What was in fact not treasure was actually a bit of exposed mineral in a rockface that had caught the minimal light radiating down from the sky just right. What little sunlight there was had glinted off it, which was what caught Link's attention. So, when we raced over, Link was disappointed to find himself looking up at nothing and I was rather nonplussed.

"Actually," Link said, already turning in the saddle to slide off, "there might just be something hidden away here. Do you see it?"

"No," I answered honestly, following his keen gaze as best I could. All I could see was what might have been amber, now that I was seeing it closer like this. Oh, no - there! There was a depression in the rock, but that was all I could glean from this angle. Link seemed sure there was something up there though, and so he left Epona's side and prepared to climb.

Geographically, this structure stood out like a sore thumb. On the other side, it was a grassy hill, one that the road actually looped around to meet and head to the top. On this side though, it was like it had been sliced in half; the rock was bare, and a perpendicular climb all the way up until the crest.

Link reached up, then fitted his foot against the rock. Realizing I wasn't right behind him, he glanced over his shoulder at me. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah," I answered at last, dismounting easily. I followed, and when I was at his side he smiled at me, then began to climb with a determined and incredibly endearing look on his face. He certainly made it hard to say no to him, that was for damn sure.

I just couldn't shake the thought that this was a bad idea.

And I figured out exactly why, only a few minutes later. About three-quarters of the way there, only a few more good reaches away from the depression Link had seen, the rain started. It started light, but that lasted only for a moment.

It had started with only a single drop of rain landing against my nose, one that nearly startled me into releasing my hold on the rock, shaky as it already was. Link was right there and grasped my arm, and he was only able to do so because his hold was far more secure and he'd been able to shift his weight accordingly right away. I was much less experienced in all of this, so I was grateful for him holding me steady.

"The rain is starting," was all I had said, shaking the water from my nose before looking up. Sure enough, the entire sky was blanketed in gray, heavy clouds, ones that seemed to be close enough to touch.

Link looked up too, and then down. "Is it worth it to keep going?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "I didn't see what it was you did. But we're much closer to that than to the ground. I think it's safer for us to continue."

"True," he agreed. Then, decidedly, he nodded. "Alright, let's keep going. Let's hope it's enough to keep us dry up there."

We did keep going, but even at our hurried pace we were unable to beat the rain. After that initial first drop, we had felt little else, which was reflective of a light drizzle that warned of a storm. But it surprised us, because instead of continuing to drizzle, it had skipped right over that step and went into a downpour. A sheet of rain dropped down to the grateful earth, and we were left with no choice but to keep climbing, to keep going before the rock became too slick. And even then, we were too slow, because the rainwater rolled down the rock in shimmering waves and it took all that we had to grip onto the rock and pull ourselves upward.  It was hard to find suitable holds before the rain started, and now they were practically nonexistent. Our shoes were losing their traction too, and things were looking bad - until Link was able to gather his feet beneath him. Then it started to look worse all of a sudden.

"Link, no," I said in protest, knowing what he was about to do. He was gathering himself, preparing to pounce like a cat and in other circumstances, I'd have wanted to see it but there was no way he'd be able to push off the rock with enough force to lift him that high without also slipping. "That's too risky, please don't!"

"It's not my health I'm worried about," he said under his breath, but I heard it. And I was unable to do anything but watch as he threw himself upwards, leaving himself at the mercy of his built-up strength and gravity. I didn't dare look away, I only braced myself to try to catch him in the event he slipped, but thankfully, mercifully, he was able to latch onto the lip of the depression.

"Oh, thank Hylia," I breathed out, flicking my head to remove some water from my eyes. It was hard to keep looking up with the downpour, but I did what I could to squint up towards Link. He was able to scramble up, and just as I watched his feet follow after him into the space, his head popped back out, his fingers curled around the rock as he looked down at me.

"(Y/n)," he said, "keep climbing!"

I didn't need to be reminded twice. I looked back at what I was doing and paid careful attention to each individual muscle and ligament and tendon were doing as I climbed. After another two lengths, I prepared to reach up again - just one more and I'd be able to reach Link - and, figuring I saw a good hold, I reached for it, only for lightning to strike something nearby.

I flinched, withdrawing into myself as best I could as the strike seemed to rattle the earth to its very core. Everything seemed to quiver for that moment and I squeezed my eyes shut, not daring to move even a single muscle. It was close - it was far too close.

"(Y/n)," Link called once more, flattening himself against the rock and reaching towards me. "Come on, you're almost there. Just a little more..."

I swallowed down the lump in my throat and continued to climb just as the thunder rolled through. I could hear the horses whinny, clearly frightened, and I glanced down at them briefly.

"They might bolt, but they'll stick together," Link told me, and I looked up at him, instead. "We'll be able to find them, and they'll be fine."

