"Wait, back up," Thadd said, clearly surprised - and really, who could blame him? I certainly couldn't. If I'd heard anyone else say what I had, I'd have been confused too. Hylia, I'd probably think they were lying. It was all so outlandish, so incredible, so strange. "No way. You... You fought monsters?"

"Tried, anyway," I said, finding it somewhat amusing how clearly his shock shone through across his face, in his eyes and in his expression. I fought the urge to laugh - when we were kids, he was never able to hide what he was feeling. It seemed he still couldn't, even now, all these years later. "I mean, I guess technically I fought, but... I didn't kill any. I... couldn't."

"And you were at the beach? Our beach? Here in Hateno?" I nodded in answer, and he didn't quite seem to believe it yet. "(Y/n), that's insane. That would mean they had us surrounded, at least for a time." 

His brows pinched together with concern and frustration, and his eyes bored right into my own. He'd always had a talent of seeing right through me, too. I suppose if his inability to hide his emotions hadn't gone away since we were children, then so too hadn't his ability to always tell what I was thinking or feeling. 

All at once, his concern increased, his worry doubled, and he looked so fear-stricken that I'd have thought he was the one who just fought monsters.

"Your life was in danger! Why didn't you come get someone? I could've... I could've helped! I should've been there! I should've-"

"Thadd," I cut in gently, shaking my head. "If I ran for help, there was no telling if they might not have chased me. If I ran all the way to you, the monsters might have reached town, too."

"Your life was in danger and if something happened to you, if something... if you got hurt or worse, or..."

"Coming to get you, it crossed my mind, it did," I assured him. "But I couldn't risk leading them to the village.

"But..."

"I get it," I said. "I know you want to protect the village, and I do, too. At that moment, I wasn't really thinking."

"No," he agreed, looking away for a moment. He certainly looked troubled, and again, I couldn't blame him. This was all so much, it was a troubling thing to hear. "I guess not." His eyes found mine once more. "I'm glad you're alright, (Y/n), truly."

"Me too," I said softly.

"And... you are alright, right? You're not hurt anywhere?"

I smiled. "I'm alright, Thadd, really."

Really, I was lucky to have made it out with my life. If that stranger hadn't been there...

"Thadd," I said suddenly, catching his full attention. He blinked, and his eyebrows rose upwards. When he hummed in response, I stepped closer to him, remembering why we'd come to see him in the first place. "Listen, you've been standing guard here all day, right?"

"Yeah," he answered uncertainly. "Like every other day. It's my job to stand guard here. Why do you ask?"

"I mentioned I didn't kill the monsters," I reminded him. 

"Right."

"Someone else did it for me."

"Who?"

"A stranger," I told him. "Though we love our tourism, we haven't gotten travelers here in a long, long while. We come to know everyone here, don't we?"

"Right," he said slowly once more.

"Anyone who enters the village goes by you first," I said, smiling now. His cheeks started to warm once more, and he swallowed hard as he nodded.

"Right," he said once again.

"So," I said, "the stranger that saved my life must have been let in only because you let him."

"Right," he echoed once more, then shook his head as though to shake himself out of whatever trance he'd found himself in. "Um. So... Yes. That's right."

"You saw them, then?"

"Yeah," Thadd answered, leaning against his pitchfork. "Strange one, that one."

"How do you mean?"

"Well," Thadd began, scratching his chin with one hand. "He made to ride right through the gate if I hadn't stepped out to talk to him. He'd have went right by me."

"You didn't threaten him, did you?"

"Ah, well..." He trailed off, scratching his chin and I laughed lightly, which made him smile at any rate, and so he continued. "He was suspicious, that's for damn sure. He's a Hylian, and didn't seem to have any ill-intentions, so I let him through. He did ask me some questions, though."

"He talked to you?"

"A bit, yeah. I also kinda demanded answers from him at first. Maybe he was intimidated by me, who knows?"

"Mm-hm," I hummed with amusement. "I'm sure. So, did he say why he was here?"

"No," Thadd answered. "He asked me about Hateno, about what we have here, and asked for a tour. As if I have the time to give tours, even if I wanted to," he grumbled. "But anyway, that was it. He went on, and from there, I didn't keep an eye on him or anything."

"Well, he's the one who rescued me," I mused. "Seems mysterious, though..."

"And suspicious," Thadd provided. "I'm glad he saved you, so we have that to thank him for at least. but to think I could just give up my post for a tour..." He turned to face Leah. "You've been awfully quiet there. It's not like you. Why'd you let this one wander around on her own?"

