#zelink fluff

Link specific:

- boi treats Zelda like a goddess

- she deserves all the stars in the sky

- he’ll get up early and make breakfast for her

- he’ll wake her up by just gently rubbing her arm

- and he’ll put tea on the bed side table for her

- she’s isn’t allowed to open doors in his presence, that’s his job

- he’ll bring food up to Purah’s lab or wherever Zel’s working, just to make sure she doesn’t forget to eat

Zelda specific:

- she’s surprised him with multiple dates

- like she’ll just randomly pull him aside while they’re out

- and boom picnic date

- she’s made multiple little trinkets for him

- Link despite being romantic is horrible at giving gifts so she makes little lists of things she likes for him

- Hylia Day, there’s a list for that

- Lovers Day, list for that

- her birthday, list

- they’re annaversary, you guessed it LIST

Both:

- every date they go on results in chaos

- Link is horrible at words, but once a month he’ll give her a little piece of paper with some really sappy poetry, Zelda collects them and is making a booklet of them

- she reads it whenever she’s anxious

- Link leaves to forage, so the night before Zelda always makes sure all his stuff is laid out for him on the table

- Link sings while he cooks, and Zelda will respond from her desk

- the cleaner has walked in on them singing they’re hearts out, multiple times, she just stares at them and walks out

The Princess by nature, is very gentle. She’s soft and patient at heart, but was placed under such strenuous situations all through her youth that caused her to often snap or lash out. But not now. Currently she is silent, stone-cold and confused. She was in shock. And Link could tell.

“Here.” He pulls out a baked apple from his pack, handing it to her. He has to get her attention twice before she finally takes it, their hands brushing for a moment. Her awareness returns to her gaze then, her bright-green eyes meeting his.

“I-I’m so sorry.” She sighs, her voice weak. “I’m just… so tired.” Link tries not to show his distress, but she notices his demeanor change as well. “How much further?” She says, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

“Probably another hour and a half. It’s just through those mountains.” He points.

“Dueling peaks. I remember.” She nods. “I remember everything.”

“Everything?” He asks as he starts to dig around a pack on the rear end of Epona, searching for his rito attire. It was starting to get dark, and she hadn’t stopped shaking since they left Castle Town almost three hours ago.

Zelda nods once.

Her silence speaks volumes.

He yanks out his snowquill armor, finally. “Do you remember anything from the last hundred years?” She doesn’t answer right away, she instead takes a smaller than small bite out of the apple. “Zel? Can I put this on you? You’re still shivering.” He asks, looking at her blank, traumatized stare. “It’s from the Rito, it’s soft as a cloud and will keep you warm for the rest of the way.”

“The Rito.” She sighs. “Revali…”

Link realizes that she hasn’t had any time to process what she just went through. She had spent the last one hundred years deeply focused, probably in a trance-like state. He places a hand on her cheek. “Look at me.” His voice is gentle and welcoming, not forcing her at all. She looks at him, their eyes locking. “Breathe with me.”

They take two deep, heavy breaths. They sync their inhales, exhaling together.

“It’s over. It’s all over, okay?” He reassures her. “It’s not coming back. It’s just us now, alright?”

She swallows, still emotionless. “You’ve changed.” She says.

“So have you.” Link smiles in an attempt to comfort her. “Can I put this shirt on you?” He asks again. She answers faster than she usually had, nodding twice this time. Link bunches up the excess fabric before pulling the head-opening over her hair. He then guides each one of her hands through the arm-holes. Link takes a moment to adjust the garb around her torso until it was probably positioned around her shaking body. She immediately sighs in relief.

“You talk more.” She mumbles, looking at him as he gently wraps his fingers around her long, golden hair and softly pulls it out of the shirt, knowing how much it irritates him when his hair is loose underneath a shirt.

He smiles again, “I do. Some people say I don’t shut up.” He tries to lighten the mood.

“Like who?”

“Impa.” He sighs.

Zelda’s eyes light up with that name. “Impa?”

He hums and nods. “We can go visit her when you’re feeling stronger, okay?”

“Okay…” Zelda looked down into her lap, the skirt of her goddess dress was barely white anymore. “I am going to get stronger, right?” She asks, her voice tender and broken.

Link’s heart sinks. Not because he’s worried she won’t, but rather because he feels responsible for putting her in this state.

