Humming alongside the the birdsongs really helps pass the time, so much so that she doesn't even realize she's come full circle already. The entrance doors a few feet away are a reassurance that her chores are almost over. This morning she'd woken early with the intention of meditating by the shrine in the afternoon.
Feeling inspired, Paya hurriedly scrubs at the remaining floor boards, resuming her random strings of humming. Maybe in the evening she'll go up to the forest to pick mushrooms for some stew, which somehow, her grandma hasn't gotten tired of eating. Every week, she insists she's been craving it, but Paya thinks she's just missing her sister, who successfully takes her experimenting into the kitchen, particularly when it comes to fungi.
Her anticipation is dampened when she hears the distant rumble of thunder, and an uncharacteristic groan slips out before she can stop it. The last few wipes to the doors are lacking their former enthusiasm, and in her disappointment she misses the head of golden hair bouncing up the stairs until its owner stops in front of her.
"…A man?!" He's young, around her age perhaps. His loose, frayed shirt falls a bit too short, prominent hip bones revealing his lean frame. Her eyes are drawn to the glowing object at his waist. Is that—"It's…a Sheikah Slate!"
The revelation brings her to her feet. "Could you be the hero my grandmother told me about?" Oh, his face is something out of a childish fairytale; the stranger tilts his head in confusion, and suddenly it's hard to keep her thoughts coherent. "What was his name? Li…Lin…Ummm…" Her cheeks burning, and she quickly looks away. "Oh, it's not that I forgot…I'm just bad with speaking. As for me, my name is Pa…Paaa…Paaay…" She nearly runs away in her embarrassment, but one more glance at the man's handsome face reveals a compassionate expression, so she clenches her fists and braves onward.
"My name is Paya!"
Relief from success slackens her hands and relaxes her throat. "I know I should be able to say that easily, seeing as how it's my own name and all…" She can see her outburst startled him, and the ability to meet his gaze is lost again. "I'm so…sorry." Her voice slowly begins to trail off. "…my grandmother's been awaiting your return ever since I was little. Plea…please hurry inside…"
As soon as the words are out, Paya sprints down the stairs, frantically praying the hero forgets the exchange ever happened.
The rain doesn't take too long to make its way to the village, so the porch of the inn is her shelter while she waits for the young man to exit her home. Paya sits cross legged, watching the door for any movement. The storm drags on, but she's unable to enjoy it as she keeps reliving those awful thirty seconds at the top of the steps.
What does he even think of her now? How will she ever be able to look him in the eye, or even stand in the same room?! And the way she'd just stumbled over her words! How disappointing to have it resurface after so many years in front of the CHAMPION OF HYRULE.
Dropping her head back against the wooden beam of the inn, she groans loudly, hoping to expel the ridiculous shame plaguing her thoughts.
"Paya?" The voice at her left startles her heart into her throat as she scrambles up against the wall behind her.
"Oh h—hey, Ollie. I'm sorry if I'm being a bother, I was just…" An excuse to explain why she's sitting on his porch in the middle of the day eludes her, so she just shrugs.
"You're not a bother at all, but…I just think there's probably something better you could be doing with your time…" A yawn interrupts his advice. "Uhh…well what do I know. I'm going to pick something up from Mellie's, so you're welcome to stay there I guess…see ya." The innkeeper trots off, holding his bamboo rain hat against his head.
Once Ollie is out of sight, the solace that was a comfort before, now only adds to the pit in her stomach. Might as well get this over with, right? Paya hops up and off the wooden platform, lightly jogging towards the elevated house.
"Grandmother?" When Paya enters the house, the elderly woman is alone, but her face is sporting the widest grin Paya has ever seen. She outstretches her arms, beckoning Paya towards her. Where did he go?
"Our hope has returned to us, Paya! The hero has awoken to free Zelda and bring peace back to Hyrule!" Impa crushes Paya's face against her chest, letting out a joyous laugh. "They were right! Purah and Robbie! The shrine kept him alive all this time…oh princess…so strong…" Her grandmother rocks her around, praising the gods, chanting mantras of hope.
"I've never seen you so happy, grandma. Is he truly the chosen royal champion?"
"He is! He will free the Beasts and Ganon will finally fall!" Her laughter spreads to Paya, and the two of them rejoice together, the rain pattering against the roof of the house, as if the sky itself is crying tears of joy.
The moon is overhead, the clouds finally cleared, the smell of rain in the air. The wake of the storm has briefly changed the landscape, leaving scattered patches of grass that resemble small swamps for the frogs to hop in. Fallen leaves litter the creeks, making the small waterfalls appear green and yellow. Paya's favorite product of the rain however, is the shrine.
The goddess statue looks surreal as it stands in the mirror of the flooded pond. Someone has lit the torches, and the flames join their amber reflections in the water to create an ethereal glow around the small monument. Every time a drop of water falls from the tree above, the whole upside down world ripples, further accentuating the effect.
