Beach Boko Brawl
!Link Lurelin Village

Is my anger justifiable?

Realistically, Y/N is an adult. I cannot stop her from doing what she desires. I am not the type of man who controls and detains.

I don't think she understands the atrocities I've seen. Nor do I think she understands how potent the blood moon's effect for bloodlust. There was a reason it had been bestowed this title, after all.

I could feel my blood run cold at the sight of the Bokoblin standing over her with its deformed face and dagger.

When she jumped into my arms, I wanted to hold her that way until the rise of dawn.

If I were anything like the heroes before, I could defend her well enough on my own.

Yet I can't even seem to do that.

What would have happened to Y/N if the resident dog of Lurelin had not trotted after her in hopes of scraps?

The uptick in monsters is certainly alarming, and this is the trend that will continue as long as the Blood Moon persists to dominate the night sky.

All is coming to fruition exactly as I have feared.

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It was all faster than a crack of lightning in the torrential Faron skies.

You heard a pierce of air.

You heard the wretched sound of a cackle coming from the vastly approaching Bokoblin.

You slammed your eyes shut, bracing for impact. The last coherent thought that hit you was, Link. Not the Hero of Time. No, it was Link, hero of the great calamity, and dare you even think it, friend? Then you realized Link wouldn't know what happened to you.

Until he finds your corpse, that is.

Unless your body rolled out to sea with the flow of the tide, an estranged piece of litter that nature would wash away from the shore.

Yes, that was about to be you, and Link would never know.

He'd never know.

Then one final thought. A prayer. A plea. "Hylia, you saved me once; is it too much to ask to be saved twice?" Begging for your life truly made you feel like a selfish mortal. As if Hylia spared the many lives crushed by the occurrence of the calamity.

What made you so special?

You felt a tug at the hem of your tunic; so strong was the force of the tug, it forced you to fall backwards into the sand. The spear whirled right past where you stood, landing a few feet behind you. Your eyes snapped open to see the dog Link had fed earlier.

She cocked her head to the side, studying you with curious, glassy eyes.

Your throat became obstructed from shock. You hugged the dog, her frame a sturdy foundation for your shaken body to melt into. Her silken fur beneath your fingers gave you a false sense of security. It wouldn't be long before you were disrupted by an enthusiastic squeal.

The Bokoblin, still atop its steed, grabbed you by a chunk of hair, dragging you through the sand along with him.

"AHHHH!" Your whaling agony sounded like nails being grooved into the inside of a coffin. Buried alive or buried by the sea, it was all the same at this point. The horse's hooves galloped wildly beside your crumpled mess of a body. The sand that began to splinter your eyes almost became welcome. Should the horse trample you, at least you wouldn't see your death.

You could hear nothing. Not even your own screams. Were you still screaming? Your lungs stung from the force of air being expelled, so you must have been.

You didn't want the last thing you heard before you died to be your own pathetic cries. 

Your skull was incinerated with prickling pain from the chunk of hair the Bokoblin firmly held. You wondered how it had not been ripped from your head.

Every anatomical limb possible skidded against the gritty sands.

The pain was intolerable. You started out begging for salvation, but now you were begging for the inevitable end. Your throat, that burned from screeching, now burned from the mouthfuls of sand you ineluctably gulped down. Your skin began to feel raw from your body scraping against the sand.

Something had to give.

That something was not what you would expect.

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The sound of the Bokoblin's horse shrieking with panic clashed with your own screams. Then you heard a disruptive thud as you stopped, face first in the sand.

Then came a whimper.

Your hair was now once again your own. You lay in the sand, trying to get your bearings. Your eyes burned; they were sealed shut as you felt your head, making sure the Bokoblin's hand wasn't still latched onto you.

Then came another faint whimper.

The dog.

Through blistery tears, you slowly opened your eyes to the sight of the dog lying helplessly on her side. The horse stood at a distance, trying to limp away. Blood leaked down the horse's front leg; droplets of it painted a trail of sand from where it was trying to escape.

You watched the dog, musing in your mind for a moment. The dog has now saved me as much as Link has. You understood from the enveloping scene that the dog must have grabbed the horse's leg, causing the horse to rear upward in a jerk reaction. The Bokoblin must have been catapulted off by the force.

Wait, the Bokoblin...

You watched the Bokoblin stagger toward the dog. She lay there on her side, her teeth glistening as she growled.

The pain of the animals hurt more than the penetration of the spearhead ever could have.

You got up, standing on wobbly legs. You began to hobble toward your canine champion. Until you saw the Bokoblin raise a dagger.

"No!" You sobbed. With all your might, you propelled yourself into a high leap, rolling in front of the dog.

