I know you guys don't really need a warning, but there's some nice sexual tension in this chapter. Enjoy! ;)

The words still rang through his head, a full day later. He knew that they were still ringing through hers, as well. She stood from the throne once the last of the guests had left the hall, guards accompanying them. Link glanced over at her sidelong as she did. She was stoic, or at least appeared to be so.

Today, the townspeople weren't bickering over stolen goods or land. The farmers had come in hordes today, so it seemed. Their crops were dying. What little they could salvage from their blackened fields were rotten or otherwise unable to be eaten or prepared.

The people of Hyrule were suffering, and she couldn't help them.

Her father, the king, had already left the hall towards his own quarters to prepare for a series of meetings with the Sheikah people. He hadn't left silently. He reminded her that soon, she needed to be off for the remainder of the sacred springs. If he caught her interfering with the progress of the Guardians again, there would be consequences.

Those words didn't stick out to her, though. No, his words from yesterday still rang forth: "You are the heir to a throne of nothing... nothing but failure." Or so, he claimed, the "gossip mongers" said.

She smoothed her dress out and looked over at him, at her appointed knight. He met her eyes, as blue and serious as his own. Her eyes conveyed so much that the rest of her face didn't dare give away. Though things had gotten friendlier between them, Link could feel that she still felt contempt towards him.

He was, of course, a living reminder of her own failures.

But there was nothing he could do about that. He could only do what he was told, and that was what he was going to do until he was relieved from his position. Her eyes showed acceptance now, as if she accepted that she would need to work harder to achieve the power that her mother, grandmother, and every woman before her had to.

It was just being stubborn.

She stepped down from the platform and, instead of heading towards her personal chambers, she turned towards the opposite hallway and began towards it. He followed loyally after her. The corridor was lit from the windows lining one side, letting in the streaming midday sunlight. As he followed after her, a few paced back, he noticed the stiffness in her back, the result of many years of training in her youth to behave royally.

Her hair's golden color was enhanced by the sun's glow, and seemed to rival even the golden silk lining her outfit and ceremonial circlet entwined in her hair. She walked briskly, as if she were late, towards the library, where he knew she was headed before she had even stood up in the throne room.

She pushed the doors open once she reached them, and continued on towards her usual studying spot. He closed the doors behind them, and walked to meet her there. Many of the shelves were dusty, their books in perfect condition from lack of use. But some of the books were old, worn, and the effects of their repeated uses were clear. Ripped spines, soiled and bent pages and faded titles adorned them.

By the time Link reached Zelda, she was already sitting down in a wooden chair at a table facing a large window providing an excellent view of the castle's training grounds. She already had her nose in a book, her finger tracing the lines of the text. Link positioned himself by the window, and gazed down towards the training grounds where he, once, had spent nearly every day, training alongside friends and rivals under the best swordsmen the kingdom had to offer.

Zelda sighed.

Link diverted his attention to her. It wouldn't do for him to lose track of his mind as he reminisced. She would be able to sneak away from him, then. And that simply would not do. Zelda set her chin in her palm and continued reading.

His attention was pulled once more to the training grounds. The library was a few floors above ground level, so from here, he could see the barracks where, by this time, the midday meal would be in the middle of preparation. He sure didn't miss that cranky old lady. He could see the dirt track that they were to run around for both stamina building during training and sometimes for punishment. He hadn't been subject to that very many times, but one of his childhood friends had been sentenced to extra laps almost every evening. He smiled briefly at the memory.

He could see the field where they practiced sparring. In fact, there were several groups down there now. New trainees, from the looks of them, were ignoring the calls for lunch. They were clumsy with their wooden mock weapons and got fatigued quickly.

He had been like that once, but apparently, not for long.

