It was, in a word, cold.

It was, in more words, absolutely awful with bitter air that made my lungs burn, the dry flakes of snow that would cling to eyelashes and clothes, and somewhere within this snowy weather my hair had come loose of its tie so that was somewhere in the wilds now, carried away somewhere maybe warm...

I was shivering. This cold wasn't the type one could get used to, not like a quick flurry or stepping out into the snow briefly, where one might shudder right away but eventually get used to it or at least stop shivering.

This was not the type of cold one could get used to. Simple as that. Somehow, impossibly, it seemed as though it was only growing colder and colder.

Dammit, I was not enjoying myself here. Not at all.

Link, on the other hand, looked like a child almost with the way he watched the snow flurry about his head and fall to the drifts to either side of the road. Though he swayed slightly with the wind, and his eyes blinked whenever snow got too close to them, he looked utterly at peace here.

Meanwhile, I was huddled up in two cloaks, my thickest tunic fitted uncomfortably snugly over my regular tunic, and three - not one, not two, but three - pairs of pants.

I unfortunately had only my fingerless gloves and nothing more, but I kept my hands busy by clenching and unclenching the reins just to keep them from growing numb.

At least, and I do mean at the very least, I had some pretty scenery. We were well and away into the snowfields and Link had insisted that we didn't stop to rest, not yet. There would be a stable up here somewhere, and there we could rest, but it was obvious to both of us that it would be a bad idea to stop and rest while still getting pummeled by snow and wind.

In places like these, in environments like this, complacency could prove deadly.

The roads here were at least fairly well-kept. The snow on either side of the road was up to the horses' shoulders or nearly, but stable hands and locals would go out often and clear the roads as best they could and I was incredibly grateful for it right about now. Their regular hard work meant safer passage for travelers like Link and myself, after all.

I risked lifting my head just to look out at the landscape. As the sun shone over the drifts, it was a bit hard to see, but for what I could see of the sparkling snowscape, it was lovely.

...I'd have just preferred seeing it from far away. Much further. Or maybe from this distance, but from the relative warmth and safety of a stable or, better yet, a cabin of some kind.

The trees here were now far and few between, but there were tall evergreens that towered above the others, those that had such vibrant hues of green that stood out well against the rest of the barren backdrop.

There was a tower, a brief spot of rest for us before the next stable, glowing an eerie orange and standing imposingly over us partway up a mountain trail, still seemed so far away even though we were so close.

We were nearly to the foothills of the snow capped mountain that the tower itself sat upon, and from there we'd be forced to wind up a trail that twisted around the side of the mountain.

Riding in the snow was no fun, being in the cold no more so. Riding up a hill in these conditions did not seem like a good time to me.

Honestly though, I'm sure I'd still prefer this over the desert, though.

Link stared up at the gently falling snow with a childlike amusement and a twinkle in his eyes. His cheeks bore red patches from the cold and the tip of his nose was red, as were his ears. And though the wind nipped at his bare neck, he didn't seem to care.

I sighed and took off your scarf after a particularly bitter blast of wind.

Reaching to my left, I grabbed Epona's reins and stopped her. With my other hand, I pulled back on Sky's reins at the same time, bringing us both to a stop.

Still leaning over, but doing so carefully, I wrapped the scarf around Link's neck as he looked at me curiously. I paid him no mind, though - I instead made sure that it was nice and snug before settling myself back into the saddle.

"Won't you be cold?"

"Well, that's a silly question," I said in response to his question and as I simultaneously urged Sky to walk once more. The mare obliged and Epona fell into step next to her without Link needed to signal her to. "Weren't you?"

"Not really," he said. "I can handle the cold pretty well."

"Even if you don't feel cold, you'll get sick that way," I told him. "And when you do get sick, I'm not going to take care of you."

"Why not?"

"Because I told you to wear more layers to prevent you from getting sick, and so if you choose to ignore me and get sick anyway, then why should I feel bad and use my own energy to take care of you?"

"That... may be a logical way to look at it, but will you really be able to deny this innocent little face help?"

I looked over at him, saw his cheeky smile and the eyes I'd admittedly grown to love to see, and flashed him a quick smirk before looking away.

"Yes," I answered, "and quite easily at that."

