Time seemed to drag by in an almost painful manner by the time Impa finally called down for the two of us to head downstairs and join them. Without saying the words, I knew what she meant to say: "Whatever cool, highly-classified information we were sharing and discussing has been shared and discussed, so it's safe for you lot to rejoin us!"

So, that's exactly what Paya and I did. We went down the stairs together at a pace that we tried to make seem unhurried but it was obvious to everyone in the room that we had been hurrying anyway. As soon as he was in view, my eyes sought out Link's of cool blue, and I was delighted to find that his own had been searching my own out.

He glanced briefly towards Paya, but that was only because she slowed upon seeing him, and I could only guess that it was because she was suddenly nervous to be around him. I glanced back at her too, only to smile at the sight of the blush rising up from her neck and reaching the ends of her pointed ears.

Link looked back at me as I reached the bottom step and went readily to his side. He welcomed me there happily, and smiled warmly at me. "Hey," he spoke quietly as Paya asked if there was anything she could get Impa. "Are you doing alright?"

"I'm trying not to think about it too much," I told him honestly, knowing he was referring to what I had learned about my own birth, my own heritage. "Not here, anyway. It's not Lady Impa's fault my parents did what they did. That's just something I'll have to handle on my own."

"You don't have to do it alone," he reminded me, and my smile turned grateful and warmth bloomed from my heart. I nodded, hoping he could see all that gratitude I felt for him displayed in my facial expression, in my eyes. If mine were only half as expressive as his own, then surely he would have - and judging by the look on his face as he searched my gaze, and the gentle smile he wore, then he must have.

"Thank you," I said, my voice not daring to rise above a whisper as Impa and Paya had their own conversation only a few short feet away. "I appreciate that more than you'll ever know."

"Of course," he murmured. "I can't imagine how surprised you must have been... I'm proud of you, for standing so tall even now."

"I can't very well disappoint the most courageous boy I know," I said, laughing lightly and enticing a chuckle out of him as well.

"Fair enough," he said, his gloved hand reaching for my elbow. "Listen, before we-"

"(Y/n)," Impa called, and I didn't even have it in me to be embarrassed that it seemed their conversation had ended several moments ago, meaning they must have been witness to our close proximity, our hushed words, the gentle smiles and gazes meant only for each other to see. "Dear child... come here."

"Yes, Lady Impa," I said, leaving Link's side and stepping closer to the Sheikah elder. Her eyes searched my features for something I would likely never be able to guess, and it felt for a moment that she was looking right past my skin and clothes and right into my soul, instead.

"Goodness, how you've grown," she remarked once more. "Those eyes of yours... you are definitely your mother's child. But I suppose you must have been blessed with courage of your very own. Based on what your parents had told me, I was afraid you'd never leave Hateno Village. And what a pity that would be - I cannot travel Hyrule as I once did because of these old bones of mine. But you have your youth, and that is not to be wasted."

"That is a lesson I learned recently," I said. "Thankfully, Link was generous enough to allow me to join him."

"No," Impa disagreed. "Thankfully, you searched your heart for what you wanted, and you found the answer. Many people never try; they never realize it's an option. Others try but never find the answer. How fortunate you are then, to have found your answer and exactly when you needed to."

"I hadn't thought of it that way," I mused, and a sense of clarity settled over my heart. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

"My dear, do your parents know you're here?"

"They don't," I answered her. "And if it's not too much trouble, I'd like it to stay that way."

Impa smiled in a mischievous, grandmotherly sort of way. "I'm the elder here. I don't have to tell anyone anything that I don't want to. And I... want to see how this plays out. Link," she said, turning his way now, and though he took a step closer to us, she lifted one hand, halting him from doing so. "Did you resist her, when she asked to come with you?"

"Yes," Link said, shifting a bit uncertainly on his feet. "But only because I feared for her safety."

"And," she prompted, "you've felt that responsibility on your shoulders too many times to count, I fear."

"Exactly," he said.

"What changed your mind, then?"

