Rumors
AO3 | Written for the @zelinkcommunity Loftwing Letters gift exchange! I hope you enjoy @skyyknights !! This also fulfills @zelinktines24 prompt #14: “rumors” :) If you enjoy, please reblog! <3
Fandom: Skyward Sword
Rating: G
Ships: Link/Zelda
Description: There’s a rumor going around that Link and Zelda are in love.
Read the full fic below or read it on AO3.
Days on the surface were busy. From dawn, Link and Zelda were up collecting wood, fetching water, and making multiple rounds of the settlement to see who needed help. By dusk, they were helping cook meals, store equipment, and make sure all were safe to sleep. Their only respite was their one-room cottage, tucked a short walk away from the settlement, where at night they shared stories about the day and plans for the tomorrows they once never thought they would have.
There was a rumor going around that they were exhausted.
“That’s silly,” Zelda yawned, taking a sip of tea from her mug. “Karane, you should really stop gossiping.” Setting down her cup, she resumed her knitting project: a blanket for Kukiel who, despite her love for adventure, was having a hard time adjusting to the surface. The blanket would be covered in pictures of loftwings and clouds.
“It’s not gossip,” Karane protested. “I can see it in your eyes, Zelda. You have bags!”
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
“Link had to wake you up this morning. It’s usually the other way around.”
“How do you know– ah, Pipit…”
“You should take some time for yourself,” Karane encouraged, getting up to refill her teacup. “You and Link give a lot.”
“We don’t mind,” Zelda argued as she shifted to watch Karane over the back of her chair. “There’s a lot of work to do and we can do it.”
Karane sighed and swirled her cup. Looking out the window, she said, “Link is out with Pipit right now chopping firewood. Maybe you can go get some fresh air, walk a little bit, without starting a new project.” She walked to the door, lifting the cup. “Oh, I’ll return this later.”
And then Karane was gone and Zelda was alone and maybe her best friend was right. A light breeze blew outside, gently ruffling the curtains on the window through which she could hear birds singing. A walk outside, without any projects or jobs or strings attached, was something Zelda hadn’t done in a long time. So, she gently set Kukiel’s blanket aside, finished her cup of tea, and ventured out into the surrounding woods.
On the other side of the surface settlement, Pipit hacked away at a pile of firewood while Link–unwillingly–stood and watched.
“I’m not letting you help,” Pipit huffed as he lifted the axe over his head. “This is my job.”
“But I can do it.”
“You’ve done enough.” With a whack, the log at Pipit’s feet split into two. “You never do anything for yourself anymore.”
“I do plenty for myself,” Link protested. “Last night, I ate dinner.”
Pipit couldn’t stop himself from bursting out in a fit of laughter so loud the birds hidden in the trees launched away into the air.
“Alone?” Pipit asked between chuckles.
“Well, Zelda was finishing up some of the laundry she was helping with, and she got back late.”
“That’s exactly it.” Pipit set leaned on the handle of the axe and glowered at Link. “You two don’t have any time to do something together that doesn’t involve working.”
“Finishing up the settlement is important,” Link replied. “Once that’s done, then we can rest.”
”Or you could rest now—“
“Hey,” a voice rang out, and Pipit didn’t miss the way Link’s eyes lit up. “Am I intruding?” Zelda emerged from behind a tree, and to Pipit’s surprise, wasn’t carrying a pile of fabric or a bucket of water. It was just her.
“Not at all, Zel,” Pipit said, casting a glance at Link’s tomato-hued face, “not at all.” He also didn’t miss the slight fumble in his step which almost sent the logs in his arms rolling.
“I was wondering if Link had a minute,” she said. “But if you’re busy, I don’t want to interrupt—I know that wood is urgent.”
Pipit hurriedly, almost eagerly, replied that it was not urgent. “Take him if you need him.” Link hesitated, glancing between the pile of uncut wood and the woman dearest to him, wondering what mattered more.
He went off with Zelda, leaving Pipit alone and knowing he would never hear the end of this later.
There was a rumor going around that Link and Zelda were in love.
“What happened?” Link asked as they walked through the forest.
“Does something need to happen for us to take a stroll?”
“No, but— usually— I mean, when you come get me it’s because you need help with some work.”
“I just had an idea that we could take a break.” Yes. An idea that was entirely her own. “But if you have to get back, I understand.”
“No! No, I don’t.” Their hands swung at their sides as they walked and Link ever so gently grazed his fingers against hers. Zelda glanced down and turned her face away to hide her blush. Nervously, she slipped her fingers into his. The rest of the walk was silent, but in that silence was comfort. The silence said everything—that they could truly be at peace, even in the midst of building and planning and healing, their peace could be found within the other.
Just outside the forest that surrounded the settlement was Lake Floria. Zelda had grown fond of it on the rare occasions she visited. Beside the lake was a tree taller and much older than the rest, which is where they sat down. For a long time they stayed there, talking, reminiscing, clutching hands, and they were so engrossed in each other that they didn’t notice the golden light of sunset or the glowing bugs that came out of hiding.
“It’s been very nice to do this,” Zelda said as she plucked at some grass. “Perhaps we could do this more.”
“I think so too.”
“You know,” she continued after a moment of quiet, “I’ve been working on a blanket for Kukiel.”
“Have you?”
“She’s homesick, so I thought it would be nice.” She tore a tuft of grass out of the earth. “Maybe… I could make a blanket for us, too.”
“I could get some more wood,” Link offered, “for our hearth.”
“We could sit under our blanket in front of our fire and drink tea together. Just us, for ourselves.” And Zelda thought there was no moment more perfect than this, surrounded only by the forest and its wildlife, treasuring every detail: the upward curve of Link’s lips, the presence of his hand over hers, the blush that was surely creeping onto her face.
They faced each other. “That sounds nice,” Link said, eyes traveling down to her lips, then back up to those sky-blue eyes that would always remind him of home. Not the Knight Academy, not Skyloft, not the Goddess Statue, but home: her.
He reached up and cupped her face with that same gentle care he always had, like he could lose her again with just a simple touch, and she closed her eyes and gingerly leaned in…
…and there was a rumor going around that they shared their first kiss underneath the tree by the lake.
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