—

The snow was falling heavier now, so much so that it was getting tough to see more than a few feet in front of me. The large flakes of snow danced in and out of my vision and all I could see were varying shades of white and gray and beyond that, barely discernible objects just out of my range of sight.

The horses were picking their way through the snow, taking their steps slowly and carefully. Large, shadowy shapes that I figured were trees drifted past. Just to make sure we stayed close together, we had taken some extra rope and tied the ends to our wrists so that we couldn't stray too far apart somehow.

In conditions like these, I wouldn't think it would be too far-fetched for us to drift away from each other unknowingly.

Honestly, I wasn't even entirely convinced that we were on the trail anymore. Link checked his slate periodically and it seemed as though we were still going in the general direction that the road was, at least roughly, but I could have wandered from it twenty minutes ago and I'd have been none the wiser.

The only thing I was sure about, direction-wise, was that we were still heading towards the tower. Through the billowing snow, we could see a dim orange glow far above us, which we knew was the tower. It could be nothing else, and though Link wouldn't be able to climb it any time soon, we could at least mark its location and I hurry back when the storm blows over, if it does at all.

Hylia, I hoped that this storm would blow over soon, so we could get to the tower, climb it, and get out of the snow.

I had once appreciated the beauty of snow, but now...

After wandering around in the snow for quite some time, Link and I found ourselves face to face with a giant, dark mass, solid and unmoving. It was a structure of some kind, not a stable because it was entirely silent and entirely dark, but it was clear it was not naturally made for its rigid angles and straight edges.

Link slid off of Epona, landed with solid thumps into the snow, and walked immediately towards it. I made to follow but clearly having anticipated it, he looked over his shoulder at me and told me to stay in case it was trouble.

So, I stayed out, though a rising sense of anxiety bubbled up in my belly at the thought that it was trouble, and the fact that I could barely see him did not help. Still, with narrowed eyes I watched as he approached the structure.

"It's a cabin," he called when he reached it. He turned to face me and struggled to keep his eyes on my figure as the snow blew past his eyes and the wind nipped at him. "What should we do?"

"We found a cabin but not the stable," I said. "I don't think it's a good idea to push it today, Link. We can't stay out in this blizzard." My voice trembled with the cold, and it seemed that for all his joy earlier, it was starting to affect Link now, too. "Knock on the door, and see if anyone's inside."

Link walked with his hand sliding against the wooden side of the cabin until he found the door. The snow was falling even heavier now, if that was possible, and I shivered almost violently.

Please, Hylia, let the homeowners be kind, or else let them be away for the foreseeable future...

I heard three solid knocks on the wooden door, and Link stepped back to wait. When he got no answer, he knocked once more and called, "We're travelers, and would like shelter from the storm; may we come in?" He asked again, and received no answer. "There are two of us, and we mean no harm."

And still, nothing.

Link huffed. "Now what?"

"I guess we can just go in," I suggested.

I got off of Sky carefully and slowly, knowing that after so long of staying as still as possible, clenching together in a futile attempt to save my own body heat, my limbs would not be so happy to move again. I curled my numb fingers around Sky's reins and led her over to the side of the cabin. Thankfully, there was a covered structure that looked like a small stall, meant just for horses or mules or other animals.

And once more, I found something new to be grateful for, because they would have some shelter and warmth.

I hurried back over towards the cabin's door after leading both horses into the stall and relieving them of their gear. I was just stepping inside when Link was shaking the show from his hair, sending it spraying... in whatever room we were in, because all was dark and all was quiet and all was cold.

There was no fire, yet I was met with immediate relief from the chill. Whoever had built this cabin had evidently done a damn good job.

Link had already lit a match by the time I had the idea, and we found ourselves in a quaint little place - one room, with a single bed pressed to one corner set beneath a window with the curtains drawn tight, with a large fireplace against one wall opposite the door and a dining table with two chairs set against the adjacent wall.

Set before the fireplace was a large, thick rug with a repetitive pattern woven of warm colors, and by the fireplace was a pot and some basic dinnerware. All that was missing was, of course, a fire. In the corner was a pile of dried wood meant for fire and a box full of kindling, so I knew what I would do next - after ensuring the horses were settled in for the night, of course.