"There was this look in her eyes," Link began, looking at me instead of the elder. I looked over my shoulder, meeting his gaze readily. "She wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Stubborn to the end, even now," Impa said, clearly holding back a laugh.

"And... more than that, she looked like this was all she ever wanted - to travel, I mean. To explore. I know the feeling well, so I couldn't deny her any longer."

"So you, she who lived for so long for her family, rooted in one spot, uprooted herself only to repot where she wanted to stand, and stood firm for what she believed in," Impa mused, "and you, he who has gone through so much and has been so strong for so long alone, reopened his heart. How wonderful - and how terribly interesting. Yes, I do think I'll enjoy how this one plays out."

"It's been wonderful so far," I added quietly, and only to her. She met my eyes and once again she seemed less like a wise elder but more like a family member, one equal parts caring and playful.

"Have you helped him, as he has surely helped you?"

"Yes," I answered. "But not enough, yet."

"No," she agreed. "It never feels like enough, I'm afraid." She then turned to Paya. "Open that window, if you will."

"Yes, Lady Impa," she replied dutifully, hurrying to a nearby window. Just as soon as the shutters were drawn open, and a breeze began rolling through, a bell chimed somewhere far off, and Impa smiled knowingly.

"Just in time," she said, turning to us once more. "Both of you, listen well. There is a changing of the guard right now. (Y/n), your father will be returning home, and your mother will follow shortly after to meet him there. Go now, and you will not be seen. Take care of each other, for the fate of Hyrule rests with you."

"Thank you, Lady Impa," I said, before I could even take in what she'd said.

Wait, the fate of Hyrule? What does she-

Link echoed the sentiment of gratitude before grabbing my wrist and tugging me along after him.

"Come on, (Y/n)," he said when we reached the door.

He pulled it open, ushering me out first. In the sudden movement of him following, then turning to close the door behind us, he let go of my wrist and I reached back blindly towards him with that hand while the other pulled the hood up over my head just in case my parents decided to linger. When he turned back around, he took my hand in his, passing my wrist entirely.

I didn't pull away, nor did I protest. I only curled my fingers around his then fell into step right alongside him. With my free hand I held the hood down over my head, trusting that Link would lead me and that my feet would not betray me.

Thankfully, Link did lead me, and my feet did not betray me. Down the stairs we went, then right to the horses. Link let go of my hand only to help me unhitch my mare, and he hurriedly set his hands on my hips to help lift me up towards the saddle. I didn't even have time to thank him before he had Epona unhitched, too. As he pulled himself up into the saddle, I already had Sky turned around, and when she let out a triumphant whinny, I knew she picked up on the urgency and so I kicked into her sides. Epona, with Link atop her back, followed right along.

The roads were nowhere near deserted, but people stayed well out of the way of our thundering charges as we made for the main gate. It was, of course, the only way out of here - and so it was exactly where we were going.

Honestly, I wasn't sure why we were still rushing. We could have stopped once we reached the horses. But we hadn't. And something told me it was just for the fun of it all.

I realized it was a blessing perhaps gifted by the goddesses themselves when we passed by my mother. In some twisted stroke of fate and poor luck, she'd been out on a walk, and had just been returning to the village by the time we were leaving.

Time slowed.

But by the time our eyes met, and her eyes flooded with recognition - for she knew those eyes, she'd gifted them to her daughter herself - we were long past her, the only evidence of us having been there at all being the rush of air that flew after us and the dust the horses kicked up.

Together, we left my mother bewildered on that trail, and we galloped ever onwards - this time, towards Hateno Village.

—

That's what I had thought, anyway. Only, we weren't headed to Hateno at all.

As a matter of fact, we headed back down the canyon quickly. Right into a canter we went, and in that canter we stayed until we reached the very first place we could pull off. We had traveled far through the canyon wordlessly, but this place to pull off was strange. We weren't even at one of those rocky slopes that verged off towards the top of the canyon walls. Rather, we were instead facing a straight, tall wall of rock - one that it was clear he was aiming to climb.

