Hero by Heart

Chapter 18

Link gathered all the courage he had and took a deep breath. Why was it so difficult to just tell her? He had been staring at her way too long, leaving her stress over what he was going to say.
'I just wanna say again how truly sorry I am,' he started, looking straight at her to make sure she heard. 'I haven't acted like the knight I am, or the friend I should be. So I am deeply sorry, Zelda.'
She looked at him thoughtfully, slowly nodding her head. 'I know that. Thank you. I might need a little time, but I know I will forgive you.' She smiled at him reassuringly.
     Link nodded, but he wasn't done yet. 'I talked with Sidon last night and he helped me see a few things differently.'
He shuffled his feet a bit and clasped his hands around his arms, trying to keep his courage together.
'He offered me more perspective on the situation. I realise now that the past is not important enough to change the present. What it's all about is this time, right now, and the future. Even though I may have no complete memory of my past, I should not let it change my future. I can make my own choices now.'
Link looked up at Zelda, who was staring at him with a thoughtful look in her eyes.
'I let my memories control me for too long. I freaked out because of it. I will not let that happen again.' He nodded resolutely. 'I will make my own destiny. I will no longer be controlled by my past.'
Now Zelda smiled at him, nodding along. 'That's great, Link. You deserve that.'
Link nodded, but didn't look her in the eyes. He needed to say the next thing, or he would lose all courage he had.
'I want you to know,' he started, pausing to take a deep breath and steady himself. 'I deeply regret what I did before. I let my past control me and pushed you away because of it. If I could I would take it back.'
Zelda placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. 'It's okay, Link. I understand now. Don't beat yourself up so much.'
Link shook his head, frustrated with himself. 'You don't get it. It's not just the fact that I hurt you. It's that I didn't listen to my heart. My brain was so clouded that I couldn't understand any of it, but through it all there was one thing that I did feel clearly, and I messed that up.' He quickly glanced at her with regret in his eyes. 'In all my confusion I ignored the fact that it didn't matter, because in this time, now that we are both free, I know that I do really like you.'
Before Zelda could say anything he quickly continued. 'I worried too much about our past to let myself truly feel it, but I won't do that anymore. My life is now all about the present and future and how I have control over that. So I am sorry that I did not focus on that earlier. I would have known that no matter our past, I still have feelings for you right now.'
Link finally looked up at her, as the silence dragged on. He could see the conflict in her eyes. Of course this was very sudden and surprising, and she still hadn't fully forgiven him, so he understood how she must feel.
'I'm sorry, Zelda. For everything. But there was one upside in all of this. I know now what I want and I truly hope that you still feel the same.' He looked down at his hands, afraid of what her answer would be.
Zelda looked at him a little longer, before folding her hands and looking at them. 'It's a little surprising, I must admit. I thought I had pushed you away, creeped you out, that you did not feel the same. I felt awful for ruining our friendship.' She looked back up at him, a sad smile on her face.
'And now you tell me that you do feel the same. I told myself to forget about you. That I should move on and focus on me. I couldn't bear the thought of always having you by my side, but not in the way I'd like. I have tried so hard to move on.'
Link looked down in shame. He was too late. He had messed up and waited too long to tell her the truth. He tried to hold back his pain and nodded.
'But I couldn't,' Zelda said.
Links head shot up at that. There was renewed hope in his eyes, as they widened in surprise.
Zelda smiled softly and nodded. 'I really like you too, Link.'
     Those few words were enough to make him break out in a wide grin, lighting up his entire face.
     'Really?' He said breathlessly.
     Zelda nodded, a big smile on her face as well.
     That was all Link needed to jump to his feet and pull her up too, so they were standing face to face. Still with the broadest grin on his face he pulled her into a tight hug and swirled her through the air, making her laugh out in joy.
     He put her down again and they looked into each others eyes, happiness shining on both of their faces.
     Link then leaned forward and placed his forehead against hers, still not breaking their eye contact.
     'Link,' Zelda softly said, to which he hummed in response. Zelda's smile widened. 'I forgive you.'
     Again Link's entire face seemed to light up at those words, his white teeth showing through his uncontrollable grin.
     It was all he needed to lean in and close the distance between them, softly connecting their lips in a sweet, careful kiss.
     Zelda responded immediately, moving her soft lips in exactly the right ways to make Links heart and mind go crazy.