If it was his father's blood flowing strong through him, or natural talent, or even just hard work, he wasn't sure, but he had quickly rose in rank as his talent bloomed. Truthfully, he had never seen it. He hadn't ever noticed that he was "better" than the others. But his instructors praised him and pushed him farther and farther. He was kept away from his comrades, his friends in his unit. He was soon resented by many, and those that stayed loyal to his friendship, he barely had time to see.

He didn't have much time for anything anymore. It seemed that since he first stepped foot onto the training grounds, his life had passed by him in a blur. But he wasn't complaining; no, far from it. He was grateful for the opportunities presented to him. Though he did wish he could sleep in a bit later.

There was a loud slam and Link started, left hand rising to grip the Master Sword, the other clenching into a fist. But there was no one else in the library. Zelda had slammed the book she was reading, and he let out an inaudible breath. He released his grip on the sword and lowered his hands as he looked at her concernedly.

The princess huffed, sliding the book away from her and standing from the chair. She turned and walked to the nearest bookshelf, which was only a few feet behind her. She scanned the titles briefly before her eyes settled one a thin, leather-bound book. Pulling it out, he noted that it looked more like a journal than a book. She opened it, letting it sit in one hand while she skimmed its contents.

As if finally noticing the weight of his gaze, Zelda looked up. Meeting his, they narrowed, and she closed the book in her hand. She walked back to the table and set the book down. But instead of sitting once again, she walked around the table and stood next to him by the window. She looked down at the training grounds. He waited for her to say something, like he knew she would.

"The new recruits aren't as talented as you are," she said. "Just look at how many are running laps." He did look. She was right. "But then again, no one is as talented as you are, or so I hear." She looked up at him, as if expecting a response. He kept his gaze fixed upon the grounds. "Come on, take a compliment, Link!" She smiled, but it faded quickly. She sighed. "I hope you will eventually open up to me, Link. I know I'm the princess and all, but it's alright if you want to, oh I don't know, smile sometimes."

Link looked at her curiously, a slight furrow in his brow. He was told by many instructors, and even his father, to remain serious when working. Being a knight was a big deal, especially so in a position like his. He couldn't afford to smile, to have fun, not when lives were on the line. If he broke character and laughed, he would get distracted, and so would she. He needed to remain vigilant. There was a time and place for smiling and this simply wasn't it.

Not with Calamity Ganon threatening to destroy all that he knew.

---

You woke up first, your eyes fluttering in as a stray beam of sun threatened to blind you from behind your eyelids. You lifted your head slightly to have a look around and try and figure out where you were. It was a decrepit, yet homely little cabin that looked to be nearly falling apart. It was the king's cabin on the Great Plateau.

You and Link had spent last night exploring the Plateau, killing the few monsters you saw and generally having a fun time. You smiled remembering that he led you to a lake and you walked around its edge, hand in hand, under the glowing moon that sparkled on the water and cast the land in its ghostly blue-gray light.

Speaking of Link...

His arm was resting comfortably around your waist and his hand had tucked itself just into your shirt so that it could rest against your bare skin. You didn't mind. His warmth surrounded you; you could feel his breath on the back of your neck, your legs were tangled up, and the front of his body was pressed to your back. You sighed and closed your eyes again. If he wasn't ready to get up yet, then neither were you.

Your mind reflected on the fact that this was your first night spent in Link's arms. And, not surprisingly, you had slept exceptionally well. Your hand, which had been tucked against your chest, reached down and rested on Link's, your arm joining his against your waist.

You shifted slightly against him, and that's when you felt it.

He... wasn't wearing a shirt.

Link always wore a shirt to bed. It was a practice he was dedicated to. Nights were cold out in the wild, and especially so without a fire. There had been a sudden, heavy rain last night, leaving the fireplace soaked, so the two of you hadn't worried about starting a fire. You'd just keep warm in... other ways.

Oh no.

Please, for the love of Hylia, be wearing pants... You thought as you opened your eyes and lifted your head slowly. You gulped as you lifted up the thin blanket covering you and peered down. Thank goodness.

