The Ruins of an Affair

The wind rustled the grass in the ruins of a dead, decaying village south of the castle. Guardians were nearby, the mechanical, methodical musings of a cursed protector, doomed to do the opposite of what it was designed to. Link sat on the scratched stone of an old building. What it used to be was anyone's guess, for hardly anyone alive now was alive a century ago. Except for him, but he hardly remembered anything. But he remembered enough to keep him distracted the few days before he would storm the Calamity alone.

When had awoke from his slumber, it had seemed like he was born a machine in a capable and talented body: a hollow operation with no real awareness of what he was. Link sighed and watched the Guardians roaming the scorched remnants of Castle Town. Until recently, he thought, he wasn't much different than them. No self-awareness. No personal reason to do anything. He was told what he ought to do. He didn't know any better, so he followed their pointing fingers. That changed when he recovered his memories - fragments of who he was a century prior.

It had confused him at first. It wasn't a photograph on his Sheikah Slate, so he didn't expect to get that aching, quenching feeling behind his eyes on the day he first scouted the castle. He had told Impa, though leaving out the greater details, only stating he had experienced a memory not triggered by a photograph or previous remnants of his fellow Champions. It was random. Impa nodded with a sigh, reassuring him it was indeed a good thing. He was piecing himself back together, and it relieved her. But it only confused him further.

It was in the library. He had cleared the area of all the fiends and allowed himself to explore the vast room for supplies and other useful items. It was there he had come upon the King's Study. It was small, hidden, and rather cramped, but proved to have a few useful things. What caught Link's attention was the open dairy on the desk. It over a century old, and he was a resting spirit, so Link didn't find the harm in looking it over. Perhaps it would provide some useful information on the time Pre-Calamity? Or maybe even who Link himself was during that time. He stood, the malice flicks of light in the air of musk and ancient rot, and read the contents. It was all relatively normal until the last few entries, which read :

I am enraged. My daughter - Princess Zelda of Hyrule - the only heir to my gracious throne, that which has been passed to us by the great Goddess Hylia, has done the most unsavory then I could ever imagine her do.

She's been having an affair with her appointed knight. The one I gave her so she could be protected while trying to summon her power!

Link stopped reading and looked down at his blue Champion's tunic. He felt the Master Sword at his back, pulsing with the power to fight the Calamity. Appointed knight. That was him. His heart thumped in his brain, and for the first time since waking, he was nauseated. How could this be? Why wouldn't he remember an affair with the Princess of Hyrule? Perhaps it was a different knight. - No, that would be impossible. She had no other knight than him, Impa told him so. Link swallowed his nausea and kept reading.

I saw it myself. She didn't think I'd find her in her study - the place I've come to loathe! I was planning on telling her that she was grounded from that room. I hoped it would get her mind off all this research and get her mind on finding her power. If that was going to be useful to the situation or not I'll never know! It's when I approached I heard her crying through the open window. I stopped and listened. -

"It's not fair!" she cried. "Link, how is it so easy for you? You can do everything I can't."

He stayed silent. I felt sorry for him - dealing with my daughter's tantrums and staying true to oath. But that changed when I heard him whisper,

"It's not easy for me."

This caught my attention. I wondered where he was going with this. Maybe he was only trying to calm her down, get her to see reason. I wasn't angry yet. I kept listening.

"Of course not. Being with me all day, a failure to everyone. Urbosa told me not bear any shame. She's wrong. I need to bear this shame! How am I to lead you all to the Calamity when I have no foothold of my own?"

"A leader's greatest skill is charisma. You have the power to lead us, Zelda. Keep our morale high and we will fight to the death for you and this kingdom."

Zelda? He referred to her without title. It was blasphemy, but everything else he said was true. This didn't make any sense.

"I don't want you to fight to the death. You...You know that!"

"I know. But if it must be done for safety of your family and this kingdom, that is what I will do. All the other Champions would agree with me."

"Of course you would say that. Why don't you say something to me, you as a man and me as a woman?"

He was silent. She continued.

