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Chapter Text

Nine Stitches. That would be how many it would take to at least attempt to fix the wound in his arm, he thought as he deflected the spikes from the boko club, not that Link would ever tell anyone that. Princess Zelda would probably sneer at him, and insult him for some reason, probably something about him being the "Oh so perfect knight who can't even defend himself, not worthy of nine simple stitches." Since when did he say he was perfect? And I can defend myself fine, they were new enemies anyway. He thought he was far from perfect. He gazed at the shard still in his arm.

No, he had no plans on telling anyone, though he knew he wouldn't need to when he saw the one he was trying to protect load her bow.

Sir Link and Princess Zelda were camping out at Hickaly Woods, they had decided to stop there since it was growing dark. It was quite secluded, the only way of getting there was across the Little Twin Bridge, a bit further northwest of the woods. Link tied their horses to the tree and then began to gather firewood and flint whilst Zelda collected some water from the stream behind their camping spot. He made a small fire land began to cook them dinner. Half an hour later, the delicious smell of Link's Tough Meat-Stuffed Pumpkin filled the air. They had collected a great amount of ingredients throughout their travels, stored in the Sheikah Slate for later.

Once they had finished their meal (Zelda had taken the bowl from Link with a frown on her face, and refused to look at him whilst they ate in silence), Link wordlessly stood up and walked over to the fire and sat by it, grabbing his sword and shield, placing it beside him as he sat on the tree log. Zelda walked over to her bedroll and laid down, falling asleep almost instantly.

They stayed like this well through the night, until about 2AM. Things started to go downhill. Link heard a muffled rustle to the left of him. An animal perhaps?  he thought, but quickly dismissed the idea. I would have seen it. Link glanced at the Princess, grabbed his sword and shield, and silently stood up, to get a better look. He immediately ducked out of sight when he did though, because he had spotted three Bokoblins nearing them. Bokoblins? Here? They had no business being there, no business being anywhere really, but that was besides the point. There were two black ones and- his heart dropped slightly. A silver one stood to the left of them. He had never seen a silver one, and rarely ever saw black ones.

He knew he had to distract them before they came any closer. Looking around him, he noticed a medium sized rock and threw it far in front of him, just behind where they were standing. Their heads perked up and they slowly started to creep backwards to see what the noise had been.

Suddenly he grabbed his bow, and shot an arrow at the middle one. It knocked to the floor with a thud, startling the others, who were looking around to see where the attack had come from. The knocked down monster began to shakily stand up as purple blood oozed out of its wound, grabbing its weapon off of the floor beside it, growling.

Link's eyes widened, that had never happened before, normally they killed the beast instantly. The Injured Bokoblin grabbed the arrow and pulled it out of its abdomen, blackish blood oozing out of the wound.

This would be harder than he'd thought. He grabbed another arrow and with a thwip, it landed between the already injured pig-like beast's eyes, burying itself into its brain. This time it was really dead. He would need to go and stock up on arrows after this.

He decided to try and sneak behind them, to get them away from the sleeping Princess. Once he was in line with them from their right side, he stepped on a twig, causing it to lightly snap. (He definitely was losing his touch, being anxious about the Princess' safety. The elder guards back at the castle would have his head if they knew.) Usually, this would go unnoticed by the usual red or blue Bokoblin, but these ones must have sharper hearing, Link realised as their eyes instantly turned to him.

Eyes narrowing, he grabbed his sword from behind his back, yanking it out of its sheath and swung at the last remaining black Bokoblin, causing a great gash across its back. Whilst it was distracted, he swung his sword back at it, the sharp tip cutting perfectly through its neck. It gurgled and choked on its own blood, before collapsing in a heap of writhing limbs.

Now where had the silver one gone? He turned around, hearing a faint sound and instinctively pulled his shield in front of his face, crashing into a spiked club. The beast seemed smarter than the usual slaves of Ganon, and seemed to be tactical with its movements, not much though, just more so than the others, he knew it was just as gullible to obvious attacks as the rest were. He sidestepped, avoiding the sharp splinters and began to attack, his own weapon seemed much more sturdy than the spiked club, which seemed to be tied together with what looked like string. The sharp ends were wobbling a bit.

Whether this was on purpose or not, Link would never know, at least not today, as the monster swung the club parallel to the ground, and the force of the swing knocked off the lethal shards, causing them to fly towards him. He pulled his shield up to deflect them but just half a second too slow. One cut through his forearm, leaving a jagged slice from the middle of his forearm to his elbow, causing Link to cry out in pain. Suddenly an arrow flew past him, lodging itself in the monster's eye. He turned around and saw the Princess holding her own bow, another arrow already loaded. She took aim and it landed straight through the monster's mouth, piercing its throat and straight through the back of its neck. It fell to the floor in a pile of blood, just as Link did the same.

Chapter Text

Link fell in a pool of both his blood and the Bokoblin blood, his shield dropping with a clash. Clearly the adrenaline had worn off, leaving him in extreme pain. The shard was still deep into his arm, and though he didn't know the full extent of the damage, he had a feeling that it had landed somewhere between his ulna and radius, narrowly missing his bones, and instead piercing his muscle.

It could be worse, he thought.

With shaky hands, he reached to it and held onto it, flinching violently when he accidentally knocked it. It had definitely hit something bad for it to be bleeding this much. Just as he was about to pull it it, he felt a hand wrap around his good wrist. He looked up and saw Princess Zelda staring worriedly at him. 

She winced when she saw the pool of blood he was sat in, knowing that a lot of it was also his. She didn't know what to do.

"W-what do I d-do? I..." She trailed off, staring at his ashen face. His eyes were puffy and his lips white, he saw a tear squeeze out of the corner of his eye. This was the most emotion she had ever seen him show.

"P-pull it out," he whispered. She just about heard it, and her eyes widened. He could speak?

"What? I don't want you to bleed out!"

"Please, I need to s-stop the bleeding. S'not like I c-can lose much more any-anyway." 

She hesitantly removed his hand from the shard and placed her own upon it. She was about to pull it, but looked at Link, making sure that he really wanted her to. She saw the pain in his eyes as he gave a sharp jerk of his head. 

Taking a deep breath, she tugged on it, and it came loose, dripping the red liquid of Link's onto her hand. He gritted his teeth, letting out a strangled scream, and Zelda felt close to crying. In fact, she was surprised she hadn't already. More tears leaked out of his clenched shut eyes, as he pressed his hand onto the wound, trying to staunch the blood flow.

