If there was anything you had thought you were going to do today, talking to a giant, sentient tree had not been one of them. Stranger still was the situation you found yourself in now; following after a small creature as it waddled through the forest on an adventure, making sure it got to its destination safely, per the request of its brother.

The Koroks had been elusive at first but after a bit of waiting and staying quiet, they had come out of their hiding places and had introduced themselves to you. Link had been smiling fondly at you while you crouched down to say hello to the small creatures but you had ignored that and instead focused on the small little things in front of you.

You had never seen a Korok before, though you had heard tales of people finding them on accident. Not many people believed in those tales, but here you were, seeing proof of their existence and shaking their tiny hands. Two of the taller Koroks had grabbed your hands and pulled you along with them, leaving Link to follow behind you.

After showing you around the forest, they had bid you a good day and ran off. From there Link had taken your hand into his own and the two of you walked through the forest together, looking around and listening to the various noises of nature. You did your best to ignore the fact that Link grabbing your hand sent your heart into a frenzy and set your cheeks aflame, but you couldn't get the words of the Deku Tree out of your head. Its few words, puzzling though they were, set a tiny flame of hope in your heart.

You wanted to hold onto that flame and let it grow, but your brain, being reasonable, told you to keep it as it was and wait. The tree had told you that Link's feelings would be made known soon. Whether they were the feelings you were hoping for, you would just have to wait and see.

You weren't sure when exactly your feelings for Link had changed, but you didn't feel like questioning it. It seemed to have come naturally to you, the feelings flowing through you like a gentle breeze brushing through the leaves. You felt justified in your feelings, thinking that it wasn't just a silly little crush like those you got as a young girl but something more than that, but reminded yourself to remain level-headed. Acting like a fool, dictated by your feelings, wouldn't do you any good and would probably set Link off too. You had to tell yourself to remain natural as Link held your hand, though your heart wanted you to give in and just kiss him already.

But right now, you were crouched behind the root of a large tree in the Lost Woods, keeping watch over a young Korok. It spoke to itself and if you were being honest with yourself, it was absolutely adorable. You didn't think that you'd ever consider a small tree creature to be cute, but there was very clearly a first for everything. The Korok encouraged itself as it traveled through the forest, though you could tell that it was really quite nervous to be on its own.

The Lost Woods, after being in the bright forest for so long, seemed bleaker than it had originally. The forest path was dark and littered with leaves and the branches of the trees clawed upwards into the sky. You nearly tripped over the gnarled, moist roots of the trees and dark moss clung to the trunks you hid behind.

After a while of wandering through the woods, trudging through the underbrush and diving behind trees to remain hidden, and after quite a few close calls, the Korok reached its destination. It stood before a Shrine, and before it had a chance to do anything, Link made your presence known and walked right up to the Shrine. You inwardly groaned as you watched the Korok jump in surprise as Link entered the Shrine. That boy would never learn the meaning of stealth.

That's when you stood up, and told the Korok that it did a wonderful job and that it was so brave. The Korok appreciated that and then skipped off through the woods. Crossing your arms, you watched as the Korok disappeared into the mist. Looking back towards the Shrine, you sighed. You'd probably be here for a while.

---

By the time you and Link left the forest the next morning after having some fun with the game-loving Koroks, you were both feeling refreshed and hopeful. The Deku Tree imparted on you some wisdom before you left, and when you left, the two of you had large smiles on your faces and you oozed confidence.

You greeted the horses with nose rubs and pats on the neck. As Nayru bit into a carrot you offered her, Link looked at you. "We should head to Zora's Domain next," he said. "I really don't want to head up to a volcano right now, so we'll head to Death Mountain after that."

"Alright," you said. "How long should it take to get there?"

Link leaned against Epona's side and took his Sheikah slate off of his belt. He pulled up the map and you stood next to him. You looked at the map as Link traced his finger along it eastward, towards the domain. "If we follow this road," he said, looking at you, "then it shouldn't take long at all. Just a few days, maybe a week if we pace ourselves." Link pouted but you could see mischief in his eyes. "Why? Do you really wanna leave me that bad?"

"Oh, please," you said with a roll of your eyes. "We both know that's not the case. Anyway, I was just asking because I wanted to know our route." You leaned back against Epona's side as well and searched for a road. Finding it, you pointed to it. "If we take this road, I heard rumors of there being treasure. It's apparently a popular road for treasure hunters, so I figured that since you have your little magic magnetic thing, we'd have a leg up on getting some."

"That's a good idea," he said with a smile. "There's a village not too far from here, so if we head there, we can see if there's anything else around that we should check out."

