Zita.bita

If the winds were a hum, then the leaves below their feet were a full symphony. Crunching and shuffling past each other, creating a strange cacophony of sound that only emphasized just how silent everything else was around them.

Wordlessly, they watched forward as if that is all they knew how to do at that moment. Possibly because that's all they could do at that moment. 

Quiet. A kind of quiet that was isolated but not uncomfortable, just distant as if they weren't a mere 3 feet apart. A type of silence that was shared together, separately.

Lifted on the horse above, Zelda made no effort to initiate anything towards Link who was holding the reins guiding the horse on foot. This wasn’t from lack of want, but more from lack of reason. For her, they already finished the one thing they were there to do. Rid Hyrule of Ganon once and for all.

She was sure Link felt the same. 

For him, that sort of pragmatic thinking was more natural. There was no doubt in her mind that when Link, without suggestion, hoisted her up to the horse and started to lead them toward Kakariko village, it was a calculated and thought-out decision. She could appreciate that fact in silence without verbally acknowledging the obvious.

There was simply nothing to be said at all. 

For Link, the princess’ silence was an act of mercy. He was forever grateful to not be put in a situation to sound even more closed off than the Link she was familiar with. He would not ever try to sound cold toward her. Especially in the fragile state she was in now. But, he knew that anything he could say to her would ring empty. 

For him, seeing her was like seeing a ghost. A distant and transparent vision of what once was. But he imagined that for her, seeing him was like seeing flowers bloom just for them to wither away. Or maybe it was more like watching flowers drying up in the hot sun. It was possibly both, but over and over again. A cycle of hope and disappointment.

Of course, Link could scold himself for the implication that he occupies her thoughts in that way, but he could only imagine that any sort of familiar face was enough to garner that reaction. So he used the distance between them to his advantage so he could stall just long enough to figure out what she needed from him. 

As they headed out of the wooded area, Zelda was able to turn her attention to the sunset just over the mountains. Even if all the terrain has become foreign to her, that orange hue was just the same. That reminder was enough to calm her senses enough to take in the moment. Smiling softly and shutting her eyes, she let out a satisfied sigh and took a moment to breathe in the dewy air of a peaceful and quiet Hyrule.

A version of Hyrule that wasn’t allowed that peace for as long as she could remember. 

She let herself get comfortable in that peace, and maybe to too much of an extent.

She didn’t quite realize just how exhausted she was until she felt her leg start to slip off the side of the saddle. Dipping a bit before jolting to her senses, her eyes shot open as she let out a less-than-proper yelp. And instantaneously, as if the universe wanted to embarrass her more, Link stopped with urgency to turn and see what could have possibly garnered such a sound.

After that moment of humiliating pause, Zelda spoke up while keeping her gaze on the forest below her. 

“S-sorry… I must have slipped for a moment”

 Zelda whispered out, feeling as if she owed an explanation. She then fell silent, knowing that if things were anything like before, Link would pass his silent judgment.

To no one's surprise, he took one glance over to see if he believed her response before one of his classic, assuring nods. That in itself was comforting enough due to its familiarity, but not comforting enough to let the embarrassment subside. 

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Zelda was determined to make the rest of the trip there not about her. She wanted to show that it was no longer the days of her needing to be coddled from the wild. Not to prove this fact to Link, but more for herself.

 Snapping out of her admittingly distracted state, She finally seemed to notice that they haven’t started moving again. And as she turned her head to question that, the knight without any prompting hoisted himself onto the horse behind her.

An action that would take anyone by surprise, but an action that Zelda specifically was very unprepared for.

Perhaps she should be more used to his sudden and unspoken ideas but it can be very hard to find a normal when your relationship was as tumultuous as theirs was.

She couldn’t help the jolt reaction, causing her to sway once again. And in another truly ironic endeavor, Link managed to extend his arm to shield her from falling once again. A fact that she was equally mortified and thankful for. 

 If this was her first attempt to show that she was ready to fend for herself in the wild, then she was off to a rough start. 

