The two of them headed north the next day. As they rode their horses alongside each other, Zelda tried several times to make conversation with Link. To her dismay, he either didn't answer at all or only said a word.

As the sun slipped down the horizon, the two of them stopped to set up a camp for the night. As she watched him start the fire, she wondered why he was still with her. Link obviously couldn't stand to be around her, so why was he still acting as her knight? He could easily leave and stop protecting her. Nobody was around to punish him for it. So why didn't he?

He was a mystery that even she could not solve.

That night, Zelda laid down to rest while Link stood watch. He was never able to sleep, so he figured that he could put himself to good use. The princess, however, found it hard to fall asleep as well. She felt an uneasiness that she could not explain. So while she laid awake, she kept her eyes on her knight, observing him in the hazy firelight. All she could think about was how badly she wanted him back. For some reason, though, he no longer wanted her.

She turned over, facing away from him You're only making things worse.

~

They left early the next morning, fairly close to the Domain. The fresh sunlight blanketed the land, causing the slick rocks to shine. Zelda began to feel nervous; what if the Zora were angry with her? Most would be old enough to remember her, and she was the reason they had lost their Champion. She was determined to help, though.

Her and Link wordlessly made their way to the bridge, Zora's Domain in front of them. It was just as magnificent as she remembered; it was seemingly a perfectly crafted glass sculpture. She marveled at the design for a moment, stopping in her tracks without even realizing. Link simply continued to move forward, and when she snapped out of her trance she quickly jogged to catch up with him. As they passed into the Domain, one of the guards nodded at Link.

"Champion." He acknowledged him. The princess took a moment too look around her. There were many Zoras ambling about, all adorned with jewels and other luxuries. The race of fish people had always been very elegant and regal, and Zelda always admired that. She followed Link up toward the throne room, passing the statue of the fallen Champion Mipha. The princess felt sadness in her heart as she was reminded of the fallen warrior. She had been so kind and gentle-- she would never hurt a fly. She had done nothing to deserve the horrible fate that had befallen her. It was simply so unfair. The princess regretted her bitter feelings toward the Zora girl, brief as they were.

As they climbed up the lustrous staircase, Zelda spied a Zora that stood out; he was tall and red, and appeared as if he stood out from the rest of his kind. He looked as if he were deep in thought, but turned to look as he saw the pair. His face lit up and he gave the two of them a toothy grin, rushing over to meet them.

"Link! How excellent it is to see you!" The Zora shook the Hylian's hand. "And who is this you've brought with you?" He asked, nodding his head at Zelda.

"Oh.." Link froze for a moment. "This is Princess Zelda herself." He announced, his voice a tone that she hadn't heard in a long time. She frowned, but wasn't given much time to ponder it. The Zora knelt before her, appearing flustered.

"Oh! Excuse my manners! Well, greetings, Princess! I am Prince Sidon of the Zora." She almost smiled.

"Rise, Sidon. There is no need for you to bow to me." He followed her orders, standing up. The princess awkwardly took his hand, shaking it politely. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"I am overjoyed to see that you two have come to visit, but I must ask: what brings you here?"

"We received word of Vah Ruta malfunctioning, and made the decision to come and help. I would be honored to go and take a look at her, that is if you don't mind."

"Ah, of course. Well, you will have to take it up with my father first, but I am sure he will be most grateful."

"Thank you." Zelda said, to which he responded with another dazzling grin.

She and Link ascended to the throne room, where they met with the large King of the Zora. He welcomed them and merely chatted with them for a few minutes, but the princess eventually brought up what she wished to ask him.

"Link and I wish to assist you with your Divine Beast and make sure things are running smoothly again." She paused, trying to string together her next set of words. "I... I also would like to apologize for... for Lady Mipha. I know very well it is my fault and I claim full responsibility. I know that would never be close to enough... but I cannot do much else at the moment. I hope you know that she's free now. Her spirit is unattached from our world now that things have been fixed. I cannot thank you enough for her sacrifices." Zelda smiled, thinking of her memories with the Zora princess. Mipha had been a sweet girl, always willing to help others. She had deserved more than she had ended up with. The princess frowned, remembering the way Mipha cared for Link, despite him feeling differently. Perhaps it was Zelda's fault. Just like everything else...

"Thank you, Princess. We will permit the two of you to stay for a week. I'm afraid that's as long as we can allow for, though."

"I am most grateful, Your Highness." Zelda bowed, then quickly ducked out of the throne room, her Champion trailing behind her.

"Well, I suppose it's time to get started now." Zelda said, taking a deep breath and smoothing out her pants. "First, we must board it. Could you tell me how you--"

"Use the Travel Gate through the Slate." He said impassively. "I'll stay here." Her heart sank as she clutched the device tightly and her knight walked away. She wanted to yell at him and cry and hug him and just talk to him all in the same moment. Instead, she just watched longingly as he left, another piece of her fragile heart breaking.

She pushed her emotions back down and turned her focus to the Sheikah Slate. She found the travel gate for the Divine Beast and touched the screen. In almost no time, she was standing at the entrance of Vah Ruta. It was daunting and overwhelming, just as she had remembered. But an excitement that she hadn't felt in a long time took hold of her as she entered.

Zelda spent the rest of that day exploring and searching for anything she could fix. It was all so fascinating to her. In fact, it was interesting enough that she could forget about all of her troubles, even if only for a few hours. She only stopped when she noticed the sun was beginning to set. Before she left, she strolled over onto one of the balconies. The princess gazed over East Reservoir Lake, the sunshine causing the water to glitter. For a moment, she felt at peace-- surrounded by her beautiful land, finally being free to do what made her happy.

But she wasn't truly happy. Her return to the world was not even close to what she had hoped for. It was empty-- she had no family and no friends. Few even remembered her.