Leah chuckled. "I was preoccupied with my brothers. Honestly, I didn't really think she was going to start fighting monsters today."

I shrugged sheepishly. "I wasn't going to let them attack us," I said. "As you said, they had us surrounded, even if unintentionally."

"Hey, I'll take it," Leah said happily, smiling mischievously now. "Our (Y/n) is a hero... kinda, anyway!" I rolled my eyes, but didn't protest when Leah threw an arm around my shoulder and pressed her cheek to my own. "Anything to distract her from talking about her silly theories, right?"

At that, I did a poor job of stifling my sigh because it slipped past my lips anyway. Sure, I prattled on about them often, but a comment like that was unnecessary, wasn't it? Still, it was in jest, so I let it slide, especially when at that moment, any retort that had been bubbling up in my throat died as someone called for Leah.

"Hm? What's happening?" Leah asked, stepping away from me and turning towards the center of town. "More trouble?"

Apparently, it was trouble, but trouble only in the sense that her youngest brother had scraped his knee and was calling for her to help and the message had gotten relayed through town. "Always something with those two," she mumbled before breaking into a jog. "See you guys later!"

We watched her go, me with my thinly-veiled embarrassment for my thoughts being made into a joke and Thadd with his pitchfork and knowing gaze. After clearing his throat, he waited until I turned back to meet his gaze. "For the record," he said gently, "I don't think they're silly. Your theories, I mean."

Alright, fine, I'll admit it - that got a smile out of me, a real one, warm and genuine. "Thanks," I said softly in response. "I guess I just talk about them too much."

"No, I don't think so," Thadd said thoughtfully. "I think if someone likes you enough, they'll listen to you talk about anything forever, or nearly."

"That's pretty profound, you know," I said lightly. "But it's sweet. Thank you, really."

Thadd smiled warmly, the faintest of flushest overtaking his face once more. "Ah, it's nothing. Listen, if I hear anything else about that stranger, I'll let you know. He is mysterious, but seems pretty well-intentioned if nothing else. I mean, he came to your aid, and for that I'll have to thank him."

"That's exactly what I want to do," I replied. "I don't intend to let something like that go unrepaid."

Something strange passed across Thadd's face, then - something sad and almost regretful. "He's protected this town better than I ever have, and he only just showed up today."

"No, I don't think so," I said, echoing his words from before. "You let him in, after all. I suppose I'll have to thank you, too."

That sad look on his face was immediately chased away and replaced by the fiercest rise of embarrassment that settled on his face like dust. "Oh, um- that's not, that is to say, it's not necessary, but um... Well, I-"

I chuckled warmly as I turned away. "See you around, Thadd."

—

Though I spent that evening milling about in town, the stranger did not return, and no one had seen him except for when he passed through. The general consensus was that he must have gone up to the research lab, because from the beach, that destination alone wouldn't require him to pass through town again.

Either that, or he just walked right through the hills and back into the wilderness as silently as he arrived. So, you know. There's that.

There came a point in the evening where the mindless small talk around a campfire in a tent thrown up made of tarp and cloth to protect against the rain (for the skies opened up almost as soon as I resolved myself to stay in town) became too mindless, and so I decided to take the trek back home. Into my house I went, into a story I dove, and at long last, after a very strange and trying day, I fell asleep.

I awoke that next morning as I always did, and that was with the call of the rooster. I grabbed a piece of fruit after getting dressed into my usual work clothes with the addition of a hood, ate the fruit as I stood outside and looked out at the early morning landscape, then tended to my hens (lovingly and thoughtfully dubbed Wilfred, Cornelius, and Nugget) and to the rooster.

I tended to my garden after feeding the birds, then headed back inside. I swept my floors, did my laundry - and consequently remembered some clothes I'd tailored for the resident shop keeps in town (for I wanted something different to do this week, and that was all that I felt like picking up), and then settled in for a bigger breakfast. After that, well, I washed my dishes, rolled my sleeves back down, and headed out into the cool morning with the basket of clothes ready to go back to the shopkeeper.

When I stepped out of my house, I was greeted with the beautiful sight of the hills before me being illuminated by the sun's golden glow. The gold was a wonderful contrast against the other half of the sky's color, which was the usual wintry gray shade of dawn.

Ha, just kidding. It was still raining.

The entire sky was blanketed with clouds, and it was incredibly obvious that it was going to be a veritable spring rainstorm, one that might last a few more minutes or a few more days. There was no telling, and in Hyrule, the goddesses certainly loved their rain.

