. 7 Hours Ago. - Tumblr Posts

PHONING... 𓂃 ࣪˖ 7 hours ago.

After finding Kai on the outskirts of your kingdom, the two of you develop a bond stronger than any passage of time.

જ⁀➴♡ wc 4k ✧ fluff

On the outskirts of the tranquil kingdom lied a familiar sun-kissed, magical field. The air was crisp and cold as vibrant wildflowers sway in harmony with the gentle breeze. Kai’s eyes felt heavy as he tugged on the sack thrown over his shoulder.

Exhaustion took over his body as he let out a huff, eyes narrowing under the beating sun as he stared off into the distance at the kingdom drawing near.

Another one of his days was spent fulfilling quests of people around him, days beginning to blend together from his lack of sleep.

Even still, the rays of golden sunlight danced upon the emerald grass, casting a warm glow that illuminated the enchanting landscape. A smile tugged at his lips though as he thought of you.

Butterflies flit and fluttered among the blossoms of the land you were so proud of, adding an ethereal touch to the serene scene.

The kingdom of Hyrule was a haven where time seemed to stand still, inviting everyone who entered to bask in its radiant beauty and find solace in its' peaceful embrace.

Kai held himself back as he slid down the steep indent, rolling ankle meeting the bottom of the rugged mountain. The dense forest he had just came from still teeming with life and the songs of creatures unknown to him filtered through his ears.

Despite this, the sun beating down on him causing the sweat to pool on his pale skin didn’t phase him as he thought of you and the castle where he knew he would be able to rest his head.

You, the princess and future ruler of Hyrule but aside from that, Kai’s trusted friend.

It was known that you had been too busy with directing your kingdom’s construction efforts to be formally crowned as you were supposed to and so your taking of the title of ‘Queen’ had been stalled for quite some time.

Citizen’s speculations suggested you simply couldn’t handle the pressure and preferred to bury yourself into your research and studies, spending much more time shut away behind books. Not that they necessarily minded, you still tended to your royal duties as you needed and were regarded with much respect in the realm.

Beyond all the speculations and folklore created around you and the royal family you were tied to, no one knew you as well as Kai.

The two of you had met what felt like ages ago, the first day you could remember stumbling upon a boy who couldn't speak.

You were unsure if he couldn’t or wouldn’t, any questions inquiring about his family or friends met with a steady silence.

It was in that silence you seemed to pick up on his own confusion, the realization dawning that he wasn’t quite sure of much himself.

In taking him in, it didn’t take long for you to agree to help him discover who he was and possibly reunite him with his family.

Despite how well he seemed to fare on his own, you found yourself growing increasingly enamored with the boy and extended as much help to him as possible.

From Kai’s perspective it had been a particularly exhausting day when you, a young girl who had never heard a single melody in your entire life approached him.

Leaning down to see what the boy was hunched over, him shying the slightest bit away from you to protect himself.

“What’s that? Won’t you show me?” The air of familiarity in which you spoke with threw him off the slightest bit.

You were close to his age but you carried yourself with a confident air, despite being so far from civilization.

The air was alive with the melody of a birdsong and the rustle of leaves. The crackle of the fire in front of him pierced his ears and he whipped his head around to see if anyone else had come.

Strangely enough, it had just been you. With nothing to protect yourself but a book in hand, in that moment he made the quick judgement that you were the slightest bit ditzy.

The scent of wildflowers and pine trees filled his senses, it had been too long he had been traveling and he hadn’t the faintest idea where he had wounded up, having lost his map long before he could remember.

The walls of the kingdom could be seen from miles away, the ruins of ancient civilizations fallen past littering the path to its’ entrance like picture frames.

Despite the ruins, the kingdom itself remained untouched by the passage of time. Peering eyes remained focused on his hands, shaky as they covered something from your sight.

When you were met with no answer, you hummed and sat yourself down on the ground across from him. “You don’t talk?” You asked.

Kai thought for a moment before shaking his head. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, he was just the slightest hit apprehensive when it came to strangers. Not that anyone could blame him.

Sunlight filtered through the canopy above, casting dappled shadows on the earth’s floor and illuminating secret glades nearby.

The thing he had been protecting so dearly you eventually found out had been a music box, something delicate and treasured throughout his life.

A small, pink music box that was said to hold every song in the world. Curiously, you asked him to play a song for you.

Despite his fuzzy memories attached to the music box, his heart had told him to protect it and always keep it close.

Something so delicate in a world such as his must be protected.

Even so, he smiled hesitantly and played you his favorite song.