You felt your cheeks burn up as you tried to remember what had happened last night. Had what you were thinking of happened? You weren't sure, but you hoped to god that you had been smart about it, if you had. You loved your boy, but had you been ready for this?

"What're you looking for?" Link suddenly asked with a mischievous lift to his voice. You nearly leapt out of your own skin and you forcefully shoved the blanket back down and lowered your head back to the pillow. There was no explanation for what you had just been doing. Link propped himself up on his elbow and set his chin down on your arm so he could peer down into your face. You looked up at him, but only for a moment. Squeezing your eyes shut, you shook your head. "Come on, doll," he said.

He had been smirking, the cheeky bastard. And his voice, oh, his deep, husky morning voice. You wished he would stop talking. You knew he wouldn't give up until he had his answer, so you spoke up without opening your eyes. "I noticed you weren't wearing a shirt," you said quickly, "so I was making sure you at least had pants on, so you wouldn't get too cold."

That wasn't too bad, you thought. It's the truth. Or, at least, it was most of the truth. He didn't need to know WHERE I was looking.

"Oh," he mumbled, pressing his lips to your shoulder for a quick kiss. He set his chin on your shoulder again and smirked. "Is that all you were looking for?"

"Yes," you said, emphasizing it by yanking the blanket up above your head, obscuring you from his view. You heard him laugh, and your cheeks flared up. "Stop laughing!" Instead of answering you, Link lifted his end of the blanket and tossed it completely over himself so that he was under here with you. That's it, you decided, time to shut him up.

As he shifted on the bed to hover over you, straddled over your body and smiling down at you with a shit-eating grin, you mock-glared up at him with all of the fake anger you could muster. He looked taken aback; his smile faded and his brow furrowed. You were happy for your micro-victory but kept it contained. "Oh, jeez," he said, a full-fledged frown growing on his face. "I'm sorry, (Y/n), I didn't-"

You interrupted him by throwing your arms around him and pulling him down flush onto you. You met his lips in a kiss that he did not hesitate to reciprocate. And it was this movement that brought you back to last night, to what had happened.

"The cabin, Link, look!" You said, pointing with your free hand towards the cabin whose lanterns were still lit somehow. You could see it, just barely, but it was there. Link grinned at you, the rain from this sudden storm sticking his bangs to his forehead.

"Let's go!"

And so you went. Link kept a firm grip on your hand as he led you not around, but through all of the muddy puddles. He stopped suddenly to jump into one, but you dashed away with a laugh, seeing his antics before he could even act upon them. He splashed around, sending mud everywhere, dirtying his clothes. There was a frog in the puddle he disturbed, and he crouched down to watch it as it hopped away. As it did, he was far too distracted to notice you come up behind him. You pushed him over, dirtying him completely.

He was too surprised to be mad, and he laughed as you darted out of his reach again. You made it to the cabin and threw the door open. Link soon followed, standing dripping wet from head to toe in the doorway. You set your pack down and grabbed two sets of clean clothes, one for you and one for him. You grabbed a towel for him as well, and grabbed yourself one. "Go ahead and dry off," you said, approaching him and handing him his things. In the middle of the exchange, he shook his head, sending water from his hair everywhere like a wet dog.

You couldn't help but smile at your boy's antics. "Fine, I guess I'll go first, and I'll take my sweet time." You said, smirking at him as his shoulders slumped as you headed to the small bathroom. You did the opposite of what you said, of course, not wanting him to get too cold or risk him getting sick. When you were out, you discovered he had taken it upon himself to change in the main room, though he didn't seem to finish. He was standing with his towel slung around his shoulders, with the fresh set of pants on.

But no shirt.

"You could've at least closed the door before putting your body on show," you said as you closed the door with a laugh. Link came up to you and pressed his hands on either side of your head, caging you in against the door. You smiled and tilted your head slightly. "Are you expecting something, hero?"

