Thank you Guest called: "Me" :) !
I'm seriously starting to doubt this story is any good...If you actually want me to keep going tell me. Is it bad? Is it good? Answer please.
Chapter 7
Starting Fresh
-Link's PoV-
I went to say goodbye to Purah when I woke up this morning, but she wasn't home. I couldn't find her in the inn or the tavern either, nor Zelda as I assumed she might be with her. So I eat some breakfast and say my farewells to the tavern chef and waitress before they both wish me a safe journey on the road. I tell them to say goodbye to Purah for me since I can't find her anywhere, even if I know that she won't be happy to get a simple message instead. Oh well, maybe she shouldn't be hiding when she knows I'm leaving soon.
I stand in the stalls readying Epona to depart Hateno. I give her a grooming of picking out her hooves, and gently brush her coat, mane and tail before putting on her saddle and bridle. I pick my saddle bags off the floor and secure them in place, before loading up my belongings along with some new supplies I bought last night for the road. I walk Epona out of the stable and climb onto her saddle before slowly making my way to Hateno Village gate.
I don't see Zelda anywhere. I check the watch on my left wrist that Impa gave me a couple years ago. I'm alwaya surprised the thing still works. Honestly, I'm not as careful with the time piece as I should be, considering I wear it even while bathing, but yet the thing seems to be indestructible. It's nine o-five, and I told Zelda that I'd be leaving at nine. I sigh as a cold feeling settles in my chest, but I shrug it off, we don't know each other that well even if we've spent the majority of the past two days together. It was a small chance that she would join me in the first place, so I can't be too depressed about it. I just figured at least she would give me a yes or no answer before I left.
So shrugging, I take one last look behind me at Hateno Village before I start walking Epona down the hill. A few birds fly through the air in the small grove of trees just below the village. I stop briefly in the spot where Zelda and I did right after the contest. I recall the memory of her sneaking up on me and holding a knife to my throat and I can't help but smirk remembering that moment as I continue down the road.
When I make the turn at the bottom of the hill I see something that literally surprises me. Maybe a hundred feet down the road is a white horse with a certain ponytailed blonde woman on its back. Standing on the ground next to her is the familiar form of the other woman I was looking for as well, with her white hair in a bun and huge red glasses. No wonder I couldn't find them, they were waiting for me.
"Linky! You're late! How rude of you to keep a woman waiting! Sheesh, I thought you were more of a gentleman than that." Purah shouts at me.
I trot Epona over with a stupid grin on my face. I know it's ridiculous and childish, but I'm relieved to see Zelda. Her horse is prepared with all of her stuff in saddlebags and she is smiling at me.
"Took you long enough. I'm ready when you are."
"Decided to throw me a loop, huh? I'm willing to bet this was Purah's idea."
"It sure was! I had to find a way to give you good farewell this time, considering you're leaving with a lady."
Purah says, cutting in before Zelda can answer, waggling her eyebrows in a suggestive manner. I shake my head and mutter back.
"How typical of you."
Purah just puts her hands on her hips and laughs. "Now, get down here. I can't hug you all the way up there."
I get off my horse and walk over to her. I surprise her by lifting her off the ground as I hug her and Purah makes a shocked squeaking noise. I hear Zelda laugh to our left as she dismounts her own horse. Purah gives Zelda a squeeze as well before she stands with her hands on her hips again.
"Don't forget to write me sometimes Zelda. I wanna know all about your adventures."
"Don't worry, Purah, I promise I will."
"I can't believe I'm watching you two leave together. I'll see you again soon, right?" She asks looking back and forth at us.
"Yeah, after all that special event we all know and love is coming up soon." I say, sarcastically.
"Ahh! You're right, how could I forget? Well, I'll see you later, Linky. Take care of yourself, and take care of Zelda!" She says winking.
I ask Zelda if she's ready to go and she nods, so we say goodbye to Purah and start walking our horses away from Hateno together. Purah yells behind us and we look over our shoulders.