With his assurance, I found it in myself to climb. I reached up, securing my hand against the rock. I went on from there, doing all I could to pay attention to the task of getting myself closer to him, rather than looking into his eyes that I so desperately wanted to do.

Finally, I was close enough to reach for him. "There," he said, grabbing my hand with both of his. "I've got you. I'll pull you up, but keep walking with your feet, ok?"

"Ok," I responded quietly, doing as told.

I clasped my free hand over his, holding on tight as he began to pull. I began to walk up the rock, and he was able to pull me up far enough to start to gather himself, and begin to get his knees under him - but then I slipped. A shriek flew past my lips involuntarily, and I fell back flat against the rock face just as Link was yanked down onto his chest with a strangled oof. I didn't even have it in me to recognize that it happened with another strike of lightning.

"Link," I said weakly, just as he called my name. "Are you alright?"

"Don't worry about that," he said hurriedly. "Let's just get you up here, ok?"

He was sounding far more panicked than I'd liked to have ever heard him, and I swallowed down my fear and nodded. We continued on, slower this time, yet no less urgent. I was extra careful in picking where I placed my feet, and as soon as he was able to get to his knees and my head just appeared up over the lip of the depression, he didn't bother pulling me up any further. He instead kept a firm hold on me with one hand, bending at the elbow to hold me steady, and used the other to wrap around my shoulders.

He pulled me up and over the rest of the way like that, and when I was good and well inside, it wasn't good enough for him because he pulled me closer to him, almost impossibly close. He threw his arms around me, and I all but stumbled into his lap.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly against the delicate skin of my neck. He was holding me so close he had his arms wrapped all around me, so I was entirely snug and entirely encapsulated in his embrace. Honestly, in that moment, I didn't even have the capacity to be embarrassed. Instead, I only settled myself more comfortably against him.

"Link," I said weakly, "it's alright, you-"

"It is my fault," he protested right away, mumbling against me. He pulled me ever closer, curling his fingers against the fabric against my ribs. "I keep risking things unnecessarily."

"I chose to go with you," I tried, but he continued speaking and did not hear me.

"It was fine when I was alone, because I was only risking myself," he said, and there was so much sadness and regret in his voice it nearly hurt to hear. Actually, it did, for my heart twinged a little and I fought the urge to hold him closer and tell him that everything would be ok. But... something told me he had to say what he wanted to. "But now, you're here, and I don't want to put you in any more danger than necessary, and then I do things like this, and... I'm so careless, I'm sorry, I..."

"Link," I said, drawing away from him, leaning only so far away so that I could see him clearly.

I placed my hands against his shoulders and met his eyes, seeing all that I had heard in his voice stored away in his eyes and they, like the sky, were stormy. Dark clouds were a hazy, teary film over his eyes, and I wanted nothing more than to help him wipe his tears away and reveal that beautiful blue sky to me once more.

"I chose to climb up," I told him surely. "I could have said no, and I could have stayed behind. But I didn't. It's not that you're risking me; I'm risking my own life, and I know what I'm doing. When I make decisions... I've learned by now that they mean more out here. So I'm aware of that, and so none of this, and none of what might happen, would ever be your fault."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," I said, pulling away from him further. I knelt beside him, taking in the space for the first time since entering it. "Now, this will make for a good shelter from the storm until it blows over, so that's something to be grateful for." There were remnants of nests here, used bits of straw and grass and leaves and twigs, but no eggs - so the birds were all long gone, and we were alone here. "At least we've got some kindling. Let's get a fire going, shall we?"

He nodded wordlessly, watching for a moment as I began gathering up the old bits of rubbish, and I only paused in my work once he decided on something to ask. "Do you ever regret coming with me?"

At that, I looked over my shoulder at him, regarding him seriously. "Regret it? No, never. I promise, Link. None of this is your fault, and I've loved every single minute I've gotten to travel with you."

Reassured by my words, at least for now, he seemed to relax - and a wry, mischievous smile found its way to his face. "Even when you slipped into the mud the other day?"

"Even... Ok, that's a special circumstance, one I thought we agreed we wouldn't talk about."

"I only said that maybe I wouldn't," Link said, and that was true - but it was incredibly unhelpful right now.

"You're a pain," I said, shaking my head incredulously. "Honestly. Make yourself useful and help start this fire, ok? I'm freezing."

"Sure thing, firecracker," he said, and I fought the urge to groan.

Oh, good. Another nickname.

—

Saying that I was freezing was an understatement. Though not for terribly longer, I had been in the rain longer, and my clothes were still sopping wet. We didn't exactly have our packs up here for a dry change of clothes, either.

I sat by the small fire, as close as I physically could anyway, without catching fire. Though that would get me to warm up faster, and maybe I wouldn't get burnt too terribly.

