they had established a routine. or, at least a semblance of one. while their mornings differed, every night they sat together in silence before bed— often working away at some menial task in each other's company.

purposely or not, link's travels led to an influx of new discoveries for zelda. for example, zelda wasn't even aware of the existence of other great fairies aside from cotera, whom she had visited a handful of times on the outskirts of kakariko village. link had managed to visit all of them, and based on his retelling, he had even given them a large sum of money. strange. not to mention the shard of naydra's fang that was stored in one of his bags! he had never seemed to bat an eye at such things. meanwhile, zelda had quite literally fallen off the bed when she had noticed the photo of a real, live(?) stalhorse within the sheikah slate. they were so rare, and he must've been hardly a few feet away, judging by the photo!

most nights, zelda attempted to keep note of these new discoveries. link had kept a travel journal, and while zelda would never openly state such a thing- it was quite rudimentary compared to her own, numerous entries that were once stored within the slate.

this was one of those nights. zelda, sitting cross-legged on her side of the bed, furiously scribbling within her journal. the girl was once again hunched forward, neck craning uncomfortably towards her pages. she would surely become victim to discomfort the following day due to her almost-primitive posture. while whilst she had experimented with elixirs back in her day, it seemed as though link had managed to make every possible potion with every possible ingredient imaginable. his collection of various monster teeth seemed endless.

"...link?" she said, still nose-deep in her journal. "what would you say is the main attributor when it comes to potency within elixirs?"

no answer. was he asleep already?

"link?" she echoed softly, lifting her head to glance in his direction. he felt stiff, and his expression held a vacancy. it felt as if he was far away, despite the fact she could easily reach out and touch him. with just one look, zelda could already tell what was happening. a memory.

preparing herself, she put away her journal and took deep, steady breaths. there was no way to predict how he'd feel or react once the flashback ended, but she'd try her best to soothe him. she knew how out of sorts he could get after remembering certain things from the past— and she didn't blame him. while they had many things in common, zelda could only guess at what it must be like to have to rediscover fragments of your past- of the person you once were. zelda imagined it was an utterly excruciating process, and felt a twinge of guilt; for it was her doing that led to his undoing.

his arm, beside her, began to twitch. vitality returning to his eyes, flushing his cheeks, everything within him seemed to reanimate as he broke out of the memory-induced stupor. exhaling in relief, zelda had to stop herself from hugging him. while she was always happy to see him regain old memories, she hated the process. how empty and defenseless it left him for those short moments.

"are you alright?" she asked, letting her fingertips gently drape over his with a nervous smile.

"i remembered something just now." he mumbled, slowly rubbing his face. he paused briefly before launching into a recollection. based on his descriptions, it had to have been on her 16th birthday.

then, his gaze pulled away, landing upon their bedside window. the period of twilight had ended, and dusk was beginning to blanket the world outside in an inky darkness.

"what about you? do you remember that night?"

zelda nodded, remaining silent. it was clear he wanted to know more, the background behind his memory. it was no secret that the past made her melancholic, but even she knew that this was no reason to avoid it for the rest of her life. it was still a part of her, even if the traces of these events were lost to time and calamity.

"give me a moment to think back to it. i'll try to fill in the gaps."

the first thing she remembered was spinning.

everything was always spinning at those events. fluctuating between guests, all vying for a turn (which she was in no power to refuse), elaborate steps that made her face flush and stomach nauseous. zelda had loved to dance, and yet always found herself considering these parties absolutely torturous. she hated the lavish balls they continually held. her father constantly hung the threat of the calamity over her head, and yet they still had the time and resources to host these monstrosities?

there was no point in pretending. every rumor and piece of gossip pivoted around her. her mother was long gone at that point, and her father, bless his soul, had the personality and demeanor of a fortified pumpkin— leaving only zelda. princess zelda, who had not unlocked her supposed 'powers' after an eternity of trying. the ball was in her honor; her birthday managed to fall on the day before midsummer. ironically enough, zelda could feel the jaundiced eyes behind every seemingly innocuous request to dance- within every invitation to idle and chat. the judgement seemed to be all around her. suffocating her. she wasn't deaf; she could hear their poorly disguised whispers and snickering. it was all too much.

in a ballroom full of hundreds, zelda had never felt more alone. at the time, she felt like a pariah within her own kingdom. a royal leper dining at the table of nobles.

which is why she turned to link.

"from what i recall.. i wasn't very subtle. i was trying to find an escape route, any possible way to leave that damned ball, and even if i despised you— it felt as though, even back then, i could rely on you. or at least threaten you until you helped me."

when she managed to break free from the ever-depraved lord purlo, she immediately headed towards link. hastily slipping through the crowd, temporarily paying no heed to the glances sent her way as she aggressively grasped onto his arm. leaning in close, she hissed through gritted teeth.

"link, get me out of here before i implode."

"while it was a direct order, you still had more than enough room to decline. my life wasn't in danger, and you were only instructed to escort me to my chambers once the festivities had ended. my discomfort with the events around me were to be ignored."

smiling fondly at the memory, she pulled her hand away to rest them within her lap. "i'm not quite sure why, but you obeyed and helped me, despite my ludicrous impertinence towards you that very night, and every moment leading up to it."

soon, the remembrance began to take on a life of its own. the play-by-play became more vivid in zelda's mind, and it was almost like she could see the events unfold before her.

"you hadn't even said anything in response— i was so sure you were going to force me to stay. but before i knew it, you grasped my hand and quickly led me towards the back entrance, through the kitchens, and then out to the castle garden. it really was a miracle nobody alerted my father, and that i hadn't tripped on my dress during our daring escapade."

slowly leaning against their headboard, zelda let out a soft chuckle. despite living at the castle her entire life, and visiting the garden frequently; she had never seen it at night. when link had brought her there, all the tension from the party seemed to melt away; a puddle at her feet. looking back, it really was a good night- one of the best birthdays she had had since her mother's passing.

"i don't think i ever expressed my gratitude, or thanked you— but i promise you, it meant a lot to me at the time. it really, truly did."