You stretched your arms over your head as you followed behind Link. An entire week had passed since completing the previous shrine. Your legs were tired from walking a lot, and you needed to rest, but you didn't speak up about your weary feeling. It was a rather cold day —with you two being close to the snowy mountains— but the scenery around you was lovely. The skies were painted with a light blue colour, and down on earth, you were filled with so much beautiful green that came from nature.
"It's a pretty day today," you said softly, eyes looking around you before meeting Link's. He looked up at you for a few seconds before taking in the landscape he was missing out on, due to being focused on the Sheikah Slate. He sighed out, admiring the beauty that was nature.
"It really is... sucks we have to spend the day searching for this shrine," Link muttered, with a slightly annoyed tone. No doubt the previous days had been rather stressful since the last shrine was not at all easy to get to. Both of you had to travel through some snowy parts of land, but the cold nearly froze the two of you to death. In order to not trudge through the cold areas, Link decided it would be best to find a long way around, even though he figured the last shrine would be deep within the cold mountains.
You sighed out, agreeing with his words before rubbing your neck. "Maybe we can take a day off?" You asked, your voice getting a bit high pitch with the last word. You didn't know if he would be up to it. After all, he /needed/ to get the paraglider from the Old Man and if you delayed him from that... well, you wouldn't be doing your part of helping him. "Actually, nevermind. We should probably get to the last shrine as soon as possible."
Link perked up at the words 'day off'. He liked the idea, but when you changed your mind he pouted. "Why did you get me excited? A day off sounds amazing," he groaned. He put his Sheikah Slate away before resting his hands on his hips. "I say we enjoy today at least. We can simply continue our way to the next shrine tomorrow morning."
You rose an eyebrow at his words and then hesitated for a few moments. "Are you sure? I mean I agree, but don't you want to get to the last shrine?"
"I do, but we deserve to rest, don't you think?" Link reasoned, doing his best to persuade you. In hopes of getting you to agree he pouted and made his lips quiver while he put on his best puppy dog eyes. Now, this was a look you couldn't resist at all. You sighed out, and that served as your response.
"Yes!" Link said, raising his fist in the air with a content grin. "Okay, I am going to go take a nap cause I'm tired." He then skipped over to a large tree that provided a wide area of shade. He began to set his things on the grass before coming down onto the ground. He crossed his legs and brought his hands up and under his neck, which made his rest more comfortable. His eyes fluttered close, and pretty soon you assumed he was asleep.
"How does he sleep so quickly?" You asked yourself with a quiet chuckle. You went over to him quietly and started to put your satchel and weapons on his as well. A nap sounded delightful to you, but you felt like using this relaxation time on something else. You hummed, your eyes scanning the area before landing on a bed of flowers that didn't lay that far. A smile tugged your lips, and you slowly went over to them.
An idea popped into your head, so you started to collect many of the colourful flowers. Once you had enough, you went back to where Link was and sat across from him. You looked at his resting state, smiling when you heard his soft breathing. He really did look peaceful, so you did your best on not disturbing that peacefulness by remaining quiet.
You crossed your legs and laid the many flowers on the ground. The thought of making a flower crown came into your mind, so you occupied yourself with that. You weren't sure how'd it turn out since you had never done one before, but you enjoyed yourself nonetheless. As your fingers began twisting around the stem of the flowers, you heard a weird rumbling sound. You rose an eyebrow and looked up, seeing Link rub his stomach.
"Don't tell me you're hungry," you said, bringing your half-finished flower crown down on your lap. "Cause we seriously ate like an hour ago."
Link, who was half awake, chuckled a bit. His eyes remained close as he patted his belly. "My stomach wants more food though."
You face palmed yourself and sighed out. "I swear Link... are you never full?" You asked rhetorically. Either way, you stretched out to grab your satchel. Once you had it in your grasp you brought it close to you and opened it, checking to see if you had any ingredients to make him something. "Well, you're going to have wait because I don't have anything to give you."
Link whined a bit before opening his eyes to look at you. "But I saw you stash fruit and mushrooms in your satchel yesterday."
"I did. Those are for an emergency."
"And this isn't an emergency?"
"No."
