The group had left the stable and was now on their way to Goron City, Riju struggling to get the hang of riding a horse as Teba and Sidon each held one of her tiny arms. Zelda and Link trailed behind them. Link sat in silence while Zelda looked out at the view. Suddenly, she reached over and snatched his Sheikah Slate off his hip playfully. Link jumped and lunged for it, but Zelda already had it in her possession. Link cringed.
"Please, don't- uh..."
"Let's see here... ah! Gallery!"
"Well excuse me, Princess, but that's an invasion of privacy!" Link said fearfully, sweating in embarrassment. Zelda swiped through the pictures, laughing heartily.
"A picture of you smiling in front of a Molduga like everything's fine, a very nice picture of a Blood Moon, a picture of a dead horse, a picture of you with a Bokoblin mask on with a horde of Bokoblins, and an up-close picture of a dog that's barking at you," Zelda cracked up and Link blushed and scratched the back of his neck. (featuring my actual gallery in that game ._.)
"I'm sure someone took it and snapped those-"
"Sure, sure! To make your Gallery a bit more reasonable, knight-like, why don't you take a picture with me?"
"Uhh, okay-" Link was cut off by the snap of the Sheikah Slate.
Ups! Tento obrázek porušuje naše pokyny k obsahu. Před publikováním ho, prosím, buď odstraň, nebo nahraď jiným.
(he is so beautiful omg im a simp agh so photogenic)
"Look, we're adorable!" She said, showing Link the picture. Link smiled and Zelda handed him the Sheikah Slate. Zelda gazed over his shoulder eagerly. He looked at the picture a little while before placing the Sheikah Slate back on his belt.
"I won't delete it," he said. Zelda grinned.
"Did you see it?! I almost did the perfect Purah pose, it was very similar, at least-" Zelda went on the most adorable ramble and Link just watched her with a smile on his face.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*
After a day of traveling filled with yawns, struggles, tire, the first hot spring was finally visible, meaning they were getting close to Goron City, or were at least on the right track. They felt a warm breeze rush against them and everyone closed their eyes, a smile on their faces. Soon enough, they had arrived at the Hot Spring. Link stopped his horse and climbed off, gesturing for the others to do the same.
"Come on, just for a little!"
"Eh, hot water's not really my thing," Sidon said, already sweating from the 90-degree heat.
"Yeah, my feathers will get all soggy and won't dry," Teba explained.
"And I should probably not-" Riju started, but Link held up a hand.
"Okay, okay, I get it. You guys can go on, I'll catch up with you." Link said as they shrugged and galloped away. He quickly tossed his shirt to the side and hopped in, laying his head back and relaxing. To his surprise, he heard a grunt and a foot hit the ground. He jumped and looked back at the path to see Zelda, in a navy blue tank top and gold shorts. Link's eyes widened, surprised she hadn't left with the others. Of all the people that were to leave, Zelda was the first one he'd expect.
"Hi, Link. Mind if I join you?" She said, looking at the ground.
"Uh- yeah, sure," Link said as Zelda stepped in and sat at the opposite side of the spring. She grinned goofily.
"This is really nice, you were right! The others are missing out!" Zelda said, splashing her hands in the water. Link chuckled.
"Yeah, this is what I would use to make myself feel better after a battle with monsters or something," he explained, watching the cerulean mist float up from the spring. Zelda's face softened and her eyes became sad. Something was definitely on her mind. "What's wrong?" He asked. Zelda looked up, eyes wide, surprised that he had asked. She recollected herself, shaking her head.
"Uh... nothing."
"Liar."
"...I've been getting nostalgia, Deja Vu- memories, from certain locations. A bit like you did when you were on your journeys. And they've made me realize how much I took you for granted, how much I took everything for granted. I owe you my life, and I-"
"Just getting to know you, be around you, talk to you and even know of your existence every day is enough payment for me! You mean..." Link cleared his throat and looked away. "You mean everything to me. Saving you is my duty, but I slowly realized that I was so determined that it wasn't just my duty that was driving me towards you." Link said, giving Zelda the biggest hint he had ever given her. He blushed and tried to read her eyes. She smiled fondly.
"That is very sweet of you, Link. I've had a lot of fun on this journey. You're a great friend." Link's heart shattered in a matter of 2 words. His blue eyes became sad as his heart tore itself apart, with terrible thoughts like she doesn't care about you, never will- you'll never be good enough for the damn Princess of Hyrule- you're just a knight. He blinked back tears as Zelda wrapped her arms around him before climbing out of the spring, drying herself off with a towel. It was his first time being in love, and he had gotten hurt in the worst possible way. The worst-case scenario. None of this was ever real, it was all just Link's imagination. His sadness turned to anger.
He wasn't going to talk to her. Ever. I mean, why couldn't she just take a hint?! She had played with his feelings, messed around with his heart until it broke. She controlled him like a puppet until he just went numb. She was so manipulative, oblivious-
No. This wasn't her fault. It was his. His anger formed back into sadness. He realized Zelda was talking to him and he shook away his rampaging emotions. "Link? You coming?" Link nodded and wiped a tear, hoping she hadn't noticed. He climbed out and dried himself off with the towel, pulling his shirt back on. Zelda looked at him with a furrowed brow, concerned. "Are you alright?" She asked. Link shrugged, not making eye contact. Zelda became even more concerned. Why wasn't he talking? "Cat got your tongue?" She asked, elbowing him playfully. But Link looked at her with sad eyes, and she knew it was not the time to joke. (ruh roh- dire character change! link is turning into old link!)
As she stood there, dripping wet, thinking about what she could've done wrong, it came to her- she had completely shut down Link's kind words. Pushed him away. Zelda wanted to wait for the right moment- but she couldn't wait any longer before she lost Link forever. She could not go back to how it was before. Link began to climb back onto his horse. "Link, wait-" Zelda grabbed his sleeve and pulled him down. Link looked at her, eyes sad and face soft. He appeared vulnerable, hurt. A tear spilled out of her eye and down her cheek- it hurt to see him like this. Physically hurt was one thing, but emotionally was another. She couldn't stand seeing her friend- her love- like this. Zelda didn't know what to say. But there was no going back. "I-I'm sorry," she choked, a few more tears spilling out of her eyes and falling onto the ground. She looked back up at him. He looked like he was going to burst.
Link looked down at Zelda, watching tears spill out of her emerald eyes and down her perfect face. He had already messed up so bad, kept his emotions bottled up for so long, that he was just about to explode.
"Damn it, Zel! Can't you see it?! Can't you see that I'm so madly in love with you?! Why do you think I open up to you, and only you! Why do you think I sweet-talk you, only to get called your friend and then stop talking to you?! I'm in love with the Princess of Hyrule! Okay?! How do you not understand that?!" Link exclaimed, gesturing with his hands. He rubbed his forehead while Zelda looked at him in shock.
"I-I feel the same way." Link looked up and stepped toward her, eyebrows scrunched. "I'm sorry, I was just waiting for the perfect moment, and I didn't want to mess anything up, which clearly I did-" And Link kissed her, not knowing if he would ever get the chance again. He placed one hand behind her head and the other around her back. Zelda cupped his face and pressed her lips against his. She wanted to savor the moment forever, but they eventually broke apart, Zelda still in Link's arms.