We dismounted the horses there, leaving provisions for them and I fed Sky a treat and patted her neck as Link checked his map for what seemed like the hundredth time since we left Kakariko. Only, he looked like he was switching between the map and something else in the slate, but I dared not ask.

Ha, just kidding.

"Link," I called gently, stepping away from my mare and closer to him. "Is something the matter?"

I'd been nervous, of course, because of the speed at which we were going. Had he really wanted to get me back to Hateno as quickly as possible, then? It seemed likely, considering how fast we had been going, but it didn't seem like him. Something else was happening - something I did not understand, and perhaps did not want to.

"Did you find another detour?"

"Sort of," he finally answered, shaking his head and hooking his slate back to his belt. He looked up at the towering rock before him, then drew in a deep breath before looking at me sidelong. "We have one last stop to make, and I think this is the right way."

"You think...? Did Impa ask you for something else?"

"Yes," he confirmed. "Now, come on. It's not too far, and we get to paraglide again."

"Oh," I said, excited by that prospect but feeling terribly anxious about what Impa could have asked for him to be acting so seriously. It must have been important - very important. "Ok. I'm right behind you, Link."

He nodded, then began to climb. I followed suit, keeping pace with him as best I could. Still, he checked on me often, as he had before, and once he reached the top, he pulled himself up but turned around immediately, reaching towards me. I grabbed onto his hand as soon as I was able, and let him help me up the rest of the way. When we were both standing at the top, it was a short hike across and to the other side. There at the edge, we stopped.

"That's Ash Swamp there," Link said, pointing towards it. "The Blatchery Plain is beyond it, and past that... Bubinga forest. And that's our destination."

"The forest?"

"Just before it, there's a grassy glen with a perfect view of the Dueling Peaks. That's where we're headed."

"What's waiting for us there?"

"Hopefully, nothing," Link said, and at that, I looked at him directly, my confusion clear on my face.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing for you, at any rate," Link said quietly. "But Impa thinks there is something for me."

"I see," I murmured, looking out towards it. "Will we make it that far by paraglider?"

"With both of us, maybe not," he said. "But it won't be a long walk to get us there anyway."

"Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly, prompting him to look at me. "If it's for you, and it's that important, I can head back and stay with the horses. I wouldn't want to delay you if it's-"

"No," Link said, shaking his head rapidly. "I don't... I don't want you to do that. I mean! I mean, I want you there with me. If you want."

"And you're sure?"

"I am," he answered simply, though his voice was quiet. "This last part of the journey together will be quick and... and I don't want to lose any time with you."

That had my heart warming in a way I hadn't been anticipating, and I could only hope that it would stay in my chest, but that was a futile wish; the warmth that blossomed in my chest spread to my belly, filling me with sureness, and to my cheeks that warmed with blush, and it seemed to spread through my whole body.

I could do little more in response but nod, and he hurried to get his paraglider out as soon as he had the nonverbal permission to do so. Like before, I stood before him, and he stepped in close. When we were ready, we approached the edge, and all too soon, we were floating down towards the ground, the wind carrying us along as best it could.

—

The area was beautiful. The setting sun cloaked everything with this gorgeous golden glow. It was one of those sunsets in which the sun was wonderfully unblocked, not even by the wispiest of clouds. If I didn't know any better, I'd think the flower buds were on fire, for how red they were; I'd have thought it was fall, for how the thin leaves of trees caught all the light and appeared to be cased in gold; I'd have thought our shadows could have stretched all the way to Hyrule Castle for how long they were with the sun at our backs.

Everything shifted in the gentle breeze, and as we walked together through the forest glen, we were blessed to be completely, totally alone. There were no monsters to attack us here, and nothing to disturb the peace.

Link had stopped looking at his map so often, but he still glanced at his slate, looking at something else entirely, something he didn't let me see. They might have been instructions for all I knew, but I had no guesses as to what exactly we would find here.

Instead of relying on the map, he was looking around with acute focus, and there was this distinct furrow in his brow as his eyes took in every detail of the landscape. "It's gotta be around here somewhere," he huffed.

