By the time the two arrived at the castle and tied Zelda's horse back up at the stables Link had finally gotten to tell her about Tatl. She was one of the biggest impacts Termina had on Link, so he had delayed bringing her up right away. He just didn't know the proper words that would do her justice, or the proper words that could convey what he felt to Zelda.

"She seems like a really great person," Zelda commented as they made their way to the castle gates.

"She's actually a fairy," Link chuckled.

"Really? I've always wanted to meet one," Zelda smiled. Her smile then faded, "Are you uncomfortable?"

"Why would you ask that?" Link mumbled, avoiding direct eye contact. "Aren't I finally home?"

"Yes, but..." She found her voice trailing off for a while. "I guess what I mean is do you miss Termina? Did I do the right thing bringing you back? You speak so fondly of your time there, I know you just returned and it will take some adjusting but still would you have preferred to live there instead? I mean after you cleared up the three day cycle you talked about I don't see why you would chose to return here." She rambled, speaking faster than normal and mushing her words together. It was an awkward thing to ask, especially with everything she had just sacrificed to bring him here. And yet the questions wouldn't leave her mind alone so she had to ask before they enterred the castle.

Link was stunned by her sudden burst, but he quickly composed himself. "To be honest, I did question it myself."

"I see," Zelda bit her cheek, she shouldn't have asked. That wasn't what she wanted to hear, and all she accomplished was hurting herself even worse.

"But I chose to be here. Zelda, I couldn't ever leave you forever. My time there wasn't great. Or even good. It was like a neverending nightmare, you could say, but I did meet good people along the way."

"But don't you want to stay with them?"

"I came back for you," Link muttered, and then louder, "I couldn't imagine leaving you."

Zelda was surprised, "That's so odd. We barely knew each other when you left."

"I guess you just made that big of an impact," Link smiled and grabbed her hand.

It was a simple action, the holding of hands, and yet it felt so real. Going from barely hearing each other's voices to actually being together was surreal, but both of them were beyond grateful to see each other's faces again. Behind all the words of self doubt, Zelda didn't regret what she did to bring Link back. The only thing that troubled her was how she would tell him, how she would tell her father.

"Let's go see my father," Zelda said as she pushed open the gates. Guards would have done that for her of course, but she didn't want to be a bother.

"I don't think I've ever met him."

"Oh. That's true. Uh, Link, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

Zelda hesitated, "Actually, I'll ask you once you get settled. I'm sure you're exhausted." She was worried for him, but she also needed to sit down somewhere. Having just walked all the way from the Lost Woods she was ready to pass out. And even before that it was taking far more effort to stand than it should have.

"Oh, okay," Link looked concerned, but he'd learned not to force certain matters. "I don't know where to go."

"Well the castle obviously," Zelda let out an awkward laugh. "Impa will want to see you, especially since I wouldn't have been able to help you without her."

The two enterred the castle and walked openly through the halls, every guard's jaw dropping at the sight. They whispered amongst themselves, "Isn't he that dead kid?" "He had a funeral" "it's an imposter, it has to be" "the princess is so naïve".

Zelda and Link ignored them, but it was annoying. Zelda was at a loss for what to do. She was going to bring Link to Impa, but he needed to rest first. She had spent all her time dedicated to brining him home she never considered what she would do once he returned.

"So, I suppose you can sleep in my room. Tomorrow we can talk to Impa and Father, I guess. You do want to rest first, right?" She lead him down the hall.

"Oh, sure. Are you certain that's alright?"

"It'll be fine," she smiled as she pushed open her bedroom door. "This place is a mess, I know."

She brought him inside, but she got a glimpse of herself when she walked passed her mirror. She had a smear of blood on her cheeks and on her chin, and blood was starting to well up in her eyes again. She quickly wiped it away, ignoring the pain eating her gut away. "You can use my bed, I'll just sleep in a guest room."

"I can--"

"It's alright, Link. The maids would be shocked to find you in one of the extra rooms but it's more normal to see me. Plus, no one's allowed in my room without knocking."

"If you insist," Link sighed. "This is weird."

"What is?"

"I'm not sure. Just being here. Is it really possible for me to just start where we left off? It feels wrong."

Zelda pressed her lips together before answering, "I think it's fine if we just move forward together."

"Together?"

"Well, yes." Zelda turned to the door, "I'll let you get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow." She hated that she hadn't asked him her question, but it was too soon. She was so excited to see him but she didn't know how to speak with him anymore. And despite that, she needed to hide her pain from him. He would blame himself if he knew. She decided to just tell him when she asked, that would be the best approach.

Link looked around Zelda's room, finding it awkward to stay there. He didn't know what to expect, but it was far messier than he thought Zelda was. Notes and books were scattered open across the floor and her closet was open as if she was rushed.

Link didn't touch the mess, Zelda might have it organized in some way. He wasn't there to be a bother, but it was hard to contain his curiosity of what she was researching to such an extent. After debating himself for a while, he finally decided to look at one of the books.

"The Creation of Hyrule?" Link mumbled aloud to himself as he read the title. It wasn't exactly surprising, but it was at the same time. Zelda was the curious and technical type, so it makes sense she would want to know Hyrule's history. What really troubled Link was that it wasn't the typical history book, it was more a history of the legends of how Hyrule was created. It spoke of the goddesses, Hylia, and touched on many subjects that were often seen as myths.

He eventually put it down to sleep, he needed it. Termina had exhausted him, but even if it had he was glad to have been there at one time.