When Sagessa walked to the shrine this morning, she did not expect a young man with tattered clothing and a wooden spoon to emerge from the Dueling Peaks. It was already a little unusual to see a Hylian traveling without a horse or mule, especially coming from Central Hyrule. She wondered if his transport had been stolen by bokoblins. Perhaps a guardian scared it away? Central Hyrule was known for its stalker population, after all.

Absorbed in her thoughts, Sagessa almost didn't notice that the boy was now standing next to her. Sagessa broke out of her trance and looked back at him, but was surprised by the expression on his face. If she didn't know any better, she'd have thought she was the first other Hylian he'd ever seen. Still a little flustered, Sagessa spoke up.

"Hi," she choked out.

"Hello," he replied politely, and promptly turned his attention to the bright shine across the water.

Sagessa smiled. While this boy was certainly odd, he at least shared her interest in the shrines scattered across the continent. He must have also noticed the towers that shook Hyrule when they shot up just yesterday.

"That shrine only recently started glowing, but it's been there for something like 10,000 years," Sagessa started. "It sometimes feels like there's a shrine sleeping behind every hill, there's so many of them. Archaeologists get pretty fired up hunting down each one of them, but I haven't got time for mysteries... Still, looking at that glowing light—you do start to see something romantic about the whole endeavor."

Sagessa flushed a bright red after speaking. She hoped she didn't bore the new stranger. When she looked over at him, his gaze was still fixed on the orange light. Was that a small smirk on his face?

Suddenly, the boy started wading through the water toward the shrine, and Sagessa let out a small squeak. Did he want to see it up close? She watched him intently until the boy pulled a stone tablet from his belt and pressed it against the black pedestal. In a flash of light, the orange glow at the base of the shrine was replaced by blue. Sagessa's eyes widened. Who was this kid?

Sagessa stared on transfixed as the stone door screeched open and the boy walked in. Only moments later the Sheikah eye on the spire took on the same blue hue, and the young man materialized out of thin air on the shrine platform.

"I'm Link," the boy says with a slight, nervous smile adorned on his face.

Sagessa didn't know they were his first words in over a century.

"Sagessa," she said slowly.

The two sat there in silence until the woman finally blurted out, "Here, take this!"

Sagessa rummaged around in her pack until she settled on a hasty elixir. She presented the bottle to the boy, Link.

"What is it?" he asked, turning the bottle over in his hands.

"It's an elixir. You can make elixirs by mixing bugs and other small creatures with monster parts. Most of them are no good for refilling your health, but they can have a lot of unique effects... Some elixirs can increase your speed. Others raise your resistance to extreme temperatures. I'm actually impressed that you've made it this far without any knowledge of elixirs."

Sagessa internally cringed at the last comment. She didn't mean to sound rude. Thankfully, Link seemed unaffected.

"Thank you," he said seriously.

This kid clearly didn't speak much. Not wasting any time, Link started to approach the stable building. Sagessa knew he wouldn't make it far, though. She chuckled. There appeared to be an overly passionate merchant en route.

…

"Why hello there!" Beedle cried out to the boy in shoddy clothes.

Beedle wanted to meet this young man; as one of Hyrule's traveling merchants, you can never miss an opportunity for a new customer.

"Hey! I don't believe I've made your acquaintance! The name's Beedle, but you can call me— Actually, let's just stick with Beedle. But even if you forget my face, you can remember me by my beetle-shaped backpack! Despite these dangerous times, you'll find me traveling all over Hyrule to fulfill your shopping needs."

The boy, for his part, just looked a little stunned. Okay, so that might not have been the best start. But Beedle could always try again. He took a deep breath and—wait a second—was that he smelled?

"Heyyyyyy, do you happen to have a bladed rhino beetle on you by chance?" Beedle stared at the boy scrutinizingly. "Because if you do, boy do I have a good deal for you!"

"What, you mean this thing?" the kid asked as he pulled out a blue colored beetle.

"Yes! That thing!" Beedle was practically jumping for joy. Stranger danger be damned, he just had to get this bug! "I'll give you fifty rupees! And this omelette I just made!"

The boy's companion over to the side, who Beedle recognized as Sagessa, decided that now was the time to speak up.

"Link, that's a good deal. I recommend you take it," she said to the blond.

"Please, listen to your friend! It's a great deal, I promise!" Beedle cut in.

Link looked at him skeptically and Beedle began to sweat. How did this boy with such threadbare clothes negotiate so well through facial expressions? Just as Beedle was about to raise his offer, Link shrugged and reached out, the beetle in his palm.

"It's a deal then! Here you go!" Beedle shouted in relief.

He handed Link a plate of freshly cooked eggs and a small purple gemstone. "It's a pleasure doing business with you—Link, was it? Anyway, I hope to see you on the trails sometime again. Toodaloo~!"

Nevermind that he didn't have a breakfast anymore; with his new bug, Beedle felt like he could walk to Gerudo and back! The merchant picked up his sack and took off toward the east, humming and giggling to himself.