He groaned, his lips now forming a pout. You quickly covered your eyes with your hand, snickering a bit from the action. "I'm not falling for that," you said, knowing that his signature puppy dog eyes followed. You peaked a bit through your fingers and indeed you saw him looking at you with big puppy eyes.
"(Y/n)," Link whined. You could hear him scoot closer and when you peaked once again you saw his hand reach for the satchel. You quickly moved it away with a 'tsk tsk' sound coming from you. You put the satchel behind you before turning to face him once again. His lips were quivering, but you knew he only did this to make you feel bad.
"Link, there are some apples over there," you said, pointing to an apple tree that was just a few feet away. "Why don't you go get them? Hmm? Surely they'll satisfy you."
Link turned his head, looking to where the apple tree was. He could do that, but he knew he could persuade you in making him some simmered fruit or a mushroom skewer instead. He put on his pouty face again and looked at you. "But I want your food," he stated. You huffed out, staring into his sky blue eyes before looking away. You knew this was an argument you wouldn't win. In fact, you rarely won when it came to him and food.
"Fine," you muttered. When you looked back at him, there was a grin on his lips. You sent him a playful glare before preparing everything. "One day I won't be swayed by your pleading looks and my no will mean no. And when that happens you're going to have to feed yourself."
"Hmm, yeah. /One/ day. Luckily that's not today," Link said with a tiny smirk.
You rolled your eyes at his words before making the fire. Once it turned on successfully, you started to bring the fruits out. Just the sight of them made Link lick his lips in anticipation. You snorted at how he looked at the food. He stared at it like it was the last thing on earth. "I think you love food a /bit/ too much," you commented before turning your attention back to what you were cooking.
"Is that a bad thing? I mean, what's not to love?" He asked with a tilt of his head. "Food is delicious, therefore I love it."
You laughed at his words. "It's not bad, just funny," you answered. Your eyes then went back to the fruit that was cooking. It looked good, but you felt like adding something else to make it a bit different. You hummed in thought and then grabbed your satchel. After searching through it for a few seconds, you found what you were looking for. Spicy peppers. /This'll add a different taste for sure,/ you thought.
After mixing the peppers in with the fruit you waited for them to simmer for a while before placing them on your shield. You made a mental note to find something better to act as your guys' plate. Link clapped when he saw the fruit, though he noticed there was something different from it.
"Did you add something new to it?" He asked, picking up a piece of fruit that was mixed with the spicy peppers.
"Yes. Hopefully, it's good," you answered, grabbing a piece as well. When the fruit entered your mouth you immediately tasted the juicy spices. It was hot, and the spiciness kicked in pretty quickly, but it was delicious nonetheless. Link, on the other hand, wasn't expecting a spicy kick when he ate the fruit.
"Ah! It burns!" He said out loud once he swallowed the food. He opened his mouth and began to fan it with his hands. His actions made you crack up as you continued stuffing more of the spicy simmered fruit into your mouth.
"Oh hush, it isn't that spicy," you said, swallowing the food nonchalantly.
"Yes, it is," Link replied, although he continued eating the food even when his cheeks were getting a bit red.
"If it's so spicy, why are you still eating it then?" You asked with a snicker.
"Because it's still really good," he muttered. Link didn't stop shoving the food in his mouth, despite the growing heat he was feeling due to the spice. It was a new flavour that coated his tongue, but being the glutton he was... well he simply couldn't pass up the opportunity of trying something different. Seeing that he was still eating frantically, you decided to leave the rest to him.
It didn't take long for Link to finish it all, and when he did he patted his stomach in a satisfied manner. He hummed out contently, the burning red on his cheeks now slowly going away. You shook your head with a smile before putting everything away.
"I assume you're no longer hungry?" You asked while putting the shield on your back.
"Well, I could eat more if I wanted to, but I'm pretty satisfied at the moment," he answered. You nodded at his words and then grabbed the flower crown you still needed to finish. Link watched you for a few moments before pressing his back against the tree bark he was against gently. He yawned a bit since the food made him rather drowsy. Your eyes flickered up to look at him.
"Get some shut-eye if you want," you told him.
"Yeah. I think I'll do that," he said, not at all against the idea of sleeping. He curled up a tiny bit, taking one last look at you before closing his eyes. His arms wrapped around himself, and you figured it was to keep himself warm in some way. Soon enough, you heard light snoring. You smiled and then went back to your flower crown making.
