"The first step is to study the horses and figure out which one you want." They were standing in an open field with groups of wild horses near the outside of the expanse of grass in front of them. She was directing him as Link looked out toward the horses.

"Do you want a fast horse? Maybe a strong horse? Watch their movements and see if you can determine what their strengths are. It can help you decide."

Link took the next several minutes to study them and make a decision. His eyes were drawn to a black horse in the distance with a white patch that seemed to be playing around much longer than the others, and it was fast, too.

"Target acquired," Link said in an official-sounding voice.

"Next, begin stalking your target. Make sure to be as quiet as you can. You might want to remove your weapons so they don't make any extra noise. Stay directly behind the horse at all times. If it walks to the right, you creep to the left. You don't want it to spot you from the side and run. I'll stand here while you try."

Link was determined, and he nodded.

Zelda continued. "Oh, and stay low to the ground. If you get close enough to mount it, don't let it hear you or else it will kick you. Then just hop onto its back and hold on tight! Calm the horse by speaking gently to it and petting it to soothe it. It might throw you off, though, so be prepared for that." She realized this was sounding overwhelming to him.

"Ari, I don't know about this!"

"It's okay, you can do it! You'll never know until you try."

She watched him crouch hesitantly ahead of her in the field. He seemed to obey her instructions perfectly, slowly creeping toward the unsuspecting animal exactly how she described. She lifted her arms and squeezed her fists in anticipation as he approached close behind his targeted horse, never once alerting it to his presence. Suddenly the horse bolted forward. Aww, he was so close!

Link gave her a look of sadness as he sighed heavily.

She motioned him over. "I'm wondering if…uh…what you're wearing is too noisy. You might want to…take off your shirt. I think it heard you and that's why it ran."

Link grinned at her. "You just want to see me with my shirt off!"

Her thoughts raced. Oh, he's totally flirting with me. And yeah, so what if I do? She blushed and tried not to smile. "No! I'm serious, unless you have stealth armor on, the sound of your clothing can alert them to your presence. Do you have any Stealth armor?"

Link had no idea what that was. "No."

"Okay then. Well? What are you waiting for?" She couldn't hide her grin.

Link stared hard into her eyes as he removed his shirt, trying not to show off as he did.

Zelda couldn't help but look him over as he stood there in front of her, shirtless. Nice biceps. She couldn't help herself as her eyes lingered, looking his torso up and down. Not as muscular as I remember, but that's to be expected. Still, not bad.

"Hey, Ari! Eyes up here." He was grinning and pointed to her eyes with two fingers and then to his eyes with the same fingers. Oh Goddess, the last time he said that to her…keep it together, Zelda!

She tried to ignore his last comment and took a deep breath. "Okay, Link…just…try again." She was blushing and having trouble with her words, and he was smirking at her.

Link crept slowly up to the horse once more, the same way he did the first time. She held her breath as he inched close enough to mount it. Without warning, it kicked him in the face from behind and he landed with a flop on his back in the grass. Zelda ran over to him, bag already in hand for this exact scenario. She lifted him to his feet and put some Bruise Balm over his cheek that now had a hoof print on it.

"Thanks, Ari. This is harder than I thought it would be."

He tried a third time, creeping up expertly behind it and again getting close enough to jump on its back. He was quieter this time. He sprang up out of the grass and gripped its neck, and he landed with a satisfying thump right onto the back of the horse! It let out a loud whinny at the sudden intrusion of its personal space and bucked wildly as he tried soothing it, and it threw him off easily.

Link ran back to Zelda. "This is not working out very well," he said, feeling defeated.

Zelda thought for a moment, and an idea came to her. "I've got it! Here, try this." She pulled out a bottle of bright green liquid, an Enduring Elixir. "It should help you hold on longer so you can concentrate on soothing the horse."

Link took the bottle and lifted it up, drinking it. He nearly spat it out as his face contorted into one of sheer disgust, but he forced it down.

"That stuff is awful, Ari!" I really do need to teach her how to cook.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I should have warned you. It's an elixir, not a food. It's pretty bitter."

"You could say that." His face was still contorted.