"What are you looking for?"

"Somewhere I've been before," he said cryptically. "A long, long time ago."

"Do you actually remember where?"

"No," he said. "But I know that the view looks like."

"I see," I said, even though I didn't. "Well, what do you remember? I can..."

Link stopped walking. I only realized when I didn't hear his footsteps fall after my own against the soft grass beneath our feet. By the time I turned, he was staring out towards the peaks through a break in the birch trees, across the fields and toward something I could not see.

He was looking out across the landscape, but his eyes were glazed over with unfocus.

"Link," I called quietly, only to get no answer, no reaction. "Link? Are you alright? Is something... Is something wrong?"

I still received no answer, and I took a step towards him only to hesitate and withdraw. Something was wrong, but I felt something urging me not to disturb him. He needed this time to do... whatever it was that was happening to him.

—

The Hyrule he knew was gone.

The Hyrule he had tried so desperately to save was burning to the ground, being reclaimed by the earth, and being reduced to little more than ashes.

He had not saved Hyrule. He had not saved its people. He had not saved his comrades, his fellow Champions.

But there was still one thing left he could protect, and he would do so.

He'd fallen to his knees after that last blow. He'd parried that last laser from a Guardian at just the right moment, and though the act of catching it against his shield had pained him, he had found the energy to throw it back, to deflect it.

The beam had struck the Guardian right in the eye, and it had gone up in a fiery explosion just as his shield crumbled and fell to the dirt. Now, the machine laid dormant, but over its corpse walked another of its brethren.

Link sucked in a breath and stabbed the Master Sword into the dirt as a crutch. He would not falter here. He could not. He would not allow it.

He set one foot into the dirt, and ignored the way Zelda placed her hands against him urging him not to stand, not to expend more of his energy.

He looked down at his own hand, still braced against the soil. He curled them inwards to make a fist, gouging out tracks in the dirt. His hand was shaking. Hylia, his whole body was shaking.

"Link," the princess said to him, her voice pleading and desperate, "save yourself! Go!"

He would not.

The wind rippled through the trees with a sense of incredible urgency, as though wanting him to flee as well. It would be all too easy to, with the wind at his back. 

But he would not.

"I'll be fine," Zelda argued, knowing what he would say - if he had found the breath to utter the words, if he had the nerve to break protocol. "Don't worry about me! Run!"

He would not.

The Guardian caught sight of them. He had to stand. He had to get up.

He stood, stumbling back a step and nearly bumping into the princess, who gasped and offered him up some room. Good. Maybe she'd run, get away while she could.

He would not run.

He would not abandon her here, but if she ran, he would stay and fight. He would follow her after.

The Guardian towered over them, peering down with one lifeless eye. Link could hear its mechanical whirring and its unnatural grinding of gears from deep within as it focused on them.

Its eye began to glow and it began drawing all its energy toward its eye. It would remain still as it aimed and drew its power together, and Link would take that time to prepare. He would gather up his own strength, gather it into his arm. He had lost his shield but he could still parry this blow with his sword. He had never done it before, not with just his sword, but he could not falter. He could not fail.

"No!"

...!

Before he knew what was happening, Zelda had pushed him behind her and placed her right hand out, reaching for the Guardian. No, not reaching - blocking. But how? She had no weapon. She would get herself killed! He had to-

A bright shine erupted from her hands, a glow that permeated the ashes and smog and smoke and dwarfed even the glow of the Guardian's eye. Hell, it dwarfed even the sun on a summer day. As his eye focused, he could see where it was stemming from, and it was from three perfectly equilateral triangles marked atop her hand.

It was the Triforce. She finally awakened her powers.

And all to save him, he who had not saved her... what a waste.

No matter, she was safe.

He didn't know he had fallen over until Zelda was on her knees behind him, leaning over him, trying to look into his eyes. "No, no..."

Her voice was quiet. No, it was muffled. She sounded so scared...

"Link! Get up!"

He wanted to try, for her. But he couldn't.

He felt... drained. His injuries and exhaustion must have caught up to him.

