Zelda pretended to let go. She figured that, if she fooled herself for long enough, then one day it would be real, and she would no longer care.

But for now, those feelings were real, no matter how she tried to suppress them. They were always there, crawling under the surface and never letting her forget.

Link's words still rang in her head. They stung her every time she thought back to what he had said.

"I don't want anything to do with you!" That one sentence caused her the most pain out of all that he had said. She only wanted to help him remember and heal. She only wished he would let her...

Zelda couldn't believe that he only saw her as a reminder of his hapless past. Did he know that she had to live with herself every day as well? Thinking about what she had done made her feel incredibly troubled and worthless, yet she was growing tired of trying to deal with it by herself. Now that she knew how he viewed her, she only felt more despairing.

How could she have waited one hundred years for this?

~

Link felt forlorn as well. He wasn't quite sure why, but he knew that he had done something wrong. Though he was not grateful for it, the princess had always been there for him, to catch him if he ever fell too far. Now everybody was against him.

There was a lot about her that he still didn't know. And perhaps he had learned once, but most of it left him. He understood that she had been melancholy and envious in the past, and that he'd been there for her when she broke. Yet, he could never bring himself to do that in the present. Thought the princess was far more crushed, there was no way he could help her. Her face alone caused those few painful memories to invade his mind and launch a full attack.

When he looked into her sad eyes, he saw her one hundred years prior, defeated and crying into his arms.

They were both falling, so could they really catch each other?

~

During the days following their fight, Link and Zelda completely avoided one another. Both were ashamed and damaged, and it was much easier to pretend that it never happened. Zelda continued her work aboard Vah Medoh, and Link spent more time lost in thought, in his frequent absent state.

However, the dreaded day when they had to leave eventually arrived. A messenger arrived one afternoon, bringing word from Gerudo Desert. The hero and the princess's presence was requested by the Chief Riju herself.

This journey was the toughest one yet; Link and Zelda had no choice but to travel together. It was just the two of them in the wild for a few days, which made it difficult to endure. The princess didn't even dare to look at the knight behind her.

It was so quiet that she would have forgotten he was there. That is, if she could have ever gotten him off of her mind. However, that didn't seem to be an option.

Her time was spent staring straight ahead, trying to ignore her feelings. She was so disheartened that seeing her favorite types of flora and fauna did not excite her at all. Not once did she stop to conduct brief research or even photograph anything with the Slate. That made them both sure that something was terribly wrong.

~

They arrived in the desert early one morning. Though the sun hadn't been out very long, they could already feel it starting to heat up. Zelda purchased an authentic, heat resistant outfit made for the Gerudo vai. Link prepared himself by putting on his voe armor as well.

He waited at Kara Kara Bazaar while she went into the city to retrieve the chief. Eventually, the princess and Riju came over, strolling across the sand and having a conversation. He was impressed by Zelda's charisma; it had only been about fifteen minutes and she had already won over the chief.

When the red haired girl sat in the shade of the palm tree beside Link and Zelda, they immediately put on their masks-- fake smiles and feigned friendship. It was almost as if nothing was wrong, they hid everything so well.

"I need help from both of you." Riju started, glancing to the east. "Though the Calamity has been sealed away, there is still trouble here in Gerudo Desert." The two listening nodded their heads.

"Vah Naboris does not seem to be fully functional, but that may be the least of my worries. Lately, strange things have taken place near Karusa Valley. I fear that the Yiga Clan has not given up, and that they have other schemes to put into action. I know that it is very much to ask for, but will you please go see what they are up to? I wish for my people and all of the other citizens of Hyrule to be secure, and this would bring us a step closer. "

"Of course we will do that for you! We can head out to look today." Zelda assured the girl. A smile crept onto Riju's face and she seemed satisfied. Zelda admired the Gerudo; she was so young yet she carried herself with a vast amount of confidence and self-respect. Looking at her and hearing her speak reminded Zelda of Urbosa. The thought made her happy. She knew that one day, the young chief would grow to be like her ancestor, and that was assuring.

"Thank you." Riju said, standing up. "Please be safe, and I wish the best of luck to both of you." She sauntered off, back to Gerudo Town.

Link stood up, making sure he had the equipment he needed. Zelda followed suit, feeling a bit anxious.

"Stay here. I can handle this by myself." He said flatly, staring in the direction of the valley. She was taken aback by the fact that he had spoken to her, but recoiled quickly.

"No."

So, the two of them headed for Karusa Valley. For a while, they trudged across the sand under the hot sun, miserable yet persistent. They spoke no more words to each other, and instead worried about what was to come.

Eventually, they found themselves near. Up until that moment, the two of them had gone completely unnoticed by anyone, but that was about to change.

The two of them felt uneasy, and it proved to have a cause. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a group of Yiga assassins appeared. Zelda shrieked, realizing that the two of them were completely surrounded. Instinctively, she drew closer to Link, her back pressing against his. He gracefully deflected a few arrows, then struck down the archer with ease. Then, he quickly made work of the others until only the strong warrior was left. Link defeated him fairly comfortably as well, picking up the fallen combatant's Windcleaver. The princess relaxed a bit, but was shocked to see a larger wave appear before them. She started to worry for Link as more and more of them kept coming, attacking from all sides. Arrows were only nearly missing him, and he almost failed to deflect several blows.