"Well, it's made with monster parts that are not known for their taste, just their healing properties. I think I used Bokoblin guts with that one."

Link turned a brighter shade of green than the medicine he had just forced himself to swallow. He tried to keep his stomach from emptying right in front of her as the nausea hit him at the sound of her horrifying words. He quickly turned around to try once more to catch the elusive black horse he had been stalking, if for no reason other than to get his mind off of what he just drank.

"Okay. If this doesn't work, can we take a break?" He was starting to get frustrated.

"Sure. Don't worry Link, you'll get it this time. I can feel it!" He gave her a look of suspicion and then walked, farther away this time, until he was a reasonable distance away from the horse to begin crouching.

Zelda walked to where she could see him. He did everything right, and he was again able to mount the horse. He held on as it bucked recklessly underneath him, and she prayed silently that he would be able to soothe it enough before the effects of the Enduring Elixir wore off. After what seemed like ages the horse stilled underneath him, and she heard his cry of victory from across the field.

Zelda jumped up and down, clapping, and shouted, "That was perfect! You did it! Great job, Link!"

Link and his new horse came trotting up to where she was standing. "Oh, she's absolutely beautiful!" Zelda was in awe of his new horse. She was a gorgeous shade of pure black except for a white mane, a large white patch on her side in the shape of a crescent moon, and two small white patches at the tips of her feet and nose.

"What will you name her?" Zelda asked.

Link hadn't thought of that yet. He patted his horse lovingly as she snorted indignantly, still seemingly annoyed by the sudden change in her life's purpose.

"I think I'll call her Luna." The horse whinnied after he finished his sentence, just like Toffa did when Zelda named him.

"I think she likes it, Link!"

Zelda walked back with them as he rode atop a still annoyed Luna to the stable's outdoor counter. He received the new bridle and saddle and registered her as his own, filling out the necessary paperwork. He decided to keep her out with him for a while as they got to know each other.

"Thanks for helping me, Ari. That was an experience!" She grinned at him.

"Hey, so I noticed you seem to be carrying a lot of stuff there in your travel bag. Would you want to move everything into the Sheikah slate inventory? I still have plenty of space, and I thought maybe it would make our journey to Kakariko Village a little easier for you."

Zelda's heart leapt. "Really? You'd let me do that?" He is so good to me, and he always has been.

"Of course!"

After Luna had calmed and finally warmed up to him, with the encouragement of some of Zelda's Endura carrots, they worked together to sort almost all of her items and materials into the Sheikah slate inventory. All she had left to carry were her equipped bow and arrows and her bag that still contained a few random items, like her recipe book, a few of her tools, and her notebooks and pens. It was the lightest she had ever felt it.

"Thank you very much, Link. You have no idea how heavy that thing could get."

By the time they had eaten again and packed everything, they realized it was too late to head to Kakariko Village that day. Link boarded Luna, and Zelda paid for two soft beds for their final night at Dueling Peaks Stable. They each crawled into their separate beds, each thinking about how much fun they had with each other that day.

...

The light of the early morning sunrise woke Zelda up first as she watched Link sleep in the bed next to hers. She was so happy to have him back, and tears of joy rolled down her cheek as she watched him sleep for a few minutes. She had missed him terribly, and she fought the urge to kiss him awake. She was looking forward to heading to Kakariko Village with him, where Impa was, and she could hardly contain her excitement to see one of her best friends again.

"Link! Wake up! It's time to go!" Zelda shook him awake, and he smiled at her as his eyes fluttered open.

"Why are you so eager? Can't a guy eat first?"

She made a face at him and then realized it probably wasn't a bad idea. He sat up and brought out his Sheikah slate and motioned for her to hop on top of his bed next to him to see the screen. "Breakfast in bed for a beautiful lady?" Link asked, sweetly.

Her stomach fluttered at his words. Oh my goodness, he really is flirting.

He handed her a plate of fried bird eggs and another of simmered fruit, and he chose the same. She stared at him. "Really? Thanks! I assume you made these too?"

"Yup," he grinned.

She couldn't believe Link was such a good cook. Then again, he never got to do anything like that as her sworn knight a century ago. Perhaps that talent was always there, or maybe it was a side effect of the stasis capsule.

