"Do you...really remember me?"

It was a simple question that required a simple answer. But to Link, nothing was that simple.

The Deku Tree was right about her smile. It truly rivaled the sun. Link was enamored by it. Here was his princess, finally, in the flesh. Worse for wear, but unharmed, nonetheless.

And she was radiant.

After spending a century locked in a seemingly never-ending stalemate with the incarnation of evil, she still shined brightly.

How he had admired her.

Gathering his bearings, he got down on one knee in a kneel—a practice he had remembered from his old life. She was a princess, after all.

"How could I forget?" He said, his voice laced with emotion as he kept his eyes on the ground.

Tears formed in Zelda's eyes as she stepped hesitantly towards Link and said, "Link, please, there's no need for that. I should be the one kneeling to you."

Link shook his head, his head still bowed. He brought his hand to his face and it was then she realized he was crying.

"Link—" Zelda began, as she kneeled down in front of him.

"I failed you," Link said quietly, hand still over his face. "I failed in my duty. I couldn't protect you. I'm not worthy of your thanks."

Tears she had been holding back fell freely now as she wrapped her arms around her knight. "Link, that's not true. Please don't think that," she whispered softly to him.

He quietly sobbed into her for a minute while she held him before he wiped his face and regained his composure.

He stood up and offered his hand to her, his expression still solemn. She took it and stood shakily, before collapsing into his arms.

"I'm sorry. It seems I haven't gotten my bearings, yet." Zelda said wearily as she leaned onto her knight.

"You need rest," he said quietly as he called his horse over and helped her onto it.

Link followed suit, and as they started to ride, Zelda held onto him, cherishing the warmth of another person for the first time in 100 years.

Link thought about taking them to the nearest stable but then thought better of it seeing as they might bring unnecessary attention to themselves. So he decided to take the extra few hours and ride to his house in Hateno Village. At least there, Zelda would be able to rest peacefully without any interruptions.

They rode up to the house around 1am, and Link ushered his horse into the makeshift stable on the side of the house. He started to get off only to notice that his princess had fallen asleep. He carefully slipped off the horse and scooped her up into his arms bridal style. Having limited use of his hands and arms, he carefully opened the stable gate as his horse trotted inside. He then promised to feed the horse in a few minutes as it whinied gratefully at him and he thanked it for a job well done.

Pushing the door open with his back, he walked in, shut the door quietly with his foot, and started up the stairs. He tried to be as quiet as he could but the stairs creaked with each step as he made his way up and it roused the sleeping princess.

"Where are we?" Zelda said sleepily as she delicately wiped at her tired eyes.

Link carefully put her down on the bed as she looked around the room.

"Is this your house?" She asked curiously as she positioned herself to sit at the edge of the bed. He nodded and shrugged as she gave him a surprised look.

She got up with the intent to explore the cozy home but she stumbled a bit and thought better of it.

"You need to get some sleep." Link said as he gently laid her down onto the bed.

She shook her head, gently moving his hands away from her and said, "I need to get out of these clothes, first."

Link stopped and nodded, moving quickly to his dresser and rummaging in it for some clean clothes. All he could find was a light tunic and matching pair of pants. Hopefully they would suffice.

He handed them to her as he started down the stairs to let her change in private.

"Thank you, Link." Zelda said as she looked at him with a small smile.

He nodded and replied, "I'll be back, I need to tend to the horse."

Zelda nodded and watched his back as he walked back down the stairs.

Finally alone, Zelda stared at the clothes in her hand for a moment and slowly lifted them up to her face as she closed her eyes and took in the scent of them.

They smell like him, she thought.

The thought brought tears to her eyes again as she recalled his tearful breakdown at their reunion. He had never shown such emotion before. She wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know how. It frustrated her to no end. She wasn't even sure if he was the same Link she knew 100 years ago.

It will take time, she thought. She owed him her life. She was tired of him serving her all the time. Not that she wasn't grateful to him for that. But she wanted to change it. And she was determined to do what she could for him, for once.

Link came in quietly after he was done feeding and tending to his horse. He put the sack of horse feed back in the pantry and looked up to the loft where Zelda sat on the bed, staring down at him.

Link sighed, "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I've been sleeping for 100 years, Link." Was her curt reply, although she prefaced it with a yawn.

Link gave her a look.

She straightened, a blush forming on her face as she looked away. "You need rest too you know."

Link raised his eyebrows a bit at this and then he gave her his signature stoic look and replied, "Don't worry about me princess, I'll be just fine."

"Where are you going to sleep?" She snapped back, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

He looked down at the floor and looked back at her.

She wore a frown now and looked away. "I wouldn't mind if you slept up here. I feel bad for taking your bed."

