Breath of Love

Summary: Calamity Ganon has finally been defeated and peace returned to the beautiful Hyrule, as well as for the four Champions and King. Now, the Princess and appointed Knight travel around and see what they can do to rebuild the land. During their travels and reliving memories, they also begin making new memories.

Plot and written: Sylven
Pairing: Zelda x Link
Genre: Romance
Rating: T-rated (will turn M-rated)

The Legend of Zelda franchise © Nintendo
I don't earn any money writing this.

Authors note: Thank you for showing interest by clicking this story. This will be a fluffy, romance-filled fanfiction. The only Zelda x Link fanfictions I have read until now don't seem to base the plot much on the memories. The memories alone already have a lot of Zelda x Link hints, and I want to use those hints for in this fanfiction. If you don't have all the memories yet in the game and you don't want to be spoiled, then don't read it but that should be obvious. Have fun and be kind for me since this is my first Zelda x Link fanfiction!

"May I ask… Do you really remember me?"

There she was, wearing her dirt-stained white dress, a smile upon her face after her appointed Knight nodded at her question, also with a smile plastered on his face. The Princess couldn't contain her happiness after being freed from Ganon's 100-year long evil reign, all thanks to the Hero of Hyrule. Talking about said Hero, his battle clothes were stained with blood, and the Princess wasn't sure whether that was his blood or Ganon's. She also wasn't sure whether she had seen those kind of clothes on him before. Where did he get them from?

"I apologize for my manners, Princess," Link began, bowing his head ever so slightly, seeming as if his body began to tremble due to that little movement, "I seem to be a bit too tired to bow lower than th-"

The Knight stopped in his tracks, as shock and surprise seeped into his brain; he also paled, seeing what said Princess suddenly did. She bowed to him. "W-Wait, wha-"

"Forgive me." she suddenly said. Link's trembling body didn't go unnoticed to the Princess, also for the scars on his body for that matter. After paying more attention to his face and arms, she saw a lot of scars and she found out a big amount of the blood on his body was his. "One hundred years ago, your life was in danger, so you had to be brought to the shrine of resurrection as soon as possible. Because of my short-comings, you were almost dead. Because of my short-comings, you had to travel alone to try and save Hyrule on your own." Link's expression on his face softened, hearing her voice tremble "B-Because of me-"

"Because of you, your highness, you could contain Ganon's power and give me time to defeat him." Link added all of the sudden. Zelda lifted her head to look at him, only to see Link also go down on his knees. "I met a lot of people. Besides the huge burden, it was fun. If it weren't for your decision, I would have been dead and I wouldn't have had this adventure, Princess."

Zelda stared at Link seeing a genuine smile on his face, and she couldn't help but wonder: "You've… changed…?" He now looked surprised at her, lifting his eyebrows. She couldn't quite place it, but he seemed more relaxed and he talked already more now than the time Zelda could remember him to talk. Could it be… He felt as if his burden got lighter?

With so much at stake, and so many eyes upon him, he feels it necessary to stay strong and to silently bear any burden.

Not only that, but his facial expression also changed a lot. As if he matured, but also not. It was very hard for Zelda to even explain for herself. Link looked at her and smiled, seeing her puzzling expression. Putting his hands on his knees, he tried to stand up again and he offered his hand to the Princess. It might not have been the most decent thing to do, offering a bloodied hand to the Royal Highness, but they both didn't care right now. The first thing they were probably going to do, was take a long bath and change their clothes.

They walked to the front of the castle and offered it one last look. "I will turn 18 soon," Zelda began, catching Link's attention, "I suppose I will be Queen when that time comes. For now, I first would like to travel around Hyrule and see what needs to be fixed. Then I would have a fresh mindset of what needs to be done."

Link looked back at the castle and nodded. Zelda saw from the corner of her green eyes and smiled. So he still chooses to be quiet at times. They looked at one another for a quick second, and nodded, walking away leaving the castle behind them. After taking a few steps, they both turned around, looking back at the castle as if they felt something – or more, someone.

