The walk into the village was straight out of a fairytale. A long bridge led us inside; the top was crested over us with the same details as all the bridges we had crossed. I was shocked, literal disbelief, jaw on the floor, trying to process how they created this. How did they carve all of this out? Is there a mineral deposit in these waters or something? How are they getting this much gemstone for such a structure? To build an entire city on it?

Once we entered the plaza, there was a giant statue of a large zora with a rectangular head. I'm assuming it was one of their champions, as most of the champions have some sort of statue or memorial dedicated to them. The statue, of course, was made of the same material. As we got closer, I noticed all the details in the statue. The eyes, the sharp knife-like teeth, and even the small scales along the zora's body were all carved into the statue. These people really care about their craft.

Taking my attention off of the statue, I looked around. Surprisingly, it didn't smell bad. This whole time I was nervous, wondering if this place smelled like fish. It doesn't, it smells like a river. The soft earthiness of a river flowing after a rainy day. The smell of the bubbles splashing back at you, it was a nostalgic smell. The scent you smell before it rains. "This place is beautiful." I softly say continuing to look around. I looked to the sky seeing a dark cloud rolling into the village. I was glad we made it to the village before it started raining, the hike would've sucked in the rain.

"LINK!!" A thunderous voice booms before the ground beneath us shakes, it felt like the entire structure shook. I wanted to throw myself onto the ground fearing this structure was going to fall apart. "Link! Old friend!" I look to my right finding the source of the shaking. A large red zora stood beside me. Not just large, ginormous. This zora had to be well over 7 feet tall. I glance back at Link seeing he had been lifted off of the ground. I was in awe, the zora picked him up like he was nothing, the way a child picks up a toy before giving it a big hug.

"Prince Sidon!" Link chuckles as he's hugged tightly by the zora.

"It's been much too long since your last visit, I was growing worries." The prince says as he places Link gently back on the ground. He then looks over at me, his piercing yellow eyes meeting with mine. "Who's this?" He asks.

"This is (Y/n), she's uh.." He pauses to think for a second. "A close friend." He clears his throat as the prince walks over and shakes my hand. His hands were wet obviously, but also dry. Similar to a lizard, but also not. It was odd.

"Oh thats good to hear!" He smiles exposing a mouth full of seratted knives. "I worry when Link is alone. You'd think Hyrules greatest knight wou-"

"Ahahaah yes! I am a bit of a lone wolf." Link cuts him off and I shoot him a confused glance.

"Hyrules greatest knight?" I ask with a slight scoff, glancing over at Link hoping for an explanation.

"Yes! The knight of legends!" The prince answers which makes Link laugh nervously.

"Oh, haha. He's lying. he likes to tease me." Link leans himself against the zora, clearly annoyed with him about the comment. "Sorry to cut things off Sidon but we've had a long trip and we're tired." Link walks over to me taking my hand in his. "We'll be happy to catch up tomorrow." He leads me away.

"It was nice meeting you prince!" I tell him as I'm dragged away, he simply waves before getting up and going on his way.

"Two beds please." Link tells the innkeeper and we go to our beds to set our things down.

"What was all that about?" I let out a dry laugh as I sit on the bed and look at Link. His usual charming self is changed with a much more nervous and clumsy Link.

"Nothing, fish-brain you know?" He laughs and I frown. If it was just a joke why was he so nervous?

"Why are you so nervous then?"

"I'm not." He says digging through his bag. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach he was hiding something from me.

"Did you?"

"Did I what?" He asks still not making eye contact.

"Become a knight?" I ask, he continued rummaging through his bags. The feeling only grew as he stayed silent. "Link?" My body grew nervous trying to figure out what he was keeping from me. I knew this was something serious and the longer he stayed quiet the more anxious I grew.

"(Y/n)..." My stomach churned hearing his tone. This was something serious.

"W-what?" I ask.

"Lets talk.. in private." My anxiety spiked through the nonexistent roof. I felt like throwing up realizing this wasn't a silly little moment, this was most likely going to be a life changing secret. I was terrified to what he was going to say next.

I followed him across a bridge and he lead me away from the village to a small clearing in front of one of the large waterfalls surrounding the village structure. He stopped and turned slowly before gently taking my hands into his. "Link you're scaring me.." I nervously say.

"I'm sorry.. just know everything I feel for you is real, I care about you so much." His voice cracks as he kisses my hands. I felt my eyes begin to water feeling his anxiety rise. The cloud from earlier was now on top of us, the air was colder and the sky grew dark making this situation all the more ominous.

"Link..."

