DIVINE

that’s a fair question. link can remember enough about how things were before to know that things now weren’t the same, not in any way. people had moved on, towns had rebuilt themselves, hyrule had been destroyed and corrupted. but now – hyrule was healing. with the evil gone and sealed away, the land could finally heal and grow again. it could flourish, and blossom. link can’t help but think back to that day he and zelda had set off again, after all had been said and done, and how she seemed to fit right in with the silent princess flowers that populated the meadow they stood in. it thrived in the wild. a flower that bloomed only when it had its freedom. 

but all of hyrule belonged in the wild now. there was a freedom in the land that hadn’t existed a hundred years ago. he wondered if any flowers would bloom in hyrule castle again, once the last remnants of malice that gripped the earth faded from the soil.

her question feels more like an admission, and he knows in how she asks it and in her expression that the thought was more than a passing one in zelda’s mind. link can’t say he’s surprised — because he isn’t. he holds zelda’s gaze for a moment longer before looking away again, looking to where their horses stand close to each other, not just out of training and command but choice. zelda hasn’t made her choice just yet, but link’s has remained the same for a century. the fact that everything else had changed didn’t mean his choice would. 

link shifts, drawing his legs down and tilting his head, his body, towards zelda. there’s nothing but open honesty in his body language and his gaze.  “ i’d ask you where we’d go next. ”

     HIS ANSWER SIMULTANEOUSLY surprised her and didn’t surprise her at all. he had been by her side so often, and even when he wasn’t he had traversed all of hyrule to save her. to part felt wrong when she thought of it, and so she’d been hoping for such an answer, but she had no idea if he had felt at all similar. 

     ❝ you...would go with me? even though you were no longer bound by duty to do so? ❞

     HE HAD CONFIRMED what she had suspected for more than one hundred years. that duty had not been the only thing binding them together. and, while neither of them could truly speak for fate, she suspected that whatever kept them close was stronger than that. that they could find each other through any distance with or without the assistance of destiny.

     AND YET, HER mind turned with a sudden curiosity. the time he spent accompanying her, the dedication he’d shown in travelling through the kingdom to save her, wasn’t he tired of it all? it took her a moment to figure out how to phrase such a question.

     PERHAPS BEFORE ,  he’d been one to mask his excitement in things .  100 years ago ,  the smile on his face wouldn’t be so wide ,  nor would his eyes shine so bright ,  but this WASN’T 100 years go .  the weight of a thousand eyes was off of him ,  and he was free to BEAM ,  raise his VOICE ,  and CELEBRATE with her freely .  the link from now felt like a far cry from the link of 100 years gone .

     he couldn’t ask for a better reward ,

          — and for that he had to THANK HER .

     at first ,  he doesn’t understand her reaction .  did she think he’ was just showing off ?  desperate to keep the FRET that threatens to spill at bay ,  he quickly added ,  ❛❛  i bought US a house — YOU a house !  if you want it ,  i mean . ❜❜  he looked back at the homestead ,  the swinging sign out front bearing HIS NAME catching his attention before he grimaced .  ❛❛  i can get the sign fixed .  i just thought that maybe it’d be nice for you to have a place for yourself after everyth—  ❜❜

     ❛  can we go inside ? ❜  she cut him off before he could finish his tangent ,  and he was honestly GRATEFUL .  it allowed him to pause / take a deep breath / reassess .  there would be TIME later to explain his thought process to her ,  and the means it took to get the abode .  there would also be TIME for worrying about whether or not she liked the surprise .  she had to see the damn thing first ,  afterall !  there would be TIME .  especially considering they had all of it in the world now .

     WORDLESSLY ,  he stepped to the side and gave a bow .  as he gestured toward the house ,  he felt the knots in his stomach loosen .  ❛❛  after you ,  your majesty ,  ❜❜  he said ,  smile soft and hidden away .

     and to think ,  this was only the FIRST of the surprises he’d planned ,  but all in due time .  ALL IN DUE TIME .

     A HOUSE. FOR them. it was the confirmation she was looking for, the first sign that he planned to spend time with her yet. a reminder that, while she’d been forced to focus on each and every day locked in a stony gazed war with a villain who was more beast than man, he had time to look towards the future. she was more grateful for his forethought than she could even begin to speak aloud, and she hoped she would build up the courage to show him, instead.

     FOR THE FIRST time since the house was in view, she noticed the sign, his name written in perfect hylian for the world to see, and zelda couldn’t help but laugh. for all his planning, there was always one thing that didn’t seem to click into place–––– it was good to know some things never changed.

     HIS SUDDEN BOW reminded her of a time long past, and a sudden combination of sorrow for the past and excitement for the future settled in her chest. his smile poked out from it’s hiding place, and zelda found she couldn’t comment on either, instead beginning to cross the bridge with the grace of a princess and the teasing tone of a friend.

     ❝ it’s good to know that after a hundred years you haven’t forgotten your manners. ❞

     HER STEPS SPED up with her laughter, and it wasn’t until she had almost reached the door itself that she realized how much distance she had put between them–––– far too much after such a long time apart. a hand reached out to invite him forward to join her. he needed no such invitation, but she knew no other way to show she needed him at her side.

( * nonverbal starters | @prsstrt​ )🍁 play with my muse’s hair🌺 put a flower in my muse’s hair

   HER HAIRCUT HADN’T been a voluntary decision–––– it had been the only way she could protect herself, a moment where she’d had to decide between life or death–––– and perhaps that was why she was so nervous about it. though paya had been kind enough to even it out for her once they’d made it to kakariko, zelda found herself worrying about it quite often. other than attempting to move her hair out of the way when she changed or put something around her neck and grabbing nothing, she found she had developed something of a nervous habit of running her fingers through her hair, feeling the shorter strands and letting her hand drop in a sad, heavy way the moment she reached the ends.