The Princess had no idea what that presence was, and Link couldn't help but look a bit saddened. He knew exactly what those presences were since he had felt them before already.

King Rhoam and the Champions. Were they officially gone?

Link was the first to walk further and Zelda followed suit, still wondering what that could have been. Knowing Link also turned around must have meant there truly was something there. "Link, what was-"

A sudden enormous roar filled Hyrule, cutting of Zelda and making both gasp in shock. Zelda's shock even got worse after Link instinctively jumped in front of her, with his shield and Master-sword in hand, looking around. The roar still kept going, but Link lowered his defense, realizing what the sound was. It wasn't one roar, it was four roars at the same time. A roar the Hyrule Champion heard more often every time he moved a body part of the machine.

The Devine Beasts.

Link placed the shield and Master-sword back on his back, much to Zelda's surprise. The roars stopped, and Link took one glance back at the castle. Or were they only now officially gone?

"Those sounds were the Devine Beasts." Link said monotone, not making much sense for Zelda. How could four machines without a Champion roar on itself? Or did the Sheikah Invent a device inside it, knowing when peace returned to Hyrule?

"I… I see." Zelda decided to answer. This time another sound followed, It was now a sound both couldn't place, so Link immediately grabbed his sword and shield again, trying to protect Zelda. It sounded as if an earthquake happened – as if Ganon could return every moment. Their eyes widened, seeing round boulders roll towards them. Those weren't boulders, those were Gorons!

The Gorons stopped rolling, except for one who came rolling towards Link and Zelda "Y-Yunobo, stop rolling!" Link yelled with a gasp hoping Daruk's Protection would still work, but he wasn't getting a shield around him. So the Champions were really gone. So Mipha's Grace doesn't work also? Great, Link's dead.

Yunobo stopped rolling, jumped out if his round form and he hugged Link suddenly who couldn't help but yell a little due to the pain. "You did it!" Yunobo yelled overdramatically.

Zelda was watching everything that happened; Link was trying to get Yunobo from him and every Goron was cheering and crying out of happiness. The Princess looked up, seeing another race heading towards them; The Rito's.

Zelda smiled brightly, so happy to see the races unite to celebrate the peace in Hyrule. Yunobo finally let go of Link, but Link couldn't get some rest for he soon got attacked by the 5 little Rito sisters, crying in happiness and hugging the soul out of his body. Kass patted Link's head in the meanwhile. A warm feeling evaded Zelda's body.

Of course, she was afraid Link would have been alone, but seeing all the Goron's and Rito's cheer and yelling out Link's name and hugging him in turn, seeing the smile on his face, made the Princess happy and feel warm. He had made a lot of friends…

As soon as the two races silenced down, another race followed suit racing on their horses. Zelda would have thought they'd be the last ones here, but she shouldn't forget they were the greatest fighters of the Gerudo Desert… Or of whole Hyrule for that matter.

"LINK!" Riju yelled, sprinting with her horse like a madman. "You did it!" Link couldn't help but wonder if she was going to stop at all. While the Gerudo's were galloping towards them, a few Zora's suddenly jumped out of the water, all cheering and pointing towards the castle. Link and Zelda couldn't help but get goosebumps from all the happy cheers. Even the Gerudo left the fort to celebrate.

The Hero and Princess now also noticed a few Hylians running admits, also cheering and pointing at the castle after they heard the ruckus themselves. Zelda smiled brightly, looking at Link's back. Does he even realize how big of a Hero he is himself? Riju jumped against Link, much against the will of her guards since he is completely bloodied, and she cried against his chest. Link looked baffled, seeing Riju – who always acted so tough – cry in his chest.

"R-Riju."

