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Zelda sat wrapped in one of Link's thick woollen blankets, her foot raised up on the stool he had brought over from the back of his house, and hid the lower part of her face, which she was sure was reddening the longer Link knelt in front of her and gently poked at and maneuvered her ankle. He had pushed the trouser leg up her calf and his warm hands rubbed over her skin, she felt callouses and scars and wondered how many he had picked up from his work as a ranch hand, and how many were a result of his efforts to save Hyrule. She bit her lip and inhaled sharply whenever he touched a particularly painful area, and he apologised every time.

"I think its just a bad sprain, but you should probably stay off it as much as you can. At least until we can get you to the spirit spring." He pushed himself to his feet, subconsciously dusting his knees, and pulled her trouser leg back down while pulling his shirt back up his shoulder as it slipped down for the hundredth time. Zelda had stopped herself from asking why he kept the shirt at all, considering the lacing was broken and he had to keep replacing it on his freckled shoulders, but asking that question meant she had to acknowledge when she noticed his shoulders at all, so she kept it to herself. Link poured them both another cup of tea each and stoked the fire as Zelda pulled the blanket around herself tighter, the air having become chillier signalling that night must have began to fall.

Sitting opposite her and wrapping a blanket about his own shoulders, Link sipped his tea. She watched him from the corner of her eye, thinking back to their earlier conversation. He had haltingly told her of the temples from his journey, seeming bemused by her eagerness. She suspected he had purposely missed out a few points, but he recounted the key parts, and from this she was able to stitch together a timeline of sorts. When she had asked about the events following his trip to the twilight realm, he had become even more hesitant, and fed her even fewer details. And then she had brought up Midna, and he had closed up entirely. They had sat in heavy silence, and Zelda had detected the sense of forlornness rolling off of him and bit her tongue. Then he had taken a deep breath and offered to look over her ankle for her, and the warmth had returned to the room.

Zelda started slightly as Link pushed himself to his feet again, wandering over to his door and unbolting it, taking a quick look outside at the misery and sadness that had enveloped Hyrule. The rain still poured, and the wind still howled, and from the dim quality of what little light was left of the day, the fog still clung desperately to the air. She picked up her tea and sipped it as Link bolted the door again, turning and catching her watching him.

"I'm going to take Epona up to the ranch." He crossed to the banister at the back of his house and threw his cloak around his shoulders, it must have still been damp from the soaking it received earlier but he seemed to pay it no mind, "Put her in the barn out of the rain. I thought this would have let up by now." He was putting his boots on when he stopped and looked up at her, as though just remembering her. "Will you be alright for a few minutes?"

"Of course." Zelda managed a smile despite the slight skip of her heart at the thought of being left completely alone. As comfortable as she had grown in Link's presence, she was unsure she would feel the same when left by herself. He dipped his head and pulled his hood up, unbolting his door again.

"I won't be long." He threw over his shoulder as he strode out into the storm, pulling the door closed behind him.

Zelda burrowed deeper into Link's blanket, inhaling deeply to distract herself by trying to identify the scents she detected. There was the strong woody smell of the bench he had stored them in, and something slightly animal although it was now so faint, she could only guess it must be made from the wool of the goats Ordon was known for. There was also another faint smell, though she couldn't quite place it, and no matter how deeply she inhaled, she just couldn't get enough of it to identify it.

A loud bang from the top of the house made her start, sitting up in the chair and eyes darting around in the gloom trying to identify the source. Another bang sounded, this time from lower down and in the direction of the front of the house, and Zelda realised with a cold ripple running down her spine that Link hadn't locked the door behind himself. Images of glowing green eyes and blunted Bokoblin blades flashed through her mind and she felt her throat close up. Slowly she unravelled the blanket from about herself and used the table to haul herself to her feet. Limping slowly and heavily, she made her way over to the door. Perhaps Link had forgotten something, or the ranch wasn't far at all and he was back already. She remembered him closing the trap door in the roof and figured he was perhaps weatherproofing his house in another way.

Halfway across the room, she reached the ladder that lead up to the second floor and grabbed hold, forcing herself to breathe and take some of the weight off her ankle. She took another deep, bracing breath and moved for the door again, stumbling as she reached it and catching herself on it. Righting herself and leaning her weight on the wall beside the door, she rested her hand on the handle, silently counting three breaths before turning it and pulling the door open.

