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Life post-Calamity Ganon wasn’t what Link had expected. His entire life he had trained for the possibility of war. He didn’t know what to do with peace.
He still guarded the princess. Even peace had the possibility of dangers—falling rocks, Yiga Clan ambushes, and inclement weather being just a few of them. But things felt different now that the threat of Calamity Ganon no longer loomed over them.
“Well, we’ve visited all the places I can think of for now,” Princess Zelda said as they rode their horses together. The clip-clop of hooves against rock, the chirping of birds, and the rustling of grass created a pleasant symphony of natural sounds, and the setting sun cast everything in its warm glow.
“There’s still so much work to be done,” Princess Zelda continued, “but I need a home base.” She glanced towards the ruins of Hyrule Castle. “I don’t suppose I should stay there anymore, should I?” She laughed lightly, and it warmed Link’s heart to hear the sound. “My old bedroom likely isn’t very hospitable. I suppose that’s what happens when you don’t live there for a hundred years.”
So many of the people they’d known back then were gone, and Princess Zelda had spent decades holding back Calamity Ganon while he’d recovered in the Shrine of Resurrection. Her life had been anything but easy, and yet she still found a way to smile and laugh and joke.
Her courage to face the future gave him courage, too.
They dismounted for the evening and set their horses out to graze, and she pulled out the Purah Pad as he set up camp.
“Hmmmm, let’s see, where should we go,” she wondered aloud, pacing back and forth. “I’m sure Impa would offer to let me stay with her in Kakariko Village if I asked, same with Purah at the Research Lab. Riju I know would let me live in Gerudo Town. Urbosa was a good friend of my mother’s, and I’d like to get to know Riju better, but I wouldn’t want to impose…” She bit her lip and glanced at him. “What do you think, Link? In all your travels, did you find someplace suitable?”
Link looked at her but said nothing. He knew where he wanted her to stay, but he wasn’t sure what she wanted. She’d done what other people had wanted for so long that he wanted her to make her own decisions about her future.
“I would like to stay somewhere lowkey,” she clarified, “a place I can rest and feel safe and help rebuild Hyrule.” She sighed, and there was a deep heaviness in her eyes. “But somewhere where there’s people. I’ve had quite enough of lonely castle rooms and empty solitude to last me a lifetime.” She glanced at his face and read it as easily as she read her beloved scholarly tomes. “You do have somewhere in mind, don’t you Link? Here, show me.”
He gulped and took the Purah Pad from her, then selected Hateno Village and handed it back to her. Their fingers brushed, and his hand shook a little. Ever since they’d been reunited, any sort of accidental touch sent a spark through him that left him wanting more.
But his father had drilled into his head since childhood that he was here to serve the princess and nothing more, and old habits die hard, especially since she was so busy helping rebuild Hyrule. Besides, she had far more important things to deal with than her knight’s crush on her.
“Oh, this is quite lovely,” Princess Zelda said as she looked through the data he’d compiled. Photos, information about the wildlife, the people who lived there, the buildings, the governance of the community, what goods it was known for, all of it was neatly organized into lists and categories. He couldn’t help but smile seeing her get so excited. She was always in her element when it came to research.
“I saw this village when I was watching over you,” she continued, “but I’d like to see it in person. It’s rural, cozy, and homey. There are people around, but I’d still have the peace and quiet I’d need. It’s perfect, Link. Thank you.”
They spent the night at the campsite, then set off again in the morning. The two of them traveled through the wilderness to reach their destination, traversing rivers and streams, mountains and valleys. Each day ended around a warm campfire. Link always insisted on guarding her while she slept. When they were out in the open like this, they were especially vulnerable, and he wasn’t about to let anything happen to her.
“Fine,” Princess Zelda said when he insisted for the fifth time she get to sleep first. “You can take first watch, but then you will wake me up and you will get a good night’s rest, understood?”
She’d used her commanding royal voice, which never ceased to amuse Link because she always sounded slightly haughty and rather pompous in an endearingly earnest way. He simply smiled and agreed to her terms, knowing full well that once she was asleep, she was out like a rock and would sleep until dawn. Then he could catch a short nap before they set out.
They would reach Hateno Village tomorrow, so a lack of sleep really wouldn’t be an issue. Besides, he didn’t mind watching over her like this. She’d had to watch him sleep for a hundred years. A few hours was nothing in comparison.
