(Art by @Lillygames :3)
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Your POV
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For the love of Nayru, why did I say that?!

I stood a few feet away from the stable, my forehead pressed against the trunk of a tree as I tried my best to calm my mortified state. I mean, I wasn't lying, it really did seem Link wasn't trusting me as much as he worried about me. He literally went from 'here's a spear, you do the rest' to protecting me from literally anything. I mean, it was flattering he cared, but...

How can I be the hero I'm expected to become, if I'm kept away from what I'm supposed to fight? It's not always that way, but...

I groaned and lifted my head, only to lightly tap it against the bark before stepping away from it for good.

Maybe I'm still not good enough for battle... Link was a royal guard, he would be able to pick up on these things, even without his memories.

His memories, why were they so important to him, anyway? They weren't going anywhere, a little patience isn't too much to ask for, right?

With a large, deep sigh I began to talk towards where Pan stood munching on some grass. His ears perked when he heard me coming, and immediately turned his head to greet me.

"Hey boy..." I whispered, taking his face in my hands. I felt bad for leaving him in Hyrule Field after the Guardian incident, but he somehow managed to gallop all the way here without any harm given to him In a matter of an hour. He seemed pretty shaken, still, but nothing a safe night in the stable won't fix. Pan snorted and gave me a nudge, sadness in his eyes. I sighed and began running my fingers through his mane "You're worried about Epona, aren't you? Oh, Pan, she'll be just fine... she's just gonna take some time off, but she'll be travelling with us again before we know it... She's a strong mare."

"Well then, you seem to have similarities to a horse—"

"I taste terrible!" I blurted out, my hands throwing themselves up in shock as a voice from somewhere in the wooded area spoke. A surprised chuckle came next.

"Okay?" It said "I wasn't going to eat you, but good to know."

That voice...

Before I had a chance to look around, a face appeared right in front of my vision, upside down and complete with a mischievous grin "Boo~"

I jumped back in slight surprise, unable to contain the small squeak that escaped my throat as I raised my fists in defence. Only when I got a good look at his chocolate eyes and white hair was when my uneasiness decreased - yet my surprise skyrocketed.

"Damia!!" I gasped, mouth falling agape as he dropped from the branch he was hanging from to stand before me. The Sheikah let out a giggle and nodded, giving me a small salute like gesture. Unable to contain my excitement, I jumped into his welcoming arms and allowed him to spin us around before setting me down.

"Long time no see, Y/N." He greeted in his usual mischievous tone "How's that quest of yours going?"

"Well I'm not dead, yet," I responded, my arms uncurling from around his neck so my hands rested on his shoulders "So I guess it's successful so far."

Damia scoffed playfully, but soon his smile faded when closely inspecting my face. He raised a hand to run his thumb across my eyebrow "What's this?"

"Just a souvenir from one of Ganon's malice children," I replied sheepishly, watching as his face hardened slightly "But it's dead now, in case you wanted to hunt it down or something."

"Ha, well," his smile returned, and he held my shoulders at arms length "I'm sure you could do the job better than I could. In fact, you look so much stronger now, I almost didn't recognise you."

"Well, I did learn from the best~"

"Ahem."

Great, trouble's on it's way...

Damia and I turned, finding Link staring at us with a narrow gaze, his arms crossed tightly over his chest as we stood in silence. He didn't seem nearly as annoyed as earlier, but maybe that was because his frustration didn't seem like it was aimed at me anymore. I cleared my throat.

"Link, you remember Damia, right?" I asked, gesturing to the Sheikah who waved awkwardly in greeting. Link's form seemed to tighten further,

"...I do recall meeting him..." he grumbled.

Damia grimaced slightly "Did I arrive at a bad time or something?"

Link and I answered in unison, though, the simple words of 'yes' and 'no' clashed against each other causing us to turn to each other with narrowed eyes. It seemed like somebody still hadn't brightened up, which was a shame because I thought he had spent this time reflecting. There was no reason for him to act this way; Damia was causing no harm.