Zelda helped him to sit up, and he coughed up nothing at first, but he could feel it in the back of his throat: blood. He nearly fell back but she held firm, not letting him fall back to the dirt.

"You're going to be just fine..."

He opened his eyes, but he couldn't focus on anything. Nothing but the pain, and the relief that she was alright, and...

With her alive, there was hope for Hyrule.

That was all that mattered.

And so he closed his eyes once more, his sword dormant in his hand.

Goodness, he had wanted to get a nap in today. He'd known it as soon as he woke up.

This probably wasn't the best time, but it was calling to him. Sleep would feel so good right now...

And so he gave himself to that feeling, and resigned himself to rest.

—

Just as suddenly as Link seemed to get lost in his thoughts, he found his way back with a sudden intake of breath. He came to life again all at once, his chest heaving and his eyes wide, and was he... he was sweating, and I ran to him.

"Link? Link! Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

I was at his side in that instant, my hands braced against his shoulders and helping him to stand upright. I leaned in close, searching his eyes for any sign that he wasn't alright, because at this point, I couldn't be sure of that.

He wasn't paying attention still, or at least, not right away. Recognition slowly returned to his eyes as calmness ran through his system, and when his breathing evened out, he blinked, and all at once, I knew he was back to me without him having to say anything. It was in his eyes - he knew who I was, and guilt swam in his eyes for how concerned I was for him, and his features all softened, losing their edge.

He blinked once more, and then again, and he drew in a deep, controlled sort of breath, and I took it with him in an attempt to calm myself down, too.

"Link," I said once more, my voice hushed. "Are you back?"

"Yes," he breathed out, nodding slightly. "I am."

"Good, then," I said. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," he answered once more. "I think so."

I nodded, accepting his answer. "Now you can answer something, then. What was that?"

He seemed reluctant to answer, and I held my tongue, but for only a moment before something flared up in my chest. 

"Link, I was so worried," I said in a rush, having so much I wanted to say. "You spaced out, and I couldn't pull you out of it. I've tried just brushing things like this off - I know you're a strange kind of man, and I know nothing about you and I thought I would be ok with it, but... but I can't keep ignoring it. It's not fair."

"I'm sorry, (Y/n)," he said, and for his part, it sounded genuine. Still, I stepped away, dropping my hands down to my sides. He looked, for a moment, like he wanted to follow, but he did not. "I can't tell you."

"And why not? I'm a pretty open book, and I've tried to be content with not really knowing who you are, but-"

"You do know me," Link said. "I haven't been untruthful, I..."

"I most certainly do not," I argued, and he trailed off to listen. "I know there's a lot of your past you don't know, but there's a lot you do know, too. There are things you know that you haven't said. It's obvious."

"I... I know," he resigned himself to say. "I just wanted to protect you from it."

"Oh, please," I huffed. "No one else in Hyrule has technology as advanced as what you keep on your belt, Link. Did you think I wouldn't notice? That I wouldn't figure out that there's so much more to you than you tell me? And that I wouldn't know that there is so much that you won't tell me?"

"I didn't think so," he said, shaking his head. "But part of me prayed that you would."

"I've traveled with you this far because I wanted to," I said, and Link's eyes widened. "That has not changed. I like who you are, when you're yourself around me. But you hide so much. And now you're hiding this? You can't hide what just happened. You can pretend it didn't happen, or that I can't know, because I saw it. And something like that doesn't foster a lot of trust in someone, if you feel you only know one part of them."

For a few moments, he was silent.

I wanted to take it back, I did. But I didn't want to, at the same time. Everything had come out in a rush of emotions I hadn't anticipated, and I'd argue I wouldn't have been able to anticipate it if I had tried. Even if I had tried, and even if I had managed to anticipate it, I wouldn't have been able to stop it.

Because we'd been traveling together for a couple of weeks now, and I felt I knew him but conversely, at the same time I felt I didn't know him at all.

