A/N: For everyone reading this update, be sure to read from #20 and #21 in case you haven't. It seems I've forgotten to update from #19 so there will be 3-4 updates coming out in one go.


"Oh, I hope this works," Zelda whispered, the bird statuette clasped between her hands. She shakily opened Link's fingers, nestling the small figurine in his palm. Zelda looked up at Impa, who crossed her fingers. It was anyone's guess whether such a simple solution might work, but it was currently their only hope.

His chest rose as he inhaled, and his brows furrowed. Then his lashes fluttered and he looked up at her.

Zelda exhaled in relief. "Link! Link, are you alright?"

He sat up, rubbing his eyes as if he'd slept for a hundred years. "Sky… no more using the sword on rocks," he muttered. Zelda was too relieved to see him conscious to pay much attention to his tired ramblings. "... should be a master pickaxe," he grumbled as she hugged him, before yawning. "What happened?"

"You were cursed by the bird, we couldn't wake you for the longest time!" Zelda told him, words rushing out of her faster than she could breathe.

"Cursed? You thought I was cursed ?" He blinked a few times, trying to process the words. "I wasn't cursed, far from it."

"Well, it was something magical, and it did something to you without asking first, so I shall classify it a curse," Impa shrugged. "The biggest of our worries are gone now, but the rest remains." She looked at the entrance of their chamber.

Link raised a brow at Zelda, no doubt wondering what exactly these worries were. She stayed quiet and didn't miss the way he did a double-take when he spotted the shrine next to them.

"We have quite the story to tell you."

"Now would be a fantastic time to tell me then."


It had taken almost half an hour to explain the basic rundown of all the events that had occurred. From his collapsing to the mystery man and the guardians, Link listened aptly, taking in every detail as best as he could. Now he was doing his best to think of a way out of their current predicament.

With the matter of the 'curse' done and dealt with, Zelda had put away the box safely into her bag, taking care to secure the crystal and the journal as best she could. He decided he would tell her the exact nature of his little episode later.

That was the least of Link's worries when he took a peek at the situation, only to end up with a long red light aimed at his face. He had recoiled back immediately, not allowing any opening for that blast to occur.

"So you're telling me some man in a cloak possessed those guardians?" he pointed to the outside of the room where half a dozen guardians were littered near the entrance. All of them were immobile, thankfully, but their eyes glowed an eerie purple, heads swivelling in a constant search for a target. Impa nodded to Link's words.

"And they shoot deadly beams in roughly six second intervals?" he asked, resisting the urge to pace.

"Sounds about right."

He paused. That pattern of attack sounded familiar. An idea occurred to him.

"Is it the same attack as that malfunctioning guardian?"

"Yes!" Zelda exclaimed, suddenly jumping up. "Link, block the beams like you did that time! If you can send it back the same way you did before, you could potentially destroy it with one hit."

"Great plan, but one problem," Impa interjected, defeated. "No matter where you stand in that entrance way, there are at least two beams on you at all times. Parrying one beam should be no problem for him, but two simultaneously? What happens if he's too slow on the second one? Or his shield breaks on the first?"

Zelda and Link stayed quiet, pondering her words. She was right. If he parried one beam, there was still the second coming only milliseconds after. Link had seen the aftermath of it grazing Impa's skin; he didn't want to be hit dead-on, but he could not allow any harm to come to Zelda. Even if that meant shielding her with his own body. She wasn't someone he'd ever risk.

"Don't worry about me, I'll take care of it," he said quietly, grabbing his shield and sheathing his sword. "Just don't break my focus." Before either of the girls could argue, he moved to the archway where he could faintly see one guardian's head spinning around, a faint beeping echoing through the halls. The red glow could be seen through the darkness, the eye brighter than anything else in the abandoned temple.

Could it be a weak spot? He stored that information into his mind as he pulled his bow from his back and an arrow from his quiver. He took a careful step forward, looking around for the second guardian posted nearby. He was thankful that in his position, he was hidden by a nearby pillar.

The head of the guardian spun a few times before finally stopping, the eye directed at Link. He quickly nocked an arrow into the bow and aimed for the eye as the red laser took aim against his chest.