And he didn't remember. The one person she had left had abandoned her when she needed him most. Every day, he broke her down even more.

Zelda sighed, shaking her head. It didn't matter now. She had a duty to her people.

That night, she ate dinner in the dining hall with Link and Sidon, though the Hylian Champion didn't speak much. She instead got to know the Zora Prince. She decided that she liked him, though as kind and charismatic as he was, he was also a bit much. His company cheered her up, though, and she was grateful for that.

She and Link were given adjacent rooms at the inn. The two of them tried to fall asleep, but their efforts proved to be futile. Eventually, Link got out of bed, heading toward the central plaza. He laid his eyes on the statue of Mipha, feeling the unrelenting sadness flood through him like a torrential downpour. All he had was a brief conversation between the two of them. Her gentle voice, promising to always protect him. He could almost feel her soft touch as they sat there. He wanted more. There was no way of knowing what else had happened between them, no matter how badly he craved the memories. He felt like he had failed her, forgetting whatever they might have had. Now all he had was the stubborn princess whom he could hardly bring himself to look at, much less open up to.

He didn't know it at the time, but he needed her just as much as she needed him. The burden he carried only increased in weight, and it was only so long before he collapsed.

Zelda had also left her room, hoping to clear her head a bit. She roamed the Domain until she caught sight of the central plaza. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Link sitting in front of Mipha's statue. The grief she'd been trying to escape tugged at her heart. He looked so lost and so alone. Just like she was. The princess swore that she saw tears shining on his cheeks.

She wanted to go comfort him-- it was her first instinct. However, she couldn't bring herself to do it. He would only push her away. It hurt her to know that he was so broken down, though. Despite the way he was acting, Zelda still loved him. She was sure that the Link she once knew was still there; it would just take some time. There was only so much more she could take before she lost it, though.

She turned away, the familiar feeling of her eyes watering back again. Before he could see her, she walked off. The princess found a balcony and stared out into the water below. Quiet tears ran down her cheeks as her heart ached for her knight. For a moment, she lost herself in thought. She was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching her. She turned, seeing the tall Zora prince. She sniffed and tried to wipe her cheeks, embarrassed that he had caught her crying in her nightgown. He didn't seem to be bothered, though, and stood next to her, leaning on the railing.

"Sleepless night?" Sidon asked. Zelda nodded, sniffing again as she gave a sad smile. He paused for a long moment. "Link's spent a lot of time looking at that statue."

"It's beautiful." She said, her voice weak.

"My sister was quite beautiful," He said wistfully, "I wasn't old enough then to remember her very much of her. And I don't think Link can recall a lot either..." She felt consumed by guilt as she started crying, not able to hide it from him. Zelda covered her mouth, ashamed of herself.

Sidon froze, looking alarmed and confused.

"I- I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to make you..." She shook her head.

"It's okay... it's not your fault." Zelda responded quietly. The Zora awkwardly placed his hand on her back, hoping to comfort her.

"Is everything all right?" He asked. The princess shook her head again, looking out at the cool water below.

"He's just... so different now. I have nobody. I thought... I thought I would have him, but he refuses to even look at me." She took a deep breath. "He is so hurt and I want to help him, but he won't let me in. I just... I miss him." Sidon's face fell as he realized just how badly things were going.

"Hey.. It's alright." He spoke more softly now, "I know he will come around. Just hold on a bit longer. I believe in you." He smiled warmly. It caused Zelda feel some warmth for a moment, amidst the cold and emptiness that plagued her.

"Thank you." The Zora nodded.

"Pardon me for asking, but... were you really in love with him?" She jerked her head up, looking at him. The princess froze for a moment, but finally came back to her senses. She nodded, wiping her face again.

"I never stopped."

~

For the next few days, Zelda spent as much time as she could aboard Vah Ruta, investigating her and making any necessary adjustments. It was the best distraction from Link. And it finally gave her a purpose once more. She was helping her kingdom. Her people.

The Hylian Champion spent most of his time by the statue, deep in thought. He tried to remember more, but couldn't come up with much. Just blurred images, distant feelings-- warm summer days in the Domain, Mipha's sweet smile.

On the last night, Zelda finally gathered the courage to try and approach him.

"I miss her very much, too." The princess said sadly. The knight, however, did not even turn to look at her. He merely flinched at the sudden sound of her voice. "A long time ago you told me... you told me how you used to visit every summer." She continued, "You said that you and her used to swim in the river and explore the land. You loved to sneak into the Veiled Falls... You said it was like a secret that the two of you shared. It was your special place." More and more pieces of this giant puzzle arranged themselves in his mind. It still was very little, but it was something.

Zelda stood there for a moment, waiting for a reaction, but nothing happened.

"Goodnight, Link." She looked at her feet as she walked away.

~

On the day of her departure, Zelda stood with Prince Sidon aboard Vah Ruta.

"After the beam was fired and nobody was left to pilot her, a few things went wrong with her programming. It was not so bad, though. But, she should be in very good shape now." The princess stated, proudly placing her hands on her hips. "She just needs someone to take care of her now." She looked at the Zora prince. He laughed nervously.

"I.. uh.. I could give it a shot." Zelda clapped her hands with delight.

"Let me give you a tour!"

~

A few hours later, Sidon was all set and it was time for the two Hylians to leave. As they made for the gate, the Zora prince said good-bye.

"Thank you for helping us! And please come back soon!" Zelda smiled, waving back.

"See you later!"

Then, the two of them set off once again. This time, they set out for Kakariko village. The princess was upset to be left alone with him again. She still had not been able to get through to him.

She supposed she would just have to listen to everybody else's advice and give him time; though she didn't know how much hope she had left.

~

A/N - THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR 1K READS ON BEFORE THE CALAMITY!!:)