Whatever storm I had been anticipating had been incomparable to what actually came. In my head, I was picturing something like the mountainous, tumultuous waves that crashed upon the sands of Hateno's beaches during summer storms, or the powerful gusts of wind that felt like they could tear my house from its very foundations, or the unbearable weight of so much snow piled up just outside my door the morning after a blizzard...

But what happened was nothing like any of those.

Rather, it was the far-off sight of storm clouds over the ocean, it was the whisper of clouds arcing through the air far above our heads that were carried by the wind only to build up and rain somewhere else, and more than all of that, it was the distant but distinct rumbling of thunder so many leagues away.

Link's anger was quiet. His disapproval was silent. His fear was undetectable.

But through it all, that was its downfall, because they were all the more obvious because of it.

When we found a spot to set up camp, which as a matter of fact had not been terribly long of a ride from where we had just fought those monsters, Link was quiet and had wordlessly dismounted Epona, hitched her, and then clambered up onto a flat bed of rock. I followed suit, and Link had actually reached out for me as I started to climb up after him. I had taken his hand gratefully, letting him help pull me up with such easy strength it was hard to imagine having it myself.

When we managed to scrounge up enough loose wood and kindling to start a fire, Link was quiet and had tended to the flames wordlessly as I prepared a simple meal. That uneasy quiet continued long after he went out to feed and water the horses, and even once he returned and settled across the fire from me once more. When the food was ready, the silence lingered.

All the while, as I took the food off the heat and prepared to portion the meal, Link's eyes were furrowed. They'd been that way for a while and admittedly, I didn't know how to start the conversation to see if he was alright.

I feared he might snap, for we'd had this discussion already. He didn't want me fighting. He didn't want me getting hurt. Would asking if he was alright just lead to the rehashing of the same points he'd made before? If so, I'd make the same points, too. I wanted to fight. I wanted to know how to defend myself. Actually, I needed to, because I didn't plan on just staying put in Hateno for the rest of my life.

No, assuredly not. Whether with him or without, I would travel. I would see Hyrule as it was meant to be seen. I would adventure, I would explore, I would make this life my own. I would make myself proud. I would live a life to be proud of. I would.

So, as I gathered up the nerve to speak to him, I set the food into their respective dishes and, once it was ready, stole a glance at Link. He was looking not at me, nor at the food, but at the fire, and that first tipped me off that something was really, truly wrong. Link loved food. Link loved to eat. To not be excited for the meal... to not be looking at me, anticipating the distribution of the food...

It was strange.

So something was wrong.

He certainly looked to be deep in thought as I set my food down then got to my feet, his bowl in my hand. I stepped around the fire then crouched down beside him once more, the scuff of my boot against the rock an almost invasive sound against those of nature, those that seemed to be all we could hear.

To not chat during our meal or the prep for it was strange. This way, I had little more to listen to than all the ones around me; the birds, the bats, the echoes against the canyon walls of sounds far-off. I was on-edge, simply because I did not have the comfort of his gentle strength and experience to rely on.

Tipped off by the sound of a strange chirping noise somewhere nearby, I was so focused on remaining still and guarded and keeping an eye out for any movement in the darkness that I didn't realize that Link was looking at me. I didn't realize, not until I turned back towards him to hand him his meal.

Perhaps I'd kept him waiting for too long? No, surely not - he was looking far too worried for the food to be his concern. But he did not voice it, so I did not ask.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," I murmured, handing him his bowl. In one hand he took it, and when I was sure he had it, I began to draw back. "Just thought I heard something, that's all."

"(Y/n)," he said evenly, though quietly, though incredibly sadly, "why were you so reckless?"

There was no avoiding his gaze. There was no avoiding this questioning. There was even no way of avoiding this proximity because as I made to stand, he grasped my wrist in his free hand gently. He was not keeping me in place forcefully, but rather, his fingers were just loosely circled around my wrist, a silent request for me to stay here, for just a moment.

