We have all gathered in the living room, but none of us has said a single word in at least 30 seconds, which feels like an hour when six people are forced to uncomfortably sit together and tolerate one another. Link and I are sitting on the sofa, some distance between us, Mipha is sitting opposite of us, Impa has taken a seat on the carpet, Sidon is standing by the window next to his sister, and Revali is standing furthest away from any of us, his arms crossed as he judges us in silence.

"I thought four hours would be more than enough for you guys to make up but if it's going like this, I better get started on packing," Revali rolls his eyes and turns away.

"Where are you going?" I ask when he starts walking toward the stairs.

"Packing!" he scoffs.

"Excuse me, but this was your idea," I say.

"Yeah but I'm not part of your drama."

"Er, yes, you are." He stops and looks over his shoulder as I stand to my feet. "You are hurt and upset, just like any of us. So you're part of this."

"No, thank you."

"If you can't be honest about how you feel, why should we?"

"I feel fine, that's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I'm not the one who's been lying to all of you for months."

"So you're not upset at all?" I challenge him.

"I'm always upset. Doesn't change the fact that I'm fine."

"Why are you upset?"

He turns around and clenches his fists. "Take a guess, Princess! Look at my goddamn face! I'm pissed at Link, but you all already know that. I'm not hiding or denying that. Can I go now? I have no interest in participating in your group therapy."

"Link is not the only person you're upset with," I say calmly.

"No," Revali glances at Mipha and steps back into the living room. "I'm upset with all of you. Every one of you has been acting like a child and somehow I always get pulled into your guys' mess."

I want to take a look at Mipha to see her reaction to his words but I keep my eyes on Revali instead. I don't know how to act right now, I just want to put all of this behind me. I think we all want that. Maybe we really have to just be honest about all our feelings and figure out how to fix this mess.

"I'm sorry for hitting you," Link suddenly says. Revali looks disgusted, but I think he might just put that face on to hide how surprised he is by Link's words.

"I don't really care if you're sorry," Revali looks away.

"We're supposed to be honest," I scold Revali and sit back down on the sofa.

"I am being honest. I don't care if he's sorry. I'm not sorry for hitting him and I certainly don't regret it," Revali sighs and, with a smile, aims his eyes at Link. "Truth is, I was quite satisfied to finally get a reaction from you. It was fun to see you so angry."

"You're welcome then, I guess," Link mirrors Revali's smile.

"Is that all?" I ask Revali in a soft tone.

"No." His eyes narrow at Mipha. "I'm furious with you too. Not because you turned me down, you had every right to reject me, but running off to kiss Link was an insolent moral revulsion. Honestly Mipha, what the hell... That was..." he lets out a sigh and tenses his jaw. "Hearing you kissed him hurt more than Link bruising my face."

"I'm really sorry," Mipha tears up and keeps her head low. "I know I shouldn't have done that. But when you gave me that keychain and opened up to me, I finally felt the courage to confess my feelings to Link..."

"What does the keychain have to do with this?" Revali asks.

"That keychain was a gift I received many years ago when I was still a child... Link gave it to me when I won my first national competition. When I lost the keychain, I thought it was a sign that I had to let go of Link, but then you returned it to me, and... Well..."

"So the keychain made you kiss Link," Revali concludes, blaming me for his misery with a keen look of disappointment. I shrink in my seat and keep my lips pressed together. 'Oops' is all I can think of.

"I truly am sorry." Mipha bows to us. "I beg all of you for forgiveness."

"It's fine," Revali says.

"Yeah, it's not your fault," Link adds in a kind voice.

"You're good," Impa joins them.

Mipha looks at me but the words she needs to hear won't come out. Why would I say that I forgive her? Saying those words feels inappropriate as if they would confirm that she did something wrong when in reality, I am the one at fault. "I can't believe you're apologizing to me," I quietly return. "I betrayed you, Mipha. More than once, in ways much worse than you know. Not only did I keep this major secret from you, but when Link and I kissed for the first time... I mean-I-I kissed him, thinking you were his girlfriend."