Four… Three… He counted down before releasing the string, watching the arrow sail and clang against the metal beside the eye. His eyes widened before he flattened himself against the ground in haste, a beam shooting above his back and colliding with the pillar. Alright, don't miss the eye… He had to be careful. At least there's no wind down here.

He repositioned himself on one knee and nocked another arrow as the laser reappeared. Five… four… He aimed just above the eye and let the arrow fly. He listened for the clang against metal but it never came. Rather, it resounded as an impact against glass and he watched the head spin around out of control for a few seconds. Any triumph he might've felt was quelled by the knowledge of how many other guardians awaited them.

Weak spot indeed. He wondered if it had caused more damage than a regular hit against the metal body, but he doubted it. The guardians were built for battle after all. It only made sense to him that the glass-like eye would be incredibly fragile compared to the sturdy metal. Besides, he doubted that the light-weapon could fire through metal.

He continued this routine with seven more arrows until he caught sight of the so-called red smoke leaving the guardian, an odd mechanical noise creaking before the lights shut off.

Nine arrows if I count the one that missed. He counted the arrows in his quiver, finding more than enough. He thanked his terrible habit of overpacking in arrows and made his way stealthily to the deactivated guardian, collecting the stray arrows that had bounced off the hull and were still in decent condition. A few screws and springs scattered around the hull and what seemed like a small glowing orb as well, Link grabbed them and stuffed them into his pouch before approaching the next guardian, the one he'd been hiding from with the pillar.

By the time Link had disposed of the ones on their lower level, daylight had begun seeping into the temple through the cracks in the ceiling and the far entrance, granting them much more light and the ability to see.

Link saw no evidence of another man being present, but he believed Zelda and Impa. He didn't believe for one second that they would have turned the guardians on—after the malfunctioning one had almost killed Zelda, he'd made her swear that he'd be with her whenever she conducted her experiments. He knew that she'd never activate one—nevermind almost a dozen—with him unconscious. No, someone or something else had done it. He recalled the way they'd described the strange purple energy that had infected the guardians.

"A liquid representation of pure evil and corruption. It also, coincidentally, has the ability to take a long deceased monster and grant it temporary life."

The spirit had been right. If thisnwas the same substance as they had spoken about, then it had granted life to the dead husks of steel.

And someone could control this power, could wield it like any other weapon. Link usually liked fighting on the fly, and enjoyed the challenge of figuring out how his opponents fought, but this—this was the first time in a long time where he worried he was genuinely outmatched. It felt like a very sharp escalation to Link. He was used to the seemingly-half-hearted attempts on his princess's life, but this felt more sinister than even the Yiga Clan's usual shenanigans.

Link approached the first large column of updraft, still pondering the situation.

So many guardians scattered around the temple, now all activated, pulsing with that strange power, the malice. Impa and Zelda couldn't go anywhere without having at least two beams pointed at them at all times. It was, as far as Link was concerned, a very clever and deadly trap. Instead of attacking the Princess directly, this mysterious person had activated the battle machines instead. No, he knew someone would have been with her.

He either cannot fight or he knows he can't fight both of us at the same time, he deduced. Someone had enough confidence to tell Impa and Zelda that they weren't leaving the temple alive, and that someone could utilise magic or this mystery malice. Grimly, he realised that didn't narrow down the list of suspects. If he fights, it's not using his hands. Granted, I doubt I could name more than four or five individuals across the continent who could stand a reasonable chance of getting through Impa and I combined. But those people are our allies and friends to boot. This man a complete stranger to me. Not good.

He had to be careful with that. When he did face a magic user, he was almost always at a disadvantage. No one person's magic was the same, and even sparring with Sheikah warriors kept him on his toes. He had difficulty with the vanishing, the clones and weapons appearing out of thin air. Sure he'd gotten used to it when he sparred with Impa or faced half of his squad in combat training single-handedly, but that was only one type of magic. It was something he knew little about. In fact, the only other type of magic he'd seen firsthand was the healing magic Mipha used in the Domain. He'd never had the misfortune to fall on Urbosa's bad side, and the line between magic and technique was a blur where Daruk were concerned, and he wasn't even sure Revali used magic at all.

