Author's note: I first started writing this story four years ago in 2020 during the Pandemic. It was a casual passion project when going through a big BOTW hyperfixation (as the kids call it). Since then, I've maintained BOTW as one of my favorite games (though it's been quite a long time since I've played it), and I've enjoyed reading comments from the various sites I've posted this on that have trickled in over the years. I've been inspired to read back through this whole thing and return to it.

Enjoy!

...

In the months since Link had pulled himself out of the Shrine of Resurrection, he hadn't taken the time to notice all of the small freckles that made the face of Hyrule so very beautiful. The restless crickets that dotted the fields between Kakariko Village and Zora's Domain had only ever been vaguely noted as a possible resource that could further propel the mission that had consumed his remembered lifetime; now, they were the source of his focus as he and Paya rode on. Small creatures with wings that captured the sun that hung above their heads. He tried to envision how many there were. Surely, he thought, hundreds of thousands hidden beneath the blades of grass.

He became so lost in thought that he nearly forgot about the Sheikah who accompanied him. Paya, much like him, seemed to be lost in a sort of wonder at the landscape around her. Such amazement was noted by Link after a brief glance back at her. The look in her eyes, of pure awe, brought Link out of his entomological pondering. He recalled her comments about never having left Kakariko Village. He wondered what that must be like; to have only ever seen a corner of a tapestry so beautiful.

But in some ways, he understood it himself. Although Link had trudged through a great deal of Hyrule, he had been doing so with such vigorous anxiety that it was as though he hadn't truly seen that which had been in right in front of him. He wondered if his eyes shone like her's.

"We'll come to Wetland Stable soon enough here," he commented, gazing down at his Sheikah Slate. "If you're hungry, we can stop and eat." It was around midday, and although he wasn't used to stopping routinely, his recent neglect of eating had resulted in a deep hunger burning in his stomach. Besides, she was probably used to a schedule, and he wouldn't be so irresponsible as to starve his company.

"Oh?" Paya's eyes retracted from the landscape. "That might be nice…" a thought seemed to pass through her mind. "Do we have… a way of paying for it?" A sudden anxious air flooded her face. "I don't have any money. I've never really… Grandmother said that outside of Kakariko, you have to pay for most everything!" Her eyes widened at the new realization. "Oh, how did I not think of that?" She shook her head, chastising herself.

"I have money," Link dismissed with a frown. "You don't have to worry about that?" He was confused at the very proposition.

"Well, I…" Paya's eyebrows sunk down. "I didn't think any of this through too much… To be honest with you, I don't know how much of the world works at all!" A sort of forlorn look crossed her eyes.

"We can turn back," Link offered instinctively. "If you've changed your mind." His eyes trained on the road ahead. A sort of ache crept into his jaw. He hadn't realized it was clenched.

"I haven't!" Paya dismissed, panic once more creeping into her voice. "I haven't at all. I'm… I'm so pleased to be able to accompany you, Master Link!"

A visible grimace trembled through Link's body at the title.

"I just… I worry that I might become a burden… that's all," Paya shuddered in the warm Central Hyrule air. "I don't have any practical skills, not really. I can't… hunt or fish or…"

"I can," said Link. His calloused hands clutched onto the reigns. "I've kept myself alive for long enough. And now that Ganon is gone, I doubt there will be as many difficulties." Despite the statement of security, Link's instincts hadn't adjusted entirely to the idea. A sharp gust of wind still propelled him to clutch his sword every once in a while. Even when contemplating crickets, he made sure to occasionally scope their surroundings. But Paya had no reason to worry. "And if you want-" Link offered, casting a soft smile in her direction. "I can show you how to fish and hunt… Or perhaps scavenge." The more he thought about it, Paya didn't seem like the type to enjoy firing an arrow at an animal.

"Scavenge?" Paya replied curiously.

"Scavenge," Link nodded. "Like… Looking for mushrooms and insects and whatnot." He looked ahead of himself impatiently. There was no reason to care about when they got to the stable, but it bothered him that they were moving slowly. The feeling of being in a vicious rush had taken shelter in his bones. Restless panic had permeated his very existence.

