Day Number: 4

Ship: Zelda/Link

Ship Type: Storyline Canonical

Plot focuses on romance/shipping? Maybe, maybe not

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"Link! C'mon! C'mon!" Link's seven year old sister yanked on his arm over and over.

"Just a minute, Sydnei... We're still getting everything off the horses." Link tried to assist Zelda with Skyloft, as they were still having trouble with their bond, but couldn't with just one hand. "Hey, let go of my hand."

"Later?" She asked with hopeful eyes. "You've been gone forever!"

"Sure. Just give me my hand." When Sydnei released, he instantly offered the hand to Zelda and helped her down. Once she was down, she leaned onto Link's shoulder and stayed, proof of their improving relationship. He made a soft noise and snuggled his nose into her hair for a second before adding. "Okay, you too. Let me unpack everything." He pulled back and rubbed her shoulder, knowing how awkward she felt in this new place. "Hey, Sydnei, why don't you go introduce the princess to Mr. Cucco?"

"Oh, yes! Can I?"

Link leaned back into Zelda's hair. "Why don't you go play with her? She won't hurt you... I'll be right along."

Zelda pulled back, then looked at the small child smiling back at her. She looked... about the size she was when Mother died. "Yes, Link." She began to walk towards the child, a small limp apparent even with the uneven ground.

"Yay! C'mon, Princess!" She took Zelda over to where they kept their Cuccos, jumping and clapping all the way.

Link tried to unpack quickly, but tried not to show it too much.

"Why you in a hurry, boy?" He turned to see his father standing by the door, chuckling. "Afraid a Cucco's gonna get ya?"

"She's nervous."

"Ah, that makes sense."

"She got hurt yesterday." Link slipped, clamping his hand over his mouth.

"Ah, that makes more sense."

"I'm not being overprotective!" He defended.

"I wasn't saying that. I'm just saying it makes sense that you'd be more than a little antsy if she got hurt." He looked and saw that Link wouldn't respond. "Hey... what happened to her? It's obviously not something little..."

"Something I could've stopped..."

"Hey, you're a person... you're going to mess up. Why don't you go on? I'll get everything."

"You sure?"

"Course!"

Link instantly dropped everything and bolted towards the Cucco pen. Upon arriving, he headed over to Zelda's side. "Back."

"Yay!!" Link heard Sydnei from inside the coop, producing a singular Cucco in her arms. "Mr. Cucco! Link Lonk is home!'

Zelda finally lit up. "Aww! Look, Link! It's a-" She turned and saw her knight tense and staring at the Cucco. "Link? Are you alright?"

"The Cuccos spook Link. Lots. We think it's because his doggie side shows more than the rest of the family's."

"'Doggie side?' Whatever do you mean?"

"Oh. Our family has a wolf ancestor. We're all part wolf."

Though Zelda could have dismissed it as a child's tale, she was captivated. "Wolf?"

"Uh huh! The wolf was on Daddy's side. Why's that surprise you? You're part goddess."

Zelda brought her hand up to think. "Well, I-"

An inhuman growl sounded from Link, who had now crouched down on all fours and was snarling at Mr. Cucco.

"Leave it, Link!" Sydnei commanded, then sprayed him in the face when he snarled again. "I said, leave it, Link!"

He looked firmly at his sister, then wiped his face and sat up, not giving the Cucco any more attention.

"He's good at protecting the Cuccos when it counts though. He's taken down countless other wolves."

Zelda was still too stunned to respond. Her knight was part wolf?! No wonder he was defeating trained soldiers as a child! Her mind declared before running amuck. How far back was the wolf? Was it during the technological prowess of ten thousand years ago, an experiment to create an ultimate natural soldier? Is Link dangerous? Will he maul me if I move the wrong way?

"I can see why you two didn't like each other very much when you first met. You're too refined, he's too wild." Sydnei scratched behind Link's ear. "You like each other now though, right?"

Link jerked his head back and shook out, the metal on him clinking like he had a collar on. "What kind of like?"

She smirked. "Which are you willing to admit to?"

Zelda blinked in confusion.

Link visibly clamped his jaw, swiping his head away.

Sydnei gasped happily. "Oh! You like like her! Aww, that's so cute! I'm gonna tell Daddy!" She darted towards the house.

"Sydnei!" Link called, not gaining a response. He began to bolt on all fours but abruptly stopped when he lost sight of her, growing instead. Zelda faltered back at this, and he instantly stopped and looked at her. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

Zelda kept her hands tucked close to her chest.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of me now!"

She made a few small nods. All the headway they'd made in their relationship was gone.

Link screamed inhumanly and darted into the forests around Hateno.

"What happened out here? Link sounded upset." Link's father ran up to her, Sydnei close in tow.

"Did the noise spook you, Princess?" She asked. "Link Lonk can be very loud."

"Ohhh, I think I know what's going on here... You figured out he's part wolf, didn't you?"