I laughed slightly, sending the blonde boy one final look before turning to Damia "Don't mind him, he's not usually like this. We just... had a bad run in earlier, that's all."

"I see..." the Sheikah frowned sympathetically "Well I'm sorry if I made your situation any more awkward."

"You didn't, don't worry. Limp noodle over there's just being a salty butt."

"I am right here!"

"I know I literally just acknowledged that." I deadpanned, making him groan.

"Can we go now?"

"Wh— hang on." I frowned "I'm talking to a friend here, one I haven't seen in awhile. I think you can wait."

"Bu—"

"And I'm still annoyed at you, so you do the math."

"Why can't you? Oh wait," he let out a scoff "You're awful at it."

"Right keep that up and I'll beat you with a crowbar, like Joker did to Jason!!!" I hissed, moving my finger from him to the stable "Leave!"

"I'm leaving!"

"Fine!"

"Fine! Oh, and, your weird references still mean nothing to me!!"

"I know, that's what makes them so great!!!"

"You know what, forget it! Maybe Damia will understand them better since he's so amazing! But count. Me. Out!!!"

As Link stomped away, I watched with an icy glare and bared teeth as I angrily heaved through my nose. Lifting my hand, I not so secretly flipped the bird at him before turning to Damia, who had unfortunately witnessed the whole thing, poor soul... after a moment he opened his previously pursed mouth.

"Does... he not like me or something?"

"It's Link, he doesn't particularly dislike anyone." I claimed with a roll of my eyes "It's just, I dunno... Maybe your name is a trigger word for him or something."

He raised an eyebrow "What's wrong with my name?"

"I dunno, ask pouty Mc. Pouty pants over there." I shrugged, sighing out as I leaned against a tree "I just hope all this will blow over before we get to the Lost Woods..."

"Oh, you're heading to the Lost Woods?"

"Yeah? Are you heading in that direction too?"

"Well, kinda." He replied, placing himself next to the tree opposite mine "I've got a few clients that want to meet me there, something about running a shield business... but that's to the right of where you're headed."

"Ah, well..." the corner of my lips quirked upwards "Wanna hang around until then?"

Damia's eyes widened slightly, but soon a smirk appeared on his face "Can't get enough of me, eh?"

"You know what, I changed my mind."

"No no no," he held his arm out, just as I was about to leave "What I meant to say, is that it would be a great pleasure to travel with the two heroes of legend." 

"Oh please, you give us too much credit." I rolled my eyes, as the two of us began heading towards the horse shaped building. Though, after a moment my previous conversation with Link came back to me, and I started to feel uneasy "Was I too harsh?"

"What?"

"Me and Link..." I held my upper arms awkwardly "We've been slowly getting better with our relationship, but now I just... I feel like after today I haven't really been what he needs. I aim to be an easier person to be around, since our goal is stressful enough, and- after what I spilled I just—"

"What did you spill?"

I flinched. I didn't want to be judged, or pitied; maybe I should've just kept my mouth shut... however, Damia was looking at me with a patient look on his face, no indication that he would judge. He was honest, and I trusted him.

"I just feel like he's become more... protective as of late, even though I can fight for myself now." I mumbled "I appreciate his concern, but I want to stand by him in battle, not behind him... but I'm probably just making things harder for him by asking that of him."

The boy next to me poked out his lip in thought, before speaking "Did you truly think that?"

"Well... yeah. I do want him to rely on me more, as whenever we're in battle he just does his own thing or goes out of his way to look after me. And earlier today he wouldn't even listen to me, and—" I sighed "I dunno, I guess his skill vs mine makes my hopes too far fetched. I'm still not a fighter in his eyes, that must be why I feel his hesitation and concern."

"That's his loss, not yours."

I turned to Damia in confusion "Huh?"