"I know the Calamity is all anyone's concerned about now...but say we defeat this. What after? You'll be a beacon of this kingdom, a cherished hero. You won't simply be my knight anymore. No one would oppose to a marriage between us then. But...why would you even want me, anyway? When I didn't do anything to quell this evil? I just stood and pointed my finger in the direction my father told me to!"

His voice got a little disperate, a surprise in his usual, placid stance.

"Zelda, I love you. You know that doesn't matter. I'll be honored to take your hand in marriage once this is over."

I love you? Marriage? My head was throbbing with rage, but I held back until the end of their conversation.

"What if this doesn't end? What if it kills us? What if it kills you? We...we should elope. We can dye our hair and get married in a village somewhere on our next travels."

"Zelda, we can't. Our duty to fight the Calamity comes before all else."

She started crying again. "Why did you even bother to ask me to marry you, then? Why tease me? You know this is hard enough!"

"I really do want to marry you…." He paused. "Do you think...we could?"

"Elope? It would be easy. We're going to Rito Village next week. It's a five day journey. There are plenty of small villages between here and there."

"Ah..okay. Alright. We'll do it. Wherever you want. I didn't ask you for no reason. I'm sorry I made it seem trivial."

"It's fine. I understand how your mind works."

"I love you, Zelda."

"I love you too, Link."

"The time has come for me to escort you to court dinner with your father. Are you ready?"

"Sure, though I'd rather not…"

"Rest easy. Remember we're going to Rito next week."

The door opened, Zelda's hand on the knob. Link immediately kneeled and put his head down. Zelda tilted her head.

"Father! I was just on my way to-"

"You will refer to me as your KING!" I shouted at her. She scrunched her shoulders and took a step back. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw many of the Sheikah researchers look up from their Guardians.

"I-I apologize...Your Highness," she whispered. Link still kneeled behind her. I looked down at him.

"You!" I shouted at him. He looked up, a flash of horror on placid face. "How dare you! Stand upright before me!"

He stood without a word. Zelda looked panicked. She put her arm in front of him with a protective gesture.

"Don't hurt him!" she shouted at me. "Please, Father! Hy-Hyrule needs him!"

"Right now he has committed blasphemy against our ancient Royal Line!" I pointed to two guards on the other side of the walkway. "Guards! Take his weapon and escort him to the lockup."

The guards obliged. Zelda screamed, and I yanked her from him. Link took the Master Sword from the holster on his back and handed it over without a fight. They escorted him away. Zelda fought against me to run after him.

"No! No! Please! It-It's not his fault!" She fell to her knees at the end of the walkway once they were out of sight. I stood behind her. She cried into her palms. "Please don't hurt him. Please!"

I looked over the edge of the walkway and saw the staring researchers below. They were in total awe at seeing Link get carted away in a fit of my rage. The Guardian's head spun in circles, but none of them paid it any mind. I turned and addressed them.

"None of you saw this happen, do you understand me?"

They nodded and responded, "Yes, Your Highness." They returned to their work.

Link stared at the page in shock. Nothing was supposed to shock him, and nothing had, but this was unreal. He had followed the King around as an old man on the Great Plateau, his helpful hand aiding him in finding his way. Then, he revealed everything at the top of the Temple of Time, only to give him the Paraglider. They had looked each other in the eyes, King Rhoam's melancholic and his blank and devoid of meaning. King Rhoam begged for his help without a word of this. Link didn't understand it. Why ask him to do anything after such a revelation? And why didn't he remember having an affair? Could he recollect at least some of it?

There was another entry left. He kept reading to the end.

I am still enraged at these revelations. However, I need to know the full story to understand it further. I've had Zelda confined to her quarters and Link sent to the lockup. I've decided to have a private hearing with just the two of them in the Sanctum. They both will have to explain this to me.

Despite this, I know how powerful Link is. I know he is the only one in the whole kingdom that can wield the Master Sword, the sword that seals the darkness. We can't seal the Calamity away without him. And, I also don't want the public to know about this. It could prove to cause scandal that is not needed in this chaotic and dangerous time. All in the public eye will be normal...though I loathe to admit it...he will need to stay with her in the meantime. Though, I can make sure they won't be alone. I don't know. I'll have to work all this through - as though I'm not a stressed enough man!

