"Link," I stated a little uncertainly, for what I was looking at was such an impossible stretch of the imagination yet was as true and tangible as the breaths I pulled into my lungs, "how do we defeat a rock?"

Wait... was that a silly question? Maybe it was. Link had retreated back towards me, and for now the Talus was seemingly stretching its legs, and its eyeless face was searching, searching, searching.

"It can be defeated, right? It's a monster," I said, glancing towards him sparingly. I was almost nervous to know the answer, because this was a rock and I could not possibly fathom it having a heart we could make stop beating, but it was moving - so there had to be a way to make it stop, right? It was a monster, willed to life by Ganon's evils. Surely it was like the more humanoid creatures and could be killed, right?

"It can," Link told me, now at my side.

His eyes were still carefully trained on the Talus, just as my own were. Where fear would have been in my eyes, in his own there was only this fierce determination. And yet through it, I knew there was fear tucked away into his gaze, too. It was just hidden far better and it was, I knew, a reflection of his training, a way to protect himself from the harm that a monster that knew its prey was terrified would and could inflict.

"Get your bow out," he told me, but I had already done that, so I readied an arrow in preparation. Even as I did it, I couldn't fathom exactly how an arrow might hurt a rock. "See that gemstone up top? It's the Talus' weak spot."

"Weak spot?"

"Most large monsters have one," Link told me. "A fatal flaw of their incredible size. It's hard to sustain a body that large - there's always something that falls short. Some are obvious: for a Hinox, it's the eye, and for a Talus, it's the gemstone up top. Others are harder to find."

"Like what?"

"A Lynel, for example," he said, just as the Talus started to turn. Link tensed at my side, bringing his hand to the pommel of his sword. "It has no obvious weaknesses - unless you count its intelligence, which can be exploited, or its pride."

"Oh, Hylia," I breathed out, something strange gripping my heart tight. Was it fear? No, worse. It was dread, because I knew Lynel's roamed free in the wild and we could happen upon one any day and...

No. There's no time to regret this, and there is no reason to. I'd rather feel the fear, and grow the strength required to overcome it, than have continued to live ignorantly in Hateno.

Time to get ready, then.

"Have you defeated one before?"

"Maybe before I went to sleep," Link answered as the Talus took another shuddering step around itself, searching ever diligently for what woke it up. "Not since waking up, though."

"That's good," I said. "This should be fun, then."

Link caught onto my dry humor and sent me a brief smile and a cheeky glance. "Yeah? Glad you think so. Try to stay hidden in the underbrush if you can. Don't want you getting flattened by a boulder, honestly."

"Aw," I cooed. "How sweet. And let me guess: you'll be up close and personal, running a distraction?"

"Exactly," he said, drawing his sword. "Get ready - it may look blind, but I think it's got echolocation or something. Either way, if you let yourself be seen, you will be seen. Trust in that."

"Got it," I replied.

"One more thing."

"What is it?"

"Don't go doing anything stupidly reckless," he said.

"I won't if you won't," I said, and that got a chuckle out of him.

"Dammit," he said, cracking his neck to one side. "Well, let's get started."

"Let's," I agreed. As Link drew his sword, I readied an arrow. I didn't pull it back, not yet. I instead tracked Link's movements, watching as he ran off towards the Talus. Hearing, or perhaps sensing his footfalls, the Talus turned now towards us, but more specifically towards Link - and he didn't so much as shirk away from the towering form. He ran towards it, ever a daring hero, and I redirected my gaze upwards, watching as the talus lifted one of its massive arms, intending to crush him beneath the rock.

I didn't have to tell him to dodge for him to do so anyway, and he rolled out of the way just in the nick of time - which I'm sure he intended. The Talus, not to be deterred, began winding back again, and that's when I pulled back an arrow. Would a regular arrowhead work? Maybe, but perhaps this one would be better.

Ah, but let's try this, first. I readied that first arrow, drew it back, then released it.