   OF COURSE, IT was silly of her to think that link wouldn’t notice. he seemed to know everything about her with ease. her favorite foods, her family, her history  –––– her most recent insecurity was simply another thing to add to that list ( it was more reassuring than she could explain, knowing someone knew her in a different way than she knew herself, it always made him perfect for a second opinion ).

    SHE SHOULDN’T HAVE been surprised when she settled down in the grass to read through her last few research notes and link settled just behind her, but she was. his usual spot was just off to her side, but she chose not to question his shift in placement. her legs had just criss––––crossed underneath her, her book opened as their horses grazed just a few feet away, and the first touch to her hair felt like a passing breeze. it took a second touch–––– clearly bolder, and yet still very gentle–––– before she realized that the brush she felt was link running his hands through her hair.

    HER HEAD TURNED just a bit, enough to catch his gaze with her own. she studied his expression, curious and permission seeking ( and perhaps a bit guilty, as if he thought he was doing something wrong ), and she hoped the gentle upturn of her lips, a smile partially hidden just in the way she’d turned her head, was enough to reassure him that his touch was welcome.

    AFTER A MOMENT of hesitation, his hands brushing through her hair continued, and she did her best to focus on her notes, but the constant reminder of link playing in her hair would constantly steal her attention. though he had told her he liked the style, this was more telling than any word he could ever say, and she was sure that he knew it. knowing that, no matter how she changed her appearance, it wouldn’t change link’s opinion of her–––– link’s undoubtedly positive opinion, she was sure now after months of observation–––– was reassuring in the best way.

    HIS MOTIONS STOPPED, and zelda wondered if he’d gotten bored of the action ( she wouldn’t blame him for it, and he had already done more than enough to lift her spirits ). she spent a few moments finally focused on her journal before his hands returned. one brushed a few strands away with a touch so gentle she was almost afraid to take a breath, while the other tucked a flower ( a silent princess, she could tell the moment the petals entered the corner of her vision ) into her hair.

    HER OWN HAND followed their path, tracing the separated strands and the flowers petals before her fingers brushed against it’s stem tucked just behind her ear. her shock was quickly replaced by an elation so strong she could have abandoned her notes completely to spend the rest of the afternoon braiding flowers into his hair and pressing kisses wherever she could reach.

    INSTEAD, SHE LEANED back, resting against his legs to peak up at his face, unable to stop the gentle peals of laughter that sounded at his surprised expression. zelda reached up to brush a bit of hair from his face–––– somewhere in the back of her mind she noted that it was almost time for him to have a haircut–––– taking on of his hands in hers as she lowered it, playing with his fingers but never looking away.

before he has a chance to question what he’s doing, he’s leaning forward, catching the corner of her lips with his own in a soft kiss. he pulls away, eyes opening & blue eyes meeting her own, and it immediately dawns on him what he’s just done. he’s been brave yet foolish at the same time, taking this unspoken thing between them and turning it real. precedent. spoken. “zelda, i-” he flusters, “i’m sorry. i don’t know what came over me i-” he doesn’t know what to say. (2/2)

( it’s national kissing day and boy did aura deliver i’m- | @prsstrt​ )

     SHE’D BEEN DOING her best not to ramble so much–––– though it came from a place of excitement, she had come to the ultimate conclusion that it was quite rude, and just because she was used to silence from others didn’t mean that she was in the position to expect it from others. but, in her defense, link had encouraged her to speak–––– had encouraged her passion–––– and so she had begun a simple explanation that had quickly launched into a long and complicated theory that involved several side tangents to flesh out her explanation. 

     HER HEAD TURNED to the book at her side, checking to see if her notes matched her theory as she rambled on, and it was with a sharp and excited sort of gasp that she turned and began to explain how everything worked together. but she was only a few words into the explanation when it suddenly ceased.

     FOR ONE WHO spent most of their life deducing and coming to conclusions, it took zelda far too many moments to realize that she was being kissed. her eyes stared blankly at links eyelids, her hands that had been waving in mid––––explanation reached forward to grip onto the bright blue of his tunic before she’d figured out what was going on. 

     LINK WAS KISSING her. the moment she came to the realization everything seemed to shift. she could no longer hear the birds outside, the horse huffing at their posts next to the house. her gaze didn’t register anything in her peripheral vision–––– anything that wasn’t link was ultimately ignored. she noticed nothing, but she felt everything.

     SHE KNEW IMMEDIATELY that she would never forget the feeling of link’s lips on her own, even if it never happened again. they were soft–––– a bit tacky and sweet from the fruitcake he’d made to celebrate their finished journey, a fruitcake they’d shared together. 

     HE BROKE THEIR kiss, and zelda watched closely as his eyes opened and turned from serenity ( a beautiful, breathtaking look that was burned into her memory ) to surprise. she listened to him stutter, but couldn’t react–––– she only sat there with her lips slightly parted and hands still tangled into his tunic.

     ZELDA WANTED TO speak up, to relax him, possibly with a joke or some calm reassurance to make sure he knew that she wasn’t upset. but, that isn’t what happened. 

     INSTEAD, HER GRIP on his tunic just grew a bit tighter, and she pulled him closer, her voice surprisingly pleading and soft for one who was just explaining in loud, bright exclamations. but, she hoped it was more than enough to convey what she wanted.