Never in your life had you ever been so powerless to do anything. You were paraded around the village like the survivor of some great scandal. They coddled you and made sure that you were comfortable at all times- and while you appreciated that aspect of it, it was what led to this coddling that peeved you. Link still had not returned and though you knew he was capable of protecting himself he wasn't actually himself right now.

Link needed you right now, but you didn't know where he was and you had no way to find him. You wanted to be sure that he was alright...but you couldn't.

The villagers had formed a large circle in the village square around a bonfire as a form of memoriam for the man who died. You sat on a half-wall outside of a small store and stroked Nayru's nose, who was tethered nearby. Your mare nudged you with her snout when your hand stopped. Smiling, you resumed petting her and she nickered quietly.

All of the villagers were gathered in the square tonight. There was no one guarding the gate. You turned your head and looked down the main road, void of any light save for that from the moon. Its light reflected on the windows of the homes and buildings and cast the world in a ghostly blue color. The gate was unguarded and Nayru was right here. You could have left in that moment, but where would you have gone?

If I leave now, and Link returns, he wouldn't know where I went off to. But I hate having to wait for him to return, if he does at all...

Sighing, you decided to stay put, at least for the night. If the next day passed and he didn't return, you'd head back to the woods where the man was and you'd look for him there. If you didn't find him by then, you weren't sure what you'd do.

Thankfully, you didn't have to go searching for Link because the next morning, he returned. You were woken up by loud voices outside- groaning and sitting up, you rubbed your eyes and yawned. You stood, walking groggily over to the window before opening the curtains. There was a crowd outside, all heading towards the village's gate. Leaning closer to the window, you looked to see what they were going for and gasped.

Stepping outside, you were met immediately with a cold wind that chilled you to the bone. But you didn't care about that- noticing the noise, Link had turned towards you and the relief he saw in his eyes warmed you. You could only hope that your eyes conveyed the same feelings to him. The moment was short as people continued pestering him. It was then that you glanced down and saw that in his arms was Myra's husband.

Looking back into his eyes, you got no explanation from them as he busied himself with listening to what the villagers were yelling at him now. He looked overwhelmed- his eyes were wide, his eyebrows furrowed, and he even took a step backwards, closer to Epona- so you pushed through them to make it to his side, ignoring the snide remarks coming your way.

Before you could reach him, though, one of the men of the village grabbed your arm and told you not to get any closer to him. Glaring at the man, you threatened to take his arm with you if he didn't let go. He only held you more firmly, so you pulled against him, only for the man on your other side to grab your other arm.

Still struggling against the men, your ears focused on what was being yelled around you. "How dare you defile his body?"

"Who do you think you are?"

"Hand him over!" Another man, bigger than the others, likely some kind of smith, stepped forward and took the body from Link's arms.

"I thought you'd want to bury him," Link began meekly.

"What gives you the right to even touch him?"

"We have to clean his body before the funeral, now," one of the women said with a sigh.

The man was carried away, and much of the village trailed after the smith. The men let go of you, and as you began towards Link again, rubbing your arms, Myra stepped in front of you. "You," she said, a pleading look on her face. "You'll speak for him at the funeral, won't you?"

"I didn't even know him-"

"Please," she tried, "it would mean the world to me."

You narrowed your eyes. "You've done nothing but be ungrateful for the effort Link put in to try and save your husband, spreading lies to your entire village," you snapped. "It would mean the world to me if you apologized to Link and set this all right, but I don't see that happening, do you?"

Her eyes watered. "J-Just have a word with my daughter, then, please," she said through her quivering lip. "You saved my life, and I'm sure she'd love to meet the one who saved me."

Taking a deep breath, you relented. "Fine," you said. "But then Link and I are leaving."

"Thank you," she said, looping her arm around yours.

"Link," you called over your shoulder as she began to walk, "stay by the horses, alright? I'll be back soon, and we'll head out."

Link's eyes met yours briefly and he shifted his weight before you turned a corner and he was out of view.

