Had it all been a dream?

It couldn't have. If I was still immortal, I wouldn't have been able to dream.

I let my hands wander next to me and my heartbeat regulated as his marble-like, yet warm skin brushed against my fingertips. He was still sleeping and I observed him in all his glorious beauty. The warm ray of the sun seeped through the small window to shower us in its radiance and his already-lovely golden hair looked ever-so-divine. He wore a loose, sleeveless shirt over him and I briefly wondered, for a moment, what he would look like if the shirt wasn't there -

My face began to feel as if it was being held only inches above red-hot coals.

As he slept on peacefully, I briefly reflected the events of yesterday; when we were finally permitted to be together, by none other than us. I felt only joy when we finally rode together on his steed over the vast green of Hyrule Field, and as he guided me into the majestic Hyrule Castle, and into the bustling market.

We spent our day in the market, with Epona safely placed in the stable of an inn that Link lived in. I was very nervous at first, I never thought there could be so many people gathered in one area. Even when we were still among the Kokiri, no festivals could outmatch the population of the everyday-gathering in the market square. And so many different colors… goddesses, if I would have been a tyke who was learning how to distinguish colors, I would have wailed loudly from the overwhelming schemes of colors… The colors were not just the basic rainbow-schemed red to violet. There were different shades from the darkest crimson to the palest shade of pink. I especially liked the pale shades that Link called "pastel." Pink, peach, lavender, sky blue, pale green, pale yellow… It was truly a magnificent feast for eyes like mine who saw green, green, and some more green.

Not just the colors, but the interactions itself were amazing. There were lovers who passionately declared their love for one another, parents who screamed at their children to stay near them, merchants boasting their products, friends standing and sharing jokes and news, ladies who giggled at handsome men, men who gawked at attractive ladies, carriage drivers hushing their horses, and still more unidentified voices were all interwoven together to fill the air with bustling and vigorous sounds of a busy city.

There were so many shops too, and some, I could not even recognize what kind of a shop it was. Some clearly stated "Masks," or "Games," and some had a simple picture on the sign, indicating the things they sold. The ones I could see were the stands where fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat were sold, and others which sold small accessories. My eyes wandered from one place to another quite frantically, trying to capture the abundant sceneries all at once.

But more than half of the time, it irresistibly averted back to his face, in which every time I'd look, he was already in the middle of staring at me.

He took me to a fruit stand and bought two apples for us to eat before lunch.

By goddesses, it had been ages since I've tasted anything but bitterness in my mouth. The apple was firm, crispy, tangy, sweet… it was so delicious that I almost broke out in joyous tears again. He made brief stops on every accessory stands, matching necklaces on me, analyzing, putting hair-pins on me, and evaluating. It was quite humorous, really… the Hero of Time, walking in a market, hand-in-hand with a girl and flouncing about, holding a half-eaten apple and jewelry and hair-pins on the other hand if not holding mine.

Was this joy really mine to savor?

Hearty lunch of warm herb-sprinkled bread, butter, various vegetables, and fruits awaited us, which I ate without honor or shame. I didn't find out until after I was full, that I had eaten the most food, with him smiling contently across from me. He barely ate a slice of bread.

Then we turned from the crowded streets to the quieter back alley to stop and play at a place called "Bombchu Bowling Alley." It was such a fun game. I felt bad for the chicken in the middle of the lane at first, but I began to purposefully aim for it after it intercepted my bombchu for the millionth time. After all, He'd won two-hundred rupees as a prize and I just wasted precious money. Then I wondered where his incomes would come from.

I asked him during dinner and he replied that he does any work available since he never seemed to be able to stay at one place. Then he turned serious and asked me if he should secure a place if I did not want to wander around with him.

I told him I was his and I'd be with him whether he wandered or stayed. I meant it too.

We squeezed ourselves into a tiny inn room where I crawled into his arms.

"It's been so long since I've slept," I told him.

"You were sleeping fine this morning, I thought you'd never wake up," He joked.

"That doesn't count… That was more like… knocked out."

"Then sleep as long as you want," He said, brushing out my slightly tousled hair.

"Link?"

"Mm?"

"You can't fall asleep in a dream, right?"

