"Mmm..."

Link had always been something of a light sleeper, but unlike most mornings, he was not waking up easily.

He almost felt embarrassed to open his eyes, but he knew it did not matter if he did or did not. The young woman was still on top of him, her face pushed into the side of his neck. Her skin was warm, and her body was as soft as it had been the night before. When he let his eyes move about, he saw the flash of yellow from her long hair. For a second, he confused it for sunlight.

He was almost afraid to move. He did not want to wake her up. He did not want to disturb the tranquility.

Not having anything but time, Link let his head fall back into the pillow. He allowed himself a small smile, stifling the whimper of excitement. He had been in the service of the Royal Family for a year now. But he could not have imagined this...he could not have imagined the princess summoning him to her room, or at least not for this episode of intimacy.

The princess...

The most unforgettable, the most precious woman...

Link's face twisted as reality began to set in again. The darkness gradually eased, as shapes and textures reformed themselves. He felt the cooler temperature, and knew without shifting his position that the fire was out. That was all to be expected.

Then why did he himself feel warm?

All too abruptly, he gulped. He was laying right behind Airi, his body pressed against hers. And still, that was not the worst of it. His actually had his arm around her waist.

His brain went into overdrive. Maybe he could bide his time, move away bit by bit, sit up and pretend like nothing happened. Surely she was not awake now...

"Hey, there."

No such luck.

"Ah..." Link's face flushed. Slowly and sheepishly, he took his arm off of Airi and moved backwards. She rolled over and wagged a finger, giving him a look reproachful and amused in equal measures.

"But I guess it's hard to take your mind off this." Airi gestured at herself. She did not know why she felt so playful, but the expression on Link's face was priceless. He looked as if he had swallowed a bushel of peppers all at once. His face was redder than the flags of the Yiga Clan.

Link began to take deep breaths. But he could not deny Airi's appeal. Her tan skin, jet-black hair, the dark eyes...

He scrunched up his face, willing himself to not look below her face.

"I guess you had some dreams about me, huh?"

Link opened his mouth, then closed it. He had been dreaming at night, but it was not over Airi. There had been someone else, another girl, but he did not know her name. Come to think of it, he had not seen her face in the dream, either...

"Anyway," Airi stuffled another chuckle. "We're gonna have to start moving. This trip has been a waste of time as it is."

"Well," Link shuffled over a few feet to where the Sheikah Slate was. "I actually put the Sheikah Slate on that rock...pedestal, whatever it's called." He moved back over to Airi, who had settled into a sitting position. He hit the black side of the item before holding it out to his companion and continuing to slide his finger.

"I don't have any idea what these mean. Do you?"

Airi watched as Link shifted through the runes. She pursed her lips. So the shrine had restored at least some of the Slate's powers.

"The owner of that device will come back for it."

"Really?" Link put the Slate down. "He's really going to come all the way up here for it? This plateau, I mean?" He watched as Airi shrugged.

"And you want to meet him?"

Airi paused. She could tell the whole truth. That she was a new inductee to the Yiga Clan, sworn enemy of the Hylian Champion. That the Sheikah Slate was one of the accursed artifacts wielded by the interloper, and that obtaining it would invigorate his quest to oppose the mighty Ganon. But that would not suit her at all. A Yiga clansperson was expected to maintain a certain level of distance when it came to outsiders. Knowledge had to have some kind of safeguard.

"He will want it back."

Link stepped out of the cave. Airi had told him that she needed some time to think, so he had honored her request for privacy. He stuffed the Sheikah Slate inside his jacket. and then he looked distastefully at his surroundings. By his estimate, the hail had hit the slopes of the mountain, and was then buried under another layer of snow. He took a few more steps away from the cave entrance. Getting up the mountain had been hard enough. Now they had to go all the way back down.

"So, I take it things went well?"

"Ah!" Link jumped up, nearly dropping the Sheikah Slate in the process. He turned to face the old man from the Temple of Time. The man shook his head, and the long white beard sailed through the air with it.

"Don't worry, I won't bite."

Link's eyes twitched. The man was tall and strong for someone his age, but it could not have been easy to get all the way up here...

"Did it work? Is the Sheikah Slate repaired?"

Link forced himself out of his shock. "I didn't get a chance to try it out...it has more runes, but I don't know what they do."

"Hmm. Never mind that." The old man dropped a heavy knapsack, knelt, and untied the cord. "I have something for you."

Link watched as the old man pulled out an odd-looking device. It looked like a long rod covered in red cloth, with two handles at one end. When the old man yanked the handles apart, the entire thing unfolded into a wide trapezoid. The old man turned the object in his hands, revealing a thin lattice of wood that kept the cloth spread apart.

"This, my boy," The old man continued, "is a paraglider. It is an indispensable item for those who need to escape high places. As long as you hold tightly on to it, and as long as you guide yourself correctly, you will reach solid ground safely."

Link took the paraglider from the outstretched hands of the old man. The wood were smooth and polished, and his fingers matched the grooves that had been cut into the handles. He unexpectedly found himself sharing the old man's confidence.

"Link!"

The young man turned his head. The voice was coming from the mouth of the cave. Sure enough, Airi materialized from the darkness, waving a hand.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah!" Link gestured with the paraglider as Airi moved closer toward the opening. "The old man's come up here and he gave me..."

He pivoted on his heel. Then he blinked. The old man was gone. He had vanished into thin air.

"The old man?" Airi stepped up to Link, staring at the paraglider. "He gave you that? How did he come here? How long has it been since he's been gone?"

"Just...now." Link did his best to keep his face impassive. He had seen the Bokoblins. He had been exposed to the Sheikah Slate and all the accompanying wonders. But for someone to pop in and out of his sight was just...

"Whatever." Airi checked that her kodachi, bow, and quiver were securely fastened to her body. Then she pointed. "So we're using that to get down?"

"I...I guess."

Airi nodded. She walked straight up to Link, flung her arms out, and wrapped them around his waist.

"Ah!" Link's face flushed. "What are you doing!?"

Airi smirked. He really was cute when he was flustered.

"There's two of us and only one of these."

"B-but what if it doesn't support us both?"

"We'll keep our voyage short. Don't tell me you're scared of heights."

"I-I'm not."

Feeling a little adventurous, Airi tightened her grip around Link, pulling him even closer. "Don't tell me you're too timid for a role reversal."

Link gaped, remembering what had happened in the cave. "...Let's just get started."

"Music to my ears."

Sorry, I had to make a minor tweak to Chapter 4...I meant to type "uncle" instead of "father" for Link's guardian. As for the first section of this chapter, it's something of a flash forward. I'll be filling in parts of the year gap as the story goes along.