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[fioreofthemarch]

Hateno Housemates Pt 4 (Post-BOTW Zelink)

its done its finally doneSome domestic Zelink fluff as requested by @liv-andletdie. Part Four of Four! | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | AO3 Link |

Pairing: Zelda x Link Setting: Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild (postgame) Words: 2182

For the first time in weeks, Link and Zelda arrived at their Hateno home together, their youthful and chatty voices lilting across the fields of swaying rice and lush green grasses. Medda, the farmer, waved them a welcome when he saw them riding into town, dropping his work to greet them at the gates.

It had only been a matter of time before the people of Hateno realised who Link and Zelda really were. After all, half of them had been at Zelda’s coronation, held to celebrate the completion of the rebuilt Hyrule Castle. The Queen, they would whisper when they saw the pair walking through the village, and her beloved knight - here!

Not that Medda seemed to mind. Royalty or not, a friendly face was always something to be cherished in a land as sparse and dangerous as Hyrule. He walked alongside their horses all the way to the house, excitedly filling them in on the goings on of the village.

“Leon wants to expand the inn, we have a lot more travelers passing through now!” the young man told them. “Oh -- and Ivee and I have been taking care of your garden. It’s looking good, lots ready for to harvest!”

“Ivee?” Link asked. “The girl from the general store?”

“Oh uh!” Medda was caught of guard, his hollow-cheeked face reddening. “She’s fond of cooking, so she likes to garden as well. She offered to help.”

Link and Zelda dismounted, and began securing their horses in the shelter by the house.

“She sweet on you too then?” Link teased.

“Link,” Zelda shot him a disapproving glare.

Medda stood before them, aghast. “No--no,” he was muttering.

“You ought to ask her to cook for you sometime. You could supply the produce. An equal trade.” Link advised as he settled his horse and began to unload their packs.

"You--you really think?” Medda was hanging off his every word.

Zelda walked over to the young man and put a hand on his shoulder. “All he means is show her you care about her. That you think she’s interesting.”

Link was at her side then, having finished with the horses. He stood with his arms proudly crossed at his chest.

“And get a well-cooked meal out of it too!” he added with a grin. Zelda gave him another withering glare, but his grin never fell.

“I--I’ll try that then!” Medda said with a nod, his hands determinedly balled into fists. Link and Zelda watched as their friend walked back into town with a slight spring in his step.

“Is that why you say you like my cooking?” Zelda asked once the young man was out of earshot. “Because you didn’t have to cook?”

“I like your cooking because it’s cooked by you,” Link said sweetly, heading into the house.

“That my point!” Zelda called after him, but Link already had his back to her. Zelda shook her head, and followed him into the house.

The summer rainstorms in Hyrule were almost as fierce as the winter blizzards, and Link and Zelda awoke in the quiet hours of that evening to find their roof leaking in no less than four places.

Both springing from bed -- and nearly tripping over each other in the process -- they rushed out into the pouring rain, heading straight for their storage shed. Inside they fetched three large pails, placing them inside to hold the leaking water. While Link searched the house for a fourth basin to use, Zelda paused by their open front door, transfixed by the rain. The evening was so warm, she realised. She couldn’t remember a time when she had felt warm rain against her skin. The rains in her life had always been cold, bringing only loss, and sorrow, and a memory of failure.

Zelda stepped out into the yard, her arms outstretched. There they were again; the tepid droplets against her skin, soft like an embrace. She raised her face to the sky, seeking to cherish this moment -- to let the memories of the new erase the old.

Link’s voice broke her reverie, and she turned to see him standing in the doorway. “Zelda?” he asked, a puzzled expression on his face. He cocked his head to the side. “You okay?”

“Of course!” she said, returning to the doorway. “Isn’t this wonderful!?” She took Link’s hand in hers and pulled him out into the rain.

“I don’t understand,” he breathed, laughing softly.

“Just enjoy it! You won’t catch a chill from it!”

“I suppose the rain is nice,” he agreed, turning his head towards the sky.

“See!” Zelda gushed. She wrapped her arms around his neck, seizing him in a tight and slightly clumsy hug. They spun through an imagined dance, muddy feet tracing out a waltz, and soon Link was humming softly to keep them in time, the notes soft against the pelting rain. Zelda felt like she could never let him go in that moment. That this would be all she could need; a home in a town with people they knew, where the rain was always warm and the garden always ready for the harvest.

Eventually the rain stopped, and Link and Zelda went back inside.

Link sat at their dining table the next morning, taking a knife and fork to yet another pancake, while Zelda busily mixed up more batter in their kitchen. He hadn’t even taught her this recipe; it must have been something she’d picked up on her travels. The batter was made with banana and cinnamon, and a hint of lemon rind from the tree that Medda had helped them plant in their garden in the Spring.

“This is really good!” he said through a mouthful of food.

“You’re just saying that.” Zelda replied, her attention never leaving her cooking.

“I’m not.” Link stood from his chair, and crossed the room to the kitchen, walking up behind Zelda to wrap his arms around her. “When you gonna let me just love you, Zel?”

Zelda shrugged, and leaned her head back to rest it against his chest. “Maybe I’m just not used to it.”

“Well, get used to it.” Link said, giving her a squeeze. He sat back down at the table, and was just about to dig into another morsel of pancake when he heard a faint beeping coming from the loft.

After Link and Purah had managed to make the message medallion, the Director had worked on creating three more; one for herself, one Impa in Kakariko Village and one for Robbie in Akkala. And while Link and Zelda had the Slate and their own medallion between them, the Sheikah and the Hylians could keep watch over almost half of Hyrule -- able to alert each other almost immediately if there was any trouble.