…

Being a stable hand was not the most exhilarating job, but Rensa was plenty happy managing the Dueling Peaks stable with his brother Tasseren. Nonetheless, he was always ready for something interesting to happen around West Necluda. So when the nearby shrine suddenly changed color and both Sagessa and Beedle were giving some attention to a new boy, Rensa's interest was piqued.

He observed the young man in his peripheral vision, trying not to make his gaze too obvious. The boy appeared to be eating an omelette and listening to a conversation between another set of twins just a few feet away. From his distance, Rensa was able to make out that they were talking about hunting for treasure.

"I've got the scoop on the great bandit Misko's treasure, and it's great! Listen up, Dak, here's the riddle: 'The little twin steps over the little river. My cave rests above that river's source.' I've heard Misko hid gemstones, truffles, and even a legendary sword made out of fire in his own personal hideout!"

Rensa suppressed a chuckle at the twins' antics. It appeared that Prissen and Domidak were chasing legends once again. When Rensa turned back to the boy, he seemed to be tapping away at a glowing slab of rock. Bizzare.

Whatever. He might as well go and introduce himself.

"Hello there young man. You seem to be a fresh face. I run this here stable with my twin brother Tasseren at the desk."

Rensa sat down at the table with the boy and continued with his practiced spiel.

"Just down the road from here are the paths to Kakariko Village and Hateno Village. Take the north path to go to Kakariko, and the east for Hateno." This seemed to grab the boy's attention, so he tried to keep talking. "If you don't have a horse yet, the fields here are a good place to tame one. Though I must warn you it takes most people a while before they manage to stay on one's back for more than 10 seconds," Rensa said with a friendly smile.

The boy returned the smile with a grin of his own.

"My name is Rensa."

"Link."

"Well it's nice to meet you Link, feel free to help yourself to anything we have laying around, I'm sure you'll put it to good use."

Link grunted, finished up his breakfast, and stood up. He turned to Rensa and gave a slight, but firm, nod.

…

It was around dusk now, and Domidak was still toiling with his twin brother in their efforts to solve Misko's elusive riddle.

"Do you think we'll need a map?" he asked. "What kind of river even has a twin, anyway?"

"I don't know bro. But we will solve this puzzle and find the treasure—I know we will!" Prissen responded and thrusted a fist in the air.

Dom had to admit, this was getting kind of frustrating. Prissen's boundless enthusiasm was starting to grate on him, and he was at the point of chalking this Misko guy up to a myth. Turning away from his brother, he noticed that kid with the ripped clothes at the stable entrance checking in with Tasseren and Rensa. And on that kid's back…

"Prissen. Look." Domidak pointed at the boy.

"What's up? Oh, Blondie got a shiny horse," Dom's brother replied.

"No Pris. Look what's strapped to his back."

The boy hopped off his chestnut colored steed and turned to reveal a bright red flameblade on his backside.

"Oh," Prissen said, dejected.

"Yeah... Maybe we have to be more careful not to blabber about our treasure next time."

…

Rensa stood behind the counter in shock. This kid had tamed and bonded with this horse all within a single afternoon?

"How...how did you even do this?"

The boy just held up an apple.

Rensa was at the same time incredulous and fascinated by this "Link" fellow he just met this morning, and decided he wanted to give the young traveler a gift.

"Please, because of your clear natural talent in horse taming, I would love to offer you a bed tonight at the stable, free of charge, along with the costs to saddle and bridle your horse as part of registration."

For this first time, Link looked surprised. He opened his mouth in what was probably a protest but Rensa raised a hand to stop him.

"Please, take it as a gift from Dueling Peaks Stable to you for a display of immense aptitude. It would be our pleasure to offer you a free bed."

Link gave a humble nod, still a little uncomfortable from the exchange.

But Rensa didn't care. This Link kid was the most exciting person he'd met in months, and he wanted to reward the boy even for his entertainment value alone. In reality, he cared less about horse taming skill, and more about making Dom and Pris flustered. The sword on Link's back was clearly that treasure those brothers would never shut up about.

Rensa watched constantly as Link packed up for the night, tired after the long day. He knew Link would likely leave in the morning, but Rensa could at least be happy about helping another traveler.

…

By the time Sagessa woke up, Link was already by the stable's cooking pot roasting a pair of hearty truffles. She sat down in one of the empty seats and took in the smell of the boy's cooking.

Link took the two truffles out of the pot and handed one to her.

"Oh please, thank you very much, but you really don't need to give me anything," Sagessa protested.

Link merely tapped his finger against the bottle of elixir she had given him yesterday. So, she thought, he just wants to make an exchange.

When he held out the truffle to her again, she took it graciously. But before she could take her first bite, Link had stuffed the entire truffle in his mouth. Oh, it simply made sense that this boy was a messy eater.

In a brief moment Link had his horse packed up and was ready to leave. It was only a day that Sagessa knew the boy, but she had to admit, it was a little sad to see him go.

"Goodbye Sagessa," Link said softly.

Well, that made it a little better.

With that, Link galloped away on his horse. And so, like every other morning, Sagessa walked toward the shrine and prayed, this time for the newly met Link.