tie up Epona and Storm, and Zelda did not want to face silver bokoblins alone.

Link finally came out from behind the dome-shaped cave, monster dust on his sword. He waved her in. She tested the ropes, then when they were deemed sturdy, joined Link inside. The cave was bright and warm, a fire glowing in the corner. In another corner grew three clusters of gems, glinting in the light. There was water on the ground, in the middle of which stood a brownish-reddish korok. “Twee he he!” they chortled.

Zelda emptied the water from her boots and hung her socks and outer shirt by the fire. It was warm enough in the cave for her to do so without being uncomfortable. “I assume they will dry faster without me in it.”

“Makes sense.” Link took off his belts, then his tunic, shirt, socks, and pants. He reached down to take off his underwear, but stopped to think. “Hmmm… I should keep these on.”

“No, no,” she urged, “Do continue.”

He considered doing so, then shook his head. “I’d feel underdressed. I’m going to go check on the horses.”

The horses were calmer, though still irritated. The trees shielded them from the rain, and despite the water pooling beneath their hooves from their dripping manes, their bodies were dry. Link grabbed a brush from one of his underwear’s many pockets and went to braid Epona’s hair to keep it from dripping on her. He was quick, not wanting to make Storm wait long for his turn. Once he was done with their manes, he braided their tails. It took only 20 minutes or so, but he was sure it felt like forever to the horses.

Upon his return to the fire, Link discovered that Zelda had joined him in stripping down to her underwear. Both their clothes had dried completely and Zelda was getting dressed again. He put his clothes back on and went to start dinner.

“How are the horses?”

“They’re good. Grumpy, but fine. How are you?”

“I’m exhausted. The horses must have been so, as well. I’ve never endured that sort of behaviour from them.”

“Yeah. Last time Epona was like that was when there were bears nearby.”

Zelda looked around nervously. “Do… you think there are bears nearby?”

He shook his head. “Don’t think there are bears in West Necluda.”

“What a relief. I was concerned. I know you have experience with bears, but I would prefer to never encounter one. I know I would be unable to pet it, and the emotional toll that would take on my soul would be most painful.”

“Last time I rode a bear, I—”

“You rode a bear?”

“Yeah, and it got—“

“You say the oddest things so casually! I desire more information, please!”

“‘K. It was midday. It was cloudy and about +55°F. I was in Akkala and I had just bought an ancient short sword from Cherry for 1,000 rupees to show a child named Nebb. I was walking back to Hateno when I took a shortcut through an unnamed forest.

Then a monster spotted me and told his buddies. So then a bunch of monsters were chasing me. I think there were seven; two silver moblins, one black moblin, a blue bokoblin, and an electric lizalfo. The black moblin had a great flameblade, one silver moblin had a spiked club, the blue bokoblin had a bow and arrows, and the lizalfo had a boomerang. I was wearing—“

“Why would that matter? Why do you remember so much? Just tell me about the bear.”

“You said to give you more information. How was I supposed to know you meant about the bear?”

“From context!”

“Monsters were chasing me, and I whistled for Epona, but she was too far away to hear me, which was for the best because those monsters were vicious. Epona didn’t come, the monsters were running fast, I was almost out of energy, and I had eaten all my energy bars. I was pretty desperate when I saw a bear! I grabbed it, mounted it, and rode it away.”

Link finished and took a deep breath. He had run out of breath from talking so much so quickly.

“Wow. What an eventful day that was!”

He just nodded and started cooking dinner.

“Can you teach me how to ride a bear?”

He looked up with a startled look on his face. “What?”

“It sounds exhilarating!”

“Absolutely not.” He went back to cooking, as if his answer was self explanatory.

Zelda resisted the urge to scrunch up her face into a pout. She crossed her arms. “And why not?”

He looked up again and waved his spatula about. Why he had brought a spatula in the first place, Zelda would never be sure. “Because it’s dangerous! And because I barely know how! I only did it because I had to.”

“You could have fast traveled away.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t think of it then, so I resorted to the bear. But it wasn’t a smart choice, it was a choice of necessity.”

“Please?” She wondered if she could wear him down. Was it ethical? No. Was it justified in her situation? Also, probably not, she thought. But she did it anyway. “Please?”

“No.”

“Pleeeeease?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I just said.”

“Pretty please?”

“I said no.“

“Pretty pretty please?”

“The answer is no, no matter how pretty the please is.”

“But you got to ride a bear and feel its adorable fluffy fur!”

“Yeah! And I almost died!”

“Well I don’t see why I can’t have that sort of reckless indulgence, too!”

“Indulgence?”

“Alright, it wasn’t indulgent. But my point stands! Will you teach me?”

“How would I teach you if I don’t even know how?”

“We’ll go read a Wikipedia, then learn it together.”

Link sighed. He looked over to his love, so earnestly craving danger and thrill. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement, but that was probably just the humidity in the cave.

“Fine. I’ll teach you. But I need two weeks to get good at it before I put you in danger, okay?”

Zelda clapped her hands. “Hoorah! I can’t wait.”

“And! You have to promise to agree to some rules.”

She squinted. “Hmmm. What kind of rules?”

“Bear riding rules,” he sat down the spatula and began listing things on his fingers. “No trying to pet it, no feeding it, no trying to play with its toe beans, no trying to get it to do tricks, and absolutely no kissing its nose. And no naming it, because then you get attached to it, and stables don’t register bears. I learned that the hard way.”

She considered the pros and cons. “Alright, I agree. But, what if the name is a fabulous pun?”

“Especially not then.”

“What about ‘Bar-bear-ian’?”

Link snorted, then got the stern look on his face back. “Especially not that. The better the name, the harder it is to let them go. I learned that with Blue Beary.”

Zelda snorted, too. “Then let’s give it a bad name! Like Pat.”

“Why Pat?”

“Because it’s a bad name.”

“How about Malcom?”

“How about Pat-com?”

“How about Mal-Pat?”

“Mal-Pat it is!”

“Wait! No, I lost ahold of myself. No naming it, remember?”

Zelda slumped down in a huff. “Alright, alright. But I will be forever thinking of bear puns because of this.”

“Fine. As long as you tell them to me when they come to you.”

She got some carrots and went to feed the horses. “No paw-mises.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re im-paw-sible.”

____________________________________

Zelda hadn’t forgotten the agreement a month later, mostly because she had been regaling Link with bear puns the whole time. Honestly, she was starting to find them difficult to come up with.

Link fulfilled his promise a month later, coming to her while she was practicing the harp and trying to think up more puns.

“Okay,” he started, speaking as if they had already been having a conversation a moment prior, and he was just continuing it. “So, I found some bears. I’ve been practicing riding them, and I think I’m good enough to teach you.”

She all but threw her harp into its case. “Splendid! Let’s go!”

“Wait! You have to rehearse back to me the rules, so I can know you remember them and won’t get mauled.”

She groaned. “Uugghh. Okay, fine. No petting the bear, no naming the bear, no kissing the bear, no playing with its toes, and no making it do tricks.”

Link smiled. “Good. I trust you.”

‘Doesn’t seem like it,’ she thought.

“It’s just a really dangerous thing,” he continued, as if he was sensing what she was thinking. “And once you start, there’s no way out.”

“I understand, but I also understand the risks, and I’m willing to try despite them.”

“So, to ride the bear, you have to get behind it. The best way to do that is with stealth elixir. Then, once you’re behind the bear, you mount it.”

“Like with a horse?”

“Exactly! Then you soothe it like a horse. Then you ride it wherever you need to go.”

“Goodness! It sounds so exhilarating! I’m ready to go!

They fast traveled to a forest in the Akkala highlands, where Link had placed the teleportation circle. “I’ve been practicing here a lot. New bears come all the time, so there’s always one or two hanging around,” he explained.

The sudden sound of a branch snapping came from behind them. They turned so quickly their bodies made similar noises. Standing there on its back legs was a spectacularly large honeyvore bear. As they stared at it, it stared straight back at them.

“Go mount it from behind,” Link whispered. “I’ll distract it.” He dropped a beehive full of honey. The bear lunged at it.

Zelda took off running toward it. She circled around while it was going toward the honey, then swiftly mounted it from behind. It roared and began to flail around, trying to rid itself of its new rider. Zelda remembered the instructions and soothed the bear. It calmed down far more quickly than she had anticipated, which was a pleasant surprise.

‘Gosh,’ she thought , ‘its fur is just as soft as I imagined… if I hadn’t promised not to name it, I would name it Clementine. Or Fluffy.’

“This is incredible! I can’t believe I’ve never done this!”

“I can’t believe I survived doing it multiple times.”

“What do I do now?”

“Now you just ride it around like a horse. Where do you want to go?”

“Hmmm. How about we just ride around the forest for a while? I don’t wish to frighten any passers by.”

The bear trotted around, far tamer than any Link had ever ridden. “Sounds good. Hey, I think it likes you.”

“I shall obey the rules and not name it. However, I shall call it Fluffy.”

“That’s naming it!”

“I have submitted no naming paperwork.”

“Oh my— seriously? The most important rule?”

“That’s how it is sometimes,” she joked. Link snorted in response, half laughter, half frustration.

Zelda gently nudged the side of Fluffy to get them to speed up, the way she would a horse. Fluffy did not like being treated like a horse. It stood up and roared, knocking Zelda onto the ground. “Aaaa! Why?”

“Bad! Fluffy, bad!” Link yelled, “That’s the opposite of what you’re supposed to do!”

