I thought summer was supposed to be stress free. So what is THIS? But anyway.

Enjoy


The guards at the front gate gave us a weird look, eyeing the multiple wounds and torn clothes, and whispering to each other briefly about Salato's giant sword that easily reached their shoulders. They let us through quite reluctantly, but seemed to brush it off seeing Link as a part of our group.

We went to Fanadi's, stopping at the entrance among the slow early morning traffic. Salato stopped in front of the door, scooping up Creota and depositing her onto my shoulder. The kitten gave out a tiny meow, reaching out for her, but gladly settled down and nuzzled my neck.

"I wouldn't go out much for awhile, not without anyone anyway," I warned.

Salato frowned, glancing at the door to her mother's shop over and over. "Of course...uh...thank you. Maizy, I really appreciate it. I'm sorry if I seemed intimidating at first. When you can hear what everyone thinks of you it's hard to be vulnerable."

I gave her a reassuring smile, nudging her arm with my elbow. "Hey, it's alright. I think you're great."

Her cheeks flushed a vibrant pink and she started fidgeting with the sword. Her other hand pushed back a lock of hair behind her ear then pulled it out again quickly. "If you're ever around, I'll probably be free, in hiding. Anything, if you need me or want to talk-"

"How about tomorrow? We can have a girls' day." I blurted.

Link raised an eyebrow.

"Girls' day?" Salato chuckled.

I wrapped my arm. "What? Just a day out, we can hang and relax. No guys allowed."

"Hang?" Salato echoed again.

"I mean-" I searched her and Link's eyes, flustered. "Go out, get food together, talk about random stuff, you know. Hang out for a day."

She read me silently, then when she finally understood, a wave of recognition washed through her face. "One of your phrases from back home, got it. Well, it sounds nice. Just come by any time. I live in the back here with my mom. She won't like me leaving, but she can deal."

"See you later then." I pulled her into a hug, awkwardly maneuvering around the sword.

Link gave her a wave and she threw a quaint one back, looking to me as she joked, "I'll try not to follow any cake for awhile." Giving me a wink, she turned the doorknob and slid into Fanadi's. I saw her face fall into quiet relief before the door shut and her mother's elated squeak could be heard muffled behind it.

We headed back to Telma's, confronted with a sleepy tavern yet to open for the day. The usual young man was behind the bar, lazily taking stock and petting the fluffy white cat who lapped up milk on the countertop. He turned around, greeting us in a friendly but hesitant manner. I couldn't blame him, our appearance was not the most appealing.

"Do you give out rooms this early?" Link asked.

The man nodded. "Yes, for you guys there's always one reserved. She had a few set aside for her 'resistance' group. Here's the key, you can keep it, no charge."

Link swept up the key, checking the dirtied tag for the number in Hylian. We headed down the hall to the end where a staircase lead to another floor. Our room was at the very end, and as he opened it, I was relieved to see it had a window. A small dresser sat on one wall while a table with two chairs lined up with the sill. I peered around anxiously, realizing there was only one bed, slightly larger than a twin.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Link looked between me and the bed. "Uh...is this okay? I can go ask-"

"It's fine," I interrupted him, desperate to brush the subject off.

"Okay...well uh. You said we needed to talk."

I reeled, boiling over into my usual little mess of nerves and rambling thoughts. "I don't even know where to start."

He sat down on the bed, playing with a loose string on the blanket. A light breeze tumbled out the open window. It had no glass but the shutters stood agape. Fixing the hair that flew into his face, he said lightly, "Start from the beginning."

The beginning. I tossed the words around my mind, grasping for what it meant. It landed on those days when I was little, struggling to comprehend the words on the screen as a Link composed of large polygons rolled around a field. Creota headbutted my cheek and I carefully patted her then stored her in my leiyn. Sitting down beside him, I grasped it and opened my mouth from where it began.

"I said I was from somewhere far away but I'm not even from this world. Where I'm from we're more advanced, we use electricity to power lights and connect with each other through phones that allow us to talk to each other from miles away. And I guess that's where it starts because-" I stopped, looking at his blanked expression. I couldn't stop there. "Like, imagine playing a game.