It was the Akkalan researcher contacting the Slate this time; there had been a cave-in in one of the lower levels of the Citadel. Not only that but a band of Mokoblins that had managed to cross the main bridge and were giving the guards a what-for. Link exhaled in frustration. Another problem to deal with; more work to take him away from this house, and the woman he shared it with.

He dressed, gave Zelda the bad news along with a lingering kiss and his thanks for breakfast, and reluctantly teleported to the Citadel.

Zelda finished packing her things within an hour of Link’s departure. There was no point staying now that he was no longer with her. They had planned to spend two weeks in the village -- a sabbatical from their normally busy lives -- but it seemed that even now there was no escaping their duty. One day, Zelda thought, When things have settled. We’ll come back here, in earnest.

She was leading her horse through the town gates when the sweet voice rang out over the fields.

“Your Grace!” the woman called, and Zelda turned to see a pretty young Hylian with cropped brown hair bounding over towards her. “Before you go!” she said. “I just wanted to make sure everything is sorted in your garden!”

Ivee. “More than sorted,” Zelda smiled at the woman, though her features were twinged with sadness. “It’s better than either of us could have managed.”

“Medda really knows his stuff,” Ivee agreed, a far off twinkle in her eyes. She noticed Zelda’s horse and pack. “You’re heading off so soon? Medda said you and Link were staying for a while.”

“Kingdom running.” Zelda said with a nervous laugh. “It never stops.”

“I can’t imagine. But you’ve got a good Prince Consort by your side, I can tell you most of the ladies in town are jealous.”

Prince...Consort? “Oh, Ivee, we’re not--”

“I know,” Ivee laughed. “But you’ll be getting married, won’t you? I can’t imagine how wonderful that would be!”

Zelda opened her mouth to protest, but then she remembered Medda’s nervous affection for the girl, and the way it was returned when Ivee spoke of him. Let the girl dream, Zelda told herself. Give her the hope you never had.

“Promise not to tell anyone,” Zelda eventually said, giving in.

“I knew it!” Ivee almost cheered. She bid Zelda a good morning, and jogged happily back to her store. Zelda looked down from the gates of Hateno to the mountains of Necluda, and then back towards the Hateno home. Maybe I can stay just a little longer, she thought, maybe Link will only be a little while. She made her decision, and turned her horse around.

Link returned to Hateno less than three days after his initial departure, materialising at the shrine close-by to the home. He breathed a happy sigh of relief when he saw Zelda’s horse still secured in its shelter. Medda and Ivee were working in the garden, and they waved him over when they saw him. It was raining again, but the Hylians didn’t seem to mind.

“Afternoon’s welcome,” Medda said as Link approached. “And many congratulations.”

Link stared blankly at the farmer. “Congratulations?”

“Ivee told me, though she said not to tell anyone.” Medda said, sharing a knowing glance with the shopkeeper. “Yourself and the Queen!”

“I really don’t follow.”

Medda laughed, and just as Zelda opened their front door to step out of the house he said, “You’re engaged! Zelda told us herself.”

Link grinned wide, a big, dumbfounded smile spreading across his face. “Right…” he said slowly, and turned with wide eyes to glare at Zelda, who was stood frozen in the doorway. She’d gone whiter than milk, and was gaping at him with panic written on her face.

“Medda. Ivee.” Zelda said suddenly, her gaze snapping across to the two gardeners. “I think that’s all I need help with today.”

The Hylians must have sensed their transgression, for they simply nodded, politely bidding Link and Zelda goodbye before walking together back into town. Zelda retreated into the house without a word, but Link followed, shutting and locking the front door. He leaned against it with his arms across his chest, while Zelda waited apprehensively by the dining table. All was silent save the patter of rain against their roof, and the water leaking into the pails of water still left around the room.

“You told them we were engaged?” he asked simply, catching her gaze with his.

“No!” Zelda blurted out. And then she started rambling. “That...Ivee! She cornered me! I didn’t want to dash her hopes. I...I haven’t even thought about it! We don’t need to get married, not until we want to, at least!”

Link breathed deep, shyly eyeing the floor and speaking like his words were nothing. “I wouldn’t mind it.”

“I mean I-- wait... what!? ”

“I wouldn’t mind.”

Zelda narrowed her eyes. “Is this you proposing?”

“What? I don’t know. Maybe.”

Zelda looked around their house, and then back to him. ”Would anything change?” she asked wryly.

Link shrugged. “You know, probably not.” he said with a laugh.

“It’s settled then,” Zelda smiled, stepping forward to pull him into an embrace. “If a little, unromantically.”

The sudden warmth of her and the joy of realising what had just transpired between them was almost almost too much for Link. He swept her into a needing kiss, only stopping to breathe an I love you and to savour hearing it said in return.

“Enough! Enough!” Zelda giggled after a time, prying herself away from him. “Look, it’s almost sunset. The general store will be closed soon, and we need some truffles for dinner.”

She unlocked their front door, but Link caught her, wrapping his arms around her again. “Stay,” he half begged. “We don’t need ‘em.”

Zelda pulled herself free and opened the door. “Yes we do, unless you want plain rice balls for dinner again.”

Link stood in the doorway, sulking as Zelda walked towards the town. She stopped, and giggled again when she turned to see him. “Come on, Hero. I didn’t say I was going alone.”

Link sighed; in her company, there was nothing to do but concede. He closed the door to their home, and followed Zelda out into the rain.

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