But Fluffy, feeling difficult (and also being a bear), could not be reasoned with. With another roar, it took of running into the forest, darting out of sight.

“I guess technically that’s speeding up. Are you alright?” Link helped Zelda up.

She brushed herself off. “I’m okay. Let me just get my… bearings.”

Chapter Text

They were on their way back from Zora’s domain. The air was warm, but a cool breeze blew through the air. In other words, it was a wonderful ride home. Link and Zelda were having a conversation about the dinner they had been served the night prior.

“I’m only saying,” Zelda said, “I am unsure of what sea beans are .”

“They’re delicious, that’s what.”

“Are they even a legume? They were certainly a different hue than any legume I’ve ever seen.”

“What’s a legume?”

“It’s a good group. Beans, peanuts, lentils… you know, legumes.”

“Oh… hmmm… Yeah, I think they were legumes. They are beans, after all.”

“They didn’t look like beans.”

“Neither do lentils.”

“But at least lentils aren’t claiming to be beans. Sea beans just feel… deceptive.”

“Huh. I hadn’t— Look!” Link interrupted himself and pointed up the cliff. On top sat a big hearty radish. “I’m going to go get it.”

“Are you sure?” Zelda asked, “We can’t take the horses up the cliff.”

“I’ll just climb it.”

“It’s very steep… What if—“ she paused. “Are… are you putting on different shoes?”

“Yeah. They’re my climbing shoes.”

“And different pants?”

“Yeah. They’re my climbing pants.”

“Right over your other pants?”

“Yeah.”

Link seemed to find nothing odd about this, so Zelda pretended she didn’t, either. As a princess, she had to pick and choose her battles both literally and figuratively. With Link, a battle she chose to pick was ‘ please stop leaving your diary open on the table because it makes me want to read it and I have the ability to stop myself, but you write very big and sometimes I see a sentence without trying to and feel bad for several hours and you can easily stop this by just closing it or putting it back on the shelf.’

(The sentences she had seen in his diary included, but were not limited to, ‘I saw a big frog today. Like, the size of my head,’ ‘I’m so happy Zelda didn’t see me fall in that mud,’ and ‘Why are there so many holes in an ocarina, anyway?’)

A battle she chose not to pick was figuring out why Link made the choices he made. He had changed over the 100 years. It was only natural. He wasn’t different enough to be a whole new person. But having lost his memories, he lost that which was holding him back. He had grown freer, more joyful, more… was it wrong to say feral? No, she didn’t think so.

“Pants over pants. Shoes with no socks. Not at all odd. We are in agreement,” she said.

Link hoisted one foot up onto the rock and began climbing. He was on top of the cliff in a snap, and jumped down, perhaps recklessly, without the paraglider.

“Oooo, what a large radish. It will be a splendid in a salad. Or perhaps a kabob.”

“Or we can eat it like this!”

“Wouldn’t that be bitter? And it wouldn’t be as healthy.”

“You’re right. We’ll make something with it.”

On the rest of the journey, Zelda thought about how Link had climbed the steep cliff so swiftly. She could climb a bit, but only about a foot high, and not nearly so effortlessly or with such speed. She felt an urge to become better at it, so she could match Link’s skill.

“Can you teach me how to climb rocks?”

“Can’t you already climb rocks?”

“I can climb less than one radish high.”

“Ah, okay. Sure! I can show you on the way to Lurelin tomorrow, if you want. There are plenty of cliffs on the way.”

___________________________________________________________________________

It had been a fortnight since Zelda had decided to improve her climbing skills, and she was getting bored of waiting. Finally, the weather was clear and Link had found a cliff he thought was adequate.

The clothes were more comfortable than the gown she had worn to name Link a champion, and less comfortable than most anything else she had ever worn. The fabric was what Granté described as ‘medium soft’ and what Lasli, upon being asked if Enchanted sold them, called ‘totally icky’.

The climbing gear was Sheikah-made, woven from a fabric that didn’t exist anymore. It was more expensive than Link’s house, but money was no object. Still, she thought it best to save the money and borrow Link’s set. He could climb in normal clothes just fine, and she’d be doing most of the climbing anyway.

It was unfortunate that Link had been in an emo phase when he acquired the clothing, and while the phase had lasted a week at the most, his clothes had all been dyed black. Most of them were back to their normal hues, but he hadn’t gotten around to changing the climbing gear. He also had eyeliner left over, but neither of them used it, so it lay forgotten under the sink.

The cliff Link had taken her to was about 10 Links tall, and 10.2 Zeldas tall. It was not a good form of measurement, but life does not always go one’s way.

“Okay, so,” Link said from the top of the cliff, “You just go like that.”

“You’re forgetting something,” Zelda called up to him, “I have no idea what you did to do that. It was a lovely show, but I have learned nothing.”

“Oh, dang. Okay, one second.” He jumped off the cliff and paraglided down. “Maybe we should start smaller. I don’t want this to be like when I taught you about fighting that time.”

“Yes, avoiding that outcome would be ideal.”

“I know a better cliff. Let’s go there instead. Then if you fall, you won’t get as injured. Here if you fall, you’d get super injured.”

Zelda wondered why he had picked this cliff in the first place, then. She supposed everyone had their dim moments. Her most recent one was asking Link to teach her how to climb rocks.

The cliff in question was behind their house. It was more the side of a hill than a cliff, but it was good for beginners and close enough to go inside if anyone got hurt.

“Much better,” she said. “Now if I get hurt, I will not be maimed.”

“You have to jump up like this—“ he did a small jump onto the cliff. You put your foot on the rock like this—“ he placed his foot on one of the ledges. “Then you put your other foot up here like this. Make sure to look for the ridges. They give you better grip. Then with your hands, find a ledge or a ridge and use it to pull yourself up. The clothes will make it easier.”

Zelda jumped onto the cliff, placing one foot onto a ridge and one hand on another. “I’m doing it! I’m a turnip high, but I got here much faster than usual.”

“Nice job!”

“Now how do I get higher?”

“Now you take one of your feet and lift it up, then put it onto a higher ledge.”

“Alright.” She took a deep breath and raised her foot to a new ledge. “Now what?”

“Now repeat that with the other foot.”

“And now?”

“Just keep doing that until you get to the top!”

Zelda climbed and climbed until she got tired. She took a fried staminoka bass from her pocket and ate it. It was as if her energy was back in an instant. She continued climbing until she was at the top.

“You did it!” Link cheered from the bottom, “Now paraglide down and we’ll celebrate!”

She jumped off the cliff and opened the paraglider. It was going terribly slowly, so she put it up and fell, then took it out again at the last moment. Link’s mouth would have fallen open has he been that sort of person (ie the sort of person who opens their mouth when surprised). “Can you teach me how to do that?”

Chapter Text

Their relationship was fine, it really was. In fact, it was better than fine. It was great! The reason Link was panicking wasn’t because their relationship was suffering, but because he had read a copy of Traysi’s new magazine for teens. It had an article about relationships failing, and he had been enough of an idiot to read it. One of the reasons relationships fail, the article said, was because they just… stopped trying once they lived together. They got too comfy, too secure and safe, and the butterflies went away. Link was determined not to let that happen.

The other reasons included erectile dysfunction, having kids, someone getting fat, someone getting thin, someone wearing leggings as pajamas, disagreement of pizza toppings, and not buying more of Traysi’s magazines. It was clearly not written by a relationship professional.

With these reasons in mind, Link decided to plan some dates. Every week, he and Zelda would do something cute and fun together. He made a list of date options:

-Going to a chocolate strawberry factory with free samples

-Getting tea at a cat cafe

-Making pottery and NOT breaking them after

-Painting pottery

-Getting massages in Gerudo town

-Playing a prank on Purah

-Sleepover

-Shield surfing and picnic

-Bungee jumping

He went through the list and considered each idea. The first one wouldn’t work. There were no chocolate strawberry factories. Strawberries had gone extinct long ago. Maybe wildberries would work? The second one was a bust, too. Link was pretty sure cats were fictional beings. He also didn’t think he would be able to contain himself and not break the pottery, so those next two were out. The massage one was good, though. He put it on a second list, which contained everything from the first list that might actually go well.

Playing a prank on Purah was a dangerous game, and not a good one for a date. They slept together every night, so a sleepover wasn’t very exciting for a date. And bungee jumping? Well, a bungee jumping date may be the worst idea he’d ever had.

But shield surfing and a picnic… that one was perfect! It was all the things the tabloid article said a date should be! Exciting, glamorous, involved cheese and wine (aka romance), and wouldn’t mess up your hair. The hair one was iffy, but maybe they could use hairspray to keep it un-messed.

The only problem was that Link wasn’t sure if Zelda could shield surf. When he thought about it, he didn’t think he had ever seen her shield surf. He decided to do the least easy solution and try to get her to admit she couldn’t without asking outright.

Then he realised this was a ridiculous plan, and changed his mind. He would simply ask her.

“My queen?” he called, sticking his head outside the open window. Zelda was by the pond, feeding the fish. They had gotten fish after realising a pond without any living things in it might bring unwelcome living things. They had introduced one Sanke carp, one mighty carp, three sneaky river snails, and one Hyrule bass. Link had wanted to add a staminoka bass from his pocket, but he was surprised to find they died while in there. He wasn’t sure how the bugs and amphibians he caught lived while the fish died, but that was a problem for later. He hoped later wouldn’t come, because he was dreading asking Symin. He may not be very understanding as to why Link kept 28 fish and 60 lizards of various types in his pockets.

Zelda looked up. “Yes?”

