[ "Allow ourselves just to live." Zelda lets those words hang in the air, heard but unacknowledged. Drawn by the motion of Link's thumb against his knuckles, Zelda's gaze drops to his hands. Two mismatched hands, the dark Zonai skin tone starkly contrasting Link's (comparatively) fair Hylian complexion. It's a poignant reminder of one of the losses he has suffered since that fateful day beneath Hyrule Castle... and the Master Sword, just outside the periphery of her vision, a reminder of another.
How can Link—Link, specifically, after everything he has been through—suggest that they just live for awhile? By rights, shouldn't Link be the one who is the most upset by Zelda's failure? Shouldn't Link be the one pushing her to keep trying, to find another way to complete the transformation?
But the image of a Link who would say such things, do such things, is as alien as his new right arm. ]
Just live...
[ Zelda repeats his words, testing their taste on her tongue. Then, all of the sudden, recognition sparks in her mind and is immediately reflected upon her face. ]
Isn't that what you told me before?—After the defeat of Calamity Ganon, while we were recuperating in Kakariko Village.
[ Her mind rewinds four years of time in an instant. They went first to Kakariko Village after defeating Calamity Ganon, after Zelda was released from the seal and tasted air and daylight for the first time in a century. It seemed the most logical place to rest—and the princess sorely needed rest. They stayed in Kakariko for awhile, while Zelda acclimated to simply being alive again.
As probably surprised no one, her mind bounced back much faster than her body. It didn't take long for Zelda's thoughts to turn to the reconstruction of Hyrule, a monumental task nearly as insurmountable as the prospect of defeating the Calamity. She agonized over it, made herself sick with worry over what to do and how to do it. And it was Link who steadied her, Link who encouraged her to slow down, Link who tempered her. ]
iirc this was how our headcanon went...
How can Link—Link, specifically, after everything he has been through—suggest that they just live for awhile? By rights, shouldn't Link be the one who is the most upset by Zelda's failure? Shouldn't Link be the one pushing her to keep trying, to find another way to complete the transformation?
But the image of a Link who would say such things, do such things, is as alien as his new right arm. ]
Just live...
[ Zelda repeats his words, testing their taste on her tongue. Then, all of the sudden, recognition sparks in her mind and is immediately reflected upon her face. ]
Isn't that what you told me before?—After the defeat of Calamity Ganon, while we were recuperating in Kakariko Village.
[ Her mind rewinds four years of time in an instant. They went first to Kakariko Village after defeating Calamity Ganon, after Zelda was released from the seal and tasted air and daylight for the first time in a century. It seemed the most logical place to rest—and the princess sorely needed rest. They stayed in Kakariko for awhile, while Zelda acclimated to simply being alive again.
As probably surprised no one, her mind bounced back much faster than her body. It didn't take long for Zelda's thoughts to turn to the reconstruction of Hyrule, a monumental task nearly as insurmountable as the prospect of defeating the Calamity. She agonized over it, made herself sick with worry over what to do and how to do it. And it was Link who steadied her, Link who encouraged her to slow down, Link who tempered her. ]