“Of course.” He reassures. He believed it. He wanted to believe it.

“I’m… just so tired.” She repeats herself.

“I know, come on, let's get you a bed.” He then picks her up bridal style from the ground. They had stopped in the first place to get that rito armor for her. She rests her head against his chest as he lifts her onto Epona. She smells like burnt oil and exhaustion. He probably isn’t smelling any better.

They wouldn’t get to Hateno until noon at the earliest tomorrow, and traveling wasn’t doing anything for her recovery. He gets on Epona behind her, letting her weak body rest against his chest as they make their way to Dueling Peaks Stable. The road is quiet, so much quieter than it ever has been. The pair of lizalfos always swimming in the river aren’t there, and even the crickets suppress their chirps.

It’s post-apocalyptic. Literally. Link isn’t sure how to feel.

She throws up a few hundred feet from the stable. She gags and lurches over the side of the horse, somehow managing to keep it off of anyone. Not much comes out, she hasn’t eaten in over a century, but Link frowns when he realizes the apple probably triggered it. He silently curses himself out for causing her any form of distress. She dry heaves violently, and Link tries to hold her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. When she finishes, she holds her breath.

She can’t decide if she feels like she lost a bit of dignity or not. She holds back the tears that well in her eyes. Link breathes in to say something, but she raises her hand in protest. She would rather they act like it never happened. Neither of them say anything from there on, they just keep riding the final minute of the journey.

Everyone at the stable was asleep except for an attendant… who was also treading precariously between consciousness and a deep rest behind the counter.

“Excuse me?” Link asks to wake him up, hopping off of Epona after making sure Zelda would still be comfortable in his absence. She would never admit she wasn’t.

The man stirs awake with a jolt. He yawns, slightly startled, “So sorry, young man.” Link wouldn’t necessarily call himself young. He smirks softly.

“I’d like to board this horse till the morning, and we’d like one soft bed, please.” Link nods before setting down the required rupees. The man squints his eyes, taking the money in hand.

“Ah! It’s you! Link, was it?” He asks when Link turns his back to help Zelda down from the horse. “Jeez, you haven’t passed through here in at least six months! We were holding onto that old mare for you!” He gestures to their stables where a small gray spotted horse sleeps. Link’s first horse since he woke up from his century-long slumber. He only rode her in the beginning, when he was doing chores between Hateno, Kakariko and one time a longer trip to Zora’s Domain. But she’s old and weak, which is why she was easy to catch when Link was still regaining his strength. He stopped taking her out when he found Epona in the western part of Central Hyrule.

“Yeah… you guys can let her free.” He says as he sets Zelda down on the ground. She holds her cold hands together.

“Well uhh.. we tried. You see, after four months at a stable we let go of any forgotten pony’s, but she kept coming back.” He chuckled, his voice exhibiting a distinctive nasality.

“Here,” Link hands him a red rupee, not wanting to discuss an old horse any longer when he literally has the closest thing to a God in this world resting her head on his back. “Keep her for another month, I’ll come take care of her then. Okay?” Link asks. “Can I get that bed now?” Not impolite or forceful, he never was. He’s assertive but has a comforting cadence to his tone. For being such a talented swordsman, guard and easily the most deadly hylian in the entire kingdom, he was never rude or condescending. He was welcoming, and little kids often looked up at him with intimidation when they first met him, but it didn’t ever take long until they were chasing him with tree-branches while he fled and begged for mercy, letting them take him down with ease. The kids at the stables loved him, knew him by name, and would play as him in their silly pretend games.

The stable-man replies, “Of course! But you only asked for one bed, it’s not big enough to fit both of you.”

“I know, it’s for her not me.” Link then starts to guide her into the stable, where it’s much warmer and safer. Just because it’s quiet doesn’t mean it's safe. Hyrule is a dangerous place by nature, especially if you’re two century-old Gods being hunted for sport with the faces of children.

“You won’t sleep?” Zelda asks quietly behind him.

He doesn’t directly answer, and instead guides her to the bed. She’s weary, and he’s terrified of her not waking up. He wouldn’t be able to sleep even if he wanted to. He helps the Princess sit in the bed, and kneels before her to untie her sandals. When he touches the leather, he immediately gets transported into another memory.

