Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda or any of the characters within.

"If we depart now, we should reach Zora's Domain within two days on horseback, Princess Zelda."

Those were the words that Link, hero of the newly-liberated Kingdom of Hyrule, said to his lone companion. As she turned to face him, she caught his glance into the vast green fields beyond. His deep blue eyes, which she admittedly frequently found herself lost within, seemed now wandering themselves.

It had been just over a day ago when the duo had confronted Calamity Ganon, the scourge of Hyrule Castle, and decisively defeated him after a century of rampage and destruction. The long-awaited battle was in fact a rematch of their fight a century earlier, when the antagonist had reigned victorious and countless casualties grew in his wake. Only an act of divine providence could have saved them which, ironically, was the case: The Princess had suddenly awoken her dormant powers, while her companion, on the brink of death, was taken to the Shrine of Resurrection where he recuperated during the intermission. The resulting circumstances permitted both to both survive the Calamity, and not to age a day beyond that fateful day.

They were a perfect time capsule, and most historians would leap at the opportunity to interview either of these specimens, before even taking into account their roles.

"Link, did you get that?"

Her companion snapped out of his trance, and turned to face her suddenly. He nodded, his preferred response as he had become known as a Hylian of few words. As Zelda's anointed knight and wielder of the Master Sword, the sword that seals the darkness, his actions spoke far louder.

"I said we shouldn't waste any time. I want to meet with King Dorephan and this prince of his that you keep talking about."

Link chuckled. Words couldn't do justice to the magnificence of the great Sidon.

The duo turned to mount their horses: Zelda on a pure white steed, and Link on a dark brown mare. He had named his horse Epona, and she was his faithful companion ever since his emergence from the Shrine. Link knew that these horses were among the strongest and hearty horses in Hyrule: he had tamed them himself, after all.

As they galloped through central Hyrule, Link returned to what was going through his mind before his interruption. Looking out at the vast plains, one could see both the horror of the ruined settlements from the Calamity, and the beauty of nature thriving in spite of it. Countless battles were fought and lost, numerous innocents brought to an untimely demise, the apocalypse quite literally on their doorstep, and yet the wildlife still held the will to live and thrive. Doubtless that countless memories also accompanied the vast plains, memories lost to time.

'If only I could remember more,' he thought to himself. Nevertheless, he still pressed on.

When Link awoke from his century-long slumber, he had lost his memories, and throughout his quest to free the Divine Beasts and defeat Ganon, he had visited various locations and had flashbacks to his earlier days. Most of these memories pertained to Princess Zelda and himself, where her views and treatment of him evolved from open hostility to friendship and intimacy. While he gained a better grasp on their relationship, he still felt that some pieces were missing, especially with his other friends and Champions. There was one person who he particularly wanted to remember more about…

…but he was quickly snapped back into reality.

"Link! Watch out for those Bokoblins!"

He reacted a tad late, as the orange monster was trampled under Epona's hooves. Faced yet again with the current situation, the hero placed a grip on his signature blade and leaped off his steed to clean up the victim's party.

"There you go again. I'm convinced that you keep doing this just to show off!"

The fight had been quick and the fated pair continued along the road. At a time Bokoblins had been a threat to Link, but after facing much tougher monsters, they were quite refreshing adversaries, especially with his Master Sword. The hero shrugged off the Princess' witty remark that came with each encounter they had, and the faithful knight that he was, he easily dispatched any who would threaten the life of the next Queen of Hyrule.

At times Zelda would insist that Link award her a weapon, and that she was fully capable of defending herself in a pinch. Every time, Link would stubbornly refuse: it was quite possible that whatever powers permitted her to not only seal off Ganon alone, but to survive a century without aging, had taken an unseen toll on her body, and he wasn't going to let her take any risks, not before a full physical examination. The Princess sighed and eventually gave in.

As they approached the Riverside Stable for a pitstop, Zelda approached Link, Shiekah Slate in hand.

"Link, before we reach the Domain to inspect Vah Ruta, I want to make another visit to the Spring of Wisdom on Mount Lanayru. It's a bit out of the way, but I want to give my thanks to the Goddess before we move forward."

Though Ganon had been banished until the next age, and the threat of Blood Moons were to be over, there still numbered a large monster population, including a number of Lizalfos complimenting the wolves nearing the peak of that mountain. That wasn't even counting the Lynel that guarded the main route at the base. That Lynel wasn't too far from that spot, either.

It was the last living memory he had of the Champions.

'Let's stop wasting time! We're gonna need everything we got to take that thing down!'

'Now Champions! To your Divine Beasts! Show that swirling swine who's boss!'