Link sighed and looked up at her with a face that easily read, I can't do that.

She blushed and looked down at her hands sadly then back at him.

"Please, Link. Please let me help you."

He continued to stare up at her, his expression unreadable.

"It's the least I can do..." she whispered, desperate, now looking into his eyes. She was on the verge of tears.

Link hesitated for a moment, looking down. Then he started to make his way up the stairs.

Zelda sighed in relief as she smiled and watched him ascend up the stairs.

He got to the top and hesitated again for a moment, then went into another dresser to pull out a pillow and some blankets.

Zelda realized what he was doing with disappointment but made herself comfortable as she snuggled into the bed.

Link set up his own makeshift bed on the floor next to her, then went over to the light. He looked at Zelda before turning it off to make sure she was settled in.

She looked at him and turned over facing away from him, as he clicked off the lights and walked back over to his makeshift bed.

Zelda heard him shuffle a bit getting comfortable and then all was quiet. She stared at the dark wall in front of her and closed her eyes, listening to the faint sounds of wildlife outside.

"Thank you, Link." She said before drifting off to sleep.

He turned a little towards her, as he heard her breathing start to even out and he knew she had finally succumb to sleep. It was only then he too, was able to find peace as he let himself drift off as well.

Zelda awoke with a start as she sat up from the bed, panting and sweating profusely. She looked around wildly for a few seconds before remembering where she was. She gazed out the window and it was still dark, so she presumed she hadn't been sleeping for long. She held herself as her breathing slowed, and her eyes fell upon her knight on the floor beside her. Luckily he hadn't roused from sleep and she was thankful she hadn't disturbed him.

She stared at him with longing, thinking about her horrible nightmare she had just woken from and shuddered. She shifted on the bed and swung her legs over the side, gripping the edge of the bed. Biting her lip, she hesitated for a moment then slowly and carefully lifted herself up from the bed and walked quietly to Link's sleeping form.

She knew it was untoward, and that he probably wouldn't approve, but she didn't care. She felt safest when she was next to him. She had been locked away in a castle for 100 years, who could blame her for wanting some physical comfort? She deserved this, she thought to herself. They both did.

She knelt down beside him, and lifted the blankets he was under as she scooted underneath them. Once she was comfortable, she gazed at his sleeping face. He looked so peaceful, and she smiled at the thought. He had been through so much. He needed some peaceful rest. She carefully reached out and brushed a strand of hair from his forehead only to pull back when she was done as she realized he was staring at her.

Her whole face flushed as she was suddenly at a loss for words. He was silent as ever though, and didn't say a word of disapproval, or any word at all, like she had expected. It was almost like he understood. She was moved by this as a wave of emotion struck her and tears pricked at her eyes yet again. She snuggled closer, not caring for the moment what he thought of it, and rested her head against his chest. He was a little stiff at first, but relaxed and shifted himself to work around her. Hesitantly, he held her to him as she snuggled further into him, tears sliding down her cheeks as she drifted off into sleep once more.

Feeling her breathing slow, Link whispered into her hair, "Goodnight, Princess."

She awoke fully rested, albeit a tad uncomfortable, as she lifted herself onto her elbows to survey her surroundings.

Right, I'm in Link's house, she thought.

Her mind went back to the previous night as she blushed furiously and flopped back onto her pillow, her hands covering her face in embarrassment. She wondered what Link thought of it as she peeked through her hands a bit and stared up at the ceiling. It wasn't very Ladylike, to do what she did, and she knew if she were still living in the castle, she would be scolded for her act. Her hands slipped away from her face as she thought sadly that she was no longer a princess of anything, really. Things had changed these past 100 years.

She sighed as she got up from the makeshift bed and realized that Link had made the actual bed and hung out a pair of clean clothes that looked like something she could actually wear.

She wondered where he got the clothes as she looked over the side of the loft and took in the whole house for the first time.

The house was quaint, but comfortable. He kept everything clean and tidy, and didn't have much furniture. As she walked down the stairs she noticed he had a collection of weapons, shields, and bows mounted all over the walls. She smiled. At least he decorated some...

She walked over to where there was a counter with a few things littered on top of it. Some recipe books, a potted plant and a picture.

She inhaled sharply as she saw what the picture was of. It was of all the champions and her, when they got together before the calamity and decided to take a photo to remember the occasion. Tears of sorrow formed in her eyes but she smiled sadly as she remembered her fallen friends. She caressed the photo gently as tears silently roamed down her cheeks. She needed to pay her respects.

