After depending a few days in bed, Link was finally ready to be walking around again. However, he was nowhere near being healed, so he and Zelda deemed it best to return to his house in Hateno village, where he could take it easy for a little while.

Zelda apologized to the Gerudo Chief, but Riju was just grateful for their efforts. Link offered to come back eventually and train the Gerudo warriors.

~

When they arrived in Hateno, Zelda grew nervous. She wasn't exactly sure where she and Link stood. He had been talking to her more after the incident, but what if it all went back to normal?

They reached Link's house just as the sun was beginning its descent in the west. She carefully helped him climb off of his horse and they entered, both exhausted from the day's travels. She remembered the last time the two had stayed there; she avoided Link as much as possible as she tried to deal with the wounds he had worsened. She frowned. There was no way all of this could change so fast. She felt extremely skeptical.

He offered to make them dinner, to her surprise. As he stood by the stove, Zelda read a book by the table, but she had a lot of trouble concentrating on the words she was looking at. She kept stealing glances at him, trying to figure out why things were like this.

When he was finished, he placed two plates of food on the table and sat across from her.

"Thank you." Zelda said quietly, hesitantly looking into his eyes. Surprisingly, he was looking right back at her. She breathed a sigh of relief, the corners of her lips tugging upward a bit.

"It's no problem." He replied and they began eating. The princess felt anxious in a strange way; it was as if she were still a young, naive girl who was beguiled by this boy. Like they hadn't been through so much more.

Dinner was slightly awkward, since neither of them really knew what to say. Link wished to make reparations with her, but he couldn't find the courage to do so. He waited and waited for an opportunity, but nothing felt right.

After they finished eating, he washed their plates then turned to look at Zelda. She was wearing a simple dress that she had purchased in the village and her hair was still in its signature braided crown. She looked at the floor nervously, unaware of where his gaze laid. He froze for a moment. He had avoided her so much that he'd forgotten how beautiful the princess was. His stomach twisted.

"Zelda?" She snapped her head up, meeting eyes with him. Her heart pounded at his use of her name. "Would you care to take a walk with me?" She looked bewildered, but nodded after a moment. The two of them stepped outside and started walking away from the village. The sun was slipping under the horizon at that moment and it cast a warm, dreamlike glow over the land.

"I... I just wanted to tell you that I am so sorry. I have a lot that I need to deal with but I shouldn't have let that get in the way. I can't believe that I treated you like that and caused more pain for you after all you have had to go through. I know that I don't deserve it in the slightest, but I am asking you to forgive me and let me try this all again."

Zelda looked at him, reading his face carefully. She wanted to say yes, but she was hesitant. Could she trust him?

"After you saved my life and cared for me when I had been so unkind... it made me realize what I had. I can't let something like that go and I will do whatever it takes to make things right between us. If you could just give me another chance, I promise I will not hurt you." His eyes had a pleading look in them that told her he truly wanted her forgiveness. He looked serious and assuring, and she could tell that he meant what he said. She took a deep breath.

"Alright." They walked in silence for a moment.

"And... if you want... I'm ready to learn about my past. If you'll show me. I think... I know you weren't lying to me. And I'd like you to show me, and help me get back to where we were... slowly. But I can do it now." He suggested shyly. Zelda's face lifted and she looked pleasantly surprised.

"Of course I'll help you." She told him, trying to contain her euphoria.

"Thank you." He said to her genuinely. As much as she wanted to jump into his arms at that moment, she refrained from even reaching out and holding his hand. He wasn't ready for that, and she had to be cautious with the fragile knight.

That night, they both fell asleep easily and with much less heartache. Link moved his mat to the upstairs so he slept closer to her. Though Zelda still felt lonely in his bed, she was content knowing that he was closer. She slept with a smile on her face, thinking of all of the good things to come.

Link was ready to finally know the things he could not remember. He knew that it still would not solve the entire mystery, but it would fill an enormous gap in the confusing puzzle of his life.

~

The next morning, Link woke first, fresh sunlight seeping in through his windows. He stood up, gazing upon the sleeping princess. She looked peaceful and beautiful, illuminated by the bright glow of the morning. He headed downstairs, deciding that he would make them something nice to eat that morning. And just as the scent of the food cooking began to fill the house, Zelda came down the stairs.

"Good morning!" She greeted him. He turned around, his mouth forming a slight grin.

"Good morning." She sat down at the table and sighed contentedly. She could get used to this. After a few minutes, he served them both. The two of them ate, neither speaking very much. She knew that it would not be an overnight change; it would take a while for them to get back to where they were. But she was willing to help him.

"Link... would you like me to start telling you about your past?" She asked after they had both finished. He nodded, bracing himself. "What do you want me to tell you about?"

"My.. family." He decided, and she looked down at the table. She knew this wasn't going to be easy, but she couldn't deny him the knowledge either. She thought back to all of the things he had told her in the time they spent together.

"Well... you had no brothers or sisters. It was just you, your father, and your mother. Your father was a skilled member of the Royal Guard, which made him close to the Royal Family. The three of you lived in Castle Town. When you were ten years old, your mother... she got very sick. She passed away..." She paused, looking into his eyes. "You always talked about how much you missed her. You said she was kind, strong, and beautiful."

Images flashed in his head as she spoke. His mother, comforting him as a toddler. The three of them together, in the sun. His mother pale and weak, lying in bed and using her last breaths to speak to him. A little boy, confused and traumatized, angry at the world. That was his life. Zelda sensed the pain in his expression.

"Do you want me to stop?" He shook his head, casting his eyes downward. "Your father... he was a very good man. I had only met him a few times but I knew. When you were fifteen, he had to go take care of an attack that occurred and he didn't make it. I remember you were always angry at yourself-- you had been so focused on your training that you never got to say goodbye. But it wasn't your fault. And he would be... he would be so proud of you, Link." He saw visions again; his father joking around with him, teaching him things, telling him tales of ancient heroes to help him fall asleep. Link remembered the pressure he put on himself to be just like his father. He remembered how he idolized the man. And his mother, he always had her to take him into a sweet embrace.

And they were just gone. They'd been dead for over one hundred years. He would never get to see them again. He could never get them back; he'd woken up in a life where everything was already gone. Or almost everything.

Zelda's eyes met his, and she watched with pain as they young man in front of her broke down. She could tell that he was overwhelmed, and feeling a lot of pain. The only thing she could do was help him. She didn't before, and she couldn't let him go back to being so miserable.

She stood up, approaching him cautiously. He looked up at her and she could see the grief in his usually expressionless eyes.

"I am sorry, I did not mean to..."

"It's okay." He replied. After a moment, she wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to be gentle with him. Together, the two of them knelt on the floor. Link wept into her shoulder while she stroked his hair, doing everything she could to soothe the broken man. At that moment, she didn't care how intimate it was; he needed her.

"I lost both of my parents as well..." She said quietly, "My mother to illness and my father to the... to the Calamity." She felt herself start to break down as well, negative memories rushing back to her. "I'm here for you." He took a few deep breaths, focusing on the feeling of her arms around him. He felt more at peace when she was there to help him through it. He felt angry at himself for pushing her away and hurting her more when they could have been healing together. He relaxed a bit; their lives may have been crushed into pieces around them, but they would be safe with each other.

~

A/N - I hope y'all enjoy :)