He sighed deeply. She looked so peaceful curled up in her sleeping bag near the fire. Her chest rose and fell, rose and fell, and her golden hair was splayed across her cheek. He tended to the fire and took care of the horses, but his gaze always wandered back to her.
After recovering his memories, he knew how he felt about her. He told himself it was a crush, but in quiet moments like this when he was alone with his thoughts, he admitted the truth to himself. He knew how she felt about him too. And yet nothing more had really happened between them. They’d traveled across all Hyrule for weeks, sometimes spending days in the wilderness with just the two of them, and yet there was still this awkward, unspoken tension between them. It yawned like a gaping chasm that he couldn’t figure out how to cross. It didn’t feel right for him to cross it either, given their differences in station and his role in serving her.
He glanced at her sleeping form again and sighed. Maybe he should talk to her about all of this. He was just so used to keeping his thoughts and feelings to himself that it was a hard habit to break. She always urged him to speak his mind, but doing so around her of all people was the most difficult of all sometimes.
The hours slipped by as he stewed with his thoughts, and when dawn was about an hour away, he searched their supplies for suitable breakfast materials. This yielded a few bird’s eggs he’d found earlier, a hunk of cheese, a few Hyrule Herbs, and their last piece of meat, and so he set about making scrambled eggs over the fire. The recipe crackled in its pan over the fire and smelled better and better to the point he got thoroughly distracted by it.
“Link!” He winced as soon as he heard Princess Zelda’s voice snapping him back to reality. Her face was twisted into a scowl, and her hair popped out every which way. Her sleeping bag was halfway unzipped, and her shirt was slipping down her shoulder. “What did I tell you about waking me up so you could get some rest too—” Her expression softened when she saw the eggs sizzling in a pan over the fire. “Did you make me breakfast again?”
He smiled and nodded, and she let out a flustered “O-Oh” and ducked her head. Her stomach grumbled, and his smile got bigger.
“Don’t give me that look, we both know I’m hungry,” she said with a slight pout. “But after we eat, please, get some sleep. Promise me you will. You can’t guard me well if you’re not well-rested.”
He nodded. That was true enough.
Breakfast was delicious, and he felt very sleepy afterwards. His stomach was full and his eyelids were heavy. The last thing he remembered was Princess Zelda’s smiling face hovering over him as he slipped off to sleep.
When he awoke, the sun was setting. Another discussion ensued that was quite heated, as now they would be delayed in getting to Hateno Village. She pointed out that he hadn’t woken her when she wanted to be woken up either, and he had to concede that point to her.
“Your body needed the rest, or else you wouldn’t have slept that long,” she continued. “Besides, we’re not far now. I think we’ll be able to reach the village by dawn if we leave now.”
When he protested again because traveling all night would make her tired, she revealed what she’d been working on while he slept.
“Honey crepes! I ate mine so I’d feel more energized before we set out. Here are yours.”
He had to admit, the crepes looked really good. Light and fluffy with honey drizzled over them and a dollop of whipped cream on the side. He’d taught her how to make them a week ago, and she’d already mastered the recipe.
They tasted as good as they looked, and when he thanked her, she smiled sweetly. Night travel was more dangerous, but if she wanted to set out now, he would concede to her wishes, especially because she’d taken steps to ensure she had enough energy. Being her knight and guardian meant he had to keep up with her or she might go running off on her own, excited about her latest discovery. That hadn’t changed in all the years they’d spent apart.
The rest of the journey passed without issue, and at last the idyllic sounds of Hateno Village greeted them as the sun rose—a small flock of Cuccos clucking, the windmills fluttering in the breeze, children laughing and playing on the dirt paths. Life moved slower here, following a pace the bigger settlements had forgotten.
Princess Zelda’s face lit up when she saw the kids playing tag and hide-and-seek. “There are so many children here! Perhaps this would be a good place to build the school.”
Her passion for education and scholarly pursuits hadn’t ceased after she’d unlocked her powers; if anything, they’d only grown since then. And one of her main goals was increasing the access to education for Hyrule’s children.
“It’s not right that only a select few have access to Hyrule’s wealth of information,” she’d said while they were visiting the Zora. “I want to build schools all over Hyrule, though perhaps we should start with a pilot school first…”
He glanced at her now and could see the wheels turning in her head. “Yes, this would be an ideal area for the school,” she said. “Please, Link, show me around and introduce me to the people you’ve met. I’d like to get to know everyone.”