He cupped his hands in a makeshift megaphone despite being only a few feet away. “Can you shield surf?”

She shook her head, “I don’t believe so.”

“Damn it!” He took his head back inside. He crossed the idea off the list. The only thing left was to get massages. He poked his head out again. “I’ll be back soon! I’m going to go to Gerudo town!”

“Via horse or fast travel? Because I’m preparing bread smush for dinner and if you travel with Epona you’ll be gone for four days and I’ll have to eat yours, too.”

“Fast travel.”

“Alright. See you soon! Be safe!

___________________________________________________________________________

“Sorry, Miss,” Romah said, “We’re closed.”

“What? Why?” Link asked, shocked. He had never seen Hotel Oasis closed before. It was always open, not even closing during the night and on holidays.

“My masseuse had a baby. She has three more months of maternity leave, and I haven’t found a temporary replacement.”

“Can’t you just do it?” Link groaned. If he couldn’t find a good date, Traysi would be right. He couldn’t let Traysi win.

“I’m a very busy person, you know, what with all the new customers since Ganon’s defeat. I haven’t got the time to manage the hotel and give massages. Trust me, you’re not the only one who’s disappointed in the lack of massages. In the last year, we—”

“She’s been off for a year?”

“Well, 9 months. She gets a year of maternity leave.”

“And you still haven’t found a replacement?”

“Look, it’s a stressful job! Do you want to be a masseuse?”

“No.”

“Then you understand how hard it is to get workers here! No one wants to work these days! It’s a social commentary!”

“Maybe pay more? I don’t know.”

“Look, either apply for the job or get out,” she handed him a job application.

“Why is there a spot to mark gender here if only women are allowed in Gerudo town?”

“It’s mandatory by law. And so we know if they’re a masseur or a masseuse. There’s no gender neutral term.

Link didn’t know enough about massage culture to know she was wrong, and the gender neutral word is massage therapist, so he sat down the application and went home. He was back right when the bread smushes were done.

___________________________________________________________________________

“What’s wrong?” Zelda asked, “You’ve barely eaten your bread smush.” Her face was one of concern, and the concern only grew as she spoke. “Is it not good?”

Link shook his head adamantly, “No! No, it’s not that. You’re a great cook. And I love your idea to add thin, crispy potato slices.”

“I appreciate your support! I call them crispy potato slice thins.”

“Perfect name.”

“So what’s wrong, darling?”

Link sighed. He took another bite of bread smush, then sighed again. “I wanted to plan a date for us. But cats don’t exist, I can’t stop myself from breaking pots, you can’t shield surf, the masseuse is on maternity leave, and strawberries are extinct.”

Zelda nodded, considering all of this information. “Hmmm… quite a lot to think about. I understand nothing about what you said. This all seems random.”

Link didn’t understand what Zelda didn’t understand. “What’s random about it?”

“I assume I lack context.”

“Ohhhh. Makes sense. I’ll start over. I want to plan a date for us.”

“That’s sweet. I adore going on dates with you.”

“But I couldn’t think of anything. I thought of a lot of things. But none of them will work.”

She sat down her bread smush and put her chin in her hand, elbow on the table. “Hmmm… What if we get massages?”

“The masseuse is on maternity leave. I went to Gerudo town to make an appointment and found out.”

“I see. We could paint pottery. Wait, no. You’d break the pots.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh! What if we go shield surfing and have a picnic?”

“That’s one of the ideas I had, too!”

“Great minds think alike.”

“But you can’t shield surf.”

She put her other hand on her chin, too. “Well, maybe I could learn. Can you teach me how to shield surf?”

___________________________________________________________________________

It took a bit of planning, but most dates do. One of the reasons people enjoy dates is because they know the other person put in thought and effort. Traysi did not put this fact in her magazine, but it was truer than some of the things she did put in.

The planning wasn’t at all tedious, though. All Link had to do was pick a good shield, pick a suitable spot, figure out how to explain what to do, decide what to put in the picnic, and go over Traysi’s checklist.

The best choice for a shield surfing beginner was a radiant shield, with 90% less friction than the average shield. It built up speed easily, which was necessary for easy surfing.

Link smiled to himself as he took the radiant shield down from its spot on the wall and slipped it into the picnic basket. Now to pick the spot… he knew just the place.

He fast travelled to the Mirro Shaz shrine and began his trek to where Russ and Fin stood, past the stable and up the hill. He considered climbing up the mountain behind the shrine and paragliding down to them, but he didn’t want to deal with the monsters on top.

“Heeey, man. Back for some more shield surfing? Couldn’t stay away, could you? Heh. I feel ya.”

“Hey, Russ,” Link interrupted, hoping to stop the sales pitch, but it was too late. Russ just kept talking.

“Oh, and if ya don’t have your own shield, we’ve got some lying around here you can buy, if you wanna.”

“I don’t need a shield. I have a lot.”

“Flex, much?”

“I have some information for you about a secret shield surfing competition.”

Russ’s face perked up. “How much?”

“Huh?”

“How much do you want for the info?”

Link considered this. He hadn’t wanted anything but to get The Shield Breakers duo away from the hill for a few days. But if he was naming prices… well, it couldn’t hurt to make a little money. “Twenty rupees.”

“That’s it? You’re giving away this priceless info for twenty bucks?”

“Fifty?” He wasn’t sure why Russ wanted to pay more, or if he just didn’t realise what he was saying.

“Dang, fifty?” Russ sighed, “You drive a hard bargain. But it’s fair.” He took a purple rupee from his pocket and tossed it to Link. “Deets now, please?”

Link leaned in closer like how he imagined a spy might. “Up north in Hebra,” he whispered, “there’s a woman named Selmie. If you think you have what it takes, you can challenge her to a contest.”

Russ nodded his head. “Uh-huh. And what’s so special about… Wait. Did you say Selmie?”

“Yes.”

“The all-time shield surfing champion?”

“Yes.”

“She’s just… hanging out in the mountains?”

“Pretty much.”

“Woah. This was totally worth the rupees.” He waved down to Fin and shouted, “Hey, man! Pack your bags! We’re going to Hebra!”

“What?” Fin shouted back, “Why?”

“Link found Selmie! The Selmie!”

“Hey!” Link chided, “don’t shout it out for anyone to hear. This information is only given to the best paying shield surfers.”

“Sorry,” he replied, “I got excited. I mean, come on. Selmie! Hey, can you draw me a map?”

Link copied the Hebra section of the Sheikah slate’s map. “Here.”

“Thanks, man! You’re the best. We’ll start packing right away.” He and Fin started running away to get their things.

“By the way!” Link called after them, “When she asks what surfing means to you, lie. Say it’s just a hobby, or better, just shrug.”

Russ and Fin didn’t respond. He hoped they had heard him.

___________________________________________________________________________

When Link went to check early the next morning, Russ and Fin were gone from their usual spot, just like he had planned.

He went home to grab the shields and pack the picnic. He packed all the romantic things he could think of; chocolate, cheeses of both the soft and hard variety, wine, a baguette, deep fried pickles, and a pineapple. He had grabbed everything Traysi recommended, plus the aforementioned chocolate and baguette.

When it was finally time for their date, he grabbed the basket, picnic blanket, and bag of shields, then fast travelled them to the teleportation circle he placed atop the cliff yesterday. He considered literally sweeping Zelda off her feet and carrying her in his arms, as per Traysi’s suggestion, but then Zelda would have to carry the picnic basket, and Traysi also said you should always carry your lover’s things, so he didn’t sweep her up.

“I’m so excited!” Zelda said, “What’s in the picnic basket?”

He almost answered, “a picnic” but then realised this wasn’t what she was asking. Instead, he answered, “A lot of fancy foods, plus hairspray.”

“Hairspray?”

He took a can out and sprayed his hair for several moments until the bottle was empty, then proceeded to take another can and started spraying Zelda.

“Ack!” Zelda coughed. She was not a fan of the scent. Her hair felt heavy and stiff. “Why would you do this?”

“For romance. So our hair won’t get messed up.”

“Hmm. Alright. However, please refrain from spraying my hair in the future.”

He nodded, then took out the shields. “My bad. Ready to learn to shield surf?”

She nodded, a determined look on her hairspray-covered face. “I’m ready.”

“First—” he drew his shield, “—you hold your shield in front of you like this.” Turquoise wisps flew in a bubble around him. Dammit. He had forgotten to disable Daruk’s protection. “You don’t need to have the red bubble to do it. That’s just a me thing. And a Daruk’s family thing.”

“Understood. What do I do next?”

“Then you jump on the edge where the slant starts. Leaning forward, you’ll quickly slip the shield under your feet. Keep your arms out to keep your balance. Then to steer, tilt your body in the direction you want to go.”

“Alright. I think I’ve got it. Jump, lean, slip, arms out, and tilt.”

“Yep! I’ll go first so you can watch my movements.” He jumped off the start of the slant and leaned forward. He slipped the shield under his feet and spread his arms. He slid down, steering via lean, until he was down where Fin usually stood. When he came to a stop, he jumped off and returned his shield to his back. He shouted, “Now you try!

Zelda once again nodded determinedly. “Coming!” she yelled. She jumped off the slant and went to put the shield under her feet, but wasn’t fast enough. She tumbled all the way down the hill. Link ran up to catch her. He caught her when she was about halfway down the hill. She didn’t scream or yell when she rolled, which only made Link more concerned. She didn’t scream much, having learned as a child that screaming and protesting, expressing pain or discomfort got her nowhere. (This is also what happens in ABA therapy, but that is neither here nor there.)

