Zelink Oneshots

she'll always be his

posted as of 07/03/19

OKAYYYY so this is a very special update, lol, bc it's something i wasn't actually planning on doing at all. i'm currently  far from home (UNINTENTIONAL SPIDEY REF, BUT I LOVE IT!!!), and uh...

i'm in Switzerland, lol.  being in the Alps must've inspired me bc i wrote this up in about an hour or two on the train. i'll be heading home soon, but i wanted to share this with y'all.

this is like... an AU BotW  prequel. idk how else to categorize it as.

anyways, imma sleep the rest of this train ride, lol, but i hope y'all enjoy. i'd send y'all chocolate from Switzerland if i could, but this is all i can manage for now lol

imma probably write a journal entry w pics on my experience here in a little bit in case you're interested

on to the fluff -

~Zel

~~~

As the cold wind swirls around them, freezing to the very bone, the Princess tucks her warm snowquill tunic more closely around her small frame. Holding the Sheikah Slate up to her numb face, she strains to make out the symbols that dot the screen while snowflakes settle on her reddened nose. A groan of frustration escapes her lips as she whirls around to complain to her knight, "I simply don't understand why we have yet to come across a Great-Horned Rhinoceros. The population is said to be quite numerous throughout the Hebra region, yet we still haven't found a single one."

Wordlessly, the knight follows behind her, knowing better than to respond to her when she's in a sour mood. Just over the next ridge, he can spot not only one, but multiple Great-Horned Rhinoceroses. In fact, he's spotted several Great-Horned Rhinoceros during their arduous ascent, but he'd never say it aloud. The Princess has been rather noisy while clambering up the side of the mountain, making quick work of frightening the animals off without realizing it.

As the Princess - Zelda, as he sometimes refers to her in his head - returns the Slate to its holder at her waist and scrambles up over the next peak, the wild beasts become alert at once, breaking off into a startled gallop and disappearing from sight as soon as she reaches the top.

A loud sigh of disappointment escapes her lips, and she balls her hands into tight fists at her side. For a moment, she says nothing, her body tensing as she recognizes yet another defeat. "I just... I just want to see one, Link. I want to see one with my own two eyes and perhaps take a picture for the Compendium." She takes in another shuddering sigh, close to tears but refusing to let them spill from her bright green eyes. He knows then that this goes far beyond just merely the animals... "My most fervent prayers have been ignored for so long that you'd think a silly little request such as this would be easily granted.. But no. Why would it be? No one hears me," she ends, whispering bitterly.

I hear you... he thinks to himself. But he'd never admit it aloud. While Zelda raises her voice to those in the skies above and to those in her kingdom beneath her, she's still unheard. Link utters not a word, and he's unheard, too. Even with their different approaches, their outcomes are consistently very similar.

Her small shoulders hunch over in defeat, and she folds her arms over her chest in an attempt to keep warm. "Forget this... It was a foolish desire to begin with." The tears that have begun to stain her cheeks freeze to her delicate skin, and Link has to resist the urge to swipe them off with the pad of his thumb.

Instead, he contents himself with placing a firm hand on her shoulder, "You're too loud."

Obviously not expecting him to respond, she looks up at him in shock, brows furrowed in confusion. "Why, whatever do you mean?" she asks, her tone the slightest bit indignant.

"You're too loud," he merely repeats. Crouching down beside her, he eyes the field before them carefully while catching sight of a swift violet. He plucks the delicate flower by the stem before presenting it to the Princess. "You need to be calm and steady; you mustn't scare it away or alert it of your presence."

Dropping to the ground next to him, Zelda weaves the flower into her hair before following his gaze. "...Is that...?" she whispers, purposefully lowering her voice to match Link's.

"Yes," he responds simply. "Don't frighten it away. We can approach it, but you need to be as quiet as possible if we want to make it over that next ridge."

Holding her breath in the frigid air, the Princess inches her way forward, following Link's lead and remaining just a few paces behind him. "Do you think we'll make it this time, Link?" she asks him, almost falling clumsily in a deep snow drift. As she steadies herself with her gloved hands, she waits for his reply.

"Perhaps," he responds noncommittally. He doesn't want to disappoint her if the animal does, by chance, end up spooking, but he also doesn't want her to give up hope. Brushing some of his loose blond bangs away from his face, he glances behind for a moment, watching as snowflakes flutter down and elegantly come to rest on his Princess.

Moving slowly, much to the detriment of Zelda's patience, they soon crest the top of the peak, looking down on several Great-Horned Rhinoceroses. Letting out a small gasp of delight, Zelda withdraws her Sheikah Slate, preparing to take a picture of the great lumbering creatures. "Oh... They're so interesting to look at," she breathes, her voice barely above a whisper. "Their horns really are half the size of their bodies!"

Link watches her in amusement as she marvels over the creatures, struggling to keep her voice low in her excitement. She murmurs, mostly to herself, about the best angle to take the picture from and about various facts she's learned about the animals from her private tutor. On a few occasions, she almost stumbles in the powdery snow as she frolics about and conducts her research, but Link makes sure she doesn't, keeping a close eye on her and sometimes contributing facts of his own.

Finally, the sky begins to grow dark, and Link regretfully informs Zelda that they'll have to seek shelter soon. While there is plenty of beautiful flora and fauna here in the Hebra region, there are also plenty of monsters lurking about too, and he knows that the king will be displeased if his daughter is out late during the evening in such a dangerous place.

Hiding her disappointment, Zelda perks up when he informs her that they'll have more time to further study the species tomorrow, after a good night's rest at the Snowfield Stable. "Do you think we'll have better luck tomorrow?" she asks him, the hope evident in her voice.

"I'd say we had pretty good luck even today," Link replies with a laugh. "You managed to get your picture, didn't you?"

"I did," Zelda admits, "but I'm sure I could get better ones tomorrow, when the sky isn't so dark. I'm glad I got to see one today, though," she muses, trudging through the snow in the direction of the stable.

Link remains silent in reply, following his Princess in her trek and being mindful of any monsters that may be beginning to emerge. A loud bellow is heard very close by, and Zelda becomes startled in front of him. A hand on the hilt of the Master Sword, he surveys the area before them, quick blue eyes locking on a huge rhinoceros pawing the ground and preparing to charge.

Without a second thought, adrenaline flooding his body, Link tackles Zelda to the ground, saving them both from being trampled by the large creature. She's trapped between his arms, and their eyes meet for more than a few moments as they recover from their scare.

Zelda gazes up at him, giving him a look that he's seen quite often ever since saving her from a band of Yiga warriors at Kara Kara Bazaar. "Thank you, Link," she says softly, and he can feel her breath tickle his ear. It's a warming sensation, and he feels his heart begin to soar, much to his inner dismay.

His only response is a smile that spreads across his face, and he fights the sudden desire to lean just a little further and meet his lips with her own. Instead, he's surprised when she presses a gentle kiss to his cheek and flushes. "I suppose we'd best be going now," she says breathlessly. "We can't have the stablehands growing worried or... thinking we're doing something outlandish."

He stands first before extending his hand to offer her assistance. They dust the snow off their warm Rito clothing while avoiding each other's eyes. Link's cheeks grow hot as he wonders whether he'll ever be the recipient of a real kiss from Zelda, suddenly realizing that he wouldn't particularly mind if the stablehands think they're doing something outlandish.

In his heart, she'll always be his, even if she hasn't realized it yet.