When he ducked his head over the overdraft, he felt a very powerful wind try to raise him into the sky unsuccessfully. Squinting, his eyes could not catch the bottom of the dark hole, making him wonder just where it might lead if one was to go venturing down. Now isn't the time, he reminded himself.

"Coast is clear!" he shouted back at Impa and Zelda. He'd let Zelda fly to the ledge with his glider while he climbed the wall. Impa had her own sailcloth so the ascent would be fine for her.

"How did you dispose of them?"

He looked behind him and saw Zelda looking at the husks with suspicion.

"The eyes are a weak point," he answered. "Let me climb first, Impa, I might need your help." He made his way up the wall, Impa choosing to fly up.

"Let me know when I can join you!" Zelda called, sounding annoyed and worried at being left behind.

But it was a smart idea to leave Zelda there. The very moment they made their way up the wall and over the top, both of them had to duck for cover behind a boulder and out of sight as a laser pierced the air where their heads had been. They huddled together to avoid the guardians' vision, the rock not nearly big enough for the both of them, definitely too small for three.

"Are you two alright?!" Zelda shrieked below them.

"We're fine, Princess!" Impa yelled back.

Two beams had pointed at Impa and three had pointed at Link the moment they had peeked over.

"How are we doing this?" the Sheikah asked, pointing behind her.

"Did you see any pillars?"

"Three, and they're blocking the rest," she informed him. "There's two updrafts, I think we could make it if we run for it—"

"Absolutely not. Only two of us can glide with the air."

"Well, what's your plan? You can't take them out individually, there's nowhere to hide."

Link ignored her words and poked his head out to get a better view, only to have a bright red light shine in his eyes.

"How does it look?" they both heard Zelda shout from the room below.

"Don't come up!" Impa wasted no time in shouting back.

Once Link had finally blinked away the white spots from his vision, he sighed and pulled out an arrow, nocking it to his bow early.

"Are you actually going to shoot at them?" Impa exclaimed incredulously. "You're going to get yourself killed."

Link stayed quiet for a moment, looking over at Impa's side of the boulder before looking back at his side. Broken columns not nearly tall enough to hide behind, but she was right. It was a straight run and glide to the entrance if they were lucky. They would have to time it properly, dropping from the draft before the beams could launch, lest they be shot in the air and killed.

But the problem of the singular sailcloth and the paraglider was the bigger issue. He would never let Zelda run the distance, those guardians were exceptional with their aiming and would likely get her, especially with so many present. Even if she soared on the updrafts, he was worried she wouldn't be able to release and grab ahold of the paraglider quickly enough to stop herself from slamming into the ground, risking not only broken bones but the wrath of the guardians as well.

Impa would have a better chance if she relied on her magic, but Link had to admit, he wasn't the best at using the square shaped cloth to fly, but he knew he might be able to manage if he tried. If Impa gets out, then she might be able to run for help. Ugh, but how long would it take for anyone else to get here? And what if he comes back and tries to hurt Zelda? I'd rather have one ally than none.

He didn't mind doing the run himself, but it was the final climb that was his biggest concern. Outrunning the beams would be fine, but climbing the wall in less than six seconds would be a different story. Maybe a pillar could block him from most of the guardians, but he hadn't spotted any tall enough to protect him.

Running along the sides of the temple was a different story. Attracting the attention of the guardians while the Princess and Impa flew would be among the wiser but more dangerous ideas, but he was sure there was likely a guardian or two very closely stationed to the temple's edges. There was nowhere to hide nor dodge. He'd have to run or turn back entirely and he prayed the guardian blasts weren't strong enough to crumble the already thin ledge.

He sighed, knowing it was likely the best course of action. Distract the guardians while Zelda and Impa made their way across.

"Impa, I have a plan. Princess, can you climb but stay out of sight?"

"Of course, give me a moment!" They listened for a few minutes as Zelda quietly huffed and scaled the wall until finally, her hand waved from beneath the ledge to signal she'd reach the top.