"I could do that," Paya agreed, though a persistent hesitation colored her tone. "If you show me how, of course… and anything else you think that would be useful- I'll learn." Her pure hesitation was interrupted with a declaration of determination. Link looked over at her curiously. "I might not have a lot of experience with much at all," she reasoned. "But I don't intend to live the entirety of my life so passively! I can learn to hunt, and fish, and anything else. Anything that'll help you."

Link couldn't help but smile at the uncharacteristic determination that had entered her tone. With Paya, he was typically concerned over her trepidations and panic. At other times, he was intrigued by her delicacy and kindness. But this new sort of desire to learn and grow past the confines of Kakariko Village took him by surprise.

"Well, the next time we have the chance, I can get you your own bow," he offered the Sheikah girl. "And I'll show you how to use it. For hunting and whatever else."

"That would be so… cool!" Paya's face lit up entirely at the idea. Her white hair was pulled to the side by a gust of wind, revealing all of her beaming face. "I've always thought they looked cool! Some of the guards in the village carry one… but I never thought that I could use one myself! It isn't very hard, then?"

"Not particularly," said Link with a small smile. "If your arms aren't particularly strong, it'll take some getting used to… but no, it's quite simple. I picked it up real quick."

He frowned at his own comment. Had his quick adaptation to the bow been the result of 100 year old muscle memory? That seemed to be the most plausible, but it was also unsettling. Despite his curiosities, Link felt that for all intensive purposes, he came into the world 11 months ago. It was as though he was born from the darkness fully grown with some faculties, but no preexisting self. Everything else just felt like shadows. Taunts. It was another life altogether.

"Well, you'll have to show me," Paya agreed. Her own pleasant mood was enough to subside his overthinking. "I'm familiar with some amount of medicine. How to make basic elixirs… Although, all of my supplies have always come from the village. I've never looked for my own!"

"That'll be helpful," Link replied genuinely. This was the longest conversation he'd had in a while. And unlike some of the other ones he had had, this one put him at ease. It felt natural to speak, instead of obligatory or necessary. "You have no idea how many I've messed up. I have plenty of stuff in my bag- you can take a look when we stop."

"I will," Paya replied. She too was now calm. She looked nice when she was calm, Link thought. For a moment, it occured to Link that she resembled the moon that he'd allowed himself to look up at from time to time. Delicate and serene. A sort of warmth crept into his ears.

"There it is-" Link said, gesturing up in front of them. In the distance was Wetland Stable. "We'll board up the horses, and see what we can do for food." He paused. "And if you get tired at all, let me know. We can rest."

"I'm not tired," Paya shook her head quickly. "...Look! The roof is in the shape of a horse, isn't that cute?" She gazed up at the building as they neared it with a growing smile on her face.

Link followed her glance and nodded. Cute. He couldn't help but smile too.

As the pair drew nearer, the pleasant sound of an accordion began to flood the air. Kass stood at the front of the building, letting a charming melody rush forth from his instrument.

"What's that!?" He heard Paya gasp. "Is that… One of those…?"

"Rito," said Link, bemused by her reaction. "They live up in the Northwest."

"Well, I've heard of them, and seen illustrations… But they're quite big in real life, aren't they?" Paya's bronze eyes widened in a sort of wonder. "Can they truly fly like other birds?"

"Yes," Link affirmed. The two drew near, and Link crossed in front of the young Hylian man at the countertop. "Can we board here for an hour or so? The horses need a quick rest."

"Certainly!" the innkeeper affirmed, and Link disembarked from his mare. He sat a green rupee on the counter in appreciation, before turning back to Paya. He approached her swiftly and held out a hand. Though a reddish hue flooded her face without fail, she took his hand and carefully climbed off her ride.

"Thanks," she peeped, and Link nodded.

"You're welcome- look, there's a fire," he commented, gesturing towards a smoldering flame to their right. As employees from the stable took the two horses from the pair, Link trudged over to the pot.

"The Hylia River runs just behind here," he said, glancing back at his companion. "I only have radishes and rice in my bag right now… You could rest here for a moment while I go get a few fish?"

Paya glanced about herself before returning her gaze to Link and shaking her head. "No, no, why don't… why don't I go with you?" She proposed. She smiled at him. Link returned the gesture and nodded.

