The next morning, the princess woke up beside her night, fresh morning sunlight seeping through the window. She grinned to herself, because he was finally there when she woke up. It had been a long wait, but it had all been worth it. To be next to him, always close to him. That was what she wanted.

Zelda shifted, pulling herself closer to him (if that was possible). That caused Link's blue eyes to flutter open. He looked at her, the corners of his mouth inching upwards. He leaned towards her, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. She hummed contentedly, savoring the happy feeling.

"Good morning," He murmured, his voice still languid from sleep. She sighed blithely in response, feeling his warm skin against hers. "We should probably get going soon." He stated, causing her to pout.

"Why can't we just stay here?" She huffed. Chuckling lightly, he ran his fingers through her blonde hair.

"I'm afraid that we have plenty of work to do."

"I like it here."

"Me too." He exhaled, sitting up. She watched as he dressed himself, still amazed at how gorgeous he was. He turned back around, looking at her and raising an eyebrow. Grinning bashfully, she sat up as well, pulling the sheets up around her.

"I suppose I have to get up also." She stated.

A short while later, all of their things were together and they were ready to leave. They would be spending a longer period of time in Gerudo Desert, and both were sorry to be leaving Link's nice, quiet house. However, it was time that they finally took care of all of the responsibilities that followed them.

The journey to the desert took a few days, but it was their most pleasant one yet. It was not painfully silent as most of their other outings had been. Though Link did not remember all of his past life, he was certainly himself again, and with Zelda's help he had discovered most of his memories. She was elated to see that they had become so close again, and that he could open up to her just as he had a century ago.

They arrived in the desert late one afternoon. Outside of the city walls, they met with the Gerudo Chief to discuss their arrangements. Link would begin training the troops the next day, and Zelda would stay to oversee it. She would also work on Vah Naboris, but they had to make sure she always had somebody to protect her as she did her research. The city was being safeguarded more since the threat of the Yiga seemed more real, but it was clear that it needed to be investigated quickly.

The two of them would be staying in two adjacent rooms above one of the shops in the city, since the inn was not very private and they would be staying for a longer period of time. Link was allowed in the city, but only because he was the princess's knight. Most of the Gerudo were extremely hesitant to let him in, but he was there to protect Zelda so an exception was made. That was also why he had been permitted to stay so close to each other-- because it was his duty to protect her.

Both of them took the rest of that evening to settle in after briefly dining with the chief. The two of them were exhausted from their travels and were ready to sleep to prepare for the days to come. Link and Zelda both readied themselves for bed rather early that night.

Before he headed off to his own bed, he knocked on her door.

"Come in." She answered. Link opened it, leaning against the frame.

"I just wanted to say good night." He told her. Zelda approached him, wrapping her arms around his torso. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, making sure nobody else was around to see. After a moment he pulled away, making his way back out towards the hall.

"Wait." She stopped him as he was beginning to leave. "Can't you stay... at least a little longer?" He thought about it for a minute.

"I suppose I can." He shut the door behind him. She yawned, taking him by the arm and heading over towards the bed. Link's face began to turn red as he grew more flustered.

"Zelda!" He hissed quietly, "You know we can't-- if they catch us-- imagine the consequences!" He stammered. The princess merely rolled her eyes in response.

"Oh, relax, would you? I'm not stupid. I just want you to stay until I fall asleep." He sighed and calmed down a bit.

"Alright. But you better hope that nobody sees anything." He climbed in after her, laying next to her and holding her tightly.

"See," She hummed, "I like this. I hope that things will always be like this someday."

"Me too."

For a moment, there was silence.

"Are you nervous for tomorrow?"

"...Yeah."

"Why?"

"It's still not easy for me to talk to people. I don't know how I will be able to... lead them."

"You'll be fine. I'll be there with you, too. Don't worry." She took his hand.

After a few minutes, her breathing slowed and she had fallen asleep. Though he did not want to, Link made himself get up and go back to his room. He wished he could stay, but he was afraid of tainting her image, so it was best to be safe.

~

The next morning, the two of them headed off early to meet with the Gerudo chief. They had decided that they would hold the training sessions right outside of the city walls, where there was more room. Zelda came by Link's room on her way out, where he was finishing up getting ready. They both wore traditional Gerudo outfits; his for the voe and hers for the vai. Though she had seen him in that outfit once before, she hadn't really taken any notice of how good he looked. As they walked, she struggled to push down any distracting thoughts, trying to focus on important matters.

The two arrived early; only a few of the Gerudo warriors had arrived. They patiently waited for the rest to trickle in, nervousness biting at Link. When nobody was looking, Zelda would squeeze his hand and give him a sideways grin. That was when his heart stopped its pounding for a moment and he felt better.

Soon enough, all of the trainees had arrived and it was time for him to begin his work. He stammered as he began to speak, at a loss for words. One quick glance into his princess's reassuring eyes, though, and he found his voice.

As the morning went on, Zelda watched and noticed as he grew more and more comfortable with his position. She smirked; he was a natural and she had known he was going to be fine.

When they took a break, Link approached her, sitting down next to her in the shade of the palm trees. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead and exhaled.

"You're doing great." She said to him, to which he smiled.

"You think so?" The princess nodded in response. She handed him a hydromelon, which he gladly began eating.

The two sat in silence for a moment, savoring the cool shade they sat in.

"You know, once we're back in the castle, I could appoint you as the new Captain of the Guard. We need to assemble a new military and I have faith in you." He froze for a moment.

