Just Like Old Times: A Legend of Zelda AU

Ah, Zelda

The hug. Ah, it felt so good. And she didn't pull away. That was a good sign. And she hadn't freaked out that I had to change. I knew some girls back in middle school that would have been furious.

Zelda, she was even more pretty than I remembered. She was shorter than me, with long flowing blond hair. Her eyes were pure blue, and they were captivating. I released her from the hug.

"Come on, I have a surprise for you."

She seemed intrigued and she followed closely. I took her to the kitchen and paused.

"Do you remember when we were kids?"

She raised her eyebrows. "What time? I can remember so many times we got into trouble." She smiled, her perfect white teeth showing through.

"Remember that time with the cookie jar?"

"Yeah, I do. I don't think I ever got caught. You took the rap for me." She grinned, laughing softly.

"Well, here's the secret." I brought out the cookie jar.

She looked at it with wonder. "It looks exactly like the one my mom used to have."

I opened the top and her eyes lit up. She selected one of the snicker doodles and bit into one.

"Oh, it's so good. Who made it?"

"I did. I'm glad you like it. Oh, also sorry about that really weird phone call. This is also for you."

I brought out the rose. Zelda reached for it, fingering it gently.

"Do you remember that one time I got caught in the rose patch at my old house?" I asked.

She snorted, then quickly covered her mouth. I laughed, and she joined in with me. I looked into her eyes, and she looked back. Deep down, I could see that this was the same Zelda from my childhood.

"How did you make this?" She asked.

I shrugged. "It's not really anything special. Just a few days of working the metal."

She twirled the rose in her hand. "Thank you. No one has ever given me anything quite like this. And the cookie jar."

I smiled at her. "No problem. What do you want to do? We could play a game, ride Epona, shoot bows, pretty much anything."

"Wait, what's Epona?" She asked quizzically.

"Epona's my horse."

"Wow, I'd love to ride her!"

"Alright. Follow me."

We walked outside and walked toward Epona's stall. I spoke softly to her as I lured her into the yard. She is a shy horse, so I would have to be extra careful with Zelda here.

"She is a little shy," I said. "So I'll need to help her get used to you."

I took her hand, noticing her blush, and put her hand on Epona's nose. Zelda offered an apple, which the horse readily accepted.

"I think she likes you. What a smart girl."

She smiled. I brought out the harness and saddle and began to fit the horse. Zelda watched me intently, and I felt myself blush. My crush was watching me. What would happen if I messed up? I'd be embarrassed for life!

As soon as Epona was all ready, I moved toward Zelda. However, before reaching her, I tripped. I landed at Zelda's feet. I turned around, to lay on my back and looked up at her. She squatted down to look at me, and she was barely holding in her laughter.

I sat up. "Okay, so I'm still really clumsy."

She winked at me. Oh, she is so cute. "That's okay. Your secret is safe with me."

I got up and helped her into the saddle. Epona was reacting well to her, so that was good. Zelda nudged Epona along the outside of the fenced yard. The horse responded well, and went at a manageable pace.

"I'm doing it, Link!" She called.

Zelda looked so majestic atop Epona. It reminded me of when we would ride our fake stick horses as children, protecting the castle or whatever else we were doing.

How could she have gotten even more pretty? But she was also the same. Same likes, same style, same smile, same laugh. Oh, call me a hopeless romantic. But wow. The worry in my heart instantly dissipated. She was still the same. Thank goodness.