Well, shit. I missed.

I winced a little as the Talus' movements inadvertently let it dodge my arrow. That gemstone was at a tricky spot to reach - placed up top the monster, it seemed to shift wildly with each movement the Talus made. I knew that realistically, it was secure and stable atop the Talus, but because it was so massive and so high up, it was a tricky target to hit.

Link, after having rolled away to dodge once more, had watched my arrow sail over the Talus and land in the dirt far behind it. As the Talus regained its footing, Link remained in a crouch, then twisted around to send me a shit-eating grin.

"I'll never hear the end of that one," I muttered to myself, looking back towards my target. Now, I replaced the regular arrow with one with a fuse, a bomb arrow - one that would ignite on impact with its target. It was a high-power weapon, one that would do damage no matter what - and I wouldn't have to be nearly as accurate a shot with it.

For something so hard to hit, this was my best bet.

I readied a bomb arrow just as I noticed the bright blue glow of one of Link's own bombs, generated by his Sheikah Slate. As he rolled from spot to spot, he was leaving traps - a bit of ice here, a bomb there - and the Talus was none the wiser, likely because it didn't have a brain, so it didn't even have the capacity to be the wiser.

Remembering I had a lit fuse right next to my ear, I hurried to aim, and then to fire. This time, my aim was true, and I struck the center of the gemstone. With a brilliant explosion, the air was soon shimmering with metallic shrapnel, and the smoke seemed to glitter with all the precious minerals released. The monster reeled back and, not to be beaten, Link ran well out of range before setting off his bombs, and the Talus stumbled backwards, crying a voiceless cry of pain.

The monster stepped back once and then again, and Link and I both watched eagerly as it approached the small pool of water that Link had used Cryonis on. Clearly hoping the creature would trip over the ice, we were both duly disappointed when instead it broke right through it and continued on.

By now, the monster was starting to regain its senses, and it gave an experimental, cautious sort of shake, relieving itself of the shredded rock that had clung to the top of it.

Actually... inadvertently, Link had given me an idea.

The Talus was about as effortlessly smooth as rock could hope to be, but rock was rock - it could crack, no matter its composition. All it would take would be just a little bit of water... just a few drops, really.

"Hylia, I hope this works," I breathed out as I reached towards my quiver. As though responding to my call, the gemstone placed at the center of my forehead at my hairline seemed to burn; it did not hurt, but it was searing kind of warmth. The warmth spread to my heart, to my fingers and then to my toes, and I took another breath in as I relaxed.

I adjusted to sit more comfortably in my crouch, lowering one knee to the dirt as I reached for one type of arrow in particular. This would work, if my aim were true. I did not have to look at my quiver to know what kind of arrow the fletching my fingers brushed past belonged to. The feathers were flecked with frost, and a shudder ran down my spine at such an incredible temperature.

Surely the marvel of magic and science alike, and certainly Hylia's blessing as well, these arrows were also situated at subzero temperatures, even when in the desert heat and even when so close to fire arrows. Those always burned like the sun at the touch, but much like the ice arrows, their impacts were only felt by those that touched them and the immediate air around them.

Because it was so warm out, a steady mist rose from the ice arrow, and I nocked it right away. When secure, I drew it back and, when aimed, I released it. It would only take a moment for this arrow to go from the catalyst of this plan to a wasted arrow and wasted energy; but I didn't worry about that right now. I just watched it sail its course, and even as I readied a fire arrow, I smiled, because my aim had been true.

With the explosion, the thinnest, hairline crack had formed at the base of the gemstone. It ran down into the smooth, pale rock that made up the monster's head, and just as I planned, the arrow landed not in the crack, but just above it. The monster, of course, reacted to the sudden pain of being struck in its weak point, but I did not let up. The ice arrow hardly had a moment to settle before a fire arrow landed just above it.