"We use these moving images to recreate scenarios and allow us to control the part of a single character. In your game, you basically solve puzzles and kill enemies between storylines, but the point is that I saw all of this, everything. I saw the mountains and the castle and you. It's more than some prophetic book. And it's all been the same except it's all real and bigger and…" My fingers tightened around the small stone in my grasp. "The Vinderendetta were never meant to be here. For the most part everything follows as it should except them. Vox told me once that they aren't from here, they're dimensional travelers, so that's how I ended up in the spring, he teleported me."

Link nodded slowly, gathering up everything I said and digesting it. Occasionally he'd squint his eyes, twisting up his lips, but he kept a soft gaze at me. "So you've seen everything before, from the past, present, and future?"

"Yes, but, like I said it's sort of different. This floor of Telma's bar didn't exist for example and the Gerudo weren't here. The story's playing out the same there's just more forces at play."

"So again, you know how this all ends and you haven't told me? You were just saving all of this information for what?"

My heart skipped, I'd forgotten a bit just how much I'd kept from him, the lies I held by omission. At the same time, I felt I couldn't just tell him and I didn't know with the Vinderendetta that it would even stay the same. Taking a breath, I explained, "I'm sorry, I'm scared that if I say something it could mess with it somehow. I talked to Midna about this too and I just don't feel it's right. And there's nothing to fix. I'll tell you now Link, I'm trying not to ruin your happy ending."

His hand gripped hard at a thread, pulling it taut in his fingertips. "But you said the Vinderendetta-"

"And I'm here to catch you if something wrong happens. Whatever they are, for whatever reason they're here, I'll make sure with whatever I do from this point forward that they don't get in your way. You and Midna deserve this."

"But what about you?"

I swallowed hard. "Me?"

"What about your happy ending? What do you want?" Link tilted his head a bit, dropping the stitch finally.

"I want to go home."

"After everything?"

I averted my eyes, a creeping panic setting into my stomach. "I don't belong here."
"Midna told me you said that. I don't see why it matters, Maizy. If these Vinderendetta dudes seem to be messing shit up as much as you say they do, why not just do what you want, too? You don't have an obligation to keep everything the same and that's coming from me."

Midna's figure shot up from Link's shadow, setting him off a bit and causing him to shake the bed as he jumped. She had her hands on her hips, reminiscent of her poses in the game. I sighed in quiet relief seeing her attitude hadn't been tainted by everything. "Hey, way to throw me under, there," she huffed.

"I'm just taking your advice."

"Yeah but you don't tell her that I told you-that she said-AGH!" Midna threw her hands up, spinning away from us. "I'll leave you two be. I'm gonna find a nice shadow in the hall. Come find me when you're done." She glided to the door and disappeared into the slim shadow underneath.

"Uh," Link muttered, bringing up his knee so he could rest his arm on it, "where were we?"

Biting my lip, I let go of my leiyn and scooted away from him. "You talk about me?"

He waved it off. "Look, I'm not here to hide anything, you're making it sound worse than it is. I was asking her for advice because I didn't know how to tell you that-I mean I was just confused because you're so secretive all the time."

"You think I'm secretive?"

"You're always talking to that Vox guy but you won't tell me anything about him. What even happened at the prison? And you kept all of that other stuff from me how am I supposed to-how do I know that you aren't-"

"How are you supposed to trust me?"

"I do trust you it's-"

"I know…" I brought my leg up and hugged it against my chest. My voice sounded meek on my ears as I continued, "I'm trying to figure this all out and I thought I knew that Vox was just some random Vinderendetta, but obviously there's more to it that he didn't tell me. He's been silent since he took over my body at the prison so I don't know what's going on...but I'll talk to him soon when I'm ready."

"Alright."

"I'm sorry, Link."

"It's okay."

We both fell silent, looking away from each other. The breeze had let off, leaving the room somewhat humid. I replayed what he said back in my head, then suddenly, I stopped at one of his phrases. "Link-" for a moment I hesitated, wondering if I wanted to hear the answer, "You didn't know how to tell me what?"

For a second, the humidity remained the only thing moving, swirling around my head and drowning me slowly. Then, Link looked up and, reaching out a steady palm, cupped my face. I leaned into it, squishing my cheek.