"That might be a good idea. I can show you how I do it," he continued on, crossing behind the back boundary of the stable and nearing the water's edge.

"I use a spear," he explained, tossing his bag over his shoulder and fishing out the weapon. He still didn't entirely understand the work of the tree creature on his knapsack, but it was convenient. "Here-" he took a second from the bag and held it up to her. He stripped off his shoes and tossed them to the side.

"Is the bag enchanted?" She asked, looking at it curiously. He nodded.

"And so I stand here-" he took a step out onto a larger flat stone, giving him a wider range of access to the water. He took the spear and held it at an angle. His eyes focused on the glistening stream. "...and wait." Paya looked at him with great curiosity, but joined him on an adjacent stone.

The Hylia River was home to a plethora of fish, and so it wasn't long before a few Hylian Bass passed by the pair. Link steaded his spear and lunged forward, efficiently lodging the blade within the stomach of one of them. He retracted it as the other fish quickly swam away.

"Like that," he commented, taking his spear and pulling the fish off of it. Paya beamed at Link, before clapping gleefully at his catch.

"Good job!" She chirped. Pure adoration filled her eyes, as if he had done something truly magnificent. A sort of redness entered his ears, and he looked away swiftly.

"It's really not so hard. Why don't you try with the next one?" He offered. A sort of fluttering echoed through his chest. She seemed impressed by him. Not intimidated, but truly impressed. His stomach turned.

"Okay," Paya agreed, positioning her spear the way he had. The pair waited a while longer… before another flock passed by.

"Wait until it's really-" Link started to explain

Paya plunged her spear into the water, but her lack of agility resulted in the fish merely scattering. She scowled. "Oh, I've spoiled it!" She let out a frustrated huff.

"It's only your first time," Link chided. He managed a smile over at her. "You just need to be a bit faster. Don't worry about it. I just wanted you to see how it works. We can just eat-"

"Can I try again?" Paya insisted. The air of resolution returned and sat in her scrunched brow. "Let me have another shot at it." She moved the spear into position again and narrowed her eyes at the water. Link didn't prohibit her, and merely watched with a sort of curiosity. He hadn't expected her to want to fish at all, let alone be so set on accomplishing it.

After a few minutes trickled by, a larger school passed down through the current.

"Wait until it's closer," Link advised, narrowing his eyes at the fish.

Paya gripped the spear with great determination. She hovered over the body of water… before thrusting down the spear once more.

Whether or not Paya struck a fish was unclear, as her boot caught the slick coat of water on the stone she was standing on, and the young Sheikah plummeted down into the water herself. The river enveloped her body, and within half a second, she was entirely underwater.

Link's instincts were perfectly tuned for surprises like this. He dove into the water himself without hesitation. Opening his eyes, he spotted the young woman struggling against the weight of water that surrounded her. He thrust himself forward towards her, attempting to take hold of her waist. She struggled violently under the current, yelling mutely under the tides. Her vicious thrashing made the task more difficult, but Link managed to grab ahold of her arm with an iron grip, before propelling the pair of them upwards.

Paya attempted to scream again, but the water that had so quickly entered her mouth resulted in a brutal set of coughs and gags sputtering out of her mouth as the two returned above the water.

"Settle down!" Link urged, doing his best to hold her up. "Stop fighting, Paya! Relax!" He kicked towards the water's edge and took hold of a stone with his other hand. Paya continued to cough violently, her entire body trembling. "Here-" he pulled her with him, forcing her to take hold of the stone. "Shh- Paya-" he began to pat her back, forcing the water she'd swallowed and choked on out. His face was terribly pale. "Paya, come on-" he managed to pull himself onto the rock. The currents combined with the imbalance of having to hold her arm made it difficult, but he managed. "Take hold of my arms!" He grasped her other arm and pulled her up with himself.

Paya whimpered as she fell onto Link on the rock. "I can't swim!" She managed shamefully, shaking her head back and forth.

"I know," Link said, staring at her with great concern. He pushed the wet hair that had stuck to her face away. "Just… Calm down. Try and calm down?" He held onto her as she shuddered against him.

