Chapter 3: The First Journey

Link did not know what to make of the young woman who walked briskly ahead of him. After all, she had been a complete stranger who had nearly died before his eyes. But she seemed very driven now, very commanding.

"We'll need a raft to cross the River of the Dead to get to Mount Hylia."

"Gotcha."

Despite himself, he could not help but check out Ayri as she moved. Her leg had taken an arrow, but it seemed that she had recovered amazingly quickly. She weaved between the sapling trees at the base of the hill with ease, as if nothing had ever happened.

"You must be very strong." Link blurted out.

Ayri glanced over her shoulder, her eyes narrowed. "You have to be in a land like this."

"I guess." Link smiled sheepishly.

Ayri sighed as she led Link up the hill. "You don't know a thing, do you?"

"About the world?"

"I mean that you must be very sheltered. Am I right?"

"Well...I haven't gone very far." That was the most honest thing Link could say. Surely even Ayri would not believe him if he said he woke up in a cave without any memory of how he had found himself there.

"Well, you're in for some lessons." Ayri shook her head. The young man really was too simple.

But he's endearing, the voice in her head added.

Ayri felt the blush in her cheeks again, and then cursed herself for it. She did not want to look weak in front of her unlikely savior, but...

She suddenly noticed that she could not hear Link's footsteps anymore. She turned around. Link was just...standing still on top of the small hill. His eyes looked vacant.

"Link?"

Link huffed. Another day, another headache.

It was not enough that his uncle spent the entire morning giving him a thrashing in sword training. Oh, no. He had to do a run right after. The young man grimaced as he moved, his feet hitting the dirt and crushing flowers as he struggled under the weight of the knapsack tied to his back. It had not been so bad at first, but over time, the dear old man had made him put ever more rocks into it, and commanded him to run ever greater distances with the cumbersome knapsack in tow.

"Your father never complained about this."

"That's because he was the one of the best knights in the realm, Uncle!"

"Exactly. And it was not enough that he was one of the best."

Link grit his teeth as he forced himself to keep going.

"You have to be strong."

"Don't bellyache."

"Hit faster. Look for more angles."

"A man doesn't get anywhere by giving up early."

"You're going to be the greatest knight in Hyrule someday. All of this will be worth it."

The myriad of demands and justifications hit Link's mind over and over, but that too was something he had resigned himself to. If anything, the controlled resentment gave him enough strength to make it through each training excercise.

So, he kept on running.

Link did not stop until his feet hit the soft dirt of the riverbank. Link's mood finally lightened. Yes! Now the run was over!

But... Link slowed down as he looked across the flowing water. There was something there on the other side ...a few somethings, in fact. He drew closer. He could not see the shapes in full, but he was sure that they were Bokoblins. He moved until he felt his feet sink into the water.

They were four of the small, pig-like creatures. They were short, but stocky, with scarred red skin. Two of them had short swords and a third had a bow. Link had no weapons on him, and he had no intention of engaging them. They did not see to see him. He kept still.

And then he looked at the fourth Bokoblin again. It seemed to be dragging a huge sack behind it, the one that would normally be filled with loot. But the sack was writhing, as if fighting against the Bokoblin. Link felt his heartbeat quicken. Was it a person in there?

One of the Bokoblins yelled, and kicked the sack.

"Hey!" Link called.

All four Bokoblins looked his way. He thought they were laughing at him. And they had good reason to; he could not cross it with his feet alone. They began to move on, and he knew he could not follow them easily.

But he could not leave whoever was trapped in that sack to suffer...

Link quickly scouted the area.

"Come on..."

He knew there was a fallen log on the riverbank. That could do it.

Sure enough, he found the tree trunk. It was half submerged, but the other end was still high above the ground. He grabbed hold of it, and began to push the entire thing into the river.

It took more than a bit of strength, and the water splashed him in the face more than once. His tunic was completely soaked by the time the task was finished. But he could not stop. The Bokoblins were getting away.

Once the log was ready, Link grabbed a long, sturdy stick. It was not an ideal substitute for an oar, but it would have to do. He stepped onto the log, and began to row.

He would save the captive...

"Link? Link!"

The youth snapped back to attention.

"What is it?"

Ayri was standing beside him now, and she looked irritated.