Kai watched while your face lit up with wonder as the music filled the sky and the poetry of the keys moved you in a way you had never felt before.

It wasn’t unnatural to hear the humming of strings throughout the kingdom as people played for their enjoyment but to hear a song tethered to the cranking of the winds’ gears somehow sounded much more beautiful and refined.

It hadn’t even dawned on the both of you that night began to fall, a shiver running down your spine at the thought of anything showing up unexpectedly.

“Why don’t you come back with me?” You offered.

“You can have a nice, full meal!” Clapping your hands together excitedly, you brushed yourself off as you waved back toward the kingdom.

Kai’s eyes wandered toward the fire in front of him and the sad excuse for a soup he had attempted to make, his pale cheeks flushing red.

Despite his wanting to decline out of embarrassment, the growling of his stomach quickly betrayed him.

The hesitance in his eyes was obvious and despite your age, you found yourself reading him as clear as your favorite book.

You kneeled down, reaching for his hand slowly. When he didn’t pull away you took it as a sign, gently grabbing it and holding it in your own with a smile.

“It’s not charity. You showed me something precious to you today, so I want to treat you. Think of it as a trade, okay?” For the first time in a while, Kai found himself smiling and he nodded.

“Okay…” His voice was quiet and you almost didn’t catch it. The sudden response had you ecstatic as you pulled him up, him stumbling to his feet.

Underneath that tree, the two of you formed a friendship that would last for years to come.

Kai would play his songs for you day after day and you would sit by him quietly, never seeming to mind that he would only speak to you through song.

As the two of you grew older, he seemed to talk more and more. Some days it was less often than others, not that you’d ever point it out. With his age, Kai had taken on many more quests and adventured out more often.

Spending more time away from the kingdom, you found he’d always return from these adventures completely exhausted. Of course, you let him know that there was always a warm bed waiting for him at the end of the day. Even still, you could tell that all of his hard work had taken a toll on him.

On days where he was particularly silent, you found him seeming much more drained physically and emotionally.

With this lack of speaking, seemingly stemming from the responsibility he had placed on himself at such a young age, you were quick to realize that Kai was the type to silently carry his own burdens.

The last time you had heard him break this silence was when you called him to one of your research stations, anxiously chewing on your nail as you stared down at the map in front of you.

After so many years you’d finally managed to track down members of Kai’s lineage— or at least, that was what you had hoped. Stowed away in Hyrule’s sister country of Labrynna you had heard whispers of a story that seemed to match exactly with what you had known of Kai.

Brothers and sisters searching for a young boy to match his exact description when you had met him. Of course, it dawned on you that it could be any other boy with a similar appearance so you decided to pay a visit yourself to be sure.

A boy and a music box.

The last thing you wanted was to get Kai’s hopes up for nothing, you were sure that would break the both of your hearts.

When you were younger you had grown fond of adventuring out beyond the kingdom, much to your fathers’ dismay. The issue lied in your own ability to defend yourself.

Knowing this, Kai agreed to help you in training to get stronger.

Traveling through sprawling deserts with tranquil lakes, you found yourself excitedly scribbling out poorly made drawings of its’ beautiful landscapes and jotting down notes of things you’d wanted to show Kai and discuss with him later on.

Deep inside Labrynna teemed with life inside its’ hidden village where the inhabitants carried on traditions passed down through generations. The village had a captivating beauty about it and you couldn’t help but find it fitting for someone like Kai to originate from there.

Once you had arrived, asking around had led you to a cozy cottage, its thatched roof adorned with ivy and moss, blending seamlessly with the surrounding verdant foliage. The village itself was a stark contrast to the deserts surrounding it.

Hesitantly, you swallowed the lump in your throat and knocked on the door. When the door opened you were faced with a girl, seemingly only a few years younger than Kai. It didn’t take much longer than a moment of studying her face to confirm the two were related and your heart began to swell.

You didn’t want to ruin the surprise so you had opted for an excuse for your appearance, some nonsense about Hyrule’s trading system reaching out to merchants of their partnering kingdoms.

All of the training you’d sat through came in handy as you rambled on and on about exchanging goods ranging from exotic spices and textiles to precious metals.

Kai’s sisters who you later learned to be named Lea and Bahiyyih seemed interested as the younger one happily engaged with you in conversations about her finest gems she’d accumulated over the years.

The cottage exuded an aura of warmth and tranquility, its walls adorned with quaint wooden shutters painted in hues of earthy greens and rich browns. The occasional pink foliage littered the area, you assumed by Bahiyyih’s touch.

