"Thadd, come on," Leah demanded. "Stop being a chicken!"

"But this is embarrassing," he said in protest, and I giggled lightly.

"It's not that embarrassing," I replied, looking at him. "It's just pretend!"

"It's not pretend for him," Leah stated rather deviously. "Not since he likes you!"

"I do not," he protested vehemently.

"You do too," Leah said.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Stop it," I cut in. "Come on, are we going to finish the game or not?"

"Right," Leah chimed. "Ok, so! Thadd, the knight, just beat me, the dragon, and rescued (Y/n), the princess! Now, you gotta kiss her!"

"I gotta... gotta what?!"

"Huh? Since when was this part of the game, Leah?!"

"He only saved you because he's in love with you! It's part of the story!"

I looked at Thadd apologetically, a bit shyly. He couldn't quite meet my gaze. "We gotta kiss, though...?"

"Yeah," Leah pressed, setting her hands on her hips. "You gotta do it!" At our continued hesitance, Leah huffed dramatically, rolling her eyes. "Alright, fine. You don't gotta kiss on the lips or anything, you pansies! Just like... on the cheek is ok. I guess."

"But you can't watch," Thadd said seriously, his cheeks burning and rising up into his pointed ears. "You got defeated, so go pretend to be dead or something!"

"That's no fun," Leah began to whine, but I was with Thadd on this one.

"No looking," I said to her, my own cheeks burning. "And no peeking, either!"

"You two are ridiculous," she muttered, turning away anyway. She pretended to be dead, covering her eyes with her hands even as she faced away. Left now with no other way to stall, I looked shyly at Thadd.

"Just on the cheek," I said quietly. "Leah's right. They fall in love in all of the stories."

"But a kiss just seems kinda..."

"Yeah, I know," I said. "We don't have to if you don't want to..."

"No, no, wait," he said. "I just... I didn't think you wanted to! But we can. Um... yeah. We can."

"Ok," I said shyly. I began to lean in on several instances, but it was hard to just go for it. Man, this was nerve wracking!

"Come on, just do it," Leah drawled out, still looking away. "One day, you'll really fall in love and you'll want to do nothing but kiss!"

"Ew," Thadd and I said in unison. "Nuh-uh!"

"Oh Thadd, don't start," Leah said with a laugh. "I've seen the way you look at her! You're in love~!"

"No I'm not," he protested, and struck with a sudden wave of confidence, I leaned in and kissed his cheek, leaving him a stuttering mess as he tried to say something, anything. The sight of him like that made me giggle, and I ran, taking Leah's hands in my own and pulling her to stand. The two of us ran, leaving Thadd standing there, cheeks aflame.

—

Leah always had a keen eye for that sort of thing. She was the type of person who could so easily read others that it was hard to hide anything from her. The harder I tried hiding something from her, the easier it was for her to figure out.

As much as I loathed to admit it, this was probably no exception. Dammit, that meant she was right. Probably. Dammit, dammit, dammit!

"You've gone all quiet," Leah said, smiling cheekily. "You know I'm right."

"Or," I said embarrassedly, "I'm trying to keep quiet because we're fishing."

"Oh, yes, that must have slipped my mind," she teased.

The two of us fished in silence for a while longer, our efforts soon bearing fruit. It must have been some kind of mating season for the fish here for how plentiful they were, how bountiful in this small pocket of water. When we had plenty of fish for all five of us to have a wonderful meal, the two of us packed up, mounted up, then rode back to the camp in an uncomfortably stifling silence for me, but an extremely comfortable silence for her. When we returned, we returned to quite an adorable sight, one that had my heart warming.

Hylia, even Epona seemed excited by it! She snorted happily, bobbing her head as though to encourage Link as he play-fought with the boys. Wielding a stick with ease, he seemed to be on the defensive, but seemed more than capable of handling himself, even with both boys dual-wielding sticks of their own. There was an easy, boyish smile on his face, one full of confidence, as he walked backwards, blocking every single of their strikes.

"Come on, boys," Leah shouted encouragingly. "Get him!"

