Linked AU One-Shots

28. Silent Princess (Joyful June 6)

Prompt: Flowers

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"Link, look!" Zelda exclaimed, turning with such grace that only a princess could carry. As her loyal knight hummed in mild intrigue, she walked forward before kneeling down. Link walked over and knelt to, watching as the princess cupped the blue flower with white tips in her hand like a wine glass. The flower glowed softly in the dusk, just enough to highlight it from the quickly darkening landscape.

"These were always my favorite," She hummed affectionately as she stared down at it. She looked back up to meet Link's gaze, a gentle smile on her lips. "When I see their glow like this, I can't help but be reminded that no matter how bad things may seem, there is always hope. It may seem faint or far away in the darkness, but it's always there. Always. Don't you think so?"

Link hesitated before opening his mouth. With another thought, he closed his mouth again and settled for a nod instead. 

Zelda's smile widened. "I'm glad, truly." She replied before standing back up. "Now come on, we should get going." She began to walk away, but Linked remained crouched down. As carefully as he could, he plucked the stem from the ground before he too stood up. When he did not follow, the princess turned around and came back. 

"What is it?" she asked him. He held out the flower. "You picked it? For me?" He nodded, drawing it towards himself. He paused before lifting it up and bringing it towards her ear. He waited just long enough to know he had permission before sliding it behind her ear. She giggled as she delicately touched the petals and traced the stem under her long hair. "Thank you, Link. That's very sweet of you." She grinned all the more. Link let out one laugh as he averted his gaze, his cheeks redding. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

A hundred years later, an amnesiac stumbled across the same kind of flower. It had grown among the ruins of a village. He wasn't sure why, but something deep in his chest stirred like a rainbow peeking out of the clouds on a dreary day. He plucked it and stored it in his slate. From then on, whenever he began to feel lonely, or nostalgic for a time he could not recall, or mournful for what he had seen, or regretful for what he could have done, he would take out the silent princess. He'd find a good place to sit down and stare at it until it restored the warmth in his chest.