You bashed the Lynel's weapon away from you with your shield, sending from it a flurry of wooden shards. You winced slightly from the impact it had on your shoulder, but you ignored the pain for the moment being and swung your sword while the monster was still reeling from being swatted away. You got a deep cut across its chest and it leapt away, roaring in pain.

As it prepared to breathe fire, you had your bow out and sent a barrage of shock arrows at it. The Lynel disregarded the arrows piercing its skin and reared back, flames pouring from its mouth like water flowing in a river. It landed back on all four feet and sent a ball of fire towards you.

You jumped to the side, dodging it with ease. The Lynel continued the assault, likely assuming you'd get tired. You rolled this way and that, forcing the monster to keep a close eye on you and keep switching its direction. You gradually made you way closer to the monster, attempting to take it by surprise.

It noticed this, however, and leapt away from you again. It prepared itself to charge, pawing the ground, but you were already ready for it by the time it began towards you. In dodging this charge, unlike the last, you weren't even a full second late but you paid for it in full.

You were knocked off of your feet and your breath was stolen from you. You gasped for air as you sat up, scrambling across the dirt to grab your weapon that had been ripped from your hand by the force of the attack. The Lynel made it to your weapon just as you did, and you rolled onto your back, the broadsword held across your two hands- the blade in one, the pommel in the other.

The Lynel brought down its own weapon, and the sting of the end of the blade pushing into your hand sent waves of pain down your arm but you bit down on your cheek and braced yourself. The Lynel applied more pressure, aiming to kill you right here and now. You fought against it with all of your strength, the strain making your arms shake and sweat roll down your forehead. The monster's weapon came closer, forcing your own sword closer to your neck.

With your last ounce of your strength, you pushed upwards and rolled underneath the Lynel now that there was enough room for you to move, dashing out from underneath it as it roared in frustration. Now out from under it, you leapt up onto its backside and stood on its back. You took a fistful of its mane and pulled yourself up onto its shoulders. Bracing yourself as it reared, you took the sword into both hands and brought your hands down, forcing the blade through its skull and into its brain.

The monstrosity roared and bucked, and when it reared you used the downward momentum from it landing back on its feet to force the sword deeper in. With one more jerk of your hands, you twisted the blade, effectively killing it. It fell to its knees and disappeared as every other monster did, in a cloud of black smoke.

As you wiped your forehead with one hand, sheathing the sword with the other, you heard many sets of rapidly approaching footsteps. You looked up at the small family approaching you and you managed to give them a smile as they neared despite your fatigue. One of the kids picked up your shield which had been knocked away when you were thrown to the ground and gave you a grin as he held it out to you.

You smiled at him as you took it, putting it in its rightful place on your back. This small family had been on their way to visit the kids' grandparents but had been unable to pass through this road because of the Lynel that guarded it. They hadn't realized this until they had gotten close enough to see the monster. As they had started backing away slowly, so as not to get its attention, you had made it to the same road and told them to hide. They did so, the whole lot of them getting off of the road and behind some bushes, while you promised to take care of the monster.

Nayru was grazing nearby and you whistled to her. She came to you and as the family stood in front of you, she came to a stop and put her head over your shoulder. Your hand came up to pet her head absentmindedly as the family gave you grateful smiles.

"Thank you so much," the mother said, bowing her head slightly to you. "I'm not sure how we would've gotten through without you."

"Yeah," said the little boy who retrieved your shield for you, "you were awesome!" He picked up a stick from the ground and mimed swinging it like a sword. "You were all like, take that! And that! And a little bit of this!"

His younger sister giggled and picked up a stick as well. "I wanna be like her when I grow up, mama," she said with a grin.

The mother's eyebrows furrowed in concern. She looked at her husband who merely smiled. "Bring it up when you're older, Masie, and we'll talk about it then," he said with a laugh. He turned to you. "We don't have much to pay you back with, but here, take these Rupees." He reached into his pocket and took out a small bag as the kids play-fought with the sticks.

"Keep them," you said, putting up your hands. "I don't want them."

"Are you sure? You got pretty hurt in that fight, it's really the least we can do," the woman said, frowning.

"I'm sure. I don't need Rupees."

The man sighed. "Alright, then. Where are you headed, anyway?"

"I'm heading towards Zora's Domain," you answered. The kids stopped fighting and their eyes widened.

"The fish people?"

The mother sent her son a stern look before looking back at you. "You have business there? Or are you simply a traveler?"

"It's a little bit of both," you said with a shrug. "I'm trying to make my way back to my partner, and our next goal was the Domain, so that's where I'm headed for now."

"What happened to your partner?"

How many times do I have to tell this story?

You sighed. "I got hurt so he brought me home. He left without me because he felt bad that I did it to save him."

"That's so sad," the woman said, putting her hands over her heart.

"It is," you agreed. "But that's why I'm fighting so hard to get back to him."