With a new fire lit beneath them, the boys doubled down on their efforts. They darted around Link, leaping up onto the logs and stumps around the campsite, increasing both their speed and the variation of their little attacks.

"Show them what you're made of, Link," I said to him, setting my hands on my hips and smiling widely. "Stop holding back, will you?"

Laughing a little, knowing I called him out, he glanced over at me sidelong, still combatting both boys with relative ease.

"Have some pride, you two," Leah called to them as I started leading both horses back into the small pasture built nearby for them. Oliver and Caleb, not to be outdone by Link and not to disappoint Leah, started to play dirty - throwing twigs, kicking dirt, using their twin-telepathy to know exactly what the other was going to do next.

"Oh, hey, that's not entirely fair," I protested once the horses were securely in the pasture. Link wasn't letting it deter him, though; I could see Link smile and his movements became quicker as well, matching that of the boys and even exceeding them. The stick Link held twirled in his hand, blocking hit after hit. Genuinely impressed, I cheered, continuing to encourage him. He gained the upper hand, controlling the fight now. The boys kept up the fight, though. Oliver swung low, by his feet, while Caleb kept up the frontal assault. Gasping dramatically, with a faux sense of anger at the injustice of it all, I picked up a stick myself and jumped into the fray, taking Oliver on as Link kept Caleb occupied.

The boys were not expecting me to have the skill that I did, especially having known me for their whole lives. I hadn't had a violent bone in my body, so this was odd for them. For a while, Link and I fought back-to-back, keeping an eye on each other as we fought on. Caleb soon joined his brother in fighting me, not that it lasted long because Link picked him up and threw him over his shoulder, grinning.

"You leave her alone," Link said playfully. Caleb flailed his limbs with a bright peal of laughter, demanding that he be put down, but his words were barely understandable through all of his laughing.

Eventually, the four of us got tired and I began helping Leah tend to the meal. We sat across the pot from each other, Leah and I, chatting happily about the things she'd seen on the journey so far. Link eventually sat down beside me, with the two boys on my other side. The two had missed me a lot, so it seemed - which was fine, because I'd missed them, too. They were like my own younger brothers, for as long as I'd known them and how I'd cared for them, helping Leah whenever I could growing up. In turn, I was like another sister to them, or maybe like an aunt.

"We've been following these rumors," Leah told me. "We want to find a dragon. We've heard there's one in this region somewhere, which is why we came, but we haven't seen one yet. We've combed this area for weeks now..."

"We've seen one," Link spoke up, surprising all of us. I hadn't expected him to say it - even for all their... bonding earlier, Link was still somewhat shy in conversation. Something like fighting, like sparring, was natural to him. Speaking with others was still somewhat new to him, especially so many strong personalities at once.

Leah and the boys gasped in tandem and Leah looked at me for confirmation, and I nodded. "It was beautiful," I confirmed.

"You've seen one?!"

"No way!"

"Where... Where did you see it?"

"We were up by Rito Village," I answered. "Just leaving it, actually, heading south. We were crossing a bridge, I forget which one, but it dove right beneath the bridge we were crossing when we saw it."

"South of Rito Village," Leah said, committing it to memory. "Wow. We kinda didn't want to go up all the way, but now we will. I guess it'll be a good thing for the boys to experience different cultures, huh?"

"I think so," I agreed gently. I knew of her desire to see dragons - it was a truth I had known for as long as I'd known her, or nearly. For as long as Leah had been old enough to express wants, she'd been saying she'd wanted to see a dragon. It was her dream. Hopefully soon, it would come true, and she and her brothers would share an unforgettable memory.

"We may take a detour up there, then," she said. "We came in from the east but avoided that area because we heard the roads weren't easy if you don't have a horse, and the boys are so young, and all we have is a mule. Maybe we'll head up there, see what we can find, then head home. How does that sound, boys?"

They nodded eagerly.

"Yeah!"

"I want to adventure forever, though!"

I smiled at their respective answers, and began to say something, when Leah spoke first: "Speaking of," she added, "when should we expect you to be home, (Y/n)?"

"...Home?"

"Yes, home," she said with a laugh. "Remember? Hateno Village? Where we grew up? The place you up and abandoned?"