"Impa, I need you and the Princess to glide across the two updrafts." Impa nodded. "Princess, it should be a straight line with no climbing necessary. I'll take the side ledges and distract the guardians while you both go."

"And what if you can't distract them all?" Impa interjected.

"Six seconds from laser to blast. If you see either one of you see it appear, I'll try my best to pull attention to myself, but if you do see it, I need you to drop at the five second mark, the blast should go off above you."

"What about you?" he heard Zelda ask. "My hands are getting sweaty." She muttered just loud enough for them to hear.

Link crouched over and pulled Zelda over the ledge, letting her take the spot he had been hiding in seconds before, and taking Zelda's place on the wall before any of the guardians could spot him.

"I'm going to run, when you hear me whistle, go that way," he pointed to the large open space, "and glide straight, remember what I said."

"Six seconds," she repeated back, her green eyes wide.

"Good."


Zelda didn't enjoy the situation they were in one bit.

As much as the statues and the architecture around amazed her, being potentially blasted out of the sky was not something she found exciting.

Thrilling, but for all the wrong reasons.

She could barely watch as Link left the safety of the rock they hid behind, vaulting over the rock she and Impa crouched behind to take aim at the nearest guardian.

There were many words she could use to describe this plan of Link's; reckless, stupid, rash, dangerous, but beyond all that, extremely nerve-wracking.

The inside of her lip was chewed raw just thinking about it. She hated thinking about Link using himself as a decoy to ensure they got out safely. She understood why; there were simply too many guardians littered around to take them out one by one, not to mention they carried a limited amount of arrows in their quivers, meaning they couldn't be careless or wasteful—every arrow was a lifeline.

"—Princess," Zelda snapped her head at Impa, who had grabbed her hand and was trying to pull her out from behind the rock.

She could hear the whistling come from the other side and the rushed paces against the old stone.

"We have to go!"

She nodded as she followed Impa to the centre of the stone wall. "Fly straight, don't stop unless someone yells to drop. Release one hand and keep the glider in the other."

She looked over to where Link stood, there were half a dozen beams aimed on him as he cupped his hands at his mouth and whistled loudly.

"Go!"

She swallowed nervously and leapt forward, glider in hand towards the first updraft. "You're doing fine," Impa told her from behind, sailing a few metres behind her.

The whistling continued to echo the halls, endlessly reminding her that Link could get shot full of holes thanks to them.

He's risking his life for me. Again.

As she sailed higher thanks to the first draft, the first barrage of beams brightened the cave infinitely, colliding with the wall. She didn't dare look at the beams beneath her as the lasers came back into view. Worry for her knight was the only thing on her mind. The whistling had stopped just as she heard the beams collide with the wall.

Did she want to look? Her heart pounded in her ears at the thought of Link bloodied and bruised from the explosion it could have caused. No, he's better than that. He wouldn't let himself get hit. Not even the Yiga Clan could land a scratch on him.

She tried to steady her breathing as she approached the next updraft, screwing her eyes closed.

"He's fine, Impa is fine, we're going to be fine," she repeated to herself in shaky whispers.

She once again heard the whistles and the running steps behind her, signalling he was fine, though it did nothing for her heart rate.

"DROP, ZELDA!"

She didn't think for one second before releasing her hands and freefalling through the air, missing the loud whooshing blast right above her head. She struggled to regain her hold on the other handle, returning to a smooth glide, though she was now much closer to the ground than before. She could feel her veins flooding with ice as the next laser pointed on her, the same guardian that had just missed her.

But the blast just went off… right, it's only six seconds…

" Are you alright Princess?" She heard Impa call out from above.

"Y-yes! I'm fine!" she shakily shouted back.

She couldn't hear Link's whistling anymore, nor could she hear the steps anymore.

Did something happen? As she looked up, laser still aimed at her, she could see Link taking aim with his bow and firing high. Whistling had to have lost its efficiency with so many of them in the air.

Three… Two... she counted in her head, ready to release her grasp on the glider until a blast went off, firing high above her, on Link.

Her hands grasped tightly as she reached the final updraft, bringing her high into the air with Impa and right into the entrance where daylight flooded in.