"Stay safe!"
Zelda's PoV
I was going to find Link last night and tell him my answer, but Purah convinced me that I needed to make my answer dramatic, so I agreed on her plan to surprise him. I think it worked, considering the look on his face.
Riding down the road with Link by my side is beyond words. I feel so happy, but at the same time, I've got a pool of nervous matter in my gut and my stomach is bothering me. I feel anxious as we trot our horses side by side down the road. I keep glancing over at Link as we ride and he looks straight ahead with a look on his face that I cannot read. I wonder if he is feeling the same way I am. Purah did tell me she thinks he has never traveled with someone before as well, so I assume the experience is just as new for him as it is for me.
Regardless of my nervous feelings, I can't help but be excited to be riding along by his side. All last night I couldn't get the fact I was actually leaving with someone out of my head. I hardly slept at all as my mind was awake and full of thought, but even with as little sleep as I did get, I don't feel very tired. We ride in silence but the world around us isn't quiet at all. I can hear the morning chirping of birds in the trees. I see herons, deer, and squirrels as we go, and they add to the noises of nature as they dash and run away from us. A couple men are down in the trees cutting wood and I wave to them as we pass.
It starts raining when we're not even ten minutes down the road. At first it's just a sprinkle but then it starts pouring without warning. Link shouts to me over the heavy rain that there is an old cabin nearby that we can wait the rain out inside. I nod and we sprint our horses through the rain, past a pond and down the hill. We run through the clearing where the archery contest was held, past trees and old broken ruins, until we find a log house built right beside a huge boulder. The door is high and wide enough for us to bring our horses through so we do.
Inside there is an old wooden table with a chair next to it. The roof of the small building has a couple holes where rainwater is leaking through, but it's still dry enough for us to take refuge in. The rain patters loudly on the roof. I dismount Starlett and stand next to the table. I look outside through the open doorway of the house and see that the rain seems to be pouring harder than a minute ago. I hear the rolling of thunder in the sky.
I stand there I shiver as the wind blows inside the entrance of the small cabin, which doesn't have a door. My clothes are soaking wet and I wrap my arms around myself. I think about taking them off to let them dry like I usually do when I get caught in the rain, but then my cheeks go bright red as I remember that I am not alone. Link is standing a few feet away and I bite my lip as I ask myself, what am I supposed to do with him here? I can't dry my clothes or change them with him right there. There is also only one room in this small abandoned building I think was probably somebody's house at one point. I sigh and sit down on the chair next to the table.
"I'm freezing." I mutter aloud.
"Do you have any extra clothes to change into?"
"Yeah." I say as my ears start to feel warm, I wonder if he even notices that I am blushing, then kick that thought aside as it must be quite visible. "But...I can't."
Link stares at me for a couple seconds and then realization floods through his features as I'm sure he gets the same thought I have. I feel a bit better about my own embarrassing blushing as his cheeks go a little red as well. Link stands there looking at me and I can't help but want to smile regardless of our situation, because he looks sorta cute.
"Well...I will just stand in the doorway looking outside, if that is acceptable. I...promise that I won't peek a look at you."
He sounds and looks uncomfortable as the words leave his mouth and a giggle escapes my lips of it's own accord. Link puts his hand on the back of his head and looks at me as he waits for my answer.
"That is acceptable." I say, mimicking his word choice with a smirk.
Link nods and walks over to the door before stopping and crossing his arms. His shoulders look so broad as he stands there with a straight back and his posture makes him look strong and confident from behind, which I find rather sexy in a man. I stand there admiring him for several seconds before I blink, realizing I've let myself become distracted and grit my teeth. Shaking my head, I turn around and grab a dry shirt, pair of pants, and socks from one of my saddle bags as I attempt to clear my mind of what I was just thinking about.
I stand with my back to Link as I pull my wet clothes off and quickly put my dry ones on. I ring out my wet outfit and stuff it back into an empty saddlebag. I'll have to wash and dry them another time as there is no where for me to hang them now. I turn around when I'm done and see that Link is standing exactly how he was before I changed my clothes. I walk over to him and tap him on the shoulder.