It rips through him, just like the memories he had images of. Suddenly, he’s kneeling in the same position, but instead he was outside of the spring of courage. He looks up to see the clear sky, it’s sunset, and then his eyes meet Zeldas. Her face is rosy, and her eyes don’t have the blank stare they possess in the current time. He looks down at his fingers, tying the straps around her ankle.

“Really, you don’t have to do that.” She hums. He doesn’t respond. He never did back then. He finishes wrapping the leather around itself and then stands up. His face is emotionless. She looks at him, they’re about the same height. “I won’t be long this time.” She says. “I’m not expecting much anyways.” She sighs and then walks past him, but before she can get very far, he gently grabs onto her arm, holding her back. He doesn’t say anything but she can read his expression. He’s trying to tell her to have faith this time, just one more time.

Surely the Goddess would commune with her.

She shakes her head, and wades into the warm waters of the spring. Link turns to watch her, how her hair cascaded down her back, how her hands balled into fists. She turns around to look at him, their eyes meet. She smiles.

He comes back as fast as the scene played in his memory. He blinks a few times, and looks up at her. She doesn’t look any different, very little—if any—time seemed to pass. He doesn’t usually experience memories with someone, he wonders if she realized anything happened. Link didn’t even consider the fact he would keep receiving memories after the fact. His stomach turns, he feels like he’s lived two completely different lives and is forced to remember things from one that he doesn’t even relate to anymore. He doesn’t feel like the same person, the boy he was a hundred years ago is a complete stranger to him.

Link much preferred this life.

And that scares Zelda.

“I just remembered something.” He says. Zelda hums in response, a light-hearted noise that implies an inquiry. He elaborates, “I used to tie your sandals for you at the springs, didn’t I?” He asks.

Zelda smiles for the first time since they defeated Ganon. It’s a small pull of her lips, not showing any teeth but her eyes finally light back up. After she had asked if he remembered her on the field, she collapsed, not even aware of her own exhaustion until that moment. He ran to her aid, and ever since then she felt woozy, it only got worse the further from the castle they got.

“You did, yes.” She says. “I never asked you to, but since I was in the dress, you insisted.” She sighs. Link grunts in response. “It was very chivalrous.” Zelda adds.

They look at each other for a minute. Not saying anything. It was late, and two beds down there was a set of kid brothers sleeping. Link remembered them from their last visit. One of them wanted nothing to do with him, trying to act mature and ‘cool’. Link eventually won him over, though. They don’t speak out of fear of waking anyone. Zelda’s smile slowly fades away, and Link swallows thickly. They will never be the same.

He pulls her sandals off, her feet are filthy with century-old mud. He silently smiles about that. The closest thing to a Goddess in the entire world has dirty feet. How human of her.

Then, after pulling down the heavy rito-down blanket so she can slide in, he helps Zelda swing her legs into the bed. He pulls the blanket up to her neck, she lays on her side facing him. Her hands find their way up to her face, resting her cheek against them. Link pulls a short stool over to the bed, sitting on it and looking at her, bending at the waist.

“You’re not going to leave me, are you?” She asks in a timid, sleepy voice.

Link’s heart just about breaks when she asks. “Never.” He shakes his head. He takes his gloved hand and tucks a piece of her loose hair behind her pointed-ears. He lets his fingers linger a little bit longer than they should. “I will never ever leave you again.”

“Promise?” She asks, her eyes heavy with exhaustion.

“Promise.” He whispers, “Just as long as you promise to never leave me, okay?” He asks, ignoring the lump in this throat.

“Promise.” She says, taking her pinky finger and sticking it out for him. He wraps his finger with hers, which is far daintier and softer than he's ever been. She is a Princess, after all.

“Wake up in the morning, okay?” He whispers.

“Mhm.” She hums as her eyes slowly close. He tries to disconnect their pinky fingers, but she holds onto his. He leaves his hand in that position, letting her hold it until she falls fast asleep.

Link doesn’t move his hand until he’s certain it won’t wake her up from her much needed rest. He looks at her gentle, soft face. No one even understands what she just went through, no one ever will. He’s worried sick that she won’t make it through the night, and he keeps leaning his head down to listen to her breathing, or places a few fingers against her forehead to check her temperature.

He does his best to stay vigilant the entire night, not once even looking away from her. But just before the sun rises, his body suddenly catches up with his mind. He also just had the most demanding battle of his life. His muscles started to ache, and he developed a headache. He was just a boy, after all. More than anything, his sword arm was weak, and fire-hot pain shot up and down through it. He probably overused it fightin the calamity.

