Windflowers
To think he could have led such a simple life- he might have stayed in Ordon and married Ilia and herded goats for the rest of his life, produced between the two of them a dozen little brats to chase after the monkeys and brandish sticks for swords, finding their childish adventure in the wild heart of the Faron woods. He might've had Bo for a father in law and, in turn, become Mayor of Ordon himself. He might have remained there to see his children and all of the children of the village grow together, wed, have children of their own. He might have lived in a cozy house at the end of his years with his grizzled wife by his side, together rocking in armchairs by the fire, even in the heat of summertime. He might have passed his life in contentment and ignorant bliss, unknowing of the whirlwind of a world beyond the reaches of Ordon.
But he hadn't. He'd heeded the calling, the singing in his blood, and followed his destiny to take his place among legends. He'd seen more of the world than any other living being, knew the very landscape of Hyrule as well as he knew his own body. There was nowhere that was unfamiliar to him; the land kept no secrets from him, and nor could its people. There were few in Hyrule he had not met, interacted with, fought with, fought against, saved, scorned. He was a man among men- friend to most, known to all.
If he'd stayed in Ordon, he'd never have known his beautiful Princess, so vibrant and full of life. He'd never have seen more than the quiet, composed beauty that was the face of the monarchy, and though he might have marveled from afar at how goodness seemed to shine from her like a beacon, he'd never know the dual edge of that lovely blade- that she could watch a man die without flinching, could kill in a heartbeat, that her magic was a gift from the Goddesses (and that she abused it to get midnight snacks from the kitchen), that she'd gladly give her heart and soul and beautiful body to save a being in direst need.
He'd never have fallen in love with her.
It wasn't just her sweetness and kindness and beauty and starling selflessness that drew Link to her. It was in the way she fidgeted when she was nervous- tapping out invisible tunes on the tips of her fingers with her thumbs. It was how she bit her lip when she was trying to refrain from saying something, the way she (nearly imperceptibly) wrinkled her pretty little nose with distaste when someone's behavior was not to her liking. The way she clasped her hands together in prayer and how she closed her eyes when she was in deep thought, the fact that she couldn't carry a tune to save her life. The way her cheeks turned cherry red when he said something that made her laugh until she cried- the way that it was only he that could bring her such joy. The way her eyes betrayed every emotion in her, from joy to sorrow, anger to exasperation to amusement, from horror and mourning to deepest pleasure. It was in how irresistible she was, and in how unobtainable.
It was in the way she'd appointed him her personal bodyguard, how she took him wherever she went. That one time they'd taken a vacation to Termina, he'd thought he was fit to die for joy, for they'd abandoned their identities and spent their days lounging around in a small hut on the beach, not Princess and Hero but simply Zelda and Link, closest friends, perhaps even lovers. He lover her for how his heart had hammered against his ribcage and his body had heated with desire when (on that particular vacation to Termina) he'd discovered her love for lounging about on furniture just barely decent- and how she'd seemed to enjoy his reaction to her lack of clothing.
It was the way she raised her voice at him and only at him, the way she dared to show him the emotions she let none other perceive. It was how she touched him- gentle caresses, soft, like a butterfly, but more solid than the rocks of Death Mountain. It was how her skin flushed when he trailed his fingers down her cheek, down her neck, lower until she'd turn quite red and say his name in a way that told him he had to stop, even if she didn't want him to. It was the way that she'd run her hands through his fur when he Changed into his Wolf form, loving and even a little erotic, her only way of showing him any physical affection.
