"Three thousand rupees?" Link reiterated in disbelief. Grante, the Sheikah salesmen in front of him, nodded with a guilty smile. The two sat at a table, resting peacefully on the balcony of one of Tarrey Town's Bolson-style houses. Link groaned as he heard the price of the shield. Did it have to be that expensive?

"Sorry Link," Grante said with his hands in the air, apparently reading Link's mind. "I know you're my best customer and all, but the Hylian Shield you had was legendary, said to have been forged by the ancient dragon god, Lanayru himself. The Hylian race throughout the ages have tried replicating the shield, but none have come close to the durability and strength of it. Even the Sheikah blacksmiths of a hundred years ago couldn't replicate its strength, same as the Master Sword. Those black royal guard weapons broke way too easily. However..."

Grante, from what Link could only assume was his own unknown magic, pulled the Hylian Shield replica from under the table, setting it down in front of him. A pang of frustration and an immense longingness filled Link's heart when the shield appeared on the table.

"They got close with this version of the Hylian Shield that I have. It's one of the last replicas Hyrule ever created before the Calamity hit. One wouldn't be able to tell the real one from the old one. Sure it wouldn't last as long, but it would last you long enough. But, with something this rare, of this caliber... I can't go less than three thousand rupees."

Link sighed as he leaned back in his wooden chair, watching the afternoon clouds go by. Three thousand rupees? He had gotten the original Hylian Shield for free. Yes, he had to fight a large Stalnox for it but that was nothing for Link to handle. Grante raised an eyebrow as he watched Link, the question boiling in his chest.

"Link, I have to ask..." Grante said, leaning with his elbows now on the table. "What happened to the original Hylian Shield? It didn't break, did it? I wouldn't be surprised but I was sure it would've had a bit more time on it."

Links eyebrow twitched at the question, the scene of Zelda tapping the remote bomb without stopping replaying in his mind. Link took a breath before his thoughts got out of control as he focused back on Grante.

"It... got lost. Fell of a cliff when I was with a friend. It's pretty... frustrating," Link said. Grante stared at Link for a moment, as if examining the truthfulness of his answer before a grin appeared on the Sheikah's face.

"Ooooh, I know that look. Your friend cost you the shield, didn't they?" Grante said in a deep voice. Link blinked a few times before his face filled with confusion.

"How could you tell?" Link asked with slight amazement. Grante laughed as he slammed a hand onto the table.

"Oh jeez, Link, that's awful! Losing one of the best shields in Hyrule is one thing, but being lost because of someone else? Seriously Link, there's a reason I travel alone these days. People who don't think things through can cost you dearly. I've lost a few things myself because of travel partners." Grante said, wiping a cheerful tear from his eye. Link, not finding the situation nearly as funny as the Sheikah, frowned.

"So... what happened? Tell me the details," Grante asked excitedly, leaning in even further in anticipation. Link sighed as he monotonically told the story of how Zelda had refused to listen to him after she seemed to be frustrated, detonating a bomb that ultimately caused a boulder to fall.

"That's one heck of a story there..." Grante said with a now serious face. "Look Link, I was laughing before, but that's a pretty serious issue, mate. Someone could have gotten seriously hurt. What was she so upset about?"

"If I had to take a guess, it's probably a nickname," Link said leaning in. "I dunno why Zelda is so frustrated about me calling her princess though-"

"PRINCESS? AS IN PRINCESS ZELDA?" Grante asked in shock, standing up at the name. "Link you have to go to my father now! He's been-"

"Grante be quiet!" Link said, raising and lowering his arms in order to signal the Sheikah back into his chair. "We already went to see your father! Jeez, we don't need the knowledge that Zelda is free spreading around. Not yet at least."

"Sorry about that," Grante said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he sat back down. "Not everyday someone tells you the princess of Hyrule is in town. Still... even with her being the princess, that's a serious issue, Link. If she has a problem with you calling her princess then she should have spoken to you about it."

"She kinda did earlier today, but she's not specifically stating what she wants. I don't get it," Link said, bringing fingers to the bridge of his nose. Grante crossed his arms, shaking his head.

"I have a good guess. But, if I'm being honest with you, Link, that kind of topic is not my forte," Grante said. Link gave him a look of disappointment.

"Thanks Grante, loads of help," Link said, bringing both of his hands down to the table. Grante shrugged yet again.

"Look, best thing I can tell you is, while maybe she had her reasons, what she did was unacceptable. She put you two at risk. You need to figure out what she wants, but you two need to talk about communication. That's a necessity amongst travelling partners. I say talk to my dad, he used to travel a lot back in the day. Plus... my mom may be able to give you other advice. Advice pertaining to... what the princess may be hinting at."

Link sighed as he stood from the table. He took one last look at the Hylian Shield replica before turning away from it.

"Wait! Did you not want this shield?" Grante asked. Link sighed as he turned back.

"I might have to go collect more gems to sell. Gotta plan a budget for two people now you know," Link said as he put his hands in his pockets as he walked away. Grante chuckled as he stowed the Hylian Shield under the table.

"More reasons why I travel alone."