Zelda noticed this and ripped the corner of her cloak off, scrunching it up and applying it to Link's arm. She put pressure on it, whilst Link battled to stay conscious. 

Running options through her head, she ran over to the horses and untied them, bringing them next to the injured Hero. Tearing another strip off of her cloak, she tied his arm into a makeshift sling as she had seen the doctors in the castle do before.

"We need to get to the stables, they should be able to help. Can...can you stand?"

Opening his eyes, he began to stand up, Zelda steadying him when he began to wobble. He was becoming light headed from the pain. The wound was bleeding through the material. 

Zelda helped him onto Epona, quickly gathering up their stuff, and climbed onto her own horse, and led them both out of the forest, galloping as fast as the horses possibly could. Soon the Dueling Peaks Stable was insight, lights dancing across the path and trees around it. She rushed them to the entrance. 

"Help! Help us please! He is injured and needs help!" She screamed, watching as several people came rushing out of the stable, helping to lift him off of Epona, and carry him towards one of the beds in a spare room round the back, where they kept their supplies. This obviously wasn't the first time someone had come to them injured. in the back of her mind she wondered if he had ended up here in this state before, and if so, how many times?

"Link? Is 'at you?" Zelda heard a tall man say, as he gathered some bandages and water.

They gently placed his limp body onto the bed and a woman began unraveling the fabric from his arm. The blood was leaking sluggishly from the wound, but considerably less than it had earlier. 

The lady began shouting orders to the others. 

"I need a hearty elixir, bandages, needle and thread."

As the people of the stable helped Link, Zelda went back outside to see a young man leading their horses in with the others, a bucket of water and a bucket of carrots already next to him. 

He caught sight of Zelda and bowed. 

"Your Highness, I have already tended to your horses. It is an honor to have you here at this inn."

Seeing her panicked face, he quickly added, "The inn is currently closed to travelers, so you don't need to worry about anyone running off and telling people you're here. We all know Link well, and everyone here owes him their lives, including me. We promise to take great care of him."

She saw the sincerity on his face and smiled, thanking him.

Chapter Text

A single ray of light shined through the window as Link began to wake up. There was a dull pain in his arm, but other than that the Hero felt perfect. He stared for a few minutes trying to picture together what had happened when he remembered his encounter with the bokoblins and the injury he had sustained to his arm.

He inhaled a sharp breath, peeled back the bandage, assessed the damage to his arm, and immediately realised that it was somehow nowhere near as bad as it had been the night before. What happened?

Puzzled, Link began to get up, reaching out for his tunic which hung from his bedpost. He pulled it on, careful not to jostle his arm, and stepped outside the door.

It was a peaceful morning, birds were singing, the waterfall was shimmering in the sunlight, cuccos were clucking and horses were neighing.

He walked outside, momentarily pausing to stand in the sun, and saw two familiar faces at the fire.

"You feelin' better then Link? Gave us a right scare, should have half expected it though, it wouldn't be the first time you've ended up here, bleedin' to death."

Link raised his eyebrow at the elderly man. "You exaggerate, it's only been once or twice, Kobuh."

Little did Link know, Zelda was listening in on every word being said. She was standing behind her horse, Link had walked straight past her.

So many questions ran through the princess's head. Since when could he speak? Why does he not speak to me? When else has he been injured this bad? Wait, why do I care?

"Well I know for a fact that you were injured here at least once before I started working here, and three time since, so no. I'd say it has been a lot more than what you claim, my friend" The younger man chuckled at the faux-glare the Hero gave the other.

"Been telling stories Kobuh? Hope you didn't mention the reasons for that first time, I- ah... don't need that rumour going round again."

Kobuh laughed loudly. "That occasion certainly adds to the list of weird things I've seen, dare I say it's at the top."

This earned a chuckle from the knight.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask, how come my arm is healed already? I'm no doctor but it certainly shouldn't be looking this healed in so little time."

The two men side-eyed each other. The younger man, Torom, stared at Link with a concerned look on his face.

"Well.. you see... you've been sleepin' for about four days straight, and the times you did wake up, it was only for a couple of minutes, we didn't think you'd remember that though. Foshia-"

Link's eyes widened. "Foshia? She's here?"

"Yeah, she was the one who healed you."

"Foshia...where is she?"

Torom grinned, "She's tending to the Cuccos last I saw. Some poor traveler crept up on them in the night to steal their eggs, and they weren't very happy to say the least. Nearly pecked his eyes out."

Collectively they winced, they had each seen it happen before, and knew that cuccos were not to be messed with.

"Well, I'll see you two later then,"

He stood up and they waved their goodbyes, Link made his way towards the cucco pen, Zelda secretly watching him still.

She was convinced more than ever that this was not the same Link that she knew, her Link was silent, emotionless and still, however this version was talkative, happy and laid back. In fact, she realised he had practically forgotten she was there. Wait. 'Her Link'? Absolutely not.

How dare he, She thought grumpily.

The Princess had learnt that this 'Foshia' they spoke of was the one shouting out orders from the night of Link's injury. She healed him, and internally she was grateful for the woman, though there was something that she didn't quite like about the kind lady, but couldn't fathom what.

Link immediately saw her, surrounded by cuccos and hay. Her hair was a chestnut brown, curly at the ends. He tapped her shoulder twice and she jumped, turning around, seeing Link laugh lightly.

"Oh, Link, you scared me there, how are you? How's your arm? I-"

She was cut off when the full force of Link's body fell onto her, his arms wrapping themselves around her, his head on her shoulder.

Zelda felt a spark of jealousy, which she quickly pushed down with disgust.

"I've missed you so much! Last I heard you were engaged to a knight from Akkala? What happened?" He pulled away.

"Sent out with a group to go scout Gerudo Highlands, never came back, the rest of his group said he went rogue, but others are saying otherwise, nobody really knows what happened,"

Link's eyes widened with shock. "I'm so sorry, I didn't-" she shook her head at him.

"It- it was a long time a go now and you couldn't have known. Now anyways, how is your arm doing? I did my best with it, though this isn't the first time I've had to do something like this for you," she narrowed her eyes.

"Little sore but far better than what it was, thank you Foshia. Well, I must get back to...the
Princess... wait!"

He started panicking but the lady just laughed and squeezed his good arm lightly. 

"She's still here, with the horses I think. You might wanna go check up on her."