She sniffed as she moved away from the photo and she drifted to the table only to realize that Link had prepared breakfast for her. She first caught sight of the breakfast but what really grabbed her attention, and tugged at her heartstrings, was a flower in a vase, propped nicely at the center of the table. It was her favorite flower, a Silent Princess. She bit her lip as tears once again threatened to spill from her eyes as she brought her hand to her face and smiled. Gently caressing the petals, she marveled at how much her knight truly remembered. And how she didn't think she deserved any of this at all.

Sitting down at the table, she ate her breakfast greedily, after having not eaten for 100 years, and basked in the sunlight that was coming through the windows.

She finished her meal rather quickly and was sure to wash the dishes thoroughly, and put them away.

She then wandered to the door and slowly opened it, peeking out slowly as the sun's rays shone down brightly upon her. Squinting, she opened the door a little more and took in the area. She scanned the beautiful greenland littered with flowers and trees and general wildlife. She realized they were a little ways away from a village tucked in a more private space. She liked that. And she wasn't surprised Link bought this house, anymore.

Her eyes found her knight, performing his usual combat exercises under a big tree. Normally, there was nothing odd about this—she had seen him doing those exercises on many occasions. Instead, this time he was shirtless. Remembering the night before, she flushed head to toe and looked away quickly.

Unfortunately, Link seemed to notice her presence before she could slither back into the house. He put his sword down and grabbed a towel hanging from a branch and wiped his face before heading towards her.

She stiffened as he approached. "Thank you for breakfast." She said before he could reach her.

He stopped and nodded. Then pointed up at the sun.

She followed his hand and realized. "Oh."

It was well after noon.

"I slept awhile didn't I?" She laughed nervously, wringing her hands.

She blushed as he walked up closer to her and surveyed her, a concerned expression on his face.

"I'm okay! I feel much better now! Though I could use a bath..." she said sheepishly, as Link's eyes widened and he ushered her to follow him around the house.

There was a small pond on the side of his house, and Zelda's eyes widened at what he implied with showing her this. "Oh...I see..." She trailed off staring nervously around her.

It certainly wasn't the castle bath, but it would have to do.

She was startled out of her thoughts as Link spoke, "Don't worry. No one will bother us up here."

She sighed, relieved, and nodded. "Thank you."

He nodded as well and went back inside to grab her a towel. He came back out a minute later with the towel and the clothes he left her in his hands.

"Oh, right! Thank you for these. Where did you get them?"

He gestured towards the village.

She gave him a sad look as she realized he had done so much for her in the span of only a few hours.

"Link..." she started slowly, "You really don't have to do all of this for me."

He shook his head and stared out at the grassy plain towards the castle. "You're right. I don't have to."

Zelda looked sadly at the ground.

"But I want to."

She looked up sharply at his reply to find he was now staring hard into her eyes. He had the smallest hint of a smile on his face as his eyes softened and he walked closer to her.

"Thank you," he whispered, "For saving me. For saving all of us."

She stood still, surprised as he once again kneeled in front of her.

"I owe you my life."

Once again, her eyes became waterfalls as tears started to spill from them and she lifted a free hand to her mouth.

No, she thought, I owe you my life...

She put her clothes aside and pulled Link up from his kneel. He looked at her with a confused expression as she pulled him into a tight embrace. She knew he was shirtless and that might seem strange to him, but she didn't care, as she burrowed her head into his chest once more. He hesitated, again, but eventually brought his arms around her, returning the embrace. They stood like that for awhile and eventually they parted.

Zelda was blushing furiously from the tears as well as the embrace, but she looked at him, sternly. "I want to talk seriously with you. After my bath."

Link seemed curious but nodded anyways as he walked back into the house, giving her some privacy.

She sniffled a bit then shook her head and stood up straight, grabbed her clothes, and got ready to wash off 100 years of grime.

Zelda came back in to the house only to find that Link had been waiting for her, his shirt still off. She sent him to take a bath as well as she tidied up as best as she could.

Link came back inside not too long after, now finally fully dressed in his usual champions tunic, with her dress and some other clothes in hand.

"Oh. Thank you for washing those." She internally smacked herself for not noticing.

He nodded as he set them down over one of the chairs at the table and started folding them.

"Oh no, let me!" Zelda rushed forward and took them from his hands awkwardly.

Link looked at her, horrified. As a princess she never did her own laundry. But she had done a lot of un-princessly things in the past 24 hours.

"I'm sorry," She relented, "But I want to do things on my own from now on." She proceeded to walk upstairs and fold the clothes as Link stood and watched her, awkwardly.

He wasn't sure what to do with her. Not only were his memories still fuzzy, he wasn't sure how to treat her now. Had their relationship been different before? He wondered. He only remembered a few things still. It seemed like everything he did was wrong.