"It's tears of happiness." Riju laughed now, rubbing the tears from her cheeks. Also, a bit of happiness since Link still called Riju by her own name. Riju and Link gasped in shock when they both got lifted up by a wet and tall person. Zelda giggled softly, enjoying every expression of the appointed Knight she hadn't seen in such a long time.

Even though she had told him she had followed his every doing, she didn't pay much attention to him whereas she made sure his area was safe.

"Link! You did it!" Prince Sidon suddenly yelled. Link looked around, seeing the Zora race joined the celebration. "The air is fresh, the castle is beautiful and nature is blooming!"

Sidon finally placed them down, and Riju was trampling her feet on the ground not liking to be treated like a child (which she actually secretly does like). "Ooh, and who is this, my friend?" Sidon asked, looking at Princess Zelda with high curiosity. Zelda smiled brightly, hearing him call Link his friend. "Is it your girlfri-"

Just when Link wanted to interrupt, Sidon realized who was standing in front of him. He suddenly remembered her from somewhere… From the time when his sister Mipha taught him how to swim up a waterfall. "Oh my Holy Hylia," Sidon immediately dropped to his knees, much to Link's and Zelda's surprise. "Forgive my rudeness, Princess Zelda!"

Yunobo, Riju and Kass gasped, seeing Zelda's white dress, Triforce ornaments, and a golden necklace. As soon as those three bowed, the others noticed too and followed suit. Within mere seconds, everyone on Hyrule field bowed down onto one knee.

"Perhaps I should…" Link muttered softly, feeling uneasy seeing everyone bow except for him.

"Please, don't," Zelda whispered back, "I already don't deserve their loyalty, let alone yours, the Hero of Hyrule." Link looked perplexed at her back as she walked closer to the Zora, Gerudo, Rito's and Goron.

"Everyone, please as you were!" They all looked up, looking at the Princess. She hoped she would be heard across the field. "Once I turn 18, which will be within a few months, I will become Queen of Hyrule. Until then, the Hero of Hyrule and I will travel across Hyrule to see what needs to be fixed. Please, put down your wishes. For now…" Link looked at her, not sure what she was about to say. "Let's celebrate!"

Everyone cheered and they did exactly that. Link let an anxious breath go he didn't know he was holding back, but another gasp filled his throat when Sidon hugged him against his chest. "Who would have thought this little Hylian could do it!"

"Sidon, put me down." Link said, kicking the air. Zelda giggled softly again until Sidon yelled in realization.

"You're covered in blood and wounds! You need a healer! I NEED A ZORA HEALER HERE!" Sidon yelled almost into Link's ear.

"No, I'm alright!" Link answered as he got put to the ground. "I'd rather want you to inspect the Princess."

"I'm fine," Zelda answered with a pout, a pout Link knew all too well. "Even after those 100 years, you are still too worried about me. Put yourself in first place for once."

As Link stared at Zelda, she might have realized now how stupid that sounded. Link had spent several months training and defeated Ganon because Zelda said so. Link would literally die for Zelda. The Princess looked away, feeling his gaze bore into her. Perhaps he wasn't sure how to answer that demand.

A few Zora healers came by as quick as possible. Zelda noticed Link was having some small talk with them, pleasantly surprised by him opening up more. Link unbuttoned his Hylian hood and his blue Champion's tunic, putting it on the ground after a Zora asked him to do so. The conversation didn't reach Zelda's pointy ears anymore, seeing Link's torso. Her mind got invaded with mixed feelings, two to be precise. One: the wounds and scars were an awful sight to behold. Two: The abs and muscles he obtained in the few months were a pleasurable sight to behold. A little brush crept on Zelda's cheeks, but thank the goddess she got interrupted in her thoughts.

"Your Highness"

Zelda turned around, wanting to reply but her eyes widened in surprise seeing the Sheikah tribe from Kakariko Village bowing in front of her. Even Dorian pushed the heads down of his little daughters Koko and Cottla "Don't bow, please." Zelda said with a smile. "Today is a day of celebration, the loyal matters is for another time."