"I mean, I get what he's feeling." He averted his gaze "After seeing you all bloody during our second encounter, I was worried about you returning to the battlefield myself... Not gonna lie, I had considered taking you back to Kakariko and keeping you there until the best or... worst happened."

"You what...?"

"I didn't though! As you can see I went against my gut feeling, and instead gave you a better chance of protecting yourself. I was real uneasy at first, but watching you grow and develop eased my nerves. He's gotta learn to do the same, because at the end of the day - the goddess made two of you for a reason. One can't save the world without the other."

—-
Link POV
—-

I listened to the two of them talk from around the corner. How could I not? I heard them coming and just knew the topic involved me in some way... and I was most definitely not weary of Damia being around Y/N.

...Okay maybe a bit weary.

Though, hearing him talk about that stuff did get me thinking. I was more than willing to let Y/N figure things out for herself at the beginning, and only stepped in when I knew she couldn't win - like the Moblin on the bridge and the Lynel. Even then, she managed to get us out of those situations without the knowledge of combat. And now she had that, I had no reason to be worried...

He did have a point. If I felt uneasy about Y/N being on the field, I shouldn't keep her away from it. I should give her a fighting chance...

Though, on the other hand... what if he was trying to stop me from watching over, just to get closer to Y/N!

I mentally slapped myself. What the heck is wrong with me? Damia was just a guy, that Y/N was comfortable around. They were friends, we were friends. There was nothing wrong with her being friendly with others. She got along with Sidon, and I was completely fine with that... she shouldn't need to be limited in who she could interact with.

And yet, why did the thought affect me so negatively...?

"Oh, and by the way." I flinched when hearing Damia continue "To answer your question, yes; you were a tad bit harsh."

Y/N seemed to curse at herself, obviously feeling bad already "Was the crowbar comment a bit much?"

"I don't know what that is, so all I can say is... maybe?"

"God, you're right. My references are getting a little too weird. I must look like a dork..."

"A cute dork..."

I slapped a hand over my mouth. Did I just say that out loud?! Why would I even...

You know what, my mind's all over the place right now. I shouldn't even be surprised... but as cute as Y/N was, that shouldn't be the first thing that comes to mind.

Sighing, and bumping the back of my head against the wall of the stable, I pushed away from my position and made my way to the front desk. "Hi, um, my friend told me she had rented a horse from you guys? I've come to pick him- or her up."

The stableman smiled and took out a clipboard, showing a list of numbers and horse's names "Certainly, do you know which one was rented?"

I froze.

Crud. She never told me!

I stared at the list blankly. I didn't want to make a guess, I could be completely wrong and therefore make a complete fool out of myself. Though, standing here probably made me look a bit moronic already... I lifted a finger and hovered it over the paper, lip between my teeth.

"I-It was... um..."

All of a sudden a finger pointed to a particular slot, startling me and the stable employee.

"Sorry, I never told him which one I rented." A familiar female's voice spoke, fairly close to my ear causing them to perk up slightly "It's this one; no.11."

I glanced down where Y/N tapped the list, where the name 'Godiva' was printed in black ink. The man behind the desk nodded, smile returning to his face as he called for someone to bring the requested horse out. I sighed in relief and turned to Y/N, but she averted her gaze instantly when our eyes met... guess we weren't on normal terms, yet.

"Here she is," a woman sang as she came around the corner, leading a beautiful grey and white spotted mare towards us. She was already fully saddled with the number 11 printed on her saddle pad. The woman gave the creature a firm pat before handing the reins over to me. Our fingers brushed together for a second, but I shrugged it off as an accident "Once you're done with her, hand her over to the nearest stable, and that should be all as long as she isn't harmed. Though, I'm afraid you'll have to pay for any injuries she acquires during her time with you. Understand?"

I nodded and ran a hand over Godiva's long white mane "I do. Thank you, ma'am."

She nodded and I thought she was going to leave there, but instead she leaned in a little too closely "Well if you need anything, and I mean anything... be sure to let me know."