He keeps telling himself that he’s fine. He has to be fine, for Zelda. His arm isn’t that bad, what really hurts was his heart. Usually he’d just down a fairy tonic and maybe go to the hot springs if he was in the area but this pain was different. A twisting and contracting ache in his chest pulled and tugged on his lungs and pulse. It’s the same pain he felt when he remembered Mipha, and more specifically, the pain he felt when he dreamed about his family before the resurrection.

The dream that gave him the memories of a little sister with blonde hair like his collecting fireflies in her pockets. Her laugh echoing, the call of an older man, the image of a royal guards sword leaned up against the dinner table. The touch of his father’s hand as he rubs Link’s back to sleep.

Link’s first sword.

He wakes up like a fire, standing up and almost toppling over. He didn’t even realize he had fallen asleep. He could hear the soft tune of the penny whistle playing the standard stable theme, and the two little brothers played tag outside. He curses and looks down at Zelda.

Her bed is empty, and his heart completely stops. He starts breathing hard and heavy, his entire nervous system feels as though it’s pulled into stasis. How could he make such a foolish mistake? He swings his sword over his back, strapping his shield to his leathers and turns around in a wild-hunt to see the Princess sitting at the round stable table, drinking out of a mug and speaking gently with an older man.

Link takes a breath of relief, and approaches the two.

“Good Morning.” She smiles up at him. Her voice sounded much better, and her eyes finally had life back into them, but she still wasn’t herself. Her skin still looked sickly, her face hollowed out and eyes droopy. Any progress is good progress, Link decides then and there.

“I… didn’t mean to fall asleep.” Link sighs. “I’m so sorry. When did you wake up?”

“Oh not long ago, maybe twenty minutes? I didn’t want to disturb you-”

“You should have.” He interrupts her and her words get swallowed out of surprise. Link realizes that he snapped at her a little, and immediately becomes apologetic. “I’m sorry, again. I just…”

“You’re worried about me. I understand.” She takes his hand, her bones frail. In many ways, she physically looked worse today than last night. But at least she could hold a conversation. He nods. Zelda notices the tension, and changes the subject, “This kind gentleman was telling me about when you saved the stable from a horde of lizalfos about a year ago.”

Link looks over at the man, Giahzo. “Oh that was nothing, it was just two green lizalfos and a blue one who wandered too close to the stable.” Link hums. Their hands were still held together by Zelda.

“Don’t be so modest!” The old man chuckled, “Without you, it would have been a disaster! The number of monsters means nothing, especially when you don’t know how to fight!”

“That’s very kind of you.” Link smiles and then realizes he and Zeldas hands, he’s the one to pull it away. “What are you drinking?”

“I’m not sure…” Zelda begins and Link immediately snatches the mug from her hand. “Hey!”

“You can’t just drink something mysterious.” Link scolds.

“Oh it’s just a bit of Hateno Milk.” The man assures. Link looks at him, then Zelda, and then into the mug to see the creamy liquid. He brings it to his nose and smells it, and then takes a sip of it. Sure enough, it was just milk.

“I’m sorry, Giahzo.” He apologizes and places the mug back down. “I’m just on high alert.”

“Do not apologize to me, apologize to this lovely young lady you’ve graced us with.” The elderly man smiles with a chuckle, his eyes wrinkling up with his age. Zelda smiles, blushing a little, “Tell me, dear, where are you from? We don’t get many new faces at this stable these days.”

Zelda looks at him, her eyes sad. A hundred years ago every person in Hyrule knew her face. She looks at Link, unsure how to answer.

“She’s from the Outskirts stable.” Link covers for her. “Her family used to reside in Central Hyrule before the Calamity.”

“Yes.” Zelda immediately chirps, “We’re headed to Hateno for…”

“A honeymoon!?” Giahzo smiles brightly. Both Link and Zelda freeze in their tracks, and Link hopes he doesn’t look as embarrassed as he feels. “Hateno is a great Honeymoon destination! Although I’ve heard Lureline is even more splendid!” He clasps his hands together.

“Research.” Zelda clarifies, “so sorry to disappoint.” She chuckles politely, making a conscious effort not to look at Link. “I’m researching… population dynamics in Hyrule.” She makes something up that sounds completely believable.