“Are you okay?!” Link exclaimed, holding Zelda in his arms.

“Peachy,” she groaned in response. “Just peachy.”

“Thank Hylia.”

“I’m being sarcastic. I am in a great deal of pain from rolling down the hill.”

“Oh. Yeah. I bet the rocks you hit didn’t help, either.”

“I don’t see how they could have.”

Link took out some hearty elixir. Zelda opened up her mouth and he poured it in. All of her wounds disappeared. “Let’s have our picnic now. I think the deep fried pickles were made with fortified cucumbers.”

“What is a… erm, deep fried pickle?”

He began carrying her up the hill to the picnic. He regretted not placing it at the bottom. Zelda was heavier than she used to be, having grown more muscle since she began fighting monsters with him and rock climbing. He wondered if she’d be more muscular than him soon. Probably not. He fought and rock climbed whenever she did. But perhaps genetics made her grow muscle more easily. Lucky bastard. In the growing muscle department. She was not very lucky in the rest of her life. “Imagine a cucumber.”

“I know what a pickle is.”

“Right. Then imagine a pickle.”

“Alright. It is imagined.”

“Now imagine it dipped in batter and deep fried so it has a crust like fried fish.”

“That sounds odd.”

“I’ve never had it, but Traysi says they’re very romantic.”

“Are you positive she’s really a qualified couple’s therapist?”

“What’s that?”

“A therapist is someone who—”

“I know what a therapist is. But what’s a couple’s therapist?”

“Ah. Well, it’s someone who helps couples resolve their problems without damaging their relationships. Urbosa said my mother and father went to one for a couple of sessions to work out what to name me. Mother wanted to name me Tetra, and Father wanted to name me Marin, but Zelda won out in the end.”

“Huh. That’s neat. The names feel familiar, but I don’t know why. Oh, they’re from those history books, right?”

“Yes.”

“They’re pretty names, but I prefer Zelda.”

“So, is Traysi qualified?”

“Probably. She seemed to know a lot about romance. I mean, the pineapple thing checks out.”

Zelda blushed. “Indeed.”

At the top of the hill, Link realised he could have just fast travelled them up. Oh, well. He sat Zelda down on the picnic blanket and poured the wine while she set up the plates and food.

“Cheers,” Zelda said as they clinked their glasses.

“Cheers. To learning together, growing together, and to finding out if red wine goes well with the food I brought.”

___________________________________________________________________________

With the next shield surfing attempts, Link surfed next to Zelda in case she fell off again. They went similarly to the first, sans rolling down the hill.

“Ugh,” she groaned, the twelfth attempt ending with her on her bottom near a rock. “It’s hopeless.”

Link went to comfort her, then noticed the tears in her eyes. He remembered that failure, no matter how small or temporary, reminded her of when she couldn’t awaken her powers. He forgot sometimes. It’s hard to remember another’s insecurities when you’re focused on your own, especially when another is so lovely that you don’t understand why they would have any insecurities at all.

“Hey,” he consoled, wiping away the tears with his sleeve, “hey, it’s okay. You’re not a failure, remember. You hit a snag in the road. I fall all the time. It doesn’t make you any worse of a person. You’re smart, talented, beautiful, and amazing. Your ability to surf doesn’t mean anything.”

Zelda took a deep breath. “Thank you. Oh, thank you, darling.” She wrapped him in a hug. “I know you’re right. It isn’t important in the grand scheme of things. But I want to be good at it. I want to improve.”

He hugged her tighter. “And you can get better. Just remember to be gentle to yourself now. Like you’re always telling me with my, um, routine.”

She thought of his nightly routine of checking the doors, windows, stable outside, bathroom, and pushing the table in front of the door in a barricade against intruders and monsters. It was a bad habit. What was worse was when he fell asleep without doing it and hated himself for it in the morning. She always reminded him to be kind to himself. To treat himself the way he would treat her. He wasn’t good at that. But he tried, not for himself, but for her. She deserved for him to try to be kind to himself. Zelda remembered this and decided to try to return the favour and be kind to herself, too.

“Thank you. I will attempt to be gentle with myself.”

___________________________________________________________________________

It was getting dark, and Zelda had tried to master shield surfing dozens of times, each attempt bearing no fruit.

“I think we need to get home,” Link finally sighed. “The horses need food, and we need dinner. Do you want me to go feed the horses, make dinner, and come back with some?”

She considered saying yes. She yearned to keep trying until she got it. A wolf howled nearby, out of sight. She knew it lingered nearby, waiting for a good moment to strike. She frowned and put her shield away in the foodless picnic basket. “I think it’s for the best we return home.”

Link nodded and placed his shield on his back. He picked up the basket and linked arms with her. They fast travelled back to the Myahm Agana shrine and walked to their home.

Zelda moped throughout dinner. Link was worried about her. He spoke up as soon as he had thought of enough words to do so. Speaking was once again difficult, Zelda’s stress rubbing off on him. “My queen, I promise you don’t need to worry. It will be okay.”

She nodded. “I believe you.”

An idea struck him like Urbosa’s fury struck enemies with lightning. “I have an idea.”

Zelda tilted her head. “What is it?”

“How about we have shield surfing dates every weekend? Then we can have dates often like Traysi suggests and you can get better at shield surfing.”

She smiled, still feeling down, but considerably less morose. “I’d love that.”

___________________________________________________________________________

It took six weekends for her to stop falling. These weekends happened over the span of three-and-a-half months. They were very busy people, after all, and didn’t have time to practice every week. Sometimes they practiced away from dates, and sometimes she practiced on her own. But finally, finally she stopped falling. In fact, she was able to get completely down the hill, and just in time, too. The day she succeeded in her endeavour was the day Russ and Fin came back.

“Heeey, man. Back for some more shield surfing? Couldn’t stay away, could you? Heh. I feel— hey, I don’t think I’ve seen you here before. Uh, Princess.”

“No sales pitch, please,” Zelda said. “I’m just here to surf.”

Russ nodded in a manner one might describe as ‘chill’. “I get it. Shield surfing is life, ya know? But when I said that to Selmie, she said it wasn’t a good life for anyone. Never meet your heroes.”

“It was still epic!” Fin yelled from the bottom of the hill. Link stood next to him, politely pretending to care about what Fin was saying to him. “She gave us a cool shield and I learned how to do a flip in the air!”

Russ laughed. “Heh. Okay, I admit, it was a great trip. But the ‘no life for anyone’ thing still sucked. Had to pretend I didn’t care about it too much. Still, trip of a lifetime.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Zelda snapped on her helmet, which she had gotten after the third weekend of falling. She didn’t care if her hair got messed up, and she didn’t care that Link had bought enough hairspray to fill their entire bathroom cabinet. In fact, they had found the previously mentioned eyeliner they had forgotten about because they had to empty the bathroom cabinet to fit it all. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some shield surfing to do.”

“Cool. But if you don’t buy one, you probably won’t get as good a glide.”

She ignored him. “Today is the day,” she whispered to herself. “Today is the day I do not fall.”

She jumped off the slant, leaned forward, and slid the shield under her feet. She held out her arms and leaned to steer, gracefully gliding to the bottom where Link waited.

“I did it!” She ran over and squeezed him in a tight hug.

“You did it,” he spoke quietly, aware that her ear was next to his mouth.

She stopped hugging him. “You were right. I could do it!”

“It’s all you. You did it.”

“But I couldn’t have done it without your help. Without you believing in me.”

“I’m on Link’s side, here,” Fin interjected, “It was all you. He wasn’t even there.”

“Please stay out of our conversation,” Zelda said, perhaps rudely.

“Rude. You can’t talk so loud and expect me not to join in the convo.”

She ignored him and looked back to Link. “Can you promise me something?”

Link nodded. “Probably.”

“Stop listening to everything Traysi says. She’s not a relationship expert.”

He grinned. He thought of Traysi’s latest article about how tough love was the best way to win an argument with your partner, so you should always ignore them when you’re mad. He thought about how ridiculous that was. He agreed to Zelda’s request. “Anything for you, my queen.”

Chapter Text

"Zelda!" Link shouted.

Zelda, who had been looking through the pictures Link had taken in the Sheikah slate when she was holding back Ganon (including some tasteful pictures of his rear end, which seemed like a waste of the technology, but she certainly wasn't complaining), jumped. "I was absolutely not looking at your unclothed photographs."

"Huh?" Link looked as taken aback as Zelda did startled. "No, this isn't about my nudes. Unless you want it to be."

"Oh, um, no. Not at all. For what reason did you call for me?"

"I have a great idea! Okay, so you know how my favourite thing to do is sand seal racing?"

"I thought your favourite things to do were cooking, sword fighting, and shield surfing?"

"I'm a man of many interests."

She nodded because it was true. He had many interests, as did she. Her favourite hobby was researching ancient tech, followed by reading, playing the harp, and since recently, cooking. Link did not like the study of ancient tech, but he loved listening to Zelda talk about it. Watching the way her eyes lit up when she taught him about her latest discoveries made him finally understand why people watched the sunset.

Zelda was his sun, and he'd forever be watching her rise and set and sulk amongst clouds and shine just as bright from behind them. Sometimes he worried he wasn't good enough. The moon is not the sun's equal, he thought. But that, my friends, is a story for a later time.

"And one of them is sand seal racing! I'm actually the world champion at the moment, unless someone's beaten my record since then."

Zelda's mouth hung open. Was there anything Link couldn't do? "You're a world Olympic athlete?!"