"(Y/n)," Link called gently, lifting his bangs up and away from his forehead with one hand, "you should take your tunic off. You'll get sick."

"That's just a wive's tale," I muttered, clutching my upper arms tighter and tucking my knees closer to my chest. I knew it was logical to take the tunic off, but those first few moments of being exposed to the cold air without the relatively warm blanket that was the thick fabric, I wasn't looking forward to it. It was like being bundled up in a towel after swimming. If the towel was soaked, it was doing no good, but to be without it for any length of time seemed terrible.

So yes, I knew it was logical. Sickness-inducing or not, it would do me no good to stay in cold clothes.

Link chuckled warmly. "A wive's tale, huh? And yet you tell me about it whenever I stay in wet clothes."

I scoffed lightly, knowing he was right but not wanting to admit it. I redirected my gaze, looking out at the world - or what I could see of it, anyway. The rain was coming down quickly, and all I could really see beyond just rain was the way the wind warped the rain's pattern. "That's different."

"Explain to me how it's different," he said. He had already stripped down to his underclothes, and though certainly for a few minutes he'd been chilly, he was already warming up considerably. That was obvious in his body language, in the easy smile he now wore and in the way he lazed back against his hands, clearly beyond the point of needing to curl up to conserve some body heat.

"It just is," I argued without really arguing, for there was no point.

"This is just self-inflicted suffering now," he noted, leaning forward. "What's the hold up? Why keep it on if you know it's going to keep you miserable?"

"Because taking it off will mean being slightly more miserable for a few minutes," I mumbled rather childishly. Link chuckled at that, shaking his head indulgently.

"Is that all? Go ahead and lay it to dry, then come over here."

I didn't respond with words. I only glanced his way with only my eyes, looking at him as though challenging him. He shrugged, recognizing it right away. "Or, I'll go to you. It doesn't really matter to me."

After rolling my eyes and making a show of it, I begrudgingly got to my knees and carefully pried the tunic off. Underneath I had on a plain, though incredibly soft, shirt that was dark in color but paler, thinner pants.

As soon as the protective layer was off, I began to shiver - something I hadn't been doing before but now could do little else of. "Oh, goddesses," I hissed, even as I laid the lavender tunic to rest near the fire beside his own.

In my movements, I caught the glint of the firelight reflecting off the necklace Link had gifted me before I even knew who he was, in those ruins we had paraglided to. It caught the light prettily and matched my tunic well, if only being a shade richer than the fabric I wore day in and day out. To protect it, I had taken to tucking it beneath my tunic, but not the undershirt - so now, it swung free, proud and dazzling against my chest.

I thought nothing of it, and made my way easily to Link, but his eyes seemed to be able to look at nothing but the jewel. Well, I was only doing what he asked, but now, he seemed far too focused on what he himself had gifted me to pay attention to me... myself.

"Link," I said, catching him in the act of reaching for the jewel. Only, he didn't retract his hand, he only glanced up at me with a smile and caught the jewel against his palm.

Ignoring my call of his name, he asked, "Do you ever feel guilty wearing this?"

"Guilty? No, not at all. It was a gift, wasn't it?"

"A gift I stole for you," he said easily, smiling playfully.

Those stunning blue eyes of his were focused on nothing more than my own and I found it difficult at that moment to remain there. I forced myself to, because his gaze was not stilling me in a bad way, but in a very pleasant, very comfortable, very safe way.

"You're still cold," he said. "Come here."

Letting go of the jewel, he held his arms towards me and I let him gather me up into his arms for the second time today. He helped me sit comfortably at his side, and he kept his arms around me, one arm rubbing up and down the length of my back and the other now reaching for my hand. I let him take it, and he stiffened right away.

"You're freezing," he murmured. He took my hand between both of his and he began working some warmth back into my frigid fingers. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"Ah, you know," I said almost teasingly as he worked on my other hand, "Really wanted to enjoy the self-inflicted suffering." At that, I earned for myself a rather pointed and rather accusatory look from him, and I found it in me to smile. As he focused back on warming me up and bringing some of the feeling back into my fingers, his bangs flopped back down, blocking his eyes. With a huff he withdrew one hand to brush them back, and then he got right to work undoing my gloves, pulling them off easily and setting them aside.

I remained silent and allowed him to do what he willed, and for a time he only held me close against him, doing all that he could to warm me back up. When some of the color returned to my features, he held me some more, and only after a while longer did he release me. "I wonder if I can find anything to make a meal of..."

"Probably not," I called from my spot by the fire, and I could see the way he frowned and continued his search anyway. Once more, his bangs fell in front of his face, and this time, I couldn't help but giggle at the sight of him trying to flick his head to remove them from his view.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," I said. "Just something you said earlier."

"Hm? What thing?"

"Oh, you probably don't remember," I lied. "It was earlier, but a lot earlier. Like last week."