“Of course.” Link then says, “I’m just escorting her there, we are total strangers.”

That breaks Zelda’s heart.

She knows he’s just trying to be extra careful, pushing her anonymity as much as possible. And in a way, it wasn’t a total lie. But it cut her like a knife.

“I see…” Giahzo doesn’t seem convinced. “Well, if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to stop by. Hopefully the monsters will start to die down.” He smiles and stands up, moving outside.

Zelda is still afraid to look at Link, and he’s a little bit shaken up by the entire interaction. He knows the Yiga are still out there, he knows that there are people who will try to take advantage of her for power or money. He has no reason to suspect anything from the old man, but he can’t help himself from being deliberate. He senses her tension and walks back to the bed to gather their things.

“You should have woken me up.” Link says as he picks up a satchel full of food and readjusts his gloves.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice was timid and tired. He turns around to see her, her green eyes looking up at him apologetically. “I didn’t know it would worry you so.” He approaches her.

“Of course it worries me.” He sighs. “I spent three years trying to get you out of that castle, I’m not gonna lose you on the first night.” He holds his hand out for her to trade, helping her up. She must not have rested as well as he thought, because as soon as she gets on her feet, she almost topples right over him. He catches her, holding her up before she collapses. “Woah there.” He mutters. “You alright?”

She nods, “Let’s just get to that house you told me about.”

—

Heat. It embodied the room that blissful summer afternoon, where the sunbeams fired through the glass windows and cast the queen's study in an idyllic kaleidoscopic glow.

Closing the curtains was little to no respite, for there was little light without the hearth burning, and so they opted to leave them open, sacrificing any chance of a chill for the light needed to get through their planning.

With the wedding only weeks away, it was crucial for the young couple to go over the plans. Though there were more than a dozen on staff working to ensure their wedding ceremony and reception were worthy of royalty, Zelda and Link needed to approve every little detail, from the greenery in the centerpieces to the inlays of dishware and the embroidery on the napery.

Though Zelda was well-versed in such drab subjects, Link found that the heat of the room matched with the utterly boring topics made it impossible to focus.

Instead, he found himself looking at her.

A bead of sweat formed at her hairline and trickled down her temple, heading for her jaw before her hand intercepted. It was swept away by her index finger, dressed in a satin glove, and he absently wondered how she wasn't boiling.

Zelda always wore what must've been pounds of fabric, but he hadn't ever thought about what a nuisance it would be on such a hot and heavy day. Not that he was one to talk, given that he was typically dressed in layers of armor. But that day, fortunately, he'd opted for a simple blouse and cotton trousers.

"Given the surplus of blue samples Chancellor Foster has provided, I'm inclined to believe that he has a preference. It is the color of our crest, after all. However, I personally favor the simplicity of ivory," Zelda said, flipping through the square samples of silk. "What do you think?"

After receiving no response, she turned to look at her fiancé and instantly caught his distant gaze and parted lips. With an annoyed sigh, she dropped her hands to her lap.

"Link."

He flinched. "Huh?"

"Have you listened to a word I said?"

"Something about blue, I think." Her brow arched. He winced. "I'm sorry. It's just too hot to focus. Aren't you hot?"

With another sigh, she fanned herself with the samples. The heat was a tad bothersome. Hazarding a glance out the window behind them, she was blinded by the sunlight and had to squint to avoid the glare.

"I suppose it is quite hot."

Resigned, she set the samples on the table and swung her braid over a shoulder, inadvertently revealing to him the stretch of bare skin from her jaw to her shoulder.

Link tensed. His eyes caught on another bead of sweat as it traveled down the elegant slope of Zelda's neck. The sudden urge to sweep it away with his tongue surged through him.

It disappeared down the neckline of her dress, and he was only half-aware of licking his lips before their eyes met again. Suddenly, Link realized how intently Zelda watched him watching her.

"What is it?"

"No - Nothing."

She leveled him with a no-nonsense look. He winced again.

"It's just -"

Gnawing on his lip, his eyes swept over her face. He reached out to her and Zelda went still as she watched his hand slowly inch towards her. When his fingertips sank into her hair, soft and gentle, her breath caught. His thumb then stretched to her brow and wiped a bead of sweat off her temple.