"If you are going to change clothes, you can go ahead and do it. I'll stand here."
After nodding, Link turns and I stare out the door and watch the rain. Loud thunder sounds in the dark clouds again and I hear a crack of lightning somewhere. I look around in the sky for it even though the bolts of energy only last a fraction of a second, and I get to see a strike far above the mountains to the north. I smile as a couple more flashes light up the dark storm clouds. I hear Link's footsteps as he comes up and stops behind me, and I move over in the large doorway so he can stand at my side.
"This storm sure came on quick, it was hardly cloudy this morning. I didn't think it would even rain."
"I know it's dark and gloomy, but I have always loved storms. Something about them fascinates me." I tell him glancing over.
Link leans his back against the thick wooden doorframe as he crosses his arms again. "I love storms as well. Purah used to always tell me that I was depressing for liking the rain. She's always said it's like the sky is crying and everything below it is getting drenched in a pool of muddy tears. Aryll and I would laugh at her when she was that dramatic, we still do actually."
I laugh. "She is quite over the top on the drama scale, but I still like her. Even if she is a bit of a teenage brat in her twenties, I still enjoy her company. She keeps things lively and interesting."
"That she does. It seems quite impossible to dislike her, doesn't it?"
I nod looking at him, and then I look back to the storm outside. I don't really mind that we had to stop here if I'm honest. Sure, I wanted to keep riding down the road, but it's not like we are on a time limit. Link and I have all the time in the world to go anywhere we want, but it does suck that we didn't get very far.
"Our luck is amazing, huh? The first thing to happen when we leave is a storm. This is ridiculous." I say laughing.
"I know, right? It hasn't rained for days but this morning it decides to. I guess we're stuck here for a while."
"True, but that's not so bad. The good thing is that at least we are dry and warm now and Starlett and Epona don't even have to stay outside. I'm glad you knew of this place."
"Purah and I used to call this our secret hideout. When we came to Hateno we would always come here to play with our sisters. She was so mean to Paya back then and I always felt bad for her. Purah wouldn't let her come in unless she agreed to do everything she said and, of course, Paya never liked that. Aryll always took Paya's side when it came to Purah acting like a brat, though, so she was never alone. Purah and I were always closer as friends like the two of them were. It feels strange to be back here now that I think of it, I haven't been here since I was ten."
I watch the lightning in the sky until it stops, but the rain doesn't let up even a smidge. I walk around the cabin and take a look at what little there is to see. I see something brown sticking out of the straw mattress on the old bed so I pull it out. I hold an old book with torn pages hanging out the sides. I sit down on the bed before opening it carefully and the pages are so brittle that they crinkle as the spine opens. There's pages upon pages of writing and illustrations inside as I carefully and slowly flip through it. I stop on a page that catches my interest because it is an actual painting. The brushstrokes are rough and grainy as I softly brush my fingers against the paper. A huge tree is painted in the foreground with a lady underneath it on green grass, and to her left stands a man with an axe over his shoulder and beyond the tree are some mountains, a waterfall, and a red and yellow sunset.
I look over to Link who is still standing in the doorway. He hasn't moved for quite some time and I wonder what he is thinking as he stands with his back against the doorframe.
"Hey, come look at this."
I hold the book between us as he sits next to me.
"I just found this book in the mattress, it's full of pictures and writing and looks like it's been here forever. I wonder who it belonged to and why they left it behind."
"I recognize the place in this painting, it's not far from here. That's right below Hateno Village. This must have been a traveler's sketchbook, that or someone who stayed here a long time ago. I sort of wonder if it was here when I was a kid, but then I'm sure if it was then one of us would have probably found it back then."