I prepared myself with a deep breath in and steeled my nerves as I pulled the collar of my cloak up around my neck higher. I was just turning to head back outside when I was instead met with Link's torso. I stumbled back a step but he held me steady and even had it in him to chuckle a bit.

"Easy there," he said. "You look like you're in a hurry to get back outside."

"Well," I began to say, only to stop myself and shrug because it was clearly a rhetorical question, one he wanted an answer to all the same. "Not really, but..."

"You secured the horses in the stable?"

"I did," I answered, and he nodded surely. "I'll head out to bring them their blankets, and then..." That time, I trailed off because Link stepped around me to head to where we'd dropped the packs by the door and he was already fishing around for the horses' blankets. "No, wait. Link, I can-"

"You can start warming up and put a fire on," he said easily, not looking up from where he was crouched, nose-deep in the bags trying to find the blankets.

"But you're freezing too, I can see it and-"

"And I've a higher tolerance to the cold, so I can handle a minute longer," he insisted, and I didn't even have it in me to be upset that he interrupted me so much in the past minute. He sat up straight, huffing a little, then leaned back in to continue searching. I joined him there, hesitant though I was to go anywhere near the door which was still letting a few anxious flurries scurry in through what little bit of it was left ajar. I crouched down and he watched me, his hands stilling as he watched me find them right away. I handed him Epona's, then Sky's, and I smiled as I passed them to him.

"Thanks," he said. "Now really, stay put. You have a habit of actually not staying put, but I mean it this time. Start on the fire, and I'll be right in. You're shivering, firefly."

As he said the last sentence, he actually reached towards me and he let his fingertips trail across the chilled skin of my cheek. I rather instinctually started to lean in towards his palm for despite having been in the cold as I had, he felt perfectly warm - well, warmer than I was, anyway.

He wasn't looking into my eyes, but rather watching his hand closely as though it had acted of its own accord and based on how he was acting, maybe it had. Shaking his head snapped him out of his stupor and he began to stand with a hurried clearing of his throat. I followed suit, and just as he draped the blankets over one shoulder and went about fidgeting with his outermost layers, I reached out for his scarf - my scarf, rather - and adjusted it for him. I settled it gently over the bottom half of his face and even went so far as to shake my head, tut a little, then retie it.

"It'll only be a minute," he said rather uselessly, and I did nothing more but shake my head with a smile as he stepped around me because I was no fool - anyone could see the minute traces of blush racing up his neck. He was back outside before I could see it rise to his cheeks and ears, but I didn't need to, because my own was doing the very same.

Just as he said, it did only take him a minute to set the blankets atop the horses and make sure they had all that they needed. I heard him closing the shuttered doors and fastening them shut so that they would have some relative peace and some warmth, and as I went about lighting a fire in the hearth, I wondered if we couldn't fashion a warming elixir for them.

With a fire gently coming to life and spreading through the kindling and larger logs I'd granted to it, I stood and was just about to light the lanterns when I realized I didn't need to. The fire would more than light up the room and it would provide more than enough warmth for the small space.

One more thing to be grateful for, today.

I headed then for the door just as Link was stepping inside, and I only just missed the welcoming spray of snow he sent everywhere by shaking his head to clear himself of it. I managed to get myself and the packs to the far corner where there was a set of drying racks, and I managed to mostly avoid the sharp yet quick wave of cold, bitter air that streamed in until he shouldered the door shut. Since I was over there anyway, and because Link was sure to start settling in himself, I reached down and unlaced my boots. I stepped out of them and onto the smooth wooden floor on grateful feet.

I peeled off my outer cloak, then my hat, and the rest of my outer layers followed and hung about the drying rack until I was in a thin yet comfortable buttoned sweater and a thinner yet durable shirt beneath it, dark leggings and of course, my fluffiest and warmest socks.

Now feeling like I could breathe, I turned and decided I should figure out something to eat. Link was already way of ahead of me on that front, having set out bags of food all on the table. I joined him there, and I realized right away why he was frowning. I glanced up at him anyway, and it didn't exactly help in trying to take him seriously when he was frowning so cutely and when he was covered in a fine fresh layer of snow, one rebellious little flake clinging to one of his bangs with all its might.