"Yes, of course I remember," I said, "but..."

In truth... I didn't have an answer, largely because I hadn't thought about it. At all. Link and I agreed to travel together until he was done, and Hyrule was safe. I hadn't really thought of what might happen after that. Maybe I assumed we'd be roaming the world indefinitely with him, even after... but that was ridiculous. He'd want to relax after this, wouldn't he? Besides, I had my end of the promise to fulfill - that I'd show him a normal, boring life, because once Hyrule was safe, he'd finally be able to enjoy one.

Because of that... I could only think of a few words to say.

"Not anytime soon," was the only answer I could come up with, so it's what I said.

By then, the food was ready, so I distributed some to everybody. Taking my own bowl into my lap after everyone else, I tuned out the conversation Leah was having with her brothers, trying to ignore the way her disappointment in my answer had looked on her face. I looked over at Link after taking a bite of my food.

"How are your injuries?" I asked quietly, knowing well the extent of his injuries. "Play-fighting with the boys probably wasn't the best idea, was it...?" I laughed a little. "It was fun to watch, anyway. But are you sore anywhere?"

"No, actually," he answered. "I'm feeling a lot better. It all still hurts a little, but I've had worse. I've definitely had worse."

"I'd say so," I agreed. His words were genuine, at least. I dropped my voice to a whisper, speaking only to him as I said: "You've died once before, so yes, I'd say you had worse. Still... that's a pretty dangerous mentality to have. I'll redress your wounds after dinner."

"Sure, but it's true," he said, smiling cheekily.

"That doesn't mean that you should just go around keeping these wounds from healing," I replied with a laugh. "Just try not to tear your wounds open while we eat."

"I can probably handle that," he said, not at all easing my mind.

"You're ridiculous," I said with a light laugh. "Absolutely ridiculous."

"Come on, firefly," he said, nudging his shoulder with mine, "have some faith in me."

I looked at him, narrowing my eyes slightly. He didn't need saving right now. He was just being dramatic, and playful, and overall, just himself. And it seemed he wasn't done just yet. "So, uh... (Y/n)."

"Hm," I hummed, taking a bite of my food. "Yes, Link?"

Link cleared his throat awkwardly. "Are they... are they really your favorite guys?"

I nearly choked on my food. "Huh? What'd you say?"

"Well," he said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly and pointedly avoiding looking at me, "When you greeted them, you said that they were your two favorite guys, so I wanted to know if that was... if that was true. Or if you just kinda... said it."

His voice was small, faint. Hesitant.

And adorable.

"Link," I began mischievously, "are you jealous of two children?"

"N-No! I'm just curious!"

I couldn't help but smile. Honestly.

"You're ridiculous, Link," I reiterated. "Absolutely ridiculous. Truthfully," I paused, "no, they aren't my favorites. I just said that to make them happy."

Link beamed, then his smile wavered. "Um... then... if I can ask... who, well, that is to say, who is at the top of the list?"

"It's you," I answered surely, my voice soft. "I thought that was obvious."

Link beamed again, and this time, his smile didn't waver. "Really?"

"Well, yes. I spend all day with you. Do you really think I'd stick around if I didn't like you?"

He didn't answer, but took another bite of his food. I did as well, and I noticed the way that his smile didn't leave him throughout the rest of the meal.

...and neither did my own.

And when everyone finished eating, the group of us began to chat happily. As I said I would, I redressed Link's wounds, and as though still too enraptured because he was on the top of my completely arbitrary list (to me, anyway), he behaved and didn't whine too much, even when I knew the whole cleaning the wounds part stung.

The hours raced by. It was nice to catch up with them, really. And to share these conversations with Link, too... It reminded me of those nights at home in the summer when everyone gathered in the village square to chat by the firelight.

I noticed, very happily, that Link gradually warmed up more and spoke more, offering his opinion or an interesting story every once in a while. When he spoke, everyone listened to him intently and when he realized this, he'd flush and blush would creep up his neck and into his cheeks.