"When was this?" She asks, cheeks redder than the Christmas balls decorating the tree.

Link and I exchange a shy look. "Er," I nervously stutter, "B-back in--in August."

"August?" She gasps. "This has been going on since August?"

"I'm sorry, Mipha. We never meant to lie to you. Link was clueless, and I... Well, I was scared of hurting your feelings and destroying our friendship. Only did lying result in just that. I am mortified and ashamed of that. You must be angry at me."

"I was... A little," she murmurs. "Though... I must admit that I am more embarrassed. And hurt. All this time, I had to convince myself that you and Link are friends. Of course, I noticed how different he was around you and even suspected that he may have feelings for you, but I always believed that you did not like him back since you never implied it. I certainly did not expect the two of you to be in a serious relationship."

"They're not," Impa tells her, and Link and I simultaneously look in opposite directions. "What? I thought this was the hour of honesty," she shrugs.

"So you are not together then?" Mipha asks.

"They are. But they aren't," Revali mocks.

"I don't understand," Mipha looks at us for answers.

"Link and I..." my heart is about to explode. What we have is more complicated than ever. I don't know what to say. We haven't had the time to talk about us. I know what he wants us to be but does he know how I truly feel about him? Have I made myself clear? Am I ready to say it out loud? In front of everyone? No, when I declare my love, I want it to be between Link and me only. No longer do I want other people to be involved in our relationship. But even so, even if all that was clear at this very moment, that still doesn't tell us what we are right now. I'm so sick of questioning what we are and what we have. Once all of this is resolved it's time to prioritize Link and finally make it official. No more excuses. I'm done running away and hiding. 

"We're not together," Link answers for me. "We're still figuring out how to make things work..."

"In the beginning, my father was the one standing in the way of any relationship to a guy. Then I found out how you felt about Link," I say to Mipha. "After that, I knew that choosing Link meant failing you. And now, so many things are going wrong at once that it would be naïve to add more change, uncertainty, and responsibility to our lives before cleaning up the mess we made... I don't want to build a house on ruins."

"Hence this conversation." Mipha is fighting to keep the tears at bay and I can't help but tear up with her. "Once we are all okay again, you and him..."

"That's not what this is about," I promise. "I just want us to be friends again."

"Besides, this was my idea," Revali supports me. "Anyone else you detest or secretly love?" he asks Mipha.

She shakes her head. "I apologize for kissing Link right after you told me how you feel. You didn't deserve that. I still want us to be friends."

"No guy wants to hear that," Revali cringes.

"But I care about you. I care about you as much as I care about anyone in this room," she says.

"We all care about you," I mutter.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure," Revali sarcastically remarks and rolls his eyes at Link.

"Hey, if you have such a big problem with Link, you should tell him now," I huff.

"I have a big problem with you," Revali tells Link in all casualty.

"That's not what I meant. Tell him why."

"I have a big problem with you because you're selfish and inconsiderate. I already know everyone in this room disagrees with me but if they knew how you treat others they'd see you the way I see you."

"How do I treat others?" Link asks, narrowing his eyes at Revali. The tension thickens and my pulse quickens. Not this again... I can't take another fight.

"You spend the majority of your insipid existence pretending no one else exists. Calling you monosyllabic would be the understatement of the year. You hide away from the press and from your fans while there are real athletes out there who would do anything to get that kind of recognition. It's downright rude! And the fact that you disappear every weekend or hide in your room, knowing that there are people at our parties who only come to see you and end up bothering me all night is at the top of the list of things that make you so incredibly revolting!"

"I never asked you to talk to those people for me," Link argues with creased brows.

"No, but they still always come to me when you're gone. It's annoying!"

"Fine, next time I'll handle it myself," Link offers.

"What do you mean next time? I thought you and Her Highness were going to move in together," Revali says confused.

"What?" Mipha eyes Link and me on the sofa.

"We're not moving in together," I squeak.

