The Legend of Zelda: Goddess of Secrecy

Overworld Chapter 56 - The Post Master

 ...stepping through to the top of a tower. The wind buffeted the roof top, wind jostling Link's hair. A gust tossed the tassels on the hilt of the Master Sword, the tiny glass beads chiming like little bells. Suddenly, a bundle of hair hit Link in the face. He stumbled back a step, puffing out hair from his mouth as Zelda yanked her hand free to calm her long locks.

Fingers still brushing through her hair, Zelda bowed her head slightly as she apologized, "Sorry. I didn't think it was that windy."

Pulling a strand from his lips, Link laughed softly. Nervously. "It's not a problem." What he and Shade had spoken about suddenly pounded in his chest. He could have sworn Zelda heard it.

Zelda stepped forward, slipping her hand back around Link's. She intertwined her fingers around his and leaned on his side. "So...this?"

Link looked down at the hand between them, clenching his fingers to squeeze Zelda's hand back. His chest was fighting to fly out and to settle all at once. "What about this?"

She shrugged, laughing a little. "What is it, I guess?" Tucking a strand behind her ear, she pressed on, "Is this a thing then? Do you want this because..." She trailed off then lifted Link's hand. Patting the back of it, Zelda pursed her lips as she thought over something very seriously. "Can we talk about this somewhere else? Somewhere not...not a part of this whole quest?"

"Is something wrong?" Link asked, feeling his hand loosen to let Zelda pull her hand away if she wanted.

"No! No, that's not it," Zelda answered, surprise and embarrassment in her voice. "I-- I don't know how to put it, really. I just-- There's this expectations on us here-- I don't want us to--" Flustered, genuinely flustered. Link had never seen her like this. He immediately felt guilty for making her feel like that.

Pulling his hand from of Zelda's, Link turned to face his companion. He wished he could have leaned up to wrap his arm around her shoulder, to comfort her, but she had at least two inches on him. Instead he simply smiled, nodding once. "We can talk about this somewhere else, somewhere away from all this. I wouldn't know where though. Or when."

"Just a day! One day," Zelda stated. After Link nodded, Zelda pursed her lips again to make her suggestion. "Akkal Village, maybe, north of the Death Mountain. Do you know it? There are no temples out there, almost no politics. It's isolated from all this, in a good way."

"I can find it," Link answered. "When?"

"Whenever we have a break in this, when you have a break. You're the one who has to go to all these temples," Zelda answered. "Send a letter or Yore, and I'll make my way there. Or if we're already traveling together, I guess just ask." They both laughed, nervously. Zelda sighed, a long, slow breath. "Not now though. I'd like-- I'd like to go back to the Castle, to think about some things first. To figure out the things I can't find the words for right now."

Link nodded, swallowing hard as he thought over the ideas he felt pounding in his head. "Did I do something wrong?"

Zelda shook her head, violently dismissing the thought with the gesture. She gripped his hand in both of hers. "No! No, no, no! Goddesses, no, Link, that's not it. I just...I know I've been overeager. Goddesses, looking back on it, I have been almost horrible at some points in all this, whatever this is. But now, now that you're saying yes-- I just don't know what the feeling is now. And I just want us to find somewhere to have that conversation in the right way. Okay?"

"Okay." He took a deep breath, a sigh of relief. Of at least knowing he wasn't doing something wrong. That there was some way forward.

"But I want to talk about it," Zelda stated, squeezing his hand before pulling her hands apart. "But as us, not the us we have to be right now. If that makes any sense."