The sounds of the forest surrounded us, and the shadows closed in, but we all continued to talk. The fire crackled and sputtered in the center of our small semi-circle as we spoke of recent news from various villages, the latest gossip, and what everyone was looking forward to seeing or doing before their respective journeys were over.

Apart from his growing comfort in joining and adding to the conversations at hand, Link also seemed to edge closer and closer to me throughout the night - not that I minded, not at all. In fact, I found it rather cute.

...and something about my increasing rate of admitting such things was alarming.

I could tell, at least, that Link was relaxed, and he was growing more comfortable, and he was having a good time - and I was so happy about that. With his duties as a champion, and the immense pressure placed on his shoulders not only by the princess, by the king, by Impa, by his fallen champions, and inadvertently by damn near all of Hyrule, it was often difficult for him to relax around others, because he felt like he had an obligation to them, an obligation he couldn't get distracted from.

But contrastingly, he so loved exploring and relaxing and napping and having fun and being here in this environment... it was good for him.

After some time, the boys grew tired. Caleb yawned first, making Oliver laugh. Only a few seconds later Oliver yawned, though he tried to play it off as nothing. Not too much later, they both were asleep, resting their heads on Leah's lap, one on each side. Link, well, he was the next to grow tired, not that it was a surprise. He kept listening to the conversation but lied down, copying the boys and resting his head on my lap.

I'd been leaning back, my weight supported by my arms with my legs stretched out in front of me, but Link wanted my attention apparently, more than simply laying his head in my lap warranted alone, because he grabbed one of my hands and set it in his hair, silently asking me to run my fingers through his golden bangs. I sighed, but ultimately did as he wanted, not wanting him to whine - and because I wanted to, not that I'd admit that. He was lying on his side, facing away from me, but I knew that he was smiling without even having to look.

Leah watched this whole interaction with a smirk on her face, and when I realized I'd been caught gently running my fingers through his hair, then gently undid his ponytail so he'd be more comfortable, and...

I knew she would say something about it, so I brought up the dragon we had seen again, and her focus was brought to that, instead. She was deceptively, incredibly easy to distract. When my own eyes began to grow heavy, the moon was very high in the sky and Leah carefully removed her brothers from her lap so that she could get up.

I went to do the same, so I could get some bedding for the boys and Link, but she silently gestured for me to stay put, and so I did, without argument. This spot was quite comfy for me anyway and... embarrassment over this situation was embarrassment. She'd seen me at some of my lowest, most embarrassing points, honestly. This was comparatively nothing.

Leah grabbed a few blankets, and set one first over her brothers and tucked them in, and then brought one to me. Unfolding it, I tucked it around Link. Leah gave me some pillows as well, so that I could lie down without waking Link. And before I knew it, I was asleep, my hand coming to rest squarely on Link's face, squishing his cheek and remaining there for the rest of the night.

And totally not on purpose.

—

When I woke up that next morning, it was by Link.

I opened my eyes to see that Link was still lying atop me, but was reaching up to poke my cheek. He'd moved overnight - or perhaps just now. But instead of lying in my lap he'd rolled onto his stomach, resting his head on my belly. I closed my eyes and lowered it back to the pillows with a groan, but when I realized how astonishingly quiet it was in the camp, I realized without having to look that Leah and the boys were still asleep.

"It's about time you woke up," he said with a cheeky smile. I yawned and stretched my arms above me, hearing a string of satisfying pops and creaks, and I groaned contentedly. "Good morning, (Y/n)."

"Good morning," I said in response, my voice quiet and scratchy. "Mind getting off of me so I could stretch my legs?"

"I do mind," he replied easily. "I'm quite comfy here and don't want to get up."

"I'm sure you are, but that's too bad," I said and, with that, I started to get up, and he groaned and sat up, only to let me start gathering my feet below me before slumping against my side again, rolling his head onto my shoulder. I smiled and patted his head, trying to get him to get off. "Come on, hero," I said quietly. "Let me up so I can start breakfast." Enticed by the thought of food, he let me stand up and I stretched my limbs gratefully. While you did, he stood up himself, stretching himself out rather reluctantly. "How did you sleep?"

"I was super comfortable," he answered simply. "It was good sleep. Really good."