Link kept up the barrage from below, striking it with his sword and dodging when necessary. He seemed to be doing considerable damage - his own bombs and constant pressure on the monster had started wearing on it.

As impressive as his swordwork was, I made myself pay attention to what I was doing. The heat of the fire arrow was starting to melt some of the ice permeating from the ice arrow. Now that the arrowhead was ruptured, the magic holding it together was gone, and water ran steadily from the arrowhead and down into that hairline crack.

Narrowing my eyes, I watched the water's track, waiting for it to go further, further, further, and just a bit further, before...

"Perfect," I said.

And with just one more ice arrow, I knew I had won. The sudden decrease in temperature as the ice arrow struck the water just at the end of the crack made it all freeze up; and because ice expands,  as all the molecules get into place and stiffen up, that hairline crack began a wide fracture, just what I had intended.

There was a triumphant smile on my face as I set my bow upon my back and instead drew a spear. As the monster reeled back in pain, Link whaled away on its legs, and was just lifting a bomb above his head in preparation to throw it and run when I ran past him.

"(Y/n)," he called out, clearly surprised. "What are you... Wait! Don't-!"

His words fell on (willfully) deaf ears as I leapt up, shoving the spearhead into the fracture. Using it as a hold, I climbed up, and bit by bit I scrambled up the rock's face and up onto its head. When I was steady in a kneel at the top, I readied my spear and jabbed the spearhead now into the fracture, just where the gemstone and smooth rock met. Leaning all my weight against the other end, I forced it further and further apart, and the monster was growing more and more restless, more and more pained. It was panicking now, swatting its bouldered arms up towards me.

Link was calling for me, but I knew by now that the monster would protect its gem, that it would not strike so close as to accidentally hit it - and so I clung to that damn stone even as I forced all of my strength into splitting the rock further and further.

"Oh, come on," I hissed, and just at that moment, the gemstone came loose. With a low, guttural rumbling of rock, the monster fell to its knees and Link stayed well clear of it as it collapsed. I rode the monster down, clinging to the spear. I'd wedged it far enough into the rock to hold steady, even as I muttered curse after curse at the way the monster fell so dramatically.

I was flung right at the last second when my grip on the spear faltered, and I found myself falling right against Link. He'd run in to catch me, but he must not have been expecting me to just be haphazardly thrown towards him because with a strained grunt, he fell; and with him, so did I.

We rolled together rather clumsily before Link managed to gather himself and his limbs. He stopped us from rolling by planting his knee down and now on my back, I found myself looking right up at the boy who looked equal parts worried and elated.

"(Y/n)," he said once more, his worry overpowering everything else in his voice. "What were you thinking?!"

"I was thinking I had to make up somehow for that awful shot," I said with a smile and, unable to keep himself from doing so, he smiled too. He shook his head with disbelief and sat back, clambering off me and holding his hand out. I took his hand right away, letting him help me to sit up.

"That was incredible," Link breathed out, and I could tell he was being genuine by the look in his eyes and the smile on his face. He was looking at me with such pure, unfiltered adoration and pride that my heart all but melted down completely.

The strain of the fight was clear in his features, in his body language; there was dirt streaked on his face, a bit of ash from the bombs, and a fine sheen of sweat clung to his skin. He was breathing heavily, and still knelt, he sat back on his heels and rested his sword hand against his thigh, repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fingers to surely relieve the tension from them.

But he was smiling so freely, it made it all worth it.

"It's only because you ran distraction that I could do it," I said. "I wouldn't have had the time to focus up and aim if not for that."

"Well, it's obvious we make a good team," he said surely, getting to his feet. He helped me to stand, and when the Talus disappeared in a puff of smoke, it left that gemstone behind - and the spear I'd left in it. It fell then to the ground with a clatter, and Link retrieved it for me. When I took it in hand, he did not let go right away - and I was left wondering why only until he spoke.