Link looked around and saw where the horses were kept and headed straight to it.

Zelda pretended to have not notice him until he was standing in front of her.

"Sir Link, I trust your arm is healed?" She waited for a verbal reply but knew deep down she wouldn't get one.

He nodded once, bowing as he did so.

"Very good. We leave at sunrise for Hateno Village." 

Chapter Text

By the time the sun started to rise, Link had woken up, arm perfect again, and started packing his his things. It was only half five, but everyone already seemed to be up and at their jobs. They had to leave quickly because the stables were open to travelers today, and he didn't want to risk them being seen.

Kobuh had given them a supply of hearty elixirs, and Torom gave Link a full quiver's worth of arrows. Foshia had come running over to them, wishing them both safe travels, and hugged Link tightly. Neither of them noticed the curious look Zelda had given the two.

Soon they were ready to set off, Zelda first on her white stallion and Link following closely behind.

They went at a steady pace, they were in no rush as they weren't to be expected back at Hyrule Castle for about a month. After roughly fifteen minutes, they reached a signpost, the left arrow pointing to Kakariko village, and the right arrow pointing to Hateno village.

The journey was in complete silence, save for the horses' hooves hitting the ground and the birds tweeting in the trees. Every time Zelda subtly glanced at her knight, he was looking straight on, seemingly unaware.

She didn't know what to think of this, everything felt different now that she knew he was in fact not mute and was completely able to be verbal. She noted mentally to ask around the castle to see if anyone else had ever heard him speak. The sun was blazing down on them now, and they stopped to rest under an apple tree.

Zelda looked out to the water below the rocky edge she was sat on. She heard footsteps approach her. Link. He gestured vaguely to the tree behind her, causing her to raise her eyebrow. The tree? what about it? She thought, watching Link lift his Royal Bow off of him, positioning it at the tree. She got up and stood back to see him steady his grip on the bow, exhaling a deep breath, and releasing the arrow, making it fly through the air and pierce one of the apples. It landed a short distance away, the arrow still inside of it. He repeated this four times. Zelda pushed down her sense of awe and replaced it with a sense of annoyance.

What is the need to be showing off for? Obviously he knew of her archery abilities, even before she saved him with it. He picked up one of the apples, pulled out the arrow and gave it to her. He didn't wait for her to make any movement, instead going back to pick up the other three, giving one to each of the horses, and then finally taking a bite out of one himself.

She thought about throwing it away. It had been on the ground for Goddesses sake. But then again, she knew that the meals they received back at the Dueling Peaks Stables would most likely be a one off on their travels, and that this may be the only thing she would get to eat for a while, so she decided to take a nibble of it. The sweet taste of the apple's ripeness flooded her taste buds. She didn't know what they did with the fruit at Hyrule Castle, but no way did they taste as good as they did in the wild.

Link saw the corner of her lips twitch upwards for a brief second, and decided that it was a win for him. He sat back on Epona, waiting for the Princess to copy, and carried on riding.

They approached the gates of Fort Hateno, soldiers were standing on either side. Zelda slowed her horse to a halt, Link doing the same, but locking eyes with one of the guards standing on top of the stone structure. The man immediately ran down from his post and signaled for the soldiers to open up the gate. Confused, Zelda looked at Link, who she saw to be smirking slightly at the guard.

"Sir Mokal," Link said to the guard, who looked shocked to see the knight and Princess.

He hastily bowed to the royal, and greeted her. He straightened and stared at Link, who's smirk had developed into a grin. "Link? Is that really you? Why, I haven't seen you since you were knighted!" He tilted his head to look at the Princess again. "I heard the rumors of a young knight being appointed to the service of the Princess, but didn't know it was Link," She frowned at this. She did not recognize this man, nor did she know that the news had traveled so far, and she couldn't help but think, I never wanted a guard in the first place.

"Well, I'm sure you have places to be, I won't keep you waiting. He stood to the side of Link's horse and saluted them out, the knights lowering the gates behind them.

Zelda began to ask a question to Link, and noticed that his momentarily happy expression was once again replaced with a blank look. Another thing off about him, he only shows emotion to those he seems to know well. Not that I want to get to know him or anything, I just want to figure him out, he at least owes me that.

Here they entered a row of thick leaves. Hidden among them was a small house, which she assumed be the General in charge of the post of Fort Hateno's. Parallel to Squabble River, the duo looked up to see the mighty cliffs of Quince.

Zelda decided to start a conversation for the first time throughout their travels.

"So... The guard back there?" 

He hesitated, and for a moment Zelda thought she was going to receive an answer, yet it never came.

She was about to question this but spotted a person in the grass further up the hill.

She headed towards her, but Link quickly sped up and cut off her path.

"How dare-"

"Yiga spy." He croaked, voice sore from lack of use.

"And how could you possibly-"

"No horse, no supplies, no accomplice."

She saw that he was correct in his assessment.

He placed his finger to his lips, and slowly and silently pulled out his bow for the second time that day, only this time there would be no happy outcome.

Before the Princess could protest, he drew back the string and released, sending the arrow soaring through the still air. It hit its mark right in the Yiga's leg. The assassin yelled, and looked around, seeing no one around (Link and Zelda were covered by the bushes). He'd vanished, leaving behind a small cloud of red smoke and a few playing cards.

"What- how did you- I mean-" She stuttered, staring deep into Link's eyes, trying to read him for any kind of emotion, but still saw none.

"It's getting dark." 'We can't camp here though, it's not safe' where left unspoken.

They continued on, reaching a narrow section of the path they were following, causing them to go single-file through it. At the exit, Link turned a sharp right, surprising Zelda, and he led them down, veering off and going through a weathered arch and under the trees there.

They appeared to be in the centre of an archery site. She racked her memory for knowledge on Necluda and realised that this was most likely where the Knights were sent during the first weeks of spring to practice their archery skills. It had the perfect conditions for it.

They settled under one of the largest trees, and made their camp for the night.

Chapter Text

The weather began to deteriorate as they walked the rest of the way to Hateno Village.

Rain pattered against the path and wind tugged at the trees. Link noticed Zelda lightly shivering, and without looking at her, he unclasped his cloak and outstretched his hand to the Princess, offering the warm fabric to her. He knew it most likely broke many protocols as a knight but knew that it would also be breaking protocol to let her freeze. After all it was his fault she no longer had her own cloak.