"But you've been looking at apartments for weeks now," Revali raises an eyebrow at us.

"For myself," I say. "Link is staying at the frat house."

"Awesome," Revali scoffs and pulls up the corner of his mouth to display his disgust.

"Hey, I'm sorry that you had to deal with people asking about me," Link says to Revali. "I didn't really think about that, you're right, okay? But I didn't do it on purpose. I'm tired of constantly fighting and having to defend myself for things that aren't even my fault. Just stop blaming me for everything and telling me you're better than me. I don't care which one of us is better at sports and shit. I'm just trying to get my job done, I don't care if you're ahead of me or not."

"I know. And that's what's so annoying," Revali's eyes move to me while his words are aimed at Link. "You don't even know that you're playing fucking chess and I'm still losing."

"What?" Link is lost.

"Nothing. Just forget it," Revali growls.

It may look like they're arguing, but in their own way, they just opened up to each other and revealed how vulnerable they can be. For the first time, Link sees Revali's hardships and Revali may finally understand that Link doesn't mean any harm. They may not love each other like brothers or even see each other as roommates, but perhaps they can both accept each other as two dedicated athletes who are both doing their best.

Revali also admitted to Mipha that her actions were hurtful. To someone so confident and strong it must have been difficult to admit that, especially to the person he likes most. And Mipha was able to admit that she feels anger toward us, which was probably the first time she ever told anyone that she was mad.

"I'm sorry for lying, Mipha," I say and she returns an honest smile. "And I'm sorry for the way I treated you for the past five months, Impa."

"Nah, it's cool. I've been acting a bit immature too so we're cool," she grins. She really is the best. My heart can feel at ease. I know that I have a lot to make up for, but knowing that my friends are so forgiving and understanding is a huge relief.

"So... are we all good?" I ask into the room.

"Yeah I don't have any beef with any of you. I was mad at Link for like a second but I think Revali did enough damage," Impa laughs.

"If you think I'm suddenly Link's new homie, let me make one thing clear; I'm not his friend. He's my roommate, that's it," Revali tells me in a serious tone.

"Roommate beats nemesis," I smile. It's a start. 

Link looks at me and hesitantly speaks up. "Since we're kinda sharing our secrets right now, there's something I kept from you. I didn't mean anything by it but I feel like a dick for keeping it from you."

"What-what is it?" I ask nervously.

"Remember when we were at the hospital and you wanted to read the documents?"

"Er–I think so?"

"I didn't want you to see what the papers said so I told you it's nothing important. If you had seen the recovery time you would have never let me walk around, work out, or compete. Snowboarding was actually listed as one of the sports that should be avoided."

"Link," I gasp.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want you to... Um..."

"To spoil your fun," I sigh. Am I really a killjoy?

"No, no, not that. I just didn't want you to worry about me. I knew I wanted to get back to sports by the end of the year and I needed you to believe in me, you know?"

"You worked so hard and proved that you can do it. I'm not upset. But we should make it a habit to avoid secrets from this day forward."

"Agreed," Link, Impa, and Mipha say at the same time.

Karusa...

"I think we all need a drink," Impa suggests.

"It's 8 in the morning," Revali says.

"And it's been less than an hour since you swore you'd quit drinking," I remind her. Her response is a simple smirk.

"Guys, are we done here? Is this all you need to talk about or does anyone else have anything to say? Do it now because I'm not in the mood to go through all this again," Revali snarls and waits for someone to say something. "Is it safe to say you're done hating each other now?"

"It's cute that you care so much," Impa teases him.

"I don't."

"Yes you do," her smirk intensifies.

"I don't, I'm just tired of this high school drama."

"Me too," I quietly agree.

"Same, man, same," Impa groans. "No more secrets please."

"No more secrets," Mipha smiles.

"No more secrets," Link nods.

"This is so corny, I'm going to throw up," Revali remarks.

Involuntarily, I glance at Link, giving away that this is not as unanimous as everyone thinks. He is the only one to notice my unintended looks and his eyes read mine like a big, red, blinking billboard. He knows. He knows that there is more behind my lips that needs to be said but he remains quiet.