Link didn't acknowledge her impressed reaction. "I didn't know the Olympics included sand seal racing."

"Yes, the world champion goes on to compete in the next Olympics."

"Oh, shit. I, er, I definitely let someone down. Straight up didn't show."

"Oh my gosh."

"Yeah." He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, then perked up. "But hey, that gives someone else a shot!"

"Not if you didn't give advance notice."

"Anyway!" He changed the subject to avoid feeling bad. "I wanna teach you to sand seal race!"

Zelda pictured herself trying to race. She pictured herself falling off her shield and going face-first into the sand. She pictured herself going face-second into the sand. She pictured herself going face-last into the sand. She pictured herself being eaten by a molduga. She pictured many scenarios, none of which were ideal.

"Um, not to be rude, and I appreciate the offer, but I am afraid."

Link's face took on a concerned expression. "Oh no! Why?"

"Well... I'm not exactly a sand seal racer."

"No, but you do have abs from all the sword fighting and rock climbing."

Zelda looked down at her stomach. "I suppose. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Good core strength is all you need. And balance. And a seal. And a shield. And some hydromelon juice to keep cool."

"My core strength and vestibular abilities are adept," she admitted, "And I assume you have thought this through... alright, I'll do it!"

"Oh, really? Yay! Okay, go grab your shield and I'll get the rest. You okay with desert voe clothing?"

"I'd rather keep both my nipples covered."

"Makes sense. Okay, you can just use regular clothes and take cooling potion."

"That would be far preferable. I shall meet you outside when you are ready."

___________________________________________________________________________

Catching a sand seal was a matter entirely of its own. In Link's opinion, it was harder than the sand seal surfing itself.

This in mind, they decided to simply rent a sand seal in Gerudo town. 

"What are they named?" Zelda asked the saleswoman (sealswoman?), Frelly.

"Rachel," Frelly replied. 

"They're both named Rachel?" 

"A good name for good girls. Be kind to them. I'll know if you aren't. Now sign these wavers, please."

They looked at the wavers. The terms seemed reasonable, so they signed them. 

"Alrighty, then! Sav'orq!"

They led their sand seals outside the town to sit while Link explained to Zelda what to do. "It's a lot like shield surfing," he explained. "And you're great at that."

"Thank you."

"What you do is this—" He took out his shield and placed it beneath his feet. "Then approach the sand seal. Take her leash and tie it around your waist. Make sure you keep your feet planted firmly in the center."

Zelda followed his lead. "And now?"

"Now all you have to do is tell her to go, then act like you're shield surfing."

She nodded and took a deep breath. "Alright. Here I go."

"You got this!"

"Hyah!" She tugged gently on the leash. Rachel took off, soaring through the sand faster than any horse Zelda had ridden. "This is incredible!" She shouted over to Link. His seal had caught up to hers so they were riding next to each other.

"Sand seals always makes me think of Riju," he shouted back, "and Patricia! We should invite them seal racing sometime!"

"I agree wholeheartedly!"

"To speed up, just tug on the leash a little," he demonstrated his instructions as he spoke. "You're a natural!"

She tugged on the leash and was amazed to find that Rachel could go even faster. "We're so fast! This is my new favourite thing!"

___________________________________________________________________________

After a few hours of speeding around the desert, they decided to take a rest in the West Barrens, on some stairs that led to nowhere. The spot they chose was near-identical to many spots around them; pillars rose from the ground, connected to nothing, remnants of centuries long past. A tall statue next to them held a sword pointing to the distance. A korok floated on a pillar nearby, though not at the pillars near which they sat.

Link took out a large insulated thermos, two bowls, and two cups. He poured juice into all of them. One bowl of juice per seal, one cup of juice per Hylian.

They sat and chatted for little less than an hour when they were interrupted.

The ground began to rumble. Link shot up, spilling his juice on the sand. The sand absorbed the juice with haste, colouring it a darker brown before evaporating completely.

Zelda jumped up, too, though she did not spill her juice. "What is that?"

"I think," the ground rumbled again, "it's a molduga."

They scaled the pillars as quickly as possible. Zelda was beyond grateful for her climbing knowledge. "Oh, dear! This was exactly one of my fears!" Not that it was saying much, considering the quantity of her sand seal racing related fears. At least one was bound to come true, though it was more likely to be a less deadly one. She would have preferred falling into the sand and getting sand in her shoes. Uncomfortable, but not as dangerous. "And we can't just fast travel away! What about the sand seals?"

"Moldugas don't eat sand seals. Too fatty and trust me, the saddles taste awful. You ever drink that water polluted with melon rinds? Worse than that. So they're fine."

She looked down from the top of the pillar. "Where is it? I can't see its shape under the sand!"

Link groaned. "I was wrong. It's not a molduga."

Zelda looked where he was looking. There stood a Yiga blademaster, cracking his neck, his sword held in front of him in an obnoxious 'I'm coming for you' manner. He laughed a deep, malicious laugh.

Link jumped off the pillar and fired arrows in quick succession on his way down. The blademaster stumbled. Zelda whipped out the Sheikah slate and hit the stasis button, freezing the enemy in place. She leapt off the pillar and ran up to him. She and Link hit him with their swords until the stasis wore off, then jumped away.

The blademaster fell backwards, then teleported to a new spot behind them. He raised his windcleaver and sliced through the air, smashing it into the Earth. The ground rumbled and split, wind blowing up from the slice.

Zelda dodged while Link backflipped out of the way. They pulled their paragliders and rode the wind up. While in the air, Link once again assaulted the blademaster's face with arrows. Zelda came close to the ground then let go, slamming down her sword, creating a shockwave and beating the blademaster at his own game.

The blademaster stumbled for a final time. Apparently admitting defeat, he clutched his hands together and teleported away, leaving behind a bunch of bananas. Both Link and Zelda were a bit disappointed he didn't leave any rupees like a scout would have.

"Stupid Yiga clan," Link grumped. He perked up, "But we did a great job defeating him!"

Zelda ran over to the seals to make sure they weren't hurt. "They're unharmed. In fact, I think they enjoyed the show.”

Link brought the bunch of bananas over to the seals. He split the bunch in half and tossed one part to each of them. They barked joyfully as they ate their treats. He hoped the Rachels would give them a good review.

"Let's head back to Gerudo town," Zelda said. She went to drink the last bit of her juice, but decided against it upon seeing it had been filled with sand during the fight. "I am exhausted."

They got on their shields and began their trip back to town. "Race you!" Link suggested.

"Challenge accepted!"

They sped through the desert, gliding past cacti and sleeping lizalfos at top speed. Occasionally one of them would shout out trash talk. Link's was far better, his voice less posh and his use of language more casual. It's hard to sound trash-talk-ey when you say, "I believe I'll beat you so devastatingly that you will never recover!" and your partner says, "Eat my dust!"

Halfway there, Link's Rachel stopped. Perhaps she didn't appreciate his trash talk, perhaps she got tired, or perhaps she was feeling like being a jerk.

Link flew off his shield and landed in the sand. He lay with his face in the sand and his rear in the air. One of his legs was twisted a way it really shouldn't have been. He groaned in pain.

Zelda raced over to him and jumped off her shield. She restrained herself from saying, "Who's eating dust now?" and instead said, "Are you alright? What happened?"

Link dragged himself up into a sitting position. He pointed to his Rachel. "She booted me off."

Zelda helped Link onto his feet and gave him some hearty elixir. His leg untwisted like magic. "Oh, gosh. Your legs looked awful. Thank goodness it's better now."

Link shook it. "Felt awful, too. Hope it doesn't happen again."

Zelda marched over to Link's Rachel. She shook her index finger at her and scolded, "This behaviour is unacceptable."

Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me, young lady! If you do it again, you won't get any fruit treats when we get back to Gerudo town. Understood?"

Rachel considered this. She nodded and barked in a yes.

"Good. Now, you behave yourself please."

Link was impressed. "Wow. You really know how to talk to a mean seal."

"I have had practice."

"When?"

"Urbosa had a sand seal, remember?"

Link thought back, trying to uncover a memory he still didn't have. It was saddening to know he had lived a life he could only remember pieces of. Most of the pieces were back. All the most important ones, at least, and his memories of being a child. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find some. He longed for these memories more than almost anything. He wished there was a way to bring them back. It was helpful, though only a little, that Zelda was able to remind him of things he had forgotten. Daruk's love of lizards, Mipha reading to Sidon every morning, Purah's old shoe size that they always made fun of (it was so tiny! Almost as tiny as it was now), Revali's secret stamp collection, Impa's secret Akkala bun recipe made purely of frogs and flour, and of course, Urbosa's sand seal.

Oh, how he longed to remember.

"I don't remember," Link admitted. "I... I wish I did."

"Oh," Zelda seemed disappointed. "I'm so sorry."

"Are you upset?"

"No!" she shook her head furiously, "Not at you, at least. I just wish... I wish you had your memories. For your sake."

Link nodded. "Me, too."

They boarded their sand seals and travelled back to town. They weren't racing anymore. It felt wrong to race after such an ordeal. Every so often, Link's Rachel started to speed up to knock Link over again, but Zelda went "No!" and she stopped acting out.

At Gerudo town, Link changed back into his vai clothes, and into the town they went.

They returned the seals immediately upon their return. The wavers specifically stated that they had to be back that day, and the sun was already starting to set.

"We're here to return Rachel and Rachel," Link said, handing their leashes over to Frelly.