I knew already what he was thinking anyway, just by the look in his eyes, so I beat him to it: "You're not heading back out there just for some vegetables, Link."

"If we're spending the night here, which it's looking like we will," he said evenly, "I'm not settling for some subpar meal. That wouldn't be like me, would it?"

"No," I agreed, "it certainly wouldn't."

"So," he pressed, looking into my eyes, "just tell me what you need."

"This stubbornness of yours is impressive," I muttered, then relented him and gave him as short a list as I could.

Truth was, we didn't have much. But I was starving, and he was starving, and meat alone was not a good enough meal for either of us. What we needed was a good, hearty meal, one filling and delicious and wonderfully warm. That was why I relented - and also because if I didn't, he'd have gone out anyway, grabbing anything and everything.

"Don't worry if you can't find everything," I said gently, facing him and rising up onto my toes, pulling his cloak's hood up to sit about his head nicely. I also took it upon myself to adjust his scarf once more, wondering how in Hylia's grace it could have possibly gotten so unruly after just a minute in the snowstorm.

I went right ahead and avoided making eye contact with him in that moment, because I could tell that he was looking at me intently and I was taking such care to do this for him, and I knew it was silly because I wasn't even able to make eye contact with him even as I started tightening his outer layers for him, making sure they were good and snug. The eye contact might have done me in and he might have seen in my eyes all that I was starting to realize I felt and that... that wouldn't be good for either of us.

"I can make do with whatever you can find," I finally finished my thought, just as I eased back to stand normally. Only then, as my hands caught themselves from leaving his jacket, one clinging uselessly to a tie and the other to a buttoned pocket. Only then, as we both realized the close proximity and we both realized that we did not yet seem to mind, yet were working out if the other one did. "Don't go far," I murmured. "I'll have no way to find you if you get lost."

"I'll have the slate with me," he said rather uselessly, but with a particularly handsome and boyish sort of smile, one equal parts mischievous and sheepish. Realizing that probably wasn't terribly reassuring, he backpedaled and gave me a real answer. "I'll just walk up the trail a little."

"Mm," I hummed, wondering if he was being truthful or not. It didn't really matter, because with the slate, he could find me so long as I remained near Epona. So to that end, I wasn't worried - but I was still worried, nonetheless, to send him out into that blizzard alone. "Don't go getting into a fight without me, either. You got it?"

"Got it," he said, clearly amused. "I'll lead any monsters I see here, to our little cabin, and they'll all know how to reach you. How's that sound?"

"Sounds good," I said, surprising him, but only enough to entice a wider smile to his face. "A neat little barricade made of monster parts... that ought to keep the rest off our tail for a while, no?"

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," he said playfully, and that rewarded him a playful little shove against his chest.

"Get going," I said. "The sooner you go, the sooner you can come back and we can get you warmed up."

"I'll be back as soon as I can, firefly," he said, stepping around me to head for the door once more. With one more glance at me as he opened the door, he smiled, then stepped out into the frigid night.

And just like the wave of cold air that rushed in, in just a moment it was gone - just as he was.

—

To pass the time, I took up reading.

Unfortunately, in my hurry to leave Hateno, I hadn't brought any books with me for the trip but the cabin had a small, three-shelf bookcase that was only waist-high and full of old novels, well-worn and well-loved. I loved the journeys that fictional characters had, and hadn't read one since I left and honestly, I always had loved reading and likely always would, so I picked up a book at random and read the blurb on the back.

This first book was of the travels of two women as they searched the world for two suitable men to wed. Immediately, I frowned and put it away. The thought of two women going out and making their way across the land was a good one, it was what I was doing - but just to find some husbands? Please. I could do without that one.

...Ok, fine. I picked it back up and skipped to the last few pages. Turns out, there was a long-awaited and very dramatic confession that I managed to stumble upon, and as it turned out, in their search for love, they found each other.

At least that was cute.

Anyway, having effectively spoiled that one for myself, I moved on. The second book I grabbed detailed the adventure of a simple farm boy who was thrown into the middle of a civil war in his land with the birth of a dragon for him. There were dragons and horned beasts and other dark creatures. It seemed like a good one, so I set it off to the side for later.