"A kiss, maybe," he said with a slight shrug. "I am on display for you."

"I like the sound of that," you said in a sudden burst of confidence. He grinned and leaned towards you, pressing his lips to yours. It started off gentle, sweet, and loving. But it soon transformed into something... needier. You took him into your arms and pulled him close, flush against you. His skin was smooth, but you could feel small slices of raised skin where past wounds were healing, or had scarred.

The kiss became more heated, now. He lowered his hand and set them on your waist, squeezing gently. You bit his lip, then, coaxing his mouth open. Your tongues met, and there was no debate on who won. He gave in easily, letting you push away from the wall and back him towards the bed.

You misjudged, though, and accidentally bumped him into the table. A laugh erupted from his throat, and you couldn't help but grin against his lips. "Oops," you uttered into his mouth as they connected again. Smiling through the kiss, you guided him again, this time actually to the bed.

You pushed him to sit on the bed and you got onto his lap, breaking the kiss only for air. He leaned back so he was lying down on the bed with you on top of him. Running your hands down his chest, you noted the softness but, grasping his arm with one hand, you remembered all of the muscle mass he contained within his frame. Your hips instinctively grinded against his, and a low moan came from the back of his throat.

He pulled away from you, only to run his lips down your neck. His feathery kisses tickled your neck but you didn't pull away. You craned your neck to give him more room and he suddenly bit down, making you gasp. You-

There was a sudden strike of lightning, startling you both. You sat up abruptly, looking out the window. You looked down at Link who seemed a lot calmer than you were. You had been too caught up in the moment, that was all. He looked up at you with a knowing smirk.

"Maybe," you said, thoroughly embarrassed now, and realizing what it was you were about to do if you hadn't been interrupted, "we should go to bed."

"I like this view," Link protested with a pout. "Can't we stay like this for a while?"

Link, despite just waking up, did not hesitate to deepen the kiss, making you smile. There were deep noises coming from the back of his throat that he didn't seem at all embarrassed by. Despite the bliss of the moment, and how badly you wanted it to continue, you pushed up on his shoulders, and he pulled away with a frown. When he saw your smile, his sad expression turned to one of curiosity. "Someone's eager," you commented, making him laugh.

---

After a quick breakfast, you packed up everything and the two of you left the cabin. You had thoroughly explored the Great Plateau yesterday, so you didn't know what the plan for today was. "Traveling," Link had told you. "We'll travel back to the stable in Akkala by the Labyrinth, pick up the horses, and head towards the Domain."

You had agreed with this plan, especially considering that really, the two of you had wasted more than enough time recently and had a lot of ground to make up. So, after everything was cleaned and packed away, Link led you outside and into the stormy weather. A cold breeze swept across the plateau as dark gray clouds raced across the sky. The tops of trees seemed to bend with the wind and very few birds dared to take off.

You clung to Link as he took out his Slate and set it up for travel. As blue tendrils of light snaked up your body, you cast one last gaze over the Plateau, mentally praising Hylia for the chance she had given you, and the rich history she had graced it with. Her presence was strong here, you could feel it. Maybe visiting the Temple of Time would persuade her to make your journey a bit easier. Perhaps she would bless Link with some gifts. After all, he was trying to save the land she and the three Golden Goddesses had created.

The second journey via Sheikah Slate wasn't nearly as jarring as the first time, but it was still a tad unsettling. Your stomach still churned slightly after landing, and you needed to take a minute to steady yourself and wait for some light-headedness to go away. Link was patient with you, looking over the map while you settled yourself. When you were ready, he took your hand and the two of you headed towards the nearby stable.

Sampson, the owner, was tending to the horses in the paddock when the two of you reached the stable. The leaves that had littered the ground earlier had been blown away by the wind and what little leaves the surrounding trees had left were holding on as best they could against the oncoming storm.

"Hey, Sampson," you called when you and Link were a few feet away from him.