"Aw," you said, pinching his cheek, "look at you, having a good idea."

"I happen to have good ideas all the time," he pouted, puffing his cheeks out defiantly. "It's just a matter of whether or not you listen to them."

"Oh, you'll have to excuse me if I ignore most of your ideas. Shield surfing towards a cliff was certainly a good idea, if I recall correctly."

"We had fun and you know it."

"And if you hadn't had your paraglider ready? Would it have been as much fun, then?"

"Well...we would've improvised..."

You rolled your eyes. "How would we have improvised falling off of a cliff?"

"We just would've," he said. Though you were trying to make a point, a smile forced its way onto your face to match Link's. "Now stop asking so many questions."

"No," you protested. "I quite enjoy bothering you with questions." You tried to think of a good question, but found that you couldn't come up with any good ones. "You're lucky," you said in a huff, "that I can't think of any right now."

Link laughed. "Good, because that means I can bother you with questions instead."

"I don't think you have any quality questions in that head of yours."

"Oh yeah? Well, what did the Deku Tree talk about with you, then? Is that a good one?"

"You can't ask three questions at once," you protested. "And to answer you, yes, it was a good question, but I'm not going to answer it."

"Why not? It was about me, wasn't it?"

You could feel your cheeks burn as you remembered that you had asked the tree what Link had felt for the princess in a stupid moment when you let your heart take control of your voice. "W-Well yes, it was, but...that doesn't mean that I want to talk about it."

"You're no fun," Link whined. You averted your eyes so that you wouldn't have to look into his. If you did, you might've just come out and told him about the whole conversation, and you couldn't have that. You would just keep your thoughts and feelings to yourself until you figured everything out. You could feel just how close Link was to you and you cleared your throat.

"Let's just get going," you suggested, stepping away from Link and Epona. You put your foot into the stirrup and prepared to mount when you stopped, feeling Link's eyes on you. You turned your head to look at him. He was looking at you, head tilted slightly, with an inquisitive look adorning his features.

"Is something wrong?" Link stepped closer, but you shook your head.

Don't look at his stupid little ears, you told yourself. Don't look into his eyes and how stupidly blue they are. You know what? Just don't look at him, and you'll be fine.

"Nothing's wrong," you assured him, mounting Nayru. Link seemed conflicted but mounted Epona and you set out on the road towards the nearby village.

---

The village was smaller than Hateno area-wise but it certainly had more people living in it. The houses were close together and the yards were small, leading for what you guessed was a closely-knit community of families that depended on each other. You were right, though you didn't expect there to be quite as many kids as there were.

As plump old women chatted while they washed clothes, men of the village stood around talking loudly. Slightly younger women, some with round bellies but all with caring smiles, walked through the streets in clumps. Teens were gathered on corners and old men chastised them when they passed by, occasionally swatting at the troublesome teens with their canes. Chickens bobbed their heads as they strutted in small groups and even sheep could be seen just off of the roads, grazing and looking around lazily.

While all of this was happening, children ran between the houses, jumped over fences, and chased each other through the roads. You and Link rode in on the horses going at a slow walk, so you could take a good look at everything and appreciate the sights.

The houses were nearly identical, except for small differences in window placement and decorations on the lawns. If the houses were any indication of the personalities of the people, then you would be hard-pressed to find information on treasure. The village reminded you so much of Hateno. The people were content with their repetitive lives and likely didn't want to disrupt the order by searching for treasure.

Either way, it was a lovely village, and you were sure that it'd be a nice place to ask for directions for anything else of interest in the area. Link wanted to make more memories of his own and document them, and that's what you were going to help him with.

You were wondering where you could leave the horses so you could go around and talk to people when a woman approached you, walking with her young son in her arms. The baby was sleeping in her arms and an older child, probably around five or six years of age, followed after her. You slowed Nayru to a stop when she smiled at you in greeting. She stopped by Nayru's side and you smiled down at her.

"Are you and your boyfriend travelers?"

You were taken aback by the question but pushed your embarrassment to the back of your mind for now. "Yes," you answered her, "we are, though we aren't dating."

"Wonderful, wonderful," she said, her smile widening. "What brings you to our village?"

"We wanted to have somewhere nice to rest for the day," you said. "And we wanted to see if there was anything interesting in the area that we should check out."

"Ah, well, in that case, the marketplace would be a good place to start. Travelers from all across Hyrule gather there. If anything interesting is happening, the villagers probably won't know because we don't breed travelers in this part, but our guests certainly will."

"Thank you very much," you said with a polite smile on your face. The woman nodded and turned, walking back towards a small house. The small boy that was also with her stayed behind, however, and looked up at you and Link inquisitively.