He looked at me as if I was the most intriguing thing in the universe and planted a kiss on my forehead. It burned where his lips touched. "You can't lose me anymore. This time, I won't let go," He told me firmly.

And he truly never let me go throughout the night but I eventually had to squirm out of his iron-grip in order to breathe again.

If every day would be like yesterday and if every morning could be like this now… to just be able to look at him… I would live an entire eternity without complaint.

By goddesses… Was this joy really mine to savor?

I opened my eyes in a haste and was quickly satisfied when her face greeted me with the smile I loved more every time I saw it. The greeting spoken from her lovely little mouth however, was unlike anything he'd expected the first thing in the morning.

"Morning, you almost killed me."

"What?"

"It's good that you'd never let me go… just don't kill me next time. I have to breathe sometime," She said, making a sad face at him, but with an undeniable playful grin.

I grabbed her tiny little waist and flung her on my stomach and embraced her as hard as her fragile body would allow. I am not deaf or stupid but I had no control over my actions then and I didn't care. "Good morning," I said, after I let go.

She bounced off of me and looked at me, as if expecting something. "What are you doing today?"

I looked at her momentarily. "I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"Anything you're doing-"

"No," I interrupted. "We are doing what you want to do," I told her.

She looked away from me now to stare at the ceiling. And then she smiled. "I miss seeing the water…" She said, dreamily.

I instantly knew what she meant.

In our young days, we had often played in the stream that flowed by her house. Nearly everyday, we had splashed around, dunking each other's heads, dragging each other down… and be scolded more than once by the Deku Tree for catching a cold. Nothing could have stopped us, though… Out of the water, we were best friends. Once we were waist deep in the clear, sparkling water, we were warriors, determined to splash the life out of the other. How he had missed those days… and Mido would always get so jealous…

"I do too," I told her. "After all, Mido isn't here to ruin our splash-war anymore." The thought made me grin.

She smiled her heavenly smile and I couldn't do anything else but stare at her. It made me feel as if my legs were made of jelly or some similar substance.

We didn't have much to pack; we had a few items and ourselves to carry on Epona. After a light breakfast of eggs and such, we were off to the market to buy us some simple lunch food to eat at the lake. She told me it would satisfy her just fine if we played by the stream that flowed next to the outer castle from the Zora's River, but that wouldn't do for me. Why would I do that when there is the Beautiful Lake Hylia waiting for us?

I mounted her on Epona and led the reins around the market. It was just a bit less crowded since it was morning, but it was not enough to make it a significant difference. I paid a bit for our boxed lunches and some sun-oils so the sun wouldn't completely ruin Saria's silk complexion. I would never forgive that burning ball of flame if it ruins that pearl-soft skin that even I sometimes fear to touch… My hands are so calloused and too rough but it can't seem to stay away from her. Although she doesn't seem to mind…

She rubbed the oil on her arms and legs as we continued to walk out and soon, we were out on the green field that seemed especially radiant under the nice weather. I mounted on Epona with Saria and held her firm in place and nudged Epona into a light trot. The chirping of the birds and the sounds of the grass-blade gently clashing against one another were joined by the cheerful steps taken by Epona and the sounds of our voices.

A squirrel somehow climbed onto Epona and crawled over my tunic and shoulder to lay on Saria's shoulders.

Saria quickly took the delicate thing in her hands and cradled it in the crater of her soft hands. Her slender fingertips caressed the creature as it closed its eyes in contentment.

"Animals still like you," I told her.

"I guess so…" She said, her eyes still on the squirrel.

I watch her.

She always loved animals and similarly, the animals followed her around.

Sometimes, I envied them.

If we weren't on horseback, I would have embraced her so hard… although she was pretty much trapped inside of my arms. Instead, I let my fingertips draw along the soft lines of her arm. It was meant to be a momentary, gentle caress, but when she shivered a little, I didn't want to stop. Soon, my hands were slowly on her bare shoulders, then her neck, traveling down the gentle slope of her back.

The squirrel escaped her hand as she trembled a little more violently but at last, she turned around to lock her gaze to mine. "Link? What are you doing to me?" She asked, ever so innocently.

Her innocence set my heart aflame. No, the fact that she even asked me what I was doing to her made me swallow. It was difficult for me to talk right, and it didn't help that our eyes were reflecting and my bare arms were touching hers.