•••
The next day started pretty early. The two of you woke up naturally before the break of dawn and having rested well the previous day, you felt filled with energy. The air was cold, and you could see your breath each time you breathed out. This made Link say you were a dragon of a sort which of course made you laugh. Once you had both gathered everything from the ground you continued your way towards the last shrine.
"We're going to have to go through the snow at some point," Link said as he studied the map and where the point —that represented the shrine— was placed. "Do you have wood?"
"I think so, why?" You asked, your eyes looking down at your satchel to make sure.
"Just wanted to know," he answered. You nodded after making sure you had pieces of wood stashed away in your satchel. You put your arms behind you and began fumbling with your fingers. Little by little, the sky began to lighten. Sunrise was an alluring sight, and you were pretty happy you had woken up early to witness it. Although you followed Link, your eyes remained on the pink and yellow heavens.
"So, how far away is the shrine?" You asked Link as you made your way to his side.
"A few miles away. We'll probably get there a little past noon," he told you. "But I don't want to last too long in the cold area."
"Hmm, okay," you said with a nod of your head. You looked ahead, only catching sight of trees and little parts of meadows. Since it was still early, there was barely any wildlife around you. Link remained focused on his slate, though he felt a tiny rumble going on in his stomach. He pushed away the feeling before looking up.
"There's a campfire up ahead," he said softly as he cocked an eyebrow. He put his Sheikah Slate away before slowly walking towards the fire. You followed but stopped dead on your tracks when you heard annoying pig-like noises. Link eventually heard it too, and when he did he frowned.
"Stay here," he told you as he pulled out his sword. You scoffed at his words and shook your head.
"No way," you protested. Without a thought, you grabbed your sword and slowly started to make your way towards the campfire. Link sighed before grabbing your arm. He tugged you back and placed you behind a tree.
"It's my turn to deal with the Bokoblins," He said to you.
"What?" You asked, not understanding what he meant at all.
"You said last week that the next time we came across a group of Bokoblins you'd let me take care of them," Link said to you. "Remember?"
You crossed your arms in a childish manner when you did, in fact, remember what you had said. "I take it back. What if you need help? Or get hurt, hmm?" You told him. It's not that you didn't trust he could kill the Bokoblins off alone, he was the hero after all. But you had never seen him fight before. And even if he had the experience, that was one hundred years ago. -What if he accidentally hurts himself?/
Link snickered to himself. "You can't take it back," he stated. "(Y/n) I'm pretty sure I won't need help. It's just a couple of boko's. Besides, I have to show how amazing I am." He wiggled his eyebrows when he finished speaking, which made you roll your eyes.
"Fine, but if I see you—," you were cut off by Link when he put a finger on your lips. He basically shushed you. You frowned and moved his finger away.
"Excuse me? Who gave you the right to—," you started to say until he clasped his hand over your mouth. He brought his finger to his lips before nodding his head towards the Bokoblins. You rose an eyebrow and slowly peeked from behind the tree, noticing one Boko that stood on a small watchtower. The creature was looking towards the tree you were behind. It hadn't seen you yet, but it /had/ heard you. You squinted your eyes, noticing something in its hand.
"It has a bow," Link whispered very quietly to you. You nodded your head, seeing at least two other watchtowers, though they were empty. In the center, where the campfire laid, was a group of Bokoblins that were laying on the ground. You guessed they were sleeping since the sun hadn't fully risen.
"If it sees you it'll start shooting you. Then that'll alert the others," you whispered back to him.
"So how do I kill it without alerting the sleeping ones?" Link asked himself quietly. You started to think of a plan, and when one came to your mind you turned to look at him.
"Simple. Just wait for it to forget it heard us. Once it turns around, quietly make your way to the watchtower and climb it," you began to whisper. "When you're on top kill it without making any noise and poof, problem solved."
Link blinked a bit before talking again. "And what about the other Boko's?"
"Just use one of the bomb runes."
"Where's the fun in that?" He asked with a quiet chuckle.
You looked at him with a serious look. "It isn't meant to be fun."