"I'll give you four thousand, eight hundred, and ninety rupees for these," The young goron said from behind the table. Zelda, who had dumped the gems she had found on the young gorons stall table, blinked a few times.

"Is... Is that a lot?" Zelda asked. The young goron gave her a confused look.

"What do you mean is that a lot? It's about average price, better than what most people buy for. Have you never dealt with rupees before?" the young Goron asked, adjusting his yellow hard hat on his head.

"I mean... yes?" Zelda said unconvincingly. In reality, Zelda had no use for money back then. Everyone had bought things for her and handled the finances. All Zelda had to do was travel and pray...

"You're a weird one, lady," the young Goron said, crossing his arms.

"Pelison! That's not very nice, you know," a deep voice called from a few meters away. Zelda turned to see another Goron, a large one, sitting comfortably on the ground. The Goron turned his attention from Pelison to Zelda. "Think of it this way: a bundle of five arrows generally costs about twenty rupees. That's a good base."

"Well... that doesn't seem too bad," Zelda said. She did prefer a bow after all. Arrows were a good base. However, the Goron shrugged.

"It's decent. Average price around Hyrule. For adventurers, though, who run through weapons, arrows, and gear, that may not be considered much."

"I see," Zelda said thoughtfully. She would have to talk to Robbie about how much his Sheikah gear and other services cost. Zelda nodded as she gave the young Goron a gentle smile. "I'll take it."

The young Goron nodded as he handed over a bag of rupees.

"Thank you for the business, lady!" the young Goron said, gathering the stones from the table and walking off to store them.

"Thank you for buying from my brother, Pelison. My name's Greyson if you ever stop by town again. You have a good day, little Hylian," the big Goron said, giving a short wave. Zelda waved back kindly before storing the bag of rupees on her waist. Now to think of how to make things up to Link...

"Marin!" a voice called out from behind her. Zelda turned to see Link cooly walking towards her. Zelda couldn't help but feel happy Link had returned to her, but nervous due to the inevitable awkward tension the two would have.

"H-Hello Link," Zelda said nervously as Link stopped in front of her. "I, um. I sold the gemstones! I got almost five thousand rupees for it! That's pretty good right?"

Zelda gave Link a nervous smile, however Link's face remained emotionless. He nodded.

"That's a good start. Here," Link responded as he held out the Sheikah Slate. Zelda, raising a confused eyebrow, took the Slate from Link.

"I'm heading to the Akkala Tech Lab. I need... a moment. Stay in town and meet some people. It's good to get to know the residents here. I'll be back," Link said as he immediately turned heel. Zelda opened her mouth to say something, however Link was already out of earshot. Sadness grew on Zelda's face as she watched the knight walk away.

"Give him time, girl, he'll come around," a voice said from behind her. Zelda eeped at the sudden voice, turning quickly to see a large Gerudo woman standing behind her. Zelda put a hand to her chest as she got her breathing under control.

"Sav'aaq. The name's Rhondson," the large red-headed woman said. "I didn't mean to be nosey, but I see you are having a bit of trouble with love there, young Hylian."

Zelda frowned. Was she really that obvious?

"If I'm that obvious, I don't understand how Link can't pick up on it..." Zelda muttered as she looked back towards Link. The Gerudo woman gave a hearty laugh.

"Link is a special one! Isn't that right Hudson?" the woman said, turning towards a rather large burly man, shorter than Rhondson with quite the large head.

"Yup," he said simply, carrying a crate of what looked like clothing materials.

"Link helped build this town. He's even the reason my husband and I are together!" Rhondson said happily. Hudson nodded yet again.

"He did," Hudson said again, however a happy smile appeared under his burly mustache.

"Dear, take those articles of clothing to the shop for me, would you?" Rhondson asked sweetly. Hudson nodded simply as he walked away. As soon as Hudson was out of earshot, Rhondson turned towards Zelda.

"You see that little Hylian? That is a simple man," Rhondson said, putting her hands on her hips. "Sometimes men won't pick up on small gestures, or they simply won't understand. Link is an adventurer. A sharp one. But he can be very simple minded. The man offered to help Hudson build a town simply because he needed help. No reason needed, didn't even need to understand why. If you have Link helping you, or ask for him to do something, he won't think about it. At least not in the way you want him to. He's logical, not emotional."

Zelda frowned as she listened to the Gerudo. Rhondson raised an eyebrow.

"I say all that because it clearly seems like you want to express something to him," Rhondson finished. "What are you trying to do?"

"I just..." Zelda said, shifting in place. "I want to grow closer to him. I finally have freedom to enjoy myself with him, and yet he doesn't pick up on things. Like nicknames or actions... and now I went and made it worse because I got frustrated."

"Ah, well I've done that before," Rhondson said with a sigh. Zelda looked up confused.

"You have? Aren't you and that man married?" Zelda asked. Rhondson gave Zelda a curious look.

"What's your name girl?" Rhondson asked.

"M-Marin," Zelda answered. Rhondson shook her head a few times.

"This must be your first love, Marin," Rhondson said with a smile. "Love isn't perfect. Every couple fights, everyone makes mistakes. Even when you're married. However, a successful love story comes from those who can talk and fix issues between themselves. Sometimes a simple conversation and an apology will do."