Her eyes were the only part of her that moved. They flitted between his and Link had the familiar sense that somehow, someway, she could read every thought in his mind.

With the gentlest touch, his hand moved along her jaw, all the way down to her chin. His jaw set as he looked at her, the warrior within briefly flashing through as he appeared to deliberate on something.

Then, Zelda watched him lean forward and kiss her.

In the otherwise silent study, their lips clicked, a soft, repetitive noise that was soothing if not a little erotic. It felt like he was melting into her: the languid movement of her mouth, the warmth of her kiss, the heat of her seeping into him.

It made him soft and malleable, but he was ready and willing to melt into a puddle of wax if it was under her flame.

When they parted and her eyes fluttered open, she saw that Link was already looking at her with something between reverence and caution.

"Is that okay?" he murmured softly, like a secret.

Unable to find her voice, Zelda simply nodded. A ghost of a smile flitted across his lips before he took her in another kiss.

Her hand hovered uncertainly before resting on his neck. She could feel him shift on the sofa, could feel his shin brushing against her knee. The thought of just his leg touching hers made her shiver.

How would it feel when she could have more of him? All of him?

Her hand slid upwards, threading into his hair, and cradled the nape of his neck. She heard him make a soft groan; she felt it rumble through her chest.

He withdrew just a hair's width apart. Zelda's lips were swollen and wet, her eyes in a daze. It made it impossible to pull away any further.

"Goddesses, I can't get enough of you," he breathed.

She swallowed and licked her lips, and the brief glimpse of her tongue made his stomach leap. "You have me," she murmured. "At least for the next half hour."

A sudden laugh burst out of him, taken off guard, and she let herself smile with him.

"Well, if that's all..."

He kissed her again, and it felt like they could sink into each other. It just felt right, in a way that nothing else ever had.

With a tilt of his head, he inched closer when suddenly, something wet flitted across his lips. His mind was whipped by a sudden dizzy spell. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to keep himself upright.

But he recovered quickly and parted his lips, if only to not miss the chance at feeling her tongue against his. The slick slide of her tongue against his introduced a whole slew of sensations and desires previously unknown to them.

There was a haze as they parted, mouths wet and breath warm. If he thought it was hot before, he was burning now. What was she doing to him? Was she in control of the weather, too?

He took hold of one of the locks that framed her face and eased it over her shoulder. Leaning in, he held her gaze until he was too close and pressed a soft kiss to the point where her neck met her shoulder.

Zelda gasped lightly, letting her eyes fall shut and her head loll back. "Link," she sighed.

He'd only recently realized how much he enjoyed kissing her neck, how he loved being nestled into the crook of it and enveloped by her familiar scent. He wasn't often afforded the opportunity, but now that he had, he didn't want to squander it.

Link took a deep breath through the nose before dragging his warm and wet mouth up the column of her neck, tasting the salt of her sweat. When he found her pulse point, he kissed her again and sucked lightly on her skin.

"Link."

Her voice was devoid of breath. She felt like she was melting. She'd never known pleasure like this.

With her hands still coiled around his neck, she began tugging blindly at her gloves. As lost as he was, he could only partially register what she was doing. It wasn't until they dropped to the sofa behind him and she dragged her bare hands over the sides of his face that he detached from her.

His cheeks were red – possibly more so than she'd ever seen - and his eyes were dazed. But she reeled him back in, pressing his lips to hers.

He was feeling hotter by the second. It was like the fire that'd been building for months was unleashed, swirling around them like a fiery inferno, making it hard to breathe, to speak.

He was so distracted by her mouth that he almost didn't notice her hands moving downward. Almost.

He flinched - partly due to the light touch but more so for its precarious position. His fingernails dug into the settee, almost certain that he'd tear through the damask fabric.

"What're you - " he started. But then her hands reached his waistband and he choked on a gasp. He bit his lip to keep from making any more undignified noises.

Zelda's eyes searched his face, from his wide-eyed gaze to the bright red in his cheeks, to the bite of his lower lip. In part, she was expecting him to tell her to stop or even push her hand away. Yet, though she could see that he was flustered, he waited with bated breath.

Since she wasn't quite so daring to take his shirt off, Zelda tucked her hands beneath his blouse and slid them over his lower stomach. His sharp exhale was immediate. She'd never touched him like this before; neither of them had ever dared to venture beneath the other's clothes.