Link was desperate to remember this chain of events. He was full of anxiety and guilt he didn't understand. He decided to move to the lockup first to try and trigger a memory similar to how the Sheikah Slate pictures did. Then, afterward, he'd try the same with the Sanctum. Even though he wasn't ready to enter and fight the Calamity, he could at least look from outside. It would work, he reasoned, because it was still scouting all the same. He needed to understand. He couldn't face Zelda again without knowing.

He found the lockup. It was a pit of fiends with hatred and malice incarnate wafting through the air and splattering the ground with rot. He cleared the area quickly and, soon enough, was alone. He stepped around areas of malice and looked around with a critical eye. He spotted a cell in the middle with a hole in the wall, giving way to a small view of the hills just beyond the moat. It was then he got the quenching feeling behind his eyes, the throb in his head, and the shiver in his hands. He eyes went wide and he entered a sequence of recollection.

He was alone in a cell, his back against the wall. The guards, some of whom were Link's comrades, were shocked to see him there. Some even thought he had been assigned a post there for some reason. It wasn't until the two guards that had escorted him from Zelda's Study explained the situation that they understood. Though they didn't know why Link was put in a cell, the act of witnessing it was enough to make their heads spin.

Link held his head between his knees. He was hollow. He didn't know what he was supposed to think or what he was supposed to feel. But, he knew Zelda was on her knees wailing, he could feel it in the deepest chambers of his heart. Whether it was because they were spiritually connected or he knew her especially well, he couldn't discern. He only knew what he felt. And it was the most painful thing he had ever experienced.

He wasn't sure how it happened. They just fell in love. It was a slow development, for at first she really despised him and he was rather indifferent to it. But, in time and heavy travel, they had opened up to one another. She admitted her feelings and coaxed him outside of his oath to admit his. After that, things were different. The Calamity became a more harrowing prospect than anyone had imagined. Link became aware of his mortality. He became aware of his wants for a future he might never get to have. He saw a life with her. A royal wedding, a kiss on the balcony with thousands of smiling citizens. Some time later, on that same balcony, her and him sharing with the world the news of their newborn, a joy he didn't know he wanted. He saw all of it. He longed for it. But now, what was it but just a mere fantasy in the mind of an imprisoned and blasphemous man?

A guard snapped him out of his thoughts. Link glanced up. It was one of his old sparring partners. They still often saw each other, but neither of them had the time to spar anymore. The guard looked on with sympathy.

"Link? Are you really supposed to be here?" he asked.

Link stared at him. Saying nothing, he nodded.

"What? How in Hylia's good name are you here? Am I dreaming?"

Link shrugged.

"Come on, Link. We've known each other for years. What's wrong? The King would never do this to you, you're the best of us!"

"I deserve this," Link responded blankly. But did he? In a way, yes, but, he didn't want to think in terms of the Royal Oath and Law. He was just a man in love. What was the punishment for that?

"No way. I don't believe it."

"You don't have to. I-I made a mistake. I got too close…" He choked on his words. For the first time, tears filled his eyes. He let his head fall back in between in his legs and waved the guard away. Teardrops wet the cold, stone floor below him.

Link came out of his recollection. The shame and humiliation he felt with his back against the cell wall a century prior came flooding back to him. He remembered his thoughts on that day, the fantasies of the life he wanted with Zelda. But, it still confused him. He knew he proposed to her, King Rhoam heard and recorded it in his dairy. How? Where? When? What precipitated all of it? Along with the shame came a prick of another feeling: Affection. He felt the remnants of his affection, though still largely unexplained, in the back of his mind. Was he a criminal? If so, why are Impa, Purah, Robbie, Prince Sidon, Teba, Riju, Yunobo….all of them, why are they still believing in him? Calling him a hero and a respectable man? Most of all, why did King Rhoam beg for his help? The help of a man who apparently had an affair with his daughter? He had heard Zelda's voice through the wind, soft and elegant, but in pain and begging. What was he to her now?