Link simply dismissed your words. He poked his head out to the side, checking to see if the Bokoblin was still looking towards your guys' direction. When he saw that it no longer was he grinned and fixated his handle on the sword. "Be right back," he said as he crouched down. He slowly made his way towards the tower, though he would duck behind some bushes if the Boko turned to look at what was making noise.
"He has no stealth whatsoever," you muttered silently to yourself. You moved your eyes towards the Bokoblin, who turned his back once he lost interest. Link saw this as his opportunity and started to make his way up the tower. You cringed the moment you heard the wood creak as he climbed. You immediately assumed he blew his cover, but to your surprise, the Boko remained completely unaware. You watched as Link successfully reached the top of the tower and right before the creature had time to process what was going on he brought his sword up to his throat and slit it.
The boko disappeared in a puff a smoke, which made you sigh out in relief. Link then collected the bow and arrows it had dropped. You now waited for him to use bomb rune to kill off the sleeping Bokoblin's, but you weren't surprised when he did the opposite of that. You face palmed yourself when he hopped off the watchtower instead. The sound of him landing on the ground caused the monsters to stir awake and it made you look up.
You grabbed your sword quickly, getting ready to help him if he needed it, but instead your mouth hung open when Link sprung into action. In swift movements he was piercing his sword through the boko's chest and skulls. He would let out a few grunts as he swung his sword, but he didn't seem to need any help. At all. You watched, amazed with how well he blocked any attack, and dodged every weapon coming at him. He didn't seem to have a plan of attack or dodging for that matter. It was all random and unpredictable, which worked well for him.
Link eventually stabbed the last Bokoblin through its heart, causing it to die in a puff of smoke. He was breathing a bit heavily, but he pulled himself together pretty quickly. He turned to look at you, catching sight of your priceless facial expression, which made him chuckle to himself. He then started walking towards you and there was a smug little look on his face.
"I know, I'm amazing," he told you playfully while waving his hand. You shook away your surprised look before rolling your eyes with a tiny scoff. You couldn't make an argument against that though because it was entirely true.
"You really are. Your swordsmanship is just," you admitted before searching for a word that could describe how well he used his sword. "I can't even explain. Just wow." That's all you could really say.
Link laughed softly. "You're just as good (Y/n)," he told you in a complimentary manner. You smiled at his words. It felt nice to be told that, although you highly doubted your skills matched his.
"Doubt it," you said, your eyes now rising up to see the blue sky. "We should get going."
Link followed your gaze before nodding. He pulled his Sheikah Slate out and started the walk towards the last shrine. You went by his side, though you took notice of the bow and quiver full of arrows he now had with him.
"Do you even know how to use a bow and arrow?" You asked as you both walked. You knew the answer, but you questioned it either way.
"I'm pretty sure I do. I mean, it doesn't look hard," Link answered with a shrug of his shoulders. He glanced over at you before moving his attention back to the map. "If I'm amazing with a sword then I should be amazing with this weapon too." He was obviously saying this playfully, but you were sure of it.
"Hmm, maybe," you replied. It stayed pretty much silent after that. To your surprise, it was a comfortable silence and was one that was only filled with the singing of birds and of the rustling of leaves. You greatly enjoyed the sounds of nature, and it actually helped Link and you stay focused on getting to the last shrine. The quietness lasted for a few hours, but you didn't mind it at all.
As the two of you came into a clearing of trees, you were immediately met with a cold breeze. You shivered and instinctively hugged yourself, in hopes of warming up a bit. You then looked ahead, catching sight of a path that lead down to a river. The path continued at the other side of the river, and it seemed to go up. Your eyes followed it, until coming to the final shrine that rested on top of a snowy hill.
"Well there it is," Link pointed out. /No duh,/ you thought.
"How are we gonna get to the other side?"
He hesitated for a few moments before walking closer. Soon enough he spotted a broken bridge just ahead. "There's a bridge," he commented, gesturing towards it. "Looks broken in the beginning, but I'm sure we can manage."
"Or we can swim it," you joked.
"Oh yeah that sounds like a splendid idea," Link said sarcastically. He couldn't help but laugh before walking down the path. You followed along, though with each step you took you could feel it getting colder. More shivers ran down your spine, causing goosebumps to appear on your skin. It wasn't extremely cold yet and you were grateful for that. When two two of you got to the end of the path you hesitated.