They spent the day doing what they’d done the past several months—meeting people and gathering intel. The people of the village were charmed by her and open to her school idea. One of the local families even invited them over for dinner. They ate a mouthwatering meal of freshly-grown vegetables cooked into a hearty stew with deliciously-seasoned rice, wild game, and a glass of fresh milk to accompany it all.
As the meal progressed, however, he noticed Princess Zelda’s eyelids drooping lower and lower. She needed rest after traveling all night and gathering info all day, and she needed it soon. It was entirely possible she’d fall asleep at the table.
“Oh, I’ll be alright,” she said in a low voice after he expressed his concerns. “There’s an inn nearby I can stay at. Let’s just finish our meal and thank this lovely family, and then we’ll be off.”
When at last they left (after gifting the family with some rare Goron Spice), Princess Zelda stumbled towards the inn. The sun had long since set again, and it was dark outside except for the moon and the stars. Their horses had been boarded, and all that was left was their sleeping arrangements.
He hesitated, but then decided to be honest and tell her why he’d brought her to this village.
Her eyes went wide, and a blush dusted her cheeks that was visible even in the moonlight. “You want me to stay with you? In that cozy little house you built on the outskirts of the village?”
He nodded.
“So this would be a long term arrangement?” she clarified. “You want me to live with you, just the two of us?”
He swallowed and nodded again, then made some excuse about how it would be easier to protect her if she was under the same roof as him. That was true enough, but that wasn’t the real reason he wanted to live with her.
He wanted…he wanted to finally be with her. He was tired of waiting. Tired of holding back. And this was as good a chance as any to tell her.
She cupped her chin. “Well…”
His courage fled him at her hesitation, and he winced. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. Maybe it was too presumptuous. He was basically asking her to take their relationship to the next level. This was going to be their home base, their home. For who knows how long. People would know they were living together and…well, they would assume things, whether those things were true or not. Was she really okay with that?
He wanted to take back the words and apologize for them until he noticed her twitching lips. “I’m simply teasing you, Link,” she said, her voice playful and lilting. “I’d very much like to live with you. I just wasn’t sure you would ask, and I didn’t want to impose.”
He wryly pointed out that they were long past the point of imposing on each other, which earned a light laugh from her.
He never tired of hearing her laughter.
“I suppose you’re right,” she said. “This will certainly get tongues wagging, but I think they’re already wagging anyway. And anyway, it’s true that we have feelings for each other, so I don’t see a point in hiding it. I’ve been separated from you for too long to care about that sort of thing anymore.”
He told her he felt the same way, and she smiled and gently grasped his hand. Mercifully, she did not tease him about the blush on his face this time. His heart pounded in his chest, and he felt a strong, comforting warmth flood over him. Whether it was her magic or his feelings or some combination of the two, he wasn’t sure.
“Will you show me the way?” she sweetly asked, and they strolled to the house together in the moonlight. He sighed in contentment, unable to keep his eyes off of her.
“You know, I’ve been thinking of cutting my hair,” she said presently. “I do like how it looks, but it’s so difficult to keep it clean with all our travels. It’s always getting twigs and grass and other things in it.” She ducked her head. “What do you think? Would I look good with short hair?”
She searched his face so earnestly that he knew his response needed to be equally sincere. So he told her she’d look good with any haircut, and he was rewarded with a blush and a giggle.
“I don’t know about that. Imagine if I was bald! But thank you, Link. Thank you for always being so kind and encouraging.”
Presently, they reached the little bridge leading to the house. After crossing it, they spent a few minutes at the pond by the house. Princess Zelda was excited about the group of frogs that made their home there, and the two of them had to catch one for old times’ sake. But at last they were finished with the frogs and stood at the front door. His heart was leaping around in his chest like it was some wild animal, but he wanted to go through with this.
He cleared his throat. “Welcome home, princess,” he said softly, then opened the door. Warm lights and a sprawling table greeted them. A delighted smile spread across her face as she explored the interior of the house, checking out every nook and cranny.
“Oh, we can cook meals and experiment with new elixirs at this little stove! And there’s space in that corner over there where I can store some of my research materials…” Her eyes lit up. “And how sweet, you left Silent Princesses in the vase on this table!” She tilted her head. “Were you hoping I would come live with you?”
He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“You were!” she cried in delight. “Oh Link, how sweet of you! I saw you return to this place again and again, but I didn’t know for sure that you were preparing it for me. For us.”