The princess had been so keen on watching her knight that she didn't notice a warrior preparing to strike her. At the last second, however, her knight swooped in to save her from certain death. She blinked in disbelief, overwhelmed with gratitude. However, the shock didn't last long. She kept alert, dodging several blows and warning Link of any attacks he didn't seem to see. Every time that a blade even grazed him, she winced, fearing for his safety. Her heart pounded, hoping they didn't become overwhelmed.

An old feeling in Link had resurfaced-- he was filled with nothing but a desire to protect Zelda. It was strange, seeing as he had acted so coldly. It was a familiar feeling, though, and one that felt right. It was his duty, and that was something he would always handle with grace and dignity.

Suddenly, a skilled warrior placed a critical hit on Link. The princess cried out as she saw the assassin strike her knight. As he collapsed on the ground, a similar, painful memory came to mind.

Not again... I can't lose him again.

She panicked and her heartbeat sped up. Another warrior raised his weapon to finish Link off, savoring the moment. She felt sick as she watched it happen, an instinct to save him coursing through her veins. And just like that, she felt her dwindling power restoring itself fully, ready to defend her knight with all she had.

"STOP!" She screamed, raising her hand and releasing a wave of energy far across her surroundings. One by one, the warriors all fell. No more came after that. She exhaled, feeling weak and exasperated. She sank to her knees next to him, holding him in her arms just as she had one hundred years ago. He finally looked into her eyes, fighting to keep them open. His breathing was labored and he was bleeding out too much. She felt tears spring into her eyes as she looked over him.

"Link... please just stay with me. You're okay, just keep fighting.. please." She looked over the horizon, seeing Gerudo Town in the distance. She would have to get him to help immediately. Hastily, she ripped off one of her sleeves and wrapped it around his exposed wound, hoping it would help to stop the bleeding at least a little.

"I need your help." She told him, firmly yet gently and not daring to look away from his eyes. "Try to stand up. We need to get back to safety." He made his best effort to get on his feet, while Zelda used all her strength to lift him up, carefully placing one of his arms around her for support. "You're going to be okay."

The princess made the difficult journey all the way back to Gerudo Town. Despite the hot sun, the uneven sand, and the knight weighing her down, she arrived. She was focused only on his safety, and though many times she wished to simply collapse herself, she pressed onward. When she reached the gates, she was greeted by two tall, intimidating guards.

"I need to get in the city." She said, her voice shaky but confident.

"You cannot bring a voe within our walls." One responded. Zelda's face fell.

"But... but he's- he'll bleed out if I don't get him somewhere safe! Can't you just make one exception!?" Neither of them responded. "He was hurt trying to protect your people. Letting him in his the very least you can do. Now, let me in." Still silence. The guards did not seem convinced. Zelda had an idea. "As princess of Hyrule, I command you to let us in." She proudly flashed the Triforce symbol on the back of her hand. Finally, he two guards stepped aside, shrugging at each other.

"We're almost there, Link."

~

He woke a few hours later. He was in the Gerudo Town inn, and strangely, nobody had kicked him out for being male. The room was lit by candles and he could see the stars twinkling in the night sky through the window.

"He's awake!" A somewhat familiar voice said. He turned his head to see the innkeeper across the room. When he turned back, Zelda was standing by his bed, wearing a rather lightweight nightgown and smiling kindly at him.

He recounted the last things he remembered; he had been fighting with Yiga warriors when he was badly wounded. He recalled tiny flickers of other memories-- the princess using her powers to shield him, asking him to stand, nearly carrying his weight across the desert.

That meant that she had saved him. Even after all of the hurtful things he had said, she was still there to take care of him. He was overcome with wonder; how could she be so patient with him? Had he been making a huge mistake this whole time?

"Are you feeling better?" She asked, to which he nodded. He was still in a fair amount of pain, but certainly it was an improvement.

"May I help tend to your wounds?" He nodded again, struggling to sit up. She briskly walked across the room and fetched some supplies, then immediately got to work. She cleaned the wound for him, and even though it stung he tried to suppress any hisses of pain.

"Did you really save me, even after all that has happened?" He asked.

"Of course. I wasn't going to leave you there. I still... I... never mind." She shook her head, the ghost of a melancholy smile on her lips.

"Even after those hurtful things we told each other?" He questioned.

"We say things we don't mean when we're angry. It's okay."

He hesitantly met eyes with her, and felt something deep inside. The way the candlelight danced across her face, the twinkle in her eyes. The way the corners of her lips were pulled upward in a slight grin. It was so familiar. Then suddenly, he remembered. A hundred years ago, with the princess. They say by the firelight while she wrapped a wound on his arm. She had that same look in her eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Zelda asked, softly laughing at the end of her sentence. Link just smiled and shook his head. She reached for his arm. "Hold still.."

He blinked. This brought back more than just a memory. He remembered a feeling. What he felt then, with the princess a long time ago, he was experiencing again. His breath hitched and he felt something twisting in his stomach, but it wasn't all bad. He gazed at the princess, noticing the same soft pink blush on her cheeks.

That feeling had to mean something.

Perhaps she hadn't been lying about them. There had to have been something there.

Link realized how foolish he'd been; he had hurt her time and time again without even giving her a chance. He knew that she brought back memories, but they didn't all have to be bad. He could work past that. She had been right-- he did need her. He just hoped that she would let him try again.

"Thank you... for saving me." He said. Zelda looked happier than she'd been ever since they'd been reunited. She smiled and nodded.

"Of course."

That was enough for him to make up his mind; he decided then that he was going to fix things. He had made a terrible mistake treating her like that when she needed him, and he was going to do whatever he could to make things right.

~

A/N exhales see everything is o k a y