"I, um, yeah. Okay, maybe."

A few minutes later, the training resumed. It went on until the scorching hours of the late afternoon, when Link dismissed the group and told them all when to assemble the next day.

He met with Zelda and the chief, where both congratulated him on his work. Riju assured him that they'd be ready to return to Karusa Valley in no time.

After the chief returned to her throne room, the princess and champion strolled around the city walls. Though the guards did have to allow Link entry to the city, he wanted to offend them as little as he could. That meant staying outside of the city limits as much as possible. He had not yet told Zelda about the vai clothing he owned.

"Link... would you be up for a bit more training today?" She inquired, eliciting an eyebrow raise from him.

"It depends..." he responded.

"Well, I was wondering if you could perhaps teach me how to use a bow and arrow."

"I suppose I could make time for you." He smirked.

"Excellent." She answered.

He grabbed the Sheikah Slate and took out a Knight's Bow from the inventory. It would be a good start; high enough quality but not too difficult for her to use. He handed her a few Rupees.

"Here- go in and get some arrows. I'll set up some targets while you do that." She nodded, heading over to the city. Meanwhile, Link picked up a few palm fruits and wooden boxes to use.

When Zelda returned, he had set everything up for her. She grinned, clapping her hands.

"Are you all ready?" He asked. She nodded. He picked up the bow and an arrow. "I guess I'll just show you how to use it first." He stood up straight, pointing his feet perpendicular to the target. "So, you're supposed to stand like this. I don't usually have the time to properly position myself, but this is probably best." She giggled.

"What a great example." He rolled his eyes.

"So, then, you nock the arrow like this. You can use three fingers to hold it there." He quickly demonstrated as she watched on with a genuine curiosity that was unique to her.

"And then you aim and release. Try to bring this arm back towards your jaw as you relax your fingers." He let go of the arrow and it flew with grace and precision, hitting the center of the palm fruit.

"Very impressive." Zelda commented, unable to hold back a smile as she looked at him. He mockingly took a bow, causing her to giggle.

"Now you try." He said, holding out the bow to her. She hesitantly took it, getting a feel for the weapon. The princess positioned herself accordingly with her target. She looked back at the knight to check if she'd done it right. He nodded and handed her an arrow. Zelda nocked it, carefully holding the arrow in place with three fingers.

"Try to hold them straight, not at an angle. Like this..." he repositioned her hand gently. "There."

She pulled the arrow back, narrowing her eyes.

"Now take aim. Just focus on your target. Let go when you're ready, and don't forget to bring your hand back as you release."

"Got it." She drew a deep breath, then relaxed her fingers. The arrow flew, barely grazing the edge of one of the palm fruits.

"Not bad for your first try." He remarked. She grinned.

"Thank you."

For a while, the two of them stayed out in the sun, firing the bow at the targets they had made. They kept at it until the sun was just beginning to set in the warm pink and orange sky.

After they cleaned up the mess they'd made with their target practice, Link and Zelda headed to the dining hall, where they would be eating dinner with the chief and a few other Gerudo.

The small group ate and conversed a bit, everyone exhausted from the events of the day. Afterwards, all retired to their chambers.

Shortly after both finished cleaning up and preparing for bed, Link stopped by Zelda's room. He kissed her lips, relishing the opportunity to do what he was not able to all day.

"Aren't you becoming tired of having to hide this from everyone?" She questioned in between kisses.

"Of course, but I am your appointed knight. It's against the rules for us to be together."

"There is nobody here to tell us what to do anymore. There will not be an outrage."

"I just do not want to ruin your reputation.."

"You needn't worry about me." She smiled, reaching up to kiss him again.

The two climbed into her bed, pulling each other close so that their foreheads touched.

"I think that we should tell the people about us soon." She stated softly. He nodded.

"Okay, if that's what you want."

They stayed silent for a moment.

"What about after that?" She swallowed hard. "Link, do you think you will want to marry me?" His entire body tensed up; she felt his muscles tighten under her hands. She grew nervous. "You wouldn't become king or anything huge like that, you would be the Prince Consort. It- you- I would have more responsibility as Queen. I just... I have been worrying about it quite a bit... that's all."

He exhaled sharply.

"I-I'm sorry... I wasn't expecting you to... ask... all of the sudden." He paused, taking a moment to collect himself. "It's... I don't know... the Royal Family.... it's terrifying. Zelda. I love you-- promise me you know that. I just need time to think about this." She frowned, and he felt his heart break a little as he looked at her sad eyes shining in the moonlight.

She turned from her side to her back, looking up at the ceiling.

"If it is not you, then I will have to choose another suitor, whom I could never love. I couldn't do that to myself, or to you..." She sighed. "I saw today that you are capable of leading people. You have it in you. And I will always be with you."

"I don't have the confidence in myself that you seem to have in me. I don't- I just... I want to be good enough for you, Zelda."

Neither of them knew what to say after that. But he knew he needed some time to himself, and he figured that was what she wanted as well. He sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and standing up.

"I should probably- its late..." Link squeezed her hand.

"Yes.." She watched him walk away. When he reached the doorknob, she called out to him. "Link, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have brought that up so prematurely." He looked at the floor.

"No, it's okay... Goodnight, Zelda."

~

A/N ouch sorry oops. Anyways I hope you enjoy, you fools.

So school just started back up for me and that means I can't hide in my house and write/ draw all day. Updates will most likely be less frequent.

Also idk if anyone cares but I'm excited because I just started driving!! Watch out world ;)