She looked up at his hand, and took the cloak, thanked him quietly, and put it on, pulling up the hood, seeing him now soaked. She felt guilty, but then she reasoned with herself, saying how it was what he deserved, after making her tear hers.

It was a rather uneventful walk; it took them over half an hour to reach the entrance, but they wanted to give the horse a bit of a rest.

As soon as they reached the normally lively village, the rain began to worsen, pouring so violently that each raindrop that hit them stung. At least I have cover, thought Zelda, looking at the Hero whose hair was sticking to the side of his face, his once golden blonde hair now a dark brown, the blue band almost out of its ponytail.

They picked up the pace, running directly towards the nearest building which just so happened to be the clothes shop.

Link pulled open the heavy wooden door, closing it behind the Princess. Wiping some of the rain from his face, he walked over to the lady at the counter. "Hello, my name is Nophei, can I help you?"

"Could I please have two of everything here apart from the armour?" He asked politely. The lady's eyes widened slightly before returning to their natural state. Nophei reached to the shelf where she pulled out eight boxes. She took out their contents and handed it to him. "That will be...700 rupees please."

He visibly winced, before shoving his hand into his pocket, pulling out two golden rupees and one silver.

Zelda knew that it would be a lot for Link, and shook her head and paid herself.

"What are you-"

"In case you've forgotten who you're travelling with, I'm the Princess of Hyrule and have more rupees than I know what to do with." Zelda whispered.

"But-"

He cut himself off when he saw the piercing look she sent to him. He retracted his hand and placed the rupees back into his pocket, and picked up the clothing and carried it out. Zelda scanned them with the Sheikah Slate, making them dematerialise.

They entered the Ton Pu Inn, and walked over to the man in the corner, who was doing what looked like paperwork.

"Do you have anywhere we could change out of our wet clothes?"

He took in their drenched appearances with wide eyes and nodded his head, leading them to a set of rooms, bowing his head. Zelda used her slate to make the new, dry clothes appear again, and they each took a set before walking into their separate changing rooms.

Link walked out of the room, tightening the clasp of one of his gloves, as Zelda walked out, tying her damp hair into a low bun.

Mutually they decided that the new clothing was far more comfortable to what the shops in Castle Town had to offer.

They carried on walking through the village, heading up a winding path that led to the Ancient Tech Lab.

Link made a quiet noise of discomfort, Zelda heard it and stared at him whilst he yanked the tie out of his hair, making it fall onto his shoulders. He brushed the hair out of his eyes and decided to leave it how it was.

Zelda had never seen him with his hair down, and thought it looked quite cute. NO, no that's definitely not what I meant, he is a selfish, arrogant man who has no apparent respect or common decency, she mentally argued with herself. His hair isn't even authorized, how is he even a knight?

She was so lost in her own head that she didn't even notice that they were already there. Link opened the door and stood, waiting for her to enter, before walking in himself.

Paper littered the floor they stood on, the bookshelf overflowing with huge stacks of texts in front of it, and various work benches around the lab were covered in mysterious stains and substances, screws and various other mechanical parts. A loud "Ah, snap!" sounded from across the room, where she saw Purah, pulling her goggles off as the ancient technology researcher hopped away from a cloud of black smoke. Alarmed, the pair hurried over to her, but she seemed alright.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just used the wrong formula." Purah looked up and saw the two standing next to her, eyebrows raised. "Princess Zelda! How wonderful it is to see you again. And Linky! How are you? And I love the new style!" she hugged him tightly before letting go.

"What brings you two here?"

"We're travelling around Hyrule to visit all the other Kingdoms, and also to explore."

"Well, If I could recommend a place, I would say go and visit Tabantha Village, I heard it has a spectacular view of the castle." She suggested.

"Tabantha Village... I don't believe I've been there before."

"Well Linky here has."

"Well, I'm sure it will be a pleasant experience. I'm sorry we can't stay longer, we need to get to Lurelin. Hopefully we'll see each other soon"

"Byeeee!"

They walked back down the winding path, and towards the exit, to collect their horses, but Link stopped them, and started to head to the left, up a slope, and onto a secret path in between some buildings. It led to a bridge, leading towards a quaint little cottage. a tree that looked as though it had recently been planted occupied the space next to it, and a shallow pond resided behind it.

"Link, why have you brought me here?" She was confused.

He opened the front door, and walked in, slowly following him in. Inside were various weapons hanging up on the walls, with a small table decorated with flowers on it. The stairs lead to a bed, desk, and a table with several pictures framed on it. A few of landscapes that she recognized across Hyrule, the photo that was taken of them and the champions, a photo of him, Mipha and Sidon, and then a photo of two vaguely familiar people, though she didn't quite remember who.

"This...this is your house?" I thought he lived in a castle town...

He nodded, opened a chest which was concealed by the staircase, and pulled out a bow.

She looked around at the weapons increased on the wall.

A Royal Guard's bow, A savage Lynel Bow and shield, The Hylian shield, a Royal shield, an eightfold longblade, and a royal claymore.

She wondered where he got all of these.

The Royal Guard weapons. Made by the Sheikah, using ancient technology that they had recently discovered. The Lynel weapons. The set he had were only used by silver-haired Lynels, it was said that there were only a couple across Hyrule, and that they were extremely powerful. She couldn't imagine where he had acquired them. The Hylian Shield, it was passed down through the royal family, and also the legendary hero. It had been given to him not long after he pulled out the legendary sword. the Eightfold blade, passed through the Sheikah tribe, rarely seen. Very few were ever made. How in the name of Hylia did Link possess these?

He grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit on the table, walked out of the house, and gave it to their horses as they walked back down to the horses.

"I thought you lived in Castle Town?" Zelda questioned.

"Only on duty,'' he shrugged.

The rain had ceased, and they carried on with their adventure, heading back up to ride down to Hateno Beach.

Chapter Text

Heading down the hill, Link and Zelda were gifted with an amazing view of Tenoko Island. They had decided to take the beach route to Lurelin, since it would waste time going all the way back the way they came to get there. Besides, the view was rather scenic.

The sun was setting behind Walnot Mountain, the sky a beautiful shade of orange and blue. Palm trees danced to the rhythm of the wind.

There was no exact path, which meant they rode across the sand. The air brushed against their faces, the salty smell of the ocean tickling their noses. It was a very relaxing place. However, since they weren't following a route, they ended up going through water multiple times, much to the disgust of the horses, and exasperation of Zelda.

"We just got these clothes, and now they are wet."