He was. That had driven him to earn more rupees to make a home for her. It was the least he could do.
She continued her survey of the house, and he chuckled nervously as she examined the weapons collection hanging on the walls with a critical eye. While he had built this house in the hopes she would live here someday, he supposed swords, bows, and shields weren’t exactly what she had in mind for wall decorations.
He suggested moving those things elsewhere, and she agreed. “We should keep them, of course, but I’d really like to put some photos and other decorations on the wall…Make it feel more like a home, you know?”
At last he showed her the loft area where a little desk, low bookshelves, a bedside table, and a good night’s sleep were awaiting her. He’d also put a comforter and pillow filled with Rito feathers on the bed to keep her warm and comfortable, courtesy of Rito Village.
“Thank you, Link, this is perfect,” she said as she sprawled across the bed and covered herself with the blanket, yawning lightly. But then her mind seemed to put two and two together, and she sat up. “Wait, where will you sleep?”
He shrugged and grabbed one of the sleeping bags. He didn’t mind sleeping on the floor. It was what he’d always done in situations like this before.
She played with a loose strand of her hair and cleared her throat. “I think…I think it would be easier for you to protect me, if we slept in the same bed.”
His breath caught at her proposal. It was one thing for them to live together, but to share a bed? His entire face felt like it was the same color as those Hylian tomatoes they’d gathered on the way here.
“I know how serious you are about keeping me safe,” she continued. “And this is the best way to do that. Besides, this was your bed before it was mine, so it doesn’t seem fair for me to hog it all to myself.” She frowned and avoided his eyes, pulling the covers up over her mouth. “Unless, of course, you don’t want to share a bed…”
“I do.” She had no idea how much he wanted to. If only she knew the kinds of thoughts that came unbidden to his mind sometimes. He didn’t dare act on them or express them, but they were there all the same.
She smiled and emerged from her blanket cocoon, her cheeks pink. “Then it’s decided. By royal decree, you must share this bed with me from now on.”
He laughed lightly. “By royal decree?”
She nodded. “By royal decree.”
“Your wish is my command, princess,” he said, teasing her. They got ready for bed after that, and he turned off all the lights except for the lone candle on the bedside table.
This was it. She was in their bed, smiling softly at him in the candlelight. He took a deep breath and then joined her. His body trembled a little as she scooted closer to him. It was wonderful being so close to her and yet torture at the same time. Those secret hidden thoughts had returned with a vengeance, and it was getting harder and harder not to act on them.
“Link, hold me,” was her quiet plea, and he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. Her scent flooded his senses and overwhelmed him, and he let out a soft sigh. He hadn’t dared to ever hope this would be possible, and now that it was, he felt like he was dreaming.
“I missed you so much,” she said, clinging to him. “I couldn’t wait to see you again. I never got to tell you how I feel, and now that you know, I hardly know what to do with myself. I want to be closer to you than ever, but I must admit the prospect also makes me flustered and embarrassed. I…I don’t really know what I’m doing. And so I hesitated and didn’t say anything. Please, forgive me for making us wait even longer.”
He told her there was nothing to forgive. A life of training to be a knight hadn’t left much time for romance, and he was just as hesitant and awkward about all of this too. And while he wasn’t blind to the people who had made their romantic intentions known to him, his heart belonged to her.
It would always belong to her.
“Thank you, Link,” she murmured, her words slurring a little. “You’re right, this is a new journey we’re on together, and we can take things one step at a time.” She smiled sleepily. “And with that I think I should get some sleep. Goodnight, my hero."
His heart warmed at the tender endearment. He took a deep breath and kissed her forehead, then told her goodnight along with a tender endearment of his own.
She was silent for a few moments, and he assumed she’d fallen asleep. But at last she spoke again. “I like it when you call me that. But you should call me by my name, too. And the forehead kisses should continue, as should other types of kisses…”
He smiled and kissed her on the lips. The kiss took his breath away and kept him wide awake long after she’d fallen asleep, but it was worth it.
Life post-Calamity Ganon wasn’t what Link had expected. His entire life he had trained for the possibility of war. He didn’t know what to do with peace.
But if this was peace, then he wanted more of it. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get enough of it. The more he tasted it, the more he desired it. And yet he also felt more content than he had in a long time. It was a paradox and yet made perfect sense.
And with that, he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep at long last.