He decided to head to the Sanctum in hopes that it would cause another recollection in him. He stood at the door, mere feet from the Calamity. He saw the regal staircase, the large Hylian Crest, the shattered pedestal of the King's throne. The quenching feeling behind his eyes returned, and he fell into another recollection.

Link was escorted to the Sanctum. The guards let him go in front of the King atop his throne, quickly retreating from raging eyes. Zelda appeared beside him, also escorted by guards. They were left alone with him, the high ceiling and regal walls a choke-hold against their fate. Link held his gaze to the floor until the King spoke to him.

"Link, Hylian Champion and Princess Zelda's appointed knight. What I overheard you say in the Princess' Study was blasphemy against your oath and the Royal Family. What say you in your defense?"

Link swallowed. He glanced over to Zelda. She had fearful eyes full of brimming tears, her body shaking with anxiety. It hurt him not to be able to console her, but he couldn't sugarcoat anything for her sake. Not when so much hung in the balance.

"I have nothing to say in my defense," he responded. Zelda's eyes went wide.

"Father-" she said, but the King cut her short.

"You may speak only when I refer to you."

Zelda stepped back, her head pointed at the floor. She wiped tears off her cheeks.

"Please explain to me, from your point of view, the nature of your illicit relationship. Hold back nothing, for I have your fate after the Calamity is dealt with in my hands." The King stared at Link, his head high and calculating.

Link inhaled. "Your daughter, the Princess, admitted she felt romantic love for me on our journey to Mount Lanayru. Despite my will to keep our relationship strictly professional, and my plea for the Princess to never mention such speak again, I eventually broke my oath and admitted I reciprocate her feelings."

"It is true? You truly feel romantic love for Princess Zelda?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"I heard you both speak of a marriage proposal. Were you the one to initiate this suggestion?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"When did you first suggest this?"

"I had saved her life from the Yiga a second time near the Outpost north of the Great Plateau. It was a group of them, and I instructed her to run to the Outpost for her safety. I defeated them and met her again at the Outpost. She had fallen and injured her forearm in her escape. It was then I realized our mortality as Hylians. With the Calamity, and our long-secret romantic relationship, I felt the need for her to know the intensity of my commitment to her on all levels. It was that night atop a hill overlooking the lake that I asked for her hand in marriage, which she accepted."

"You do understand this is a traitorous offence?"

"Yes, I do. I am only a man, but being a man is no excuse for my actions."

"You would be correct. I applaud the integrity you take in admitting your actions, but it may prove not to be enough for you."

Link stiffened. Zelda was sobbing, her palms digging into her eyes.

"Link," the King said. "Zelda is guilty in this situation as well. She was the one who began this by admitting her feelings. However, she may say to you whatever she pleases, and as her knight, you are to politely listen and console. It was your responsibility to keep the relationship professional. You are under oath to serve her, not for her to serve you. In any way at all. It doesn't matter that it may have been an equal affection. Just by her being royalty and you her knight, it isn't equal, and would never be. For that, you are a traitor working for your own self satisfaction instead of dedicating your life to the Royal Family and Your Princess as you took an oath to.

"I understand who you are. You are also a Champion, the one who wields the Master Sword, the only one who can seal the Calamity away. That's why things will proceed as normal until after the Calamity is defeated. We don't need a public scandal in these dangerous times. You will continue to act as her knight, with additional escorts to ensure a platonic relationship, and continue your role as a Champion.

"However, once this is all over, things will return to normalcy. When that happens, you will be stripped of your knighthood and your Champion's tunic and sentenced to execution, the only viable punishment for your traitorous acts."

"No!" Zelda screamed in agony. She fell to her knees. "You can't! You can't just use him like that, only to kill him! W-What kind of monster are you? Doesn't it matter at all to you? Doesn't it matter to you that I love him? I want him to be my husband!"

"It doesn't matter, Zelda. What matters are your roles and titles."

"I-I knew you'd never care for me as a daughter. I'm just a pawn on a chessboard."

"You'll learn to appreciate our traditions in time. This will prove to be a lesson to you both."

"It won't."