"Don't let us keep you any longer," the man said. You smiled once more at the family before turning and mounting Nayru. Once you were settled in the saddle, you turned her so you could see them one last time.

"I hope you have safe travels," you said.

"And you as well," the man said. The kids waved to you and you waved back before kicking into your steed's heels and bringing her to a gallop.

---

"(Y/n)?"

You turned your head at the familiar voice. A smile already graced your features by the time you even looked at who called for you. You had identified the voice correctly, as you knew you would. How could you forget his voice?

You got off of Nayru quickly and ran into his waiting embrace. His arms came around you, their warmth enveloping and comforting you. You smiled into his shoulder as your eyes squeezed shut. Tears of joy threatened to fall, but you didn't care about that at the moment. He pressed his face into your neck, and you could tell without looking that he was smiling as well.

"I've missed you," he said, pulling away from you after a silent moment. He kept his arms around you and pulled away only just enough to look at you. You looked up at him, your smile never wavering.

"I've missed you too," you told him. You looked into his eyes and noted that they didn't lose their usual light, despite the tears that were close to falling from them. "Where have you been? I spent weeks at the Domain and you weren't there."

"I was...wandering. I didn't feel like doing anything with you gone. I've told you before; I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I can't believe you," you said with a laugh. "I don't know how you got anything done before we met."

He shrugged, a playful smile on his lips. "I'm not quite sure how I did anything, either."

You looked at him seriously. "Don't ever leave me behind again. Got it?"

He smiled at you and nodded his head. "Got it."

"Good. Just because you're the hero, it doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."

"I'll keep that in mind. But I was kind of hoping I could...you know..."

"What?" You asked, confused. He only smiled slyly at you before leaning in close to you. Your eyes widened as you figured out what he was doing before smiling and tilting your head slightly. Your eyes fluttered closed, and that was when...

Your eyes opened. You sat up and looked around, wondering where you were. You sighed, seeing that you were in a stable. Looking around, you saw that it was still early morning. Getting out of the covers, you were met with cool air that sent brief shivers throughout your body. Rubbing your arms to warm them, you waited for a moment to warm up before going about the day.

After a few minutes of adjusting to the cool air, you stepped into your boots and fastened them. You put on your tunic and your thick cloak. Finally stepping outside of the stable, you went to the paddock and readied Nayru for riding. You mounted and set off down the road towards your new destination.

It had now been quite a few weeks since your fight with the Lynel. You had been camped out just off the road leading to the Domain. It was the only way in or out, and so you knew that if Link was already there or was getting there, he'd have to pass by. But he didn't. You waited there for nearly a month, taking care of nearby camps and monsters and speaking with passing merchants and travelers.

Just recently, you decided that you would head back to Hateno to regroup and recover. You had been stuck in the rain for almost a whole month and the monsters near the Domain were strong. Though you still wanted to find Link, you felt that you were getting nowhere by just waiting. So, one day, you packed up and mounted Nayru who had been yearning to get back on the road again.

The two of you set off in a southward direction, towards Hateno. If Link hadn't shown up yet, he likely wasn't going to. You didn't want to sit around for the rest of your life. You were starting to miss your family anyway. Being gone for months, once again, wasn't the issue. It was the lack of human interaction. You had only had fleeting conversations and you missed being able to just talk with someone for hours on end without the conversation waning.

When you stopped to rest that night, you found yourself near a small pond. Dismounting Nayru and allowing her to graze freely, you walked over to the pond. You crouched down by it, and dipped your hands into the water. Cupping them, you brought some water up to your face and rubbed it. The water was cool and fresh, and you sighed contentedly as you lowered your hands.

Your eyes found their way to the water's surface and you looked over your reflection. The sight of it surprised you. You hadn't gotten a good look at yourself in a long time. There was a fresh cut from a fight with a Yiga Clan member going across your left cheek and your fingers traced it gently. There was a bruise on your chin from a fight with a Moblin where you were thrown. Your hair looked like some kind of nest.

There was dirt caked onto your skin and even looking at your hands you could see how darkened they were from being constantly exposed to the elements. Littered across your hands were small cuts and callouses from using the rough weapons. You were happy, though, that most would heal. Not many would scar, if any. You took happiness from that revelation.

You exhaled and stood, looking around the area. Nayru was resting nearby, nosing through the underbrush. You were deep in the woods, so you were sure that no one would come by. Bending over, you got out of your boots and set them down nearby. You undressed, folding the clothes and putting them in a pile. You waded into the cool water, and once up to your chest you took a deep breath and allowed yourself to relax.

You let your hair down and after dunking down into the water for a moment, you surfaced and ran your fingers through your hair, gently untangling it. You rubbed your hands across your skin, soothing your muscles and ridding yourself of excess dirt.