"Oh, sorry. Just...thinking about something." Link rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Ayri shook her head. What was this Link's deal?

"It's no wonder the old man had to look out for you."

There was an awkward silence.

"So...we'll need a raft?"

"Yes." Ayri's irritation did not diminish. She turned on her heel and started walking down the small hill. Link followed her.

It did not take long for them to reach the riverbank. There was an old, rundown shed jutting up from the white sand. The door was open, revealing several logs.

"These will work." Ayri pointed.

"Okay." Link moved forward, helping Ayri pull the logs from the shed. There were a few oars and a big coil of rope inside as well. Knotting the logs together was tedious, but they were able to finish their project in less than half an hour.

Link helped drag the fruit of their labor to the edge of the water, but he looked uneasy.

"Um...the stuff in the shed wasn't exactly ours..."

"Link..."

"I mean, I thought it was abandoned, but what if someone comes by? Maybe..."

"Link!"

Link's voice was cut off short as he looked where Ayri pointed. There was a skeleton on the bank, laying next to a ruined rowboat. It was mostly intact, and the old bones nearly blended with the sand. His jaw dropped.

"Oh...that's not good."

"We're not here to play house." Ayri said. "Get on the raft."

"O...okay."

They both sat on the logs, and Link, eager to forget what he saw, grabbed the oar Ayri provided and began to row them towards their destination.

Ayri, despite herself, began to look at Link.

It was hard not to, after all. His cluelessness aside, he was a very handsome man. She could not help but stare, as she had back at the old man's hut, at his smooth, unblemished face, his elegant features, and his bound blonde hair. Despite his coat, it was easy to imagine his toned body underneath.

If this was a bonus to her mission to finding the Hylian Champion, she would gladly take it.

"Ayri?"

She blinked. Link was staring at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm not!" Ayri said quickly. Her face flushed. She cursed herself silently, for her lack of control. Why was something like this not covered by Yiga training?

"Well...here we are."

Ayri looked up, and saw that the raft had docked itself on the other side. She had not even noticed that they had arrived.

"Oh, erm...thanks, Link." She stepped off the raft, and Link did the same.

The base of the mountains were as desolate as Ayri had expected. The sheer mountains concealed the sky, and the wind whipped across her face as she scanned the snow-covered ground.

"Don't you get cold?"

Despite his coat, Link was hugging himself and rubbing his arms.

"I've gotten used to it." Ayri replied.

"Well, I haven't. It's freezing!"

She smirked. "You have to realize that...adventurers are prepared for anything." She mentally kicked herself. She had almost said "Yiga."

"At any rate," Link looked warily upwards, his hand clutching the map. "We'll have to find someway up to the shrine."

"I think we have our way." Ayri's eyes flickered as her hand tightened on her bow.

"What do you mean..."

Without warning, Ayri yanked an arrow from her quiver. Before Link could say a word, she raised the bow and fired. The young man turned to see that Ayri had aimed at a snowdrift. The Bokoblin fell out from behind it.

"Wh-what..."

"Come on." Ayri's voice was tight.

As they approached, they saw that the Bokoblin was not yet dead. It growled and writhed on the snow next to its weapon, a small axe with a rusty blade and a tiny spike atop the handle. The arrow was lodged in its chest, letting blood flow out on the creature itself and the snow. Link look perturbed at the sight.

Soft boy, Ayri thought. She nocked another arrow.

"Wait!" Link before her. "We've already wounded it!"

"We have to finish the job, Link." Ayri tried not to look too annoyed. "We have to kill it."

"But what if..."

"Watch out!" Ayri fired the arrow, and the Bokoblin was dead before it even hit the ground again. It flopped to the ground, the second arrow protruding from its face. She looked at Link.

"You're lucky I'm so good with this." Ayri snapped.

Link looked hopeless. "Couldn't there be...a peaceful Bokoblin?"

"If so, they've never shown themselves to anyone." Ayri walked past Link, scooped up the Bokoblin's axe, and forced it into Link's hands. "Keep it, it's yours."

Link did not answer, but his face was twisted. Ayri ignored his reaction.

"You're going to have to protect yourself, and your moment will come sooner rather than later."

Link nodded slowly.