"Good, then," I murmured. "And your injuries?"

"They feel much better than yesterday," he said with a smile.

"That's good."

"So what do you-?"

"-(Y/n)!"

Link was interrupted by Oliver, who woke up just a moment before and was now skipping over to you.

"What are we having for breakfast?" Oliver asked.

"Oh, uh...I'm not sure," I answered. "We can make omelets, if you like. Wake your siblings up, and we'll ask them."

Link stood by me, his arms crossed across his chest and a pout on his lips. Oliver woke his siblings, and we all got breakfast sorted out. After everyone ate, complete with idle small talk, Link and I went to saddle the horses as we  always did, preparing to travel. Leah and the boys readied their donkey in the meantime after packing up their own belongings.

Something was off, though.

Epona was, as usual, her lovely self. She snorted to greet the pair of us, and as I helped saddle her (though he was mostly healed, I still didn't want Link to risk saddling her all by himself and reopening a wound or pulling something), she stood patiently.

Sky, on the other hand, as I approached, pulled against her tether and seemed restless. "What's wrong, girlie?" I asked, concerned. I knew I wasn't going to get an answer from the horse, not directly, but I asked anyway. Leah rushed up, concerned about her as well.

"What's wrong with her?"

"If I knew, I'd fix what was wrong," I answered. "She seems antsy. What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Lea, against my warnings, approached the horse, and she... she didn't buck, or kick, or anything like that. Actually, she calmed down. She nickered quietly to Leah, and let her pet her flank. I neared, and she backed away. My mouth dropped open.

"After all that I've done for you," I said incredulously, "and all the work it took for me to tame you, this is the treatment I get?" I sighed and shook your head. "Well, obviously she won't let me ride her. So Leah, you can have her. I'm not fighting a losing battle."

"What?" She asked with shock evident in her voice. You could sense excitement as well, but it was better hidden.

"I'm not going to force Sky to calm down or force myself on her back, that'd be cruel," I said to her. "So just take her, I'm sure she'll be helpful to you. She's a good horse if she likes you... which she apparently does, more than me." Leah grinned and hugged me, and I patted her back, still kinda peeved about the whole thing, if I was to be completely honest.

"Thank you so much, (Y/n)," she said, and the boys followed. "She'll be so helpful! We won't have to carry so much anymore, and we can get places faster, and...this is wonderful! We can take that detour up to Rito Village now!"

"...Right now?" I asked, surprised, and unable to hold it back.

"Well, I think we should leave soon, right boys?"

I frowned at her insistence to leave but knew better than to try getting that stubborn girl to change her mind. "...I guess we'll be off too, then."

"If you're ever by home, be sure to stop in," she said. "We can finally have a nice, real dinner that way and make up for what you did."

"We'll be sure to," I assured her. "I'll miss you, Leah. You too, boys." The three of them grinned at me. The boys worked together to get Sky ready, and Leah hugged me again. When she pulled away, she looked between me and Link.

"We'll miss you too, both of you," Leah said. "It was great to meet you, Link."

"Likewise," Link said simply.

"Have safe travels," Leah added.

I smiled. "We will," I promised. "Say hello to Dinraal for us."

She nodded, and then turned to look seriously at Link, her hands on her hips. She said: "You, Link, better be careful with her. If she comes home hurt, in any way, I'll have your head mounted on my wall. Got it?" Link gulped but hastily nodded, and Leah nodded with a grin, accepting his answer. "Good!" With that, she turned and added her pack to Sky's back. She grabbed her reins and looked back at me. "We'll see you around!"

I waved as the three of them left. When they were out of sight, I sighed and slumped against Link's side. He set his arm around me right away, chuckling lightly. "Did that really just happen...?"

"Yeah," he answered.

"What a stupid turn of events," I muttered, and Link laughed aloud.

"Yeah," he agreed. "They just took off with your horse."

I couldn't help but laugh. Honestly, what a shitty situation to be in, but how funnily it had happened. "What a piece of work she is."

I walked towards Epona and offered her an apple. She took it happily, and I really hoped she could understand me when I said, "I'm sorry, Epona, but both of us will have to ride you for the time being, alright?"

