(Originally posted on AO3 on 2/23/23. You can also find this on fanfiction.net)
A pre-calamity botw/totk zelink fic with slight canon complaint and hurt/comfort. Zelda has just returned from The Spring of Power only for her father to become stressed and disappointed again. She goes off into the forest, and Link tries to come up with a solution to calm her nerves.
Leaves crunched harshly beneath the princesses boots as she stomped into the forest. Birds flew out of the apple trees out of the fear of her groans. In contrast, a soft breeze accompanied her on the trail, along with the short knight that walked a few feet behind her. She was used to him at this point, he won't leave no matter how much she begged. It's his job after all. But she later found his presence comforting, as she felt much less lonely than before, despite him being as quiet as a rock. Maybe his silence is just what she needed after a long day. Maybe she needed him more than she knew. But even still, a hot overwhelming feeling built up inside her no matter how many times she shouted.
"Why won't he just understand already?!" Zelda shrieked. "What part of 'There's nothing more I can do' does he not get?! If I could awaken my powers right now—I would!" She kicked the hard ground, bruising her foot. She winced, but went right back to ranting. "It's not like I'm trying to put everyone in suspense as Ganon comes closer, he knows that! He knows that I've been praying and training within every second I can, so why is he just so? So!?"
She fumbled with her words, and continued yelling and kicking to release her frustration deep within. Link only watched, standing there a bit awkwardly.
"You agree, right?!" She suddenly turned to him. "That he's being foolish? More ignorant than anyone on Earth? Like, seriously, what does he not understand?! I'm not just some war machine that you can turn on and off! Praying at this point is useless!"
He was intimidated by such a question. Not because Zelda scared him—far from it—more like what would happen if he were to voice his opinion. He agrees, her father is far too harsh on her. Link has seen her put all of her effort into awakening her powers..and yet, nothing. He wanted to stand up for her, and help find more ways to put an end to Calamity Ganon, but this is the king of Hyrule we're talking about. Link is nothing more than a teeny knight hired to look after Zelda. One word of contradiction, and only Hylia knows what'd happen next.
So he ended up staying silent as always, standing firmly in place. But he decided to at least try to give her a sympathetic look. He couldn't just leave her hanging, not like this.
"Right!" She knew he wasn't going to speak anyhow. At least it was something. "We have the Guardians, the Champions, and a stellar army and weaponry! If we all work together, we could take Ganon down! So why am I the only one constantly pressured?!" The last sentence was said with a cry, which caught Link off guard. Zelda's vexation had a whole new meaning now, and he cursed himself for not realizing it sooner.
The knight allowed himself to relax, with his shoulders drooping and his eyes widening. He watched as the princess walked up to a tree and slumped down, pressing her knees against her chest. A heavy feeling in his heart rose, and he couldn't help but to sit beside her.
Her voice cracked and broke, and Zelda spoke more quietly than Link has ever heard from her before. "I'm so tired, Link. So..so tired..I don't know what to do or where to go next. I've prayed to spirits, shrines, statues, The Spring of Courage, The Spring of Power and…nothing, neither worked. Have my ancestors suffered this much? I-is there something wrong with me? What else do I need to do?! Everyone could die at any moment and I can't do anything!"
An eruption of hot tears flooded her face, and she flushed with a deep red. Impulsively, Link cupped her face in his hands, catching and wiping away the droplets. Though caught off guard by such a sudden gesture, Zelda couldn't help but to keep sobbing. Her face was held close, and Link could see much more details than before. Her eyes had dark and deep circles underneath, and her hair was much more messy and unkempt than usual. She must have been staying up much later than she should be; most likely to study and pray, Link concluded. The knight rubbed her warm face with his thumbs, gently tracing circles on her cheeks, and she managed to subdue her cries into the form of quiet whines and sniffles. He had a feeling this technique would calm her down, he always did this whenever his little sister—Aryll—was wailing over something like her kite flying away in the wind, or stubbing her toe against a table. He always did this to the one he cared about, and now he gets to do it again but with a whole new meaning.
The next step was to try and think of a way to help the situation. He didn't know much about magic or spirits or gods or whatever, and it seemed like they were out of options, but he needed to think of something. He couldn't bare to see Zelda in so much despair anymore. So he skimmed through his mind and thought, and thought, and thought, and thought…..
The springs!
They've gone to two out of three of the springs, The Spring of Courage, and The Spring of Power. There's one left, The Spring of Wisdom.
Link released Zelda's face and pulled out his Sheikah Slate, showing her the location of where he suggests to go next. She leaned in and took a look, examining the area.
"I can't go there yet..you have to be at least seventeen years old to enter."
Link raised his eyebrow, and she immediately knew what he was asking. "My birthday is in about two weeks, but we can't afford to waste so much time! Wh-what if.."
Her hands turned into fists, and they trembled, indicating the worst thoughts imaginable. The knight took them into his, rough and covered with scars. The princess unraveled her balled up hands, allowing herself to relax, just for a moment. Her hands were surprisingly a bit bigger than his, Link figured maybe it's because she physically matured faster compared to him, if that even correlates to the former topic. But he held her hands anyways, tracing the veins that covered her knuckles. He thought about kissing them as gently as he could, if it would mean relieving her stress further, and showing that he adored her more than she knew. But it remained just that, a thought. They have more pressing matters, after all.
Finally, Zelda took a deep breath, and stared down at her hands enclosed in her knights one last time, and then looked into his honest eyes. "Then, it's settled. I'll tell my father our plan, and then we'll prepare to leave." A twinge of concern revealed on her face once more. "Do..do you think I can do it in time?"
All he did was smile kindly, giving her the most genuine look he ever has. Suddenly, she wasn't so scared anymore.
One of my earlier theories after one of the trailers, specifically when Zelda fell into that hole, is that we would be playing as Link above ground while playing as Zelda below in the caves and it’d sort of be a co-op between the two
