"Alright, double check everything before you send off your packs." Captain Graves announced to the trainees. "I don't want anyone forgetting a sword."

It was just over a week since Link had last talked with Zelda, and he was about to head out for their first proper training mission. While he was excited to finally get out of the town, he felt a nagging at the back of his mind. Probably the fear of how the king had reacted to the fact Link had kissed his daughter. Link shuddered. He was thankful he wasn't there when Impa had recited that story, though there was still the possibility that the king would find some punishment for his misconduct. He hoped it wasn't something he could be expelled over.

He quickly recounted everything he had packed, making sure he had his sword, shield, clothes and bedroll. Satisfied he had all he needed, he threw his pack over his shoulder and headed out to the stables.

The village they were going to was west of Lake Hylia that was barely any older than Link, meaning it lacked the established connections of older townships. As a result, it had become vulnerable to bandit and monster attacks. While strong enough to hold off the attacks, over the years it had caused outsiders to avoid the area, which in no way helped their situation. Through this expedition, there were hopes that the restored village would reinvigorate the town and trade through it, especially considering that it would allow a safer path to the coast than through the Lost Woods.

In the stables, Link secured his items onto Epona, taking care not to overburden her. Captain Graves was already done, standing beside his shaggy steed, making the final adjustments to his saddle.

"Looking forward to this Link?" He asked without shifting his gaze.

Link nodded. "Yes sir. Never been out that far east."

Graves grunted. "Yes, well. Shame we're too far off to even get a glimpse of the ocean." He paused. "You ever seen the sea before Link?"

Link opened his mouth, the closed it quickly. Eventually, he found his voice. "Of course not, sir." He lied. "Like I said, I've never been that far east. And I haven't traveled south much."

Graves shrugged. "Pity. It's a real sight, let me tell you."

"Yeah. So I've heard."

"All right." Graves sighed. "I'll see you at the gate, got it?"

"Yes sir."

The remaining trainees filed into the stable as Captain Graves departed, preparing themselves for the trip. Link, however, was lost in his own thoughts. He had, of course, been to an ocean, but not one he could talk about. Not to anyone but Zelda or Impa. He bit his tongue, frustrated. He often forgot how hard it was to hide his his experiences from others, even simple ones like that. He cursed his lack of foresight. If he hadn't said he'd never gone that far east, then maybe he could have talked about it, at least a little. But even then, how much would he be able to say before he had to silence himself again? He sighed. There was nothing he could do about it. All he could do was keep his mouth shut about his experiences and watch his tongue.

That was the worst part.

He led Epona out of the stable, too focused on himself to notice the others giving him a wave as he left, or even Malon's crimson hair as she ran up beside him.

"Oi! Fairy boy!" She shouted, startling Link out of his stupor.

"Geez!" He yelped. "Just tap me on the shoulder next time. I'd like to at least go deaf after being a teenager, not during."

The girl frowned, following him as he walked. "I said your name like three times, and you said nothing."

"Oh."

"Yeah." She lightly tapped his shoulder. "And what's this, leaving without saying goodbye? I thought you liked me."

"Sorry. I did mean to say bye, but I had other things on my mind."

"That happens to you a lot." She noted. "Always something going on in that head of yours."

He chuckled. "Yeah, well, I don't think you'd care much about whats in here." He said, finishing the sentence by tapping his forehead.

"I don't know. Knowing you, it's probably a lot more interesting than you let on."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really now?"

"You're a pretty isolated guy. You never talk about your past, I have no idea when you came from before I met you at the fountain, and lets not mention that you could pin a fly to tree for a hundred yards away without killing it by the time you were eleven."

"I feel like you're exaggerating on that last one."

"I'm not letting you dodge this. I'd love to know how all that happened." She pouted. "Come on, don't you trust me?"

"I trust you." He admitted. "But that doesn't mean that I'm going to tell you every little thing about my life."

Malon shrugged. "True, but I know you're understating how big this stuff is."

"Maybe I am." He grinned. "Or maybe I needed to hunt live flies for lunch as a kid."