As soon as she got her bearings she felt herself unable to hold back her tongue as much as she wanted to. 

“W-what are you doing???”

Zelda asked incredulously but without hostility. 

In response Link could only look a bit off, hoping that whatever came out of his mouth was enough to keep the conversation from going south.

“So you can rest”

he spoke, barely above a whisper. Distracting himself by taking the reigns and keeping his eye line off of her. 

“For what reason would I rest?” 

“For…rest”

“Do I look tired?”

“Very”

That seemed to be the wrong answer as she turned back forward with a haughty sigh. At least her temper was something Link could recall way too well. In some roundabout way, it could comfort to know that her attitude is not something even a calamity could not take down. It could comfort, but it very much doesn’t. 

 To her, his reaction proved the instinctual need to coddle, but to him, it was just as he expected. A successful way to ruin that interaction in less than a few seconds. 

Truly if you had asked him what the nature of their relationship was he’d be lost. He had thought that they were close enough considering the last memory he has of her is her confiding in him the day of his untimely death. Perhaps something happened after that moment that would make the princess rather upset with him.

Maybe he really was overstepping a boundary with brash actions. He could be more mindful of her state and possibly not assume he knows what she wants, because truthfully he doesn't know her at all.

He had plenty of time to think through the logistics of this the many months before taking on Ganon, but of course, this worry only occurred to him in totality the moment they first spoke again.   

For him, the very few memories that he collected felt less of his own thoughts and feelings and more like a factual retelling of times long past. The memories themselves unfortunately left a lot of things unanswered for Link and for that reason, when Zelda stood there on that field he wasn't able to give her any sort of answer.

The least he can do now is get her to a safe place and not insult her in the process.

Even if she is like a ghost to him.

Even if seeing her is just as foreign to him.

Even if they're in different worlds. 

Riding once again, it allowed for the silence to become something welcomed. Letting Link a moment to focus once again on getting them to the village as soon as possible. Admittingly, him being on the horse helped them go from a walking pace to a canter and maybe if Link let her know that he would earn a bit of respect back he thought. But he knows that there is no guarantee that he wouldn’t put his foot in his mouth the second he spoke again. 

Even if she wanted to hold her anger she couldn't really. Besides, it's not like he never assumed this position just to let her rest, in fact, it was more strange he did so now. From his reaction to her question earlier she had assumed that most if not all of their previous interactions had been lost on him.

If that was the case, was he subconsciously repeating his behavior, or was it just the practical thing to do?

 She could spend the rest of their ride dwelling on this matter, or the slight that he gave her previously, but when you hear the rhythmic tamping of wet leaves below you, the soft breeze of a damp and free Hyrule, and a warm and begrudgingly comfortable surface behind you, the sleep beckons. 100 years of unease will do that to a princess. 

Eyelids closing on their own, Zelda’s head bobbed lightly with their riding before slipping forwards subconsciously. Luckily for her, though not appreciated then, Link very quickly brought a hand to stop her from falling fully as he clumsily pulled the reigns to slow down.

Eyes wide at the princess’ sudden dip, he tried to slowly and gently lean her back on his chest as he intended in the first place.

The wind continued to lightly blow as the sky above lost its orange hue, but for Link, his only objective was to stay extremely still until he was sure that she wasn't going to stir again.

He understood that all those years ago that she found ways to keep him on his toes but he never thought that she’d find so many ways to do so.

Let alone in her sleep.

As she stilled once again, the knight kept a very close eye on her as he carefully unclipped his cloak and laid it on her as much as it could cover. It's the least he could offer her considering she must have been cold in her beat-down prayer dress.

Considering that, Link could only wonder if the Link she was familiar with would have done something about that sooner. He reasoned that he owed it to her and to the Link in his past to get her to Lady Impa in one piece. 

So swallowing his pride, Link took the breath he needed to take in order to act in such a way and did what he had to for both of their sakes. 

Shifting forward he arched an arm over her to pull her close and secure and looped the reigns around his palm once over. Giving a tug and a silent order to his horse before taking off once again. 

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