"Let's group-hug!" Sidon says ecstatically.

"Hell no," Revali turns away but Mipha reaches for his hand and smiles up at him. His eyes widen and his cheeks flush. "I don't like hugs."

Mipha gets up and hugs him anyway. His shell of ice is visibly melting as her arms fold around him. He looks confused and disarmed. Sidon hugs both of them tightly and Impa jumps up to join them.

"I have an idea," Sidon says after their hug. "We should make up for Christmas tonight."

Mipha smiles. "I could still make that dinner for us."

"So we're staying at the cabin then?" Revali asks.

"I mean... I think we're done fighting. Even if it still feels slightly awkward. All our feelings can't go away overnight," I say to the group. "We need more time to move on and I can only speak for myself, but I love all of you so much and I am just so grateful to have you in my life and..." I can't control the tears any longer. Thinking about this moment compared to last night makes me so sentimental. These are tears of joy I think... "I'm so sorry for everything that happened. I'm thankful for each of you and I want what's best for everyone," I sniff. "I don't want to lose any of you."

"Hey, don't be so down," Impa walks over to me to pat my head. "I'm most pissed at myself for sleeping through last night's drama but I'm not mad at you at all."

"I love you, Impa," I smile up at her.

"Love you more," she winks at me.

For the first time in a while, I feel the pieces of my life falling back into their original spots. It seems we were able to create some order and make up for everything that happened. I'm sure Mipha will feel upset for a little while longer, despite apologizing and forgiving. That's just the way it is. Letting go of anger takes time but at least we were able to understand each other and look past our mistakes. Feeling angry doesn't mean that we have to treat each other poorly.

Link offers to make breakfast for all of us. Since we are out of eggs, Mipha and Revali run errands together. It was his proposal to go out and buy groceries, which was already surprising, but when he asked Mipha to join him, everyone just stared for a few seconds until he snapped at us and told us to mind our own business.

Sidon helps Link in the kitchen and Impa and I set the table. Everything feels so normal now. All night I carried a heavy rock in my stomach and now I feel free of the weight. Every few minutes I remember what happened but I don't feel this pressing anxiety anymore... It's almost uncanny how good I feel. And I am not the only one... Impa is cracking jokes, Sidon is grinning and laughing, Link is experimenting with the seasonings. And when Mipha and Revali return from the village, they're both smiling. Well sort of smiling.

"Why were you gone so long?" I ask them. It's past noon now.

"Have you seen the goddamn roads?" Revali hisses. "There's like four feet of snow."

"Are the slopes open today?" I ask him.

"Most of them, yeah. But are we even skiing today?" he asks into the room. Link shrugs and looks at the rest of us.

"It's really up to you guys. I don't ski or snowboard, so I'd probably just stay here."

"I wouldn't mind some action today," Impa says, looking at Sidon and Revali. They seem to agree with her.

This feels strange. I can't remember the last time I felt this carefree. Link and I still have a lot to talk about, but regarding the rest, everything seems to be... well... fine... I don't know how else to put it. I'm sure Mipha will need more time to let go of Link and sincerely support the idea of him by my side, but whenever our eyes meet across the room, she sends me a smile, letting me know that we're okay. 

It still feels so foreign; the fact that she knows about us. I don't have to hide anymore. I can look at him without fearing the consequences. I can even hug him and speak to him without a filter. I think I will have to get used to this first.

After breakfast, I head downstairs with the others and watch as they get ready to leave for the slopes. I'm so happy to see them carrying smiles again. I was convinced that we would have to end the trip early and go home with broken hearts but we're okay now... We all did hurtful things to each other and admitted that we weren't okay with the way we were treated but everyone was mature enough to forgive the other. 

I've never had a group of friends. Nothing like this at least. And I'm starting to love it. I never want to go through anything so hurtful again. People say the truth hurts but secrets kill and I finally understand that saying. These thoughts make me look at Link again. I have to tell him about Karusa before Ganon does. The baseball game is only two months away and if someone else tells Link what happened during the soccer game... I don't even want to imagine it.