"That you mean a lot to me. More than as a friend."

I dropped my foot, leaning in towards him. Link brushed my hair behind my ear, his eyes tracing my face like a sketch. No words had left my mouth, but I saw him read me nonetheless, closing the gap between us until our legs touched. His other hand glided up my thigh, moving up until he reached my waist and pulled me in. Our lips were only inches from each other, begging to touch. My stomach twisted somewhat, butterflies bumping into each other like an angry swarm. I dodged aside, burying my tingling face into his shoulder and hugging him tight.

A beautiful little chuckle fluttered from his lips, resonating from his chest into mine. Link squeezed me into him, but I felt his head shift and a little peck kiss my cheek lightly. I couldn't hold back the smile that curled up over my face and I buried myself further, in his sweat, in his warmth, in him.

We had a difficult time separating ourselves from each other, but after awhile we got up and collected Midna on the way to a bath house. Link gave me little time to adjust before he disappeared into the men's side, but luckily the area was largely abandoned and I was able to wash away from the other women's questioning eyes. They were polite enough but it was certainly not an experience I wished to repeat.

A small breakfast awaited us back at Telma's, discounted for her favorites. Exhausted, we went back to our room and passed out on the bed, willing ourselves far away from each other on either side. Even with the distance, I slid my hand across the middle and found his there too.

We woke at the blinking flicker of sunset. I tossed the covers aside and stood in the pool of light on the floor. Following suit, Link met me there, plopping down into one of the chairs next to his pouch on the table. His clothes littered the floor except for the pair of pants he wore.

"Where are we off to next?" I mused, casting his tunic aside and sitting across from him.

He sifted around, pulling out the rest of my outfit as well as his sketchbook and a pencil. "We need to find the mirror shards. Midna will know best how to look for them...or you could always tell us," he stated. "But for now. You said your birthday was in five days? That should be-" he paused over a set of tallies and Hylian numbers, "two days from now. Why don't we rest for a bit. Plus I hit my arm bad, I think it needs some time to heal."

"Your arm?" I reached over but he waved me off.

"It's fine."

As if taken by the breeze, our voices quieted. Link scribbled away at a rough sketch, outlining a landscape. Time ticked by jealously. Before I knew it I was fawning over his drawing of the desert with a piece of fruit in my mouth.

Telma was overjoyed to see us again and as she showed us to the back area, we noted Ashei's absence. According the Rusl, she was out investigating her hometown after reports came in abruptly yesterday that the old mansion was teeming with monsters. We saved the knowledge for later and spent the rest of the night with Shad and Rusl, playing some cards or talking about city rumors and the like. I hesitantly tried my first sip of alcohol at the encouragement of Link, but immediately regretted it to the table's laughter.

The next morning started with a knock. Link untangled himself from my arm and got up to answer it while I dragged the covers up over my face. Chucking open the window shutters quickly first, he rushed to the door, creaking open to the greeting of Telma.

"Hey! Rusl was asking for you."

"Rusl?" Link remarked. I pulled the blanket off my face and sat up, patting down my disheveled hair as he glanced back at me. "Alright, I'll be down in a moment."

"He's eating breakfast in the back."

Telma retreated back to the bar while Link closed the door softly. He met my eyes and gave me a somber smile. "Good morning."

I stretched out and pushed myself out of bed, yawning, "Good morning."

"I'm going to get dressed and go down. You can leave to see Salato whenever, just be careful. Pay attention to the faces in the crowd." Link went to grab his clothes, separating out the pieces until he found his shirt to put on first. The scar on his abdomen twitched with his movements until it was concealed under cloth.

Truthfully, I'd nearly forgotten about it, but then he'd dress down to sleep and I'd see it again, a big dark spot where he was torn open and where I connected us. Sometimes I wondered if I'd be able to sense the bit of my blood in his flesh if I got close enough. Of course, whenever that happened my mind was on different things. He always had a way of making me wander.

I put on my outfit again finally, finding the fit around my skin welcoming. It felt looser these days, stretched out. As I watched Link leave I remembered his touch where I fixed the shift of my clothes at my waist, my face flushing in the hot summer air. Before I got lost in thought again, I shook my head and left for Castle Town.