Lea seemed much more hesitant yet she still offered you some tea, mentioning that she knew of some boys who may have been interested in trades as well.

The four boys, you later learned, had been friends of their missing brother.

The crackling fire filled the air with the scent of cedar wood as you were brought back to the night you had met Kai.

As you studied faded photos around the cabin, a photo of the boy you knew all too well had caught your attention, standing between the two girls with a toothy grin.

Something you found particularly captivating was the familiar, small music box held in the youngest girls’ hands.

Kai’s smile radiated that same warmth even through the faded photograph, your heart swelling at the sight of what he once had. You knew that he always yearned to return home, even if he couldn’t quite remember how he had gotten lost in the first place.

When you had returned to Hyrule that day, you were saddened to find that you had missed Kai’s return before he set off for another quest. You were sure he was off exploring the deepest cave somewhere quite a distance away.

The table of your research station had been littered with papers from your travels, those drawing and notes previously hidden away for Kai’s return.

The map of Kai’s home was now covered with detailed markings, warnings and notes scribbled across the top of it all leading to the circled area. Papers with notes tucked inside detailing a description of the newly familiar cabin and its occupants just in case he had somehow gotten lost.

There wasn’t a doubt in your mind that he would be able to find him though, seeing how people seemed to gravitate toward him. Kai always seemed to find himself exactly where he needed to be, you noticed.

A hand placed on your shoulder had you jumping, hands instinctively moving to cover the map as you whipped your head around. You found Kai, a confused look on his face that you read clear as day.

A sigh of relief escaped you as you smiled, growing embarrassed of how lost you had gotten in your thoughts.

“I know that it’s been years and you seemed okay with the prospect of giving up but…” your voice trailed off as you rolled the map up, gently placing it inside a protective sheath.

Kai tilted his head slightly and his hair fell in front of his face. You smiled a bit as that, wanting to reach up brush it out of his face. You’d noticed that it had grown much longer than he usually kept it when he was here.

“I found them, Kai. Your sisters.” For a moment he stilled, almost as if he had completely frozen up.

Concern filled your gaze and you stepped forward, holding the map close. “Kai? Are you alright?” Your words were smooth and soft, as if trying not to scare a frightened animal.

For the first time ever in the years you had known him, Kai laughed. The sound was loud and quite obnoxious, unlike anything you had ever heard from the boy and your eyes widened in surprise.

Despite the unfamiliarity, you found his laugh to be much better music than anything he had played for you before.

“Sisters,” he let out a deep breath and he looked down at your hands wound tightly around the map. He reached out, placing his over your own.

Kai wasn’t one to initiate physical contact yourself, the unfamiliar warmth causing the blood to rush to your cheeks. “Will you come with me?”

A part of you wanted to cry at the overwhelming care in his tone, how gently he asked you to follow him to his home.

Regrettably, you knew you had to deny this request.

“Unfortunately, I’m needed here.” He frowned for a moment before shaking his head, that wide smile crawling onto his face again.

“Sisters,” he repeated. A laugh escaped you this time as he said it. “Yes, Kai. Sisters. You have some friends there as well, I’m sure everyone in the village will be ecstatic to see you.”

As he took the map, he placed its’ sheath down at his side gently. Curiously, you spared him a glance before you turned to grab something else.

The delicate pink music box was held in your hands, finally going to be returned to its’ rightful owner. Before you could turn around to give it to him, you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist.

The feeling of his warmth against you had your heart skip a beat as he buried his face into your neck. It was almost like he was starved of touch with how tightly he held onto you, as if he believed you would slip away any moment.

“Thank you, Y/N.” And there it was, the way your name had slipped off of his tongue so perfectly as if it was exactly where it belonged.

The lack of mentioning your title reminding you that you were simply yourself to him and nothing more.

It was these incredibly rare moments you cherished so dearly.

Every sensation felt almost heightened with him so close and you attempted to clear your throat, head spinning. No amount of conversational training could have prepared you for the absolute fool you became when it came to him.

That encounter had been months long passed by now and eventually became a distant memory. No matter how much time passed though, it would always be etched into your mind as the moment you found what love had felt like.

Even after all the time had passed you never grew tired of waiting, confident that he would return when he was ready. In fact, rather than growing bitter, your excitement only grew as you found yourself wondering what stories he would share with you.

Despite the occasional whispers in the kingdom due to his drawn out absence, you hadn’t found yourself concerned with it much. A part of you always missed him but he had promised to return and because of this, you trusted him.