Zelda thought about that for a moment. So even successful couples fight? Knowing that made her feel a bit better. But...

"But Link keeps avoiding me. He hasn't given me a chance to speak to him," Zelda said sadly, looking down at the now misty ground. Rhonda considered that for a moment.

"Well, either you really upset him, or he doesn't want to say anything that will hurt you. Knowing him probably both," Rhondson said confidently. "Give him time, he'll come around. Though sometimes, you need to make men talk about their feelings."

"I hope so... I need to have a conversation with Link as soon as possible. Thank you, Rhondson," Zelda said with a smile, waving away the now thick cloudy substance blocking her view. Zelda furrowed her eyebrows. Thick cloudy substance? It was a sunny day out today...

Zelda looked up at the sky. There wasn't a rain cloud in sight as the sun continued to beam down on the tiny town. Zelda, along with Rhondson, looked around the small town. Everyone had seemed confused as to where the increasingly thickening smoke had come from. What was going on?

"Every resident here: gather around in front of the Goddess statue!" A deep menacing voice called through the smoke, echoing through the town towards the townsfolk. "We've got a few... questions..."

"The best thing you two can do is talk things out," Robbie said without looking at Link, who was standing at the front door, as he continued working on some sort of Skeikah technology. "I believe both of you are being rather childish. The fact neither one of you had talked about what to do in any instance while travelling together is most irresponsible."

"Now Robbie," Jerrin said, folding her arms, "not everyone thinks of every situational outcome as you do."

"Well they should, or they wouldn't be in this situation." Robbie snorted. Jerrin shook her head as she turned towards Link.

"Link... have you ever considered that the princess might want... more?" Jerrin asked. Link gave her a confused look.

"What do you mean by 'more?'" Link asked. Jerrin shook her head.

"Link, the girl likes you! A lot!" Jerrin said. Link blinked.

"No, no she doesn't," Link said confidently. "She used to, but that was the old me a hundred years ago, and that's only based on a song that a Rito named Kass sang to me. No, she doesn't love me now."

Jerrin put her fingers to the bridge of her nose.

"Is that really the excuse you're giving yourself, hun?" Jerrin asked. "Link, she wants a nickname because she wants to feel special or important to you! She doesn't want to be called princess because everyone called her princess. She wants something special from you and only you! Don't tell me you really haven't picked up on any of it?"

"Picked up on what?" Link asked. Jerrin gave the knight a look. Suddenly, memories of moments between Link and Zelda flew into his mind. Living together, sleeping in the same bed, Zelda's remarks after diving... Link's eyes grew wide with realization as Paya's voice echoed in his mind:

You know, Link... that's going to get you in trouble one day...

Paya was right. It did get him in trouble. Of course Zelda would be a bit frustrated. He had basically been avoiding her advances for two months now.

"You and Zelda need to have a talk," Jerrin said. "About how you two handle problems, and what to do now that you know how she feels. You also need to ask yourself: how do you feel?"

Link stared into Jerrins eyes for a moment before blinking. Jerrin smiled as she recognized the face of realization on Link.

"I... I need to go," Link said hurriedly as he opened the door. Link bolted out the door sprinting towards Tarrey Town. He had to see her. He had to talk to her. He had to- Was that smoke from coming from Tarrey Town?

Seriousness grew in Link's eyes as he reached for the Sheikah Slate to teleport, however the Slate was not on his waist. Link cursed at himself. He left the Sheikah Slate with Zelda. Why hadn't she teleported here to the Akkala Tech Lab? However Link hadn't even a second to think.

Immediately pulling out the Master Sword, Link skidded to a stop as he blocked an air strike he had barely heard whizzing through the air towards him. Link's eyes darted to where the strike had come from. There, a small distance away, stood a large, bulky, armored man. The man was covered in the familiar maroon garments with the white mask sporting the upside-down eye of the Yiga. The Yiga Blademaster stood in perfect balance, the Wind Cleaver sword at the ready.

"Hello, Hylian Champion," The Yiga Blademaster said condescendingly. Link's eyes furrowed. He didn't have time for this.

"Look, I suggest you head back to that little outpost of yours back in the desert before you regret challenging me," Link said threateningly. "I've sent enough of your men there barely alive as is, right?"

"You have... but I've been watching you, Hylian Champion. And I have a few questions for you... specifically about your new travel partner..."

Link's eyes squinted as his eyebrows furrowed even further.

"Last chance..." Link said, raising the Master Sword higher. The Yiga Blademaster laughed.

"No Hylian Shield. No Sheikah Slate. No frustrating Sheikah Runes to help you fight. Your tricks have been left with whoever that girl is you're travelling with. Do you think you can beat me handicapped, knight?"

"Wanna find out?" Link asked, preparing to charge. The Yiga Blademaster chuckled as he raised his sword high.

"Indeed. While you've lost your tricks, we Yiga have gained a few of our own. Now, tell me," The Yiga said as the two prepared for the inevitable battle.

"Who... is the girl?"

...