He turned his head at the sound and he grinned at the pair of you. "Good morning! How are you folks doing?"

"We're doing great," Link answered with an easy smile.

"And how's Robbie doing these days?" Sampson asked, sticking his shovel in the mud and leaning some of his weight onto it. "I haven't been able to see him very much lately, since I took over the stable."

"He's good too," you said, smiling to reassure him and hopefully remove that uneasy frown from his face. "He sends his regards, and promises to visit you soon." His eyes lit up slightly and he smiled again.

"That's good news," he said, "because I have a lot to tell him." He looked at Link. "I'm sure he'll talk about you quite a bit, sir."

Link frowned and flushed slightly. "I'd rather if he didn't," he said uneasily. "I don't like the idea of being talked about."

Sampson tilted his head to the side slightly. "Oh, I don't mean in any negative way, I'm sorry. I just meant that he'd be excited, and rightfully so. I am, too. Just thinking about you, the hero, fighting evil once again... It's enough to make me hopeful for our future."

You grinned while Link flushed completely. Noticing that Link wasn't going to say anything further, you thanked Sampson for him and asked him to retrieve your two horses. Only a few minutes passed before Sampson returned with the horses geared up with all of their tack and saddlebags. Once the horses saw you, they picked up speed slightly to greet you, pulling Sampson along slightly.

You held a hand to each of Nayru's cheeks and pressed a kiss to her muzzle. She nickered quietly and nipped pieces of your hair, eliciting some laughs from you. Epona greeted Link just as eagerly, and soon, the two of you were off, heading towards Zora's Domain.

---

"So then Lea dropped down from the tree, nearly breaking both of her legs and giving me a heart attack, with the squirrel in her hands! Never in my life had I ever seen someone risk their life – er, or both of their legs, anyway – to save a baby squirrel! And, mind you, it was a tall tree! The lowest branch was easily fifteen feet up! And here we are, assuming she even dropped from the lowest one." You huffed. "And I wasn't even looking for her at the time. I was just walking around, enjoying the summer air, and..." Noticing Link's silence, you trailed off. He could listen to you for a while, but for you to go on for so long without some clever comment or snarky remark was odd.

His smile was soft and gentle as he gazed at you. He nodded, as if to encourage you to continue. You peered at him curiously – what was the smile for? Your heart fluttered at the thought that he just enjoyed listening to you and just being with you. You continued the story, taking in Link's position across from you as you sat under a small tree alone in a field. He was sitting cross-legged, though his legs weren't tucked in closely to his body. In the space between his body and feet he had stuck a broadsword into the dirt, lacing his fingers on the pommel and resting his chin on top of his knuckles. He was listening intently to you, as if hanging off of every word you spoke.

He was utterly relaxed. Accompanied by his sweet, lazy smile and slightly sleepy, yet interested and engaged eyes, his face conveyed to you nothing but a desire to keep listening. He seemed to be enjoying your silly little childhood story.

Perhaps it was his lack of stories to tell.

Regardless, you trailed off again, embarrassed. Link's eyebrows rose in a silent question, and you averted your eyes as your cheeks surely visibly flushed. He tilted his head slightly. "Ah," you said, looking down as your cheeks threatened to burn you, "that was the end of the story..."

"I somehow doubt that. But you can finish it later."

"Why? Do you have something in mind for right now?"

"Well," he said, taking the sword from the dirt and tossing it a few feet away. "I think a nap would be nice right about now, don't you?"

You beamed at him, nodding. "Always."

And you crossed the space between you so you could enter his waiting arms, and settled down beside him for a nap.

---

There was no stopping now. Zelda was disappointed, and reasonably so. All three trips to the Springs had ended in failure. Whether that was her fault or that of the Goddesses, Link wasn't sure. But they needed another plan. Surely this wasn't a final resort?

There had to be something else they could try. Maybe there was a holy river or lake, or even a pond. Hell, even Lover's Pond was thought to have magical properties in its water. There just had to be something. He needed something to hope for. Anything.