"It was stupidly reckless, what you did," he said quietly, his cerulean eyes boring right into my own and surely seeing right through them and into my soul, "but it looked badass, so I'll allow it."

"Oh, good," I said, setting the point of the spear into the dirt and leaning against it. I glanced briefly towards the site of the fight, and finally let out a relieved breath. "What a fight," I remarked, and he followed my gaze and nodded. I looked into his eyes, then, but more accurately, looked at them, because he was still looking towards the battleground. "How could you have possibly beaten it alone, Link?"

He shrugged, his body language shouting that he was relaxed even as a crease furrowed his brow. "I'd have had no choice." Shaking his head, he walked to the gemstone. "Here, give me a hand with this. It's no prize game, but at least now we've got some art to show off!"

—

We returned to the village with the gemstone held between us. By then, we were struggling to keep a good hold on it. Our fingers were grasping for purchase and we were desperately keeping it aloft, because it was so heavy and we had gone so far. But we managed, and the crowd parted for us as we made our way to the town square to present our prize with all the other teams.

Excited whispers and surprised murmurs followed after us as we hurried to the town's center, and we did what we could not to look at anyone we passed. We focused only on where we were going, and getting there as fast as possible. Just as people peeked out of their homes to see what we had brought, so too did the sun at long last peek up above the horizon as though to look, herself.

Our arrival caused quite a stir, and it seemed that the rumors of what we had brought with us preceded us somehow because all eyes were on us when we made it to the town square at last. Small tables were set up around the square, and we went to the first free one we saw. We struggled to heave the gemstone up into the table but we did, and that was when we turned, sucking in grateful lungfuls of air from our struggle here and...

...Found ourselves the focus of the entire settlement. Irene, the woman from before, squeezed her way through the crowd, her eyes alight with intrigue and a wide smile on her face. "I'm quite sure I explained the rules of the challenge properly," she said teasingly.

"You did," I assured her, knowing it was rhetorical anyway. "So, that restricted part of the forest you mentioned..."

"We found the line of tagged trees!"

"...And went well beyond it," I added, and Link nodded eagerly, not even a single bit abashed or sheepishly - and I fought the urge to smile outright.

"I had a feeling you two wouldn't listen," Irene said. "But it seems that not only did you find the monster there, but you defeated it."

"We did," I told her. "And the gemstone here is our prize."

"Well, it is beautiful," she said. She looked around pointedly, "I knew something was up when team after team came in and said that whatever game they were tracking were scared off by... tremors. I reckon it was that monster you saw."

"Probably," I said, suddenly pretty upset. "I'm sorry if we ruined the challenge..."

"Nonsense," she said. "As you can see, there wasn't a lot of hunting done, not successfully, anyway. But you have made our forest safe once more. For so long we've been confined to the edges of the forest because that monster would chase our hunters and flatten the trees in its wake... But now, the forest is our own once more. And we cannot thank you enough for that."

"You can try, though," Link chimed in, and I swatted his arm lightly.

"Link," I chided with a low hiss. He caught my gaze easily and he did nothing to hide my smile - and in fact, it only grew when he caught sight of my narrowed eyes directed his way.

"Don't worry," Irene said, raising her hands placatingly. "I don't mind - in fact, we all had a feeling that you two were up to exactly what we thought - and so we thought it only fitting that you would be dubbed the victors."

"Really?" I asked, completely and wholly dumbfounded. "But we didn't bring back any game, and we kept everyone else from actually getting a real chance to compete, too..."

"Having the forest back is trophy enough," Irene assured us. "Trust me. Besides all that, this gem is marvelous!"

"It is," I said, somewhat at a loss. We'd gone ahead and effectively ruined their yearly tradition but the people were not upset with us. We were revered, in fact, and it was clear by the way everyone was looking at us that there was no remorse, no regret, no thinly-veiled anger or impatience. They all just looked happy.