---

"She's over there, with my mother," Myra said quietly, motioning with her head gently towards one of the rows of seats in the small service room. Looking where she gestured to, your eyes settled on the little girl that you had seen run to Myra's side last night.

Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were still wet from fallen tears. A small pair of glasses sat on her nose, and as she spoke to her grandmother she pushed them up further on her nose. Releasing a breath, you walked towards her, Myra following.

"Alya, hon," Myra said, getting the girl's attention. The old lady looked up at you as well, her green eyes looking over you searchingly. The little girl looked at her mother, attempted a smile, and then looked at you. "Alya, this is the woman that saved my life."

"I'm (Y/n)," you said gently, holding your hand out to the girl. She took it, shaking it gently.

"Thank you," the little girl said quietly.

"I was glad to do it," you told her. "I'm sorry about what happened to your father. There were just too many of them, you see."

Alya nodded, having to push her glasses up more once again. Fresh tears brimmed in her eyes, threatening to fall. "Come on, sweetie," Myra said, picking her up. Myra carried her off, hushing her gently.

"(Y/n)," you heard. Turning your head, you looked at the old woman, who called your name. "Thank you for saving my daughter."

"We couldn't just stand by and watch people get carried off by monsters," you said. "We'd never live with ourselves if we did."

"That boy," she started, and you prepared yourself for some kind of mockery of him. Fortunately, she had other plans and this was a pleasant surprise. "I saw the look in his eyes earlier. I know you are telling the truth, in saying that he did all that he could. When everything calms down again, I will attempt to tell this to the others."

You could only utter a small word of thanks in your surprise. The woman smiled. "The sword he dropped. May I see it?"

Nodding, you lifted the sword- still a tad heavy for your taste, for a one-handed sword- and held it with one hand around the pommel and the other under the blade. She looked at it, her eyes following its edge with a keen eye. Nodding her head, she smiled again. "As I thought." At your inquiring look, she chuckled. "He's the Hylian Champion, isn't he? The sword doesn't choose just anybody, you know."

"Yea," you confirmed, still at a loss for words, "he is."

"My parents told me all about the calamity," she told you. "Of the Champions, he was the most impressive. To have no natural, magical abilities like the other- the strength of a Goron, for example- but still managing to find the courage to fight amongst them and even exceed them in skill. The Hylians always were a proud race."

You smiled and moved your hair so that your pointed ear could show. "That we are," you said with pride.

---

"Excuse me," you said to one of the passing villagers. "Where is Link? Where is he?"

The man pointed at a building on the other side of the street. Thanking him, you made your way across the road quickly. The building he pointed at was small and quaint, but had no sign out front; leading you to wonder what it was possibly used for.

Nearing the door, you noticed something that immediately made your heart sink to your stomach. The door was chained shut, a large lock holding the chains together like the bow on a beautifully wrapped present. Moving away from the door and going to one of the front-facing windows, you peered in and couldn't see anything for a moment.

The building was so small that it really should be labeled as a shed. Having only one room, devoid of any furniture, it looked damp and lonely and surely wasn't used for anything regularly. And sitting in the center, with his knees up by his chest with his head resting on them and his arms wrapped around them, was Link. The window was open, so you called to him.

"Link," you said. You saw him tense up- but he had no other outward reaction to you. "Link," you tried again. He buried his head deeper in towards his knees, and drew his knees closer to his chest. Groaning, you backed up from the window. It was far too small to climb through, so you'd have to break the lock on the door.

You took out a sword- just the right weight for you- and twirled it as you made your way to stand in front of the door. Looking around briefly, you ensured that no one was around before you raised your arm and swung down with all of the might you could muster, breaking the lock. The chains fell with the lock, clanging and clinking as they went.

Opening the door, you looked down at Link as sunlight streamed into the room. The floor was dirt, its walls barren of decoration. Link's tunic and hair were the only dots of color in the room.

You were finally here- alone with Link after all that had happened- and you had nothing to say to him. What could you say? Instead of speaking, your body reacted for you. You rushed to him, falling to your knees next to him and enveloping him in a tight hug. He flinched, almost imperceptibly, before relaxing into your touch.