You didn't realize just how long you were bathing until fireflies started appearing on the edges of the pond, creating a calming and magical atmosphere. When you were done, you got out of the pond and wrapped an extra blanket around yourself to take the place of a towel.

When you went to bed that night, you felt more refreshed than you had in a long while. You didn't realize that you had become so careless to let yourself get so dirty and beaten up. Usually, even out here, you kept good care of yourself. When had you stopped caring?

---

It didn't take you long at all to find yourself back on familiar roads. Nayru was a fast horse even when she wasn't at a gallop but it only took you a week at most to find yourself on the long, winding road that led to Hateno.

You took one last break at the Dueling Peaks stable, where you had picked up Nayru when you first set out on your own, before making the long trek eastward. Leaving the stable, you veered away from Kakariko Bridge and found yourself facing a beautiful landscape of green fields to your right and large rock formations and a waterfall to your left.

There were quite a few travelers on the road, some on horseback and some simply walking with their packs on their backs. None of them, however, had anything very interesting to say to you as you approached Fort Hateno.

The fort had always interested you. The history of Hyrule had as a kid, fascinated you. It had such a rich history that you read all that you could on it. Traveling back and forth from Hateno as a child to Kakariko Village was always great fun to you because you could see all of the old, decaying Guardians as they lay lifeless around the fort.

A few history buffs greeted you as you made it through the fort's gate around midday. Just past the fort lay large rock formations that stretched upwards into the sky, casting odd shadows onto the ground. Nayru trotted down the road with ease, and you took the chance to look around. Hidden Bokoblins slowed your progress, but they were easy to take care of. They posed little threat, so you continued up the road. The road gradually inclined and woods took to either side of you. But soon, the woods ended and Hateno Village could be seen.

You slowed Nayru to a walk as you neared the gate. Thadd, who always kept watch with his pitchfork, noticed your approach and stood from where he was leaning against the gate. He peered at you curiously. You lowered your hood so he could get a good look at your face and you smiled at him. Thadd's eyes widened and he grinned.

"You're back, eh, (Y/n)?"

"I am," you said with a nod. You pulled back gently on Nayru's reins when you were next to him.

"Look at you," he said, shaking his head with disbelief. "You're all grown up now, aren't you?"

"I've been grown for a long time now," you said with a laugh. "Just because you refuse to see me as a young adult doesn't mean I'm not one."

"You and Lea and the others will always be kids to me," he said. "Ask anyone in the village of my generation and they'll agree."

"Are my parents still here?"

"I believe they are." He sighed. "Go on, then. Don't keep them waiting any longer than they already have."

You kicked into Nayru's sides and let her stay at a walk. You passed by the familiar farms of family friends, shops, and homes. The village was bustling with activity at is always did at this time of day. Most of the women stared at you with certain degrees of disapproval as you went past, while the men looked at you with confusion etched onto their faces, and kids with fascination. A few old friends of yours ran up to you. Stopping Nayru again, you greeted them.

They engaged you in several questions about your whereabouts, to which you replied simply with 'the whole of Hyrule'. Promising to speak with them later, you pushed onward with Nayru. The road turned over a small creek and then began upwards, and you followed the road until a small path veered off for your house before continuing on towards the lab and beach. You dismounted Nayru and led her to the small post out front, and tied her there. Giving her one last pat on the neck, you took the pack off of her and swung them onto your shoulder.

You walked towards your front door and opened it. You weren't at all surprised, once you opened the door, to be met with the sight of your mother and father. They were surprised to see you, but you were just as surprised to see that they weren't the only ones there in your house. Pan was there, and he stood up upon your entrance.

A few feet from him, however, was the last person you were expecting. Link stood from where he was sitting and turned. Seeing you, his blue eyes- the ones you had missed so much- widened and you felt your heart skip a beat or two.

Link- who you had been searching for through these past months- was here in your house.

Words failed you in that moment, as they appeared to do for everybody. Your lips struggled to form his name and utter them.

As you looked into his eyes, and he into yours, you could only shake your head in disbelief as time seemed to hold your house under a spell, and your heart held your brain in another.

Author's Note: I think you guys will enjoy the next chapter a whole heck of a lot. At least, I hope so, anyway. I hope you all enjoyed this one too, and as I prepare for the New Year, I will make my list of resolutions and then resolutely ignore them.

I shall spend the transition into the new year watching the Best of Game Grumps- Wind Waker HD video. And probably eating or something I dunno. Sounds good to me.

And I got my SAT scores in and mmm it's good. It's real good. Also, I found out today that Chris Evans (Captain America) was born in Boston and so was Misha Collins (Castiel from Supernatural) and I'm just so happy. I don't live in Boston but my mother was born there and lives just outside of Boston now and I never go a month without visiting that gorgeous city and that's where I'm planning on going to college (MIT or BU ftw) and you know just Massachusetts pride is strong right now.

See you all in the next one! Tell me your thoughts on this one!