I adjusted in my crouch, settling more comfortably with my weight settled evenly between my feet. I would stay, for just a moment.

I was expecting him to bring this up eventually, but to be so direct right off the bat surprised me. Still, I did not shy away. "You were in danger," I decided to say, because it was honest and it was plain enough to understand. He had been in danger. It inspired me to move, to fight, to help.

"You put yourself in more danger than I had been in by doing that," he argued gently.

"Maybe," I said, "but you'd have died or gotten really injured if I hadn't jumped in."

"And you almost died in my place," he pressed urgently, his voice rising in urgency and in volume. My eyes widened; it'd been a while since anyone had raised their voice to me like this, or in any way, and I... I wasn't sure how to react.

Well, my brain didn't know how to react. My heart though, well it was hurt and threw up all its defensive walls. I dared not wince from his tone; shouldn't he have been grateful? I had saved his life!

"But I hadn't!"

"But you could've," he countered. "You were reckless!"

"You were reckless, too!"

"No," he disagreed. "I wasn't! I'm trained to fight! I'm experienced, and you're not! I've been in a fight or two before, (Y/n)! I'd have been fine! If you had died, it would've... Dammit, it would have been my fault!"

"What makes you say that? My actions are my own, and if my choices led to my death, then so be it!"

"Do you not get it? You could have died, (Y/n)! You know what death is, don't you?"

"Of course I do," I said, trying not to be too offended at the slight to my intelligence.

"So you know that death is final," he said firmly. "There are no do-overs, no way of trying again!" By now, he was growing more and more exasperated, as though speaking all of this aloud was taking a physical toll on him. His eyes were watery, his brow furrowed, and he was altogether the picture of frustration and... and fear. Of desperation.

"Link," I began, only for him to shake his head vehemently.

"I've known so many," he began, hesitant to speak but doing it all the same.

"So many...?"

"So many," he echoed, "that have died. And all of them were..."

"Link, you don't have to..."

"The point is," he said, shaking his head, his eyes losing some of their glassiness and the fogginess of memories but more so, of grief, "I'm not a stranger to that kind of thing and you really could've died."

"I understand," I said softly. "I do. It was reckless, dangerous, and really stupid - I know that."

"What were you thinking, then?"

"As I said," I began, "you were in danger. I wasn't thinking. You didn't see that Moblin, the strike would've been your last. And that Bokoblin was aiming right at your back, and there was no time, and I was scared, Link."

"But..."

"Please," I pleaded. "Please, Link. I understand where you're coming from, but what about you?" Link looked down and away. "If the roles were reversed, which for a time they were... what would you have done? When I was in danger, what did you do?"

"(Y/n), this isn't..."

"Come on," I prodded. "Answer me."

I met his eyes surely as he considered it. "I ran to you," he answered.

"And?"

"And..."

"And saved me," I finished for him. "You saved me, Link. You did, and I'm grateful for that. I don't mean to sound like I'm not, because I am. But like at the beach, I knew the danger I was getting into by joining you. When I picked the weapon up then, I knew I could get hurt; and today, I picked up that spear knowing it. But I did it anyway."

I trailed off for a moment, not sure exactly how to say what I wanted to, because I wasn't even exactly sure what I felt and yet, I had to say it all the same.

"I don't know what it is about you exactly," I began, meeting his eyes resolutely. "But there's something that..." All traces of Link's frustration and anger faded away and soon it was replaced by confusion, and maybe something like intrigue. "This is embarrassing, it is, but... Ah, never-mind. I'll tell you another time."

"(Y/n)?"

I chuckled lightly. How could I tell him that I had prayed to Hylia for a sign to leave Hateno, and that I thought he was that sign? How was I to tell him that he had this aura about him, like he was meant for greater things? How was I to tell him that I felt I would never repay him for saving me the first time - not even by saving his very own? How was I to tell him that I felt he was meant for more - and that the sign from Hylia had been for something far, far more than I had ever anticipated?