Kai had agreed to return at a set time and place; seven months from the day he had left, beneath the seventh tree in the kingdom’s olive orchard.

Excitedly you rushed about, wondering if you had looked presentable enough. It was a foolish thing to wonder about, especially as Kai had seen you through all of your different phases and accepted you wholeheartedly.

Even still, you found yourself childishly hoping for everything to be perfect.

When you arrived promptly, you waited. As time passed you began to check your time keeper, wondering if your mind had been playing tricks on you.

Checking it every so often but even still, there was no sign of him. You began to question your memory for the first time in your life, wondering if all of your notes and countdowns had somehow been mistaken.

Was it the seventh tree or the tenth?

As foolish as you knew that you were being, you still wondered and decided to check, just in case.

As you made your way over to the tenth tree, Kai finally arrived at the seventh, tiredly leaning against it.

Confusion grew on his face as he studied his surroundings where you were noticeably absent.

The kingdom’s mystical monuments in the distance seemed to peek over the walls ahead, remnants of a bygone era. The trees above the both of you stood strong against the passage of time.

Kai waited before deciding he must have had the wrong tree and perhaps it was another where you were supposed to meet. He mentally scolded himself as he was sure Lea would have done for making you wait.

Meanwhile, you had arrived at the fifty-sixth tree, where Kai was still nowhere to be seen. Your strong facade seemed to fade with time as you found yourself wearing your disappointment on full display.

The both of you began to drift aimlessly around the olive orchard, almost meeting but never quite. Hundreds of questions passed through the both of your minds, had it even been the right day? Perhaps he had come a day early or a day late.

Finally, you found yourself beneath the same tree— the seventh where you began, feeling lost and resigned.

A part of you felt like crying as you stared down at the ground, heel digging into the soft dirt.

It was barely a minute that you stood there before there was a tap on your shoulder.

It was him.

“You came!” Even after all of the time you had spent conditioning yourself to be sure of his return, having him directly in front of you after what felt like forever had lifted a weight off of your shoulders.

With your arms suddenly thrown around his shoulders, he stumbled back at the impact as a bubbly laugh came from your throat. You weren’t expecting a verbal response but surprisingly, it came

“Was there any doubt?” He asked, a new teasing tone in his voice as his hand came up to cradle the back of your head.

Your eyes closed for a moment as you took in his presence, not wanting to let go. The playful tone in his voice was new and you found yourself flustered at the newfound confidence he seemed to have.

Even after such a short time, he continued to grow. A part of you felt sad that you had missed it.

Reluctantly pulling away, you brought yourself to look him in the eye and study his face. It was exactly how you remembered it yet somehow it still felt different.

"Where were you?" You asked, "I feel like I’ve been searching all my life."

Kai’s smile softened as he grabbed your hands from his shoulders, bringing them down to your sides to hesitantly interlock your fingers.

"You stopped looking for me," he replied, "and I found you."

He said it as if it had been the most obvious thing in the world and you shook your head, just grateful for his return.

Despite all of the lost time he had to make up for, Kai never regretted stumbling upon Hyrule— upon you.

With time he realized that it was not just the natural beauty of the kingdom that captivated him but you and the sense of wonder that came with knowing you.

Looming on the horizon like a beacon of hope, stood Hyrule Castle. In the distance behind you it almost shadowed behind you like a crown, the fortress of stone and marble that serves as the heart of the kingdom and the place Kai had once called home.

His eyes looked past you for the moment as he studied it, its towering spires reaching for the sky, silhouettes against the backdrop of the suddenly setting sun.

“Do you remember the song that I played you the night we met?” Kai asked as he brought his eyes back to yours, catching you staring.

Sheepishly, you shook your head no.

“I don’t,” you confessed.

“But I remember every song I have heard since you left.”

When he asked you why, you took both his hands in yours and kissed them warmly. This time, it was the tips of his ears that blushed a bright red as you looked up at him through your eyelashes.

“I couldn’t wait for the day I could share them with you.” He hummed in response, nothing else needing to be said.

The two of you sat, ignoring the setting sun as you began to spill everything of the past month with the other. For the moment neither of you had any responsibilities— you weren’t a princess and he wasn’t a knight: you were simply those kids you had always been.

The familiar silence you were once used to with Kai was quickly replaced with the familiarity of his laugh, your favorite sound.

The way Kai would speak your name with gratitude as if it was the mantra of his soul. No matter how often you’d laugh and deny it, he knew it to be undeniably true.