"Don't get snarky with me, Fairy Boy."

"Maybe I'll talk about it when I get back."

"I'll hold you to that." She paused. "You'll be back in… what, a month?" Link nodded. "In that case, you better take care of my horse-"

"My horse."

"Epona," She hissed. "until you bring her back, got it? Because if you don't, and she gets so much as a scratch Fairy Boy, I swear-"

"I know," Link interrupted, sighing. "I know, you'll skin me like a rabbit, then turn it into leather to make into boots."

Malon stared at him for a moment. "Link, what the hell?" She said, disturbed. "You didn't need to say that."

He blinked. "Uh, sorry."

Malon tried to meet his gaze, but to no avail. "You ok Link? I'm sorry if I brought up some bad memories, I didn't mean to."

"No, no." He shook his head. "It's nothing to do with you don't worry, it's just…" He trailed off, realising he was once again letting himself get ahead of himself. "Nothing. I care about Epona just as much as you. I'll make sure she's safe, ok?"

Malon frowned, unconvinced. "Sure. I'll see you when I get back, yeah?"

"Yeah." He gave a wave before continuing on his way. He only let his smile drop when she was out of sight.

It didn't take long before me met up with the others at the gate, all of who were already mounted on their horses.

"Took you long enough." Diddy smirked. "We were getting worried that you'd lost your sword."

"We're all ready to go." Captain Graves said, casually jabbing his thumb at some sacks resting against the wall. "Just put those supplies on your horse and we'll be on our way." As Link went to do just that, Graves turned to the others. "All right, we're going to be riding for more than a few days, so we've all got to take care of each other out there. If anyone's hurt, I have medical supplies, so don't wait around for it to heal all by yourself. We'll set up camps at nightfall and each one of you will have to stand guard, so you'll have to figure it out amongst yourselves. We'll be eating pretty basic breakfasts and dinners, so we can't feast until we get to our destination, where we'll stock up for the return. Same goes for our arrows." He paused for a moment, then continued. "Another thing. We stick together, got that? No riding off by yourselves, and no one leaves camp alone, understood?"

"Yes sir." Came the reply from all the trainees.

Link finished tying on the supplies to Epona before hoping into his saddle. "Yes sir."

"Very good." Graves nodded. "In that case, lets head out." Gently, he nudged his steed forward, leading the others out the gate.

Link followed at the back, listening to the steady rhythm of Epona's footsteps. It had been so long since he had properly left the castle town, and was both eager and nervous now the occasion had arisen. He realised that it would bring him ever closer to his old home, something that filled him with dread. While he had visited Saria in the Lost Woods over the years, he hadn't stepped foot into the Kokiri Forest since it had been destroyed. He didn't know if he could ever go back, that he couldn't bare to go to the place that was targeted because of him. He bit his tongue. Why couldn't the past be easy? Why wasn't there some refuge from his own memories.

"The flow of time is always cruel." He muttered, reminding himself of yet another less than happy memory.

It doesn't matter. He thought to himself. The past- No, my past, won't be changed. It's better to look to the future.

He straightened up and faked a smile. At least he didn't know what the future held.

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY TO THIS STORY! WOOOOOOOO!

Thank you to all my readers who have either checked this story out and those that have stuck with it. It makes me so happy to share this story with people. As of writing this, there have been 17,333 views on my story. That is just crazy to me. I know not all of them would have liked the story, but there are those that did, and that's all that matters.

Also, I've started university! Yaaaaay! Not exactly the course I was hoping for, but I'm enjoying it and will have a good year.

Though, then again, everything gets more fucked with each day, like how democracy is failing, Bond villains are manipulating everything, and the climate is dead, but at least the fires are out. Yay. I try not to think about it too much.

Sorry that this isn't as intense as the other two anniversaries. The story is in a lull right now and, considering I took a while off last year, I couldn't progress as far I would need for something like that. Oh well! This year I'll try to give you much more to sink your teeth into. See you when I'm on the last legs of being a teenager!