I want to be better. This is a new beginning. I want to be honest. I want to be the friend he deserves. I don't want to be scared anymore and hide behind a facade. Link was brave enough to tell me how he feels, it's my turn to show him how much he means to me. But this has to wait until we can talk in private. Since he is going snowboarding today, I'll have to wait a little longer to bear my heart to him. Perhaps tomorrow night.

Snowboard and skis in hand, Sidon, Impa, Revali, and Mipha leave through the back door once they're done getting dressed. I look at Link, still standing next to me in sweatpants and a hoodie.

"You should start getting ready or else you'll have to ride the gondola all alone," I say to him.

He shakes his head. "I want to spend the day with you."

"You do?" My voice is full of insecurity again.

"Sure, if you want to," his smile loses confidence.

"Of course I do. What would you like to do?" I ask excited. I thought I was going to be alone all day. Link just made my day a whole lot better! 

"Wanna walk around the village?"

"Wouldn't that bore you?"

He just smiles at me and takes my hand to lead me back upstairs. After grabbing my jacket from my room, I meet Link by the door. He is already wearing his beanie, jacket, and boots. A day alone with Link. That's just what we need. But now I'm getting nervous again. This means we'll probably talk about our relationship. 

I gulp and fake a smile as he shuts the door behind me. I haven't really made up my mind yet. Am I ready to take the next step now that our friends know everything? Do I tell him about Karusa before or after we talk about our future? 

Link receives a call from his family as we are walking to the village. This is the first time I hear him fluently speak in Japanese and it's so unfamiliar, it's almost like walking next to a stranger. He's laughing and smiling but I can't understand a word of what he is saying. At least I have some time to think about what I'm going to say to him. 

My head is buzzing with questions longing for answers. His phone call also reminds me that Father is awaiting a call from me. What time is it at his location? It must be past 6 PM where he is. If I call him too late he might already be asleep. But if I call him right now he will likely ruin my mood. If he brings up any negativity in me, I will chicken out and tell Link that I need more time.

Of course I would like to fix my relationship with Father and be able to tell him openly about Link without fearing Link losing his scholarship, but I don't know if Link will put up with this for much longer. He has been a true angel, patiently waiting for me. I can't push him away again. Neither of us wants to wait any longer. I wish I could talk to Father the way I can talk to Impa and Mipha. If I could fix things with him as easily, we would have a healthy relationship and I could go back to living with him. 

So many thoughts... I'll end up having a headache. Link is done with his phone call and pushes his phone back into his pocket.

"Was that your family?" I ask.

"Yeah. Told my little sister about you."

"What?" I snap my head in his direction.

"She's excited to meet you."

"Is she coming to the US?"

"Nope," he smirks.

"We still haven't really talked about Japan," I mutter against my scarf.

"I'm just teasing you," he chuckles. "I know we have some stuff to discuss first. But eventually you'll meet her, so I mention you when she asked why I'm in the mountains right now."

"I see."

"Hey, can you hold this for me?" he asks, holding out his fist.

"Sure," I say without knowing what he's holding in his hand. I place my flat hand under his fist. His apparently empty hand opens and he laces his fingers with mine. I feel my cheeks heating up as we walk up the hill holding hands.

"Let's go up there," he points at a pine tree at the top of a big hill.

"That's so high up, it'll take us an hour to get there," I pant. I'm already out of breath just looking at that ledge.

"We have all day," he says merrily and leads the way.

By the time we make it to the top, the sun is already setting at the horizon. I can't believe we walked around all day without having that one dreadful conversation.

"So," Link says when we reach the edge. "Let's talk about the elephant on the mountain."

I spoke too soon. "Elephant in the room," I correct him and he smiles.

"Do you want to talk about what I said this morning?"

"Be careful not to stand too close to the ledge," I say. The cliff oversees the whole village and the endless sea of mountains beyond. The snow is reflecting the sky's rose colors as the night sky is slowly arriving. "The view is breathtaking."