Paya and Impa lifted their heads, and another gasp left Zelda's lips. "Imp-"

"Eeek! M-Master L-Link, y-you're-" Paya blushed a deep scarlet, and Link only raised an eyebrow while his arm was held up by a Zora healer. Paya looked away with her hands before her eyes, but only peeking slightly through her fingers. Paya's crush was standing there, half naked with his sun-kissed body, acquired from Gerudo Desert.

"Oh. Is she your girlfriend?" Sidon suddenly butted in, making Paya scream louder and Impa look with half-lidded eyes. So much for a reunion with the Princess… Zelda looked equally baffled.

"I… I see," Zelda muttered. Sure, she would expect Link to meet someone during his travels… Which did kind off hurt.

"No," Link answered, now lifting his other arm, "She is just a friend."

Zelda held back her smile and she turned around, looking at Impa. The Princess went onto her knees, receiving a hug from Impa, her dearest and oldest friend. "Forgive my granddaughter," Impa whispered, "You've got a bit of a competition."

"Competition?" Zelda asked, blinking in confusion. How much Impa had changed… Only a grin on Impa's face appeared, not explaining anything else about her 'competition' remark.

"Princess!" Zelda turned around, seeing children standing behind her. The two Kakariko girls and the Rito children. "Would you like to dance with us!"

"K-Koko! Cottla! You can't ask the Royal Highness for something like that!" Dorian began, but Zelda giggled; a sound not going unnoticed by Link.

"I'd love to!" she sung, and the children cheered, even though Dorian felt uneasy. Zelda skipped away with the children, towards the music the Gerudo's were making. Link looked around, seeing the Gorons making a huge bonfire with the left-over weapons and constructions of the monsters and the Rito's were making dinner around the fire, whereas the Hylians were bringing drinks.

Link's eyes were fixated on Zelda's back as she was surrounded by her dancing, happy people.

"Relax, " Link looked down, looking at Impa who stood silently next to him, "just have some fun too. Evil is gone, we don't expect him to come back."

"We didn't expect him to take over the Guardians and Devine Beast, either." Link answered matter-of-factly, making Impa surprised. The boy doesn't say much, but once he said something... "But I'm not watching her to make sure she is OK. I'm watching her because she is finally smiling again."

"..."

Impa was taken aback, watching the Princess too. Truth to be told, that might have been her most beautiful smile since ever, and the Sheikah eldest forgot to notice. Link redressed again after the Zora's were done healing him. "It's a bit hectic, but we will return to Kakariko to visit."

Impa looked up, seeing Link occupied with the Sheikah Slate. He touched the screen a few times, and a blue light surrounded his body, showing a clean pair of Hylian pants and a clean Champion's tunic. "Much better."

"I'm not following it anymore. Who is your girlfriend?"

"Why are you so fixated on who my supposedly girlfriend is?" Link asked, placing the Sheikah Slate back on his belt while looking at the Zora Prince. Impa suddenly took a step closer, interested too. Link as her grandson-in-law sounded splendid, but she secretively knew where his heart lied.

Zelda looked towards the Hero of Hyrule, seeing him conversating with the Zora Prince. They seem to be great friends. The Princess, to the surprise of the children, skipped to her appointed Knight. "One last demand,"

Link's sky blue eyes met Zelda's grassy green ones, seeing a slightly mischievous expression on her face, which Link really didn't care for. Though, she looked cute...

Zelda grabbed him by his hand and pulled him towards her and the children. "Dance with us!"

Sidon, Impa and the other Sheikah's were watching the spectacle, and the red Zora couldn't help but sigh. "Clear as day," Sidon muttered, "but knowing it is Princess Zelda will give Mipha some more peace..."

"Not too soon," Impa declined, "Zelda grew up, silently carrying all the burden she had. Opening up and showing her feelings never has been her strongest point." Sidon pouted a little, hearing Impa's out-loud thoughts.