Now that she had, Link didn't know if he could live without it. Her hands were so soft and gentle against his skin. Electricity crackled beneath her fingertips, setting every thrilling nerve alight. He'd surely lose his mind – or his dignity - right there on the couch.

In awe, he stared into her eyes as her hands moved over his abs, then up to his pectorals, roaming just for the feel of his taut chest beneath her feather-light touch.

There was something especially exhilarating about the satisfaction on her face, the short catch of her breath as she passed over every ridge. Just thinking that she enjoyed it - enjoyed him - made him ache.

"Zelda..."

Her eyes shot up to his. There was only a brief moment before their mouths met again. Link leaned forward as Zelda leaned back, sinking into the sofa with him above her. The insinuating position didn't elude either of them, but their need for one another momentarily superseded their caution.

His tongue swept across her lips, and she moaned – moaned - into his mouth. Link shuddered as if it'd rippled through him.

He wanted her. Goddesses alive, he wanted her.

He tore himself back for a moment to catch his breath, but even then he was gasping her name. She arched into him in an instinctive need for more, her hands planted against the wall of his chest.

Link suppressed a primal groan before their lips returned to one another. She must've known what she was doing to him - must've known it was about to get really embarrassing for him if they didn't stop immediately.

"We-We can't…"

But for the first time, Zelda considered the fact that she might disregard all rules of conduct and propriety. She couldn't see how she could stop kissing him or stop touching him or stop him from touching her.

It was impossible.

Her thoughts bartered, her desire desperately suppressing her conscience by any means necessary. Link was her fiancé. Their wedding was weeks away – it wouldn't be completely intolerable, would it? No one might ever know.

When Zelda drew back, she murmured, "Link," before her voice was smothered by another kiss.

There was a knock at the door. The duo froze, their eyes opening in unison.

They were in her study. Goddess, she forgot they were in her study. Link wrenched himself off her, toppling backward from the momentum, and Zelda shot straight up.

She started to straighten herself out, and Link was fixing his shirt and his hair, but then there was another knock, followed by the familiar voice of her advisor. "Your Majesty?" he asked through the door. "Are you in there?"

A little shaken, she replied, "Y-Yes. Just a moment." She slipped on her gloves, grabbed the notes she'd taken on their wedding planning, and opened the door.

With the most regal voice she had, she said, "My apologies. We were just finishing up on our selections for the reception."

Link came to her side shortly after. There was a painfully long moment where Councillor Cole inspected them as if he could read right through their lie.

But after a moment, the advisor simply replied with an ushering sweep of his arm. "Of course. But your appointment has been pushed up and we must be on our way if you don't want to be late."

Zelda nodded firmly and hurried ahead, shaken and yet hiding it expertly well. As Link made to leave the room, he was stopped by a firm hand on his chest. He looked at Cole questioningly. The councilor cleared his throat and touched two fingers to his own lips.

Link blinked confusedly and copied the gesture, wiping his lips before noticing the rouge stain smeared onto his fingertips.

Zelda looked at her hands, then nodded. "I thought, back then, we might have been growing closer. He was starting to open up more." She smiled wanly, then shook her head. "I was probably mistaken, and now he doesn't even remember me."

"Have you asked him how much he remembers?" Impa raised an eyebrow at her. Zelda didn't answer. "Ask him. I bet he remembers more than you think he does."

"What does it matter if he has a dozen more memories of me? You were married before, right? You know love is often in the little things. He doesn't have the complete picture anymore. All the conversations we had, the trust we built... He's different now. You see how much more unburdened and open he is than before."

"-and that's a bad thing?" Impa asked in surprise.

"No, it's not." Zelda stammered. She took a deep breath. "Whatever relationship we had before is gone now, and that hurts."

Impa sat looking thoughtful before continuing. "It's true that you can't go back to how things were before. He may never recover all his memories, but you two have also fallen into a friendly dynamic far faster than two strangers should. The future isn't written yet. Just because the past didn't work out the way you wanted, doesn't mean there's no hope for the future."

Zelda shook her head. "I'm not getting my hopes up. I've had enough disappointment to last me a lifetime."

Impa put her small wrinkled hand on top of Zelda's. "I won't argue with you on that."