I averted my gaze; surely she could have told me that without almost bumping noses with me. Couldn't she see I was uncomfortable? I opened my mouth to speak, however I was pushed behind someone who smiled forcefully at the woman.

"We'll keep that in mind, thank you." Y/N said in a rather strained voice "You must have work to do, right? You shouldn't let us keep you."

The woman stared at her, then at me, before giving Y/N a rather mortified look "O-Oh, I didn't realise you were..." she cleared her throat "Yes, of course. You guys have places to be, I'm sure. I'll leave you to it."

"Not a problem. Have a good day, miss."

"Y-Yeah, you too." The two shared a handshake, and the employee gave Godiva one final nose rub before scurrying off, not looking at me when speed walking past. I raised an eyebrow, but decided to not question it as I turned to my partner.

"Thanks."

"Yup." She popped, also walking past me "I'm gonna get my horse now."

"Oh, okay..." I watched her leave with a frown. Talking to her about the issues between us will be hard, if she can't even look at me properly. I wanted to hear clearly from her what I can do to become less clingy. But...

"You know, you two seem to have a bit more going on than a misunderstanding."

I flinched. I hadn't been aware there was someone else with us, but I knew instantly who it was... my face went blank as I turned to the Shiekah boy.

"Hey."

"Yo."

I frowned "You're still here."

"Yeah... uhhh," he rubbed the back of his neck "I'm gonna be travelling with you guys, but just for a bit."

I stiffened. I had to put up with this guy longer?! Wait, again, why was I still salty? I disliked him for no reason, and because of that I was giving him a really hard time...

and I couldn't stop even if I wanted to.

"You know I don't like you, right?" I told him monotonously, earning a nod from him "Well, I'm willing to be civil with you because you're Y/N's friend, I'm not gonna be the guy to tell her who she can't be friends with. So stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours."

Damia's brows furrowed at my proposition, his arms folded over his chest as the tip of his tongue poked his cheek in thought "Alright, you got a deal. I don't want bad blood with the guy wielding the sword that seals the darkness." A smirk slowly crept onto his face "But wait, I forget. You don't have it, do you?"

My cheeks reddened slightly, my jaw tightening from anger as I took a step towards him, "I bet I could still win against you."

"Oh, I'm sure." He too stepped forward, smirk widening "but let me ask you, how exactly did Y/N get that scar over her eye, again? Is that why you've become more protective, because you weren't able to prevent it?"

I growled "Where it came from is none of your concern. Let us not forget who has her partnership."

"But of course... As long as we don't forget who's currently on good terms with her~"

"Why you ignorant—!"

"Oh my god, seriously?" The two of us were pushed apart by the girl in question, who turned to me in disappointment "I leave you guys for two minutes, and you're already butting heads with Damia?"

My jaw dropped "But he was—"

"I don't know what your problem is, but this sh*t's gotta stop. Now, Damia's coming with us, so you better behave or so help me you'll be waking up in the next century. You hear me?" She scolded "Well?"

I violently nodded, genuinely intimidated by the girl as she sighed and rubbed her temple. However, that intimidation turned into frustration when Damia laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, it's not all his fault. I admit I did play around a bit and provoked him, so I do hold some blame." He told her with a gentle smile, making me resist gagging.

"Yeah, but I expect that from you. You always like a good tease..." the girl groaned "Link on the other hand, this isn't like him at all! Like, I get you have the maturity of an eleven year old, but seriously. It's freaking me out slightly."

Y/N pouted slightly, which made me wonder if she was being serious, or her saying she was freaked out was in jest... either way, I hung my head and muttered a quick apology. One for Damia, too, even though I personally think he didn't deserve it... Y/N sighed and brushed it off.