I just hadn't known that saying all of this would make him react in such a way. That's why I wanted to take it back. To see the hurt look in his eyes... I wanted to take him into my arms and tell him that I was sorry, that I didn't mean it, that I was content just being his partner however he would have me.

But the truth of it all was that I had already said it. I couldn't take it back.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but Link beat me to it. With his eyes securely on my own, he said something that truly I would never in a million years ever anticipate.

"I watched myself die."

"...What? Link, what do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

"Was it... Did you doze off or something? Or..."

"No," he said. "I've already died, (Y/n). It wasn't a premonition, or a bad dream. It was a memory." As the silence stretched on, he must have seen something worrying in my eyes because he came round to stand beside me, his hands on my shoulders. "Here, you look like you need to sit..."

"No, I... Wait, no..." My stammered words did not sway him, and even as I stared at the ground before me blankly, for I could not hope to focus on that as his words echoed in my mind, he guided me so gently towards a fallen log. He turned us, helped me sit, then sat beside me. "This makes no sense. You're not dead, you're alive. I can clearly see that you're alive."

"I am now," he said, setting his hand on my cheek to guide me to see him. I met his gaze, hesitant at first but then I was struck with the full force of his concern and I realized in that moment that he could tell me anything, because it was to him that I might turn, and it was him that would always comfort me somehow.

Someone who was dead could not hold me as he did now. Someone who was dead could not guide me so kindly to sit, then to look at him. Someone who was dead could not worry over me so.

Link was very much alive.

But how, if he had died?

"How could you have died, but be alive now?"

"I was resurrected," he stated simply, and I shook my head.

"Link," I sighed out, "come on."

"It's the truth," he said. "That memory..." He trailed off, his eyes displaying to me that he was recollecting what he had just seen, what he had just experienced - once more, apparently.

"Link," I said again, gentler this time. I set my hand on his back as his own lowered back to his lap and tears filled his eyes. "Just breathe, Link. Whatever you saw can't hurt you anymore."

He shook his head. "I died," he said, and I had to lean closer to hear him. "I should be dead now. But I'm not."

"You said you were resurrected," I reminded him. "How?"

"Princess Zelda had me sent to the Shrine of Resurrection," he told me.

"The... the princess? You knew her?" I didn't even realize how silly a question it was until I thought about it. But... But if he... No, wait...

"I did."

"But..."

"I could not protect her. I was there again. Seeing that memory. I lived through it again."

"No, wait..."

"(Y/n)," he said, "I lied to you, about a lot of things." His eyes found my own, and I didn't have it in me to lean away, to retreat from the proximity. I stayed exactly where I was, searching his eyes for any sign that he was lying. But he wasn't. He was telling the truth, now. "I woke up in a Shrine on the Great Plateau."

The Great Plateau? No one can get up there, though.

"I found the Sheikah Slate on a pedestal nearby. I had no memories, and no recollection of anything - not even my name. I only knew my training. It was all I could remember. A voice told me to take the slate, so I did."

"A voice," I echoed. "Who?"

"The princess, herself."

"Link, how..."

"(Y/n)," he said slowly, "I am the Hylian Champion. I was chosen to protect Princess Zelda herself, but I ultimately failed. When I emerged from the Shrine, I found myself in a Hyrule I did not recognize, but it felt familiar to me. I was tasked to go seek out Impa in Kakariko Village. She sent me to Hateno Village, where we met. And now..."

"Now we're here," I finished for him.

I was quiet for a few moments. So was he.

"You haven't been awake for too long, have you?"

"No," he answered.

"And these tasks you're being given," I began hesitantly. "Are they...?"

"I am to save Hyrule," he told me. "Zelda is fighting off Ganon as we speak, at Hyrule Castle. And she has been, for a century. She was waiting for me to wake up. Now that I have... I must aid her, defeat Ganon, and save Hyrule."

Everyone he knows - sorry, he knew - is dead. Everyone he ever worked with, everyone who loved him and those he loved, were gone. The Champions that were his comrades were gone. Any family he had were dead, too, though for as far as his bloodline went now was unclear. And Princess Zelda...