     It was perfect. It held everything they felt and promised a whole new future for them.
     As they broke apart, they both had a small smile on their lips, their cheeks a little flushed and their hearts hammering in sync.
     Link gently grabbed her hand, like he had done many times before, but this time was different. Now it made his heart flutter. He could almost feel electric pulses going through his arm, from where they were connected.
As they sat down next to the fire to stay warm in the chilly night air, they looked out over the dark landscape in comfortable silence.
The land was mostly black now, only illuminated by the stars and the moon. Here and there were little specks of light where fires burned, and they could clearly see Zora's Domain, lit up by the lamps that reflected in the water. What most stood out though, was Death Mountain, with its burning hot lava running down the slopes.
Link could feel Zelda lean into his side as she propped her head on his shoulder. He smiled at the feeling and the strangeness of the situation. Only a few hours ago she had done everything possible to keep her distance from him, and now here she was, closer than ever.
He gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders while with his free hand he took hers and held it in his lap. Slowly playing with her soft fingers, he looked out over the land below, a content smile on his face. It was quiet up here, only their breathing was heard in the wind. Neither of them spoke, but that was alright, because for once, everything had been said.
     For the longest time it was just them, seemingly alone in the world, making Link feel so content and peaceful, that even in this slightly uncomfortable position he started to drift off. That was until Zelda softly called out.
     'Link?' She asked, not moving, but waiting for his response.
     He hummed, feeling his chest vibrate against her side.
     'I'm really glad you told me. This is how it should be. How it probably would have been a long time ago if things had gone differently.'
     Link could hear the slight smile in her voice, making it clear that she did not resent him or anything else for the way it had turned out. It was all exactly right now, so it didn't matter.
     He nodded against her head, smiling into her soft, beautiful hair that smelled so good. He closed his eyes to take it all in, all the happiness he felt right now, threatening to make his heart explode.
     'I wouldn't want to miss this for the world,' he mumbled in her hair.
     Zelda now moved a little to face him, looking up at him with big, bright eyes and the most beautiful smile on her lips.
     She leaned closer and Link could see the sparkle in her green eyes, just before she closed them.
     This time the kiss was different, more passionate, with more determination and much longer. Neither of them wanted to break the contact, as they soaked in the ecstatic of all these new feelings.
     Eventually Link did pull away, reluctantly, but slightly panting, with a deep flush on his cheeks and a pain in his jaw from the broad grin he couldn't wipe away.
     He looked into Zelda's beautiful eyes and for a minute he got lost in them, forgetting everything around them. He had never seen this look on her face before. It was a look of complete inner peace and happiness as she gazed at him with loving, caring eyes, making him feel warm inside.
     From everything he could remember, both before and after the Calamity, he had never seen anyone look at him that way before.
     He smiled back, before tearing his eyes away from her with some effort and looking up at the sky.
     'It's late. We should really get some sleep if we want to go explore Vah Ruta tomorrow,' he said with a apologetic grin.
     He did not want this moment to end, but he knew how important this research was to her. She would regret it if they couldn't be most productive from a lack of sleep.
     Zelda now looked up too, making the stars reflect in her eyes.
     Link wanted nothing more than sit here all night long, only to watch her and be with her, but he knew it had to end sometime.
     As she nodded he stood up and gently helped her up too. 'You can sleep in the tent, it should be a little warmer than out here.'
She raised an eyebrow at him. 'What about you? Why don't you sleep in the tent?'
'I'll sleep out here. I like the night skies. Plus, I can keep the fire going and watch out for any dangers.'
Zelda looked around skeptically. They were on a bare mountain peak with nothing around but the Divine Beast. It would be a miracle to encounter any living thing up here. She didn't push the matter further though, knowing he would probably not change his mind.
Link watched as she crawled into the small space and moved around a bit to get comfortable, before he sat down next to the tent and put some more branches on the fire.
He had taken a bundle of wood up with him, but it would not last for more than a night, so unless they wanted to sit out here in the cold, they would have to go back down tomorrow.
He looked sideways at the little tent, imagining Zelda lying there, slowly falling asleep. He was already sad to have to go back into populated land, preferring to be alone with her for much longer.
     As he lay down and stared at the stars above, he thought back of the evening, a content smile on his lips. It went much better than he could have hoped. He couldn't imagine it being any more perfect.
     Still with a smile on his face, he eventually fell asleep, only inches away from the girl he loved.