Impa continued "Link... You have known him for a while now, and you know he literally would die for his Princess, never straying from his purpose. If something were to happen, he'd have a conflict of interest. Besides that, he talks even less about his feelings than the Princess."

"Hmm... So quite the conundrum."

"Yes." was Impa's last answer before dropping the conversation and mingle with the celebration at hand.

The music roared, the drinks spilled and the Hero wasn't left alone, receiving all kind of gifts he didn't accept. The only true gift he accepted gladly was Zelda's shining, and most of all, beautiful smile through-out the night.

~ ღ ~

The next day arrived, and it was a beautiful one too. The Princess and Knight spend the night at the nearby stable, which also seemed the perfect moment for Link to tell Zelda the great news. He had found, thanks to old-man Toffa, a beautiful white horse who could have been the descendant of Zelda's old horse. Link also gave this one the fitting name, Storm II. Or just short: Storm.

Zelda couldn't contain her happiness, seeing the Royal gear fitted to the horse as if it could have been her own Storm.

When the sun broke through and the birds awoke, Link and Zelda traveled, but not without Zelda taking one more glance at the castle. The Princess borrowed the Sheikah Slate from Link. Sure, Link knew his way better with the contraction, but it was still always Zelda's.

The princess looked at the Sheikah Slate, while Link had his focus on the beautiful castle. "We'll make our way to Zora's domain. Devine Beast Vah Ruta... Looks like it stopped working. Let's investigate the situation."

Zelda looked up from the slate, looking at the castle too. A conversation with Sidon occurred yesterday, talking about the Zora Champion, Mipha. The king of the Zora's didn't join the celebration last night. "Mipha's father..." Zelda started again, "I believe he would like to hear more about her. The least we could do is visit him and offer him some closure."

Link nodded softly, not avoiding his gaze on the castle. He missed seeing the castle like this, instead of Ganon roaming around it.

"Although Ganon is gone for now, there is still so much more for us to do. And still so many painful memories we must bear."

Link took a deep shaky breath. He got an amount of his memories back, but not everything just yet.

"I believe in my heart, if all of us work together, we can restore Hyrule to its former glory. Perhaps... Even beyond. But it all must start with us." Zelda began moving, passing by Link. "Let's be off."

Link's eyes now followed Zelda, taking one deep breath and looking at the castle again. Zelda walked further and Link slowly followed suit, close behind her. The princess slowly stopped walking, making Link stop automatically too. The Knight was wondering if she was feeling alright, seeing she hadn't smiled once.

"I can no longer hear the voice inside the sword. I suppose it would make sense of my power has dwindled over the past 100 years..." she turned around slowly, a little smile appearing on her face, "I'm surprised to admit it, but I can accept that."

A smile grew on Link's face as soon as Zelda showed her big, beaming smile. The 100-year adventure ended, and now, it's time for a new one.

Authors note: I loved the side-quest of searching for "Zelda's horse" in BOTW. It explained well how she could have had a horse in the end scene. Also, I used the name Storm because that used to be his name in the Valiant Comics. Other than that, I always can't fantom why people choose to write Link and Zelda always so serious. Zelda even tried to make Link eat a frog once. Also, Link's answers in the game are hilarious, also showing he isn't a total mute and he had a great sense of humor. Like sealiously (see what I did there?).

I loved the game, but the ending was a bit of a let-down. I personally loved the ending of Ocarina of Time, where all the races and tribes were partying on the field after Ganondorf was defeated. I wanted it back here, too.

This was chapter one, and chapter two will be about the Zora's and Link and Zelda bringing the master-sword back in the Lost Woods. Honestly, what was the message Zelda wanted Deku-tree to give Link? Tell me your thoughts about this chapter and what other hints you would like me to use! Until then, lets seal the deal (HA!) and I'll seal you next time (HAHA!).