"Excuse me," he said quietly. He was quite shy, and you couldn't help but find the child, with his dark brown eyes and messy hair, quite adorable. You looked down at him with a warm smile, waiting for him to continue. "Would you like to play with me?" He looked at you for an answer before he remembered his manners and smiled as he added a small 'please'.

"Of course we can," Link said from your other side. The child peered around your horse to grin up at Link who was already dismounting Epona. "Come on, (Y/n)," Link said, leading Epona towards a building with a place to tether horses. A few other horses were already tied there and looked at Epona as they approached.

"No, Link," you said, watching as Link secured Epona to the pole. "I need to restock on supplies."

"We have plenty of supplies," Link tried. He walked towards you and grabbed Nayru's reins near her snout, and she followed obediently after him.

"Link, you went through all of our arrows trying to shoot a squirrel. I need to go get more, and besides, I'd like to speak with some of the travelers and see if anything interesting is worth seeing nearby, like that treasure, remember?"

Link sighed. You dismounted Nayru and Link tied her next to Epona who nickered to your mare in greeting. Link then stood next to the child, crouching down next to him. Both boys gave you pitiful faces complete with puppy-dog eyes. You rolled your own, going to walk away. "Maybe later," was all you said. Link and the boy looked at each other and grinned before starting to play.

You made it to a sign and found that the marketplace was down the road you were currently on, and after thanking your luck, you kept walking. You could tell when you entered the marketplace because there was a bright arch over it and the houses stopped and small shops began. This seemed to be a major trading center, because most of the shops were just small wooden stands with tents behind them. The shops were run by people of the various races of Hyrule.

A Zora woman ran a tent next to a well and sold fish and fishing supplies. A Goron couple were selling spice and were cooking lizards and putting them on sticks. A Rito male was selling bows and arrows. A pair of Gerudo women had exotic jewelry set out on their stand. The shoppers were made of many races as well and the noise was almost deafening. You stayed with the flow of the crowd as people talked and walked, eating treats and pointing out things that caught their eye.

You followed the crowd until you had to cut through to make it to the male Rito's stand. You made it to his stand and looked at his goods. There was a longbow decorated with beads dangling from one of the ends. The other bow displayed was regular bow of a light wood adorned with feathers.

The Rito greeted you politely and you did the same before buying the regular bow in the event that your trusty one broke, and stocked up completely on arrows of all kinds. With a full quiver, you bid the shopkeeper a good day and squeezed back into the crowd.

You bought a few spices from the Goron couple and general ingredients from other merchants. You bought excess items, like new boots for you and a few treats for Link. When you decided that you had spent enough rupees, you stuffed everything into your pack and headed back towards the main part of the village. You went back to the horses, expecting Link to be there waiting for you, but he wasn't, so you went to the town's inn and booked a room with two beds. Leaving your bags in there, you went back outside.

You didn't know where Link was, but you could still go out and enjoy the nice day. The sun was shining in the middle of a beautifully blue sky, and though puffy white clouds drifted across the sky, you were sure that there was no possibility for rain that day. It was a day with weather blessed by the goddesses, and you were going to savor it.

You sat on a hill that overlooked the village, just on its edge. Leaning against a tree, you relished in the cool that the shade provided you. A cool breeze blew through as well, shifting your hair and relaxing you completely. You had just closed your eyes for a nap when you heard approaching footsteps. Opening them, you smiled upon seeing that it was Link.

"(Y/n)," he said when he reached you. He crouched down next to you and you could see and hear that he was out of breath. When he caught it, he continued. "How was your shopping trip?"

"It was fine, thanks," you said. "I got you a few treats for dessert later today."

His eyes widened and he grinned. "Really? Thanks!"

Before you could say anything more, a child ran up to Link. "Link, Link," the child said happily, "come back and play with us again!"

"Hold on for a minute," Link said, turning to the boy briefly before looking back at you.

"Still playing with them? How much energy can you possibly have left?"

"Plenty," he answered. "You should join us. We've been playing freeze tag, which is a really fun-"

"Sure," you said, cutting him off with a smirk.

Link stammered, clearly thrown off by your words. "Really, you mean it?"

"I wouldn't lie, Link, so come on," you said, standing up. You grabbed his arm and helped him to stand before dragging him along with you as you followed behind the child at a jog.

---

These grass stains were never going to come out, but that didn't matter right now. The sun was out, unobscured by the clouds that drifted lazily past it. You were warm but not too warm- the breeze made sure of that- and the sun was still high in the sky, letting you know that you still had plenty of hours left in the day. The grass was cool and prickly underneath your feet as you ran after one of the children, laughing as you did so, before picking the girl up into your arms and spinning her around close to your chest.