The King sighed. "I understand the heavy hand in this, but things must continue as normal. Link, you will need to escort the Princess to Hateno in order to meet with Purah so she can update us on her research. You will leave tomorrow, but stop in Kakariko first to speak with Impa."

Link came out of his recollection. He fell to his knees in front of the entrance to the Sanctum. Execution? He was going to be executed? That was then...but was he still faced with that fate now? The King was gone, which meant Zelda was the ruler of the Kingdom. Would she carry out her father's wishes? He then remembered an odd piece of his conversation with King Rhoam's spirit atop the Temple of Time.

Link, you may never understand this, but just know I am truly sorry for my treatment of you. May no ill will come of you in your journey or after it. Always protect her. Always protect Zelda, in any way you feel best. I never meant to place such a heavy hand on you for your actions. I'm sorry.

He had just assumed the King had referred to his fate as a Champion and knight. But now it seemed to have a heavier connotation. He had apologized for his sentencing through the nuance that it was about heroism. Now Link understood: It was really about his affection for his daughter. Link knew he may never recover all his memories of their romantic relationship, but he was determined to piece together as much of the puzzle as he could before reuniting with Zelda again. The King had instructed them to go to Kakariko and speak with Impa. If so, then Impa would surely remember that, right? He decided to visit her and find out.

Link pushed open the doors to Impa's quarters. She gazed up at him from the edges of her wide-brimmed hat. She gave him a feeble smile.

"Link. Welcome back. How are things progressing?" she asked. Paya looked up for her place in front of the ancient relic, the bright orange sphere she cleaned so vehemently.

"Impa...I have matters to speak with you about…" Link swallowed. "It's about my memories. I've recovered more of them without the aid of the Slate. I'm having trouble understanding them...can we please speak in private?"

Impa nodded. "Paya? Can you please give us a moment alone?"

Paya looked at Link with a flustered blush and nodded. She went outside and down the stairs, leaving them alone.

"What memories are we speaking of?" Impa asked.

"I-I discovered the King's diary in the castle library," Link admitted. The back of his neck heated. "It details him overhearing a conversation I had with Zelda in her study. I still have no recollection of this conversation, but he wrote it down. I had an affair with Zelda. We...We were in love. The King found out our plans to get married and sent me to the lockup. I went there, and remembered my time in a cell. Then, I went to the Sanctum and remembered the King questioning me about it. He wanted to keep the situation normal as long as the Calamity ruled, but sentenced me to execution after it was over. He ordered me to escort her to Hateno, but first wanted us to stop here and speak with you. Do you recall us coming here?"

Impa stared at him a moment, surprise in her eyes, but her face placid. She nodded.

"I do remember you two coming here. Though, I admit, I am unaware of your other revelations. From what I recall from seeing you was the relationship I always saw from you both. However, you came here battered. Zelda was in a panic, distraught even. You two had left the castle right after the Calamity began it's onslaught on Castle Town. She told me you were trying to run as far from it as possible. This was when I learned that the Calamity had infected the Divine Beasts and led to the deaths of the other Champions. You two had come here by the King's instructions, but also as a way to get to safety from the chaos."

Link nodded, though it didn't explain everything. "Did we come here alone?"

"Yes. You said you were with a few other soldiers, but they were lost in the fight against the Calamity. You two were exhausted, so we gave you a spare hut in hopes that you would recover quickly and be able to make your way to the Hateno Tech Lab."

"Is that hut still here? Perhaps I can trigger a memory from it."

"Yes. Cado actually lives in it now. I encourage you to go and see if you can rekindle your memories."

Link made the short walk to Cado's house. He was out searching for a Cucco he had lost. It had flown away again, even after Link went through the trouble of finding them all and returning them. Link sighed, those matters seemed trivial now. He opened the door to Cado's house and stepped inside. Suddenly it all came rushing back to him.

Link sat on the edge of the bed in a light tan tunic. The villagers had graciously offered to wash and mend their battered clothing, giving them spare sets in the meantime. He had washed up and cleaned all the grim from his skin. Now Zelda was taking her turn. She had insisted he go first, as he had more cuts and bruises than him. Now, with all that was happening, he wasn't sure what to think. What he still going to be executed? What the King alive? The other Champions weren't, which was heart-wrenching to think about. He wondered what Urbosa would say to him if she knew their situation. She was a strong and powerful woman, but had a gentle air of understanding when it came to her family and friends. Would she approve of their affair?