"Are you changing the topic on purpose?" Link raises an eyebrow at me. 

"Look, you can see the lights turning on in the village," I point at the giant Christmas tree at the town square.

"You are," he nods. 

"It's so cold up here," I tense my shoulders and Link puts his arm around me.

"We are having two completely different conversations at the same time."

"What time do we have to be back for dinner?" I ask, still trying to talk myself out of this.

"You can hear me but you're pretending we're talking about the weather, huh."

"I'm talking about the temperature, actually," I correct him again. 

"You're cute," he laughs, rubbing my shoulder to keep me warm. "You don't want to talk about it. Are you nervous?"

I sigh and lean my head against his jacket. "Yes."

We are all alone up here. The village is quiet. A tiny breeze snakes its way through the mountains and brushes soft powdery snow over the cliffs. The last sun rays disappear behind the mountain peaks and the first stars appear aloft. With Link holding me in his arms, this view could be mistaken with heaven.

He puts his other arm around me and pulls me into a hug. The surface of his jacket is freezing cold. Since his jacket is open, I push my arms around his back on the inside and steal some of his body heat. It's cozy under here. I can hear his heartbeat near his neck and place my ear close to it. His breaths are calm, his hands are slowly rubbing up and down my back.

"Zelda?" he whispers. I move my head to look up at him. I lose myself in the depths of his eyes and detach myself from the world around us. He brings his hand up to my cheek and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Link," I breathe. Is this what I think it is. Is he going to share his first I love you with me?

"Are you still curious?" he asks and I nod. "Is the mood okay? Is this romantic enough for my princess?"

"Just tell me..." I murmur.

"It was the night of our first fight."

"You'll have to be more specific than that."

"I asked Malice to delete those pictures of us and upset you by showing up at Vah Rudania. After you told me to leave, I went to the soccer field to practice. That's what I usually do when there's a party at the frat house. But instead of training, I kinda just sat in the stands and thought about everything you said. You really confused me back then but I was trying to understand you. Then Ravioli called. I didn't answer but he left a voicemail."

"Oh... I remember that." This is so embarrassing.

"He said my girlfriend is waiting," Link laughs. "Would you believe me if I told you my heart actually skipped a beat? I don't even know why. I was so confused still, but I just knew I wanted to get to that stupid house as fast as possible."

"Did you know Revali was talking about me?"

"Who else would he be referring to?" he chuckles. "But when I got to the house, you were really upset. I thought for sure you were done with me. But then you asked me out on a date. Girls already confuse me but you were on a whole other level. You asked me about my life in Japan and my friends, and then you started to make out with me, and then you apologized for making out with me?"

"Sounds like me," a light giggle escapes my lips. "Why do you remember this?"

"It's kinda worth remembering. You fell asleep in my arms. I talked to you about random stuff until you stopped responding. I looked at you after some time, you were frowning and your hair was in your face. So I did this--" 

He takes that strand of hair and drops it back into my face only to tuck it back behind my ear. Link studies my face and smiles. In a soft whisper, he says, "You're not my girlfriend, we've only known each other for a short time, and your dad doesn't want you to date... But... Everything about you makes me want to change all that." Link kisses my nose. "I love you."

"You said all that? After I shouted at you and said so many sadistic things to you?" I tear up.

"Don't forget the breakup card you left on my desk," he laughs.

"You loved me back then? Why?"

Link's thumb catches the tear that rolls down my cheek. "I can't explain it. I don't know why I fell for you but I did. Stop questioning the whys and just accept that that's the way it is."

I smile up at him and lean in. My smile withers the moment I muster the courage to finally bear my heart to him. It's my turn now to be honest. I want to tell him everything that has been on my mind lately. I finally want to put all the cards on the table and be open with him. No more walls.

There is only one problem... Which truth should I tell him first? Which one is most important and which one can wait? Should I tell him how I feel about us or should I share my final secret with him?