Hero by Heart

Epilogue

I hope you all had a good Christmas, and I wish you a very happy New Year!
Thank you for reading my story.

———

Six months later

It was a bright, sunny day, but terribly cold. That wasn't really surprising, being this high up in the Hebra Mountains, but it didn't stop Link from feeling miserable as he shivered in his coat.
He and Zelda had been trekking the mountains for two weeks now, and apart from the cold he had absolutely nothing to complain about.
They were together, finally alone, out in the wild.
When Zelda had come to him saying she wanted to continue their research, he hadn't known how they were going to manage it.
Life at the castle had been hectic.
     After the Battle of Castle Town they had both been busy getting the kingdom back in order, establishing Zelda's rule again.
     The castle was now finally finished, and she had spent day and night finding and preparing people to help her lead, people who were now occupying the restored rooms, filling the castle with life once more.
     Link himself had worked tirelessly to build up the army, and to train new knights to protect their citizens.
     Luckily they both had help from their friends, who came as often as they could. With all their hard work it was nice to have a few nights every now and then to spend laughing and talking with friends.
     The first few months neither Link or Zelda left the castle grounds, and they barely even had time for each other.
     It was hard, and Link had longed for a quiet moment every day, but he knew it was necessary, and he would do his part.
     Zelda had told him that she would remain princess for the time being, although technically she should be crowned queen.
     She said that she wanted to be ready, and that she didn't feel like she deserved the title yet.
     He understood and supported her, and deep down he was even a little relieved. He couldn't really imagine her being an actual queen. Nor did he want to know how that would affect their relationship and his own role.
     For now he remained a knight. Zelda's appointed knight, like he had always been.
     Although their relationship was no secret, and therefore everybody thought they knew all about it, he liked having an actual reason to stay close to her. It made him feel actually useful.

But all those hectic days and the lack of privacy and peace were paid off when they finally left the castle.
     Zelda had come to him one night to tell him she had arranged everything so she could get away for a month. She wanted to take him to continue their research. Just the two of them.
     The broad smile on her face had been enough for Link to lift her up and swing her around in a massive hug, happiness coursing through his body.
     The prospect of going out into the wild was almost too good to be true, and the two of them going together was better than a dream.
     The first few days of actually being outside of the walls they had barely made any progress.
     They had been too busy enjoying everything around them, and most importantly each other, to really pay attention to anything else.
     When they had entered the Forgotten Temple Link had finally seen a side of Zelda that he had had to miss for a long time.
     The side of her that got all excited in the prospect of finding new things, of the possibility of discoveries, of learning about their past and future.
     She had pushed those feelings deep down to be able to rule the kingdom, but now there finally was room for it.
     Even when the temple held nothing but dust, rubble and Guardian remains she couldn't be brought down.
     'We can't expect to have success straight away,' she had said to Link, smiling excitedly. 'Besides, I wouldn't want to have to cut our trip short.' Her eyes had twinkled at that, and Link still remembered the way his cheeks had burned, as his stomach did some flips.
     She did things to him that he couldn't possibly comprehend, but he wasn't complaining. This was exactly what he wanted.

He now made his way through the snow, knee-deep in the cold stuff, treading a path for the princess.
It was slow going, and at the end of the day he would be exhausted and soaking wet, freezing cold and hungry, but full of excitement nonetheless.
     They had taken their search high up the mountains, and although he was shivering, Link simply had to admire the beauty.
The snowy peaks rising up into a bright blue sky, and the sun reflecting on the countless icy crystals, created a stunning picture.
Every day Link woke full of joy, ready for whatever the world had to offer.
So far they hadn't found anything of interest, apart from a couple of secluded monster camps and some rare plants for their inventory.
     Still, Link couldn't really let it get to him. At least they were out in the wild, together, far away from responsibilities and prying eyes.
     Although they had a real purpose, they made time for some fun and relaxation along the way, which made everything else irrelevant.
His good mood was slightly dampened, however, when something cold and hard hit him on the back of his head.
He turned around to see Zelda smiling at him, waving innocently when she caught his gaze.
He narrowed his eyes at her, not buying her charming smile, but before he could do anything about it, she jumped backwards, plopping down on the snow.
Her joyful laugh rang out as she started moving her arms and legs, creating a perfect snow-angel.
     Link was unable to hold back a smile himself, looking at her happiness. It had been too long since he had seen her this carefree and relaxed.
     So, without a second thought, he dropped down beside her and created his own snow-angel, connecting the wings with Zelda's by gently stroking her fingers.
     She then got up, smiling down on him with her cheeks flushed bright red from the cold, snow still tangled in her hair.
     She looked so beautiful that Link for a moment forgot to breathe, but that soon passed when she scooped up a handful of snow and flung it in his face.
     He sputtered and struggled to get up, Zelda's laughter serving as background music.
     Before he was fully up she had thrown three more snowballs at him, and he looked at her threateningly.
      She giggled, but was smart enough to start running, struggling her way through the thick layer of snow.
     Link laughed and started to chase after her, his feet leaving deep holes in his wake.
     Very slowly he started to gain on her, and a wicked grin spread out on his face.
     With a big leap he caught her ankle, tackling her down to the ground.
     The princess let out a loud shriek, cut short when she landed face-first into the snow, transforming her scream in some gurgling.
     Link himself burst out laughing, unable to do anything but clutch his aching stomach and watch Zelda struggle to get out of the icy grasp.
     She shot him a menacing look, telling him that it would be wise to shut up, but he simply couldn't.
Luckily it didn't take long for Zelda to start chuckling herself, brushing some snow from her coat.
Link managed to get some sort of hold on himself, and sat up to offer her his hand, wanting to help her back to her feet.
Zelda had other plans, though, and yanked him forward, causing him to fall into her, almost crushing his forehead into her nose.
Link looked at her in shock, but before he could say a thing she pushed her lips against his, which were already tingling from the cold.
The sensation made him relax again, and he grabbed her cold face in his hands, smiling against her lips.
     He fell in love with her all over again, as butterflies danced through his stomach.