Clothes all folded, Zelda came back down the stairs and motioned for Link to sit at the table. Link did so but felt awkward when he realized she wasn't going to do the same and debated getting up and standing with her, but he thought better of it.

Zelda stood and wrung her hands, not knowing where to start.

Link looked at her patiently, although he was nervous inside as he picked up her distress. He also didn't like how she wanted to..."talk". He wasn't very good at that.

"I want things to...be different between us. From now on," Zelda started.

Link continued to stare at her and Zelda took that as a sign to continue.

She slowly started pacing as she fumbled out her words. "Seeing as I'm not technically the princess of anything anymore," she winced at this but continued, "And since Calamity Ganon has been defeated," she glanced at Link, "I'm not...in need of your services, anymore." She finished as she stopped pacing and looked at the ground.

"Link, as my last order to you as princess of Hyrule, I officially relieve you of your duties." She said as she looked him straight in the eyes.

"I refuse."

She gawked, completely caught off guard.

"E-excuse me?!" She hadn't anticipated he would outright refuse her request. Granted, she wasn't a princess anymore and didn't want to be treated as such, but Link directly denying a request from her was something she was not used to.

"I refuse," he said again, like it was the obvious answer.

Link didn't have much in his life since waking up from his 100 year long slumber. His memories were jumbled, he had accomplished his goal of defeating Ganon, and he wanted nothing more to do than to rest forever. But he couldn't do that. Even though his memories were pieces of a puzzle he was trying to put back together, Zelda was his constant. There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted to be by her side. The memories may be all over the place, but the feelings were there. He had been utterly devoted to his princess before the Calamity. And it would be easy for a normal knight to just be relieved of their duties and go about their life. But he wasn't a normal knight. Even though he only remembered parts of their time together, he had grown very much attached to his princess. And now he finally had her with him. By his side. As it should be. And she wanted him to leave her. He would have none of that.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared into his stubborn eyes.

"Link, please. I just want you to live your life," she whispered softly. "I'll be fine, I don't need your protection anymore."

He raised an eyebrow and pointed to the sickle he had on a mantle that he had procured from a very annoying Yiga member.

She looked over and sighed. "You're right. The Yiga clan is still out there. But you don't have to be the one to deal with them..." she paused and lowered her voice a little more, "Maybe I can find someone else..."

Link stood up then, surprising Zelda.

"Have I not proven myself worthy?" He said, his voice cracking, brow furrowed in anger. He relaxed after seeing the shock on Zelda's face and recoiled a bit, whispering, "Have I not done a...satisfactory job of protecting you, as your knight?"

They had had a rocky relationship at first, from what he could remember, but he didn't recall her ever getting hurt on his watch. Besides when the Calamity hit. He wanted to redeem himself for that.

She crumbled then, and walked over to him, taking his face into her shaking hands. "Never. You've never been unworthy," she sobbed, looking into his sad eyes. She had hurt him. She never wanted that.

"Then what is it?" Link asked softly.

Zelda hesitated. "I don't want you to sacrifice for me anymore. I'm tired of taking everything from you and never giving back. I want you to live your life. As you want."

Silence fell between them as Link pondered. She slid her hands off him and put them in front of her, a royal habit she will probably never break.

How could she think that she never gave anything back to him? Link thought. She had saved him. Then she had spent the 100 years after continuing to save him. And the whole Kingdom on top of that. She was remarkable.

"This is what I want," He finally replied, his voice low.

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and asked, "Are you positive?"

He wasn't sure about many things. But he was sure about this. He nodded, "I will stay by your side, for as long as you'll have me."

Tears streamed down her face at his reply as she smiled at him.

"Okay."

Zelda was still unsure about Link's decision but they had compromised on many things after that. There would be no more kneeling to her as if she were royalty. She was tired of that. They were to be treated as equals. Which meant no more calling her "princess". This was a habit Link would find hard to break. Link was also not bound by duty anymore. He had made a choice, and whether or not he wished to stick with it was up to him.

As they got ready for bed that night, Zelda stared at Link from his bed as he went to turn off the lights. He looked back at her, as he did before, but this time before he could turn the lights off, Zelda called out to him.

"Link wait..." she began anxiously.

He obeyed and looked at her patiently, waiting for her to continue.

Unable to continue to say words, being as embarrassed as she was, she scooted over making room for him as she patted the spot next to her on the bed.

He gave her the same look as he did the night before.

I probably shouldn't.

"Link...please..." she said almost desperately, again. Then she added, "You can't keep sleeping on the floor."

He wrestled with himself for a moment as he recalled the night before. Although she insisted her royal title was no more, he still didn't feel right about it. But he couldn't refuse her.

