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Zelda allowed a yawn to escape her lips as she sat in the grass of Hyrule Fields.
The feeling of the thin blades gently finding their way between her toes, the soft dirt below them serving as a simultaneously firm and gentle pad… it was as if the very ground itself was alive and embracing her return at last.
Her pale skin was enveloped in the sun’s warm embrace, her eardrums were caressed by a cacophony of birds cheerfully chirping in the distance, and her eyes were blessed with the sight of a world without Calamity or Gloom lurking in every corner.
The simple sensations of life were finally hers to take in once again.
After some consideration, Zelda thought it best to compare her time as a dragon to that of a long slumber. The centuries went by in both an instant and an eternity, and - although she had only returned to her Hylian form just a few minutes ago - she was forgetting any experiences from her draconification by the second. Soon enough, she would surely be back to just being… Zelda. The young princess with a kingdom to watch over and a world to remedy from the effects of the Calamity, the Gloom, and the Demon King.
That… would still be her identity… right?
The fact of the matter was that, somehow, both nothing and everything had changed, and that lingered on Zelda’s mind the most.
But, of course, she would not go through any of these issues alone. Her loyal knight, Link, currently perched beside her, would ensure that.
Zelda turned to Link and noticed how desperately his deep blue irises still clung to hers. He hadn’t said a word since she had awoken, but the princess had learned over time that what he didn’t say with his lips, he did with his eyes.
I don’t want to look away, his expression seemed to call out to her. Because if I do, I’m afraid you’ll be gone again.
Zelda reached out and found his hand, gently intertwining it with her own.
Goddess above, she thought.
It was like she was stranded in the smoldering sands of the Gerudo Desert for eons and had just now found a fresh oasis. But the sensation of his soft skin connected with hers was more refreshing than any cool spring in all of Hyrule. It had been lifetimes since she knew what a Hylian hand even felt like, but it did not matter.
Home is where the heart is, as they say.
“I’m sorry,” Link finally spoke.
The princess sighed, both relieved to hear his beautiful voice again and severely saddened by his choice of words. She took note of his eyes starting to tremble and decided not to wait another moment before pulling him into an embrace.
Of course he would be the one to apologize to her, after surely just going through hell and back to fulfill her wish. She would gladly give her senses up and become a dragon a thousand times over if it meant all the trauma and pain he had experienced in his lifetime would wash away like a summer tide.
“It’s okay,” was all she mustered in response. “We’re going to be okay.”
They began the journey across Hyrule, and as more people became aware of Zelda’s return, there began talks of throwing a celebration for her and her royal knight who rid the world of Ganondorf’s hold on it. All the tribes agreed that it was a cause for festivity.
Zelda and Link, however, had other plans. The day’s events had truly taken their toll on their bodies, and the idea of fanfare and parades did not sound enticing. The world could wait one more day at the very least, so the pair decided to stop at Hateno Village for the night.
The princess took time to greet every villager in town, especially the children - her students - who lit up like shimmering stars in the night sky at just the sight of her familiar blonde locks flowing in the windmill breeze. She smiled as they danced and played around her in the town square until their parents called them in for dinner, her royal knight watching closely in the distance.
She could have sworn she saw his lips curving slightly upwards more than once.
Later, Zelda stepped inside her house - their house - and the flood of emotions hit her immediately. Such wonderful memories filled her brain, proclaiming to her that she was home at last, as she walked past the modest kitchen that served the two of them well for so many nights (although Link did most of the cooking himself) and went up the stairs. She and Link began to get dressed for bed, and her expression fell as she turned to find her knight removing his shirt, revealing the countless scars along his body; immediately, she noticed how many new ones had marked his skin.
She approached him closely and, besides some light blushing at the sudden intimacy, Link silently observed without objection. His sapphire eyes followed her flush fingertips as she traced them along his chest and down to his abdomen. The swordsman bit his lip in anticipation of her touching a cut that was still fresh, but the pain never came. She gracefully danced around every open wound as if just grazing one would bring an end to his very life, if not the entire universe itself. He should have expected as such; by now, she knew her way around his body like the back of her hand. It seemed that even centuries as a dragon could not take that bond they shared away.
“Let’s take care of these,” Zelda whispered before heading downstairs to grab supplies.
Link placed his hand over Zelda’s as she finished up the last bandage for a small cut on his back. His way of saying “thank you”. The princess gave him a “your welcome” with a gesture of her own: planting a soft kiss on the back of his neck as she sat cross-legged on the bed. The feeling of her lips sent shockwaves across Link’s body, causing him to tremble. Zelda found herself giggling at the sight of his shuddering. She watched as his ears perked up at the sound of her laughter.
It seemed to have changed something inside him.
Abruptly, the swordsman got up from the bed and turned to face the princess, moving his hand toward her face to cup her cheek. The move surprised Zelda at first, but she quickly relaxed and leaned her head into his grasp. His touch - like the dirt - was simultaneously firm and gentle, and - combined with his longing expression - it seemed he was trying to tell her one thing and one thing only.
He needed her.
Right there.
Right then.
Zelda’s eyes widened in realization, and she felt her face rapidly increase in temperature, that long-missed sensation of butterflies in her stomach finally returning to her. Truthfully, she’d been waiting all day for the moment that he would drop the stoicism; admit that he had desired to be one with her again just as much as she had him, if not more. She wasn’t quite sure that was even possible, considering that the instant she woke up in the grass and saw his gorgeous, caring eyes piercing her own, she would have gladly taken him had he asked for her.
Zelda shifted up to her knees on the bed so that she was now looking down at him. She countered his touch with her own, placing a hand on each side of his face and giving him a nervous but deeply-affectionate smile.
Staring into Zelda’s hypnotic emerald eyes, Link grinned warmly at last, signaling her to press her lips against his.
She was exhausted.
He was exhausted.
But the desires inside them were enough to keep them from resting quite yet.
Sunlight began to kiss Zelda’s bare skin through the nearby window, slowly prying her eyes open as it reached her face. After yawning and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she turned her head down to find her love still in a deep slumber in her arms. She observed his back as it rhythmically rose and fell. She counted the number of bandages she had applied just on that side.
Too many, was the final calculation.
Despite that, however, he was sleeping like a log. Zelda listened to his snoring and watched as a tiny drop of drool escaped his mouth and fell onto her chest.
It took everything in her power to resist laughing uncontrollably.
It was like he knew he didn’t have to worry about waking up at any possible moment in fear of his princess being taken from him. Like he didn’t have to worry about the prying eyes of anyone. No. At that very point, he wasn’t a royal knight. He wasn’t a legendary hero destined to fight a great evil. He wasn’t a noble swordsman who had to stay silent and steady for the sake of Hyrule and its people.
He was just Link.
And Link was wholeheartedly hers.
…
Link felt the body beneath him trembling, so he turned his head upwards and opened his rested eyes. The ones that glared back at him were red and wet. He hastily crawled up the bed to face her directly, but the princess shook her head.
“I’m okay,” Zelda reassured him, their foreheads now touching. “I’m okay. I just…” she chuckled between sobs. “I love you,” she admitted, stroking his long hair.
Link stared wide-eyed at her for a minute.
“It’s alright,” she finally continued. “Y-You don’t have to say i-”
“No,” Link interrupted, lifting her chin with his thumb. “I love you, too, Zelda," he declared confidently.
Zelda was glad Link was already naked, or she would have been forced to tear more clothes off.
END.