Underneath the vast expanse of the dimming sky, Kai pulled out something from his pocket— an ocarina, cradling it gently in his hands.

Curiously you glanced at it. Kai’s love for music was something that you were well aware of but he always seemed much more reserved when it came to playing himself in front of other people.

“Since you don’t remember it,” he started.

“I’ll play it for you again.” His gaze fell with a sense of quiet reverence as he raised the ocarina to his lips, its smooth surface cool against his skin.

With practiced fingers he exhales as the familiar, almost haunting melody drifted into the air weaving its way through the night.

Each note resonated with a tenderness long forgotten, carrying with it the depth of his emotions. Your breath seemed caught in your throat as you were enraptured by the song.

And as the night fell, you knew that he had to go.

Regrettably, you allowed yourself to ask him for once thing.

“Do you think you can stay? Just tonight?”

The softness in your voice allowed him to peer into your soul, the beat of your heart reflecting in every word.

“Anything for you.”

In the stillness of the castle’s corridors late at night, the entrance to your bedroom stood as a silent sanctuary from the outside world.

The tall, ornately carved doors loomed like sentinels, polished wood gleaming softly in the dim candlelight that flickered from sconces lining the stone walls.

The two of you seemed small compared to the walls around you but even still, Kai stood tall and proud. He seemed the same but still so different.

A soft creak echoed through the corridor, breaking the silence of the night as you stood holding it open. The familiar scent of lavender and jasmine lingered in the air, mingling with the faint aroma of beeswax from the candles that cast dancing shadows across the room.

The scent that Kai had once regarded as his own home. “I’ll see you off in the morning then?” Your voice held a hint of sadness and Kai nodded wordlessly, lips pressed together in a thin line.

Despite his lack of expression you could tell that something was weighing heavy on his mind as well. Gently grabbing his hand in yours once again, you pulled him closer to you for a moment. “I really have missed you, I’m glad that you’ve found your home. Both of these things are true.”

It was easy for you to tell that underneath it all, Kai had that lingering regret of leaving you to return home. Some sort of guilt buried inside that he couldn’t seem to sort out and detangle in his own.

You gently raised your hand to cup his cheek and he melted into you, just as he had all those months ago.

“You’ll always be special to me, Kai.” Your voice was careful as you wondered how you could confess how you felt after all these years without outright saying it. Tip-toeing around the truth that you both knew.

“I hope that you can allow the simple miracle of your own presence to overwhelm you.” Kai’s eyes fluttered closed for a moment as your thumb brushed against his cheek, feeling the warmth radiating off of it. “You’re beautiful in ways that can't be described.”

A smile came on his face as the tension disappeared from his expression, eyes fluttering open to look at you with pure adoration.

“Goodnight, Kai.” You hummed, gently placing a kiss on his cheek.

When the morning came, you saw him off at the gates as you had agreed to let him go. Although you wished you had more time, you refused to feel sad as you thought of the moments you’d spent together.

Kai knew that the pair of you were eternal, even after all this time. Every quest would lead him back to you, as you were born to walk this world in intersecting lines. Every adventure would bring him back to your side, whether he had to travel for 7 hours or 7 months.

Deep inside, you thanked him for his gift of music and poetry he had brought into your life simply by finding you.

A whirlwind of emotions swept you off of your feet the day you met him, your feelings spilling out in waves just as the ocean had. How lucky you considered yourself to fall in love so young.

Similarly to this, Kai found himself eternally grateful for you finding him and showing him love because he had known nothing better since meeting you.

In all of his adventures, Kai had stumbled upon the ruins of numerous civilizations. He had read their musings about the Gods they worshipped and promises of heaven, endlessly conflicting descriptions of divinity.

Nothing seemed to be as true as what he had thought himself when he was with you. Kai knew that he was born with his heart already broken, his memories taken from him in fragments. But the world began in pieces and somehow made itself whole in the exact way you had shown him.

The day he met you, your smile seemed to be a blazing trail of light that show down from the heavens as your each word seemed to direct him to where the stars truly belonged.

The smile that had shown him the way had also blessed him with realization that he loved you, like some sort of secret only he was allowed in on. The secret knowledge that he was as hopelessly devoted to you as those civilizations had been to their make believe Gods.

Nothing in the world could stop the maddening rush that those three words he longed to say to you caused.

And so he’d practice saying them over and over until you met again to perfect them for you. For his love, with those words, he found himself becoming with divinity and in turn, one with you.

જ⁀➴♡ phone in ᝰ.ᐟ