Before heading outside, I'd covered the basket with a thick blanket that I didn't need anytime soon to try to protect the clothes from the rain. I'd told the shopkeeper - well, really the wife of the owner of the Kochi Dye Shop - that I'd bring these clothes to her today. 

Though the self-proclaimed greeter for the shop, that only worked so well when Hateno had so few visitors and so more of her time was actually spent making and mending clothes. I'd offered to take these to grant her a short break, not that I think she used it to relax. Instead, I think she simply threw all of herself into her newest styles of clothes instead of mending old ones. But it didn't matter; work was work, and I was happy to do it.

I hadn't yet reached town when someone approached me. I could hear their hurried breaths before I could see them, and when I rounded a hill, I saw the culprit - Leah.

"Good morning," I called. Her hood was set about her head but it was clear the running had swept it off at some point with the way her bangs were plastered to her forehead and cheeks and her nose and chin were dripping with raindrops.

"Morning," she replied breathlessly, stopping to catch her breath. When I reached her side, she fell into step alongside me. "So, about that stranger-"

"What," I cut in teasingly, "no asking how my night was?"

Instead of dignifying my words, she stuck her tongue out at me. She knew I was only kidding, so her reaction was purely playful as well. "Anyway," she finally continued, "I found something out. I spoke to Thadd this morning. Apparently, the stranger couldn't finish his business at the lab."

"So, that is why he's here?"

"I guess so," Leah replied. "Thadd said he asked, but he got really short, answers that weren't really descriptive or helpful. I don't know how he knows the director, but the old bat in the lab seems to have him doing chores. But with the rain, he hasn't been able to finish them."

"So, what then? Thadd never leaves his post, so did the stranger leave?"

"Not for long, but he did," Leah told me. "He went off to go take care of the monsters in the forest for us."

"Wow," I breathed out, watching as with the slope of the path turning just so, all of Hateno Village was displayed for us like a painting. 

It was a view I'd seen a million times before, or nearly, and though beautiful, especially so with the rain, I didn't have it in myself to focus on it. No, I was more focused on the fact a stranger was so damn courageous, strong, and kind-hearted that not only had he saved me, but he took it upon himself to take care of the monsters slowly closing in on our village borders.

"Seems we have a hero on our hands," Leah said meaningfully. "Crazy, isn't it? Someone that skilled, doing chores for that crazy old lady..."

"I wonder what business he has there," I murmured, not having meant to have said it aloud. "Related, maybe?"

"Who knows? All I know is that if he is as good a fighter as he seems to be, maybe I'll hire him."

"What, like a mercenary?"

"Sure! I know I've told you before that I want to leave this place, right?"

"Yeah," I affirmed, "but never for long. That's what you said, right? You want to travel, do your art, find your muse, then return here."

"Well, yeah," she considered. "This is home to me, and it always will be."

"So why leave?"

"My brothers are so young, for one thing," she answered. "With both our parents gone, well... I can't just leave them here alone. And if they travel with me, I want them to be safe. Whether that means we hire someone, or we all learn to protect ourselves, I don't know. Even if I want to return here, I want them to be able to leave, if ever they want to."

"I see," I considered seriously. "You think that way, even if it's safe here?"

"I don't want them stuck here just because I'm here," she said. "That wouldn't be fair. Besides, you fought monsters, right? If you can find some courage, then so can I."

I smiled, considering it. "I guess that's true."

"It's funny, though. You're questioning me like this when it's obvious you don't want to be here, either." She looked at me even as we continued to walk, even as we continued to descend towards town. "It's obvious you want to leave. I just wonder why you're so hesitant. Why is that? What's keeping you from going?"

"Why do you want to see the world, Leah?"

"Because I have the chance to," she said simply, not bothering to ask why I answered her question with one of my own, at least for now. "I'm not sure if I ever told you, but it was always my father's dream to see a dragon, but with how sick he was, well..." She shook her head as though to physically remove that thought from her mind. "I can do what he never had the chance to. If I see a dragon, I can draw it and show him what he always wanted to see."

My eyes softened, and I dared not speak until I was sure she was done. "That's incredibly selfless, Leah."

"Yeah, well... Don't think you're getting out of this by answering my question with a question."

"Compared to you," I began, "my reason to leave is selfish."

"So?"

"So, what?"

"Exactly - so what? Who cares? Your parents left Hateno, and so did your brother. They left the house to you, and it's great that you've kept it for them, but you can leave. Nothing else ties you here except for what you let tie you here."