There was a huge gap of water between you and the strange bridge, which made you question what on earth you could use to fill it. It was strange mostly because there was a medal door that acted as part of the bridge before merging into a wooden one. You looked around, though you didn't know what to look for.
"What if you throw me to the other side?" Link asked you. A tiny snicker accompanied his words, which made you look at him with a dead serious look. He put his hands up as a laugh came from him. "I'm just kidding. But hey, it's an idea."
"Yes, and it's one we won't be doing," you told him a bit sternly.
"Alright, alright. How do you suggest we get over there then?" He asked you.
"I'm thinking," you answered. You looked back at the medal door that acted as part of the bridge. /Maybe there's another one that we could use?/ You looked around once again, hoping to find one and maybe the goddesses helped because you quickly found one lying against an old ruin.
"We can use that," you said, pointing to the medal door. "You just need to use the Magnesis rune to move it."
Link turned to look at what you pointed before grinning. "You're so smart."
"Yeah, what would you do without me," you snickered. Link playfully rolled his eyes before taking out the slate. He began to press a few things on the screen before facing the slate towards the medal door. In a few seconds a transparent magnet appeared between his hands. He directed it to the medal door and started to move it. You took a few steps back to give him enough space.
Once the gap was successfully filled, Link put the slate away. "That was easy," he said with a content smile before turning to look at you. "Come on." He grabbed your hand and began to pull you onto the bridge. You didn't protest, and simply followed along. The two of you had barely walked half way through the bridge and the air was already starting to get colder.
"When we get up to the shrine make sure to build a fire while you wait for me. I rather not have you freeze to death," Link told you once you finished crossing the bridge. You looked at him and nodded. As you both began the walk up the hill you were met with more cold winds. They were getting harsh, causing your cheeks to turn a bright red colour.
"I-It's so c-c-cold," you stuttered due to the bitter winds. You gently pulled your hand away from Link's and hugged yourself. It didn't do much, but it made you feel like you were getting at least a bit more warm. Link turned to look at your freezing state and frowned. He bit his bottom lip and then put his arm around you, hoping that would warm you up slightly.
His own cheeks were turning a bright red, and most of his body started to feel numb, but he pushed through it. "W-We're almost there, okay?" He told you through clenched teeth. He held onto you a bit tightly and began to pick up the pace, determined to get to the top of the hill so you could make a fire. Your legs began to shake, and your throat started to hurt from breathing in so much cold air.
This made Link walk as fast as he could. You tried your best on matching his pace, not wanting to slow him down. By now he was having you two run, but the snow made it very difficult to trudge through. You were already growing tired, and your legs started to ache. But when you caught sight of the shrine that laid just a few more feet away you felt a wave of energy come over you. You started to move with much more enthusiasm, and when you both got there a look of relief was placed on your face.
"Give me your satchel," Link said as he removed his arm. "I'll start the fire." You didn't protest and allowed him to get the satchel from you. He started to take out the wood you had and prepared everything. Soon enough the cold began to subside as the fire started. Its warm flames certainly rose your temperature and little by little you regained feeling in your limbs.
"Try to stay warm, okay? I'll do this shrine as fast as I can," Link told you with a warm smile. You looked up at him and nodded before extending your arms out to the fire. The heat slowly coursed through your body, and even though it did burn a bit you didn't move back. Link warmed himself up as well before stepping onto the platform of the shrine. You watched as he then entered it and when he began to be lowered down you waved.
•••
Link stayed true to his word. He didn't take more then an hour to complete the shrine. When he walked out, he looked a bit worried since he didn't know if you'd be alright after spending so long out in the cold, but when his eyes rested on you he sighed out in relief. You still hadn't noticed him, since you were busying yourself with cooking. You only looked up when a shadow casted over you.
"Well you came out fast," you said to Link with a smile.
"I didn't want to keep you waiting too long," he replied with a chuckle. "What are you making?"
"Hmm? Oh, mushroom skewer," you said, handing him some. "Figured you'd be hungry by the time you finished the shrine."
Link smiled at you gratefully before gobbling down the food in a matter of seconds. "Thank you," he said happily. He patted his stomach in a content small, causing you to laugh a bit.
"You're welcome."