The very moment her feet touched solid ground and the guardians were out of her field of vision, she threw the paraglider to the floor and rushed to the closest, safest spot to look for Link.

She could spot the numerous blasts against the walls, small craters littering here and there, but no Link.

She looked back at Impa, her breathing fast. "Where's Link?"

Impa's eyes widened as she joined the princess at her spot, frantically looking around for the bright blue of the Champion's tunic. A quick glance at the guardians, and she could see their heads whirling around, trying to lock onto a target.

Dread filled Zelda. What if the blast got him? This is all my fault! Oh please be alright… and in one piece. She ignored the dull ache in her right rib as she tried to spot Link. She hadn't had to move so fast or so desperately since she'd been ambushed in the desert. But a little stitch in her side meant nothing when her knight was missing. She couldn't hear him or see him, but she spotted his bow, broken on the floor.

She was right about to jump down to the bottom when her eyes gave her an image of a corner, hidden away from them.

She blinked a few times, wondering why this perspective was given to her. She was looking from above, but the view was from below.

Keeping herself hidden from the guardians, she inched forward and looked down below at the corners, seeing only rubble and destroyed pillars. Not here. From the image she saw, it was a right angle to the left of the vision. Is this for Link? She didn't understand what she was seeing, safe for it was a different perspective of the scene, as if she was looking through the Sheikah Slate at a different time.

Either this is along the east side of the pillar to the right, or the north side of the far pillar to the left. She tried her hardest to spot anything behind said-spots, but found that there were too many obstacles in the way.

"Link!" she shouted out, echoing loudly into the halls.

"Princess!" She was yoinked back by Impa at the very first sight of the guardians turning to her direction.

"Over here!" Their attention was pulled to the far right corner of the room where they briefly saw Link's arm poke out from behind the rubble. "Someone throw the paraglider this way, I can't climb out without getting shot at," he shouted out. "There are too many guardians! I don't care where you throw it, just somewhat in my direction please."

That we can do . Zelda was the first to grab the discarded paraglider, folding it up and wrapping a cord around the wooden handles to secure them in place. What if it breaks? She didn't dare envision what would happen if the handle broke, or some part of the glider became unusable, but she held faith in the object; it was Link's after all.

She passed the glider to Impa, who threw the glider as hard as she could into the open space below. Both watched the glider soar through the air for a long moment, then drift down to land a few short steps away from the pillar Link had been hiding behind.

As Zelda stepped back, Impa took a deep breath and whistled as loudly as she could, attracting the attention of the guardians on herself.

The way Link dashed out of his hiding place was instantaneous; he ran straight for the glider, jumping over the fallen pillars and boulders, swiped it from the ground and unfolded the strings holding it together expertly as the guardians turned between Impa and him. He didn't bother to look at the lasers, rather he went straight for the updraft, unfolding the glider and lifting himself into the air as beams went off where he stood no less than a few seconds before.

Zelda held her breath until the very moment his feet touched the ground, landing a few paces away. He sprinted forward, gathering Zelda in his arms without so much as a pause.

"Let's get out of here before something else happens," were the words that came out of his mouth before either she or Impa could say anything. No one argued with the order, they didn't want to deal with the cloaked figure or the guardians anymore than they had to. Zelda wrapped her arms around Link's shoulders, burying her face into the crook of his neck. Thank you, Hylia. Oh, thank you.

Out of the corner of her eye, Zelda watched the illustrious blue glow of the Master Sword fading away as they reached the exit. How long had the sword been glowing and she didn't notice? She made a mental note to ask Link about it later.


By the time the trio had managed to climb out of the Canyon, nightfall was already approaching, the sun had begun its slow descent and the sky coloured reds and oranges. Link had reluctantly let Zelda down when Impa had pointed out that he needed his hands to scale the sheer cliff walls.

Impa had been the first to emerge from the canyon, Zelda on her heels, and Link lagging back, which made Zelda frown.

She'd listened to his grunts and quiet curses on the climb while wondering if he was always this vocal during high-exertion activities. She remembered that he was usually ahead of her or beside her during climbs, but to see such a gap between them on the wall was concerning to say the least. Not to mention that during their, ah, more intimate exertions, he was capable of keeping up with her.