"Link?" She could hear nothing else over the pelting of the rain hitting the wood of the porch and walls of the house and contemplated just going back to the fire. Opening the door wider however, she leant out of the door slightly to get a better look. Her hair whipped at her face as she turned to look up and down the porch, before looking down at the fence lined path she had spied earlier. Could that be where Link had gone? The fog had thickened and the dimness of the light made it difficult to see very far, but she couldn't see any signs of his return, unless he was at the foot of the ladder leading to her position. She had barely taken a shaky, unsteady step when something large and dark fell from above her and landed heavily on the porch at her feet.

She screamed, throwing herself back inside, grunting with the pain the movement caused her ankle but determined to throw the door shut and lock it. She slid down to the floor and crawled away from the door, panting and panicking, and looking for anything she could use as a weapon. She spied Link's sword leaning against the bench he had retrieved the blankets from earlier in the evening and made for it, dragging it toward the centre of the room and throwing the scabbard from her. Zelda turned and sat, alternating between staring at the door and flicking her eyes upwards toward the darkened trapdoor, waiting for whatever was out there to start showing signs of wanting to get in and squeezing the grip of the sword so hard her knuckles were white. She sincerely hoped there was no other way into the house besides the two she already knew about, both of which she prayed were inaccessible. She sat for what felt like an eternity, her heart in her throat making it difficult to was a cold draft from behind her, making the hair on her arms lift and she turned, the curtain that hung over the space at the back of Link's house swaying slightly, and her heart sped up as she remembered the cellar. She had never ascertained if there was another entrance from down there.

Sounds from the door made her head snap back to the front. She watched as the handle jiggled and turned repeatedly before a loud banging sounded on the wood. She heard a muffled male voice shout two syllables that she recognised as her name and she dropped the sword, scrambling back toward the door as relief began to flood through her and climbing up the wood until she could reach the bolt. The metal scraped at the same time as Link must have tried to force the door open again, the door bursting open and Link virtually falling through the doorway, knocking into Zelda and sending them both tumbling to the floorboards. The wind flew out of her lungs as his weight hit her and he only managed to stop what would have been a very painful collision of their heads by throwing his hands out, landing heavily on either side of her head.

He grunted as he landed on top of her, "What happened, are you alright? Why did you lock me out?" He was soaked through once again and she could feel the cold water seeping through her borrowed clothes. As he pushed himself back up off of her and into a sitting position next to her, Zelda couldn't find the strength to speak, thoroughly winded, crippled by the pain shooting up her leg, and the fear still gripping her heart, she curled on her side and held her ankle, face scrunched in pain. "Zelda?" She shook her head, breathing through her teeth to try and coax some air back into her lungs.

She could hear him get to his feet and bend to haul her to her feet again, much like he had the first time they had met in the woods. This time however, rather than supporting her as she walked, he lifted her clear off her feet, carrying her back across the room to the chair. She felt him wrap the blanket around her again before leaving her. Then she heard the sound of the door closing and the bolt slotting into place, before he was by her side again. "What can I do?" She shook her head again, resting her forehead on the knee she had drawn up in order to hold her ankle again. He left her again and she could hear him moving things just behind her at his fireplace. She could hear water sloshing and fire crackling but took no notice, just focussing on breathing through her pain, feeling lightheaded and nauseous.

A few moments later however, she felt gentle hands, no longer warm due to the drop in temperature and having been outside, prying her hands away from her ankle, and then the feeling of something damp and very warm being carefully wrapped around her entire lower leg and foot. Lifting her head and opening her eyes, she could see Link trying to carefully and slowly straighten her leg back out, sitting on the stool she had been using to rest her injury and placing her foot in his lap, gently pressing the warm cloth to her skin and rubbing carefully. Letting her head fall back against the back of the chair, Zelda closed her eyes again and concentrated on deepening her breathing and unclenching her teeth.

When the faintness passed, she raised her head again, peering at Link who was concentrating on her injury. He still wore his soaking cloak, the hood pushed back and his face pulled in a frown. He seemed to sense her gaze and looked up, frown barely clearing. "Is that better?" Zelda nodded and Link turned his face down again. "I'm sorry for…" He motioned back toward the doorway with a tilt of his head as he continued to apply light pressure to her ankle.