Zelda nodded and pointed to Sydnei.

"She asked why he was afraid of Mr. Cucco. I answered honestly." Sydnei looked at her father, hoping doing so wasn't a mistake.

"Ah, well she may have benefitted from a gentler reveal." He looked gently at Zelda, though his nose sniffed like a dog. "He's always been that way, he didn't change in the last five minutes. The Link you know is still Link, you just know a bit more about him."

"Really? He's not... going to hurt me if I move wrong?"

"He'd hurt me before he'd hurt you. And that's saying something. You're very important to him, Princess, and all he wants is to know you're safe. But about moving..." His nose sniffed her more. "Try not to let him stay downwind of you. You smell like heat."

A blush flashed on her face and she pressed her legs closer together. "Oh!"

"Yeah. I know it's awkward but it needed saying. You're already so important to him, the stronger smell will just excite him. That's honestly the only threat he poses, is that he'll lick ya to death."

"Ugh, is that what he's been doing on the base of my ear?"

"Tell him to stop. Part wolf or not, he needs to respect your boundaries. Don't tempt him into violating them, because that's just cruel, but make sure he can spend time with you without doing anything that makes you uncomfortable. That's key no matter what the relationship is."

"Why don't I stay here with the princess, and you go find Link?"

"Alright. Why don't you two get inside?" Once Zelda and Sydnei got up to leave, he began to sniff out his son.

"Link isn't scary, even with his wolf side, he's just a big goof. He just feels bad about scaring anyone... he's probably mad at himself for your initial reaction." She jumped up into one of the beds. "Why don't you take a nap in Link's bed while Daddy goes and looks for him? He's not using it, and you look like you're tired." She jumped between the beds in an enticing manner.

"Maybe..." She climbed in the bed. "But just for a little bit..." Zelda wouldn't disturb the covers, if just standing downwind of her would bother Link's instincts, then she definitely didn't want to get her smell all in his bed. It was cozy; she felt herself relax and drift off for a while.

A commotion outside startled her awake, even though it wasn't that loud.

"Daddy home! With Link!" Sydnei called.

She blinked awake, still laid flat on Link's bed as the door opened.

"See, there she is. Aw, look, she's already made herself comfortable."

Link made his way over, approaching awkwardly like he was intruding. "Hey..."

"Hmm?" She blinked slowly, still half-asleep.

He sat down beside her for a minute, she felt his hand on her leg and jerked up, ripping it away.

He made a whining sound for a moment, lowering his head and sniffing like he was asking her to come back.

Zelda's exhaustion overtook her and she flopped back into the upper half of the bed once she was away from his touch.

He laid down on his stomach, inching himself closer until he was satisfied with their distance.

They continued to blink at each other, not asleep but not awake.

After a while, Link strained his head forward, sniffing again.

"That's enough sniffing, Link." His father corrected. "She didn't invite you."

Sydnei took advantage of the break in the couple's soak time to rebreak their ice. "Do you have any pets, Princess? You've already met Mr. Cucco."

Quizzical sounds erupted from the bed with two raised heads. "He's not really a pet, per se, but... when I'm in Gerudo Town, I have a Sand Seal."

"Ooh! A Sand Seal! What's his name?"

Link strained his head forward to indicate interest.

"His name is Rosco."

"Rosco the Sand Seal." Link's look at her brightened. "That's cute. Is he trained?"

"Why, yes. He's bridle-trained. We compete in races together."

"Oooh!" His face lit up. "Have you won any?"

"Not yet. But I came in second once."

Link army crawled closer. "I know about the rules but... maybe I could meet him sometime?"

"Of course! The races are held outside, I can bring him out to you next time we go."

By the time they realized it, they were comfortably as close to each other as they were before Link's lineage was revealed. Their hands crossed over each other, and they tucked their heads into each other. Zelda shuffled herself to be right beside him and nestled herself in his side.

"Nice job, Sydnei. That was a good play."

"Look, Daddy. I told you, didn't I?"

Her father chuckled. "You sure did. Now there's a couple of lovebirds if I ever did see them."

"Daddy? Do you think their love is blind?"

"No, Sydnei. It most certainly isn't."

"Then what is it?"

Her father smiled, watching Zelda lift her head before curiously sniffing Link like he had sniffed her. She pulled back for permission, and he granted it, before they both sniffed each other lovingly.

"Accepting. Their love is accepting. He's a defunct wolf hybrid and she's a broken demigoddess, but they love each other as if they were perfect, while knowing that they aren't."

"Then why do they say love is blind?"

He stopped to think, Link now chuckling and whispering things into his lover's ear. "Because being blind to a flaw is easier than accepting it."

"I don't want blind love then. Sounds broken."

"Neither do I, Sydnei. And it is. But thankfully, Link's found himself the better kind, and by the grace of Hylia, let them flourish."