As if she really did understand, she nickered quietly, nudging my cheek with her nose, and I smiled. "At least you like me, pretty girl."

Link, with nothing more said, got up on Epona and held his hand out for me to take. I did so, and allowed him to help me up. When I was settled behind him comfortably, my arms around his waist, he kicked into Epona's sides and headed in the opposite direction that Leah and the boys left -  southwards, towards the desert.

—

For the desert we headed. We passed by Tabantha Tower - Link heading up to activate the pedestal at the very top, before we continued on. We crossed over a bridge, reached Tabantha Stable, braving the elements as we headed ever southward. From there we... should have only continued to head due south, as far as the road would allow us... but we didn't.

Link took us on an unexpected and wholly unnecessary detour.

And it... it kinda caused an argument.

"You can just mark it on your map and we'll get it on the way back," I had tried to reason. "That's a thing, right? It's a thing you can do! You showed me!"

"What if I see other things I want to mark, and that's taking up space? Then I'll never find it again!"

"Don't be such a drama queen, you'll definitely find it again," I had insisted.

"Yea, but, it's right there!"

"It's leagues away, Link," I argued. "It is a tiny orange dot on the horizon! That is not right there!"

I was frustrated. And I didn't really know why.

He was frustrated. And I'm sure he knew why.

Hylia, it was so stupid for us to be arguing about this when he was the one in charge of Epona anyway! Why was he even humoring my words if he for one thing wasn't going to consider them and for another, he wouldn't dare act the way I wanted him to?!

Goddesses, it was frustrating. But it was so strange because never had we... clashed like this, before. Not at all. We would bicker, sure, but we'd never... argue. Not this bad.

"I don't get it," Link muttered, looking away, and I narrowed my eyes, wondering what he meant. "Are you really that much in a rush to get home to Hateno?"

"What? Link, what are you talking about?"

He turned to face me - we'd gotten off Epona to grant her a rest, and to have some lunch - and now we were facing off, kinda like some outlaws. "Not anytime soon," he echoed. "That's what you told Leah, isn't it? Our promise was that you'd return to Hateno when Hyrule was safe, and the sooner that gets done, the sooner you can get home. Right? Then you can have your dinner and... and... why are you looking at me like that?"

"Link," I said, hardly unable to believe what he was saying. "Is that what you think...? You think I want to hurry this adventure along so I can go home?"

"...well, no, but..."

"Link," I said once more, soft and quiet as I approached him, coming to a stop right before him. "I gave her that answer because I meant it. I don't plan on going home anytime soon. It wasn't sarcastic or anything - I meant it. Physically, there's no way to make progress on this journey constantly. It's just not possible. Even if there was - even if there was - I wouldn't want to."

"But this detour..."

"Is really far out of the way," I said gently. "It's not anywhere near where we're supposed to go. I don't want this journey to be over anytime soon, and that's selfish because the fate of Hyrule rests on your - on our - shoulders. But the time we take to ourselves..." Boldly, and maybe stupidly, I reached out before I knew what I was doing and I took one of his hands between both of my own. "I cherish that time, Link. Because I know there will come a time where you leave me to go tame the Beast of the Desert, then of the Domain, and then of Death Mountain. And then... Ganon."

I sighed and, before he could speak, continued: "Just so we're clear, I don't care how selfish it is. I love spending time with you, however we spend it. I want to stay with you. And if long after Hyrule is safe you don't want to let me show you that mundane life in Hateno, we can postpone as long as you want. As long as we stick together, I'll... Why are you looking at me like that?"

He was smiling. Like a doof.

"I don't know," he said, and for the most part, it sounded honest. "Just kinda sounds like you want to be around me forever."

"I-Well, I don't know!"

Link chuckled warmly, pulling me back towards him even as I tried to turn and walk away from him in a huff. "I kinda want to be around you forever too, firefly," he said, and I'd expected a teasing tone but he... but he...

Too embarrassed to even look at him, I did walk away in a huff. I needed to cool down somehow, and I'd seen a pond just a few yards his way...