I couldn't say that. So, instead, I smiled as reassuringly as I could at him. "Link," I said, "train me."

He blinked, clearly unable to comprehend what I'd said - or perhaps he just didn't know how to. All he could do was vocalize a simple, "What?"

"Was I unclear? I would like you to train me, Link. I can't just sit by while you fight, I... I want to help you. That's why I joined you, and that's why I rushed in after you. Besides, after you drop me off at Hateno, I might just leave. Without knowledge of how to fight..."

Taking the bait, he seemed to think it over for a moment. In the meantime, I continued to try to plead my case.

"If I had run away today," I continued, "you would have gotten hurt. And if that happened, I wouldn't have ever been able to forgive myself."

"And, if you get hurt..."

"I'll have less of a chance of getting hurt if I know how to defend myself," I argued gently. "Running away only works if I don't run headfirst into more danger. And... there are some things you just can't run away from."

Link nodded, understanding. "Yeah," he agreed. "I know that much."

He paused, searching my eyes for something, I don't know what, and I didn't think to ask. Not that it mattered, because sooner than I knew it, I was pulled away from the intense focus of his oceanic eyes as he found what he was looking for.

"So long as you don't do anything purposely reckless like that again," he said firmly, "then I will. I'll train you." I smiled. Before I could thank him, he added, "It's a long road to Kakariko. Some sparring ought to liven things up a big, right?"

"Right," I agreed, almost in an indulgent way. "Thanks, Link. Truly."

"No," he said. "Thank you. I didn't say it before, but... you did save my life, so thank you."

I shrugged a little, sheepishly and in a way that hopefully didn't let my embarrassment show through. To be thanked for something like that... It felt good. It did. "For everything so far," I said, "thank you."

It was strange, but a certain kind of certainty settled onto my shoulders, into my bones, into the foundation of my very soul. And judging by the look in Link's eyes and his kind, knowing smile, he might have felt the same. He must, if he was smiling like that.

We were... not quite on equal footing, not yet. But we were getting there.

The word partners rang forth in my mind. Partners... I liked the sound of it. I would have to work hard to become worthy of being able to call myself that, though. But I had a feeling that Link would do all that he could to help me get there. Because somewhere deep in my heart I had a feeling that he was meant for something far greater than I ever was, and that through it all, through all his grief and his clouded past... he wanted help. He needed it.

He just didn't know how to ask for it, or if he was even worth it. But just as he would train me, I might just train him.

—

Only minutes later, we were settled beside each other, the bowls in our laps and we were eating. Now that the storm clouds had rolled away, taking with it all the traces of rainfall except for the mud, the lingering chill, the puddles and the drips of raindrops from leaves - or in this case, things still left to be discussed, the sky was clear. The uncomfortable silence was now comfortable, the awkward air no longer stifling.

We'd gotten to talking again, with me stating simply how excited I was to be starting to learn to fight - to really fight, and not just improvise. Link had chuckled warmly at that, swallowing his spoonful of food down before replying. "It'll be really basic training," he reminded me. "I don't think we'll really have the time to drill you like a knight."

Well, that had certainly caught my attention.

"Did you... train yourself like a knight, Link? How? I've never seen records of their drills, not even from people who have families tracing back to the royal guards. So how do you-"

"You seemed to really enjoy using the axe the other day," Link prattled on, ignoring my line of questioning, even when I pressed it further. "It was only for chopping wood, but at any rate, those are really good weapons no matter the situation. Of course, a sword is far more traditional, but it's all preference. Of all weapons today, you grabbed the spear, so..."

I sighed, dropping my questions for now. He was strange, there was no doubting that. Whether or not I would ever get to the bottom of who he was... well, that wasn't up to me, was it? No, definitely not. But anyway, listening to him grow excited about the prospect of training someone - of training me specifically - was enough to make me forget about it for now. So, I sat, and I ate, and I listened.