"I'm so stupid, I didn't mean to- I was just trying to help-" a miserable sort of ramble trembled out of her lips between coughs. "I've already made everything harder for you…"

Link scowled at the accusation against herself. "No, you haven't," he insisted. "I don't…" he paused, then. His head began to burn once more, as he was unfortunately growing accustomed to. It felt like lead was filling the crevices of his skull. His own body, relatively unstrained, felt as though its strength was being blown away in the wind that brisked past the two. "Paya, I…" he grimaced, putting a hand to his head. A rush of depletion curled throughout his limbs. He didn't have time for this. He tried to stand up slowly, holding onto his companion. Maybe if he walked around, he could force the crumbling feeling away.

"Are you okay, Link?" Paya peeped, noticing the pained look that had formed on his face. "Link? Did I hurt you?"

He shook his burning head. He tried to identify his knapsack, but his vision had quickly blurred. Stars erupted from the sides of his eyes and danced about the hazy view he now had of the world.

"Damn…" he hissed uncharacteristically. Then, his balance shifted. He felt himself slump back onto the side of the river bed. He couldn't stop it. He was so very weak. He could hardly interpret the last of Paya's cries of panic before his head met the grass.

The first thing that Link noticed when he returned to consciousness was a weird, wet feeling on his eyelids. The next was a feeling of warmth that coated his entire frame, despite the familiar uncomfortable feeling of sleeping on uneven ground.

He wasn't immediately motivated to move at all. Besides, his head still held a dull ache, and he wasn't entirely sure that there was any real benefit to extracting himself from whatever comfortable fiber encased his body. Had it not been his memory slowly returning to him, he might've spent the rest of his days curled up on the ground. But when the thought of Paya melted into his mind, he was propelled up and out of his dreamlike state. He dug out his arm from underneath the blanket and touched a hand to his face. He pulled off whatever had been placed on his face and rubbed at his eyes. Squinting down at what he had removed, he identified them as leaves. Leaves coated in some kind of oil. He turned about, looking to quickly identify where he was. The same place he had collapsed, evidently, but now resting under a thick fleece blanket that has been tucked around him. On the ground, a folded cloak that had been placed under his head. He could still hear the currents.

"Link?" He heard. He glanced behind himself, and there sat Paya upon a stump nearby. She stood up slowly, as if a sudden motion might throw him into a sort of panic.

She was now changed into a dark green dress and cloak. Her second change of clothes. Her hair was loose, sitting around her shoulders gently.

"Paya," Link said. His voice was rough. He cleared his throat and gazed up at the sky. Night. "How long was I…?"

"Only about… it's about 11 now, I think," she admitted sheepishly.

He grimaced. Half a day. He'd been sleeping, neglecting his duty and companion for half a day. "You could've woken me up," he muttered. He pulled himself up to his feet slowly. He was still slightly dizzy. "Have you eaten?" That had been the whole point of stopping.

"The innkeeper gave me chicken and soup," she said sheepishly. "And the blanket. He said when you woke up, you could pay him. I'm sorry."

"Why are you-?" Link shook his head. A twinge of annoyance flooded through his limbs. Anger at himself for his pitiful state. "Don't be sorry. You can-" he gestured to his bag. "Anytime you need anything at all, Paya, you can take it. Money included."

"I would never-"

"Please do," he insisted. "I can't… I don't know what's wrong with me. I really don't, but I can't have you… If this happens again, please just…"

"I will," Paya affirmed swiftly. She was trying to shut him up, he figured. He let out a soft sigh.

Looking up, he was met with the moonlight. A crescent that hung in the sky like a magnificent marionette puppet. He wondered why it was different shapes on different nights. Slivers or circles or absent altogether. That was certainly something Zelda knew.

"Orion's out," commented Paya, following his gaze up.

"Who?" Link asked, crinkling his nose and facing her. Her hair blew back slightly in the wind. It looked like velvet.

"There-" she pointed up at the sky, away from the moon. "Do you see those three stars in a line?" Her finger traced a portion of the sky far off. Link squinted up.

"...Yeah," he said after a moment, recognizing the pattern. "And you said that's…?"

"That's his belt," Paya explained. She smiled up at the stars. "Now look to the left of that. Do you see that? That's his shield! And you can see his legs and head and other arm, too. He's holding a club. He's called 'Orion'."