"Hey, Ari, when I'm finished I'm going to get dressed and take Luna out for a little while along the road. Do you think you could meet me just up the road with Toffa? We won't go far. She doesn't seem to want to stay on the path very well, and I'd like to train her."

"Yes, that's normal in the beginning. That's a good idea if we're going to be riding all the way to Kakariko Village today." It was a two-days' walk on foot and one on horseback, and having a stubborn horse would really slow them down.

Link took Luna out while Zelda took a few minutes to change into her favorite blue and gold traveling outfit. She approached the counter outside and filled out the necessary paperwork to take Toffa from the barn.

The morning's next events felt like they were happening in slow motion. She felt like she was watching it play out like a horror movie.

...

Zelda hands the paperwork to the stablehand and sees Link up the path standing next to Luna and talking to a stranger. Fear grips her heart over the thought of the Yiga Clan. "Oh no! I forgot to tell him!"

She frantically runs to Toffa and sets him free from the barn as fast as she can, and she throws herself into his saddle. Both of them rush like lightning toward Link and the stranger. She hears a sinister dark chuckle as the person Link is talking to disappears in a burst of faint orange light. Link removes his weapon, looking around, seemingly confused. In a flash Zelda aims her ice arrow and lets it fly while the red and white Yiga footsoldier reappears behind him, lifts his Vicious Sickle, and maliciously swings downward with force, ripping deep into Link's side. Link falls, and the Yiga is frozen solid from her arrow—one second too late.

"NOOOOO!" She screams but hears nothing but pounding in her ears as she rushes toward Link. He is still moving but bleeding heavily. She doesn't have long; she must act now. Thinking fast, she jumps recklessly off Toffa's back, slamming her Royal Guard sword as hard as she can onto the frozen Yiga, shattering both her sword and the ice into shards like glass. The Yiga immediately teleports. She knows he will reappear directly behind her, so she whips herself completely around while grabbing another ice arrow, taking aim and letting her arrow go the exact second he manifests again. The Yiga is instantly frozen. She has one minute before he will thaw on his own.

Link is still bleeding profusely onto the ground. He cannot speak but only stares up at her helplessly. She violently rips off his shirt to soak up his blood while she yanks the Sheikah slate from his hip. She frantically taps the screen with shaking hands and materializes Blood Balm and a bottle of disinfectant. She winces, knowing this is going to hurt.

Forty seconds left.

She quickly pours the disinfectant over him. He yells and passes out from the unbearable pain of the liquid as it rushes like a scathing, burning river of serrated razors tearing through his open wound.

"No Link, please. Don't you dare."

She applies the Blood Balm. His physical life force is quickly draining into an ever-growing dark red puddle beside her beloved. She applies pressure with his soaked shredded shirt hard against the massive wound.

Twenty seconds left.

"Please, Hylia, help him." She jerks a large bandage out of her bag, forces the shirt out of the way, and tightly wraps the bandage with frantic speed against the large gash that has gloriously begun repairing itself thanks to the quick effects of the Blood Balm. She breathes for the first time.

Five seconds left.

"Goddess Hylia, please help me! Link, hold on!"

In the last seconds before the Yiga soldier is loose, she grabs another ice arrow in a flash, aiming it at his nearly thawed form and lets it go as soon as he is free. The footsoldier does not have the chance to teleport again as he is frozen in ice for the last time. He is gone with the echo of a yell and a puff of black and purple smoke. A gathered bunch of Mighty Bananas, a few rupees, and a Vicious Sickle surround her like an evil form of corrupt confetti showered over her upon the Yiga's death.

For a moment she cannot move or breathe. The shock wears off and she is powerless to stop the waterfall of tears or the terrified scream from violently escaping her.

"LIIIIIIIIINK!"

His liquid life force is all over her, but she doesn't care. She kneels down to him, listening for a heartbeat. She needs to know if he's still alive.

Yes, his heart is beating. Yes, his lungs are breathing. She finds she can breathe now, too.

His eyes flutter open at her, as if seeing her for the first time. She sees his gaze is full of anguish...and is that love?