Link leaned into you, lifting his head to rest it on your shoulder as he broke into tears. Quietly crying, he buried his face into your neck. Tears formed in your own eyes as well. He had been through so much in the past couple of days, and the thought of being in his situation scared you. Controlling your emotions, you rocked back and forth, letting him cry. His hands came to your sides, clutching handfuls of your tunic as if he was afraid that you'd disappear.

"They're just being irrational," you said quietly, into his ear, as you closed your eyes and rested your head on his. "They're grieving, that's all." As much as you disliked the people here for all being sheep, mindlessly following each other, no matter how wrong their leader was, you knew that that wasn't what he needed to hear right now. What he needed was the truth. "Even Hylia can't save everyone, can she?"

He shook his head, his face still in your shoulder. "Then why do you expect to?" You got no answer, which you expected. "You are the chosen hero, however, and this is for a reason. I know you hate the fact that you failed a century ago, but it wasn't your fault. You did all that you could and then, once you were completely out of your own strength, continued to fight from there. You're a hero, Link, no matter what you think. You're strong, smart, and more than anything, brave."

Lifting your head from his, you looked down at him. Link sniffed once, then lifted his head to look at you. Looking into his eyes, you knew that you never wanted to see another tear fall from them. As one slid down his cheek, you brushed it away with a light touch of your finger. "You did your best, and despite these people, there are others that still believe in your with all of their hearts, even if they don't know that you're back yet, and even those that do- like me."

Placing a hand on the side of his face, you watched as he leaned into your hand, keeping his eyes on you. "Your bravery is matched by no one. Your skill with a blade is one thing, but what I really love about you is the fact that you never give up, no matter what. The odds against you can be described as nothing short of bleak, but look at you. You continue to fight and protect people, even if some people aren't grateful for it. And I love that about you."

You offered him a small smile though your eyes were watery. "Seeing all of this happen to you...I'm ashamed to say I did nothing. I felt powerless without you. I need you like Hyrule needs you, Link...though, maybe even a bit more than that."

His eyes widened slightly but you stood, having said all that you could. Taking a step backwards, you lifted the Master Sword from where you were keeping it and presented it to him. "Not just anyone can wield this, you know. It doesn't feel comfortable in my hands, so I think you should take it back."

Looking past the sword and at you, he nodded, determination finding its way back into his eyes. He stood up, taking the sword from you. Holding it in his left hand, he twirled it once and looked at the blade once it was upright again. Lowering the blade into its scabbard, Link stepped close to you. You met his eyes, watching as they became lit with the fire of courage again- something you had missed in them. He let a small smile- a grateful one- grace his face and it was met with one from you.

"I think it's about time we left, don't you?"

Taking his hand at his quick nod, you led him out of the room and into the sunshine. Squinting a bit from the brightness, you noticed a figure approaching. Realizing it was Myra, you frowned slightly. She looked at you, then at Link, and then at your clasped hands. Her eyebrows furrowed with anger. "What are you doing, holding hands with-"

"Stop with the act, Myra," you interrupted her, tired of her already. "Look at his eyes." She did. "Quite bloodshot, aren't they?" Her eyes narrowed slightly, but Link met her gaze calmly and with a stony face. "Would a monster cry over the death of someone- especially a stranger? I don't think so. Would a monster do all that he could to help someone? I certainly think not. Did this finally shut you up? It's about time. Link and I are going to leave now- and when Ganon is destroyed, be sure to tell the rest of the villagers here that he's still a monster and let your husband die."

Rendering her speechless, you tugged Link along with you as you led him towards the village's gate where the horses were waiting.

---

Climbing a tower would never be fun for you. After taking care of a few monsters keeping guard at the bottom, you and Link had made the tedious climb up the pillar. Link helped you up the final foot, grabbing your wrist and pulling you up onto the platform. Taking a deep breath, you made your way to one of the railings and held onto it. Link took his place next to you, but went further. He sat on the railing and let his feet dangle over the edge. You followed suit, settling yourself next to him.

