The light padded footsteps of children's boots against the snow, the whispers of women that traveled across the wind, barely audible over the flamboyant calls of shopkeepers yelling in front of their stores. Everything echoed inside Link's eardrums as he walked through the village roads. He remained focused, doing his best to pick up anything that seemed even slightly out of the ordinary. He stopped in his tracks and closed his eyes. The sound of straw bristles of a broom scraping against the ground as snow was pushed off the porch, the chirping of afternoon birds flying overhead, and the splashing of frigid water deep inside the well as clothes were dunked into it.

With a deep breath, Link opened his eyes and looked around. It was as if everything was moving in slow motion. He looked at the kids that were playing in the snow, with snowballs practically stopping mid-flight. He looked over at Amira and Nikki, who clearly were still gossiping as they washed their clothes in the freezing well water. Up in the air the birds were slowly flapping their wings. Everything he examined, nothing felt off, and yet he couldn't shake the nagging feeling in the back of his mind.

Allowing time to flow normally, he shoved his hands in his pockets and continued down the path. Even he couldn't dilute himself into believing that the Yiga would appear in Hateno simply because he had a dream the previous night about it. He wasn't Zelda with otherworldly powers, nor did he believe the Master Sword would send him visions with such dramatic and exaggerated fears. Still, the possibility of the assassin appearing wasn't low. In fact, if there was ever a time to strike, it would be while they were stationed indefinitely in Hateno Village.

I can't let my guard down, Link thought to himself. I can't allow anything more to happen to her or anyone else.

He continued walking before stopping at the entrance to the village. He stared out into the mountain forests that were covered in a sea of snow. He pulled his sweater collar higher on his neck, trying to shield it from the winter breeze that brushed against him.

It's only been a little over a week, he continued to think. But the news spread fast about us living here. He won't come unprepared, not like last time…

Link paused, thinking back to the events that took place during the Champion's Ballad near Vah Medoh. He could vividly remember the bruises around Zelda's neck from the Yiga jumping them by surprise while he was in the illusionary realm, battling against Windblight Ganon. By the time he'd finished his trial and returned to the real world, the Yiga had already beaten Zelda down, something that filled Link with rage. Zelda was right about what she had said before; if she wasn't there to stop him, he would have most certainly killed the Yiga then and there.

Link balled his free hand into a fist.

If they hurt you, then I hurt them, he said internally. But I'll make sure they never hurt you again. You don't understand, Zelda, but I have to do this.

Regardless of his thoughts, Link didn't budge.

For now, I'll just keep watch around the perimeter of the village, he told himself as he turned back towards Hateno. We'll see how bold you are, Yiga.

...

Sitting at her desk under the stairs, Zelda placed a bottle of sparkling pink liquid down before beginning to tap through the Sheikah Slate's inventory. While her fingers were moving quickly, her mind was slow as she thought back to the mayor's words earlier that morning.

Start my own shop? She repeated. I wish. In the future that may be a possibility. If I could finalize these augmentative dishes and experiment with more potion varieties, it could most certainly be profitable and helpful for the community and others in Hyrule. However…

She tapped on the screen, where a bottle filled with a deep red powder appeared from a flash of blue light in her free hand. A string was coiled around the bottle's neck, with a tag dangling from it which read 'Goron Spice'. After staring with glassy eyes for a moment, Zelda set it down next to the first bottle. Tapping through the slate again, she pulled out multiple of each until the desk was filled with red and pink bottles. Assuring there was a pair for each bottle, she stood and stepped over to one of the crates that sat next to the desk. Taking off the lid, she pushed herself to her toes as she reached in. Grabbing a few empty bottles that were placed inside for storage, she sat back down at the desk.

'Just do your best and something will come from it', her thoughts continued. Well, it certainly doesn't feel like it. I've done my best before and look how that ended. Isn't there some sort of trick to these things?

She set the empty bottles down in a row in front of her. One by one, she took a bottle of the pink liquid and split it between the two empty bottles. Soon, all the full bottles of the pink liquid were gone, replaced by the half bottles. She did the same with the bottles of Goron Spice. Soon, there was a line of bottles in front of her filled with pink liquid and floating spice within them, with a ton of now empty bottles now sitting behind.

Still, I can't complain too much, she told herself as she took a bottle and started waving it to stir its contents. I did reject the one opportunity that would make life easier. Still… While frustrating, I believe that was the best choice.

Eventually, all the bottles were stirred and each now had a thick, bright red liquid inside. While the success would usually make Zelda smile, she couldn't help but sigh.

Fairy Spice, a mixture of Fairy Tonic and Goron Spice, she repeated to herself as she looked at all the bottles. Good for stubborn Gorons who need a quick heal for their mining injuries and don't like the sweet taste of the fairy's essence, yet, only preferable by the Gorons. The only successful creation I've had so far. I'll have to make a trip to Goron City and sell these to Bludo. I'm sure he'll love these with how much they help his back. I'll consult with Link to determine when it's a good time to go.

Zeda paused before furrowing her brow.

Link…

Trying to ignore her frustration, she took the Sheikah Slate in hand and began to tap the screen. The bottles began to shine blue before turning into strings of light. The light strings flew upwards before disappearing into the slate's screen. Despite its beauty, the light show didn't take Zelda's mind off of her boyfriend. With a sigh, she set the slate on the table before taking the new empty bottles into her arms. She carried them over to the cooking counter before reaching into the cabinet to grab a cloth to wipe them clean with. Suddenly, the front door opened.

"Well, look who it is," Zelda said without looking at the door. "Care to explain why you left me with Mayor Reede and Clavia?"

"I told you, I had a few things to do," Link said with an awkward smile. "Come on, it couldn't have been that bad."