The horses had to be led by the pair through the water, since they refused to go themselves. They Reached a particularly deep section of the water, about two thirds of the way across Kitano Bay.

"We're going to have to swim across, are we not?" She sighed, taking off the extra layers she had on, leaving her in a simple tunic and legging.

Link nodded meekly, already having removed his layers.

"Very well, pass me your clothes and I shall scan them with the slate."

They piled up their clothes, weapons, boots and various other belongings on the sand, watching it disappear with a blue glow.

"How will the Horses make it across? They need someone to lead them, I thought?"

Link paused, thinking through the question. She had a point. His eyes darted between the horses and the ocean, to Zelda.

He grabbed his and Zelda's horse's reins, tied them around his wrists, and began to wade through the shallow part, until both horses and the hylian were no longer able to touch the seafloor.

He turned his head around, and jerked it up in a sign for her to follow them.

She looked in disbelief at the scene unfolding in front of her. How are the horses not throwing a fit at the water, and how is Link under so much control over them? She wondered, diving into the cold water herself, careful to keep her head above the surface.

Only minutes later, they were squeezing out their soaked-through clothes, returning to their saddles.

"Impressive idea," she stated, staring straight ahead.

He simply jerked his jerked down, shaking his hair out of his eyes, rather like a wet dog would. She tried to stifle her laugh at the sight, but accidentally let out a chuckle.

Link pretended not to notice but inwardly grinned.

"Should be rocky soon, be careful," he urged the Princess.

He was correct, just around the corner, large, weathered rocks littered the ground. They dismounted and slowly led their horses around them, wincing at the scraping sound their hooves made against the surface of the rocks.

Darkness had quickly rolled in. Only nine o'clock, and the sun had vanished.

Zelda yawned.

Half eleven. The sand was starting to be replaced with the vast ocean. Soon they were going to be stuck.

"Link, I don't think we can go any further..." She whispered, fearing the worst.

He let out a sigh of agreement. Abruptly, Link's horse bucked, almost throwing him off, and reared itself onto its hind legs.

"Woah there, calm down," He patted its neck, soothing it. They were directly under the Cape Cales.

"We may have to climb up this..."

"If this is a funny joke, then I suggest you stop."

"No, we really will have to climb up, Your Highness."

"We can't just go back, over Lake Hylia?" Link shook his head.

"No, That would take several days, We don't have enough supplies for that." He gracefully slid off the side of his horse.

"Now, I need you to listen carefully as we may only have one chance at this. I need you to tread exactly where I do, and I mean exactly. It will could be slippery and if you fall, you die. Understand? It's dark, so this will be especially dangerous."

"Excuse me? I give the orders here-"

Link gave her a cold glare, abruptly cutting her off. This was a look of absolute seriousness, not unseen from the other knights, yet never aimed at her. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I understand."

"Good."

He jumped up onto the smaller rocks, and then began to start his ascent.

Left leg up, right arm up. Right leg up, left arm up.

Fortunately for them there were plenty of footholds, although they were slightly slippery from the previous day's rain.

One o'clock, the next day.

They stopped briefly for a breather, hanging onto the jagged cliff in front if him.

Zelda shouted up to him. "Are we at least half way yet?"

"About a quarter of the way up. Just don't look down."

Suddenly, the unstable foothold gave way under Zelda's foot, and her left leg slid, causing her to fall backwards. Link leaned back, outstretched his arm, catching her hand.

"Th-thank you, I-"

"Come on."

About half way. Sweat was dripping down Zelda's back. If she could spare a hand to look at the Sheikah slate, it would tell her that it was only Fifteen degrees, Celsius.

A patch of grass came into Link's sight, it was big enough for them both to stand on, and practically level. The knight stretched up his arm and grabbed onto the grassy ledge, heaving himself onto it, making room for Zelda who was not far behind him.

"H-how are you not- not out of breath? I can...barely speak!" She panted.

"Practice. This is by far not my first time climbing cliffs."

Three o'clock.

"Almost there, your Highness. I can see the top now."

He was glad they had transported their belongings to the Sheikah slate, because with the extreme height of that cliff, he was glad not to have to pull all of it up.

Four o'clock.

They had finally made it to the very top.

Link leaned over the edge, spotting their horses, still there.

He took a large breath, and whistled as loud as he possibly could. There was barely a breeze in the still air, so the sound traveled. After a couple of seconds, the horses looked up to see their masters and began galloping away.

"What was that for? Now we have no horses. Some Hero you are, you are stupid, what was the sword thinking? What was my father thinking?" She muttered half to Link, half to herself.

The insults stung Link, but he didn't let it show. He knew the horses would return, he had spent countless hours training his many horses to come back to him when he whistled a particular tune. They would appear, in a few hours maybe? Soon either way.

He started walking off, the now rising sun shining in his eyes.

He heard the Princess mumble about something but her footsteps followed still, indicating that she was behind him. There seemed to be two pairs of footsteps though. Not including his.

He suddenly stopped, her almost walking into him.

"What was that for?"

"Could you please give me my sword, shield and bow?"

Curious, she pressed some buttons on the slate, and his items reappeared. He swung his shield and sheathed sword onto his back along with his quiver, and picked out an arrow, placing it on the bow.

He swung around and shot behind him, a strangled shriek following. Another Yiga spy?  Was Zelda's first thought, followed by How in Hyrule did he know it was behind us? I was closer and I didn't even hear it!

Link had already walked off. She ran up to him and stood in his path.

"How could you have possibly known the Yiga was behind us?"

"He has been following us since we left Hateno, we aren't safe anywhere, Your Highness."

Zelda had a flashback from a few years ago, from one of the Generals in the military.

"First rule of travelling, You are not safe. There is always someone following you. You are never alone."

"Why didn't it attack then?" He sighed. "Didn't know that I knew he was there. He was waiting for the perfect opportunity."

She seemed satisfied with the answer, and let him proceed.

They had finally walked the full length of Cape Cales, all the way to the Dunsel Plateau, when they heard a 'neigh' echo from underneath them.

Link ran forwards, leaving a shouting Zelda, to see their horses sprinting up the hill, stopping beside him. Link patted each of their necks and whispered something into their ears.

"I thought they were gone for good! How did they know?"

"I whistled to them. That's why they were trotting off"

Once again Zelda felt guilty for her harsh words towards him. He was right once again, and she had judged him wrongly.

