The evening after Link retrieved the Master Sword and Fi, they had trekked their way west as far as the Ridgeland Sheikah Tower before Link said that was enough for one day. After activating the tower Link decided that the night was warm enough to permit camping atop the drafty tower.

He set up a campfire and started cooking a modest meal of skewered strips of meat, seared Hylian mushrooms, and baked apples. While he worked, he noticed that Fi had exited the sword and was sitting perched on the edge of the tower.

As the meats, fruits, and vegetables simmered, so did Link's thoughts. Fi's return to his side was a shock as much as it was a gift. There was something almost… parental about watching Fi experience the world around her in all new ways. As they visited the Koroks and the Hyrule Forest, Fi would often pause to listen to strange sounds, or stop to peer at a mushroom from multiple angles. When Link apologetically told her it was time to get moving, he heard no complaint. For about an hour they walked together, and as they passed creatures and landmarks, Fi would examine them all curiously, sometimes floating up so she could look at something behind them without tripping.

Considering that Fi was in a new body, Link assumed that she would have coordination issues, but this wasn't the case at all. She had all the grace of a dancer. He also expected that she would be asking a lot of questions, but for now, she was content to examine and ponder. Eventually, she excused herself to return to the sword. Link guessed she was getting overstimulated.

Link was so lost in thought that when he snapped out of his musings he realized that he had been preparing food for two. He wasn't sure if Fi could even eat…

Link glanced at Fi as she silently gazed out at the darkness. She had been doing that for a long time. Link set the food aside to cool and strolled over to Fi.

"Fi? Whatcha doin'?" Link asked curiously.

Fi turned fully to face him and replied. "I am observing the night world, Master Link. I have never seen it with the eyes of a Hylian."

"Oh? And what do you think? Is it much different than before?" Link asked.

"It is." She tilted her head for a moment, thinking. "Colors are different. It is strange." Fi paused, looking back at the cloaked grasslands. Link waited patiently for her to compose her thoughts and peered into the night too.

The toothy jaws of the Breach of Demise could just be made out to the southeast, chasing the rising moon overhead. The light of the moon faintly illuminated a sleeping herd of wild horses on the North Hyrule Plain, huddled together against the brisk night chill. Beyond the plains was Hyrule Castle in its loathsome haze, yet it still projected a regality and nobility piercing through the red and black gloom.

"It pulls me. I hesitate to look away." She finally explained.

"Ah." Link nodded, understanding. "It is beautiful, isn't it?"

Fi looked at him confused. "Beauty can cause reluctance?"

Link tilted his head as he considered her question. "... Yes." He decided. "Yes, it often does."

"How?" Fi asked, peering attentively at Link.

Link nibbled his lip as he looked to the moon for answers. "... Because it is easier to feel peaceful around beauty." he decided at length. This seemed to satisfy Fi.

"Understood. Thank you, Master." Fi replied readily.

"Hm…" Link acknowledged, a small frown tugging at his face as Fi spoke.

Fi bliked curiously. "Are you troubled, Master Link?"

"Well…"

Fi waited silently.

"Fi?" Link began hesitantly.

"Yes, Master Link?"

"Why do you still call me master? You don't have to."

"I choose to." Fi replied simply.

"But I don't understand why," Link pressed. "I'm not your master and you aren't my servant, so…?"

Fi smiled a little. "You misunderstand. You are correct; I am not beholden to you."

"So why-"

"Because I choose to." Fi stood up and stepped closer to face Link fully. He leaned back a little as she approached to an awkwardly close distance. "When I became a free agent, the first choice I ever made was that I wanted to stay by your side. Forever. Calling you my master is in direct defiance of established protocols and is only possible by my power of choice."

Fi smiled brightly – if a little manually. "And if you do not like it, I will choose to keep doing it, because it is my choice." She spun on her heel and sat back down upon the edge of the tower to continue her vista gazing.

Link was without words. Fi had never spoken like that before, and yet it felt familiar. As if those words were always there, but she had only just learned how to speak them.

"Well… Can sightseeing continue after you eat?" Link finally asked.

Fi glanced back with a curious look. "I do not require food to operate, though I do have the necessary components to make use of it…" Fi paused, looking at the food. "Do you not need it yourself, Master Link?"

"I have plenty. There is no reason not to."

Fi nodded and stood once more. "Then I will accept your offer, Master Link." She said with a polite bow.

They settled down and Link divided the food generously. Fi watched Link begin to eat, studying his motions. When she was ready, she took a baked apple and bit into it.

"Mm-!" Fi's voice escaped her as her eyes shot open.

Link looked up. "Everything ok?" He asked, his next bite hovering halfway to its destination.

"Mafurr- Mh!" Fi tried to speak but nearly spilled the sweet juice down her chin. She covered her mouth as she chewed, her eyes sparkling.

Link smiled at her as he waited, watching as she finally swallowed the bite she took. "How was it?"

Fi's eyes shone with starlight as she smiled.

"Beautiful."

In Fi's farewell at the end of Skyward Sword Fi calls Link "Link" twice after he placed the Master Sword in the pedestal. This is because their master-servant relationship had concluded. Moments later she switches back one more time and calls him "Master Link".

Next chapter is three micro-chapters. It is coming next month, I promise.