The authoritative yet compassionate voice of Lord Daruk, the Champion of the Gorons, filled the air. Link and Zelda had just returned from Mount Lanayru, where the Princess had fruitlessly prayed at the Spring of Wisdom, and was greeted by the Champions at the base. While they tried to console her, Calamity Ganon had erupted and engulfed the castle of Hyrule. They could only look on in shock until Daruk spoke up.

'Link will need to meet Ganon head on when we attack! This needs to be a unified assault! Little guy! You get to Hyrule Castle.'

He could feel the look of disgust Master Revali, the proud Rito Champion, gave him upon hearing those words.

'You can count on us for support. But it's up to you to pound Ganon into oblivion!'

Lady Urbosa, the Gerudo Champion, approached Zelda with a motherly look. 'Come. We should go. We need to get you someplace safe.'

The Princess adamantly refused. 'No. I am not a child anymore! I may not be much use on the battlefield… But there must… There must be something I can do to help!'

The memories faded to a blur not long after, but the Hylian Champion tried to concentrate on how he felt about one in particular…

"Link!"

The hero shook once more, snapped out of his memories. He absent-mindedly nodded, forgetting the subject of the conversation until it was too late.

He later regretted it.

Hack. Slash. Hyah!

Those were the sounds that littered Mount Lanayru. They were accompanied by gruff pants from the blonde swordsman.

Climbing Mount Lanayru alone was no chore for Link, as he could easily handle any enemy that dared cross him. Doing so while defending Zelda on all sides, however, was more difficult. He still dispatched all enemies that came before them, but it took more effort to protect every hair that graced her golden head. They had left their horses at Kakariko Village, after checking in with Impa once more.

After the final battle, Princess Zelda chose Kakariko as her headquarters for rebuilding the ravaged Kingdom. It held Impa, the loyal Sheikah tribe, and a fairly central location among the Hylian population centers that remained. She didn't want any lavish ceremonies to commemorate her return, least not before the restoration of the capital, but she did send word to all about Ganon's defeat and her rebuilding efforts.

"We're almost at the peak! I can't believe the view!" The Princess was visibly excited. She didn't mind the cold one bit, and she was comfortable in her white coat. Even Link had to admit that she looked stylish and adorable in that outfit.

They marched through the snow, Link holding a torch to keep them warm and illuminated as they ascended. He knew from memory that they were almost at the summit, and they walked through a small cave of ice when Zelda decided to take a break to check the Shiekah Slate. Link acquiesced and set up a campfire while she played with her toy.

Over the last couple days Zelda had been making extensive efforts to open Link up and release him from the tension and burden he bore. The threat of Calamity Ganon was thwarted for now, which was the largest motivating factor for the Hero's infamous silence, but old habits die hard. It wasn't that he were incapable of holding a conversation, it was just that he didn't want to.

Through the course of his adventure, the Hero found a fondness of the various views and natural formations that dotted Hyrule. He actively sought out several peaks to survey the Kingdom, but few were as majestic as the height of Mount Lanayru. He experienced it firsthand when he liberated Naydra from Ganon's Malice: an encounter that quite literally took him across the mountain range. It was one of his most epic battles, and one he was due to tell his companion when they met the dragon once more.

Something strange came over him, which led him to stand up from the camp and gaze into the distant yonder. That feeling tugged on him: this scene felt familiar for some reason. The cave, the campfire, the carefree Princess: all of these things gave a familiar vibe.

Then it hit him like a Moblin Club to the face.

This scene, this fire, it all came back to him now.

Another memory.

"Yahoo! I've never felt so liberated!"

The newly seventeen-year-old Zelda was twirling around the camp while Link set up a campfire. He could tell that they were near the summit and he wanted to prepare a dish fitting for the royal for reaching the age of majority. He also had her ceremonial white dress prepared for when she was ready to change at the Spring.

He handed her a plate of Hearty Salmon Meuière, which she happily devoured. She appreciated his cooking as much as his way with the sword.

"I have a good feeling about the Spring of Wisdom," she continued. "Legend says that long ago, the Triforce split into three pieces and went to the three beings that embodied their attributes the most. The Triforce of Power merged with Ganon, the Triforce of Courage to the hero, and the Triforce of Wisdom to the Princess. With your courage and Ganon's impending power, I must certainly be the last of the trifecta."

Link listened as they sat together. What she said made some sense, but he wasn't completely sold on her theory. There was also no guarantee that even if this Spring was indeed her fount of awakening, it would happen today. Going off that same legend, the Hero of Time supposedly was trapped within the Sacred Realm for seven years, allowing Ganon to run amok unchecked. That wasn't a precedent he wanted to follow.