"We can be at Lurelin in less than two hours on horseback." They galloped into the morning sun, new determination in their hearts.

Chapter Text

They arrived at Lurelin with growling stomachs. Dismounting from their horses, they were greeted by several cheerful people. An elderly man, dressed in a light tunic and blue shorts, rushed down the worn wooden steps, towards them.

"Thank Hylia you're here, I saw a group of lizard monsters further up the beach the other day, I was hopin' someone would save us!"

Link shared a look with Zelda, who looked confused.

"Lizard monsters? Are you sure?" Zelda asked, her brow raised.

"Don't listen to Izull, your Highness, Izull hasn't been sleepin' properly."

"Wait, Lizard monsters?" Link cut in, a frown on his face that didn't go unnoticed by Zelda. "What colour?"

"G-green, sir, I'm not makin' it up I swear!"

"No, the beasts of which you speak do exist, and if you did see them this far up the shore, then you are all in danger. Where did you see them, and what were they doing?"

The crowd of people that had gathered around them went silent for the poor man to speak.

"There was about five of them, sir, between Korne and Rimba beach, they were carryin' large logs, and looked as though they were builidin' somethin', I don't know what though."

Link climbed back onto the back of his horse, only for a hand to grip his forearm.

"Surely you are not going to attack them now? We just got here!" Zelda said.

Link looked straight ahead, "Your highness, it is my duty as a knight to protect those that need protecting, no matter what."

Can't even look at me when I'm speaking, the utter disrespect. "And you are also my appointed knight, but not if you go and get yourself killed-"

"I have no intention of getting killed, I will be back in a couple of hours at the most." His steely gaze struck something in her.

"Thank you, Sir Hero, you shall be greeted with a feast when you return," Izull said.

Link gave a small smile before turning his horse around and trotting away, not before hearing a grumble of displeasure from the Princess.

She can't seriously expect me to abandon my duties, does she not want me to protect the village? Her appointed Knight or not, I won't let innocent people suffer. It was her choice to come here, anyway. He thought, disappointed with the royal.

★・・・・・・★

After slaying the beasts, he returned, sporting a heavily bleeding leg and a couple of scrapes to his face. The light was beginning to fade, his shadow spreading across the sand to the side of him.

"The threat is now gone" he told the people of Lurelin who were running out of their huts to hear the news. They cheered, Izull being the loudest.

"Thank you, Hero, but you didn't return unscathed, it seems,'' he gestured to Link's leg, which he had apparently failed to notice was bleeding down into his shoe.

"Oh, it is of no worry, I will tend to it."

"Well, afterwards I hope you will join the Princess and us with the feast we have prepared, the greatest dishes throughout Faron."

"I would be honoured, he replied, grinning at the man.

He swapped his outfit to a Lurelin type outfit, his scabbard still attached to his back, and a single bandage tied around his shin.

He headed into a large, boat shaped hut. Light streamed out the windows from the lit lanterns, and laughter filled his ears.

He entered the room, to see a large table filled with many dishes, such as the Mighty Crab Risotto, and Mighty Copious Simmered Fruit. Platters of various types of fish and bowls of palm fruit and other tropical foods covered the table, which was surrounded by the members of the lively village and the Princess, who was daintily eating a portion of roasted bass.

A couple of the folk looked up at him and congratulated and thanked him again, raising their drinks in toast of the victory.

Zelda locked eyes with him for a few seconds, but his eyes darted away, no expression on his face.

He can't even stand my presence it seems, I finally started to get him to talk but this again? Am I really that much of an embarrassment to him? she scowled.

"May I offer you a bowl of my signature dish, Crab Omelette with Rice?" A beautiful woman with dark brown hair tied into a bun asked him.

Link took the bowl from her and smiled genuinely at the lady, "Thank you..."

"Tildie, Sir."

"Just Link, Tildie"

She blushed, sat down and started a conversation with the Princess.

"Your Highness, if I may ask, what brings you to Lurelin? I believe the last time you were here, you were but a small child," Zelda remembered the occasion, she was with her mother visiting the southern regions.

"We are exploring the whole of Hyrule, and also visiting each of the neighbouring kingdoms and various villages."

"That sounds mighty fun, Princess." One of the fishermen smiled.

"Indeed."

Night rolled in, Zelda was sleeping soundly in the inn, and Link was standing at the edge of the water, holding a fishing harpoon. It was something he hadn't done for years, fishing.

Staring at the moon briefly, he sent a quick prayer to the Goddess before attempting to catch some fish.

Chapter Text

The early morning sun spewed out luscious gold rays of light, reflecting across the shimmering water as Link packed his bag for the next part of their adventure. Zelda was talking to a fisherman on the jetty who was selling an array of arrows.

"Shock arrows, these are. Break apart on impact, electrocuting objects. It's very effective against metal and moisture, an' I'm selling a quiver of ten for only 140 rupees!"

"I see... I'll take three sets, please." She recalled reading a book on weapon types a few years back, and it said how useful those particular types of arrows were. The man's eyes widened in shock.

"Thr-three? Well... that will be, um...420 rupees, then, Your Highness," He stammered, handing over the arrows.

Link walked his and Zelda's horse over to where she now stood, walking towards him with her arms full of shock arrows.

"I don't know if these would be of any use to you, but..." She trailed off, thrusting the arrows into his arms. He examined one on the top of the pile. It had sharp, double points, each glowing with a ball of electricity.

He smiled at her in gratitude and placed them into his half-empty quiver.

They mounted their horses, and began to leave the village, a few people saying goodbye to them and also wishing them luck.

Seagulls squawked above them as they cantered up the slope leading away from Lurelin village.

"Could we please venture up Tuft Mountain? it is known to have hearty radishes growing around lover's pond."

Slowly they ascended the mighty hill, finally reaching the top, receiving a beautiful view of Koholit Rock.

A rumbling cough startled them.

"Ay, ye both already found ye soulmate then? I am still waitin' on mine. One day, I tell ye, I'll continue to wait until then." He sighed, misinterpreting the two's reasons for being at the mysterious pond.

"Oh, no we are not 'lovers', she said with what was attempted concealed disgust, though Link saw it clearly, "We are here for the radishes surrounding the pond." She told him, but the man just winked.

"If only ye knew, lass, if only ye knew." He closed his eyes, settling down against a rock to sleep.

Zelda refused to look at Link whilst she picked the radishes from their bushes.

