Zelink - Short tales

[Botw/Totk] The power to have you

Disclaimer: This chapter takes place during the time skips mentioned in Chapters 19 and 21 of the related fanfic "The Courage to Find Me" (available here, on my profile). However, it can be read on its own, as it is pretty self-explanatory.

POV Link

I cup my hand over my open mouth, checking my breath for the third time in less than 20 minutes. It still seems fine, but uncertainty makes me grab my canteen and swish some water around quickly - just in case.

A strange nervousness courses through my body, like a constant low-voltage energy circulating through my veins, my muscles, my bones. My breathing is erratic and my heart, racing. I can't quite understand the source of all these symptoms.

Well, actually... I can.

Today, supposedly, should... must be just another ordinary day. I'm heading to the cottage to meet Zelda. It's been a few months since we acknowledged our relationship, and we've spent practically all our time together. We only part to sleep, when she stays in the cottage and I head to the Hateno inn or the nearby forest - when the nights are clear, it's a great pleasure to rest while watching the stars.

Although we've announced to anyone who asked that we're together, we still haven't fully resumed our physical relationship. Each time I have to pull away from her arms while we're kissing under the tree at the cottage, it's a slow death, an intense torture.

I remember the day I dared to try kissing her again after the fiasco in Kakariko. I went through very confusing days where Zelda seemed to give me signals that she wanted me to make a move again - which directly conflicted with her refusal that night when we reunited for the first time after the separation period.

That week, whenever we were talking, Zelda seemed to get too close and deliberately put her hand on my leg, my arm, my shoulder. Her touch made me alert immediately and I had to muster every ounce of self-control not to make a move. Her eyes watched me intently in each of those interactions, assessing my reactions. To stop myself from giving in to impulses, I forced myself to remember her words that night in Kakariko:

"I don't think this is a good idea, Link. You left to try and find yourself. And in the process, you broke my heart. I'm just starting to rebuild myself now; you've just come back, and we're both still on this journey to understand who we are."

However, her actions seemed the exact opposite of her speech. Never before had Zelda shown this... aggressiveness in flirting with me.

Not that I noticed any flirting signs before... which in itself defines the intensity of her advances: even I noticed.

Until the day I could no longer hold back and dared to try kissing her again.

It was a typical late afternoon. Zelda had spent the day at Purah's lab, and I was training the volunteers against the Yiga's assaults. I was still recovering after being attacked by one of them at the Spring of Courage in Eldin - and had only regained my voice a few weeks ago after being strangled on that occasion.

Shortly before sunset, I headed to Purah's lab, as usual, to pick up Zelda and escort her back to the cottage. There was no actual need - Hateno is an extremely safe village - but I took every opportunity to be by her side. And I looked forward to our end-of-day conversations.

During my forced silence period, I started communicating with her in writing, through notes. So, when my voice returned, it was an easy transition to talk out loud. In the past weeks, I had already shown her my diary, where I documented every day since our separation. I told her about the adventures I lived, the time I spent in Koholint, my temporary job as a kitchen helper. I talked about Marin and our strange friendship, which arose on a day when she tried to kiss me, and I couldn't reciprocate.