Her hands slowly inched towards my face… Oh, goddesses… I closed my eyes as her cool fingers trace along my rugged jaw line. Just when I began my futile effort to stop myself, she turned around, her face completely red.

Then she stayed silent the rest of the way to the Lake, not once, glancing back at me.

"You still angry at me?" He asked me, as he offered his hand to help me off of Epona.

I blinked. "I wasn't angry; I was confused…" I told him. It was the truth. When he touched me, it was a different sort of touch, neither malicious nor friendly. It was… it didn't exactly feel unpleasant, it was sort of unpleasant but more of pleasant than the unpleasant. While I was debating this in my head once again, I hopped off, leaning into his chest. For that instant, I wished that he was touching me like that again, but I quickly shook that thought off of me before he saw me blush.

He left me momentarily to "take care" of some tektike and was shortly back, wiping his sword, and mumbling curses that I could no longer comprehend.

Lake Hylia was beautiful.

The crystal water sparkled, reflecting the sun and drowning the reflection of the sky as blue as Link's eyes. I could see the clear liquid in front of me that dyed itself in the lightest shade of blue a few feet ahead of me, and matured into the deepest blue of sapphire as it stretched out before the horizon. There were no tides as stillness hovered above the waters but serene ripples dispersed into the direction the wind blew. In the far distance, two shacks stood opposite one another and an island connected with bridges awaited us in the corner.

"I'm afraid to taint this water," I told him.

He smiled at me. "You can't taint anything, even if you tried," He joked. But perhaps, he was not joking. I hoped that he wasn't. Although, it would have been a blissful lie…

He took off his sleeveless shirt and tossed it carelessly onto the ground. Before I had the time to peek at him, he grabbed my hand and ran towards the shoreline where ground ended and water began. "Don't worry, Saria… the water isn't cold," He said, with the same childish grin that he always wore when I complained about the temperature of the water. The very same. The exact. Except this time, it would be mine to savor.

I almost cried.

Or, rather, I would have if he didn't fling me into the water, face-first.

Then, I completely grew out of my tender nostalgia and reacted in pure splash-battle rage that was bottled inside of me for these long years: I pulled his ankle and made him suffer the consequences. How dare he attack me first!

All the years of fighting monsters gave him the edge this time, though… he jumped on me before he fell and we tumbled together into the deeper depths. He stood up and helped me along. That was when we faced each other, realizing that the water was barely up to our ankles, and already, we were drenched in water.

I laughed and he echoed mine with his now-deeper voice. But half-way through our harmonized laughter, he bent over and splashed a gallon of water on me. I was shocked: I forgot how large his hands were now. When I recovered from the rude baptism of lake water, he was laughing at me, already distances away from the shore where I stood.

I hurriedly ran after him, my pace slackened by the cool friction of water that clashed against my foot, and pretty soon, my legs were drowned, and the water was up to my waist. He kindly waited for me, ready to dump another attack on me. When he dipped his hand into the water, I quickly dove in and hugged his legs to trip him. It was like trying to topple a tree but he gave in after I poked him in the side, where I knew he was ticklish.

He fell on his butt, and I laughed like a siren, underneath the water. I rose up once again, to launch my own water canon on him when he surfaced. I wasn't surprised at all when it hadn't worked. He always fell for it before and now he was ready for it. He swam and I desperately tried to glide away. But he caught my waist, trapping my arms as well.

He rose and pushed me towards him.

I was expecting him to throw me or feed me water, or something.

But he just looked at me, and made unnecessary heat rush to my cheeks. I didn't want to face him this way, but his gaze held mine and I couldn't look away, as if I was under some spell.

He looked into my eyes as if looking for something, and when he felt as if he found it, he leaned closer to me. "How did I live without you?" He asked, more to himself than to me.

"You can live without me," I said, through my choked throat. "There's air… and water… and… and…"

He didn't let me finish. His lips gently touched mine before he released his tight grip. "With air and water, I existed. With you now, I can live," He said.

But before I could swoon and blush at this comment, he swam away and gave me a huge splash.

I swore to myself that after tonight, he may be able to live, but he wasn't going to exist anymore after I drown him in this beautiful lake.