"Thank you for returning them on time," she turned to the seals. "And how are you two doing?" She bent down and listened to the seals as they barked. She nodded along, then stood back up and spoke to Link and Zelda. "Rachel says you were very kind, but you were snippy with the other Rachel. Since Rachel is a cheeky one, I will allow it. She also says you gave them bananas, and she says thank you."

"You're quite welcome," Zelda said. She tossed them their promised rewards.

Frelly handed her two slips of paper. "Here. Coupons for 5% off your next rental."

"Ooooo! Thank you."

"No problem. Seal you later."

Chapter Text

Seething.

Writhing.

Oozing and creeping, filling every imaginable space. Filling her ears and nose, making her glad she keeps her eyes and mouth shut, hard as it may be to not see the monster around her.

The manifestation of evil surrounds her, envelops her senses, watching, waiting for her to slip so it can consume her. As if it didn’t have her trapped already.

Waiting for her knight to wake, knowing he might not. Knowing he’s the only chance she has left. Knowing it was all her fault, if only she had awoken her powers sooner, if only she had worked harder, worked more, *been* more, maybe he would be fine.

She tries to breathe, but the malice surrounding her is suffocating. She doesn’t need to breathe with the magic, but still her lungs scream for air. She made it this long without any, she can wait. It is her destiny, and she will fulfil it, no matter how much it makes her suffer.

But the malice is too strong. It wrenches her lips apart, making her eyes open in shock. She sees Ganon, his grin wide with shark-like teeth. He and the malice are one, pulsating and glowing.

The sight makes her feel sick, but she doesn’t see it for long before it punctures her eyes, slicing through her cornea like a razor blade, sliding into her body, mixing with the malice in her mouth and her ears and her nose until she can’t feel where Ganon ends and she begins. 

He tears through her chest, swallowing her heart and bursting through her ribs. Her flesh burns, hot and wet, coated in boils and covered in holes. She doesn’t know how she’s still alive. Is she? Or had she perished when the malice overtook her body?

She can think, but can’t feel her limbs. She can’t see or hear. She can’t feel or tell what was around her.

This answers her question. She is dead. This is her fault. She failed all of Hyrule, and now she pays the price. Utter loneliness. Complete nothingness. Total oblivion. 

________________________________________________________________________

Zelda shot up, looking around her. She could see. She saw Link beside her, looking over with concern. She could feel his arms around her waist. She could hear the cicadas outside. She could breathe and feel the air in her lungs, and the only thing surrounding her was her burrito of a blanket.

Link lay next to Zelda, on top of his blanket. Whenever he was under it, he awoke feeling like he was being strangled. He needed to be able to escape in an instant, and a blanket would only complicate things. He kept his sword next to the bed. He used to sleep with it, but he stopped when he started sleeping beside Zelda.

He got up twice during the night to make sure the door was locked. When Zelda got up to go to the bathroom, he followed and stood outside the door to keep guard. He made sure to go to sleep after her and wake up before her.

Some would call him paranoid. Those people hadn’t been a soldier a century ago. Those people hadn’t seen what he had. They hadn’t lived in the wild for years, training to save the princess. It wasn’t his fault he never felt safe.

“Ganon dream?” Link asked her. Concern was written in the lines on his face. She must have woken him when she had jolted awake.

She nodded. “It was worse this time. He- he won. He slithered inside me and killed me and- and- and-” She buried her head in Link’s chest and let out a sob.

He took her blanket burrito and squirmed inside it. “It’s okay.”

“It was just like real life, but worse!” She wept. She was grateful she still had eyes to cry with.

Link said nothing. He ran his hand through her hair until she drifted off to sleep.

He couldn’t follow her example. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching him, stalking him from the corners of their home where the light didn’t hit.

He checked to make sure Zelda was asleep. She was, so he kissed her forehead and snuck out of bed, being careful not to wake her. He went through his checklist.

Check the locks.

Check the windows.

Check behind the house.

Check under the stairs, in the cabinets, in the shed.

Check where Bolson and Karson used to sit.

Check the bushes.

Check the darkest, smallest corners where the light doesn’t quite reach, no matter how bright the lights are turned up or how sunny it is outside.

Check again.

Link was not paranoid. He was simply being cautious, and he didn’t understand why Zelda was concerned. When he was a knight, he did the same things, and no one thought anything of it.

He knew how Zelda felt, with the dream. He had similar dreams. Dreams where he was still in the wild, dreams where he lost battles, dreams where he was forced to relisten to Rhoam scold Zelda, helpless to do anything. And dreams about malice. Oh, the malice dreams. They were frequent. Malice wasn’t something easily forgotten, once you had touched it. There were no words to convey how the malice felt.

If he had to describe it, he’d say malice was hot, burning through his skin like fire through dry grass. It was cold, freezing his bones and tearing his muscles apart fiber by fiber. It was dark, the sort of dark that your eyes don’t adjust to. It was bright, the same shade of white that comes when lightning strikes a body with no one in it.

That’s how Link felt. Like a body with no one in it. He didn’t know who he was supposed to be. He didn’t know how to find out.

He was the Hylian champion. He was a soldier. He was a brother and a son. He was the wielder of the sword that seals the darkness. He was Hylia’s chosen.

He was many things for a kingdom that no longer existed; for people that no longer existed. For a goddess that had put his love, his queen through so much. 

He was a lot of things. He wasn’t much of anything.

What would he do with himself now? Now that the darkness was sealed? Now that Hyrule was being rebuilt? Now that Zelda didn’t need a guard? Would she still want him around?

He reassured himself that she would still want him. She loved him. He had been worried when he asked her to live with him, but she had just assumed it was a given. The castle was destroyed, after all. He remembered her looking at him funny, then going back to her normal expression. “Of course,” she had said.

She said she loved him. She said it often. She said everything was alright, that they were fine now, that they would protect each other. He believed her. But the intrusive thoughts did not stop.

He lay down next to Zelda and went back to sleep, praying for a single night without flashbacks. Despite being Hylia’s chosen, his prayers went unanswered.

________________________________________________________________________

The bokoblins circled him. Ten silver ones, surrounding him. He turned around to flee, but there were gold lizalfos behind him. There was no time to put on his mask, so he reached for the Sheikah slate. He grasped his leg where it should be, but it wasn’t there. The moblins came closer. One of them clutched the slate in its grimy grey hands. Link was a fool for sleeping at their camp after slaying them. The blood moon had brought them back stronger than before, as if to mock him.

He died while fighting them. Mipha, the only champion he had managed to save so far, had healed him. He had died again, and the fairy in his pocket brought him back. Eventually he was able to swipe the Sheikah slate and flee, lacking the weapon he had sat down for the night, some supplies, and his pride. It was before he had regained all his memories, before he had claimed the master sword, and before he had grown fully used to his responsibilities. He wasn’t strong enough yet. He wouldn’t be able to save Zelda at this rate. He wished he had stayed in the shrine of resurrection.

________________________________________________________________________

It wasn’t exactly a five-star meal, but he was starving. It hadn’t been a good day when it came to foraging or hunting, and as for rupees to simply buy food? Well, his pockets were as empty as his stomach.

He stuffed the weeds into his mouth and forced himself to chew and swallow. Goddess, it was disgusting. He had eaten most of them and he was still hungry. He was achy all over, his muscles sore and feet tingling.

The weeds weren’t poisonous according to the Sheikah slate. Link figured they didn’t need to be, given how disgusting they were. Any creature in their right mind would avoid them based on taste alone.

Cold water dripped from the sky, extinguishing Link’s fire. He couldn’t just fast travel away like he could these days. He had a mission he had to complete, and he didn’t yet have a teleportation circle to get back. He hid beneath a tree, curled into a ball beneath his cape, and hoped the weeds would hit his stomach soon.

___________________________________________________________________________

Zelda sobbed into his lap. Her tears were quickly absorbed by the fabric of his tunic. “I’m a failure,” she whimpered. 

Link’s hand hovered above her shoulder as he debated whether or not it would be appropriate for him to touch her. He decided he didn’t care. Screw caring about what’s appropriate. He placed his hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay!” She wailed. She was right, and Link knew it. Nothing about this was okay.

They were in her room. It was warm but dark, the sun having set long ago, leaving the fireplace’s soft glow the only light. He and Zelda had spent three days journeying to and from the spring only for their journey to be in vain. Her powers still hadn’t awoken.

They were exhausted from the trip, Zelda was more distraught than she had been in months, and King Rhoam still had the *nerve* to scold her for her failure.

Rhoam didn’t see her countless hours of pain and misery, of trying and sobbing. He saw nothing, not because she hid it, but because he refused to look.

Link wondered how a father could be so cruel to his own daughter. How could he not notice how his ‘tough love’ was making everything so much worse?

Link wished more than anything in the world that Zelda would awaken her powers, but perhaps even more than that, he wished that he could speak up and stop Rhoam’s verbal abuse. Protect her, shield her as was his sworn duty. Zelda deserved better.

She sobbed into his tunic. Again she whispered, “I’m a failure.”

________________________________________________________________________

Mipha’s distress call echoed through the air. Daruk’s soon followed, blaring moments before Urbosa’s. Revali was last, the closest to death, his pride the only thing stopping him from sounding it sooner.

Mipha’s distress call echoed through the air. Link did nothing. He did nothing. It was all he could do.

Mipha’s distress call echoed through the air. Mipha. Urbosa. Daruk. His father. His sister. His childhood friends. His cohorts. All dead, dying, or lucky. In what sort of world was it possible that people who had survived but lost everything were considered the lucky ones?