"Now, come on. This Bokoblin was guarding the path up the mountain. We'll use it ourselves."

The girl struggled and kicked, but it was no use. The Bokoblins kept dragging her farther into the depths of the cave. No matter how hard she struggled, she could not escape.

The girl had always known that this venture would be not be easy. It had been her idea to venture to Mount Hylia, and she knew that there would be a risk to it. But...

She had been too careless. Too foolish. She had no way of tearing through the rough fabric of the sack. And even if she could, what would it matter? The Bokoblins walked on, chuckling and yanking her forward

Finally, she was thrown to the side. She gasped at the hard landing. The laughter and jeers of the Bokoblins became louder, filling the air, and tears fell down her face.

She knew, without even being able to see through the sack, that she was going to die here...

Then, all too suddenly, the revelry of the Bokoblins ceased.

There were shouts, shrieks, the swinging of blades. Finally, the girl became aware that something was going through the sack. And then it fell away from her.

"Are you alright?"

Lying flat on her back, she looked up at the young man. He was simply dressed in a green tunic and brown leggings. Both were stained with blood. He carried a torch in one hand, and a short sword in the other. If she had been more focused, she would have known from the chipped blade and the bone handle that the sword was one of the Bokoblin's own weapons. But she was overwhelmed by the residual fear.

"Are you alright?"

The girl squinted. The light of the torch showed that the young man's face was full of worry. She saw the concern in his blue eyes, those blue eyes...

"Can you tell me your name?"

The girl stood up, and wiped her face. Her cheeks were red, and her eyes were still moist, but she did her best to relax her face. Even in this dire situation, she had to display a modicum of dignity.

"I...I am Princess Zelda of Hyrule."

Ayri sighed. Link was in a trance again, staring at the open mouth of a cave. They were not even a quarter of their way up the mountain, and he was...

A droplet hit her face.

No.

For Lord Ganon's sake...

But Ayri felt the unmistakable touch of the drops hitting her cheeks. She looked up at the gray sky. It was gray. For now, it would just be rain. But if her past knowledge was any guide, it would soon give way to hail. It had been difficult enough to traverse the steep slopes and cliffs of the mountain in dry weather. But at this rate, the waves of ice would give anyone on it a ticket to disaster.

"Link!" Ayri hissed, but her companion was not listening. She stomped over to him, her boots crushing the snow.

"LINK!"

"Oh, uh...what?"

"You've spaced out again!"

"Sorry!"

"What were you doing?"

"I was..."

The thunderclap came, and the wind blew harder.

"Never mind!" Ayri growled. She grabbed him by the arm and began to lead him inside the cave.

The passageway beyond the cave entrance was long and dark. After a few minutes, the two found themselves in a large, circular room. There was nothing in it except an abandoned wooden crate at the far end. Airi looked around.

"Not ideal, but it'll do. We can stay here until the hail stops."

She hissed at the cold air. She would do fine, thanks to her training. But Link...

"Huh?"

She saw the boy pulling at the strings of his jacket.

"What are you doing?"

Link lowered his head. "I...I thought you might need this."

"I can stand the cold, but..."

"That's okay." Link was insistent. "I'm just worried about you."

"Me?"

"Well...yes."

"You don't even know me, Link."

"Well," Link looked down at his boots. "I can try."

He held the greatcoat out. "I insist."

Ayri sighed. She wanted to turn the offer down. But he was not backing down. She could not help but see the determination in his face. Ayri found herself calculating. Under his jacket, there was just the plain tunic. There was no way he would last without the jacket. She could tell, no matter how much he tried to hide it, that his teeth were chattering.

Ayri went to where the crate was. She looked inside, and was pleased to see that, sandwiched in between corroded arrows and empty waterskins, there was a flint. She summoned Link, and together, they broke down the crate into smaller once Ayri struck the flint against the pommel of her dagger, they had a fire going in no time. With the heat filling up the cavern, Ayri finally had the chance to stretch out her legs and relax.

It was...nice, she had to admit.

I feel overall that I'm getting used to writing longer chapters. I used to try to keep them shorter, because I wanted to keep up with the deadlines I wanted to give myself. But, now that I've taught myself to not rush, I hope I can raise the quality of my chapters.