A flock of birds flew below you, twittering to themselves as they flew by. You watched as they flew towards the horizon, and you briefly wondered if the life of a bird was easier than that of a human; they could fly, for one thing, but there were rarely fights between them. Most birds thought the same way- they cared only for their survival.

Your thoughts were interrupted when you felt Link's hand come to rest on your shoulder before tugging you gently into him. Resting your head on his shoulder, you made yourself comfy and his hand returned to his side.

Death Mountain stood towering over the others in the far distance, its glow visible from even here. Leagues upon leagues of rolling fields still lay between you and it, however. The stone pillar on which the Rito's Divine Beast sat could be seen as well, its red laser trained at Hyrule Castle. A second laser met the first there as well- you knew this one was that of the Gerudo's beast. Hyrule Castle, at the center of it all, was still swirling with purple magic.

"I hope you're not taking any of what the villagers said to heart," you said, breaking the silence.

"I'm trying not to," he replied quietly. Several minutes passed, filled with comfortable silence. You stayed still, being far too content here to even attempt to move. "I don't know what I would do without you," Link said at barely a whisper. He must've thought you were asleep. Link sighed, and his hand twitched, as if he wanted to move it. He kept it where it was, however, and you smiled at his awkwardness.

You opened your mouth to speak when you heard something- not Link's voice, and certainly not more words- you heard music. Gasping, you sat up. "Kass?"

Kass, the traveling Rito musician, was someone you had met several times upon your travels thus far. Each time, he had a new story to tell, a new song to sing. You couldn't see him, but the music he was playing was a happy one. Not particularly fast-paced, it was bright and sounded like something that would be played at a celebration.

"You can hear that, can't you, Link?"

Link stammered over his answer, flustered (most likely because you had heard what he had said). Link sat up straighter, offering you a smile. Looking at him, you noticed the redness creeping into his cheek as he asked you if you wanted to dance. Peering into his eyes curiously, you nodded.

A wide grin adorning his face, he got off of the railing and held his hand out to you. Taking it, you let him help you get off of the railing. He bowed to you, and you responded with a curtsy, just like you had learned when you were a child. Lifting your hand to his lips, he kissed it gently before taking you by surprise and grabbing your other hand and pulling you closer.

The setting sun watched as Link led you in an old style of dance- one that the elders in Hateno used to teach the kids, one that their parents had taught them. Tagging this upbeat, perky number as the dance craze of Link's time, you picked it up quickly and followed his lead.

By the time the sun was gone, Link was still going strong, having by now switched into a different form of dance that still fit the music Kass was playing. But when the moon rose, and the land was blanketed in its pale light, Kass switched to a slower, more soulful piece.

"I don't think this dance fits this music," you said with a smirk. "It's a tad slow for it."

Link frowned. "Oh, then we can stop if you-"

You shook your head before he could finish his statement. "It's my turn to teach you one." You removed your hands from his and took his wrists, guiding them to your waist. Link flushed red, contrasting with his eyes and hair, and you simply smiled as you rested your hands around his neck. Noting the look he was giving you, and your closeness, you could feel warmth creep onto your cheeks as well, but you simply began the dance.

Link looked down at your feet, doing his best to follow you. After stepping on your feet only a couple of times, Link figured it out and the two of you continued your dance. However, you then had to teach him how to dip you. Demonstrating on him first was certainly fun (not in his eyes), but once he learned how to dip you, he did is as much as he could, grinning every time.

The smile you had grown to love- and the eyes that shone with them- were back, and you were happy.

Being the one he smiled for wasn't all that bad, either.

Author's Note: How was this one? The storm isn't over yet- though they get their little moment here to relax. But don't worry- it'll all work out in the end. Or will it?

In other news, the new DLC for The Breath of the Wild is fantastic. I'm so happy my dad got the expansion pass. You can bet that after the main story is over, I'll be writing little extra chapters for DLC parts. Imagine you and Link riding a motorcycle together. Imagine it.

Anyway, I shall see you all in the next chapter. Thank you for reading!