"This is all I'm saying on the matter... now then," She glanced up at the sky; she had become far better at telling the time through the position of the sun, rather than using that... time telling device she told me about from her world. A clook? I think? "We might be able to get to the next stable by nightfall, but if not. Well, at least we're moving away from the castle, so nightmares shouldn't be an issue should we need to camp out."

Damia whistled "Since when did you start taking charge?"

"Well, me and Link usually decide together, but..." she made a small glance over at me "Yeahhhhh... I think logical Link is out of commission right now."

"Hey!"

"He was in commission at all?" Damia asked teasingly.

"Hey!!"

You know what, I really don't like this guy.

"Well, no matter." He shrugged, smiling over at Y/N "We better get moving then, right?"

"Right, let's move this circus."

With a small chuckle, Damia followed Y/N over to the horses, but he looked back to see me glaring at him from behind. His lips curled up into a mischievous grin, as he pulled down his eyelid and stuck out his tongue to further taunt me, before going back to talking to Y/N like nothing had happened.

... You know what, I can see why those two get along. And I don't like it.

—-
Your POV
—-

"Hey, no! It's not that wa— oh, now you're walking sideways. Thanks, much appreciated, Godiva."

Damia and I watched painfully as Link tried to control his new temporary mount, occasionally grimacing when she tried to shake him off or bite his ankles. Clearly she wasn't so eager to listen to him, as Epona was...

"I thought you said you could lead horses..." Damia deadpanned.

"It's not me!" Link yelled, holding on tightly as Godiva shook her body violently "it's her!"

"You shouldn't blame lack of communication on your horse," the Sheikah rolled his eyes, reaching down to pet Mira affectionately "Just focus, honestly you look like a fool right now."

Link opened his mouth to retort, until Godiva began acting up again, forcing him to focus on her again. Damia sighed and turned to me "Honestly, you'd think after owning a horse he'd see this coming."

"Well, not really..." I rubbed the back of my neck "He never had this problem with Epona, his bond with her really is something else... I'd think even you'd be envious of it."

"Ha, you're kidding! No one can compete with Mira and me, right girl?" Mira snorted, and he grinned "Awww, thanks buddy."

I cocked an eyebrow. His connection with his animal was really something to behold... or his wishful thinking, cuz I'm pretty sure Mira just sneezed... But it was still adorable.

But then, an idiot rode between us.

"Wait, wait... I think I got it." Link claimed as he readjusted Godiva's reigns, sitting back in his saddle and letting out a huff "Whoo, that was something... anyway, what were you talking about?"

I bit my lip awkwardly, still not really confident in talking to him. I wanted to, really I did... I wanted this sorted out, and I wanted to know what was bothering him... but I couldn't... I didn't know why.

"I... Um... We..." I murmured, my grip tightening on Pan's reigns... What was I gonna say?

Luckily though, I was saved by an angel... or, an overeager horse.

"Godiva!!!" Link screamed as she shot forward and left us behind, almost leaving Link too from the way he jerked backwards. The sight of it made me laugh slightly, but I instantly hid it by slapping a hand over my mouth.

"I saw that~"

My head whipped around to see Damia's classic smug expression, his chin resting on his fist as he not so subtly wiggled his eyebrows. I frowned "Whatever you're thinking, you're wrong."

"Oh please, you no exactly what I'm grinning about..." the boy leaned forward, with me leaning back to avoid him "Your silence goes further than you just being annoyed, doesn't it?"

"N-No! Ahem, no. No... no it doesn't." He raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it "It doesn't!"

Oh it so did...

Damia chuckled, but reached out to rest his hand on my shoulder "I'm teasing! Dang, never knew your face could be so red... But you know, you did seem rather agitated when that girl flirted with—"

"OKAY! I'm gonna go help Link no—"

"HEEEEELP!"

We froze, as did Link and even Godiva as a scream of distress echoed somewhere to our left, alerting us into halting our mounts and scanning the area. Damia reached behind for his blade and slowly dismounted, signalling for me and Link to follow behind. We crept in single file, weapons at the ready and ears perked for any more yells for help. As we walked, we heard voices - human voices, but they didn't sound at all friendly... they were coming from behind a rock.

