Link and Zelda set out for Kakariko Village next. It was about time they paid a visit, and both of them sought out advice from the elder Impa. The village was not far from Zora's Domain, so neither anticipated any issues.

The walk was torture for both; the princess trudged along silently as the knight followed her. There were so many words in her head, words for him, that she wished to speak. But he didn't want to listen. Every time she stole a glance behind her, she saw his sullen face and her heart cried out for him. She knew that he was sad and she wanted to help him. However, he refused to let her in, so the two of them suffered and tried to ignore the pain.

After a few hours of this, something unexpected happened. Zelda was lost in her thoughts and not paying much attention to her surroundings. Suddenly, she heard rustling from a few nearby trees. She stopped, focusing on the sound. Then, a figure appeared out of nowhere. It was someone tall and slender, dressed in red. The features were concealed by an upside down Sheikah mask. The princess frowned, recognizing this from her past. Looking down at the spiked weapon of the assassin, she gasped. Zelda backed up, her heart pounding furiously within her chest. Just as the Yiga clan member raised his sickle to strike, Link appeared. The knight took care of the warrior easily; it was as if he were performing a routine he had practiced many times. When he had finished the assassin, he merely sheathed his sword and continued walking. The princess took a moment to catch up to him, confused and slightly overwhelmed.

"Thank you, Link." She said to him once she had reached his side. But he kept going, not even acknowledging her.

~

Shortly after that, the two of them arrived in Kakariko Village. Zelda felt strange, remembering what had happened the last time she was there. She recalled giving back Link's blue tunic, forcing herself to believe they'd be together again. Now here they were, one hundred years later, and they were reunited. But not in the way she thought they would be.

The princess was still bothered by the earlier events of the day. If the Yiga had not yet given up, then what else did they have planned? She decided that Impa may have some advice. First the two of them visited her house. When they stepped inside, Zelda was surprised to see a pretty, young Sheikah girl next to the elder.

"Princess Zelda." Impa said, a smile creeping onto her face. Zelda smiled back, happy to see the woman after such a long time. She approached her, throwing her arms around Impa in a gentle embrace. "I am very proud of you, Princess."

"Thank you." She responded graciously. She stepped back. The Sheikah girl looked at the princess, her face turning red.

"Oh.. it's-- it's you! I am Impa's granddaughter, Paya! It's n-nice to meet you." The timid girl stuck out a shaky hand, which Zelda shook. "And Master Link!" She exclaimed, turning an even deeper shade of red. "It is nice to see you again, too!"

"Paya, go keep Link occupied for a while. I would like to spend some time speaking with the princess." Paya froze for a moment, then hesitantly left the house with the Champion. Zelda frowned as she watched them go; he seemed happy to be in the company of the young Sheikah.

"Lady Impa... I am worried. On the way over here, Link and I encountered a Yiga assassin. I was sure that they would be gone by now, but they still persist. I fear that they have something more planned." Impa looked concerned as well. "However, Link did not seem to care. I don't know what to do about any of this..."

"I will speak to Link, don't you worry. After all, it is still his duty to protect you."

"Thank you." After a moment of silence, Impa spoke up.

"Princess, have you thought about taking on the role of queen? The people need to be united again." Zelda frowned, realizing she still had that responsibility.

"No.. not really. I have only just started with the reconstruction of Hyrule Castle. I know that I will have to go back one day, but it's all so overwhelming. And I... I always figured that I could simply make Link king, but it seemed so far off... Now it is real and he will not even look at me."

"He is upset with you?" Zelda nodded, feeling the familiar ache in her heart.

"I am not sure what I did to upset him, but he resents me now. I waited a century for him, and he cannot stand to be around me. He is hurt and I wish to help him heal, but he refuses. And... I need him as well. Lady Impa... I... I love him. I have never stopped, no matter the challenges I'm faced with. I only wish he would let me in."

"Princess... I am very sorry. You do not deserve to suffer like this after all you have done for him and for your kingdom. If you truly love him, then you will stand by him. He is broken right now, and is missing many pieces of who he used to be. He is angry at himself because of it. It is up to you to be patient and show him who he used to be. I promise, with enough time, he will return your feelings."

"Thank you, Lady Impa." She abruptly turned and left the house, feeling emptier and emptier by the second. She couldn't be patient for much longer. As she descended the tall staircase, she caught sight of Link and Paya taking a walk together. He seemed.. happy. She even saw him smile and laugh. Zelda forced herself to look away and instead focused on the goddess statue nearby. Perhaps I need the help of the Goddess to guide me...

She felt a rush of sadness and nostalgia as she ambled over, remembering the wise Champion Urbosa. She would know exactly what to tell me. And the princess needed to hear something else, something other than being told to wait. She was tired of that.

Zelda felt an ache in her heart for the late Lady Urbosa. She felt another rush of guilt, remembering who was at fault.

In front of the statue, the despondent princess sank to her knees and begged for help, forgiveness, mercy, and guidance.

~

Link and Paya soon returned to Impa's house, and were greeted with a cross looking Sheikah elder.