The next book was one I had read before though as a very young child, so I put it away after refreshing my memory of its most important details. I remembered about as much as I needed to, and from there none of the other titles caught my eye, so I picked up the book I had set aside and sat down by the fire. I contemplated going to get a blanket to drape across my shoulders, but I was already sitting down so I decided against it. The fire provided enough warmth, anyway.

I was already halfway through the third chapter when the door to the cabin opened again. As a wave of cold blew through the room, I winced but turned and watched as Link shut the door behind him.

I was standing by the time he locked the door, only just remembering to mark my place in the book. I set it on the table as I passed by, and just as Link reached up and took his hat off carefully so that the snow covering it wouldn't fly everywhere, I reached his side and readily took it from him. Grateful yet surprised, he smiled at me and I set it on the nearby drying rack next to my clothes. He stepped out of his boots and like before, I put them in a dry corner and I further assisted him in taking off his extra layers and setting them to dry.

When all of his outer-clothes were off, I noticed that he was shivering and his cheeks and nose were bright red from the cold. His ears were bright red and he was visibly shaking, the poor thing. A rather involuntary gasp passed through my lips, and I hurried to the bed to grab him a blanket. It was thin but it would definitely start to warm him up especially by the fire.

So, that's where I led him. I grabbed his wrist and led him over to the fire and set him down on the rug in front of it. Wordlessly, I wrapped the blanket snug around his shoulders and when he crossed one leg over the other, I crouched beside him and began to rub his shoulders over the blanket. Just as he asked if anything had tried to get in, I asked if he felt alright.

"I'm just a tad cold," he answered as if he wasn't shivering violently after insisting that I answer first, which I begrudgingly did, and completely honestly - nothing had tried to get in. Nothing was stupid enough to wander from its shelter tonight... nothing but Link.

"I'll be fine," he added when it became clear I didn't believe him."

"I'll start on dinner," I said after a few minutes of anxious and almost tense silence, standing only when I was sure he wouldn't freeze up and his shiver eased away. He told me where the ingredients were (which were in various pockets of his outer clothes) and I wasted no time in starting on the meal. With Link sitting so close to the fireplace, I was able to keep a close eye on him as I worked.

I made a simple beef stew, which was sure to warm Link up. It was one of his favorite meals anyway, and I knew that he would appreciate it so much more than usual this time around because he was still so cold. Besides, it would work to thank him for running out into the storm like an idiot, too.

When it was done, I filled two bowls and sat down next to Link on the rug. As I settled in and got comfortable, Link reached around me and, bringing us right back into the wordless, almost painful moment from before where we could hardly stand to even look at each other for we were so nervous, he draped one end of the blanket around my shoulders so the both of us were covered.

I couldn't help but get over my nervousness right away, because it was such a sweet and simple gesture. I smiled at him and lifted up his bowl and spoon for him to take. He took them from me with a soft smile and grateful eyes, and I grabbed my own without a single word uttered.

And sitting there, the warmth from the fire soothing me, with Link by your side, and a delicious meal in my lap... I felt more content, at peace, and... and perhaps warm and cozy and loved, than I had in a long, long time.

Not that I would admit that last part, of course.

No, never.

Not even to myself.

—

Later that evening, when my stomach was full, Link and I decided to get ready for bed. I'd finished eating first and started reading again, only for Link to ask me to read to him, so I had; but now, he was done eating too and delving back into the story had made me sufficiently sleepy, just as the first, second, and third helpings of the stew made Link sufficiently so as well.

There was only one problem with the decision to head to bed.

There was only one bed.

Oh, Hylia. This was a trope, wasn't it? Dammit!

Since there was only one bed, I took the high road and decided that I'd simply curl up with the throw blanket on the rug by the fire and let Link take the bed - he was a hero, of course, the hero of Hyrule and our Champion and he had so bravely (and stupidly) set off into the storm alone for food for us.

Link, however, ever the valiant and chivalrous and awfully stupid hero, refused to allow this and he dragged me up onto the bed with him. Seeing my immediately flustered face (I couldn't hide it from him if I tried), he stammered a quick explanation that he didn't mean to do anything other than sleep, and he didn't want me to sleep on the cold, hard floor, that he'd feel awful if he took the bed. Well, I told him that I felt the same way, and he said we were at an impasse, which we were.