I turn the pages of the book and there are more and more paintings to admire as I do so. Link points out the location of each of them as we take a look and his face lights up every time. Occasionally he even brings up some information about it. Several of the places are even familiar to me as they are all nearby. Link tells me more stories about himself, Purah and their sisters as we talk about the paintings. It's now that I realize he talks about his childhood quite a lot, but I don't mind at all as his stories are quite entertaining. When we run out of pages I close the book and set it down before standing and stretching my back.
I wonder about the person who this cabin originally belonged to, as it seems very old as the walls are weathered and the ceiling above us is full of holes along the edges of the walls. Link tells me that Impa once said this cabin was abandoned even when she was a little girl. I can't help but wonder why as the area around here is peaceful and quite beautiful. I look for more treasures for a couple minutes before I find nothing more of interest.
Bored and not knowing what to do, I sit down on the wooden chair next to the small table. A long yawn creeps up on me unexpectedly and I hold my hand in front of my mouth. I guess that I didn't get enough sleep last night after all. I rest my head on my arms on the small table and close my eyes.
The next time I open my eyes I no longer hear the rain outside and I wonder how long it's been since I fell asleep. I sit up and find that my arm is wet before I notice a strand of drool hanging from my lip to my right arm. I wipe my mouth and look around, blinking sleep from my eyes, and then dread fills my body when my eyes land upon Link who is sitting on the bed. Unfortunately for me, he is looking right at me and his lips are raised in an amused smirk. Just lovely, I've been drooling on myself in my sleep and he just got to witness me waking up a slobber monster. I look away from him as again my stupid cheeks betray me and my face goes undeniably red. I expect Link to laugh at me and I'm surprised when he doesn't.
"Good afternoon, you know you could have laid on the bed if you wanted to take a nap."
I give him a look before I get up from the table and walk over to our horses. Link tells me that it's stopped raining and asks if I am hungry, to which I tell him "very."
He suggests we leave the cabin and go look for something to eat. I agree and we both walk our horses out of the cabin and into the fresh, damp air. We ride to the small pond across the field before dismounting and letting them graze and drink. We decide to split up and Link asks me if I can gather some mushrooms before he tells me he's going to hunt a heron in the nearby field. I nod as he walks off before I head through a small grove of trees and gather some along with apples before returning to the pond. I feed Starlett and Epona a couple of the apples while waiting for Link to get back.
We return to the cabin afterwards and Link starts a fire under the cooking pot I didn't notice earlier. After plucking and gutting the heron he cuts it up with careful, expert skill into small pieces on top of a large flat rock on the ground. He chops up the mushrooms and I help him place them in the now heated pot. Link adds some rock salt to the pot before he grabs a couple short, straight sticks from one of Epona's saddlebags that are carved into sharp points at the ends. He explains that they are for the skewers that he is making and I nod, watching as he uses the tip of a long knife to turn the meat and mushrooms over. He sprinkles something green over the food from a tiny container he pulls from his pocket. I don't know how to cook like this, so everything that Link does is interesting to observe. I get by easily enough, but I don't have the knowledge of cooking a meal so properly. The meat smells so delicious as we sit on the two tree stumps next to the pot while he cooks our meal and I hope that it tastes so.
When the food is done cooking Link slides some the juicy meat and mushrooms onto one of his skewers and hands it to me. I thank him and take a bite of the heron, and I am surprised at the flavor it has before I take a small bite of mushroom to add to it. The combination is mouthwateringly good and better than anything I am able to cook. I have never been able to season meat so perfectly as I can taste both the salt and what I assume was a herb he used. I'm very impressed with his cooking skills and smile as I eat, enjoying every bite. I can't help but look forward to more meals on our travels if everything he cooks is this good. I make another skewer with half of what's left in the pot as Link finishes his and makes a second as well. We eat as a couple birds sing in the trees around the cabin. I ask him where he learned to cook like this.
"I didn't really learn much from anyone, honestly. Cooking is really just about experimentation, so over the past three years I have just tried different things. I guess I can thank Impa for her instruction on her attempt to teach me basic cooking skills when I was younger, but the recipe is all mine."