"Paya, leave. I must have a word with Link." The young girl timidly followed her orders, and exited the house immediately. The champion's expression shifted and he felt a nervous pit in his stomach, wondering what needed to be discussed.

"Link... you have not relaxed and forgotten about your duty just because the Calamity is gone, have you?" He frowned, shaking his head.

"No, Lady Impa."

"The princess informed me of a Yiga assassin the two of you encountered. Did you think anything of that?"

"No.. it wasn't out of the ordinary." Link replied, thinking back to the many times he'd met with such foes during his travels.

"Ah, but it was... The Calamity is gone now.. if they have not given up, do you not think they have further plans?"

"I, um," He stammered, realizing it had been foolish of him to not give the attack a second thought.

"The Yiga despise the royal family, and they will do anything to keep them away from the throne. Just because their master is gone does not mean they have crumbled. Princess Zelda is in danger, and it is you duty to protect her. We are safe here in Kakariko, but you cannot stay forever." He nodded, looking at the floorboards below him. "You are still her knight, yes?" He nodded again. "Then you should know it is your duty to keep her safe. You protect her from all harm. Yes?"

"Yes."

"Then why do you hurt her yourself?" Link's heart tied itself into a knot and he felt sick to his stomach. "I know that none of what has happened is not easy to deal with, but it is not just you who has been broken. She wishes to help you put the pieces of your life back together, but says you have shut her out." He shifted, looking anywhere but at Impa.

"She... she hated me then... she has lied to me now... and she could not save my friends. Every time I look at her, I see the Calamity. I see horrible things that I wish I could forget again. And she... she brought me back here. It would have been better if she had let me die... as I was supposed to." The Sheikah elder frowned.

"You may not know it yet, but you need her, Link. The fates of the hero and the princess are entwined, and one cannot live without the other. Just wait, you will see... Now, go." He left the building and stood outside for a moment.

Suddenly, rain started to fall from the sky. It was always lush and refreshing when rains fell in Kakariko, but he felt wistful at that moment. Link knew very well that he was causing great pain to the princess-- he saw it every day. But he couldn't bring himself to feel anything. He didn't know anything anymore, not even himself. He had yet to discover who he really had been. Since he'd woken up, he'd become the empty shell of someone past. The old Link had left, and he didn't know how to bring him back. He couldn't understand how he was expected to fill the shoes of his past self. He had been greedy and desired more memory, but each flashback brought immense pain. It was so hard to handle, waking up in a strange new world and trying to figure out who he once was. Discovering he had friends in his past, but they were all long dead. He struggled constantly, not knowing who he really was. All he felt was emptiness, his mind and body haunted by dark echoes of the past.

Link looked to the right, seeing the princess knelt in front of the goddess statue, praying helplessly. He looked to his left and saw Paya waving at him from the doorstep of a nearby building.

With a heavy heart, he turned his back on the princess and went left.

~

Later that evening, Zelda checked into a bed at the Kakariko inn. She had gotten cold out in the rain and finally decided to take shelter. Luckily, the innkeeper owned a few books to keep her busy, but she eventually looked up and noticed something odd: Link was not back yet. Since dinner was being served shortly, she decided she might as well go get him.

The princess stepped outside into the rain, still pouring down. She hugged her arms, walking toward Impa's house. There she saw Link and Paya right in front of the door, standing close to each other. The girl was giggling again, and Link looked happy as well. Then, an image she'd never be able to shake burned itself into the princess's mind: the knight kissed the Sheikah girl on the lips, her face a furious shade of red as she smiled against his mouth.

Zelda watched as the two of them disappeared inside, her heart breaking. For a long time, she simply stood there, devoid of any feeling at all. This anguish was taking everything from her. She stood there, replaying the image in her mind over and over again in her head. The princess finally began to wonder: what had she done to make him fall out of love with her?

Eventually, any walls she had built up came crashing down and the all too frequent tears returned. As she cried, the rain hit her cheeks as well. It was cool and invigorating, though. The rain helped to cleanse her as she stood and wept for her knight.

She felt trapped between the past and future-- she was confused and didn't know which direction to head in. What was to become of her? As she remained there, thinking, she realized she was in some sort of limbo. Was she supposed to accept the truth and move on, or try to bring him back? There was no possible way of doing both. She felt bewildered yet at peace. Her heart was full of sorrow, yet she was also okay.

It didn't matter what she knew at that moment; only time would tell what was right.

~

Soon enough, Zelda realized it was best to return to the inn. She felt defeated, but it was not her fault. What could she do?

The innkeeper gave her a plate of food, and she sat on her bed, alone, to eat. Though her stomach had been furiously growling not more than 20 minutes ago, she had lost her appetite. The princess simply picked around food that she could no longer bear to stomach. She felt guilty giving a full plate back to the person who had made it, but she could not do anything else.

That night, she climbed into bed, but did not sleep. Instead, she stayed up until the sun was nearly rising, waiting. She wanted and expected to see Link walk through the doors and get into his own bed. No matter how long she waited, how she forced her eyes to open, he never came. Eventually, she succumbed to her exhaustion and fell under sleep's powerful spell, but even that could not take away her heartache and disappointment.

~

A/N this is an ouch yikes ok sorry