AN: Hey guys! This will be my first multi-chaptered fanfiction I've written and I'd love to make it about Paya and Link and how their relationship develops over time.

The distinct lack of content (yet great stuff) of Paya x Link on this website inspired me, and I have a great idea of the direction I'd like to take this story so I hope it's a good contribution.

Reviews and Feedback is seriously appreciated. Hope you enjoy!

The young white-haired Sheikah gasped heavily, weapon drawn in front of her foe.

All of her efforts had led up to this moment.

The stoic warrior raised her weapon skyward, ready to smite the evil that had manifested before her. She gritted her teeth.

"Prepare to meet your end, you so-called 'King of Thieves!'"

The surging power of the enemy rose up from beneath her. "No… It is YOU who will meet your end!"

With a heavy blow, the powerful force pushed the woman back onto the hard earth. Her weapon flung to the side and impaled the dirt, leaving her defenseless. As the Sheikah struggled to regain her lost blade, the King of Thieves rose to his feet, laughing over the fallen combatant. He warped his face into a venomous smile.

"Now no one in all of Hyrule can oppose me! I am unstoppable!"

"NO FAIR COTTLA! WE AGREED NO PUSHING!"

Koko, the young twin sister, growled at her sibling. Cottla stood over her, relishing in her "victory over Hyrule" as the mythical King of Thieves. The two girls had let their make-believe reenactment battle get a little too out of hand, much to the amusement of a certain young Sheikah woman: Paya. With a smile on her face, Paya plucked the weapon from the earth which, in reality, was a tree branch Koko had stolen from their neighbor's cherry blossom tree.

"I believe this belongs to the legendary hero Koko the Sheikah, no?" Paya kneeled down and handed the branch to the young girl, who was dusting off her white and red robes. Paya smiled. "Every great warrior needs a great weapon."

"I'm going to be the greatest warrior of them all! And I don't need your help Cottla!" Koko sneered at her sister, clutching the branch. Cottla stuck her tongue out as a response.

"Girls! Come wash up for dinner!" Their father's voice could be heard from the top of the hillside settlement of Kakariko Village.

Paya stood and met her eyes with Dorian, the father of the twin girls and the protecter of her and Impa's home. With a kind smile directed towards him, Paya prompted the two girls in the direction of their father.

She looked towards the break in the mountains to the east. The sun drowned a deep orange in the distance, and the colors of a bright, sandstorm of light and warmness floated into the sky, signaling the end of the day. The Sheikah woman tucked a strand of snowy hair behind her ear and began her walk home.

"Good evening grandmother, I've returned." Paya closed the wooden doors behind her and set the bag of produce she had brought home by the entrance.

Impa looked up towards her granddaughter and smiled. "Oh! Perfect dear, thank you for getting the ingredients for dinner." The elderly lady rose from her kneeling position and began towards her granddaughter, who was almost twice her height. "How was the village fairing today?"

"No troubles at all. It seems like my prayers to the goddesses have been paying off ever since M-Master Link has returned to us." Paya corrected her stutter at the mention of the Hero of Hyrule's name.

Impa grinned. Paya was horrible at hiding things, and she was well aware of Paya's undying affection for the boy without ever reading a page of her diary. The thought of reading it was incredibly tempting however… "Dear, your prayers to the goddesses were answered the moment you laid eyes on the boy."

Paya's face flushed a deep crimson and she buried her face into her hands. "W-What are you suggesting?!" Her voice was muffled, through embarrassment and her hands. While Paya only saw her grandmother's prodding as tormenting, Impa considered them positive reenforcement to admitting her feelings.

"Kidding, kidding my child. You are so adorable when you blush, you turn redder than your robes." Impa turned away and retrieved the bag of produce, satisfied with herself. Paya sighed and composed herself, attempting to give a stern pouting face to her grandmother. It was a difficult feat as her face was still steaming red.

From outside the home, the familiar sound of a horse whinnying could be heard, followed by a young man soothing her. Paya's heart skipped a beat.

Could it be… Master Link? What could he be doing here in Kakariko?

With a hop to her step, she briskly moved to the door and took a second to breathe. It had been almost a week since she had last seen him, and the past several times had been very short instances… One of them including Impa revealing where Paya's birthmark truly was. Oh Goddesses, I couldn't stop blushing for days. She thought to herself.

But the night she could never forget was when the Sheikah Family Heirloom was stolen.

The night Link had spent the night with her.

Although the thought of the family treasure being stolen under her watch broke her heart and made her more sad than she could bear, Link was there the whole night to comfort her, talk to her, and be everything she could ever wish for. In any other instance of them spending such a close and deep time with each other, she would have told him how she truly felt about him. She wanted more than anything for him to know the truth, and just how much he meant to her.

She wanted to tell him that she lov-

Paya's memory was interrupted by the Hero of Hyrule pushing the door open, coming just inches away from hitting her. Dazed, she jumped back and snapped into reality. There he was. The Hero of the Wild.

"Good evening Link. You're just in time for dinner." Impa smiled.

Link stood in the doorway, illuminated by the faint hint of sunlight from the dying day. His beautiful flowing golden hair glistened magnificently off the light, like a cascade Paya wanted to dive into and never come back up. His sky blue Champion Tunic was the perfect complementary shade to his eyes. Gorgeous. Paya thought. She eyed his arm, noticing the red jagged line that traced across his forearm, leading from his wrist and almost to his elbow. Was that a new scar she saw? Wow..