Since I had made no actual move to remove myself from the bed and consequently his side, I finally relented. I relented not with words but with actions, and I eased myself to my knees to more easily untuck the blanket from beneath me. The bed, set against a corner, meant that one of us would be against the wall, and Link was adamant that we switch.

"Here, lay here," he said gently, taking me by the arm and guiding us to switch spots.

He was satisfied only when I was closer to the wall, and he nodded as though I was in just the right space. I pretended not to be affected by the proximity as I continued to settle into the bedding. I untucked the blanket enough to slip my legs beneath, and I eased myself with the gentle clearing of my throat as the only noise as I began to lay back. I slid over as far as I comfortably could against the wall, and when I turned away, I had to rely on my hearing to figure out what Link was doing.

He was perched lightly on the bed's edge as he drew the blanket back, and he clambered up as gently as he could, taking care not to tug on the covers or jostle the mattress too badly. He yawned loudly, which was characteristic of him, and he stretched his arms above his head (which I could see in his shadow that danced on the wall that I was facing) before lying down on the bed behind me .

Link, to his credit, fell asleep quickly, which was once again characteristic of him; perhaps the proximity hadn't affected him as badly? Whatever it was, I could hear his murmured good-night and could only hope he'd heard my own in response before his quiet snoring began.

I was... unable to get to sleep so easily. Actually, I was thinking about how in Hylia's name I'd ended up here in this situation, and no matter how I turned it over in my head, it always sounded just so ridiculous: I was lying beside the ancient hero of legend because he didn't want me to sleep on the floor.

I quietly eased onto my back, and I turned my head to look over at him. A small smile slid onto my lips before I knew it and before I could stop it, and I thought about how honestly, I would never reasonably be able to explain this journey to my parents.

...

I could only hope that Link would be at my side when I finally got back home and, and that he would help me tell the story.

It was only then that I realized just how weird I was for just staring at my hero... er! The hero, rather, and I instead turned my gaze to the window across the room from us. The curtains were still and moonlight crept through them to cast small shadows across the bed.

I was admittedly very happy that we were lucky enough to have found this cabin, and that we weren't spending the night out there in the cold.

Yet another thing to be ever so grateful for - the warmth, not just of the fire that was still roaring within its cradle, but also from Link.

I yawned - the warmth was getting to me now - and I rolled back onto your side. I hadn't slept in a proper bed, not a rickety one from an inn or stable, I mean, in quite some time and right now, I felt like I was up on a cloud... but a warm one, perhaps one over Hateno or maybe elsewhere along the coast. It was a strange thought, and I smiled for it, and soon after, my eyes closed and I fell asleep.

—

When I opened my eyes the next morning, the bright light startled me right away and I had to close my eyes just as quickly as I'd opened them. After a quiet moment of recovery, I eased them open, letting my eyes grow adjusted to the light slowly and easily.

I noticed, when my eyes finally focused on what was in front of them, that I had rolled over sometime in the night and I was now facing Link. And here he was, looking at me with a fond smile across his lips and a gleam in his eye.

I didn't know why he was looking at me, but he definitely knew. If I was clairvoyant, I might have been privy to the knowledge but you, dear reader, can be: he was looking at me because I really looked quite pretty at that moment. Despite my messy hair and tired expression, the pale light of the rising sun gave me an angelic sort of glow, one he found himself appreciating while he himself was still bleary and not too aware of how strange it was to do so. Hylia, he didn't even notice that I had opened my eyes, but I sure noticed that he was watching me.

I shifted slightly under his gaze, realizing the closeness and the... intimacy of the moment. Now that I moved, Link finally came to his senses. His eyes widened and his cheeks brightened with flush before he scrambled backwards to create some distance between us. He begins to stumble over an apology before he fell right over the edge of the bed and onto the floor, taking most of the blanket with him. The sudden cold gave me a chill, but I slid across the bed to peek over the edge and down at him

He was flat on his back, his limbs tangled in the sheets and blanket. He still looked more startled than hurt, and I took this as a good sign. I smiled down at him and received a shy one in return, still darkened with blush.

"I'm good," he said before I needed to ask.

"I'm glad," I replied quietly. "Because I think now would be a good time to go out and play in the snow."