Zelda listened quietly to the trotting hooves of both Link and her own horses as they echoes through the large ravine. Dueling Peaks haven't changed at all in the last hundred years.

"I am quite surprised the monsters didn't appear here... It looks like there were monster camps here originally..." Zelda muttered to herself.

"I took care of them while we travelled to Hateno. You had fallen asleep." Link said without looking back. Zelda frowned a bit.

"Right, thank you Link." Zelda said, turning her attention to the calm waters of the river. Both had slept on the opposite sides of there sleeping bags (Link staying awake most of the night), and the two had been awkwardly silent since cleaning up camp this morning, each equally affected by their own thoughts.

"Hey, I've got... a question for you..." Link said. He sounded nervous. Zelda's pointed ears perked up a bit. Link sounding nervous? That was a first... He seemed awfully distant this morning... Maybe, just maybe...

"Y-Yes Link? What is it?" Zelda asked, staring directly at his back, bobbing up and down from Epona's trotting.

"How would you feel about... I mean... Are you comfortable with...?" Link started and stopped repeatedly. Zelda leaned in on her horse slightly. Link looked back at the Master Sword before taking a deep breath.

"How do you feel about a little bit of off-roading?" Link said quickly. Zelda brought her horse to a stop just as they were exiting the Peaks. She blinked a few times.

"Pardon?"

"Well... I've been looking at the map and if we follow the road it'll at at least another day onto our trip. And quite frankly you probably want a bit more... you know... real traveling and exploring experience..." Link said, also bringing Epona to a stop and facing his horse towards Zelda and her own. He pointed to Zelda's right. "If we can cross the river and go into the fields we'll eventually hit the Lanayru Wetlands. The thing is there's a lot, and I mean a lot, of Lizalfos in that swamp."

Zelda didn't respond. Link was talking about... Travelling off the road? Why did he seem so nervous about that? Zelda had mistaken that for... Well, what on Earth was she thinking he would ask? Zelda shook her head, thoughts of the previous night filling her head even more than before. Link seemed a bit down, but also relieved at the same time.

"Quite a surprising answer but I won't argue against it-"

"What?" Zelda asked, tuning back into their conversation. "No, I mean yes Link, I'd rather go off road. I can't stay on the peaceful road forever, especially if I plan to uncover and study. As for the Lizalfos I need to learn to fight them anyway. If anything happens I full heartedly expect you to jump in even if I tell you not too..."

She noticed Links face fall into... Disappointment? He took a quick glance at the sword before sighing.

"Link, why do you keep glancing at the Master Sword?" Zelda asked. She had started to notice he had been looking towards the sword more often than he had before. Than he had at all really. Link however brushed it off.

"No reason. Just... Hey look, we don't know for certain and I don't want to worry you but... Look if things get out of hand... Let me handle it. Okay?" He said, giving her a serious look. Zelda had actually been taken aback by that look. She hadn't seen a look like that since...

"Alright Link, don't worry. I won't do anything rash." Zelda said. "I did make a promise to you after all."

Link smiled.

"Alright then. Off the road we go. There's two rivers that we have to cross on our way there. This one we should be able to cross just fine with our horses, the second one we'll have to go over a bridge. Good plan?" Link asked. Zelda nodded.

Link and Zelda turned their horses towards the river. Link couldn't help but feel a bit of excitement. He hadn't truly gone into the wild in weeks since the Calamity and this time... He saw Zelda bring her horse right up to his. He took a quick glance at Zelda's face. Eagerness, excitement, and adventure were in her eyes. Link smiled. Maybe he didn't need to give up his wilderness adventures with Zelda around. When she was truly ready of course, Link assured himself. Link took another glance at her and grinned.

"Try to keep up."

Links words echoed as he suddenly sped ahead, Epona dashing away without warning through the river and to the other side. Water splashed back on Zelda and her horse, who reeled in surprise.

"Why you- Link!" Zelda called out, now soaked on one side of her body. However as she saw Link racing away she couldn't help but smile widely. That was the Link she knew. She looked down at the mud and water on her... That was definitely not the sight of a princess... But who was she to worry about that anymore? Her smile grew even wider as she urged her horse after Link, splashing even more mud and water up.

Zelda laughed as she rode through the fields after Link. The grass looked as if it could have been water as it flowed past her, the wind in her hair flying back as she sped to catch the blue clad knight. She looked up at the cottony clouds. She had never taken the time to experience how.. beautiful, the land of Hyrule truly was. Suddenly Zelda saw yellow dust and sparkles fly around her and the horse. Her horse didn't seem to notice. Zelda reached her bobbing hand out however the yellow wisps disappeared. Zelda laughed as she turned her attention back to catching up with Link.

The two travelled along the mountainside of Dueling Peaks until they reached the bridge.

"Here we are slowpoke, Eagua Bridge." Link said chuckling to himself when he saw the wet and muddied Zelda.

"You did this! It wasn't my choice..." Zelda said chuckling, flicking some mud off of her hand and at Link.

"Eh, whatever you say. Alright Zelda. Like I said, there's a lot of Lizalfos in these fields. We aren't gonna fight them actually. We are going to do our best to ride past them. Even I have difficulty fighting that many at once."

