"Where are we going first?" I asked excitedly.
I was practically skipping along the road, I was so happy. Link smiled slightly at my exuberance and replied, "Kakariko Village. Then...I don't know."
I cocked my head, thinking. I'd only seen maps of Hyrule so I had no idea how long this trip would take. Hyrule was incredibly large, with a large variety of different ecosystems. "Hey Link...how long will it take to get to Kakariko Village?"
"Well," he furrowed his brows like he was trying to remember something, "I went there before I got to Hateno and the trip took about a week and a half."
I nodded. It would take a bit to get there. Right now we were walking alongside Link's horse until we were a bit outside the village. Link's horse was beautiful and brown with a white spot on its muzzle. I wanted to ride her so bad, I had only rode a horse a couple times.
Link saw my gaze on his horse and said, "let's ride Epona. It'll go faster and I can tell you want to ride her."
I nodded vigorously and watched Link smoothly climb on the horse, like he'd done it for years. I guess he has.
I was significantly less smooth when I tried to get on, causing Link to laugh. Once I was secure behind him I swatted his shoulder. "Shut up."
He just chuckled a little more before snapping Epona's reigns, letting he jolt forward. I was startled by the sudden movement and automatically clung on to Link's waist. I blushed deeply but didn't want to let go for fear of falling off. It took miles of riding for me to loosen my grip and relax.
The rush of adrenaline ran out and suddenly I felt so, so tired. It was only afternoon but I wanted to go to bed. Who knew traveling could take so much energy out of you?
I leaned against the boy sitting in front of me, feeling increasingly sleepy. I was so out of it I didn't notice that my head rested in the crook of Link's neck or even that my arms were around him, hugging him like he was a pillow.
I dosed off a few minutes later, completely unaware of how much the boy I was so close to was blushing.
~LINK'S POV~
(y/n) was strange. So strange.
I didn't know what to even make of the girl, from her longing for adventure to her willingness to be my partner.
She was so admirably...brave. She left the only place she'd ever known to come with me. (Y/n) was the reason of my jumble of emotions. She was the reason I kept Epona at a smooth trot so as not to wake her up. She was the reason I had a protective little fire in my chest.
She was so innocent and I don't want anything to happen to her. I'm infinitely glad she came with me, but desperately wished she'd said no. Stayed home. Safe.
I felt more comfortable with (y/n) than I had ever been with someone before. She seemed so energetic, so curious and in awe of the world around her. It was incredible to watch.
I truly don't know how I feel about her. She's my partner. Maybe she's my friend. But when I see her hair waving in the wind as we travel on Epona, her wide eyes taking in this new world around her, even feel her head resting on my shoulder, an unfamiliar emotion blooms in me.
In my one hundred and eighteen years of life, I can't remember ever feeling that way. Sure, I remember virtually nothing from a hundred years ago, but I feel liked I'd remember having such a strange emotion as this.
I wanted to investigate it. See what it meant. But that would take time—time I don't have. Time Zelda doesn't have. I can't let it distract me. So I push it down. It's my imagination. Culture shock at this new Hyrule. It's fatigue. It's anything but important.
Therefore I cannot focus on it.
We rode along until the dead of night, (y/n) sleeping all the way. Occasionally she would tighten her grip on my waist and shift her head's position on my neck. I found myself hoping I hadn't woken her up.
Finally, we stopped about two day's journey from dueling peaks stable. Epona stopped along the path, next to a clearing full of trees. This would be where we camp tonight.
I gently pulled out of (y/n's) grip and hopped off my horse praying to Hylia I wouldn't wake her.
And technically I didn't wake her. My stomach did.
It let out a growl so loud that (y/n's) eyes popped open immediately. She looked scared. "What's going on? Where are we?"
"Forest along the rode to Kakariko. Sorry for waking you up, it was my stomach..." I added sheepishly, blushing and scratching the back of my head.
Instead of being mad or annoyed, the girl let out a laugh. It wasn't pretty like bells or anything, more like a snorting, hyena laugh. It was a little ugly but a laugh that made me want to join in as well.
And so I did.
She rubbed the sleep out of her eye and stood up, almost falling of the horse. (Y/n) let out a little screech but I caught her in my arms and set her down gently on the ground.
She blushed deeply, her pointy ears pink. "Sorry."
I shrugged letting out my own small laugh.
Her embarrassment faded and a teasing glint in her eye replaced it. "So, since you're so hungry you decided to wake me up, how about I make us some food?"
I nodded quickly. Food was more than welcome as hunger gnawed on my stomach. I took to finding sticks to build a fire as (Y/n) collected fruits from Epona's bag.
Soon there was a roaring fire and we sat side-by-side as (y/n) prodded some fruits around in a pan. It smelled incredible—apples, wild berries, and bananas. "Done!" (Y/n) declared happily.
My stomach growled in response.
She took the pot off the fire and used our one spoon to divide the simmering fruits in half. We didn't have any bowls or such either so we had to eat straight from the pot. I noticed (y/n) gave me a bit more food than herself. Why?
I shrugged it off and snatched the spoon from her, shoving large amounts of food into my mouth. "Delicious!" I said but it sounded more like "delishush" due to the fact I said it through a mouthful of berries.
(Y/n) giggled and grabbed the spoon back, eating some of her own portion. "Glad you think so, hero." She replied easily.
I raised my eyebrow at her new nickname for me. It sounded vaguely familiar but I couldn't remember who had last called me that, and if they meant it in an as endearing way.
She just shrugged in response before getting up and leaving to grab a few thin blankets and pillows. I watched her go, the moonlight illuminating her hair and making her skin sparkle.
I was glad her back was turned, otherwise she'd have seen how intently I was staring at her.
We (y/n) came back, the pot was licked clean of food and I had my hands propped under my head as I gazed up at the clear sky.
The fire had calmed down a bit and was now only holding tiny licks of flame and a mound of hot coals.
The day has made me tired and I was plenty ready to rest. (Y/n) tossed me a blanket and pillow before sitting down next to me and wrapping her own blanket around herself tightly. I could tell she was cold and hated it so I unclasped my traveling cloak and draped it over her.
She faced me, laying on her side and quickly muttered a half-asleep "thank you".
I had no idea how she could take such a long nap on the journey here only to fall asleep so quickly when we set up camp. The girl didn't cease to surprise me.
I stuffed the thin, flat pillow under my head and stared at (y/n). She looked so peaceful sleeping.
Eventually I dozed off myself, but my thoughts still lingered on the girl next to me.
A/N
I'm so sorry for not posting a chapter in a while! School just started and man, college is ROUGH. And very very scary.
I haven't had time to write in a while and for that I apologize, but I'll try to be more frequent about updates! After all, I can't just leave (y/n) and Link hanging here! That's no fair!
Anyways, I hope you all have an AMAZING rest of your day or night and I'll work hard to get the next chapter posted for you!
Keep being awesome,
Paya :)))