Soulmates? With that knight? He has got to be joking. He is the last person on earth I would be soulmates with. He is far too ignorant and rude, she thought, eyes narrowed.

Soulmates? Ha. If only. Link's mind argued.

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

They rejoined the main path back down the mountain and headed through the Faron region. The knight and Princess had just entered the opening of Ebara Forest to be greeted with thrashing rain. The horses whinnied in fright of the cold water so harshly thrown onto them. They tore across the bridge, and into the Lakeside Stable.

Lightning struck the ground near them, the horses bolted and Link barely kept control of them as he led them under shelter.

"This has no sign of stopping anytime soon, does it?" She asked Link, already knowing his answer.

He gave a frustrated shake of his head.

"Do we just ride through it? Or..."

Link thought the idea though. It was dangerous, travelling through an electrical storm like this. Faron was well known for them, and he was hoping they'd avoid it. But then again, this could go on for days.

He eventually nodded.

She was frustrated with his lack of verbal responses.

"Fine."

She summoned up their cloaks from the Slate and carried on their journey, trying (and barely succeeding) to keep their skittish horses under control. It was as if the storm was getting worse the further through the jungle they got.

Zelda Supposed the poor weather was the reason Faron was so green. With the endless water pelting down, everything had overgrown.

Large overhanging palm leaves shook as the wind swept through them, Link had one hand on his hood, to keep it up.

Out of nowhere, sparks erupted from Link's back, shocking him, the smell of burnt flesh filling the air.

He yelled in agony, as another spark flared.

"Sir Link, your sword and shield! It's metal! " She shouted across the howling wind.

She grabbed the Sheikah Slate and balanced sideways on her horse, scanning the metal weapons away, leaving him with just his old wooden bow. His eyes streamed as his seared skin rubbed against the torn fabric of his tunic, but they had to carry on regardless.

Link's back stung with every movement he made, but he told himself that he had suffered far worse, which in fact was true.

A flash of green lightning struck the ground a mere few feet from Zelda's horse, causing great flames to erupt. They were on the border of Pagos Woods, when-

CRASH

A great bolt fell from the heavens, hitting Epona, who whinnied in pain as she ran around on fire, Link thrown onto the muddy ground. Zelda watched the poor animal collapse to the floor, unmoving, and she stifled a cry of anguish. Tears clouded her vision but she pushed them back, grabbing Link's still form and racing down the path, turning a sharp left at the fork.

She hadn't even noticed that they had exited the storm in her hurry.

This was déjà vu, it was only about a week ago that she was hurrying a bleeding Link from the bokoblins; now she was carrying him away from his dead horse out of a storm.

A man and his wife came out of the tent of the Highland Stables with a roll of bandages and a hearty elixir bubbling in a goblet when they heard the hooves approaching them.

Zelda once again handed him over to the people of the stables and stood out of their way, silently mourning the loss of Link's horse. She wondered if he had even registered what had happened, or would she have to explain the death of Midnight to him?

A tear rolled down her already soaked face, mixing with the salty rain water.

She pulled out her old diary from her saddlebag and began writing about the unfortunate events that had occurred only a few moments ago.

Chapter Text

Link came rushing out of the stables later the next morning. His back protested with every movement he made but he couldn't let that stop him.

He rushed towards Zelda who was feeding her horse; she turned around when she heard him approach, "S-Sir Link! Why, I didn't think you'd be up-"

"Pack your stuff, your Highness, we need to leave, now." He stepped past her, putting the saddle on her horse. It seemed he was aware of last night's events.

"Excuse me? You're still injured-"

''No time to explain," he shouted behind him.

Narrowing her eyes in puzzlement and slight frustration, she grabbed her stuff and packed speedily.

Five minutes later they were racing round the lake opposite the stable, Zelda's arms carefully wrapped around Link's waist to avoid his injuries as he held the reins in his hands. When they finally ceased to a halt at the crossroads, Zelda started questioning him.

"Now, want to tell me what that was for, and why you thought it necessary to order me around like that? I think by now you are aware of who I am."

He grimaced slightly, though she wasn't quite sure whether it was because of the pain of his still-raw injury or the reminder of his position as her protector.

"Please accept my apology, Your Highness, the stable was no longer deemed safe for you. When I awoke, the bed opposite me held a sleeping Yiga spy. I believe they may be following us again."

Will I ever be free of their constant presence around me?

"While I'd rather you'd have explained to me and refrained from bossing me around in such a brash manner, I am thankful for your discovery." She suddenly remembered something. He hadn't even made a slight sign of recognition towards the death of his horse.

It was like it had never happened.

"Sir Link?" She asked, grabbing his attention. "I am sorry for the loss of your horse."

Still no emotion.

"As am I, your Highness." Her short-temperedness got the best of her again.

"And yet you act as though you couldn't care less! Not a single emotion has shown across your face, Sir knight, your horse was brutally murdered in front of our eyes. Goddess above, you were on your horse when the lightning struck, and yet you act as if nothing happened. You really are a horrible, cruel man. Not worthy of the title of knight, unworthy to be travelling with me."

Link straightened his back, ignoring the strain it was causing the stitches, most likely opening them. At this point he couldn't care less if he spoke out of turn, enough was enough. He was a knight, and princess or no, he was not going to accept these insults any longer.

"So that is what you really think of me? You really think that lowly of me? You will never know the amount of anger I possess right now, Princess. You do not know me, do not even better pretend to understand me.

"You call me selfish and cruel, yet, I recall you complaining when I went to save Lurelin from Lizalfos. You say I'm cold and emotionless, you could ask many a knight in the army if this may be the case, and I can assure you it rarely is. As much as you seem to believe that my destiny was handed to me on a platter of silver and that I have no burden to carry, Goddesses knows how you came up with that, you are terribly mistaken.

"You live a life of luxury and have everything you need handed to you. You do not know what it is like to be homeless and starving, you've never seen a friend killed in front of your own eyes.

"I have lost track of the amount of times I have. So many deaths I could have prevented if only I had trained more, then maybe I would have been able to block the hit aimed at my best friend's chest.

"You think my destiny has been laid out for me but the goddesses have been cruel. The very last connection to my parents I have-" He cut himself off, "Had, was that very horse, Princess. She had been by my side for many years.

"I've been taught since the age of three not to show emotion because it shows weakness. I have to be emotionless around you to hide how scared I am.

"I'm only human Zelda. I bleed, make mistakes, a great deal of them in fact. And I learn from them. I train everyday to become a better soldier. Maybe one day I will avenge those that died beside me.