Impa had cheered for being the first out, rubbing it in by saying she had the superior endurance and stamina and the least amount of breaks while Link had shrugged and given her a thumbs up.

From afar, they spotted the comforting sight of the familiar horse head of the nearest Stable.

The walk was a slow and quiet one. Impa didn't speak and Link remained quiet as he followed along. Zelda was too worn out to try to break the silence.

They'd decided to settle on setting up camp next to the stable, only a short walk if they needed anything.

It was initially Zelda's idea, citing that, despite the privacy curtains, she wasn't very keen on people being able to watch her sleep; a sentiment shared by her companions.

By the time the sun had fully descended over the horizon, Impa had managed to convince Link to allow her to take the night watch, and while it was more arguing, he eventually relented after Impa cited all of the climbing and the fighting back to Link.

He was tired, he wasn't going to lie. Falling off the ledge and nearly getting shot a dozen times after waking up from a long talk with a reincarnation was stressful and he felt the need to sleep screaming at him.

The three of them had set up the tent large enough to easily settle their group without the need to huddle together, so now, it was only Link and Zelda sitting in the tent, rolling out their bedrolls.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Zelda was the first to break the silence.

"Mhm."

"Absolutely reckless, you could have died." It didn't seem like she cared for his responses at the least, so he quietly listened as he carefully laid down on his back, watching for his side that ached painfully. "Why do you feel the need to do that, hm?"

Why did he feel the need to do that? He'd taken out most of the guardians by himself despite Impa offering her help multiple times and the warnings, he'd nearly gotten blasted to pieces, he took a ten metre tumble off the wall and injured himself. They don't need to know that.

Zelda was the biggest reason, he thought. While she wasn't defenceless in any way, she was quite skilled with a bow, the thought of one of those destructive beams aimed at her had him on edge.

"I don't do it on purpose."

"Could have fooled me," she scoffed loudly. "First the monsters, then the field, now it's the guardians. Why?"

He shrugged. "I don't want to see you hurt—"

"So instead you hurt yourself?" she interrupted him, staring into his eyes with a fury he hadn't seen in a long time. "Tell me, how am I going to feel if you kill yourself on the job 'protecting' me? Tell me."

He stayed quiet.

"Instead of hurting me physically, I'll simply have all the emotional torment that comes with watching your lover die, how wonderful!" Her eyes rolled sarcastically. "Stop turning yourself into a martyr, it's not funny."

He did that often, didn't he…

"I'm sorry."

"Instead of apologising, start showing me you actually mean it, you self-sacrificing… dumbass ."

He couldn't help the smile that threatened his lips whenever she cursed. The way she would hesitate right before spitting out the word quietly was adorable to him.

"You may be an idiot, but you're my self-sacrificing idiot, you got that?"

He bit the inside of his cheek and smiled, nodding. He was her idiot, he liked that. "I will try to be less self-sacrificing."

"But you won't be less idiotic?"

"No promises there."

Zelda sighed with a smile. "I'll take what I can get."

Opening her bedroll next to his, she settled comfortably, scooting closer to him until she was flush against him.

Can you stop being so damn cute all the time?!

"It's like we're snuggling, but without the actual body contact, see?" She demonstrated by pressing herself further, this time wrapping both of her arms possessively around his free one. "Impa can't say anything about any weird hanky panky, now can she?" Her smile was devious.

"Princess! No loopholes!" They looked at the entrance of the tent. Impa had clearly heard the entire conversation. "Do not force me to act as chaperone in there, mark my words, it won't be fun."

Link kept quiet while Zelda rolled her eyes as obviously as she could. "We will not engage in any pre-marital activities, fear not for my chastity,Impa!"

He was sure he would have turned less red if Zelda had just said the word 'sex' like any other person.

"Princess, you have no chastity, remember? That flew out the window last week."

Dammit Impa.


"Link? Can I ask you something?" Zelda lifted her head from its place on Link's arm. "You have to tell me the truth, no hiding it."

