Disclaimer: I do not own, in anyway, the Legend of Zelda series.

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Chapter One - Side by Side

Side by side, their horses walk. Side by side they look upon the expanse of Hyrule field. The luscious green grass blows gently in the wind, which carries a fresh scent. A free scent. One free of burden. Side by side, and yet…not a word passed between them.

Link turned slowly to see Zelda take a deep breath, smiling deeply. Perhaps no words needed to be spoken? Perhaps this would be enough, Link wondered. The horses shifted impatiently beneath the two riders, a gentle reminder that they needed to get going, but, however gently, Zelda's smile faded.

Their journey would take around a week. Surely soon they would have to exchange words. They were both filled with questions, however the thought of revealing answers brought fear to them both, and so it was easier just to escape to the tranquil beauty of Hyrule.

Their horses walked on, eager to finish their journey before the day darkened and the traveler would grow weary. Zelda seemed content to Link, enjoying the sights she hadn't seen for over a hundred years. She marvelled in the differences and the similarities to the Hyrule she used to know. He was often tempted to ask, however whenever felt the temptation, his heart would quicken and his fists would tighten. So side by side they continued.

The sky plunged from a clear blue sky into a dark purple, quicker than Link had expected. He knew he would have to speak. They needed rest. Once again he felt the pace of his heart speed up and his knuckles turn white, however this was a matter of his duty. He cleared his throat.

'Princess,' Link coughed up, surprised by his weak voice, 'I think it would be wise if we set up camp?' The princess seemed flustered, clearly surprised by his sudden decision to break the silence, but she smiled none the less. They would have to speak soon.

'Yes.' she said still smiling shyly. Her smile, her perfect, imperfect smile was just what Link needed to release the tension in his knuckles and let go of the breath he didn't even know he was holding. Goddesses, he was certain this smile could bring him warmth to even the most remote places of Hebra mountains.

He nodded to a small sheltered, cave-like area. They silently tied their horses before Link quickly went to gather firewood. Link was relieved to be away from his princess. With her nearby, he seemed to tense up. Just the thought of talking to her brought a lump to his throat. But why? Why is it so hard to even speak to her. She's the only tie I have left to my past. So why?

Perhaps he was afraid of knowing the past. Perhaps she still loathed his presence. Perhaps she couldn't stand that the only tie she had left to her past was the person she hated mos-

He couldn't allow these thoughts to taint what little bond they had together.

He trudged slowly back to the makeshift camp when he heard a soft … the sound of someone softly sniffing.

As Zelda watched her Hero walk away she felt distraught. He hadn't even bothered to tell her where he was going. She could only assume that he went to gather firewood. But what if he had left him? What if he had left her to fend for herself. No that's stupid she concluded. Link's horse is still here.

She looked over to his steed and felt a pang of sadness. Epona was long gone, and so was her own horse. Though it was foolish to think, she could help feel resentful to the goddesses for not even granting the simple pleasure of their old horse companions.

She sighed, turning toward the shelter. She slumped down, ungracefully, hugging her knees in despair. Everything she ever knew was gone, forever out of reach. And every fragment of her memories, every image of the people she once knew, every sight, every embrace, every emotion had become nothing but a painful memory. As silent tears fell down her face, hot and fast she lowered her head into her hands.

Her heart ached feverishly for the embrace of someone from her past. The warmth of her father's arms around her, the aroma of the palace as she woke up in the morning, the chorus of the sounds of the busy people of Hyrule castle.

And then, all at once but not without great care, her hero embraced her. At first it was gentle, a reminder that someone was here but it suddenly grew tighter, as if he was afraid to let her go and she too felt this pain, his loneliness, his loss and his longing. Zelda slowly lifter her arms up in reply. She felt his firm back flinch in surprise, before hearing his heart relax.

And it was then that Zelda wailed. She cried loud and hard. She cried for her friends and the people she didn't know who had fallen to Calamity, but also in envy for the life she never had. And they stayed their, crouched in their embrace, comforting each other; side by side.

A/N

So first of all...
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS alsjdflajfd (much gratefulness)
This is actually my second attempt at this story because I felt like... the last one... (which i deleted - it had the same title) would be hard to pick up from.
Please tell me what you think and how to improve :3 I have big plans for this so I hope it can go far!
ALSO thank you again!