Peruse the Midnight Sands
!Link Lurelin Village

My concentration on recovering Majora's Mask wavers throughout the day. Y/N continues to monopolize my thoughts. It isn't until I see the rise of the blood moon that I am once again reminded of why we are together in the first place.

Not because she wants to be with me. But because she thinks Zelda told her to.

Still, my mind repeats her question from last night by the fire. I know I must answer her at some point. I fear her getting close to my true self. Which will be inevitable the longer we spend time together here in the wild. Banquets, sparring, and royal splendor are not who I am.

It's who I was. Before the amnesia. I find it hard to go back to that version of myself. This is the version of me the queen is besotted with.

The version of me that she loves. The gallant knight who always raises the sword of destiny in her honor.

It is my greatest hope that this time together with Y/N shows her who I really am. She may be like Zelda. She may simply find me fascinating as this "silent knight" moniker I've claimed.

Just like the heroes who have come before me, the Link prior to my century slumber is a different man.

I find I am rather not fond of him.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

"Purah is nothing like I had heard. She may be high-energy, but she's quite kind. I suppose you were both right. I wouldn't have been comfortable in my lab clothing." Purah lent you a Shiekah tunic; its billowy silhouette drifted away from your frame in an effortlessly chic way. If the weather became humid, you could remove the tunic, as you had a simple camisole beneath it. Secretly, you hoped it wouldn't come to that. Your reserved side once again reminded you why it was imperative to keep your distance from the queen's knight.

Queen's in possessive was the key word.

Distance would also include your blatant ogling of his body. It's not like you'd ever get to feel it. The thought seized you of Link lying on his straw mat, strumming the straw the way he grabbed your hand and strummed Revali's bow. Forget humidity, your own thoughts were making you hot enough.

You and Link continued to dawdle up a steep cliff. Reisz and Epona both huffed in unison. Link chuckled at the sisterly horse bond that's been forged since your departure. "Almost there, ladies." He patted Epona's head, tangling some of his fingers in her mane in a manner of affection.

He turned to you with a sly grin. "That includes you too Y/N." He let out a hearty laugh as he gave Epona a hard tug of her reigns, forcing her to gallop forward.

That Link! Such a scoundrel! Deceiving people with his 'silent' facade.

You replicated his maneuver, slapping your reigns gently and urging Reisz to catch up. You had made it to the cliff's summit. Link slowed Epona down, jumping off and stretching his arms beneath a caress of the sun's light. You went to dismount Reisz, only for his hand to be suspended in the air, waiting to assist you. "May I offer you a hand?"

"I'm capable of getting off myself." The phrase came out before you could stop it. Link lowered his hand, his eyes covered by his bangs, hiding his expression.

"Look down below." He ignored you, instantly changing the subject. You hadn't meant to sound the way you had. Not to mention the poor choice of words. You brushed it off until you saw Link's face slightly aglow, emphasizing again why you should choose your words more carefully.

You stepped beside him, looking down at the valley beneath you. Only to see miles of dazzling white sand. The faint scent of salt that now coated the air tickled your skin in the most refreshing way. Your eyes became feverish in their pursuit to take in every nook and cranny of the scene below you.

Was this Lurelin? You stood suspended in silence, trying to comprehend the view. You never understood the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" until you saw Lurelin Village from above.

And perhaps the view of Link's smile. You whipped your Shiekah Slate out. You turned toward Link, who was already staring at you. "May I?"

His eyes crinkled like the ripples in the ocean below. "Of course. I used to come here a lot. To Lurelin, I mean. Its peace is unparalleled from anywhere else in Hyrule. There's also something else I want you to experience."

You began to snap photos from every angle your body would allow. Just as you crouched and zoomed the lens into a vertical close-up, Link thrust an apple in front of you.

"Huh? An apple? We have apples in Akkala."

Link shook his head. "No, these apples are different in this region. Akkala's apples are more appropriate for baking because of their tartness. You've never had an apple like this."

He took a huge bite from the apple. Some of the juice shot from his mouth. "These are crisp and incredibly hydrating. I can't tell you how many of these I ate when I was in this region and never once grew sick of their sweetness." He held the apple to your mouth, where he bit it.

The perfectly round bite missing from the apple's flesh seemed to tease you. The faintest mark of where his teeth punctured it sat, waiting for your lips to merge upon it.

You slowly sunk your teeth into it. Your lips gracing the spot where Link's had been. His eyes were fixed on you with such concentration. It reminded you of the way he looked at you when he was talking to the Zora noble.

A look that threatened to send you into cardiac arrest.

Despite the immense flush on your cheeks, you continued to awkwardly chew. And Link was absolutely right. It was nothing like the apples back home. It was juicy, its sweet nectar seemed to linger on your lips. You felt some of the apple juice trail down your chin.

You went to swipe it away with your hand, only for Link to run his thumb over it. "You're dripping."

His eyes held the harbor of your lips, never seeming to depart. Until he managed a small rumble from his throat, declaring, "Let's make our way down to Lurelin."

He began to mount Epona. Leaving you holding the apple with both of your conjoined bite marks.

While he wasn't looking, you took another bite. There's no need to waste a perfectly good apple.

Right?

