Eternity [Link x Reader]

XIII || Without Words

Noticing your confused look, Shad chuckled before explaining, "this is an artistic technique that predates The Era of Chaos. Which means this statue must be from The Sky Era!" [1]

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise, your features shifting from confusion to amazement. You remembered both of those eras clearly, even though those memories were centuries old.

During The Sky Era, you had been born on Skyloft. This was a time when a portion of Hyrule had been lifted into the sky by Goddess Hylia to protect the people from Demise. You had grown up with Link. The two of you were prospective students at the Knight Academy. You had been a fool to think that in this era, you'd get to lead a peaceful life. Danger eventually struck, and you were thrown once more into a battle between good and evil.

The Era of Chaos followed after the defeat of Demise. You played an important role in helping the people of Skyloft adjust to life on the Surface. More significantly, you also played a role in helping Zelda plan her wedding to Link. Since he had fallen for yet another in this life, you eventually departed from his side. You spent the rest of your time travelling across the Surface before vanishing into legend.

"... And that's why it's such an incredible find!" Shad's excited voice somehow managed to pierce through your thoughts.

Realizing that this was a different life, in a different time, you managed to regain your senses quickly. You quickly smiled, hoping that he didn't notice how you had spaced out just now.

"That's great." You found yourself saying, your words carrying a lack of emotion.

"Oh, sorry, I've been talking so much." Shad apologized, his cheeks turning red. It seemed like he had mistaken your tone for boredom. His eyes flickered away for a second before returning. "Um, let's talk about something else!"

Guilt immediately seized you. You hated how sometimes your mind would just wander, returning to the days that plagued your entire existence. Here you were, spending time with a perfectly good person, someone who made you feel so special, warm, and wanted. Yet there you go, thinking about Link.

"Oh, no!" You replied after a couple of drawn-out seconds. "I don't mind, really! Sorry, I just kind of got lost in thought there..."

To your surprise, Shad laughed. Looking down at you with a sheepish grin, he asked, "why are you apologizing?"

You almost raised an eyebrow. Almost.

"Um... Why are you asking me why I'm apologizing?" You replied, rather awkwardly.

Honestly, you were a little confused. You had grown pretty close to him over the past few days. You were pretty confident that you knew him pretty well too. But right now, how he was behaving was rather hard to understand.

"I mean," Shad began, his voice gentle. "You don't have to apologize. I know you, [Y/N]. You tend to space out quite often." With that, he reached out and gently ruffled your hair.

A look of surprise appeared across your face, accompanied by a rather obvious blush. You weren't quite sure why you reacted the way you did. His words touched you deeply, striking something deep inside that made you feel like you were melting. Also, the way he had tussled your hair like that... It was... It was... Well, you really didn't know. There was just something about the combination of the two that had you feeling weak in the knees.