"Paya!" Impa yelled at the young Sheikah. "I've called your name three times now. What have you gotten so lost in-" Impa paused. She didn't even have to guess. "Never mind. You didn't pick up any Endura Carrots dear."

"W-What? I could've sworn I got some today from Old Lady Trissa's store today before she closed up. Are you sure they're not in there?" Paya asked.

Impa shook her head. "None dear. I don't know what we're going to do for dinner now."

"Here." Link said. He never was a man for many words, and more questions than answers were raised when the two women turned around and he was holding five slabs of thick raw meat in his arms.

Impa blinked. "Link, have you been holding those the whole time you've been in here?"

Link stared for a moment. He slowly put the meat back from… wherever it was that he got it from. He managed to carry around dozens of pairs of clothes, full course meals, and upwards of 20 weapons on him at all times, yet he had no Endura Carrots.

"W-Why don't I just go up the hill and pick some? I remember when I was just a girl, my mother and I would always find some past the Shrine and where the Nightshade Flowers grow. There's still daylight out, so I'd be okay…" Paya asked, her voice trailing off near the end.

"And have Link go with you! Great idea Paya!" Her grandmother smiled, knowing exactly what she was doing to her granddaughter. Paya's face went back to a boiled red. "Out you two go!"

Before Paya could protest, Impa slammed the door on the two young adults. Link shrugged.

As he started down the steps, a hand reached out and tugged Paya's sleeve close.

"You're getting me great grandchildren one day dear."

Paya wanted to scream.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

The Master Sword that rested in the sheath on Link's back sounded off to the rhythm of their footsteps. The luminescent blue glow of the shrine that overlooked Kakariko village painted the waving grass a light cyan blue, and the occasional Sunset Firefly began to illuminate the village now below the Hero and Sheikah. As the path diverted into two, Link led Paya down to the place she remembered: the place that shone with Nightshade Flowers.

"O-Oh! This is it!" Paya smiled and strode forward, tracing her hand across one of the oak trees. The flowers glowed a dark blue, complemented only by the dying warm orange in the horizon that could now barely be seen through the tree line.

Link stepped forward next to Paya. Usually when he was out adventuring and making his way through the forest, he wouldn't hesitate in picking every herb, mushroom and flower he could find. And yet… He hesitated here. This memory meant a lot to Paya, and he could do without a blue glowing flower for a recipe if it meant she could remember her mother, even for just a moment.

Paya continued down the forest path, the trees getting thicker with every step she took. Link followed close behind, but brought his pace to match Paya's when she suddenly stopped by the waterside. Link's eyes widened as he spotted the creature from across the pond.

"Shhhhh, get down." Link calmly whispered to Paya through a smile, as he tugged her down into a crouching position beside him. "Look."

As the calm water rippled slightly from a thirsty mountain doe, a new, gorgeous light source in the forest rivaled that of the morning sun. What seemed to be a thousand lightning bugs lit up the serene surface of the water. The glowing mass swayed in different directions in a patternless form, yet made a beautiful calibrated display for the observers.

The light glowed magnificently off Paya's chestnut-colored irises, and she gasped in awe at the spectacle. She was at a loss for words.

Link smiled. No matter how many mountaintop views or oceanside cliffs he had rested on to observe the land of Hyrule, nothing amounted to the simple beauty that was this gorgeous pond hidden in the dense Kakariko forest.

Almost as if one of the Sunset Fireflies noticed they were being watched, one dawdled over to the location of the two young adults. Its greenish-yellow glow seemed to warp the night visions around it, and its fat little body danced in a pattern in front of the young Sheikah woman. Paya lifted a finger in an attempt of letting the glowing insect get a rest from its flight, to which it obliged.

Link had never observed such a calmness when it came to people. Most of his interactions were settled with a swing of a sword or a transaction of rupees, not to mention having to practically dive onto insects that he needed for an elixir. But Paya… she had a softness towards creatures and humans alike. He hoped he could learn a thing or two from her by the end of his journey.

The pudgy lightning bug protruded its wings off the girl's index finger and took flight, whirling around Paya and blowing up her hair ever so slightly in the process. The sudden liking the firefly took to her made her laugh out of joy, as she put her hand up to her face to cover it. The mountain doe's ears perked up upon hearing her and the creature quickly disappeared back into the depths of the forest.

Paya regained her composure from her laugh, and still slightly giggling, opened her eyes back up to see the Hero of Hyrule looking right at her with an amused and attentive gaze. It was just the two of them, illuminated by the fireflies over the calm pond deep in the forest. The night was perfect.

Kiss him.

Paya closed her eyes.

Kiss her.

Link panicked.

"O-Oh, the carrots are right here!" Link rose.

Idiot. He berated himself.

He saw several Endura Carrots growing under a tree right behind where Paya was crouching and made his way over to retrieve them.

When it came to women, Link was not one who easily understood them. And ever since he had tragically lost Mipha over one hundred years ago before telling her how he truly felt, he didn't know how to process these feelings. He only ever wanted to help people. But helping himself… he accepted he was a bit hopeless.

As he collected the carrots and put them somewhere safe, Paya remained knelt by the waterside. Master Link… She smiled. She felt the exact same way she had when he had spent the night by her side. She knew this was true.

Coming back around to her, Link outstretched his palm to help Paya up from the waterside. "Ready?"

She took the Hero's hand.

Her Hero.

More chapters on the way! Stay tuned, and thanks for the read.