Zelda entered with a light nightgown on. Link tried to hide his blush with a poker face, which surprisingly worked. She sat down beside him.

"Are you alright?" he asked. He wanted to card his fingers through her hair, but he kept his hands in his lap.

"Yes, I'm fine. Are you?" she responded.

"Yes. You mustn't worry about me."

"But I will. I don't give a damn about what my father said...you're not getting executed. I won't...I won't allow it!" Zelda raised her voice, her fists tense.

"Princess-"

"Don't call me that."

Link flinched. "Zelda, what the King says is law. If that's my fate, then that is what must be."

"No! Not anymore...not when...don't you think…" She choked back tears. "You saw the castle and Castle Town. They're piles of ash! My father...don't you think he's dead?"

"I wouldn't want to jump to conclusions."

"He is, Link. I don't think he really hated you...he was just following traditions. It doesn't matter now. You are the man I'm going to marry as leader of this kingdom."

Link blushed. "Oh...Zelda, don't worry about such things now. We have to make our way to Hateno."

"But I will worry about these things. I worry about you, Link. Today wasn't easy. Tomorrow will only be worse. What if I lose you? I won't ever love anyone else!"

"Don't say such things." Link frowned. "Surely you'll find someone to marry that isn't me."

"I would be forced to in order to have an heir. I'm the only one in the Royal Family. It must continue, whether I like my partner or not. But...I can fix that easily." Zelda's cheeks were red as she turned away.

Link furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

"I won't ever have to marry someone if I already have an heir."

"What?"

"Yes. You're my fiance...would it be a surprise to anyone if...if we…" Zelda turned away.

"If we what?"

"If you and I had a child."

Link reddened. He clenched his teeth. "A-A child?"

"Yes. Any child of mine would be royalty, regardless of my marriage status."

"Yes, but why must you think of this now?"

"Because...I can't lose my opportunity to have a family with you. Even if something happens to you, it's likely I'll always be safe. And I don't want anyone else fathering my children. That's why we need to try for a child now."

Link's face was on fire. Sweat pooled at the base of his neck. He was speechless, unable to find anything to say at all. He couldn't wrap his mind around being a father with all the chaos around them. How could she be thinking about motherhood?

"Zelda…" he finally said. "I think you're in grief. We've lost so many dear to us today, so you're trying to find ways to fill that void. We don't need to bring children into this danger. I-I promise you, when this is all over we'll get married and have a family."

"I'm so scared, Link." She began to cry. "I don't want to lose you too. We're the only ones left. I need you more than anyone."

Link wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. She cried into his shoulder.

"I'll be fine. It'll be okay. I love you," he said softly. He wiped her tears away.

"I love you too," she whispered back. She wrapped her arm around his neck and titled him down towards her. They kissed.

The kiss from a century past was a warm feeling on his lips as he exited the memory. His skin burned with embarrassment unbeknownst to anyone, and the force of the love he had for her was coming back to him. That love was still inside of him, rustling deep down. As time went on and he found more of himself, that love only grew stronger and got louder in his mind. That's when he realized: They never did make it to Hateno. The puzzle had fit together, linking two memories. After they left Kakariko they were attacked by Guardians at Fort Hateno. That was when he made his final stand in an effort to protect her, and essentially died in her arms before being revitalized. The Link from a century ago hadn't kept his promise to her. But, this current Link still had the chance to. It was all starting to make sense now. His love and dedication to her was in full force. He was ready to storm the castle at that moment to free her and hold her in his arms again. But, he refrained. There was still one last memory he had the chance to recover.

He found the small lake not far from the ruins of the Outpost. He looked over the waters as the sun casts an orange glow on the ripples of a fish underneath. He found a small hill overlooking it. Another day from a century prior came rushing back to him.