Link had never once thought to look for shapes in the sky. The few times he'd allowed himself to gaze up in adoration of the stars, it had only been for a brief second. Guilt and duty would always pull him back to reality. But looking up with Paya, he slowly identified the man she spoke of, hidden in the stars.

"He's got a dagger too, huh?" He narrowed his eyes up. "On his belt?"

"It kind of looks like it!" Paya agreed pleasantly. "He's a proper warrior, like you!" She turned to face him once more, smiling.

Link didn't return her gaze, and instead focused up. Orion. A man perpetually ready to fight, held in position. Orion had a permanent duty, it seemed. Always at war over something or the other. Holding a club and grasping a shield. He wondered if the man in the stars was ever tired of it. If he ever wanted to set down the shield and gaze at the other twinkling lights around himself. Or maybe Link was overthinking tthe cluster of lights.

"Mm… why don't we go into the stable and get proper beds?" Link suggested, forcing himself to look down. "So you might sleep. It isn't safe to travel at night, anyways," he reasoned. His concern was only part of his reasoning. In truth, he still felt entirely fatigued.

Paya met the suggestion with a nod. "That might be nice," she obliged delicately. She took hold of his nearby bag and offered it to him. Link flung it over his shoulder, retrieved the blanket, and slowly began to approach the stable. His limbs ached.

Lawdon, the secondary innkeeper, stood lazily at the counter, seemingly exhausted himself.

"How many I help'ya, sir?" He asked in a sort of murmur, eyeing the two. He straighted up.

"We're hoping to stay for the night-" there were a few empty beds Link had already identified. "And she got some food and a blanket earlier that I need to pay for." He dug into his bag and fetched his clutch of rupees.

"Soft or regular?"

"Soft," Link replied. Paya would be horrified if he slept in a lesser bed than she, he assumed.

"Mm… Let's call it 55 for the bed'n'food'blanket," the sleepy innkeeper sighed. He gestured with his hand for the payment.

Link frowned. "I thought a soft was 40?" He asked. He dug into his rupees and began to pull out the necessary payment hesitantly.

"Yeah, and 15 for the rest," the innkeeper yawned.

"Well it-" Link blinked. "Two beds. Two beds, sir."

Lawdon frowned. "Oh, I just figured you'd share with your wife…"

Though she stood behind him and outside of his vision, Link could sense the burning red film that had surely covered Paya's face.

"Two," he repeated simply. He laid out 95 rupees on the counter and turned. "Thanks."

As expected, Paya was so baffled by the proposition that she had hidden her face behind her hands altogether. Link smiled loosely at the response.

"Come on, Paya," he urged, touching a hand to her arm. In the left side corner was a handful of empty beds. "I'll take the one closest to the entrance, and you can do that one." He gestured towards the one next to it.

"Okay!" Paya peeped, embarrassedly approaching the bed, doing her best to avoid glancing in his direction at all. She stripped off her shoes, before quickly disappearing under the covers. Link couldn't help but smile at her response.

His own clothes hadn't been changed since his quick dip in the Hylian River, but with the way his bones ached, he didn't much care. Instead, he kicked off his shoes, hid their bags under the bed, and crawled into bed.

"Goodnight, Paya. Sleep well," he said quietly, staring up at the wooden ceiling of the stable. He could hardly hear her muffled response.

...

Author note:

Thank you once again for reading! To be completely honest, I don't have a large overreaching plot planned for this story. Rather, I want to approach it as a character deep dive into Link (and Paya, of course) and how I imagine the story of BOTW continuing post the end of the game (again, ignoring TOTK). A lot of it will be mundane, but I do have some big ideas. But just as an FYI, this might be different than other fanfictions that seek to follow a traditional storyline setup.

Also, I don't plan on being 100% true to the game when it comes to some details. While I plan to reference it heavily in certain ways (ie: species of plants/insects/etc), I'm not going to be too strict about travel times and other various canonical things (ie: I plan on changing/adding side quests that aren't present within the game). In general, I plan to prioritize a cohesive story over canonical features of the video game.

I thoroughly appreciate any comments and feedback! Suggestions would be very much so appreciated, along with any critique. (灬º‿º灬)