Now done admiring the gem, Irene looked at us, and clasped her hands together over her chest. "I think it's safe to say that everyone is more than happy to give you the title of victors of this year's hunting challenge and, perhaps more importantly, the heroes of our humble village!"

"Heroes," I repeated quietly, though it didn't quite matter how loudly I said it because my words were far overshadowed by the cheers and chants rising up in volume and intensity from all of the occupants and all of the guests here.

"Come," Irene said, gesturing for us to follow her. "Allow me to show you to your prize!"

When it became clear to him that I was still too stunned to move, let alone follow Irene who was already walking away and getting swept up by the excited crowd, Link pressed his palm to the small of my back and guided me along.

"Come on, hero," he said quietly, leaning in close to speak the words into my ear in a hush. "Let's get going."

I was grateful at that moment that Link was happily looking ahead, gratefully bowing his head in thanks to those that clapped him on the back and congratulated him. I was grateful for it, because my cheeks were burning bright and I didn't want him to see just how incredibly overwhelmed and flustered I had become and all because people considered me a hero.

And not only that, but actually more so than anything else... Link was so close, leading me along so gently, and he had called me a hero and... and not only that, but it seemed as though he truly meant it.

—

After a busy morning of festivities and excitement, I decided to turn in for a bit, to head somewhere quiet to decompress for a while. We'd gone awhile without sleep anyway - we hadn't taken a nap yesterday afternoon or evening, and we spent all night in the forest. By the time we came back, the sun was just rising, and we'd spent these past few hours celebrating with the townsfolk.

Our prize, so we learned, was our choice in the primest cuts of meats and the freshest of vegetables and the most delectable of desserts. I ate what I wanted happily, because fighting certainly worked up an appetite for me, and Link all but scarfed down portion after portion. It was honestly a miracle that he kept that figure of his, honestly.

But after all of that, I found myself to be incredibly, horribly sleepy.

Link, unsurprisingly, was more than ready for a nap, so we excused ourselves from the festivities to a quieter part of town. A small, grassy glen we found, a comfortable blanket we laid down, and in we settled for a nap. We were asleep in minutes, and we were asleep for hours - Link longer than myself, because I was up first and found that now only had I rolled onto my back during my nap, but that Link had rolled over too... and decided that my stomach was the comfiest place to rest his head.

So.

I rested there for a little while longer, happy that at least the sun had hidden away behind some clouds so I was able to look up and not be blinded, at any rate.

I let him rest a few minutes more, then hesitantly placed a hand against his back. "Link," I said quietly, not wanting to scare him, but rather wanting to rouse him from sleep gently, calmly.

"Mm?"

"It's about time we get up," I told him. "If you don't, you'll never get to sleep tonight."

He only waved my words away, adjusting to get more comfortable against me. "That's fine," he said surely. "We'll just travel through the night like we did a little bit, ago."

I smiled. Honestly, this boy.

"Come on, Link," I urged softly. "I want to sort through our things before we leave."

"Go ahead," he said, and I figured he hadn't realized the fatal flaw in telling me that.

"You have to get up, first," I said, and at that, his eyes fluttered open. When his eyes met my own, he realized all at once where he was and he grinned. I'd have thought that he was not at all embarrassed, which was quite a feat - but then I saw the pink dusted across the tip of his ear.

"Oh," he said, sitting up anyway. "But I was so comfy!"

"I can't very well sort through everything with you resting on me, though," I told him, sitting up myself. I tucked my legs to one side and stretched my arms far above my head, and by the time I let out a relieved breath, relaxed my arms at my sides, and let my eyes flutter back open, Link was already standing, holding one hand towards me.

"That actually sounds really boring," he said. "I was gonna head back into town and look around a bit more. You'll join me, won't you?"

"I want to make sure we have enough provisions to get us through the next few days," I told him, and the smile fell away from his face. "I think we've idled here long enough, anyway. After dinner, I was thinking we should head out."