—

"Oh, how pretty," I cooed, smiling as I saw the floral arrangement around the Shrine. Around the Shrine, which we had at long last arrived at, was a maze of flowers. The flowers were all tall and bright and in full bloom, planted in neat rows around the structure, with a wide path cut through them for us to walk through. And on a beautiful day like this, with the wind shifting the flowers just so and bringing to you the floral notes on the air, and the summer warmth so pleasant...

"Maybe this detour was worth it," I said teasingly, nudging Link with my elbow. Link, for his part, only looked at the flowers curiously as the two of us stood before the entrance to the maze, his gaze shifting to the older woman standing under a tree just outside of the maze, watching us with a keen, almost intimidating eye.

"She doesn't look friendly," he commented quietly, still looking at her.

"No, she doesn't," I agreed. "These are probably her flowers, so try not to make her angry."

"Yeah, yeah," Link said with an easy air of confidence. "What could she even do to me?"

I said nothing but rolled my eyes as he said this, and began walking through the maze. I watched bees fly from flower to flower, with the wind blowing through the stems, shifting them slightly, and I watched as shadows from the clouds passed over them and as they uncovered others, reveal their bright colors to mein shades unseen in any art.

As we walked, I became acutely aware of Link looking over at me every so often. I admittedly did my best to ignore it, and continued walking along, smiling as the breeze blew through my hair and across my face pleasantly. The sun shone down, reappearing from behind some clouds. Birds chirped as they flew far above our heads, and bugs buzzed through the flowers by our feet.

I walked with my hands clasped together behind my back, swinging with my steps. It was a gorgeous day, and though I knew that after Link finished up in the Shrine we'd have a long ride back to the road that led south to the desert, I was happy and honestly, in a state of pure bliss.

In too good a mood to tell him off for staring at me, I simply turned my head and looked him in the eyes, offering him a smile. He immediately burned bright red and he gulped, but he got over his surprise and grinned at me before surprising me. He bent down and reached to pick out a flower that matched my tunic, and I stopped in my place, cheeks burning like his were.

But just as his fingers closed around the stem, the green-haired woman yelled from her spot under the tree not to even think of touching her flowers, and Link wisely listened to her... though I was sure it was just to make her keep quiet. As we turned a corner, following the path behind the Shrine and out of her view, Link shot me a cheeky smile and a wink.

He was planning something, I was sure of it.

He kept walking, coming round the Shrine until he glanced over at the woman and tripped, falling over, right over the aisle of flowers. I gasped when he fell, seeing him face-down in the flowers, and crouched down beside him.

"Link," I said, worried. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," he whispered, glancing up and grinning at me for only a second before lowering his head again. "Now shush!"

I stayed crouched down next to him, wondering what he was playing at. Did he want to piss off the crazy flower woman? She was probably going to attack him; I wouldn't exactly put it past her.

"Get up," she demanded, startling both you and Link. I scrambled to my feet and tugged on his arm, pulling him up with me. He swayed slightly and held his head, pretending to be hurt, and the woman pursed her lips together. "Be more careful, or else!"

My eyes widened, but I turned and dragged him through the maze with me. "Link, what do you think you are doing," I began to admonish, "getting her mad like that? I told you, she's gonna kick you out or beat you up or something, so stop it!"

Link smiled down at me as I dragged him along, clearly not caring all that much. Seeing that my words hadn't affected him, I rolled my eyes but continued to drag him along. He took several looks back at the woman, and once we reached the Shrine, I pushed him towards the platform. "Get this over with, then," I told him, arms crossed over my chest.

Link only sent me a quick and playful look before stepping away from the platform, staring right at the woman, and lifting his foot and bringing it over a flower. His foot hovered over the flower, and his mischievous smile made me uneasy. "Link," I hissed, "get into the Shrine!"

"Don't you do it, young man," the woman called to him.

He lowered his foot slightly. Oh, Hylia. He was pushing his luck. I didn't want to see him get yelled at or hurt, so I sent him a glare. "Link," I said warningly.