Link was a being of hope. It was what his parents raised him on. It was what his trainers and friends and caretakers had raised him on. Everything he did, it was because he had hope. He wanted to become a knight because he hoped he could help people. He hoped to be half the man his father was. And people believed in him. He took the position to protect Zelda because the people of Hyrule had hope in her.

But now...

The mountain was steep. The trail, well-worn by hikers and crossed by animals, was rocky and rough and bumpy. But the sights from the mountain were beautiful, and Link enjoyed what little he could see through the trees. He tried to relax. So, her power wasn't awakened yet. It was the way of the world and of the goddesses for another opportunity to present itself. They just needed to keep going.

If only he could tell that to the princess.

She wasn't angry, no, at least at external forces. She was upset only at her own failure, though that failure couldn't be attributed to her own lack of trying. In working alongside her all these months, Link learned that she poured all of herself into what she was doing. There was nothing she didn't put all of her effort towards. It wasn't in her nature.

Link knew she would prevail, but right now, she felt like all of her efforts had been exhausted, and for nothing. Of her labor, there were no fruits to bear.

She walked down the trail slowly, at a pace that would eventually rack through their calf muscles and put their cores at work. Link didn't dare push her to go faster. She needed this time to think, to reflect, to... to hope.

Link looked up at the sky through the breaks in the branches overhead. Something needed to change.

---

Author's Note: Would anyone be interested in a full ass lemon for this story? I would be more than willing to, if you guys would like. I mean, they have all the privacy they could ever need out there in the wild.

Additionally, this has nothing to do with the story, but hot damn has it been a trying few months. At the end of junior year, I thought that more than anything I wanted to be a mechanical engineer, and more specifically, an aeronautical one at that. I toured some engineering schools and did some research and eventually found that it wasn't for me.

From there, I turned to what I loved more than anything else in this world - Legend of Zelda excluded - space. For as long as I can remember, space has been my number one love in this world but I never imagined that I would ever want to work with it for a career. Sure, I studied it whenever I could and read all the articles and theories I could find, but I just figured that becoming an astronomer was just a pipe dream. But still, I found myself applying to top universities with hopes of getting in. Some denied me, as I was sure they would.

Early into senior year, I was disappointed by this news. Greatly so. So I turned away from space and applied to some schools with amazing English and literature programs, because my lit classes have always been exceptionally easy for me. I'm, apparently, a very talented student when it comes to ELA. So I figured if I had to study something in college, it would be something I was good at. And for a few months, I was ready to commit to a school where I would be safe. Where I knew I would succeed.

But space wormed its way back into my heart again. Fortunately, I have an amazing support system that encouraged me to do what my heart wanted, and not to settle. That would only lead to regret. There was a school I applied to in Daytona, Florida, that I got accepted into, though I had no intention originally of going. But then I toured it. And I saw the internship opportunities, and I got to see the commodities, and the view of every rocket launch on the space coast. And I fell in love. I so badly wanted to go to school in Boston, the college capital of the country, but realized that my heart is simply not going to let me settle for anything less than astronomy. So, come fall, I will be moving from cold Massachusetts, where my friends and family are, to sunny Daytona, to pursue my dream.

All of this had only one point: for me to vent. But I guess it's a bit of advice for everyone (here I am, acting like a therapist): don't settle. If your heart is set on something, if you keep thinking back to something that you gave up on, it's a sign. It might be difficult, hell it might be damn near impossible, but it's worth it. That's really all I had to say. I dunno. Just needed to let it all out there ~

As always, ignore my rambling, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. There was a bit of a shift in their relationship! Did you catch it? And there was a shift in style, too, which I hope you enjoyed. We'll be reaching the end soon (remember, only 50 chapters!), so I just want to take the time to thank you all so much for the continued support. It means so much to me. See you in the next one!