"Oh for the love of Hylia, shut her up already!!!"

"We're trying, but she just... keeps wriggling— hey! No biting, lady!"

"Din dammit— just tie her up or something! We don't got time for this!"

It was three men, arguing with each other about a 'her', meaning the woman's scream from before was probably triggered by them... Damia presses his back against the wall and we followed, watching silently as he peeked around the corner only to pull back with an annoyed frown.

"Dammit..."

"What is it?" I whispered.

"Bandits, and they don't look willing to play nice." He grit his teeth "They also have a girl hostage, but I'm pretty sure that's obvious by now..."

Link stole a glance of his own, form tightening before turning to Damia "Then... What do we do?"

"How about one of us acts as a distraction, while the other two grab the girl and book it." I suggest "I volunteer as tribute!"

"Most certainly not!" Link retorted as he grabbed the collar of my shirt, pulling me back so he could grab hold of my arms, keeping me in place "Three bandits, Y/N; giant ones at that. You aren't ready for that."

I rolled my eyes and turned my head, attempting to yank myself from his grasp while doing so "Oh please! I've punched a Lynel, I've killed a Lizalfo, I've helped you defeat four members of the Yiga Clan, I've even held my own against you! What in the name of Hylia makes you think I'm not ready—"

"Guys, shh!" Damia hissed, holding a hand out to us as he once again spied on the bandits "They're getting restless, we need to settle this, pronto."

My eyebrows tightened further as I tore one arm from Link's hand, though the other remained caught "Let me go."

"I will not." He spoke back with a tightening grip, his blue eyes piercing into mine. Though, I held his gaze without even flinching. I wasn't going to back down against him; I've been stubborn ever since I left the womb, and I wasn't planning on changing that anytime soon. Especially not on his account. I once again fought against him, but he held on "Honestly, Y/N. What is it that you're trying to prove?"

I froze and met his gaze again, fiercer than before, my jaw tight from having enough of this side of him. At the beginning, I wanted him to be more cautious, but not like this. Not for me alone...

"To you..." I told him in a quiet, yet confident voice that made him stop for a moment to examine my determined features "I have everything to prove."

His eyes widened... and I felt his grip finally cease.

"Don't believe me? Just watch!"

I took the chance and tore myself from him, just about quick enough to recoil when I felt his fingertips brush against my wrist to catch me. Jumping out of hiding I took my trident and alerted the bandits, who turned to me with their gruff expressions and eyes thirsty for someone to pummel.

Oh gosh, they really are giant... please don't make me regret this.

"Hey meatheads~" I cooed teasingly, spinning my weapon around before taking my stance "Wanna fight?"

—-
Link POV
—-

Who raised this girl?! Why is she so stubborn, and determined to prove herself? And why in the name of Hylia did that look she gave me have such a big impact...?

Wait, she's getting away!

I reached out for Y/N, but she moved her arm away from my hands before I could grab her. Before I could make any further attempt, I was pulled back and pressed against the rock we sheltered behind, an arm pressing against my chest to keep me in place.

"Idiot! Do you want to blow our chances of saving that girl?" Damia scolded, his form towering over mine as he glared at me. My jaw dropped slightly.

"Y/N just ran towards bandits, aren't you going to stop her?" I questioned frantically "Those guys could destroy her!"

"Yes, or she could destroy them." He shot back "And no, I'm not going after her. I've trained her; I've seen what she can do, and I know she is more than capable of holding her own, because I believe in her. And if you had done the same in the first place, she wouldn't be so hellbent on proving her capabilities. I get you're worried about her, I know what that's like. But she has the spirit of the heroine inside her, and Hyrule needs that. If you deny her the chance to be stronger, she'll never unlock her potential, and without that she'll never be able to wield the spear of the golden goddesses. Do you want her purpose of being here to be in vain?"