Someday, maybe Link will answer my questions. Maybe one day he'll humor my prodding. But not today, it seemed. Oh, well. I was happy enough just listening to him for now.

When dusk came, it marked the end of another day of adventuring.

—

When dawn came, it marked the beginning of another day of adventuring.

Link woke up early, and so I woke up early, and it was an easy thing to pack everything up, clamber down from where we'd set up our camp, and fasten everything to the saddlebags. After a light breakfast, we unhitched the horses and set off onto the road, bright and early.

I mentioned off-handedly that I was starting to run out of the provisions I'd packed for myself, the dried meats and packaged cheeses and fruits I'd grabbed in my rush out the door, and Link noted this. "We'll stop somewhere," Link told me. "There's usually a little market somewhere near here..."

And so we pressed on.

I nodded and adjusted to be as comfortable in the saddle as I could possibly be, and as the sun rose higher in the sky, we continued to ride. Through the canyon we rode, in an easy quiet and sense of calm that found us naturally.

The horses' hooves against the ground, the songs of birds, the tune I heard in my head as I looked around at everything around me... All of it merged together into a beautiful melody of nature and unfocus, and I was left wondering why I'd waited so damn long to leave Hateno in the first place. I mean, really. We didn't have canyons in Hateno!

It was a calm ride, and when the sun hit its peak in the sky, we stopped to rest. Finding a pocket of rock that rounded out into a small alcove, we settled here, giving the horses plenty of things to snack on while we did the same.

It was warm while riding, but now in the shade, I found that I had cooled down rather considerably. With the breeze still rolling through but without the sun to combat it, I was left significantly more chilled than I had been - not that I was complaining. It was a warm day. To cool down like this was nice.

We relaxed together for a while, hiding from the midday heat, before Link stood, letting me know to sit tight for a minute. I did just that, but when he returned...

It seemed my training was to begin.

What he had grabbed was a bow of his, rather simple and plain but a bow all the same. With my arms wrapped loosely around my knees I had been relaxing, but Link evidently had other plans. I started to get up, but Link shook his head.

"No need to get up or anything," he said. "The first step in training is usually conditioning, but I don't know if that's all too interesting for you. So, the next step is getting to know your weapon. Know what this is?"

"Yes, Link," I said, laughing a little as I took it in hand when offered. "It's a bow."

"Yep," he chimed, as though he thought I might not have gotten it right. "A hard weapon to use, but considerably safer than the other options because it's long-range."

"Right," I said. "Makes sense to me. So, you want me to start with this, then? Be able to grant you cover while being far from danger?"

"Well," he said, considering it, "we can. Really, you can choose whatever you want. I think this will be a good place to start, though."

"Really? And not a sword or something? Isn't that what knights use?"

"Sure," he answered, "but you seem to have a good handle on how blades are used already."

"Oh, please," I said, laughing earnestly. "All I did was swing an axe around to cut down a tree and a club to whack a Bokoblin around."

"And that's basically all there is to it!"

"Surely there's more to it than that?"

"There is," he relented and answered, honestly now. "Advanced techniques are good and all, but for now, just being able to swing a club around and whack something is enough. I'll be honest with you, I'm not the best at archery myself, so if you could provide some cover, it'd be really helpful."

I chuckled. "Oh, is that right?" He smiled boyishly, shrugging a little. "What, you just want to train me to cover what you're not good at?"

"No," he protested right away, smiling all the while and letting me know that he was lying. But it was obvious, and he knew I would notice, and it was playful - and so I smiled and shook my head.

"You're something else," I said. "But fine, let's do it. Teach me how to shoot an arrow, Link."

Link beamed, looking far happier than I was expecting. I did what I could for now to ignore how bright and wonderful his smile was, and did everything in my power to focus on what he was saying.

It was difficult, but... somehow I managed.