From up on the balcony of her grandmother's house, Paya watches the droplets for so long, she is startled when her head falls heavily against her shoulder. It must be fairly late, and she hasn't even thanked the deities yet.
The soft pads of feet against wet wood turn her attention behind her.
"M—master Link! I thought you'd left…"
He studies her for a moment before abruptly smirking. "No, you did. Will you make a break for it this time?" His lighthearted tone makes it clear the words are a joke, but Paya still feels the heat rising on her face. He laughs warmly, and her heart skips a beat. "Sorry. Maybe that was a little unfair. I just thought it was amusing…how you just ran like that. I told myself you must have realized you had something very important to do."
Despite the humiliation she feels, Paya laughs at the idea. "I…think that sounds better than the actual reason." The smile she receives encourages her to liberate the words on the tip of her tongue, and the following conversation is surprisingly pleasant.
He was at the shrine, he tells her, raising dozens of questions about its secrets, all of which he is keen to answer. She shows him the flooded pond she admires, and he agrees; it's striking. He admits that the rain can be pleasant from time to time. She insists that it always is.
He asks her about her tattoo, the townspeople, the frog statues. Talking to him feel so effortless, and personal, even though all her answers and questions are hardly a few words long.
He says he saw her praying last night.
"You were here?" Paya is certain the blush has returned to her cheeks.
"I stayed at the inn. It was very late." Oh. "Don't you get tired?"
"Ah…I lose track of the time…before I know it the moon has sunk behind the mountains." He huffs in amusement, his eyes twinkling as he gazes at the pond below. "Master Link…you…" The eyes are on her, and even in the dimmed light of the moon, she has to fight the desire to lose herself the deep sapphire hue. "Y—y-you're different than what I expected. N—not in a bad way. I just thought…a knight for the royal family…I thh—thought you'd be less…" The word she's looking for refuses to surface, so she reaches for the next best thing, "Approachable." Paya shakes her head. "No no…that's not it…I don't know really…"
"I don't quite know how I should be either."
"Huh?"
"I don't have any memories of my life before I awoke in that shrine. All I have now is what I've needed learn to survive, and a responsibility to destroy an evil I don't remember anything about, to save a land unknown to me." The uncertainty in his voice stirs up the courage Paya wants in that moment. She needs to help him!
"M—maybe that's a good thing."
He looks at her curiously, before settling into a grim expression. "Your grandmother says the same thing, but I'm not so sure. I don't know what I'm fighting for."
"Well…you don't have expectations for what you have to be or what you have to do. In a way, you're free." The young man's brow furrows slightly as he watches her, possibly contemplating her words. "You had a whole new world to distract you upon your wake, but you made your way here, maybe just to have something to do…or looking for a purpose. And you found one. One that will improve all our lives if you make it to the end. And you chose the path for yourself. Now you can stand by it…and…and I think that's a better resolve than anything."
The curious expression is back on his face, leaving Paya wondering why she ever opens her mouth.
"You have a good way of looking at things."
"I—I…I do?"
"Yes. I appreciate it."
"…as long as you d—don't give up on Ganon, I will always s-sup—port you…Master Link." Her heart pounds in her ears; she wonders if he can hear it as loudly as she does. She feels…strange. Maybe lightheaded.
He nods at her once, a slight smile tugging at one side of his mouth, and Paya quickly drops her gaze.
Has she always found it so difficult to interact with young men? In her defense, it's not as if she's had many opportunities to hone the skill, living in an isolated town in the mountains.
The events following the Calamity left the Sheikah a broken people; all but a few took their fractured families to this sanctuary to grow old and pass. The ones closest to her age now are still learning how to read and write.
Kakariko is all she's ever known; her travels beyond the town occurred far too early in her life for her to remember. Sure, at a certain age she's had her crushes, usually on young traders who've make her laugh or sold to her at bargain prices. Her childhood friend, Hila, had found her partner that way, and made no hesitation to leave her brother and grandfather behind to run the inn on their own.
Since then, Paya has considered leaving herself. To travel, explore, meet new people…but the desire has never prevailed over her curiosity for the shrine, and the heirloom, and the still many stories her grandmother has yet to tell her. That, and she is deathly afraid of running into the Yiga.
"Do you think your grandmother would let me stay here tonight?" Link breaks the silence, and then rubs his head sheepishly. "I spent the last of my rupees on arrows…"
"In…side? Umm…well…she wouldn't say nn—n—no to you. I could help y—you…need to f-find the old cot…it's somewhere…"
"Thank you, Paya." She's rewarded with a warm smile, to which she can only furiously nod, mouth clamped shut. "I'll ask her now." The hero lifts his equipment off the floorboards and reaches for the door; he expresses his gratitude once more, and Paya follows him inside, red up to the tips of her ears.
He's gone by the time she wakes up, a realization that is really quite expected when she rushes down the stairs the next morning. With a brief frown and huff of disappointment, Paya sets about her daily routine, thinking it'd really be nice if he visited again soon.