It was strange. It was so farfetched, it had to be made up. But he hadn't. This was truthful. He'd been honest.

He was the Hylian Champion, hand-chosen to protect Zelda and save Hyrule. But something had gone wrong.

"Link, you..."

"I am the reason Hyrule is as it is now," he told me. "I'm so sorry, (Y/n). It was so hard knowing that you wanted to know the truth, to find out what happened to the hero, but he... How was I to tell you who I was, when you wanted to find the truth? How could I stand before you and call myself the hero knowing I failed? How could I..."

He lowered his head again and began to cry in earnest, and in that moment, my heart shattered.

"No, Link," I said quickly, retracting my hand from his back and instead setting it beneath his chin, only to tip it upwards so he'd look at me. He lifted his head only so far as I guided him to but he glanced away, pointedly looking away from me. "You didn't fail. You didn't."

His bottom lip began to quiver but he took it between his teeth, clearly not wanting to break down. But stubborn tears rolled down his cheeks anyway, getting caught in my hand. I set both my hands on his cheeks then, holding him steady and leaning over so that I was what he was looking at. He couldn't look away then, and he didn't want to - he held my gaze surely, even as he continued to cry quietly, forcing down his sobs so that I might not hear them.

"You did not fail," I pressed. "You were beaten in battle but the princess believed in you so much that she made sure you were safe. I won't pretend to know details, but you were resurrected somehow. And you're back now. Resurrected or not, if you didn't have the will to get up, you wouldn't have. But you did."

"I was beaten in battle," he affirmed. "I did not defeat Ganon."

"You couldn't defeat the single-greatest threat Hyrule's ever seen single-handed, so what?" His eyes widened at that, and for a moment, the tears were stalled, so I continued. "As I hear it, the other Champions fell, too. They were meant to help you. But they fell, so you were left on your own. The people of Hyrule never gave up on you - we're still here now, still exploring and still living on, because we held onto hope that someday, someone would rise up and save us."

I smiled, using one thumb to wipe away a stray tear from his cheek. His eyes fluttered closed gently as he gave into the feeling, relishing it while it lasted. When his eyes opened once more, I could feel my own tear up.

"We couldn't have known that we'd get the same hero as before," I told him. "But we never gave up hope."

One thing was certain. I could not leave him to this fate on his own. He couldn't possibly do this alone.

"I think it's best I don't go back to Hateno, Link."

"I... what? No, (Y/n). You have to, I..."

"I can't very well leave now," I told him. "Not knowing this. Not knowing that you'll be risking yourself for us once more, this time completely on your own."

"Then forget what I said," he said, escaping my hands and sitting up straight. "It was a lie, so just-"

"You're not fooling me with that," I said, shaking my head. "I can see in your eyes that you told me the truth. Don't take it back now, Link. I am so grateful that you trust me enough to tell me, so now you have to trust me enough to help you."

"I can't! It's too dangerous!"

"Do you honestly think that I can be content to just sit at home knowing that you're off fighting Ganon? Do you know me at all? I won't be able to live with myself if I sit at home, safe, knowing that you're endangering yourself again, this time without support, to save Hyrule for us. Knowing you might fight, and fall again... Knowing you might not live to see the Hyrule you saved... No, I can't do that."

"I... I have to do this," he said, "and alone. That's how it's meant to be."

"Why?"

"Because everyone else I've ever fought with has died," he said. "How many people over these past hundred years have been killed by monsters? Monsters that should have been expelled from this world if I had only defeated Ganon like I was supposed to?"

"That's-"

"How many are scared to leave home even now, because of it?"

"Plenty, but-"

"I cannot risk more people dying because of me," he said. "And especially someone who vows to help me... I can't do that again. I can't lose anyone else like that."

"Link, I..." I trailed off, seeing the conflicted look on his face.

"You promised to go home after Kakariko," he reminded me, his gloved hand finding mine. All I could focus on in that moment was how calloused his fingers were, how worn - and how lucky he was to be alive in that moment at all, for us to be speaking like this.

And at that... a tear rolled down my cheek.