"Are you saying you can't do it?" Zelda asked raising an eyebrow. Link scoffed.

"Of course I could do it. If you weren't here it would be easy." Link shot back. Zelda pouted.

"You remember what I said earlier right?" Link asked, returning to his serious state. How many times was Link going to surprise her with these sudden changes?

"Y-Yes. I remember. I don't think you have much to worry about though Link, I'm sure we can outride them. You've given me all the practice I need." Zelda chuckled, trying to bring back the lightened mood. Link however had the Master Sword out and was staring at the wetlands. It seemed he was staring at one particular spot...

"I can't see it from here... Maybe it did deactivate...?" He mumbled to himself. "Alright Zelda, have your sword ready if anything gets to close swing just once at it, don't try to repeatedly swing. You'll just miss."

Zelda nodded, taking the Royal Broadsword Link gave her out.

"Alright then, lets go!" Link said, reeling Epona back and urging her forward. Zelda followed suit.

"Avoid the landmasses until the last one!" Link called out over the water splashing of hooves. "Most of the Lizalfoss hang out on them!"

Link ended up decapitating most of the Lizalfos they had encountered with ease leaving Zelda with virtually nothing to do. Why had Link been so nervous to reach the wetlands? And why did it seem that he was trying really hard to stay in front of her right now...? And what was that red glare appearing all of a sudden?

Zelda barely had time to react. A blue beam streaked through the air, passing right over Link's horse.

"LINK!?" Zelda shouted bringing her horse to a stop as Epona reeled in surprise. Link was no longer on the horse. Zelda looked around to see a guardian, still possessed racing towards her. Zelda sat on her horse frozen. No. She didn't just lose Link again did she...? He was gone, blown away by the streak...

The guardian was crawling its way toward her, a red dot aimed right on her chest. Zelda was ready to give in when three bomb arrows went off on the guardian's eye. Zelda's eyes grew wide as she looked up. There, in the sky as if he were floating, was Link with a Lynel bow in hand.

Link brought out his paraglider as he soared down towards the malfunctioning guardian, twisting and turning trying to recover from the force of the bombs. The Master Sword, while not speaking any words, was making its usual sounds as if in panic.

"Glad we agree here..." Link mumbled as he released his paraglider midway down, drawing the Master Sword as he plummeted. Link landed, slashing one of the guardians legs down with the force of the land. The guardian, now one leg missing and sparking, turned its attention back to Link, the red light on his chest again. Link whistled as Epona rode. Without allowing Epona to stop, Link jumped on the horse just as the guardian shot its beam, missing by just a few centimeters.

Zelda watched as the guardian chased Link down at an incredible speed missing one of its legs, adrenaline still pumping through her veins. Firing its lasers as it went along, Link dodging and weaving with Epona avoiding the guardian at all cost. Link had told Zelda to stand by and watch... Zelda pulled her bow off of her back, knocking an arrow. No. She wouldn't stand uselessly by. She urged her horse forward towards Link and the guardian. She was good at shooting. She knew that. She just needed a bit of moving target practice...

"Zelda what are you doing!?" Link called out from his horse as he aimed his next bomb arrow. The next laser flew dangerously close to Links ear. Zelda ignored Link as she fired her own regular arrow directly into the blue center of the guardians eye. The guardian stopped moving as it jerked from left to right. Link reared Epona towards the guardian and sliced another one of its legs off.

The guardian corrected itself, aiming once again at Zelda, who was circling it at a greater distance than Link. Link however was ready. Another bomb arrow was notched as he sent it flying the guardians direction, directly in the eye socket. Arrow after arrow, the two traded off: Zelda, Link, Zelda, Link, circling the guardian in different directions to confuse the Sheikah machine until eventually the guardian collapsed. Malfunctioning, the guardian twisted and turned until the gears burst from out of it and it shut down for good.

Zelda brought her horse to a stop and jumped off, Link doing the same.

"Link!" She called out as she ran towards him.

"Zelda! I told you to stay back, you could've been blown away-"

Zelda however, had never stopped running to listen to Link. Flew right into him, wrapping her arms around him, both crashing into the water below. Link heard Epona make a sound.

"I thought you died again! I saw the laser and then you were gone and I didn't know what to do! And then you were fighting and I didn't wanna just watch you die again and, and, and..."

"Zelda, I... Sorry... I didn't know if it would still be active or not. I didn't wanna bring up bad memories if I didn't have too... I'm sorry. I'm not going anywhere. Not anytime soon. I would've been able to beat it, you don't have to worry about me... But..."

Zelda looked up with watery eyes.

"You made it a lot easier on me. I couldn't use my usual tactics cause I didn't wanna get you hurt. Shield parrying can redirect a laser and I didn't want it to get deflected at you... Plus we made a good team..."

Link looked back at the once again silent sword. Maybe he should stop doubting the swords judgement...

Zelda sniffed and rested her head on Links chest.

"We'll investigate why it's still happening later... just let me sit like this for a bit..."

"S-Sure... No problem..." Link said, allowing an arm to go around Zelda's shoulder. He just 'allowed' her to fight a guardian. He was sure putting a hand on her shoulder wasn't the worst offense.

Epona made a sound as the horse turned away. Link frowned. He hated that she was so aware...

...