He turned off the light and as Zelda was beginning to think he decided against it, he pulled back the covers and slid into the bed next to her.

He laid on his back, stiff as a board, as Zelda laid on her side, watching him. His eyes were still open as he stared at the ceiling. Zelda hesitantly scooted closer to him but he seemed to tense a little more at this, so she stopped.

"I want to visit the four races," Zelda whispered suddenly.

Link turned his head to look at her and nodded. Then just after, as if realizing something, he whispered softly, "Impa."

"Impa?" Zelda questioned.

Link nodded and realization dawned on her.

"Impa's...alive?" She said breathlessly.

Link continued. "Impa. Purah. Robbie."

Tears once again started to form at her eyes. She had to accept that this was going to be an often occurrence, at least for the first few weeks. She honestly shouldn't have been surprised at the trio still being alive, considering they were Sheikah...but she was elated.

"We must go to them, first."

Link nodded in agreement, a small smile on his face.

"Thank you for telling me," she whispered to him, a tear sliding down her cheek.

He looked at her fondly and reached over to wipe the tear from her cheek. He then fully resigned to his impulses and turned over, embracing her, as they both soon succumbed to sleep.

Link rose early to find that Zelda wasn't still in bed. Sitting up, he looked around the house to find she wasn't anywhere downstairs, either. Panicked, he frantically grabbed the Master Sword and his shield, and bolted out the door.

As he ran out of the house, a giggle stopped him in his tracks. He looked over to find Zelda tending to his horse, and his horse was licking her fondly.

He relaxed then, a sigh escaping from his lips as he started to walk back inside until Zelda stopped him.

"Link? Are you okay?" She called to him as he turned to her and gave her a small wave.

She watched him walk back inside and giggled at his appearance. His hair was completely matted and he looked frazzled. She probably shouldn't have come outside without telling him, but hey, she was free to do pretty much anything now, and she was going to take advantage of it. It wasn't like she'd wondered off anyways.

She pet the horse once more and walked back into the house. Link was already dressed and packing up his weapons and food stockpile for the journey. He had made a pack for her as well which was equipped with her old Sheikah slate.

She picked it up, surprised he'd given it back to her, but decided she'd look through it later.

They headed out around noon on Link's horse. Their first stop, Hateno Ancient Tech Lab. As they made their way through the village, people stared upon seeing Link with a woman, though most people didn't know who she was, nor did they ask. He greeted some people but he told them he was in a hurry so he didn't converse much.

Zelda took in the festivities of the village. They were celebrating, no doubt. She marveled at ribbons hanging off houses and looked fondly on the children that played so freely, not a care in the world. They had every reason to be happy and to be celebrating. But for some reason she got the impression that things had always been this way. She longed for a childhood like that. Simple, no political duties to attend to. No prophecies to fulfill. But that wasn't her life, and as she looked at her knight—no, the man in front of her, she realized she wouldn't trade it for the world.

As they trotted up the slope to the lab, Purah must have been expecting them, because as soon as she caught sight of them she started calling to them from afar.

"Who is that child addressing us?" Zelda questioned curiously.

Link chuckled, something she didn't expect from him. "That's Purah."

"What?!" Zelda had so many questions that Link never ended up answering, and once they reached the lab, Zelda was bewildered.

Just as Link helped Zelda down from the horse Purah scurried up to them and enveloped Zelda in a tight embrace.

"Zeldy!" She whined as she sobbed into Zelda's legs. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

She is so short, Zelda thought dimly.

"Purah? Is that really you?" Zelda questioned, holding onto the child who was definitely not supposed to be a child.

"Of course it's me!" She whipped her head up and released her hold on the princess. She struck a pose. "SNAP! You don't remember me, Zeldy?"

Zelda, still confused, shook her head. "Of course I remember. But I remember an older woman..." She trailed off.

Purah just laughed and ushered her and Link inside as she began to explain everything.

"And then Linky finally appeared before us!" Purah said enthusiastically as they sat gathered around her dining table.

Zelda stood up quickly and bowed to her, "Thank you so much, Purah. For everything."

"I'll not be having any of that nonsense, Zeldy!" The not so young Sheikah scolded as she put her hands on her hips.

Zelda shot up from her bow, surprised. Then her face softened. "Yes, I suppose you're right," she replied with a small smile.

"I'm just glad Linky brought you back to us and that you two are a-ok!" She flashed her signature pose.

Zelda managed a small giggle. "Yes, I am very grateful to him," she said softly as she glanced at the man in question.

Link sat quietly and nodded.

Meanwhile, Purah noticed the awkward tension in the air and smiled, "Hmmmm...?" She questioned as she looked between the two, curiously.