"Well, no—"

"Then grow a spine, and take the risk of letting her take risks." Damia pushed away from me and blew a strand of hair away from his eyes, while I rubbed my chest where his elbow dug into my skin. Like man, was it really that necessary to be that violent? The taller Male sighed and moved over to the edge of the rock to take a peek, only to chuckle "Besides, I don't think you need to worry right now."

"Why's that?" I looked around the other side "Oh my God..."

Y/N basically had the bandits where we wanted them; away from their hostage, and was currently dancing around them as they tried to slash at her with their weapons. One made a swing, but she jerked her head to the side.

"Missed,"

He did it again, and she moved to the right.

"Nope~"

Third time, she ducked under the blade.

"Three strikes and you're out!" She shot up and dealt an uppercut to the man's stubbly jaw, sending him backwards to the floor with a trail of blood spewing out his mouth.

"She's awesome..." Damia whispered, sounding rather entranced at that moment. And though I agreed,I had other thoughts about it too:

"She's insane." I whispered back, a little harsher.

"Oh come on, like you wouldn't be doing the same thing if it was you out there." He rolled his eyes "How is her doing it any more insane?"

Annnnnnd he's calling me out again.

"Um..."

"Actually hold that thought, dude." My mouth was left wide open as he cut me off "It looks like Y/N has given us the opening we need... Yup, follow me..."

But, you just... ughhhhhhhh, this guy!

Puffing my cheeks in annoyance, I silently crept beside Damia across the space over to the restrained and gagged girl. She noticed us approaching and made a few noises, but the boy next to me placed a finger to his lips as a signal for her to quiet down. I made a couple glances to make sure she was okay, but she was better than that. I hate to say it, but Damia really did train her well... She's always had that potential, but I failed to see it...

She really was awesome. Incredible even...

Damia pulled down the girl's gag, while I struggled to undo the knots that kept her wrists bound. Eventually I resulted in a careful clean swipe of my sword to set her free.

"Are you okay?" I asked the girl, who seemed to have gone a little red in our presence.

"Oh, absolutely! Thanks to you two... maybe being kidnapped wasn't so bad after all!"

"Uhh, alright."

"It was a pleasure, malady..." Damia spoke up flirtatiously as he took her slightly red hands in his "Hands such as yours shouldn't be caught in such harsh ropes, we couldn't do nothing. But you're safe now, and that's all that matters..."

I turned away with a grimace as the guy continued to flirt with her soaking it right up, her cheeks growing redder by the second. At least I now know where 'Flirtia' comes from...

"AH- Hey!!"

Our heads snapped to the side, just to see Y/N being hold in a bear hug to prevent her from attacking. She kicked around, but the man was too strong as he held her in place, all while one of his accomplices approached. He grinned evilly and threw his fist forward, punching her directly in the face. I felt something inside me snap.

Oh no he f*cking didn't!!! That's it!!!!!

"That was foul play!!!" Damia snarled as the two of us unsheathed our weapons, ready to teach these meatheads a lesson, before turning his head to briefly address the girl behind us "Head to the bridge; there should be three horses there. Take the grey brown one with a spotted flank and get to the nearest stable, you'll find help there. Go."

Though hesitant, the girl nodded and lifted her long skirt to make a run for it, leaving the rest of us to finish these guys off. One of them did try going after her, but he was met with an arrow through his arm from Damia.

"You're not going anywhere..." He snarled through his teeth, his blade shimmering in the sunlight "You've restrained and hurt two women in my presence, and I'm not going to let that slide."

Okay, I gotta hand it to him... as much as I didn't like him, he did know how to be serious... even I was uneasy, and I was on his side. I wasn't even looking at him! I was too busy glaring at the one holding a bloody nosed Y/N against her will.

"Now then..." I muttered, adjusting my grip on my sword "Would you please let her go."