"Yeah," he said, though not without a hint of sadness in his eyes. "I suppose you're right. I'll make one more loop of the village, then be back with some grub. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like you really just want to pick up some more free samples of sweets," I said, and the way his smile returned to his face told me I hit the nail on the head. "Take all the time you want," I told him. "I'll be here."

"Good," he said, standing up straight. "See you soon, firefly!"

And then I was alone, and I did just as I told him I would. I got rid of our old things and re-sorted our new things, and ensured everything we had was in good condition. I did some basic weapon maintenance, discarded my bow considering I'd just bought a new one and this one was becoming less resistant to the pull of the string and was soon to become useless. I washed some of our clothes in a nearby pond and hung them to dry from some nearby trees. I took inventory of our food, our weapons, our bedding and our trinkets, and sorted them all back away carefully.

By the time all of that was done, the sun was starting to set - not that I could see it, for gray clouds had rolled in quickly. I began to grow worried for Link - while I had some cover here, Link probably didn't in the village - but he liked the rain anyway, and so did I, so I figured he wouldn't mind so much.

There was no use lighting a fire, so there I sat, waiting for the rain to start.

And I was alone, until at last Link returned.

When he did, there was something balanced between his hands, and I had to squint to see it. Well, I tried anyway, before he found my figure and slowed, then turned to face away. Over his shoulder, he called for me to close my eyes.

"What? Why?"

"Because! I got you a surprise!"

"Fine, fine," I conceded, closing my eyes. "Ok," I called. "They're closed!"

Satisfied, I heard his footfalls start up once more and when he was much closer, he told me to open my eyes, and so that's what I did.

My surprise... it was a cake!"

"Aw," I said, getting to my feet. "I didn't think you were gone that long. Did you go and bake me a cake?"

"No, of course not," he said. "I'm useless when it comes to cooking and baking, you know that." Seeing my smirk, he knew I was joking, but he seemed to grow excited. "Oh! But I did decorate it!"

"Hm? You did?"

True enough, it did look like shaky work. But it was cute - a layer of purple frosting covered the cake, and it looked like he'd tried his best to give it a pretty trim of white frosting, and he even attempted a flower or two that looked to me more like blobs.

I didn't care about how it looked, though. Honestly, just the attempt alone, the thought that he wanted to decorate a cake as a surprise... I mean, honestly! It all had a swarm of butterflies going crazy in my belly and a warmth taking hold of my heart. It was a comfortably flurry, and a comfortable heat, and I relished in it all.

"(Y/n)," he said, leaning in close, "are you tearing up?"

"Probably," I said. "I just wasn't expecting this."

That made him laugh, and I smiled bashfully. "We had a whole feast this morning, and this sorry excuse for a cake is what makes you cry?"

"Wait," I said, "did you cry seeing the feast?"

"Uh..."

That made me laugh, and in turn he laughed at himself.

"What are we waiting for?" I asked when I sobered up enough to do so. "Let's dig in!"

That's exactly what we did, with cutlery I went and retrieved from my pack, and together we started to eat the cake. Though the decoration was sloppy, the cake was delicious, and we hardly had the time to talk as we ate as much as we could.

But sooner or later we started to slow, and we started to talk, falling into an easy conversation as we ate.

"I guess I'll just have to assign a day for you, then," I said in response to him saying he didn't know when his birthday was. I'd told him my own, and I figured he should least have a day to celebrate on, and I didn't mind helping him pick one.

"I'd like that," he said, swallowing down a bite that was mostly frosting. "Have one in mind?"

"I've got some thoughts," I said. "But more importantly, what about you?"

"I've got nothing," he said with a shrug. "Should I just pick a day at random?"

"If you want," I said. "Honestly, I was thinking a nice spring day, you know, the ones that are always warm and have that nice cool breeze... or maybe a chilly winter day where everyone either stays warm inside or ventures out into the snow for a day of fun... or maybe in the fall would be nice, when-"

That's about when it started to rain.