Zelda looked down as Link looked aimlessly around the house, both sensing her prying nature coming full force at them.

Purah thought she'd let them go this time.

"Zeldy! I see you have your Sheikah slate back! Why don't I give it a look-see? I have some upgraded tech I'd like to install for ya, free of charge!"

Link shot her a glare.

"What? She's the princess!" Purah exclaimed. "I've known her since she was a babe!" She patted Zelda's head, "You come here anytime and I won't charge you, okay?" She said sweetly.

"Why thank you, Purah," Zelda replied as Link huffed and got up from his seat.

As he proceeded to walk out the door Zelda responded, "Actually Purah, 'princess' won't be necessary, anymore."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

Link heard Purah's reply as he closed his eyes and let himself out through the front door.

Link was helping himself to a snack as he saw Simyn walking up the hill approaching the lab. He waved to him as Simyn waved back.

He had been sitting out there for around 2 hours, not wanting to go back inside to bother the girls. He figured they had a lot to catch up on, and that it might benefit Zelda to spend some alone time with someone who wasn't him.

Simyn approached and Link noticed he was carrying a bag of things. Probably more supplies for their research.

"Hey, hero!" Simyn greeted happily.

Link nodded in greeting as Simyn approached him.

"Congrats on finally stopping the Calamity! I hope you know how grateful we all are to you," Simyn said cheerfully as Link waved him off, politely.

Simyn was about to say something when two boisterous laughs were heard from inside the lab. Both Link and Simyn jumped a little and turned towards the door.

"Is that your Lady in there?" Simyn asked, an excited grin on his face.

Link wanted to protest about Zelda being "his lady" but he simply nodded.

"Well I need to go in and thank her! She did something incredible...she protected all of us...for 100 years…" Simyn said as he trailed off, a look of admiration on his face.

Link nodded in reply and followed his gaze again toward the door.

Simyn then walked up to the front door and proceeded inside. Link watched him for a moment before figuring he should follow suit. He stood up from his sitting position, wiped off his pants and followed him inside.

As he walked in, he caught Simyn practically goading over Zelda in thanks. He was shaking her hand frivolously as Zelda stood anxiously.

"You are a true savior, we can't thank you enough for what you and Link have done."

"Please, it's quite alright," Zelda said, embarrassed as her eyes fell upon Link entering the room and she blushed harder. "But thank you very much," she added.

Purah noticed Link come in and called out to him. "Linky! We were just going through the Sheikah photo rune! You have some pretty interesting photos in here!" The Sheikah researcher snickered mischievously.

Link flushed. He had forgotten all about those.

"Oh right!" Zelda exclaimed as she plucked the Sheikah slate out of Purah's hands and scurried over to him, excitement plastered all over her face.

"Link! You must tell me about these photos!"

She proceeded to ask him where he took certain photos and what the creatures were that he'd seen. As she prattled on to him about the photos, Link's expression softened as he looked at her fondly. He was happy that she was finally smiling and showing so much excitement.

Purah and Simyn watched the pair and exchanged knowing smiles. They went back to work silently as the two heroes sat together locked in conversation.

Link woke with a start not realizing he had fallen asleep. He was still sitting in the same position as the night before, at the foot of the entrance of Hateno Ancient Tech Lab. He felt a weight on his shoulder as he slowly looked down to see the sleeping figure beside him. He smiled softly as he recalled the events of the night before. Zelda had asked him about almost every photo in his album before proclaiming she wanted to visit all the places he'd been, and then falling asleep.

Link noticed Zelda was still barely holding onto the Sheikah slate, so he took it gently from her and placed it on the ground next to him. Zelda shifted from the movement and snuggled closer into Link, still sleeping soundly.

"Looks like you two slept nicely."

Link looked up to see Purah perched on a chair at the dining room table, her legs swinging back and forth off the side. She had a mug next to her along with some ancient parts she was fiddling with.

Zelda shivered a bit and Link pulled a blanket that was draped over them around her.

"Simyn put that around you two little birds last night. I should've gotten a snap when I got the chance..." She added, reluctance plastered on her face.

"Oh well...maybe next time," She winked at Link with a smile.

He stiffened, and glared at her once more.

"Oh come on, don't be like that, Linky!" She said waving a stray screw around. "Live a little~" She teased. She meant it though. These poor kids had been through so much. Even though she teased them, she genuinely wanted them to be happy. They had never caught a break until now.

Link went back to looking at Zelda as she fussed again.

Purah eyed them as she set down her tools and hummed as rested her head in her hands.

After a few moments she whispered softly, "You're allowed to love her, you know."