I remained silent. She was right. Strangely enough, she was.

"You've got no set job here," Leah continued. "You do a lot for everyone, but don't think anyone's blind enough to realize that it's because you think you have no real place here."

"Leah, you..." I swallowed hard, accepting the truth as it was. It has always been my truth, but to hear it aloud...

"You decided to take up a weapon to protect us," she said. "I don't know if I would have had the courage to. Maybe if my brothers were there, sure, but... You're not like that. You compared the weight of your own life against the good of the many, the people who live here. Despite not really feeling like you're one of us, you decided to fight for us anyway." She paused, looking over my face carefully. "What's that look for? Do I have it right?"

I nodded unsurely, then after a moment, incredibly surely.

"Yeah," I breathed out. "Yeah. You've got it. I..."

Leah smiled. "You're something else, you know that? You say I'm selfless, but you stayed rooted here for your family. You risked yourself to protect us, despite never having picked up a weapon before. And you would willingly give up your dream to find proof of your theory about the fallen hero..."

I stopped walking. By now, we had effectively reached town, and I found myself at a lack of things to say that were meaningful or profound. And yet, it seemed I had a few words, simple though they were: "If anything is clear," I said, "it's that I picked right when I chose you as my best friend."

She nudged my shoulder with hers. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't notice those things? And how could I call myself your best friend if I let you suffer for the rest of your life here?"

"I mean, you'd be..." I trailed off at the first sign of movement, because for some reason, it captured all of my attention.

With such a rainy morning, very few people were out. And so, on the otherwise deserted street, the sound of hooves against the muddy road and the sight of a proud horse trotting through the gate was impossible to miss.

The horse was of a proud bay color, though the coat was darkened and slicked by rainfall. Its mane, tail, and stockings were all stark white that seemed to glow, or at least the parts not sullied by mud. It was a beautiful horse, one familiar only because I'd seen it yesterday at the beach. And atop its back... a stranger. The stranger.

"Leah, that's..."

"That's him?"

Closer now, I could see the detailed, intricately-carved regalia bound to the horse. It was well-bred, if nothing else, and entirely different from the dappled horses of the wild herds that often grazed in the fields beyond the village's borders.

"What a beautiful horse," I said, not having been able to get a good look at it yesterday.

"What a beautiful man," Leah said, her eyes wide and her mouth agape.

I nearly laughed. "Leah," I chided, "you can't even see his face."

Sure enough, the stranger's hood was set atop his head, and just like yesterday, dull blond bangs peeked out from beneath along with an angled nose, thin lips pressed into a line, and fair skin. Though certainly the mystique was alluring, I held a strange sense of satisfaction because I alone knew what his eyes looked like.

And what a set of eyes they were, alight with the fire of courage.

...

Well, enough of that.

I returned my attention to the stranger, the one who had saved me so kindly. I took a good look at him, for I hadn't been able to at the time, save for his eyes, enticing as they were beautiful- wait, what?

Hylia. Never-mind.

Strapped to his back was a bow, and a quiver full of arrows sat against his hip. The saddlebags were absolutely full of what looked like loose provisions, vials and potions and things of that nature, and set across his back was a wooden shield that looked about ready to break. Against his other hip was a sheath, in which there was a sword, its proud pommel reflecting what little light there was out here.

There was also, looped to his belt, a tablet of some kind of a material I'd never seen before.

Strange.

Before I could approach him, and before Leah could either, the innkeeper walked up to him.

"Go talk to him," Leah said, pushing me slightly towards him.

"No," I said. "Not now. I've got something to do, and besides, if he's stuck here until the rain clears, then I'll have plenty of time... probably."

Leah huffed out a breath. "You're something else."

I pouted playfully. "You meant that in a good way a few minutes ago."

"Well," she said, "you just ruined it. Just go do what you need to do, I've got to make sure my brothers don't sleep the whole day away."

"Have fun with that," I told her, watching as she jogged away. With a rushed goodbye from her, she headed towards her home and after I took one more look at the stranger, I turned on my heel and headed once more towards the dye shop.

Talking to the stranger could wait. I still needed some time to figure out what exactly I wanted to say, anyway. So, for now, I may as well get my chores for the day out of the way. Then, maybe, I could gather up some courage leftover from yesterday and thank him for saving my life.

When I wanted some excitement around here... goodness, the goddesses had certainly been very generous.

But I wasn't complaining, not at all - for the goddesses had sent to me a hero.