The market street bustled with life. At my sides, townspeople bumped and squeezed by, holding bags or buckets or their wallets close to their chests. I slipped down the street towards Fanadi's and found the woman who advertised the shop standing out front. Her smile pierced as recognition flashed in her eyes.

"Back for more?" she marveled.

I shook my head. "Just here for a friend."

She left me to walk into the cozy dark room inside. Fanadi sat at her ball, her gaze flicking to me as I entered. Salato rested on a cushion by the wall, smirking lightly as she inspected her nails and averting to me as I came up. I held my breath, waiting for one of them to jump first.

"Maizy!" The plump woman raced out of her seat and clamped me into her arms. The air squeezed out of my lungs as she hugged me tighter. "Oh goddesses, thank you. I didn't think you'd find her so quickly."

"Mom, you're killing her." Salato came up behind Fanadi and guided her back with her hands at her mother's shoulders. She apologized quietly, but the pure elation on her face made me giggle. Their smiles were contagious, although Salato's was a bit mild. "We'll be back before sundown, I promise."

"Don't be late."

Salato embraced her mother, holding her close for a long moment. When they parted, we headed out the door and fell into the street.

Conversation felt oddly natural with Salato, especially considering her initial intimidation. Her voice would trail somewhat and she spoke softly to the point I had to ask her to speak up sometimes. I'd never know the full extent of what happened in the prison, but it was good to see the moments where she smiled and laughed. Destrian hadn't beaten everything out of her.

We found some foods to try and headed out to the Southern Field to eat by the flowers where the sun always blazed high at this time. "And every spring they hold a little festival out here to bring in the season. Had my first kiss here." Salato recounted.

I laughed, "Was it cute?"

Her face contorted into a goofy smile. "I could hear her thoughts when we were sitting next to each other making flower crowns. She kept blushing about my hair and I sucked it up and said she looked pretty. She had these rosy cheeks and wavy blonde hair down to her waist. Her mom married her off before we could become anything serious though…"

The flowers tickled my ankles as we sat under the shade of a big tree and pulled out our lunch. I tried to move Salato's mind off the subject as I saw her zoning, picturing someone she could never have. She read me and apologized, though her mood had seemingly plummeted.

"Had any other lovers?" I asked, trying to pull out what was bothering her.

"A couple. But they all leave when they find out I can read minds. Seeing the future is one thing, but knowing everything you're thinking, goddess forbid. And yes, of course I know you don't care. You're one of the only people who doesn't." Salato picked at the flowers, catching dirt under her nails.

My heart skidded in my chest, tumbling around in an odd rhythm like a jumbled clock. It should've made me uncomfortable that she could hear me, but for once I was an open book and it didn't feel nearly as bad as I thought it would.

"Spit it out."

I startled. "What?"

"I want to hear it. It means more when you say it out loud."

"I like how I can be completely myself around you. There's nothing to hide. It's sort of refreshing after having to pretend like I fit into Hyrule."

"I know the feeling."

Our food was a mismatch of sweets and random treats Salato insisted I try. As we ate, I spotted a figure among the flowers, her umbrella, close above her head, decorated by pink butterflies. She lifted a dragonfly up on her finger, giggling lightly as it flew away.

"Agitha?!"

The girl didn't hear me, inspecting the petals for another bug to catch and torment. I set my food aside and yelled again, catching a small glance from her. It was enough for her to stop, waving briefly then going back to work. For whatever reason, she didn't reciprocate the spectacle of the fact she was even here.

"Agitha, what are you doing here?" I shouted, running up to her while Salato observed from the shade of the tree, munching away on some candy.

"Hm? I always go to the fields to look for bugs," she replied in monotone.

"Wha-" my mouth hung open for a moment, "what about your dad?"

"My dad? Oh, he hasn't come to visit my castle in awhile so I just figured he died or forgot about me again." Agitha's eyes followed a butterfly that passed between us, going to chase after it until I set my hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

Her expression scattered then scrunched in confusion. "Why wouldn't I be okay? The bugs keep me company. Besides, he killed my mom, he deserves it."

I narrowed my eyes. "You-how do you know that?!"