"It was an accident." She was embarrassed to find her voice still sounded shaky.

"What happened?" Zelda was quiet for a few moments, heart rate still elevated despite Link's efforts to restore calm.

"I-" She swallowed thickly then tried again, "There was noise, I thought it was you. But you weren't there. Then something fell and I was frightened" Her voice faded to a whisper. Link's face cleared as realisation seemed to dawn.

"It was a tree branch. I kicked it off the porch when I came back. It must have fallen down the side of the house."

"It scared me half to death."

"So you locked the door." Zelda nodded as Link filled in the blanks for himself. "How did you make it that far on this?" He asked as he unwrapped her ankle and peered at it.

"With great difficulty."

"I reckon." He wrapped her ankle again, concern lining his face as he looked up toward the top of his house, his gaze seemed to follow the path of the ladders down, snagging on the sword lying on the floor near the middle of the room. "So you won't be able to climb a ladder then."

"I doubt it. Why do you ask?"

"Didn't." He turned to look at her, examining her face. "I will have to carry you again, will that be alright?" She nodded apprehensively, she didn't much enjoy it the last time, but looking at the ladders they wouldn't have to be on them long. He lowered her ankle carefully to the ground and stood, removing his cloak and throwing it in a bundle toward the back of the house before offering her a hand. She dropped the blanket and allowed him to pull her up, moving much the same way as before, and feeling just as embarrassed as last time as he crouched and slipped his arm between her knees in order to hold her securely across his shoulders. As he stood, she tried to grasp at his shirt in an effort to steady herself, but his shirt had slipped down his shoulder again and her nails scraped skin and her fingertips bruised into his flesh. "Don't worry, I won't drop you." He grunted. Zelda refrained from letting out any strained words from where her diaphragm was compressed. He placed his foot on the bottom rung of the ladder, shifting her slightly one last time to make sure he had her, and making her gasp and dig her fingers in harder.

Then Link began to ascend the ladder and Zelda decided not to watch the way he climbed, for every time he let go of the ladder with his one free hand, she imagined him missing and having more than just a sprained ankle to worry about. Instead she watched the floor slip slowly away from them and wondered if that was somehow worse. He was panting again by the time he reached the first floor and let her down. He helped her maneuver over to a section of log, turned up on its end and clearly used as a stool. Then he sat on the ground, leaning his back against the railing as he caught his breath. Zelda looked about herself while Link recovered, taking in the shelving unit she had noticed earlier where he had fetched their clothes from. It was the ornaments that caught her attention the most however. She couldn't help but feel the corners of her mouth pick up as her eyes fell on a pictograph of a clearly younger and very excited Link sitting upon a horse that could only be Epona, perhaps a momento of the first time he had ridden her. Next to that was a pictograph of some children that Link must have been fond of.

Zelda saw Link watching her from the corner of her eye and turned to look at him, he had recovered his breath and was looking at her with a faintly curious expression, as though her interest in his belongings was unusual. When the silent eye contact became awkward he looked up to his right to the next floor. "I'm going to put a light on." His voice was low and he didn't look at her again as he stood and climbed up to the next floor. She watched him go, wondering what she should have said to put him at ease. With her position so close to the foot of the ladder, she could not see what he was doing, instead listening to the shuffling of his boots on the wood, the sound of material rustling. Light flared as he lit another lantern, and she returned her attention to the covered unit next to her. Just as she reached out to peek beneath the cover, something falling from the top floor right down to the bottom floor made her jump and she snatched her hand back. Using the ladder to pull herself up on one foot, she leant forward to see a pillow sitting on the floor in the middle of the room from where Link had thrown it down.

"You ready?" She turned to see him at the top of the ladder and moved back to where she had been sitting to allow him the room to come down. They resumed their awkward climbing of the ladder, the view of being so high up making Zelda grip all the tighter and feel faintly nauseous. When he put her down on the landing he held her steady as she sat down on the edge of his bed. She tried not to study this so far unseen portion of the house, feeling that of all of Link's home, the place where he slept was the most personal. Instead she watched Link as he stretched and rolled his shoulders, and listened to the pummeling of the rain and battering of the wind.