Apparently, having two women glare at him and warn him wasn't intimidating enough for Link, because he stepped on the flower anyway. The woman clenched her hands into fists, stepping out of the shade of the tree and to the edge of the maze.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll step away from that flower and get out of here!"

Link stepped on another flower.

Despite myself, I had to admit that this was funny, seeing him push this woman's patience, but I also, contrastingly, felt bad for her. She grew all of these, only to have them be stepped on by a stupid boy.

"Young lady, why are you just standing around and being useless?"

...

What?!

I turned to face her, surprised that I was being dragged into this somehow. Link snickered and I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Why aren't you doing anything, you stupid girl?"

At least at that, Link glared at the woman as well.

Screw it.

Eyes still narrowed, I looked at Link and smirked. "Crush them, Link."

He grinned and jumped into the middle of the flowers. Just as he landed in them, the woman finally snapped. She ran to the maze and leaped over the rows of flowers with ease. I stepped back, out of her way, and could only stand by and watch as she grabbed Link by the collar and threw him out of the maze from where she stood. I gasped with her strength, but the woman ignored me entirely and stormed through the maze, returning to her post under the tree. She didn't pay any further attention to me and what I was doing as she threw Link out and walked away.

She sat down, satisfied with what she had done.

And I smiled, satisfied with what I had done.

Link, outside of the maze, sat up, dazed and confused and rubbing his head sorely as he did so. He looked around as he got up. As he made his way back through the maze towards the Shrine, I could see that he was doing his best to hide his smile.

...and I could only hope he didn't see the smile that I was trying to hide.

—

I looked up from the cooking pot, seeing that Link was still sitting there. He'd been sitting on a log just on the other side of the fire, poking and prodding the fire idly with a stick for well over an hour now, if I had to guess. It wouldn't have been so bad if he was just bored, but the problem was that he was upset and he looked rather defeated. The woman had bested him, and he hadn't been able to pick a single flower.

And for one reason or another, it really troubled him.

I figured I had a way to make him feel better, anyhow.

I stood, taking the long way around the fire to reach the saddlebags, stepping behind him. He sighed rather dramatically as I walked past him. He thought nothing of it as I crouched down by the bags and pretended to rummage around and soon, I stood, sneaking up behind Link on silent feet. I took a blue flower, nearly as blue as his eyes, out of your tunic.

I delicately, and oh so carefully placed the flower in his hair, right above his ear. Link turned around to look at me confused, only to be met with my small smile and eyes twinkling with the light of mischief. He reached up into his hair, and his eyes widened upon feeling the flower. He broke out into a smile, taking it from his hair to look down at it. "(Y/n!) When did you grab it?"

"While the lady was throwing you out, she didn't pay any attention to me, so I picked it for you."

"No one insults you and gets away with it, huh?"

"Absolutely right," I agreed. "Besides, it matches your eyes, hero."

He laughed and reached out to you. I stepped closer and accepted his hug. It was an awkward one, though, seeing as he was sitting and had his face pressed into my stomach while all you could do was rest my arms on his shoulders.

"Thanks, (Y/n)," he said, the noise muffled slightly by your stomach and tunic.

"You're welcome," I told him gently, "she had it coming, anyway."

Releasing him, I settled back down on the stump and continued tending to the meal and Link - not one to sit still when so excited - began dashing around, gathering all manner of plants and twine and grass, then settled on the ground cross-legged and began making a-

"A flower crown, just for you," Link said happily when he was done, already standing up and holding the crown proudly in one hand.

"With a flower I picked?" I asked playfully, and Link chuckled as he stood behind me. I stayed still as he lowered the crown to sit atop my head, and I lavished in he way he carefully adjusted it so that the blue flower was in the center of my forehead. If the gemstone of my circlet - gifted to me by Impa and was by now muscle memory to put in and take out - was glowing, so too would the flower.

"It matches your eyes," I argued teasingly. "You should wear it, Link."

"But I like it on you," he said, settling down on his stump across from me before I could even think of taking the crown off. "So don't take it off or I'll just assume you hate me forever!"

I shook my head incredulously, though incredibly fondly. Honestly. This boy was something else.

...but as was becoming increasingly clear, I wouldn't have it any other way.