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"If they ain't flappin' they ain't fresh!" A woman who had been dyed bronze by the sun stood, calling out to no one in particular. Until her eyes met your very intrigued ones.

"Fair princess of the land, would you like to come see what I have for sale?"

"Princess?" You pointed toward yourself in shock. She gave you a seductive giggle, winking at you.

"Certainly, you are a maiden of the sea with such luminous, s/c skin and voluminous, h/c hair." Her eyes seemed to travel to Link, and she winked at him before poking him with, "You would agree to this statement, would you not, brave knight?"

Link looked out at the waves rushing toward land. His eyes were forlorn and hollow, like the empty conch shells that littered the shore. As if her compliment toward you had caused him great sadness.

"Well, I could give you my normal sales spiel about my Ironshell crabs and their benefits, but I have something that is of greater interest." She held up a tattered string of leather that held a spiraled shell. The colors melted from brown, coalescing into fuschia and tawny pink. It looked like the sea had painted it to honor the many sunsets its surface had kissed.

"Oh, this is a tulip shell!" You exclaimed, poking its point against your finger.

Link gave a low, surprised whistle. "Y/N, you never cease to amaze me. How did you know that?"

"I may not be well traveled, but I am well read." You don't know why, but saying it out loud made you feel worlds apart from Link. Link and all the miles of land his feet have walked upon. All you knew was Akkala and its infinite season of quietus. The immensity of this journey was finally catching up to you, rendering your lower lip to quiver.

"Maiden, are you alright?" Link took both your hands, pulling you toward him. "Y/N, what's troubling you?"

"It's nothing. Just that I really am so far away from what I know as home. And you know all of this," you cried, releasing your hand from his and splaying your arm wide to showcase the wonder of Lurelin.

Link turned toward the vendor and asked, "How much is that tulip shell?"

"Oh-" she was watching the spectacle with shameless curiosity. "It's usually 100 rupees, but I would do 50 for your princess."

"Here is 100."

"Link!" You smacked his shoulder. "Don't you dare! Have you lost your mind!"

He shook his head at you. "I want you to have it. So, if you ever feel this sadness again and miss home, just know that home is wherever you choose it to be." Something in his voice made you believe he corresponded with your feelings. A weird bond was forming between you both.

And you knew he was already bonded to someone else.

He untied the leather, sliding it beneath your hair and pushing it out of his vision. He tied it, and the tulip shell sat, its point aimed at your heart.

"Young love." You both whipped your heads in the direction of the vendor who was wiping a tear from her cheek.

"No, it isn't-"

"Thank you, ma'am." Link bowed. You both began to stroll among the sand.

"You know," Link began, "Not even the great evil of the Calamity could destroy Lurelin. It may sound silly, but I almost like to think the goddesses have cast a magic spell. Only magic happens here."

You both walked side by side, your knuckles lightly tapping against one another's. You saw Link softly curl his hand to his side like he had at Purah's.

"You don't strike me as a man who believes in magic, Link."

Neither one of you said another word as your empty hands fought against seizing the magic before them.

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Link was sound asleep in the bed beside yours. You lied there, listening to the song of the sea waves rippling upon Lurelin's shore.

The remainder of the evening went by like the most ideal date you had ever been on.

Only it wasn't a date.

You and Link watched the sunset as you chowed down on a buffet of seafood he whipped up. You watched little kids run and play in the shallow waves. A dog ran around the campfire, begging for scraps. Of course, Link gave in.

"You're a big ol' softie royal knight." You turned to watch his face, docile and unstirred, wondering who or what it was he was dreaming of. You held your shell to your heart. You knew who he was dreaming of.

You tossed your covers off, watching your feet kick back and forth over the side of the bed. "Well, I for one can't sleep when this gorgeous sea is calling for me." You slid your tunic back on, happy that Link had been fast asleep when you removed it.

He lay there, bare-chested and flawless. You sighed at the unrelenting lust running through your mind, making your way outside. Leaving Link to dream of his queen of destiny.

Once outside, you stood at the mercy of the waves. You put your feet into the ocean; the water was warm and comforting, like a hot shower when you were sick.

Except the only thing sick was your obsessive mind. You walked along the coast, buttoning the three buttons at the top of your tunic. You identified the numerous shells that were scattered about the shore.

Sunray Venus.

Wentletrap.

Calico Scallop.

This little village was a field mine of exquisite Conchology.

And you were the proud owner of the most beautiful shell of all.

The blood moon hovered above the ocean, and wavelets of rosacea cascaded back toward the shore. You stood, challenging it with a guttural growl. "You aren't going to ruin my perfect evening. Nor will you hinder me from bringing the Hero of Time the justice he deserves."

You kicked water at it, as if you and the ocean were now comrades against the same nemesis.

It was as you lifted your foot halfway, to threaten the blood moon with another juvenile splash that you heard a sound in the distance. You looked back, realizing you had wandered quite far from the village.

Then you looked forward, in the direction you were headed. A creature on horseback was charging forward at turbo speed.

Oh,Hylia, is that what I think it is?

A Bokoblin with eyes possessed by a desire for blood made its way toward you.

Its arm was raised upward, as the spear was getting ready to set sail straight through the sky and hit its target.

You.

Edited: 7/8/23