"I have had many wounds, and other various injuries to save you, and for what exactly? For you to go and insult me? Call me a show-off? That I am arrogant and selfish?

"I remain silent because if I speak everyone around me will discover how truly terrified I am. You know nothing of me and you never will. I may answer to you, but you will never have my respect. Now if you wish for us to continue this journey, you will stop insulting me. You can go to the King and tell him all that I have said, but I no longer care, Zelda. I really don't. I have had it. I am done."

Link's voice was cracking horribly by the end of this, throat raw from the shouting, a couple of tears threatening to leak out. Zelda was crying and Link had long ago gotten off the horse and was now staring at Zelda's tear stained face, not caring in the least that it was his fault she was crying, She deserves to cry, for all the pain she causes me, he thought. He assumed she wasn't used to being shouted at.

"I- I apologise, Link-"

"And that makes it okay-"

"No, not in the slightest, I don't understand you, you have been nothing but nice to me, I understand now. I make all these assumptions about you with no real evidence. I never knew of all the things that have happened to you, and that is my fault because I never thought to ask you. I- may we please continue?"

Link said nothing, but instead chose to walk on foot besides the horse. They turned left at the crossroad, not particularly sure where they were, not particularly caring.

Chapter Text

Neither of the two Hylians dared start a conversation. An awkward silence lingered in the air around them. Link was quite content with this, though Zelda wanted to say something, but couldn't bring herself to speak in fear of further angering her knight.

They were lost, but they didn't want to have to tell the other they didn't know where they were. Eventually they crossed an old wooden bridge, but that still didn't jog Link's memory. He just hoped it ended out where he recognised. Somewhere he knew.

Zelda wiped a stray tear from her cheek and looked up. The rocky walls surrounding them were never ending. Until they abruptly did. A coloured mist floated towards them, lighting up their path. Around the corner was what looked like a Great Fairy Fountain to Link, but then again he knew there wasn't one the way they came, so he was confused. A mossy path led them to it, surrounded by large pink and magenta flowers that were submerged in the river. They stood at the fountain edge, peering in. It glowed, an aura lifted up from it, filling the space around them.

Startling them both, the water began to bubble, and a large blur sprouted from it. It stood, towering over them. Unconsciously Zelda stepped behind Link, staring into its endless inky black eye sockets.

It looked familiar to Link somehow, though he'd never seen this beast before. Its head vaguely looked like...

"Ho ho ho..." It's gruff voice boomed. "At last! Free of that tiny bud after so long! If my arms were corporeal, they'd have cramped for sure."

It then noticed the knight and Princess standing below him.

"And you're the ones that set me free, are you not?" It didn't wait for an answer. It's head shook, tilting to the side, beginning to creep Zelda out.

"My name is Malanya. I am the God who watches over the horses of this world. I suppose you deserve a reward for setting me free... What shall I do..."

At the back of his mind, Link realised that Zelda's horse seemed to be perfectly calm, which he found unusual.

Suddenly the Horse God threw back its head and shook its sharp nailed hands.

"SHALL I MAKE YOU MY MEAL?" It yelled at them, lowering down closer to their height, its floating hands looking as though they were about to grab them. Link reached for the hilt of his sword, but the beast simply laughed.

"Hahaha, I only jest... If a horse you love passes away from some sort of tragic, fatal accident, it is within my power to revive that horse..."

Link couldn't believe what he was hearing. It could revive horses? He could have his own horse back!

"However," he carried on, pulling the wielder of the Master Sword from his thoughts, "If I detect vile intent behind the death of your horse... YOU WILL SUFFER MY WRATH!" Zelda muffled her scream, scared of the powerful God in front of her. Link glanced at her, then looked away quickly to avoid her gaze.

"I only jest... Let me see...Neigh! A horse, loyal and true, has fallen during your adventures!"

Link's heart went cold. He could still remember the pure rage that almost blinded him. He wasn't sure if Malanya was guessing this, or really was a God. Either way, he was quite intimidating.

"I COULD END YOU, RIGHT HERE AND NOW!" More calmly, the God added, "I jest of course..." Zeldas wasn't sure if he was telling the truth.

"Shall I bring a companion back to travel with you once more? "

Link stepped forward and without hesitating, answered yes.

"I see your horse, Epona. The most recent of your horses' deaths You would like me to revive this horse? This one, specifically?"

The princess raised her eyebrow. That specific horse? What other horses has he lost? Maybe if they ever fixed their friendship, she would ask him.

The poor knight's eyes shone. Malanya took his silence as an affirmative.

"I can do that, of course! But...what is this...this horse says that YOU killed it! you! How could you?! Do you plan to revive it just to kill it again?"

Link paled. It was his fault his horse was dead. He knew it...

The God continued to shout at him, but unbeknownst to the Mythical creature of Zelda, his soul was shattering with every word.

"Are horses only a tool to you? Do you treat their noble lives so casually that you'd use them and throw them away?"

Link looked away, not wanting them to see his tears that now began to flow freely.

But the God didn't end it there...

"If I were a horse right now... I'D KICK YOU IN THE CHEST!"

He squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to listen anymore.

"I..." he hesitated, "Jest."

"Your horse was struck with a mighty bolt of electricity, hardly your fault. Your horse protected you, as you would have done. Would you like me to revive this loyal friend?"

Link just nodded. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Ah, understood! Let me bring back this horse!"

Its hands shook, coming together, swirling with magenta smoke. They swung around its body, head twitching violently, The ripples of the pool he sat in began to turn to great waves, knocking over the side. Its head spun around on its neck, and it flew over to rest about a metre away from Link's body.

A beam of purple ejected from the sky, coming to rest on the side of Link. A shadow reared onto its legs, and once the fog cleared, Link was able to see his oldest friend returned to him. He hugged her neck and muttered soft words into her ear, eternally grateful.

"I was successfully able to bring back the horse! Next time, don't let the horse die! Horses are your partners. Don't forget that. If you're careless with their lives, you may regret it..."

"UNDERSTAND?" He roared at the Hero, who nodded, still stroking Epona's brown head.

"I jest...for now!" Malanya sunk back into the open flower, disappearing from view, where he would rest for a long time to come.

Zelda walked over to Link and patted his arm. He flinched slightly at her touch, which pained Zelda. Sighing, she mounted her horse, Link doing the same, and set off for the next part of their adventure.