"Why risk yourself over this? You could be safe - Hateno is so far, Ganon won't send his monsters there, not again. You could very well lose your life if you join me, (Y/n). Why risk it over something that is to be my burden?"

"For one thing," I said, "it wouldn't be just over something that is supposed to be your burden. I would be risking myself to save my homeland and everyone I know who lives in it. And... I would be risking my life over you, the hero I've longed to learn about. That is... No, you are... something more than worth risking my life over. But I don't intend on dying, either."

"I can't... You can die..."

"I know," I murmured. "But so can you. And you are still our Champion, even now. I would not be able to rest knowing you're out there alone somewhere."

Link shook his head rather indulgently. "I think you've got too big a heart."

I reached out with my free hand, palming the space over his own heart. "And what of your own?" I smiled then, wondering how I hadn't seen all this before. "You really are a hero, Link. Stubbornly refusing to let me risk myself over you..."

"Because it's stupid," he mumbled rather defensively, making me laugh. He drew a deep breath in, collecting himself. And as my free hand returned to my lap, he reached out right away and took it, holding both my hands securely in his own. "Promise me you won't be reckless."

"I will if you will."

"I can't do that."

"We're at an impasse, then."

"(Y/n), please. Promise you won't sacrifice yourself for me."

I bowed my head slightly, considering it. When I lifted my head, I met his eyes determinedly. "I promise I won't sacrifice myself for you, Link."

"You can travel with me," he said, "but I have one other condition." I nodded, prompting him to continue. After summoning up his courage, he did. "I face Calamity Ganon alone."

I thought it over, but ultimately could do nothing more than agree. "That's fine."

"Good, then."

"Link," I said quietly, "you're smart, and you're strong, and you're brave, so brave... And you're not alone anymore. You'll never be alone again, so long as you'll have me."

I didn't even have it in me to get embarrassed over the intimacy of it all, the way that what I said sounded like a proposal - because he smiled, he truly smiled, and he pulled me in for a hug.

"For the record," he spoke quietly, his nose ducked down by my neck in his attempt to get as close to me as possible, "I didn't want you to go. I didn't want to be without you."

"No," I said, smiling. "I didn't think you did."

"I'll keep you safe," he assured me, his voice soft and his palms flat against my back, keeping me from going anywhere. But as I readjusted my arms around him and got comfortable with my cheek against his head, my smile grew, because I wasn't going anywhere.

"And I'll help you however I can," I assured him in turn. I laughed lightly then, and through my laughter managed to say, "And you'll never be left wanting for a good meal, I promise."

He hummed good-naturedly, sounding perfectly content. "Perfect, then."

And there we sat, as the sun continued to set, in each other's arms and sharing our warmth, our emotions. "Thank you," he said to me.

"No, hero," I said right away. "Thank you."

We sat there for a while, and it wasn't until the sun was below the horizon and the moon peeking over the other one when we began to move. "We should get going," he said quietly, looking around. "Not safe for us to be in the open like this at night."

"You're right," I agreed, accepting his outstretched hand when he stood and held it towards me. I let him help me stand, and we let go and worked on stretching our limbs before going anywhere else. "So, where to?"

"Back to Kakariko," he said. "I think that memory is exactly what Impa wanted me to see. So we'll check in with her, and find out what to do next."

"Great," I said dryly, thinking about possibly running into my parents again.

"It's alright," Link said confidently, starting to walk. I fell into step alongside him. "I'm sure your parents will be alright if you're traveling with the hero of Hyrule, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Right."

I didn't voice it, but something told me that we would be alright. We'd face strife, and we'd face challenges, and we'd face heartache and things much worse than that... but we had given ourselves to this. I refused to let this hero fight alone.

We could not turn back now.

And when Link broke into a run, so did I. When he looked back at me and grinned, I laughed and threw my head back, joyful even though my eyes were still glassy and my cheeks still tear-stained.

Something about the way he was smiling, and something about how easily I was laughing told me everything I needed to know about the road ahead.

So long as we had each other, we would be just fine.