Link looked back at her slowly, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. They stared at each other a moment, before Zelda started rousing from her slumber.

Zelda lifted her head from Link's shoulder and rubbed at her eyes. "What happened?" She questioned sleepily.

She looked at Link slowly, quickly realized how close they were, and put the pieces together in her head.

"We fell asleep!" She shouted. Link nodded, stifling a yawn.

"Duh!" Purah chimed in from the table.

Zelda jumped and scooted noticeably away from Link as she became aware of Purah's presence.

"Purah! Good morning!" Zelda said, surprised yet delighted to see her friend.

"Mornin', Zeldy! I hope you slept well!" Purah said cheerfully, then adding, "Your knight took great care of you while you were asleep." Purah winked.

Zelda flushed and avoided Link's gaze. Link just glared at the adult child.

"Hehehe, you guys are so easy! Anyways, who's hungry?"

After eating a much-needed breakfast, the pair decided to head out.

"You sure you don't want to come with us, Purah?" Zelda questioned.

"Nah, if my sister saw me like this, she would freak!" Purah waved her off. "Besides, she'll have a lot more on her plate once you two get there. I would just get in the way."

Zelda looked at her with concern.

"It'll be fine, Zeldy! Besides, there's still much work to be done here!"

Zelda sighed. She was right. The guardians had shut down after Ganon's fall, and Purah had wanted to research how to get them back up and running.

"Okay then, we'll be off..." Zelda said as she hugged Purah one last time and shook Simyn's hands. "Thank you for taking care of us."

"Be back soon!" Purah smiled and waved as Link helped Zelda up onto the horse.

"You take care of her Link! Or else!" Purah warned as Link waved her off and hopped on his horse.

As they trotted off down the hill, Purah yelled to them one last time, "Don't forget about what I said, Linky!"

Link stiffened on the horse but didn't acknowledge her. Zelda looked at him curiously but didn't question him further.

As they continued to wave to the pair, Simyn looked at Purah curiously. "What did you tell him?"

"Oh nothing." Purah said, a mischievous smile on her face.

"I just told him what he needed to hear."

They decided to stop at Dueling Peaks Stable before heading to Kakariko Village, since Link didn't want to travel at night. Upon getting to the stable, Zelda noticed the shrine across the way and as they got off the horse, and she immediately started towards it.

"Zelda, wait!" Link called as he and the stable owner were tending to his horse.

Zelda bounded off with the Sheikah slate in hand and stopped at the edge of the small pond that was formed around it.

"Intriguing," she marveled as she took in the fully activated shrine. She had never seen a shrine activated like this before and was fascinated by it. She took out the Sheikah slate and started making notes.

As Link ran up to her, she started walking further into the pond towards the shrine.

"Hey!" Link stopped her as he caught her by the elbow.

"What?" Zelda said bewildered. "I just want to get a closer look."

Link sighed and let go of her, "You're going to get your clothes all wet."

Zelda gave him a look and put her hands on her hips.

"So?"

Link gave her a look of disapproval but didn't say anything more.

Zelda smiled and turned back around towards the shrine but didn't proceed forward.

"You activated these, right?" She asked with her back still towards him.

He nodded. "I found many of them during my travels."

She sighed and finally turned back towards him. "I guess I can look at another one in a better location, next time."

Link smiled. Zelda put the Sheikah slate back in her bag and walked back towards the stable as Link followed close behind.

As they approached the stable, they noticed a couple of people had gathered and were watching them approach. Zelda stopped and Link got in front of her, protectively.

An elderly man stepped to the front of the crowd and addressed them.

"We heard this young man call you Zelda." The man started, looking at Zelda.

Link eyed him as he continued.

"We just wanted to give our thanks to you," the man said as he bowed and the other people followed suit.

"You saved all of Hyrule and kept Calamity Ganon at bay for 100 years. We are all grateful to you."

Link and Zelda stood shocked and Zelda thanked them as they continued to express their gratitude.

Awhile later Link prepared some food for them to eat as Zelda sat by the fire. Some people had come up to them after the initial fanfare and thanked them or told them stories of them they heard as kids, but otherwise Link was glad they weren't being bombarded. The stable owner said they could stay the night, free of charge.

What marveled Zelda was that Link seemed to know everyone. What they didn't know was that he was the Champion of Legend who wielded the Master Sword. But they found it was easier to believe Zelda was Zelda than Link was the Champion. Zelda found this funny but it didn't seem to bother Link. She watched as he interacted with the people and thought about how much he'd grown in 100 years. The Link she'd known before barely interacted with anyone unless he had to. He still didn't talk much but he seemed more friendly and open with everyone.