Mipha’s distress call echoed through the air. Link held his ground against the swarm of monsters attacking Zelda. He prayed everything would be alright. There was still time. All was not lost. Not yet.

Mipha’s distress called echoed through the air. Link slayed guardian after guardian, alarmed and confused as to why they had turned against him. His sword was covered in malice. His power was weakening. He was scared.

Mipha’s distress call echoed through the air. He collapsed. Another guardian appeared seemingly from nowhere. He forced himself up with his sword. He stood, just barely, and thought of his vow to perform his sworn duty until the end. He was Hylia’s chosen. He was Zelda’s guard. He was a hero. He would fulfil his duty.

Mipha’s distress call echoed through the air.

________________________________________________________________________

Link was falling in his next dream. This dream was not a memory. He wasn’t sure what it was. A premonition? A taunt? Perhaps nothing more than a nightmare. He woke as he hit the ground.

Zelda, beautiful, kind, real Zelda sat beside him. She had been shaking him, trying to rouse him from his slumber. “Link. Link. Link, please open your eyes.”

Link sat up. His eyes opened as requested.

“I think you were having a bad dream. Is everything well?”

‘No,’ he thought. ‘Nothing is well. Everything is wrong.’ He kept his thoughts to himself.

“Link,” she placed her hand closer to him, an open invitation to hold it. “It’s okay.”

He shook his head. “Nothing is okay.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

He hugged her. He choked out a sob. “Can you teach me how to feel safe again?”

She hesitated. Could she? Could she? Could she teach him that which she didn’t know herself?

She thought of the past year. He had taught her so much. She wanted to return the favour, but would it be wrong, promising to do so when she was unable? 

“I can’t,” she admitted, holding him tighter. “I don’t know how.”

Link let out a sob. “I just want to feel safe again.”

She rubbed his back. “I do, too.”

“It’s okay,” she comforted, “we can learn together.”

________________________________________________________________________

Zelda was determined to help Link learn to feel safe again. She decided she would do absolutely whatever it took. She wanted to feel safe and secure, but more than that, she wanted Link to. She wanted him to relax. She wanted him to heal.

Oh, how she missed Mipha. Mipha would know what to do. Zelda offered her a silent prayer and hoped she could hear it.

First, she went to Impa. Impa was always kind to her, and if anyone knew what to do, it would be her. She was very old, after all. She had lived through the calamity by Zelda’s side. More than that, she had lived through the aftermath of the calamity. She had spent nearly a century away from her sister, keeping Kakariko Village safe instead. She had been through so much, and was still standing strong. (Mentally, at least. Physically, she couldn’t stand for very long.) She was the perfect person to ask for help.

Impa was confused as to why Zelda had come to her. “I’m not exactly an expert at how to cope with trauma.”

“But you’ve dealt with it for one hundred years now! And you’re doing perfectly well!”

“I suppose…” Impa rubbed her chin in thought, “Though… I’m not sure my coping methods were the healthiest.”

“What were they? I’m certain they would work well for Link and I. Great minds think alike, after all.”

“I’ll tell you. But you shouldn’t follow my example.”

Zelda wasn’t sure what all the drama and secrecy was about. “I vow not to. Probably.”

“Well then, I’ll tell you. I mostly binge ate, drank, and made out with strangers. I still don’t know who Paya’s grandfather is.”

Zelda’s mouth fell open. She tried not to imagine what Impa had said. “Impa!”

“I said you shouldn’t follow my example!”

“Sorry. I’m just terribly surprised.”

“It’s alright. It wasn’t the best way to cope with the loss. But there wasn’t much else to do to heal mental wounds. I only straightened up when Paya’s mother was born.”

Zelda frowned, feeling dejected. “So you can’t help us?”

Impa shook her head. “I’m afraid not. But I’ll tell you what; If you go ask Purah about it, she may have some solutions. And if she doesn’t—”

“Ask Robbie?” Zelda guessed.

Impa looked surprised such a thing would even cross Zelda’s mind. “That lunatic? No. Do not ask him. Ask that Zora who loves Link so much.”

“Sidon! Of course! Oh, thank you, Impa! You’re even smarter than 100 years ago!”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” she joked in reply. “You’re most welcome.”

________________________________________________________________________

Purah’s lab didn’t have a lock. Zelda wasn’t sure if there were any locks in Hateno other than the ones on her door. She just walked right into the lab to see Purah standing on her stool, scanning the papers in front of her.

Upon hearing the door open, Purah looked up from her work. She gasped and tore off her goggles. “Hey! It’s you! Symin, the princess is here!”

Symin stepped out from the stacks and waved. “Hello, Princess.”

“Hello, Symin. Good evening, Purah.”

Purah jumped off her chair and skipped over to Zelda. “So… not that I don’t appreciate your company, but why’re you here? Just to hang?”

“I actually have a question.”

“If it’s about the grubs, I still haven’t figured it out.”

Zelda’s face scrunched up in confusion. “I was unaware of this experiment to begin with.”

“Oh, yeah. Lemme explain.” She ran back to the table, then gestured for Zelda to come over. “Snap! C’mon! You’ll love it.”

Zelda walked over, carefully stepping over the papers on the floor, until she got to the table, on which sat several folders with diagrams of grubs and beetles. There were also test tubes full of puce and mauve liquid, some of it seemingly carbonated. A Petri dish with grubs encased in resin sat below an antique microscope, made of technology that didn’t exist anymore.

“So—” Purah pointed excitedly to different pictures on the papers, “Here’s a rare species of beetle. I’m studying its larvae, aka grubs, to see if it can be used to study the way a guardian’s legs move.”

“Fascinating!” Zelda’s eyes grew wide with enthralment, her enthusiasm matching Purah’s own. “And how would that work?”

“Well, grubs move like… this!” Purah wiggled in the air, her movement similar to that of a guardian’s. “And so do guardians’ legs. So I’m thinking maybe if I can nail how they work, I can compare the two.”

Zelda clapped enthusiastically. “How will this research help Hyrule?”

Purah scratched her head. “Hmmmmmm… well, I had a reason, but I forgot it.”  She turned around and yelled, “Hey, Symin! Why’m’I studying grubs again?”

“You wanted to compare them to guardian legs,” he reminded in what some would call an inside voice, “then use that information to recreate smaller, non-corrupt guardians to help with rebuilding, as well as repairing decayed guardians.”

“Oh yeah! Thanks!” She turned back to Zelda. “Yeah, that’s why.”

Zelda gasped. “Oh my! You think you can fix them?”

“*And* build new ones! Snap! I’ll give these ones hands, but I’ll have to study something else for that. Probably lizards.”

“Oh, goodness! How thrilling!”

“I know, right? Aaaaaaanyway,” she twirled around to face her, and snapped her goggles back on. “Whatcha here for?”

Zelda took on a much more serious demeanour. “Ah, yes. Well…”

She described her and Link’s predicament. Purah’s face got more solemn as the conversation went on. 

“So I was wondering, do you have any advice?”

“Oh.” Purah stayed silent for quite a few minutes. It was awkward, just standing there, the air heavy with memories of lost battles long past. Finally she spoke, “Well, that’s a bit of a heavy subject.”

“Please, Purah. We need your help.”

“Well, I’m a scientist of the vague, commonly-referred-to-in-media-but-non-specific-on-the-subsection, sciencey science variety, not the mental health variety.”

“Please? It doesn’t have to be official science, just advice between friends.”

“Hmmm… I don’t really talk about the years right after the calamity. It was a tough time. But I suppose I can make an exception for you, Zelly.”

“Zelly?”

Purah shrugged in response. “I don’t know. I had to come up with a nickname for you, and that one matches your lover-boy.”

“Lover-boy?”

“Lover-boy. Boyfriend. Boy toy. Male wife. Whatever,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“May we get back to the task at hand, please?”

Purah grew solemn again. “Right. Well… after the calamity, I fell into my research. I didn’t have much supplies, just the stuff I could salvage from the ruins. But I was determined to find a sciencey way to fix everything. Eventually I realised I couldn’t.

I visited Link every couple of years until I got too old to walk. Now I’m spry as a butterfly, but I wasn’t back then. The last few times, Symin had to come with me. I had… a really hard time when I realised I might die before Link woke up, and I might never see either of you two again.

Impa took it even harder, though. You two were… are best friends, after all. She didn’t take it well when… well, you know.”

“I do.”

“So I didn’t really have an obvious or out-loud crisis like her. I didn’t drink or cry. I couldn’t. I had to stay strong for my little sis. Can you imagine? *I* was the sensible one.”

“Oh, Purah. I’m so sorry—“

Purah waved her off dismissively. “It’s fine. You’re back, Link’s back. Danger’s gone.”

Zelda sat down on the one grub-free stool. “How do you cope now? How do you manage to feel safe again?”

Purah opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again and scratched her head. “Hmmm… I don’t know. I just do. Symin here’ll protect me! Right, Symin?”

Symin looked over. “Did you say something? I wasn’t listening. It seemed like a private conversation.”

“You’ll always protect me, right?”

Symin hesitated. “Depends.”

Purah stomped her foot. “What?! On what?”

“On what you need protecting from.”

She looked over at Zelda, then back at Symin. “This conversation is not over, mister. Got it?”

“Okay?”