The bandits smirked, and opened their mouths to most likely insult us—

"Times up!" Damia yelled.

The Sheikah shot forward and ducked under the first man's raised arm to get to the one with Y/N, before raising his leg to kick the side of his face. In the meantime I slashed a wound into the first guys leg to keep him busy, before acting to catch Y/N as she stumbled forward.

"Still got all your teeth, Y/N?" Damia asked as she used my chest to push herself up.

"Just about," she grumbled.

Thank Hylia...

"You were really brave," the tall male smiled "But now let us make this a fair fight."

"I won't oppose to that in the slightest."

The bandits were slowly closing in on us with sharp weapons in hand, as the three of us stood back to back ready to jump to defense. This would be a hard battle...

"Get em!"

All of a sudden multiple clashes of metal filled the area, as we fought to keep the three of them in check. It was no easy task; they were considerably stronger than what I fight daily, but they weren nearly as agile or tactical like us. I blocked an attack with my sword and pushed it back, making my own swing at the bandit - who also blocked my attack. It was just going in circles... I had to use some kind of trick to stun him, so I could make my attack. Not to kill him, but to make sure he wasn't getting back up....

The man seemed to smirk at my confusion and brought his blade over his head, before swinging it downwards over my head. I acted quickly and jumped sideways, the world around me slowing down momentarily as I made an attack on the man's back. He screamed and toppled over, squirming and writhing in pain as he reached back to touch the wound. Just as I had defeated him, Damia had knocked his guy out with a simple strike to the neck, but Y/N wasn't as lucky...

Why hadn't I noticed she had been floored?

Why hadn't I noticed were weapon had been broken?

As quick as I could, I knelt in front of her in defence and raised my sword, pushing the bandit back and away from her, which gave Damia the chance to knee him in the gut and send him to the floor. I sighed in relief and ran a hand through my hair; I made it in time...

"Y/N...?" I slowly turned "Are you oka—"

My speech froze when I saw her in distraught... in her hands was the Lightscale trident broken in two, which she stared at with a quivering jaw. However, that changed when she looked up. Her eyes widened, and she pushed me out of the way and managed to put the separated shaft into an X shape to block a surprise attack. She saved me, even with her weapon in pieces...

I really have underestimated her. No wonder she was so mad...

Before things could get out of hand, Damia grabbed the bandit's head and slammed it into his knee, resulting in an instant knockout. It was the one I had taken out... but clearly I hadn't.

I slowly rose to my feet and moved over to Y/N, who still had her back turned away from me as I reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder. Slowly, she looked over at me with much guilt in her eyes.

"I'm sorry..."

The next thing I knew the broken trident was pushed into my hands, and Y/N had jogged off towards the bridge. What was she sorry for? She saved my life, again!

My eyes trailed down to the Lightscale trident... it's beautiful shaft snapped in two, making it only half the weapon it used to be...

"Something important to you?" Damia questioned as he approached, just as he had finished dragging the knocked out bandits into a pile. I gave a small nod.

"It... belonged to someone I held dear a long time ago..."

"I see..." he murmured, his eyes travelling to where Y/N ran off to "No wonder she acted that way. She probably thinks you're mad at her."

"I'm not though!" I retorted "I'm anything but that. I'm proud of her!"

"Proud? That's bold of you to say, after you held her back—"

"I know, I was stupid! You don't have to keep reminding me of my denial!"

"Then why aren't you going after her?!" He threw his hands up "Honestly, as the legendary hero you should know a troubled ally when you see one, and you should know Y/N well enough by now to—"

"Dammit, Damia! I get your point! Now I'm spending too much time arguing with you to actually—" I groaned, before turning to run "You know what, never mind! Meet us at the bridge, or don't! But I'm going!"

"Good! Oh, and good luck with her, you know what she's like when she's upset!"

Oh I know... and I'm not looking forward to seeing those eyes she makes when I have to apologise...