"Well, that was really yummy. I look forward to more meals like this one."
"I expect you to cook for me as well, you know."
I laugh. "Well of course, but know that I'm not that great of a chef like you are."
We end up spending the night at the cabin. I lay awake on the bed staring out the open door. I guess I didn't really have any idea of how our first day on the road would go, so I can't really say the day has been different than I expected. In a way, I couldn't have asked for a better first day traveling with Link even if we didn't get very far from Hateno. I wonder what Purah would say if she knew we were down here in this cabin instead of far away from here. I imagine that she would definitely tease us harshly or something, as I can't quit picturing that wink she gave us right before we left. I raise my arms up and over my head on the small pillow I have laid down with my sleeping bag on top of the straw mattress. My mind is full of endless thoughts and I'm pretty much wide awake probably due to that nap I accidently took earlier. Link said I slept for at least five hours which I was surprised to hear. I'm also surprised my body didn't hurt after sleeping on a wooden chair.
With a sigh I sit up and look to Link who is sound asleep. He insisted that I sleep on the bed and that he had no problem with taking up a spot on the ground. He's using the old pillow that was on the bed. I look to the ceiling and thank Hylia that he isn't one of those people who snore ridiculously loud since from now on we'll be sleeping near each other every night. It would have been a serious problem if that were the case, since I can't stand people who snore like bears or pigs. My dad is one of those people and sleeping in the next room of our house was sometimes the most aggravating thing in the world. I have no idea how my mom puts up with it, I can only think maybe she becomes deaf at night.
I get up quietly and tiptoe around him and go outside. I walk barefoot across the damp grass and dirt and sit on a stump by the cooking pot. The moon is full and bright in the sky, lighting up the forest in a milky glow. The sky is clearer than I expect considering it went back to storming after Link and I ate this afternoon. I sit under the night sky and look at the stars and I am able to see through the slight cloud cover. I sing a song that my mom used to sing to Tetra and I when we were little, and smile at the memories it brings up.
I see a shooting star dash behind some clouds and make a wish, but it isn't my usual one for once. I wish that things continue to go well between Link and I as friends and companions. I really am happy at his side even if we have only known each a couple days. I think of all the things that I haven't done in my life and wonder of the places we will go, the things that we will see. I'm so excited for the future for the first time in probably several months. Eventually I feel my eyes begin to droop and I yawn before getting up and going back to bed.
When I wake up in the morning Link isn't there, but Epona is so I know he couldn't have gone far. I get up and stretch before walking out of the cabin. When I turn the corner I see Link is sitting on one of the tree stumps by the cooking pot. I grin to myself as I walk over wondering what he is making for breakfast. I tell him good morning and he turns and reciprocates the greeting. He tells me that he found some bird eggs as he cracks and drops the yolks into the pan. He adds some of the green spice to it confirming it is hyrule herb when I ask.
Link asks me to go grab the two wooden bowls and the utensils in one of his saddlebags. When I walk back in the cabin where we unloaded our stuff yesterday, I realize that he didn't mention which one they are in. I am sort of curious about how he isn't worried about me going through his stuff to find them, but then I can't really see him having anything to hide from me. I don't have anything to hide either. I shrug that silly thought from my mind as I poke through his stuff and quickly find his small assortment of cooking supplies. Link has a couple small knives, the two bowls, two forks, one spoon, as well as a metal spatula and a soup ladle. I bring the bowls and forks out grabbing the spatula as well since he's making eggs. I sit across from him on the second stump and he says "good thinking" as hand him the spatula.
I stand there and watch him cook as I think how my life is already better than before in the smallest ways. The most prominent of the moment being that I have someone else to make me food. I mean seriously, I could get used to a man cooking for me. I smile to myself enjoying that simple fact.
After breakfast we ready our horses and head off in the direction we were heading before yesterday's storm. I can't wipe the excited smile off my face as we ride side by side down the road. I can't wait to see what new adventure we find ourselves in next.