It started not with a drizzle but a downpour, and it all but pelted the cake as though Hylia sent the storm to do so directly. It was no match for the rain, but Link for all his determination did all he could to save it. "Quick," he said, setting it atop a nearby stump. "I'll cover it, so you can start weaving something to put over it! Or actually, maybe grab a blanket? Or-"

He was worrying himself silly trying to find a way to save this cake, but I looked down at it instead of getting up to help. It was already a lost cause, and though I was disappointed, I also knew that there was nothing else to be done about it.

It was a futile struggle, and it hurt to see. It did.

Goodness... was I really getting soft? He brought it out here, and he'd have to be blind not to have seen the clouds. But he brought it anyway, and he put so much effort into decorating it anyway, and he was doing all he could to save it anyway.

And I... wanted to do anything I could to make him feel better.

My body had long-since hardened from my training, and as a result, my willpower had lessened and I fell for his puppy-dog eyes and his pouts every single time they were sent my way.

Dammit, I used to be stronger than this.

"I didn't think to bring a cake box when I left Hateno, Link," I said to him, getting to my feet. "And the blankets are away and dry - unless you want to sleep in a soaking wet blanket, I don't think it's a good idea to get them out right now."

"You're... you're right," he said, and he sighed, backing away from the treat and watching as the rain ate away at it. It really was a sad sight - and artistic, in a way. I stood at his side, then glanced up sidelong at him. "I just figured this would be a nice way to thank you for everything so far," he said, and he sounded so dejected I wanted to hug him close and never let go.

"We didn't get to finish it," I said, looking down at the cake, "but it was delicious and honestly, for your first time decorating a cake, I think you did a good job."

"That's not it," he said. "I just... Well, you already know how I feel about you risking yourself for me, and what you did against the Talus was..." He took a breath, steeling himself before speaking more. "It was incredible, it really was, but it was really risky. And I just... I want you to know just how much it meant to me that you decided to travel with me in the first place, and that you were so adamant in it, and... and how much it still means to me, that you've stayed."

"Link, I love being here, and I love being with you," I said, unable to take my words back or think them through before they fled past my lips. And yet I didn't feel embarrassed for having said them. It in fact had my heart lifting a little, warming once more.

He was already looking at me by the time I found the courage to look up at him, and I smiled at how cute he looked, being so surprised. And - get this - his ears were flushed with blush again. I laughed a little, then came to stand before him. I took his hands into my own, and stepped closer.

"I'm not a big fan of just standing around in the rain," I said. "But listen - I can hear the music coming from town. Can't you?"

He swallowed hard, focused on it for a second, then nodded. "How about we dance, then? My way of thanking you for everything you've done for me so far."

Now seemingly coming back to his senses, he let his fingers curl around my own and he guided me to stand in frame. "You're sure?"

Goodness, he looked so handsome like this, with rain-slicked hair and raindrops clinging to his lashes.

"I'm sure," I said, "and you can trust that I'll keep surprising you, again and again."

He allowed himself to smile, and he pulled me more surely against him. "Good, then," he said quietly. "Wouldn't want you to get tired of you, firefly."

"No? Well, you're plenty interesting, so I doubt I'll have to worry about that myself, hero."

"I don't want to win by default," he said with a laugh. I only just realized then that we hadn't even started dancing yet - he was just holding me close, and I was holding him close. And... I didn't mind. Not at all.

"How wouldn't you? You're the Hylian Champion!"

"And you're a fool who decided to tag along," he argued, and at that, his eyes softened. He reached up with one hand, tucking some hair that had slicked to my cheek back behind my ear. When he spoke next, his words were quiet: "But a pretty fool, so it isn't all that bad."

I looked away briefly, suddenly unable to meet his eyes. But just as the smile refused to leave my own face, he had this self-satisfied smile on his own that refused to leave, so...

So, he was right.

It wasn't really all that bad.