Couple of the Wild (ZeLink)

Chapter 2: Her Highness and Her Champion

The chirping of crickets filled Link's pointed ears as he began to stir. His eyelids slowly opened, revealing fatigued blue irises beneath. He stared upwards, unable to process anything due to his aching head. It wasn't until a vivid image of Calamity Ganon's cloudy jaw opening wide to swallow a helpless-looking Zelda flashed in his mind that caused him to fill with fear. He quickly attempted to raise himself up; however, pain surged through every nerve in his body. Link immediately fell back, coughing from the impact. He opened his eyes again,  trying to concentrate harder than before as he furrowed his eyebrows. He lifted his pounding head as best he could, quickly inspecting his surroundings as he tried to control his labored breathing. The pain in his head immediately increased, causing his vision to blur. He decided it would be best to rest his head back down on the rugged surface.

Link closed his eyes, his chest beginning to rise and fall at a slower pace as he regained control of his breathing. With one final deep breath, the knight once again tried to think. He could recognize the different kinds of pain coursing through his body, some the stinging of burns while others the dull pain of bruises. Even the deep breaths he had taken resulted in some kind of pain. He began to remember how he had gotten the injuries, scenes of the large malice abomination walking towards him, and the deadly burns of the bright energy beam being shot at him from every angle. It wasn't until a memory of Zelda properly sealing the Calamity resurfaced did Link begin to properly calm down. The mission was complete, and that meant she was safe and free.

He opened his eyes once again to stare up into what he believed to be the night sky. White speckled dots littered the darkness as clouds luminous with moonglow drifted lazily above him; yet, the moon couldn't be seen from where Link lay. Part of his view was obstructed by what he could only assume to be a familiar circular roof. With a sigh, Link closed his eyes again, this time in relief. He was on a Sheikah tower. He concluded that Zelda must have brought them here after he collapsed, though it was unclear to him which tower she'd brought him to. A small smile formed on his face. It must have also been she who laid the blanket over his body; the only thing that was keeping him warm.

With a grunt, Link propped himself up on his elbow, moving as slowly as possible so as to not collapse as he had done earlier. He looked around at the dark shapes surrounding him, properly this time. He was able to make out the general shapes of the Sheikah Tower pillars, along with the familiar orange and blue dots of the pedestal sitting in the center. The more he looked around the more he realized something, or someone, was missing. Worry filled his chest as his breathing accelerated once more. His eyes darted around the entirety of the tower's floor, searching for his missing person. It wasn't until a small, but quiet voice called out to him that was able to calm himself.

"Link?" the familiar voice called out gently. "Are you awake?"

Link turned toward where the voice was coming from. Near the edge of the tower's circumference sat the entrance, a simple gap in the floor that led down to the tower's rather inconvenient platforms that littered its ladder-like walls. Climbing up through the entrance was a slim, darkened figure, pulling itself up onto the floor Link still lay on.

"Princess?" Link answered after realizing he hadn't responded to her call, as he was too absorbed in watching her.  "Are you alright?"

"I'm alright, no need to worry," Zelda answered as she finished climbing up. She made a futile attempt to dust off the dirt from her formerly white dress before walking over to where Link lay. He squinted, trying to make out her features through the darkness; however, his vision was still a bit blurry from the pounding headache he had. He resorted to listening to her footsteps, the padding of leather sandals against stone flooring, to make out where she was. The footsteps grew louder as she came closer, until eventually, she crouched down next to him. "Really, it's I who should be asking you if you're alright. I've only ever seen you this tired once, and that was right before... well..."