Chapter Text
Link was the first person to greet the princess after she dropped to the ground, transforming from an amorphous ball of blinding golden light to a, surprisingly clean, Hylian woman, considering the century spent in the ruins of the castle.
She landed on her bare feet, the hem of her dirty white dress swishing around her ankles. Her eyes were locked onto him, brimming with emotion. He met her level stare and was greeted with a hurricane of feeling, infinitely more scorching than the light beams she had used to seal the Calamity. He hurriedly dropped his eyes, and after a moment’s hesitation, dropped to his knees to kneel.
He opened his mouth to address her, before haltingly closing it, realizing he had no idea how to appropriately address her, and hoped she would just tell him what to do from here instead. He stared at the grass in front of him, noting the blur of her shadow. There was a light breeze, sifting through the blades of green in front of him, and drying the sweat on his face. The shadow suddenly moved and he heard a thud, startling him to look up to the princess lying flat on the ground. He immediately moved to pick her up, but paused just before he could touch her.
He didn’t know if he could touch her. Even considering his sparse recollection of his previous life as a blueprint for knightly conduct, the woman in front of him seemed untouchable. Her dress was dirtied and torn in several places, worse at the hem, but her skin was unmarked, tinted with a rose blush. Despite the rubble and ruin surrounding them, he could only compare her to fresh porcelain, the likes of which he had rarely come across in his travels. Her hair draped across her crumpled limbs like spun gold, framing the delicate arches of her nose and her soft jaw.
Even though she had long stopped glowing, Link felt like she was covered be an ethereal film, cautioning him not to sully her with his grimy, bloodied hands. He moved slowly towards her, half expecting her to burst into light or turn into a green spirit, but his hand made easy contact with the soft flesh of her arm. He placed a finger under her nose, and hauled her over his shoulder, satisfied with her breathing, though shallow. He took a few steps and stopped, looking around to see whether anyone was judging him for carrying Hylia incarnate like a sack of wheat.
His only company was the sound of shifting rubble from further into the castle.
—
Link managed to get the unconscious princess onto a horse, past a stable, and into Kakariko. He was not surprised to see Impa standing well in front of the entrance, Paya fidgeting at her side. He halted his horse in front of her and jumped down, handing the reigns to Paya, who held off her stammering to instead stare at the princess.
“Is that…?” Paya’s grip on the reigns loosened and Link tapped her wrist to tighten her grip.
“Yeah. She passed out,” He turned towards Impa, “I fought spider Ganon and then the Divine Beasts kicked in. There was a pig thing after. I shot magic arrows at that one and then she sealed it.”
Impa sighed and pinched her nose. Her eyebrows drew together in the telltale signs of a scolding, but she stopped and grasped his hands with her own. “Well done, Link. However abysmal your field reporting may be, you have saved all of Hyrule.”
Link scratched the back of his head and smiled. “Like I said. Team effort.” She squeezed his hand.
“Paya, take Her Highness inside. I believe this is simply a century of alertness catching up to her, but check for any wounds.” Paya still seemed starstruck, but she pulled the reigns to escort Zelda to the house. “Link, I would like you to stay until she wakes. Get some rest here, before you set out.”
“Impa, I didn’t get hurt. I promise, I’m fine this time.” Impa raised a brow at him, making the gesture look threatening. He held out his hands pleadingly, “Fine, fine, I’ll stay a few nights.”