"Link, I had to listen to Clavia talk about almost every villager for over an hour," Zelda said, turning to face him as she continued wiping a bottle down. "Stop with that act. What were you doing?"

Link frowned.

"I was out making sure everything was okay," he answered.

"What? Why?" Zelda asked. "And why leave me stuck in conversation in order to do that?"

"Because you would have tried to stop me," Link said, sitting down at the dining table.

"Well, you'd be right. I would have," Zelda admitted. "But that doesn't tell me why you thought to go out and survey the town."

Link stayed silent.

"No reason?" she asked. "Link, you told me just last night that you understood why I want you to rest."

"I do understand," Link said, bringing his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "I do, Zelda, it's just…"

"Just what?"

"I… I've been having some stressful dreams," he admitted. "Dreams about everything on my mind."

"All the more reason you need to rest," Zelda urged him. "Your thoughts are clouding your judgment!"

Link, again, didn't respond.

"Link-" she began to say, but before she could continue, suddenly the neighs of horses outside began to ring in their ears.

"I'm gonna feed Epona and then take her for a ride," Link said, standing from the table. "It's been awhile since she's been out."

"You're going to leave the village?" Zelda asked as he walked past. "But-"

"Zelda," Link said sternly, turning to face her. "I'm going for a ride. You want me to clear my head. Let me do it my way. You can't keep me locked up in here."

He turned and opened the door before adding, "I won't disappear. It's just a ride."

With that, he closed the door behind him. Zelda listened to the sound of horses neighing and the sudden canter of hooves against the snow before silence. With a defeated sigh, she moved and sat down in the dining chair Link had sat in only moments before. Defeated, she lay her head on the table and closed her eyes.

"What am I to do?" she whispered. "Urbosa… Father… What am I supposed to do here?"

...

Link bobbed on Epona as the two raced away from Hateno Village. He could feel the cold weather beating against his skin as he passed the snow-covered trees. He spurred the chestnut horse on, riding faster down the curvy mountain road. He took in a breath of air, feeling his lungs freeze as he held it in before releasing it. He missed the feeling of freedom as he rode down, and yet, something still felt wrong. He continued down the mountain, watching as the sky turned from a grayish blue to bright orange and purple. Eventually, a large decaying wall appeared in sight. Gripping the reins a bit harder, he continued under the gate and into the guardian-filled fields.

Looking around, Link pulled gently on the reins before bringing Epona to a trot. Each guardian he saw was rusted and filled with moss. Vines were creeping from their holes and cracks while many had large body parts missing. The only thing that had been added was now there was snow on top of their heads. Many of the bokoblins that usually were in the fields had been taken care of months ago when he and Zelda first arrived in Hateno Village. He trotted through the snow-covered field before stopping at a familiar spot, one that was surrounded by the most guardians.

I rested for one hundred years, he thought to himself as he stared down from the horse. While everyone else continued to fight for so long, punished for my mistakes, even after the Calamity. What gives me the right? What if something happens again if I do?

The sky above began to darken as the vibrant oranges and yellows began to fade. Link looked up to see stars beginning to appear. Suddenly, the echo of Mipha's last words to him began to ring in his head:

Please don't blame yourself. Please take care of yourself.

"How am I supposed to do that?" Link asked out loud.

Mipha's voice disappeared, only for Maz Koshia's to replace it:

She did her best to tell you to rest.

"How long before I'm just being lazy and allow something to happen?" he asked.

Finally, the most heart-wrenching voice.

You're… not mad at me, are you?

"I'm not…" he said quietly, lowering his head. "I just… I don't want to lose you. I want to come home and say that there's nothing to worry about."

Link sat quietly on Epona before pulling on the reins. He turned her around before tapping her side with his boot. She began to trot back towards the fort, and before long the two were riding through the trees once more. The moon had long risen by the time they found themselves trotting along the bridge towards the cottage they'd left earlier that evening. As Epona came to a stop, Link slid down from the saddle before guiding her back to the stable.

"Thanks for the ride," he said to the horse as she backed through the gate. He reached into his pouch before holding an apple out to her. "We'll go out again soon. I promise."

After ensuring that she was locked inside the stable house, Link went to the front of the house and slowly creaked the door open. The house was quiet and dark. Quietly he stepped inside before closing the door behind him. The jars Zelda had been cleaning had disappeared from the counter. On the table, however, was a simple dish, one that didn't seem to have any possible augmented ingredients in it.

With a frown, he looked towards the stairs before heading up. He walked towards the bed, noticing Zelda sleeping on his side near the window. The sheets, however, were messy. Link sighed.

"You said you like a neatly made bed when you prepare to sleep…" he muttered as he straightened out the blankets.

As he straightened them, he saw a glint out the corner of his eye. He looked over at the nightstand to see the Sheikah Slate sitting near the edge with its screen glistening in the moonlight. Hesitantly, Link outstretched his hand. His fingers wrapped around the handle as he brought the screen up. With a tap, it brightened showing the inventory full of bottles and ingredients. Slowly, his finger slid over before reaching the weapons screen. With a tap, and the usual flash of blue, the purple hilted sword with a blue and gold sheath appeared in his free hand.

"You're the one hinting at a trial coming up," Link said quietly to the sword. "Tell me, is it okay for me to relax?"

The sword remained silent. Link wasn't surprised.

"Is this part of the trial?" he asked, lowering his hand to hold the sword at his side. "I'm tired of not being told these sorts of things. It's really getting old. I thought you were on my side."

With another few taps of the slate, the sword vanished in a string of blue lights into its screen before he returned it to the end table. With one more glance at Zelda, he went back downstairs and sat at the table before staring at his food.

"What is the right thing to do?"