"There are a few blankets on the bed." She felt more of the itchy woollen blankets beneath her hand where it rested beside her leg and wondered how many blankets Link actually owned. "But there are more there if you get cold." He pointed to two more blankets neatly folded on the floor by the head of the bed. He shifted uncomfortably, looking around as though trying to think of anything else he may have to tell her, or perhaps feeling self-conscious that the princess of Hyrule was currently sitting in his bedroom.

"Thank you Link, you are most kind. I don't know how I'll ever repay you for all that you have done for me." Zelda found herself speaking, not only for the deeds Link had done her this day, but for all those he had done her previously, in saving her kingdom and restoring her throne. He turned his gaze down to his boots where he scuffed one on the floorboards.

"It's my pleasure, Princess." The silence hung heavy, their earlier camaraderie over dinner having evaporated after her line of questioning about his journey, and she found herself wishing she could take it back. "Well, good night. I'll be downstairs if you need me, just call." He turned from her as she uttered another word of thanks, pausing in the act of climbing down the ladder and pointing to the beam above her head. "Oh, that lantern can be a bit finicky, so you might have trouble lighting it again. It's an old one so… I don't use it a lot."

"Alright. Thank you."

"Good night."

"Good night, Link." He smiled at her before continuing his descent. She sat still on the edge of his bed as she listened to him go. The light dimmed as he turned the lantern on the first floor out, then the sounds of his getting ready for sleep were drowned out by the storm, so much louder here at the top of the house. Finally tearing her aimless stare away from the space where Link had vanished, she assessed her surroundings. His bed filled most of the space, underneath a window where the shutters rattled as they were buffeted by the gale. He slept with his head furthest away from the ladder and the window to his right and she noticed he'd left his remaining pillow pushed up the corner where the two walls met. Leaning across the bed, she snagged the corner and pulled it closer toward her, hugging it to herself for a moment, noting the fullness and softness and guessing it was full of some sort of bird down, before putting it in the center.

Zelda knelt up on the bed and turned the pin to lower the wick, turning the lantern out. She fell back to her hip on the bed, feeling her way to the top of the bed and crawling under the blankets. It wasn't completely dark, light still coming from downstairs where Link was probably still preparing for bed, but Zelda couldn't help but feel slightly blinded by the unfamiliarity of Link's house. His mattress was comfortable, not as comfortable as her own back home perhaps, but for a man such as Link, whom had more than likely spent his fair share of nights sleeping on the ground out in the wilds of hyrule Field, it was enough. The layers on top of her felt heavy, but the one closest to her felt soft, she squeezed at it and found it to also be filled with down, then on top of that, there lay another two woollen blankets. She wasn't sure how cold Link was expecting her to get, but was pleased he had thought to be prepared in any case.

She finally lay her head down on his pillow, lying on her side with her back to the slightly drafty window, shifting until she was comfortable and being mindful of her swollen ankle. She inhaled in a sigh and caught the scent from Link's pillow. Pausing for a moment, she closed her eyes and turned her face into the fabric covering, inhaling long and deep as she took in the scent of Link. Earthy was the first word that came to mind, like dirt right after rain. And woody, not the same as the crafted wooden bench that had clung to the blanket, but of the wild, of the forest that surrounded Link's home. The sweet smell of hay and animals, horse and what she assumed must be the goats he worked with. In her mind's eye she could see a tired and work weary Link climbing his ladders and crawling into his bed, and sleeping exactly where she was lying. She turned her face away and noticed the heat at the tips of her ears and imagined them to be quite red.

An unusually strong gust of wind buffeted the front of the house and strained at the shutters. Curling in on herself under the blankets, she shivered despite her layers, deciding whether or not to invest in the spare blankets already or wait to see if she warmed up eventually. Everything seemed to suddenly get darker and she opened her eyes in alarm before realising that Link must have shut of the lanterns downstairs, and that after a moment of adjustment, the darkness wasn't as complete as she first thought. Instead the dim, warm, orange light from the earthen fireplace cast fuzzy, dancing shadows on the walls and ceiling, and as she shivered again, Zelda found herself wondering where Link had bedded down, and if he was as cold as she was.

It didn't end on a question this time

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