It made her wonder if he'd met someone during his travels. The thought made her heart ache but she kind of wished it were true, just because he'd have found some happiness during his perilous journey. She shook the thought from her head as she watched Link cook.

She forgot how good he was at it. She ate the meal he prepared greedily and decided to retire to the stable shortly after.

When Link didn't follow suit as she started to head inside she looked back curiously at him. "Are you not coming?"

He continued to stare at the fire and responded, "I prefer it out here."

Zelda frowned. He's been sleeping inside this whole time, she thought. Then she realized they had been sleeping on the floor these past 3 nights. Though she never thought he actually preferred it, maybe he really did. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she liked sleeping with him these last few nights. And if she were going to be honest with herself, she was disappointed he didn't want to do the same this night. A thought then creeped into the back of her mind that maybe he actually didn't like sleeping with her, and that he was just doing it to appease her. She immediately pushed this thought away.

She decided to respect his wishes no matter the reason and relented.

"Okay," She said softly as she walked back into the stable. She got the feeling he was worried about something but she didn't want to push it.

Link sighed as he watched her disappear into the stable. It was going to be another long journey from here on out.

Zelda awoke to the hustle and bustle of the early morning stable. As she got up she realized Link had decided to not sleep outside after all and was dozing cross legged at the foot of her bed.

She smiled. Some things never change, she thought. She just wished he wasn't so stubborn.

She got dressed and tiptoed quietly around him as she left the room. A couple people stopped and stared at her as she exited but no one said anything. The stable owner bounded over to her once he realized she was awake. "How did you sleep, princess?" He asked.

She smiled and waved him off nicely. "Please, call me Zelda. And I slept very well, thank you."

The stable owner was taken aback at her comment but recovered quickly and bowed politely. "If there's anything else you need, please let me know."

Zelda nodded and proceeded outside. It was a bright and sunny morning. Children were playing, people were conversing happily, and the stable dog took notice of her and trotted over. She smiled and knelt down and pet his fur which he gratefully accepted. As she took in her surroundings, her eyes landed on the stable where the horses were being fed and tended to. She took note of Link's horse who seemed to notice her and whinied in her direction. She smiled and then stopped when she noticed the horse next to him. She stood up quickly then, and stared at the other horse in shock.

"It can't be..." she said as she stared at her horse from 100 years ago.

Link was suddenly at her side as she looked up at him, still in shock. He was looking at the horse in question and then looked down to her and smiled.

"Link...how?" She questioned with her hands to her mouth, still unbelieving.

He shrugged and ushered her over to her once beloved horse. There was an elderly man standing close to the horse and as they approached, he smiled at them. Link recognized the man and wondered silently why he was all the way out here.

"A marvel, isn't she?" He said. "Has she been faring well, lad?" He asked Link.

Link smiled and nodded as Zelda reached up a hand to the horse. The horse regarded her cautiously at first, then gave her hand a fond lick.

Zelda laughed as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

"She looks just like the royal horse belonging to the princess, doesn't she?" The old man said to Zelda. "We think she must be a descendant of that horse. She was found roaming around the princess's favorite spot in Hyrule."

Zelda looked at the man, shocked.

He continued, "When we told this young man about the horse, he ran off to find it in such a hurry. He was back within a few hours with this very horse in tow. I was so surprised, no one had been successful in taming her. But she took a liking to him very fast."

Zelda looked at Link who was stroking the horse fondly. Her face softened as she touched his arm gently in thanks. He stopped and looked back at her and smiled.

"You know, you resemble the late princess very much, from what I've heard of her." The old man said eyeing her curiously. Zelda looked away and back at the horse, embarrassed.

The man continued to stare at her, "Now that the Calamity has been vanquished, it is possible that she's still here with us..." he trailed off.

"Yes, I supposed that is possible," Zelda said sadly, now stroking the horse's white coat, softly.

The man smiled at her, "If she were here, I'd like for her to have that horse and the royal armor it bears. My family had been taking care of it for years. I lent it to this young man in the hopes that he'd one day pass it on to her."

Zelda stifled a sob and continued to look at the horse.

"I'm sure she'd be very thankful." She responded, as the man continued.

"Do you think you can give it to her? And tell her how happy we are that she's alive and well? Would you do that for me?" The man continued to smile as Zelda turned to face him, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Yes, of course," Zelda smiled as the man took her hands in his.

"Thank you so much, lass. You have made this old man very happy." He said as Zelda nodded, tearfully.

They waved to the man as they left, both on their respective horses. As they rode off away from the stable, Zelda turned toward Link and asked, "What did you name her?"

Link turned to her ever so slightly, his mouth curved up into a smile and responded, "Storm."