"I was a knight. I was a knight for years." He admits. I know this isn't the big secret, he's going to drop something huge. The reason he's no longer a knight was the real secret. Did he betray the kingdom? Did he commit some heinous crime? Was he a killer? He takes a deep breath. "I wasn't just any knight." He takes a moment to figure out his next words. "I was Zeldas knight." He admits and I feel my breath escape me. Him? The man standing in front of me was princess Zeldas own appointed knight? Her knight left a year ago and it was speculated he was dead. No one knew why he had left, just one day out of the blue the castle town was in panic because the knight was gone. And here he was, standing directly in front of me holding my hands.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask softly, tears threatening to leave my eyes. "Why?" This entire time, he's kept his entire identity from me. This man I have spent these last months traveling with, getting to know, getting to care for, was a lie? "You lied to me.. this whole time." I was in utter disbelief. This entire time I thought I knew him, I knew nothing about him.

"I know.. I know and I'm so sorry, I didn't think any of this would ever happen." He says. "After I left I just planned on being alone, to go die off somewhere." He softly says. "I didn't want to keep losing the people I loved and cared for.. all the champions, Zelda, I couldn't do it anymore. I never planned on caring for anyone again" My stomach churns realizing why he left. The fear of losing Zelda? He loved her, her loved her and didn't want to endure the pain of losing her. I felt sick looking into his eyes. There were rumors that Zelda and her knight were in a relationship, people speculated for years on the legitimacy of the rumors. Now I'm finding out first hand they were true. They were together and he loved her enough to leave. I tried keeping myself composed in front of him but I was utterly shattered. My legs felt weak and I could barely hold my posture.

"You.. love her." I say. My voice was shaking as I looked down at the ground. "This entire time.. was I the rebound?" How could I have been so stupid, to believe someone like Link could ever actually like me?

"No, no, (Y/n).. I.. I love you." He softly says. "So much.." He kisses my hands. " I want to believe him. I want to believe so badly that he loves me. It's all I've wanted for weeks now. But I can't, if he would have confessed earlier in the day I would've been over the moon. But in this current situation I can't believe him.

"No.. you would've told me all of this so much earlier if you loved me.. you would've been honest the moment-" I stop myself and look into his eyes horrified. "You would've told me the moment that Yiga soldier tried to kidnap me.." I whimper. "But you didn't." I take my hands out of his hold. "Instead you lied to me." I can't believe in that situation he didn't come clean. That instead he chose to lie to me.

"(Y/n)-"

"You knew.. this entire time why I was targeted." I cry. "You told me straight to my face you had never encountered them before!" I felt my legs shaking trying to keep myself up. "How could you look at me after that? How could you hold me as I cried telling you how terrified I was to encounter them again? How could you do that and not tell me the truth? Why did you keep lying to me??" I sob. How could he look me in the eyes? He held me that entire night as I cried in his arms. What was going through his head, what could've justified not telling me?

"I don't know, I was scared you'd leave if I told you the truth." He takes a breath. "I never wanted you to get hurt, I never.. I'm so sorry." He sighs making an attempt to take my hands into his but I smack them away before wiping my tears.

"Don't touch me." I hiss. "Just don't.." I cry. I have never felt so humiliated. This all feels like some twisted joke on me. Everything I had done, everything I had felt lead to this? I've never felt like more on an idiot.

"(Y/n).. I can't begin to explain how much regret I feel not telling you." I shake my head.

"Just stop.." I cry. "I.. I left my home to get away from liars.." I look up at him. "And I walked right into the arms of another one." I look back at the floor not bearing to look at his face. How could he do this to me?

"I'm sorry.. we can start over? I'll do it right this time.."

"No.. No!" I cry. "You should've done it right the first time Link.." I whimper. My heart is in utter shambles. I can't believe this was really happening. This man I had grown so close to, that I was falling in love with had been lying to me the entire time. Lying about everything he told me he was. "I was honest with you about everything.. I trusted you.." I whimper. "I almost gave myself to you.. and you still didn't come clean." He stays silent as I cry. "I- stay away from me Link." I tell him. To think at one point I trusted him enough to be my first. To be that vulnerable with him. Would he have told me if I did? Or would he have kept lying.

"(Y/n) please, don't do this."

"Link. don't make this any harder." I tell him turning around and making my way back to the village. On the walk to the village it began raining. I couldn't bear to stay in this village with him, I felt so utterly betrayed by his actions. How could he lie to me for so long. How could I have ever believed I'd have a normal life.

I swung my backpack over my shoulders going on my way out from this village. Things were going so well for me, was my life just a joke? Is this some sick cosmic joke from the Goddesses? What could I have ever done to deserve any of this.