“Aaaaanyway, I feel safe because after the conversation Symin and I’ll have later, he’ll protect me from anything. And because you have your sealing powers now. And because I live on top of a cliff. Oh, snap! I just realised lizalfos can climb cliffs. Okay, I need a fence. But still, there are guards in Hateno, and I’m waaaaaaaay above them, so I’ll hear the screams of anything that gets into town just in time for me to grab my bag and Symin and vamoose in click snap!”

Zelda considered these reasons. They seemed reasonable, but none of them really applied to her. “Thank you, Purah. I need some time to think on this.”

“No prob! M’kay, if you’re heading out, I’m gonna get back to my grubs. Don’t be a stranger!”

________________________________________________________________________

Zora’s Domain was cool and dry—as dry as it ever got there, at least. Zelda supposed that by dry, she simply meant ‘not currently raining’.

Sidon stood under Mipha’s statue, staring up at her. Zelda wondered if he was praying, asking for his sister’s guidance. Zelda had prayed for her mother’s many times.

She approached him from behind, trying to step loudly so as not to startle him. “Prince Sidon?”

Despite her efforts to keep him un-startled, he jumped at her voice. Perhaps he was so deep in his thoughts that he hadn’t heard the loud, wet footsteps. “Ah, Princess Zelda. I was just admiring the beautiful work done here. I’m sure you can see, I miss her… very much.”

She looked up at the statue. Its stone glowed faintly in the moonlight of late evening. She had told Link she would be back by midnight. Despite the dark sky, she knew she had plenty of time.

“I do as well.” She stood beside Sidon and stared at the statue with him. Eventually she spoke again, “I was wondering, Prince Sidon, if you would mind talking about… a sensitive subject.”

She didn’t wish to say more than necessary before he agreed. Perhaps he wouldn’t be willing to share his thoughts or coping mechanisms.

“I don’t mind at all,” he replied.

Zelda looked around, concerned someone may hear her speak and become burdened by her troubles. Sidon seemed to catch on to her unintentional signal. “Will you come with me to somewhere more private?” he asked.

She followed him into an empty room. It was spacious, with a pool in the middle to sleep in. It had blue curtains on the windows, a shelf full of books, bottles, and trinkets, and a desk in the corner covered in organised piles of paper. There was an armchair next to the desk. “Is this your bedroom?” Zelda asked.

Sidon nodded. “It is indeed, my friend! Most Zora sleep in the communal pools, but I sleep here. Royal Zora get too large for the pools eventually, so it’s common for us to get our own pools as children to grow into.”

“That’s interesting. I’d love to learn more about Zora culture. All I know is from a century ago.”

He gave her a dazzling smile. “I’d be happy to tell you all about it sometime! We also have wonderful scholars and historians that could educate you.”

“I look forward to the opportunity.”

“As do I,” Sidon gestured for Zelda to sit in the armchair. She did, and he sat in the desk chair. “So, you were wondering about the war? I’m afraid I don’t remember much.”

“Not about the war,” she clarified, “but about you. About Mipha.”

Sidon tilted his head in surprise. “Oh? Well, of course I’d be happy to assist. I’m always happy to talk about my dear sister. What do you wish to know?”

“Well… forgive me if this is too intrusive, but after she died, how did you cope?”

Sidon’s expression grew solemn, concerned. “Are you alright? I know it can be difficult to handle loss. Your father died, did he not?”

She nodded. “Yes, but that is not why I’m troubled. I know he rests peacefully now that his ghost has accomplished his mission.”

“I should like more information about that statement later, please. But for now, I must ask you; why are you troubled, friend?”

“I just—“ she began to choke up, thinking of all the things she couldn’t find words to describe. “—I never feel safe. *Link* never feels safe. Every night he checks the house multiple times for potential danger, he won’t sleep with a blanket, he won’t let himself sleep if I’m up,” she paused, hoping she wasn’t betraying Link’s trust by telling him these things. He had given her permission to speak about it to their closest friends. Sidon, while not very close with her, was close with Link. She hoped they were close enough. “It’s honestly concerning. I care for him so dearly, and seeing him in such turmoil hurts my soul. But I am in no place to judge, as I am no better.”

Sidon nodded. “I’m afraid I do know how you feel. With Vah Ruta rampaging, father and I were forced to prepare the Zora for evacuation. The blight inside her killed my dear sister, the strongest Zora I knew, so we knew we would stand no chance. Every day was lived with the nagging fear that she would turn on us, too. When I left to find a Hylian, I was terrified there would be no Domain to come home to, for it would have perished while I was absent.”

“Oh, Sidon. How terrible. I had no idea you suffered through that.”

“It’s quite alright.” He stared at the wall behind Zelda for a moment, saying nothing. She could hear the waterfalls outside and people bustling about the hallway. 

Seeming to have broken from his trance, Sidon looked back to her. “But back to your marvellous if not concerning question! How do I manage to feel safe?”

“Yes. How do you cope with knowing there is so much fear to be had?”

Sidon gave a small, gentle smile, nothing like his usual beaming one. “There is much to be said about fear. To truly defeat fear, to feel safe, you must first accept that the fear is there. Acknowledge that it exists, and it is a dreadful way to feel, but it is valid.”

Zelda nodded. “I think we’ve done that bit.”

“I believe so, too. But it’s only the first step.” Sidon placed a hand on her knee. “You must look it head-on and say to it… thank you.”

“Thank you? To the fear?”

He nodded. “Indeed.”

“Why?”

“Fear serves a purpose. It keeps you safe. Fear says to you, avoid this situation, for it is dangerous. Steer clear of that, for it will surely cause you harm. Fear is a tool. It is simply a tool that is of no use to you anymore.”

“I suppose…”

“Then tell it that it is no longer needed. Dismiss it like you would a rude but important member of your court.”

She nodded. “Politely yet firmly?”

Sidon smiled another small, uncharacteristic smile. “Exactly. Of course, stay vigilant when you’re exploring ruins, or something with similar risk, but in everyday life, remember to examine your fear, thank it, and dismiss it.”

“And it’s that easy? I just tell it to leave?”

“Well... No. It isn’t really as easy as I described. It doesn’t work at first. And it doesn’t work for everyone.”

“Oh.”

“But it does help eventually. As does getting help from a professional. There is a marvelous psychologist here in the domain.”

“And it helped you?”

“It did. The only way to feel safer is to ask for help when necessary and not give up. You don’t strike me as the sort of person to just give up.” He grasped her hands in his and gave his usual dazzling smile. “And I believe in both you and Link. You can do anything you put your mind to, and you both truly deserve all the good in this world.”

“Thank you, Prince Sidon. Your advice has been most helpful.”

“Just Sidon is alright,” he said, “We’re friends, after all.”

She smiled genuinely. It seemed they were close.

_____________________________________________________________________

When she got home that night only minutes before midnight, she told Link of all she had learned that day. He nodded along as she spoke.

And eventually, many months later, Link checked the perimeter only once before slipping into bed beside her. He kissed her forehead. “Goodnight, my queen.”

“Goodnight, Darling.”

And for the first time in years, neither of them had any nightmares.

Chapter Text

Note: Please read chapter summary.

Cut Out Bit from chapter three: Can You Teach Me How to Ride... a Bear?

The weather had gone from cold and wet to hot and humid, the moisture clinging to the air as thick as soup. 

“I want some soup,” Link said. “The weather reminds me of it.”

“The weather is soup enough for me. What an awful climate. For it to go from freezing to muggy, for lack of better words… I am truly disturbed.”

“Yeah, it’s bad. I’m going to keep my clothes off. It’s way too hot for them.”

“Please do. I’m adoring the view.”

Cut Out Bits from chapter 4: Can You Teach Me How to Climb Rocks?

“Do you think maybe this cliff is too steep?”

“Don’t worry, it’s safe. I’ve already tested it.”

“You tested it? What if you had gotten injured?”

Link considered this. “Well… that wouldn’t be good. But I didn’t.”

“I see.”

Cut Out Bits from chapter 7: Can You Teach Me How to Feel Safe Again

Inside, Link began his nightly routine of making sure the doors and windows were locked and the house’s perimeters were secure. Zelda watched. She wished he wasn’t so worried all the time. He deserved to feel safe in his own home. But he didn’t, and she supposed war did that to a person. She knew she had times she felt as if she was right back in the castle, holding back Ganon with no idea when he’d break loose.

Link finally finished and laid down beside her. “Everything’s safe.”

Zelda smiled at him and laid down. She opened her arms up. “Come lay with me?”

He did, breathing deeply as he wrapped his arms around her.

___________________________________________________________________________

Falling.

Falling.

Falling.

Nothing below her but the inky black nothingness of hell.

Nothing around her but the cold chill of underground, or maybe of the sky. She didn’t remember how she had gotten there. She didn’t know how she would save herself. She didn’t know where Link was, but she knew he was nowhere close.

She was completely and utterly alone. 

Zelda shot up, looking around her. She was in bed, wrapped in her blanket. She and Link had separate blankets, as she liked to be wrapped up like a burrito, and he liked to be on top of the blanket. Being beneath it made him feel like he was being strangled, wrapped in the scaly embrace of a lizalfo. 

She was warm and safe. Link had his arms wrapped around her. He looked at her with concern written in the lines of his face. She must have woken him when she moved. 

“What’s wrong?” He signed. It was hard to make his voice work in the morning, and in the middle of the night. “Ganon dream?”

Zelda shook her head.

She was awake when he got back. She had been watching him, but that wasn’t who he had felt watching him. He had felt something malicious, not benevolent.

___________________________________________________________________________

Link shoved the table in front of the door. It screeched against the floor, leaving new scratches over the ones from nights past.