"Oh, the bugs tell me things." She raised her finger and a shimmering purple butterfly glided over, landing on her knuckles. "Did you know that when you die, you turn into a bug? They've been helping me look for my mom. I know she must be a golden one so I want to throw a ball. She'd have to come if I invited enough golden bugs." The butterfly fluttered away, disappearing into the field. "Golden bugs, golden bugs, your sparkle is brighter than the sun." A giddy giggle blew out of her cheeks as she watched another fly away.

"Well...glad you're okay." I left her and plopped next to Salato again. She looked just as bewildered as I was.

"She...her thoughts are...interesting."

"What'd she say?"

"Well for one she called you a bitch for asking about her dad."

"I don't know what I expected."

The sun reached its peak by the time we finished. Salato tugged at the fabric of my clothes and suggested we go shopping for a new outfit or two. Purple looked good on me according to her so we dove into two tailor shops before finding a suiting selection in a third. I left with a purple top, brown pants, a dress, and a few belts and pouches. The leather worker next door appreciated the business but the tailor barely looked up from her sewing.

"Has Link ever seen you done up before?" Salato asked as we wandered back towards the market.

I shook my head. "No, I got here in clothes I'd wear to volleyball practice and then he gave me this. Not exactly the most flattering."

"You gotta teach me this volleyball game. Sounds fun."

Salato reminded me a bit of my friend Bree. Since I tended more on the quiet side, Bree liked to make sure I got dragged around. It's what I needed, but her efforts to be a wingman for my attempts with crushes were a bit much. She wouldn't have a clue where I went, she knew I didn't want to runaway and I'd rarely go anywhere without someone. The whole volleyball team was probably badgering her about where I disappeared to, but they'd never guess.

"I haven't heard Vox today."

My thoughts were still stuck on Bree for a moment, but I made the effort to nod and tell her I didn't want to talk about it. Nonetheless, she brought up yesterday again, avoiding Vox and setting her sights on Destrian instead.

"Do you think we should've left his body there?"

A woman slammed my side, sputtering around but catching herself before she fell. I rubbed my arm before responding, "I didn't really want to pay attention to it so I just...didn't mention anything." Destrian's fading eyes flashed in my memory and I felt my skin crawl. "I'd rather not even think about it. I shouldn't have killed him. I-"

"You're still scared of him. His face is imprinted in your mind but he's dead. Ever since you killed him my scars have been fading, look." She stopped in the sunlight, pulling back the collar of her shirt to reveal the subtle darkened lines on her skin. "That son of a bitch got what was coming to him."

Despite her innate confidence, her eyes were filled with anger and anxiety. It didn't end for her just at Destrian being dead, and her silence at my thought spoke more than any half-assed reassurance. She dropped the collar and continued down the street.

We slid into an alley and took a back way to Salato's, avoiding the front where her mom worked. Inside, she went about tackling my knotted hair and threw it up into a bun then pulled out some vintage looking makeups. I was afraid she was going to powder me pale like they did during this time period to some royalty, but her minimal selection made me realize all she had was a sort of blush and eyeshadow. She had no qualms about mentioning that a few things were stolen as well.

I slid the dress on, smiling lightly at the embroidery and deep green shade. This was the closest I'd ever gotten to wearing a princess dress, the layers flowing and light. Twirling, I laughed as the skirt blew out around me and swung as I stopped. When I turned to Salato she had a smirk on her face and couldn't help but chuckle.

"What?"

She turned away and began cleaning up the table where the makeup and brush sat, muttering, "Nothing. It's just." Her eyes peeked me again, smiling solemnly. "Link's a lucky guy."

The daylight soon pulled away from their pools on the floor. I left before the sun went completely down and met Link back at Telma's. He seemed a bit taken aback by my appearance and before I could worry that he'd ignore it, he said I looked pretty.

Night felt similarly to yesterday. Shad tracked the time on his pocket watch and wished me a happy birthday at midnight. Sixteen didn't feel much different than fifteen, but at the same time I wondered why it oddly sounded so much older. Link and I went to bed not soon after, snuggling close together in the cool summer night.

I'm sorry.

The voice glided through my thoughts suddenly but softly. I tried to ignore it, but it ruined a good night's sleep.