The Master Cycle Zero sputtered and came to a halt in the middle of a field. The Champion looked behind them.
Nothing.
He hopped off, pulling the boy with him. He opened the seat with a tap, pulled a few dozen acorns out of his bag, and dropped them in.
"I'm sor—"
"Sh." A soft thunderclap sounded in the distance. "We should find shelter. Get on."
They rode until they found a cave nestled high up a cliff wall. The Champion barely had enough stamina to make the climb without using a potion. Few words were exchanged as the two boys prepped a simple meal and drifted off to sleep.
Well, the younger boy slept. The Champion's mind refused to settle.
He sat against the cave wall, staring out at the raging thunderstorm. Lightning illuminated the shallow cave.
"… Dad…?"
His heart refused to wrap itself around that one word. He'd been so avoidant and focused on survival that he hadn't bothered asking what happened.
It was strange. The more the order of events played out in his mind the less they made sense. The strange grogginess, the missing Master Sword, the note. Finding the youngest Hero where they did. With how long and winding the scent trail was, the Champion wouldn't have been surprised if the boy wasn't at the cliff for very long.
Ah yes. There was the other reason he couldn't sleep.
The rush of blood, pounding heartbeat in his ears as he ran. Watching the little body disappear. Ghosts of the past haunted him, adding weight to the crushing loneliness he'd grown accustomed to.
Why grow attached, when no one ever stays?
His companions were gone. There was no guarantee that this little one wouldn't up and leave again.
"… Dad…?"
He wiped away a stubborn tear. The boy had been so careful to not say anything. His face flushed. He thought of Time and Malon. Hudson and Rhondson. His house in Hateno Village.
Mipha.
He studied the downpour. Pulled out her diary, but didn't open it. Instead he looked at the slumbering child.
Golden hair. Round, green eyes.
Mipha was gone. He knew that, but it still stung. He knew Zelda had feelings for him. He snorted. Like half the women in his Hyrule, it seemed.
At last his eyelids grew heavy. He didn't want to sleep, but his overwhelmed mind and exhausted body gave him no say in the matter. With his last conscious thought he put Mipha's diary back in his bag.
If he woke up alone, so be it.