Soul Dancing (TP! Link x Reader)

09 | Introspective: III

     "They took me too," I continued, "they thought they had me but I had not been hit hard enough. I escaped, but for a cost." I looked down, lifting my shirt to reveal my ugly, stitched scar. Today I had not wrapped it up.

     Fado made a hiss noise of pain at the sight of it, "Y/N, that's worse than I thought." I chuckled sarcastically, "yes, and to think it would've been about singed right now."

     "Singed?"

     "Scorched," I replied looking him dead in the eyes.

     "Who helped you?" He asked in concern. I let my shirt down and stared back at the water, "a man from the forest." He seemed confused at my reply, "a man from the forest? What, there's forest people now?" I laughed, "no, silly. Just a single man all on his own selling lantern oil out by Hyrule Field's exit."

     "Single, huh?" He joked to lighten the mood some more. I laughed again at his stupidity. "Come on now, you know that's not what I meant," giving him a look of playful disbelief. He chuckled a bit at his own words and stared back at me.

     There were a few moments of empty silence before he spoke again, but softly. "Tell me 'bout this," he pointed towards my thigh. Looking down, I noticed he was talking about my tattoo again. I giggled, "wow, you want to ask all of the questions now, huh?" I witnessed him blush for the first time. "No, no!" He explained, "I'm just real curious—see, it looks just like the symbol Link has behind his hand, only, his ain't of a black color." My face turned serious and I bit my lip.

     "Excellent observer, huh. . ."

     "You know me, vision must always stay sharp as a wrangler."

     "And how that's going for you?" I teased. He huffed, "okay so I let a couple'a goats escape me—what's the deal?!" He seemed embarrassed but he was smiling, "you gon' tell me or not?"

     I smiled down at my lap, "I want to tell Link first." I heard him let out a confused noise. "He don't know? Wow, you must be obsessed—" I hit him sharply in the arm before he could finish that sentence, glaring at him. He laughed while caressing his arm, "I'm only jokin'! I'm jokin." I huffed in slight annoyance.

. . .

     "Guess I'll be waiting a long time then," he continued to persist after the silence. "Yeah, especially if he never comes back," I went along with it. He groaned, "look, I just want to understand you better. I want to know about you. What? Do ya need me to give you information so I can get some in return?" I answered with a baffled glare. "No?" He continued.

     "Okay," I interrupted his mini tantrum, "only if you be quiet." He nodded. "Don't you tell anybody about this," I threatened. He simply swore he wouldn't.

     "Okay," I began, "it was once a faint scar, a weird birthmark. Back then when I was a small child I had it but it was not etched in black. I did it myself." I paused to see his attentive eyes. "I did it because of Link, yes. But it was there before him. I was 12, Link was 13. One day, Link saw me bruised," I gulped silently, "it was my most vulnerable state. But you are right, Link is no coward. He already knew I had problems at home, but then and there he understood exactly."

     "So. . ." I hesitated, "one night, my uncle was so drunk and angry at me. He dragged me off by my hairs to the bridge ahead of Ordon Spring. He told me that if I wanted to see my mother he would take me, because he cannot handle a bratty 'bitch' like me anymore. I was frightened, I cried out. He'd hit me and tried to muffle my yells and even asphyxiate me at one point. He didn't have the guts to do it."

     I lowered my head, a tear forming at the corner of my eye. But not of sadness, rather, anger. I felt Fado place his hand on mine. I allowed myself to continue.