His voice is weak and his breaths are shallow. He is dizzy. "Ari...I think…I'm okay…thanks to you."

She sobs with relief into his chest. The young stablehand hears the commotion and comes running toward them. He helps her lift Link carefully onto Luna's back and rushes him to the stable and into a bed and boards their horses. The other two Yiga footsoldiers who are hiding in watch within the bushes, unbeknownst to anyone, flee in fear.

...

Zelda's living nightmare was nearly over. She stayed by Link's bedside and tended to him carefully throughout the day and the middle of the night, giving him plenty of water and small bites of food. Whenever the wound would start to bleed again she faithfully changed the bandage and applied another layer of Blood Balm. She used up nearly three entire tubes of the life-saving medicine as his blood volume slowly improved.

The wound was finally closed, and they were both able to rest. She stayed close to him in the same bed so she could hear him breathe and listen to his heartbeat and his breaths that were slowly becoming stronger.

It was then when Zelda realized everything had come full circle. He saved her one hundred years ago from a Yiga Clan attack—the moment she first realized she loved her knight. Now she saved him from the Yiga Clan, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was falling in love with her. I'll never forget the way he looked at me… Zelda could no longer keep her eyes open and fell, exhausted, into a deep sleep.

Link opened his eyes to the dim light of the stable and the rain outside and gazed at her sleeping form next to him before the sunrise. This amazing woman saved my life. She is so beautiful. He was feeling better, and he wrapped the arm on his good side around her as best as he could while feeling her breathe beside him. How I love the feeling of holding her in my arms.

He saw her in a whole new way. She saved him from the Bokoblins, but this was different. He almost died at the hands of the stranger who was not who he said he was; he would have if it weren't for her.

His thoughts raced with the things he wished he could admit out loud. You are simply perfect, Ari. You are my faultless counterpart with your knowledge of medicine and mine of culinary arts. You're amazing with horses. Your archery skills are like nothing I've ever seen, and you're not a bad fighter, either. I love the sound of your laugh, the beauty of your radiant smile, your sweet floral scent that tickles my nose whenever you're close to me. I love our playful banter and how you blush when we flirt, and how I do the same. I love you, Ari, with the fire of a thousand suns, even though we just met.

Zelda fluttered her eyelids open as she felt Link's arm over her. She turned to see him gazing at her with the same look he had given her on the ground, this time with glistening blue eyes. Has he been crying? He smiled at her softly, and she suddenly sat up and burst into tears.

"Ari, what's wrong?" He sat next to her, never taking his arm from around her shoulder.

"Link, I'm so sorry I forgot to warn you. I ran into a traveling merchant on the way here who told me that the Yiga Clan have been in the area, and they're disguised as common travelers. I meant to say something and I didn't, and now it's all my fault and I'm so–"

Her voice was cut off abruptly by his lips meeting hers. They shared their first kiss in a hundred years as the breath was stolen right out from her lungs. Every ounce of her affection for him that had been building in her mind for the last century, which she had been holding back since they reunited, exploded from her heart into a thousand shooting stars the second his lips touched hers. Their tongues intertwined in a sweet, soft embrace for the first time in a century, and the love she had for him then instantly paled in comparison to the love she had for him now. Oh, for the love of Hylia, I am in trouble.

He stopped kissing her and looked into her eyes and then away, ashamed. "Ari, I'm sorry, It's just…I…um…you saved me…" I can't tell her I love her so soon.

She understood those feelings more than he knew, because she had them for him when he saved her from the Yiga Clan.

Link looked timidly at her again. "I'm sorry, Ari. I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry if that wasn't what you wanted."

She put a finger to his velvet lips, looking deep into his eyes. She breathlessly whispered, "Shh. Link, don't be sorry. You have no idea how I've longed for that." He gasped as his stomach flipped at her words.

Before he could kiss her again, she tenderly rested her head on his bare chest and snuggled closer to him in the soft bed, even closer to him than she had been before the Great Calamity. I must be careful.

As she held him close in the Dueling Peaks Stable, she knew it was too late. She had fallen hard for her knight all over again, and he had fallen hard for her, as far as he knew, for the first time.