"Hey, Zelda!" a shout came from below. Zelda stood and walked to the porch railing. Link was standing near the cooking pot holding a basket of eggs. "Are you ready to ruin your second omelet?" She smiled back at him, and held up a finger to say she'd be down in a minute.

Impa poked Zelda's ankle with her walking stick. "You love him." she teased in a sing-song voice.

Zelda sighed and closed her eyes. "Yeah, I do. I love him." She thought for a moment. "I don't think I've ever said it out loud before. And you keep it to yourself." she added with a warning finger. "Awe, I'm sorry. I didn't even drink my tea."

"Just go." Impa said with an exhasperated grin.

Zelda left her cold tea and ran down to him. As predicted, she did ruin her second omelet. They had so many eggs, Link encouraged her to keep trying, so she made a third and forth as well. On the fifth try, she finally got the perfect flip. The smile he gave her made her more happy than her success did.

Away:

Link sat down, removed his boots, and began rolling his pants up. "There should be a few fish in that marsh. Would you like to wade out with me?"

"I could, but I don't think I'll be much help."

"That's okay. You can stay here if you'd rather." Link said as he dipped his feet in the water.

Zelda sat in the grass near the edge of the water. It was twilight now. The strongest light came from the soft green glow of the fireflies that bobbed over the water. All she could see was Link's dark silhouette as he wandered through the shallow water some distance away. She wondered how he could see anything in this low light. She heard an unexpected sound, and leaned forward. Was he whistling? Zelda didn't know much about fishing, but she thought you had to be quiet so as not to scare the fish away.

Link's silhouette slowly wandered towards her, occasionally stopping to whistle. When he was just a few paces from her, he blew the loudest whistle yet. Suddenly, nearly a dozen small fish swam right up onto the dirt in front of her. Zelda was so shocked, she just sat there with her mouth hanging open.

"Quick!" Link shouted. "Grab them before they find their way back in the water."

Zelda wasn't sure what he expected her to do, but she jumped to her feet, and picked up the first fish she came to. It was cold and writhing and she wanted to throw it. Not knowing what else to do with it, she held her long skirt out in front of her like a basket, and dropped the slippery fish into it... and then another, and another... Soon, her dress was heavy with wriggling fish. She could feel them flopping against her legs. She ran towards the fire pit, shrieking her discomfort all the way. She let her skirt drop, and all the fish fell into the dirt, still flopping wildly. She shivered violently.

"Are you okay?" Link had finally caught up with her.

Zelda turned to look at him, a large wet stain on the front of her dress. Link started to laugh, and she eventually joined him. "What did you expect me to do?" she asked incredulously.

Link took a couple of breaths before responding. "I don't know, but it wasn't that. I never knew fancy dresses were so useful."

"When I was a kid, I watched the maids use their aprons to carry things from room to room. I got the idea to use my skirt to steal berries from the gardens. I always got caught though, as they often left red stains on the front of my nicest gowns. I guess I still have an instinct to use my dress to carry things." Zelda gestured towards to water. "What were you doing out there? How did you get all the fish to jump out of the water like that?"

"Since I couldn't see very well, I decided to try scaring the fish towards shore by making noise." he explained. "I wasn't even sure how many I'd rounded up. It looks like we'll have plenty for dinner though."

Upset:

When they'd finished lunch, they resumed pitting the cherries. Although it went much faster with two people, it still took some time. They worked together in silence for a while, until Zelda broke it by bursting into giggles. "What?" Link questioned, welcoming a distraction from the monotony in front of him.

"Nothing." she said. She pinched her lips together, pretending it hadn't happened.

"Hmm... because it sounds like something." he pushed. "Are you still laughing about what happened at the dye shop?"

She gave him an apologetic look. "It's not like my memory has faded much in the last hour." she said defensively. "I'm still grateful to you, by the way."

"For what? Sacrificing my own dignity to spare yours?"

She covered her face with her hands as she burst out laughing again. She peeked one eye out from between her fingers. "I am sorry for laughing. I can't help it."

Link felt his face soften. "Don't worry, I'm not actually that upset about it. I've never dyed a dress before, so that last drop was bit of a surprise for me too." Despite himself, he started to giggle along with her. What was there to do about it now but laugh?

I'm nominate: @tr33fr0gg3r @mistresslrigtar @hurricane105 (Sorry if I missed any of my other writer friends. Feel free to nominate yourself.)