"Depends," he joked. When Zelda sent a momentary glare his way, he laughed. "It's a joke, go ahead."

She let her head fall back against his arm. "Did you get hurt today? When you fell off the ledge?" She felt him tense at the question. He did.

"How did you know?" She couldn't see his face from her current angle, but she stayed where she was. "I-I thought I was hiding it pretty well…"

"Maybe from Impa, yes, but not from me." She felt him shift underneath her into a sitting position. He was slow when he did so, making Zelda sit up to look him in the eye. "Can you tell me what happened? Please?"

"I was hoping to fly under your radar with this," he sighed and scratched the back of his head. She nuzzled into him, quietly pleased that he'd picked up some of the technological terms she and Purah so often used, and that he understood what it meant. "I'm not too sure what happened exactly; I think I hit a pillar or a rock during my fall but I didn't really notice anything until I started climbing."

"Climbing? Like out of the canyon or inside the Temple?"

"The canyon."

"I noticed you were pretty slow to climb,"

"How could you tell? If Impa didn't realise it, how did you?" She looked at his eyes, bright blue and full of curiousity. They reflected the light of their lantern so well despite the flame being so dim. But they were tense, a little crease between his brows and the skin beneath them tight. The last time she'd seen him with such an expression was when he'd gotten a terrible sunburn in the Gerudo Desert. He'd been out hunting molduga, and Urbosa had chewed him out for not wearing sun-block.

"Your eyes… they don't hide pain well," Zelda sighed before glancing at him. "They're so expressive, I can read you like an open book." She bit back a smile, and watched his eyes soften as he gazed at her..

"I think the entire castle would argue against that statement," he joked with a light hearted chuckle.

"I can see it all." Her soft smile stayed for a short moment before vanishing and replacing itself with a firm glare instead. "And your lies, they're written all over your face, don't try me."

With a nervous laugh, he nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Understood."

"And besides, I know of your injury," Link opened his mouth to protest, but Zelda pointed an accusing finger at him. "You never sleep on your back, you complain about the aches in the morning. You're a stomach sleeper."

She knew she had him there. If he was willing to put up with the aches he knew he'd have in the morning, then clearly he was injured enough to be babying the wound. The thought filled her with a mixture of worry and anger. Why would he hide it? Doesn't he know how I worry about him? Surely he knows that I know him better than to overlook such a change in his behaviour. Was he ever planning on telling me?

It seemed to her that he was developing a habit of keeping secrets from her, and she didn't like it. It made her feel ill, like something had her heart in a vice. What else is he not telling me?

"Let me see it." She turned her body to face his and pointed to his stomach. "I know you hit something."

He didn't bother answering verbally, only sitting up to lift the tunic and his undershirt, revealing his stomach and the marks on his skin.

Zelda gasped loudly, horrified.

The bruising was a deep purple splotched with red under the skin. Whatever he'd hit on the way down, whether the pillar or a few crumbled rocks on the ground of the temple, it had left a nasty mark. She gaped at it. How did he not break any ribs? Or wait, did he?!

"Link!"

"Sorry."

"Don't apologise, just let me help."

He nodded wordlessly, supporting himself with his forearms as he laid back and let Zelda grab the ointment from her bag. "Hylia, Link, it's as wide across as a fortified pumpkin!"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise for being injured, apologise for not telling me!"

"Yes, Princess," he said meekly. "I'm sorry."

"Better," she huffed.

To his credit, he lay there and let her tend to him rather than sulking off alone to tend to his own injuries, which was an improvement. In previous months, he'd never let anyone save Mipha tend to his wounds. The idea that she was now permitted to do so brought Zelda an unhealthy level of vindication.

He cannot continue to keep secrets from me. What if the people here were in trouble and I'd asked him to deal with whatever monsters were plaguing them? What if we were ambushed again?

The source of her frustrations and exasperation now seemed perfectly content to lie on their sleeping rolls as if he hadn't a care in the world, allowing her to tend to him with a relaxed look on his face as if he were at a Gerudo spa!

That is, until she scooped a generous amount of cream and rubbed it vigorously into his aching ribs, causing him to yelp in pain.