You were going to ask if he got another rune in the shrine but as usual the Old Man appeared out of nowhere. He descended from the sky and when he landed you stood up from the ground. Link straightened himself a bit at the presence of the man, who was looking at him with a satisfied grin.
"I see you have completed the shrines," the Old Man said to Link. "That means... it's finally time for me to tell you everything."
You rose an eyebrow. "Uh... what do you mean by that?" You asked him.
The Old Man turned to look at you before chuckling deeply. "Before I say anything else I want you both to look at the map on the Sheikah Slate."
Link looked a bit puzzled before doing what the man said. You leaned closer to him when he pulled out the slate. You looked at the screen and then raised your eyes to see the Old Man. "I'm looking at it. What now?" Link asked as he looked up as well.
"I want you to imagine an X on the map, with the four shrines as the end points. Find the spot where the lines intersect. That is where I will be waiting for you," the Old Man spoke softly. You were a bit confused at what he was saying, and you were about to speak up about your confusion until an aqua glow surrounded the elder.
Link and you stepped back in surprise. Slowly, the glow absorbed the Old Man until he completely disappeared. Your mouth hung open. Link also had a shocked look on his face, but he slowly turned his head to look at you. "You... you saw that right?" He asked you.
"Obviously," you answered before meeting his eyes. "I guess we have to do what he said."
Link didn't waste any time. He quickly began drawing a pretend line between the shrines he had completed. After a few minutes of studying the map, he figured out where the lines intersected. He pointed towards a spot in the map before speaking up. "We have to go to The Temple of Time."
"The temple?" You asked. You looked at the map, also drawing fake lines in your head. When you saw he was right you sighed out and nodded before a thought entered your head. "How are we going to get there quickly? It'll take us a few days if we go by land."
Link hesitated and looked back at the map. An idea popped into his head and he quickly looked up at you. "Easy. We get there by using the travel gates," he said with a wide smile. "The closest one is the Shrine of Resurrection, where I woke up."
An excited look came over your face. You liked the idea immensely, though a part of you didn't know what to expect of this way of travelling. "What are we waiting for then?" You asked, not hiding the excitement that was clearly displayed in your eyes. Link grinned before quickly pressing the travel gate to the Shrine of Resurrection. Immediately the tendrils of blue lights began to wrap around him.
His arm slithered around your waist in order to hold you close, but you didn't pay attention to this. Your mind was entirely focused on the coiled blue light that now started to make its way over to your body. Little by little it engrossed every inch of you, filling your eyesight with only a glowing blue. You felt yourself be lifted from the ground, and this made you clench onto Link tightly. You weren't afraid, but you were a bit nervous. Your palms were getting a bit clammy, but this didn't bother you.
Suddenly, a weird churning feeling erupted in your stomach. It wasn't unpleasant, but it made your legs squirm slightly until a ringing noise filled your eardrums. The odd ringing sound lasted for a few seconds, but when it stopped your body pulsed. You felt yourself be lowered down and as this happened the tendrils of blue began to fade away. When you felt solid ground under you, the glowing blue vanished completely.
You looked around the new area, your mouth wide open. You were a bit light headed, but luckily Link had a firm hold on you. "Amazing," you breathed out. There were no words to explain what you had experienced.
"Right?" Link said, now softly moving his arm away from your waist.
"This is where you woke up?" You asked as you turned to look at him. He simply nodded. The cave was /very/ similar to yours so you figured he must've woken up inside a pool of water as well.
"Now, as much as I'd love to give you a tour of this place," Link said as he nudged you with a soft chuckle. "I don't think we should keep the Old Man waiting."
"Agreed."
With that Link lead you out the shrine. When you exited it, you were met with a breathtaking view. You felt the urge to appreciate the amazing view in front of you, to analyse every detail but Link eventually tugged you down a dirt path. You obliged, and when you looked ahead, you were able to catch sight of The Temple of Time.
Author Note: Oh my gosh, I just wanted to thank those who are reading my story 🥺 I'm glad many of you are enjoying it. Hopefully you all like what's in store in the next chapters. So far there isn't much romance, but I honestly want it to progress rather then jump right into the fluff. But it will come don't worry! That being said, the next chapter will be posted as soon as possible. Thank you guys once again :)