The girl giggled, a twinkling little sound that reminded you of wind chimes and happiness. You put the girl down before running after another child, this one quicker than the girl. He ran towards Link, peering quickly over his shoulder back at you briefly every few meters. He dove under Link's legs and clung to one of them, nearly making Link fall over. Link saw you coming and braced himself for impact, but you slowed before you toppled into him.

"Come on," you called to the other children scattered in the field. "Help me knock him over!"

The village children came to your aid, faces dirty but smiling. The huddled around his legs and pushed, hoping to knock him over, cheering and jeering. You helped the children tackle Link and he fell back onto the grass, his head safe from impact as it met a bed of flowers. Link was laughing as the children surrounded him.

You didn't even realize that you were lying on top of him in the joy of the moment. Your waist and legs were sprawled on top of his, and you were propped up on your hands so your torso was hovering above his. Your hair, messy and falling out of place, framed your face. Just as petals littered Link's bangs, grass had found its way into yours, entangling the pieces with your circlet.

Link, in that moment, seemed to you like an innocent boy free of the world's troubles. Looking at him now, you couldn't tell that he had seen the horrors of war and had made the ultimate sacrifice in the past. He didn't look like someone who knew how to swing a sword or like he even had it in him to kill something. His eyes portrayed to you something that you didn't know eyes could show. You had heard that the eyes were the window to one's soul, but you hadn't believed it. But here you were, looking into his eyes as he met your own pair which must've seemed so dull compared to his vivid blues which contained the whole of the oceans and skies in them.

To Link, in that moment, you appeared almost heavenly. If he didn't know you, he would've guessed you were one of the golden goddesses of legend. As you smiled down at him, the sun shone from behind your head and seemed to give you a certain angelic glow. He didn't see your hair and the grass sticking out from the ends as a mess, but as a showing of how you really could let loose. You kept him on track but you could have fun and he loved that about you. Your eyes were like mirrors to him. He could see himself and all of his faults and the world in them. Your eyes held the stars and he didn't think it was possible for him to tire of looking at you.

The two of you, in your trancelike state, didn't notice that the children were already onto another game, the two of you long forgotten. If some part of your mind noticed, it was in the far back, and you didn't care.

You thought about how good he was with the kids. He was fair with them and kind, playful but careful. You had a sudden revelation that he'd be a good father, but you pushed those thoughts away. This moment was blissful and perfect. You didn't want to ruin it by thinking of inappropriate things and making the air around you awkward.

You noticed Link's cheeks become dusted with red. He cleared his throat but continued to smile. You got off of him and stood up, helping him come to his feet as well. You felt warm. You told him that you were going to get your water canteens and be back. He nodded and you set off at a jog towards the village again.

You were quick to get the canteens and you hurried back. You could hear the laughing of the children and as you climbed the hill where they were, you saw a girl about your age speaking with Link. They were standing close to each other and despite your surprise you could tell that he was uncomfortable. His eyebrows were furrowed and he had his arms up almost defensively as he took a step away from her. The girl stepped closer with a wide smile and dreamy eyes.

You briefly wondered about what you should do, but it didn't take you longer than a second to figure it out. He had saved you once, in the Bazaar, when someone had tried to see if you were taken. Link was clearly uncomfortable, so it was your turn to step in and save him. You came up from the side and, smiling at Link, you ignored the girl and stood next to him.

You wrapped your arm around his waist and pulled yourself close to him. You looked up at him only to see him look confused down at you- with a quick wink of your eye that was hidden to the girl he got the message and he grinned and wrapped his arm around your shoulder. Meeting the hazel eyes of the girl, she took a step back. Her frown preceded her words as she apologized and excused herself. She called out to one of the children, told her that their mother wanted them home, and went off towards the village with the girl skipping along beside her.

"Thank you," Link said when the girl was out of earshot. He smiled down at you, one that sent butterflies dancing in your stomach and your heart aflame. You only nodded to him, knowing that if you said a word it'd be shaky and you'd look like a fool. "I have a question for you, though." You looked up at him inquisitively, meeting his dangerously mischievous eyes. "When are you planning on letting go? Not that I mind, of course. It just may be hard to ride the horses this way."

Author's Note: Thoughts? I like this chapter, at least the end bit. I dunno. I like cheesy shiz.

Anyway, I saw IT on Saturday with two of my best friends and I loved it. Like god dang I didn't get scared because it played on cliches but god dang it was good. If you didn't like it, you can fight me. Finn Wolfhard is so friggin' pure.

Anyway, see y'all in the next chapter.