"…and I was wondering," the tone in her voice suddenly shifted. Her face was filled with concern and nervousness, and if he weren't mistaken, shades of red were occupying the ends of her cheeks. But he couldn't tell, as her face was directed downward.

"You are my courageous knight who has shielded me from every threat that has come for me, you have kept me safe, sheltered, and- "the princess offered a rare stutter. At times she was flustered, ecstatic, calm, but never like this. "I want to know what you truly think of me."

Link paused while formulating a response, and then turned to the princess.

"Princess, you are certainly an amazing young woman, and you possess many admirable qualities that make you great. Despite not achieving your full potential, you strive every day to make up for it and assist us in the ways you can. Few of us could be so dedicated as to take fate into our own hands as you, and I'm sure that with a mind like yours to guide us, Calamity Ganon will be defeated, with or without those Divine Beasts."

Zelda was moved by these words. She was successful in getting him to open up to a degree, but she never thought he thought of her like this. Still she pressed on.

"I see. I have another question that I wanted to wait until after the Calamity Ganon ordeal was over to ask, but has anyone caught your eye as of yet?"

Link was taken aback for a second, but finally mustered up a response.

"To be honest, there is one person I've known for some time, someone whose presence can illuminate a whole room. I haven't been able to see her very often since my knighthood, but I made her a promise that once this ordeal was over, we would spend some time together."

The Princess appeared to stiffen in response to the remarks, but as to why was completely out of the Hero's periphery.

"Fine. I won't pry any longer." She walked quickly towards her white dress and indicated for privacy to change. "Let's just forget this conversation happened and move on to the Spring, shall we?"

Link nodded as he prepared to clean up the camp site. He picked up the Master Sword and readied himself to stand guard as usual. Before he completely turned around, he noticed in the corner of his eye that Zelda was holding the Sheikah Slate and opened to a blue page. The image on the screen looked exactly like the campsite they were just at, and she tapped the screen in the same manner as if to delete it.

Suddenly Link returned to the world of the present, and to his relief noticed Zelda grinning as she swept through the Sheikah Slate, clearly browsing his real-to-life images of himself with various dangerous beasts.

The hero also made a number of revelations from this new memory.

First, he confirmed that there were more memories from his past that weren't laid bare by obvious photos and statues of his comrades. This made him feel ecstatic as it provided him with more memories, more adventure, to learn more about his past self, and made the world so much bigger.

Second, he realized what Zelda truly thought of him right before he lost consciousness, and felt a strong pain in his gut. He knew that he was one of the most eligible bachelors in Hyrule based on his interactions with the Gerudo alone, but this was before he became the hero that saved the Kingdom. He was glad that Zelda was one of his friends, but at the same time, he didn't want to hurt her feelings, especially with her powers on the line being the deciding factor in their fight against Ganon. He wondered if she still felt the same about him after all these years…

Third, one detail of that memory had him itching his head in confusion, but felt all too familiar.

'Someone I said I would spend time together with? But who?'

He tried recanting all the memories he retrieved while traversing Hyrule. Eventually, one of them floated towards the surface.

'Perhaps we could spend some time together.'

He finally realized it, and it was a painful truth that felt like a blow to the heart.

He realized that was from one of his last intimate conversations with Mipha, the red Zora Princess and Champion of Divine Beast Vah Ruta. From his memories he had always thought of her as a pretty and kind Zora, someone he naturally would have enjoyed spending time with, but he didn't know why, and he dismissed those feelings to the back of his mind.

He learned only after her death that she held feelings for him, and had handcrafted special Zora armor for him, armor crafted specifically by Zora princesses for their future husbands. Even without all his memories restored, he knew that they had a special bond, and could understand where she was coming from. However, one question did permeate his mind after processing all this information.

'How did I feel? What would I have said?'

This question had dogged him ever since he liberated Vah Ruta and freed Mihpa's spirit. It broke his heart to see her fate, but he felt relieved that her spirit could finally rest in peace knowing that her mission was completed.

With this memory fresh in his mind, Link brought his hands to his head and shook vigorously. This strange feeling finally made sense.

"Link? Are you alright?" Zelda was looking up at her companion with concern, noting his frantic behavior.

'I remember. I did have feelings for her after all.'

This realization hit him like a thousand Zora Spears. She was dead, and he only now remembered how he felt towards her.

He squandered his last chance at closure with her spirit, at the very least.

It was like losing her a second time.

The Hylian hero fell to his knees and started sobbing.