Eternity [Link x Reader]

I || Another Night Ends

【 P R E S E N T L Y 】

The morning had come all too soon to the little village situated deep within Ordon Woods.

Once again, it had been a long and restless night. You've long since lost count of the sleepless nights. Upon your return to Ordon Village, you've not slept in your bed once. There was no point. And so you would sit upon your neat sheets and stare out through the window toward the slumbering town.

Ordon Village was so peaceful. Unlike the time you spent in Hyrule Castle Town, there wasn't a single flicker of light; no trace of nightlife. Here, everyone rose with the sun and retired when night fell.

That is all but one.

Thankfully, with your restorative powers, you've managed to conceal your insomnia from curious eyes. Your condition didn't stem from what most people would automatically assume: nightmares or horrible experiences. Your restlessness was just a mere product of your failure.

Once again, you failed to make him love you.

Link, your dearest traveling companion, and your soulmate.

See, you weren't like other souls. You were 'special' and different from even the Hero's Spirit. With each passing, normal souls are recycled into a completely new life without knowing their previous lives. Like the Hero's Spirit, some unique ones exist for the sole reason of keeping evil at bay. Link's particular soul was the lucky one touched by the Gods who will save the world life after life again.

And then there was your soul: the Gods created you.

Your only purpose?

To support and love the Hero's Spirit endlessly. You were his pillar, the one who would raise him and accompany him throughout his journey. You remembered every waking moment of every life. Even if you were born under a different name or with a different appearance, you'd still have all your memories intact from your previous lives.

This was supposed to be a blessing.

But for you, it was a curse.

Although you were specifically designed to love the Hero's Spirit, he never once returned your feelings. In each life, he's always given this heart to another. It was never you, even though you were by his side every step of the way.

And with each passing life, you began to realize perhaps it was because of your role that he wouldn't return your feelings. Maybe he didn't choose you because every time he looked at you, he'd just be reminded of the pain and of the battles he'd fought.

At the end of your last life, you made two vows to yourself.

First: you would stop seeking him out. For love, you would defy the will of the Gods. For your own selfishness, you wouldn't accompany him this time on his heroic quest. Fate, however, had other ideas in store. Despite how hard you tried to stay away from him, the two of you ended up reuniting in this life right before tragedy struck. Against your desires, you were pulled once more into a perilous journey alongside the Hero's Spirit. Your first vow had been broken.

Second: you would finally tell him how you felt. You'd keep the knowledge of your former lives a secret, but you'd tell him of your feelings no matter what happened. This would be a first, considering you'd never once in any of your lives told him you loved him.

However, it looks like you wouldn't get the chance to do so in this life.

Your vow had been broken before you even met Link. While you were busy hiding from him, he had already met the love of his life.

You sighed. The nights were torturous indeed - for you would spend them in solitude, lamenting about your lost love.

Then when morning came, you were subjected to even more torture. The morning meant it was the start of another day, one where you were once more reminded of your place in Link's life. And your heart would shatter into even tinier pieces.

【 OF   A N O T H E R    L I F E 】

"Ooh! Link, take a look at that!" You happily cheered.

You were pointing animatedly at a large balloon dancing in the midsummer's breeze. You were beyond ecstatic. Ever since you heard a word of a festival taking place in Hyrule Castle Town, you had begged Link to join you.

The quiet hero, however, was quite reluctant. The energy of a large city didn't exactly suit him; he preferred more quiet areas.

After days of nagging, Link finally agreed to your request. And he was pretty glad he did.

Link chuckled, watching you skip along the street with adoration in his eyes. He missed seeing you so joyful, he really did. The path to peace was hard-earned, filled with pain and sacrifice. Regardless, he was thankful to have you by his side. He wasn't too sure if he could've saved Hyrule without you.

The longer he watched you, the more pain he began to feel.

You were such a bright and happy spirit. You were no doubt an extroverted person, the opposite of himself. You belonged in a place like Hyrule Castle Town, where life was always bustling. Yet you chose to remain by his side, living in solitude within the Lost Woods.

"Oh, thank you!" you beamed, happily receiving two sticks of cotton candy from a vendor.

You peered over your shoulder, spotting Link standing only a couple of feet away. He really wasn't too hard to miss, with his green tunic and all. You couldn't help but giggle at your hero. He was trying so hard to look calm and composed, but you knew that he was feeling pretty awkward inside.

Yeah, he looked pretty out of place.

The fact remained that he came with you. That thought alone caused the butterflies deep in your stomach to flutter in excitement.

Today... Tonight, rather, you were going to tell him how you felt finally. Finally, you would be with the one who was destined for you. It was strange how love worked. This Link was a lot quieter and more reserved than the one you met in the previous life. Heck, they were on completely the opposite ends of the spectrum. Yet you fell for him again.

Mustering up your courage, you gleefully skipped back to Link's side. He greeted you with a smile and a nod, and you happily offered one of the cotton-candy sticks to him.

Something twinkled in Link's eye before he started to reach out to accept the treat. Just as his fingers were going to curl around the stick, someone violently crashed into his backside, sending him flying off his feet.

You let out a gasp in surprise. Startled, you didn't even notice as  Link's treat slipped from your fingers.

Thanks to his gifted reflexes, Link managed to regain his balance instantaneously. Then he turned around, eyes landing upon a huddled figure beneath his feet. Said person had their entire body concealed in a long, black cloak. The hood was pulled over their head, casting a shadow over their face.

All of a sudden, Link didn't look so out of place anymore. This stranger was more suspicious than anything.

"Are you alright?" Link spoke softly while leaning down to offer the stranger his hand.

You peered over Link's shoulder, just in time to see a person tilt their head upwards. As they did so, their hood fell back.

It was Princess Zelda.