They sat and watched the sun set. Link wrapped his arm around Zelda and pulled her close. They were far enough from the activities of the outpost that no one would notice them. In that moment, they were able to have a short bout of privacy after a harrowing day.

"Are you hurt?" he asked. He pushed a strand of loose hair from her eyes.

"I'm fine. It's only a scratch." She ran her fingers over the bandage on her forearm. "How about you? You were the one to take all of those fiends on."

"I'm fine. Anything to protect you."

"Of course you would say that. You're my knight." Zelda chuckled, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Yes, but, I feel more obligation to fight for you than simply my duties. My heart is the one pulling the strings now." He blushed and turned his head away.

Zelda blushed as well. "Oh? Is that so?"

"Yes. You know I love you, I've told you so many times."

"I know. I love you too."

"Today was an eye-opener for me…" Link swallowed. "That group of Yiga were more powerful than I thought. For the first time in a long while, dealing with an enemy proved to be a challenge. I sidestepped a few powerful attacks with just loose strands on my clothes. It could have been so much worse. I've realized how mortal we are. With the Calamity as powerful as it is, I understand my possible fate more than I ever have before."

"Link...don't speak that way. It scares me."

"I know...but it's true. That's why I need to cherish you every day."

"You can cherish me without thinking of such morbid concepts." Zelda frowned. She grabbed his hand and held it.

"Yes, but it's reality. That's why I need you to understand what you mean to me."

Zelda furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

"You are everything to me, Zelda. My Princess, my love, my confidant, my best friend. No one has listened to me like you have. You don't have to care about me. I was just an underling, but you made me a true man. A man full of adoration and affection, a man with strength and a true, personal reason to fight. Of course I want Hyrule to be safe, but I also have more selfish reasons to fight this cursed beast. It's you. I want you to be happy and safe. That motivates me more than anything. Your love and affection keeps me be strong.

"That's why I have to ask you this. If I die having said nothing, it will have been my greatest regret…." He inhaled a shaky breath, her hand on his lips in a chivalrous kiss.

"Princess Zelda of Hyrule, will you marry me?"

Zelda's eyes filled with tears that cascaded down her cheeks. She covered her mouth and stared at her joined hands. She nodded her answer: Yes.

He smiled with relief. They embraced. He cupped her cheek and kissed her with all the adoration his heart could muster. She held his shoulders as he laid her down and began kissing her neck. In a moment of privacy from the world, they experienced their passion in the most intimate way possible, the watchful lense of fate keeping their days an unknown number.

Link's initial reaction to the memory was red-hot embarrassment. He was now aware of the full scope of their relationship : they had been intimate physically, emotionally, and mentally. They were bonded in every way possible. After the blush from his face was settled, determination surged him. He decided it was time. He was ready to storm the castle.

Link ate breakfast on the steps of an mysterious building in a ruined village just south Castle Town and the castle. He was within days, hours possibly, of storming the castle and setting his lover free. That was what she was - his lover. Everyone else thought of her as the Princess that needed saving, and him the hero to save her. She was so much more than that. He didn't need to save her, only help her win her battles, just as he had promised a century ago. He watched the Guardians crawling around Castle Town. He wasn't like them at all. He had love in his heart, and determination and strength in his mind. He was no hollow machine. He was a Hylian. As a Hylian, he was going to keep his promises to his love and set her free.

Author's Note

Hi there! I hope you enjoyed. This is the first fanfiction I have written in over two years. I've been working on other writing projects of original content during that time, but recently, I've lost my luster for writing : a writer's block. So I decided to make a return to fantiction in hopes that it would rekindle my motivation and it did! I wrote this entire piece in one day, so my intentions worked! I had forgotten how much writing fanfiction can help when it comes to creative writing, and how it can help us come up with new ideas. While I still want to work on my other projects, I think I will be dedicating more time to writing fanfiction as a way to balance all the different kinds of writing I do and prevent burn out.

To be honest, I was a bit worried this might not be a very good fanfiction, I've been away from the genre for so long! Please let me know what you think, I would greatly appreciate it! (Sorry for any possible typos! I have to proofread my own fanfiction!)

Thank you!

-LovelyCosmos