"Ah," he said rather dejectedly, thinking hard about it. It was obvious he believed me, and was hard at work trying to remember what I might be referring to. But then I realized he'd worked so hard to work the numbness from my fingers, the chill from my bones, to care for me after feeling like he put my life in danger unnecessarily...

While I didn't resolve to let him in on why I laughed, I figured I could do something else for him.

"Link," I called, bringing his attention to me. As though I really was sick, he seemed to think that me calling his name was because something was wrong and he looked at me so concernedly it had my heart skipping more than a few beats. "Don't you think your hair is getting a bit long?"

"Now that you say it," he said, sitting back on his heels and peeking up at his hairline as best he could and as though he hadn't been shoving his bangs aside for the past hour, "I think I am due for a haircut."

"Well, come over here and... Link, what are you doing?"

He had, as a matter of fact, retrieved a sword. "Cutting my hair...?" He glanced at me as though that was a perfectly normal thing to do, and I shook my head rapidly.

"Don't, just... Don't do that. Come over here and I'll take care of it for you."

"Hm? You will?"

"That's why I brought it up," I said, getting into a crouch. I reached inside my boot where there was, where I always kept them, a pair of scissors. I'd made for myself a small leather sheath for them, and I had stitched it to the inside of the boot for ease of use. Even as Link approached, he slowed, seeing what I now had in my hands, as though this was weird.

"Have you always kept scissors in your shoes?"

"For as long as I've been wearing boots like this, yes," I answered. "But for one thing, you shouldn't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to."

"Mm-hm," he hummed, settling down with his back to me anyway. "Right. And why is it that you keep scissors in your boot, then?"

"You never know when you'll need to cut a frayed piece of thread, or a strip of fabric," I said easily, and with a smile as I gently released his hair from the tie. His golden hair cascaded down about his head, and I began working my fingers through his hair, undoing knots gently.

"Oh," he said, clearly surprised. "Those are surprisingly innocent."

"And," I said, "if I get caught without a weapon..."

"There it is," he chimed. "That's smart, though. How does it stay still in the boot? Have it in your sock or something? No, that's stupid. It'd cut you, that way."

"I made a sheath for it," I told him. "It's easy. I can make one for you, and you can have boot scissors."

Link laughed, and I began to part his hair into sections. "No, I think a dagger or something might be cooler. Now that I know you have scissors, I can just ask you."

"Well, I'll always be happy to cut your hair," I said, getting right to work. I wasn't aiming to cut it too short, just enough so that it wouldn't bother him so much. His bangs were what I really wanted to focus on. "So long as you don't attempt to use a sword again."

"What? I didn't know it was an option, and it's how I've always done it," he argued, and I almost laughed.

"Not even a knife? You opt for a sword?"

"I'm... pretty good with a sword," he noted, and I shook my head, hardly believing it.

"I know I say it a lot," I said quietly, "but you really are ridiculous, Link."

He hummed contentedly, and I knew by now that his eyes were closed, and he was giving himself to the feeling of the pampering and care - from me, now, and not to me.

We stayed like that for a few quiet, calm moments. But something solemn settled in the air, something I only realized when I came around to his front and began to work on his bangs.

"(Y/n)?"

"Mm," I hummed in response, trying to focus on what I was doing. His eyes suddenly opened and my hands stilled, a single breadth away from snipping away the very ends of his bangs. I did not move, I dared not - because suddenly I could not look away from his eyes, just as he could not look away from my own. "Is something the matter?"

"Does it ever... Did it weird you out that I'm so old?"

"What?"

"Technically," he said, "I'm a century old. No - older. Does it bother you at all?"

"To be honest," I said, and I heard the way he sucked in a breath, preparing for an answer he did not like, "I don't think about it much."

He released that breath, clearly confused, and I lowered my hands to my lap and settled to sit more comfortably. "What?"

"I don't really think about it. "But no, it never did bother me. And even now, it doesn't."

"It doesn't?"

"Not at all."

"You're sure?"

"You were asleep for those years," I said. "You waited for a century, but you weren't alive for it, not really. How old do you feel?"

"This Hyrule is new, yet familiar to me," he told me. "But I feel young."

"There's your answer, then," I said.

"It's just... It's been a long, long time since I've been allowed to be on a journey, and not as a trained knight on a mission or a squire running errands. The burden of it... it's still on my shoulders, but it's... it's been a while since I've felt so cared for."

Ah.

My heart warmed, and that warmth spread down to my toes, my fingers, and everywhere between, but it welled up most in my chest, so much so that it prompted a smile to reach my face.

"I'm grateful to you, (Y/n). I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

My heart swelled with affection, and I set the scissors down. I pulled him in for a hug, and, when he gave into my embrace, murmured, "So long as I'm around, you'll never stop feeling that way, Link."