"You can rip my soul out through my eye sockets before you hurt this animal! You take me! Do you understand? Take me!" You shielded the dog with your own vulnerable body.

The Bokoblin's floppy ears lurched sideways as it appraised you with its voracious eyes. It had an ugly underbite. A drop of saliva trickled from its tooth and hit your cheek.

Hylia, please. Just take me now.

You watched the dagger rise slowly above the Bokoblin's head. You shut your eyes in surrender. But not before notating the night sky, the last night sky you'd ever see.

I may not have seen much beauty, but I was shown it. These past two days, I've seen more beauty than I ever thought possible in my life. All thanks to-

The dagger fell with a dull plop into the sand. The Bokoblin's eyes began to ricochet, its pupils like a ball being bounced around its eyes. Then you saw its tongue fall from its mouth with a slack roll. He slowly rose above you, his ugly mug eclipsing that of the Blood Moon's image. You looked at the Bokoblin's feet levitating off the ground. The Bokoblin continued to rise, floating higher and higher like a balloon being released into the balmy night sky.

Just when you thought you were done screaming for the night, the Bokoblin fell, landing on top of you.

You shoved its limp body off of you, looking over to see Link kneeling beside you. Blood oozed from the sword that remained relaxed in its back.

Link had stabbed him.

Link saved you once again.

You weren't going to die. With that thought, you leapt into Link's arms, cradling his neck with your embrace. You wept into him; he sat still, not offering any comfort or condolence. The hairs at the nape of his neck tickled against your lips as you sobbed inconsolable nothings. His flesh, now soaked with your tears, began to feel like a drenched towel.

You lifted your head away, prepared to gather yourself together and thank him.

Until you saw the disparagement spilling from his eyes. His lips had sunk down, each end practically dripping with dismay.

He brusquely asked if you were alright before releasing you from his arms. As he pulled away, you saw his hands trembling.

You turned to the pup; she stood, appearing to be unharmed. Her tail wagged as her tongue gave your cheek a gentle flick. Link had walked away from you, his back to you, as his head was positioned upward.

You knew he wasn't looking at the stars.

The atmosphere was suddenly charged with so much hostility that not even the serenity of the sea could wash it away. Your eyes flickered over to the horse, who idly stood. A knot formed in your stomach at the horse's leg.

If her leg is broken, she... she will need...

You attempted to stand; the unevenness of the sand made you feel like an infant walking for the first time. Your body was battered, and you knew this now made you a burden for the next few days of the trip.

Link stood beside you, still not saying a word. His hands had not ceased their tumultuous shaking, yet he still helped guide you to your feet.

"Can you walk?" He asked, his gaze completely elsewhere.

"Yes, maybe it's a sprain, but if I go slow, I'm fine."

He simply nodded, once again not offering much in terms of empathy.

The Queen wanted this. Why would she want a nobody like me to accompany Hyrule's greatest knight? Why didn't she accompany him? Surely, as a historian, she could provide more insight than I ever could.

Link stood, a wall blocking you from moving forward. The dog sat between you both, a loyal disciple waiting for her next set of instructions.

Perhaps it will be better if I find my way back to Akkala. I will do nothing but hold him back.

We are not on the same level. We never were.

You opened your lips, only for Link's to part slightly in response. You both snapped them shut, waiting for the other to speak first. Link nodded, continuing to be his chivalrous self despite his troubled temperament.

You were so unsure of yourself. You wanted to shout at him. You wanted to tell him you almost died. What was his problem? You wanted to weep into the crook of his neck again. To smell the scent of worn steel and musk that seemed to permeate his skin.

You wanted to thank him. You wanted to go back home and not hold him back.

You wanted him to be with his queen the way he most likely wanted.

"Link, you have saved me more in a week than I could save you in your entire life. I don't understand the queen's thinking, and I am not one to doubt it. But perhaps it's best if-"

The hands that seemed to shake like a never-ending earthquake were now on your cheeks. In a rough maneuver, he pulled your face into his. A disquieting pain easily readable within his stare.

He croaked hoarsely," Y/N What in Hylia's name were you thinking?! Wandering around here at night!" Your jaw hung open as you realized what was going on.

He was angry with you.

He grabbed your face, turning it up in the direction of the blood moon. "Do you see that? As long as that exists, peace does not!"

"I just went for a stroll; I didn't mean-"

"Nobody ever means it! We are often not the ones who go seeking danger, danger seeks us! When will you realize that? As a civilian with no fighting skills, I need you to be more sensible."

You batted his hands away from your face. You almost died, and here he was reprimanding you like a pet who behaved poorly. He dropped his hands, only to clasp them onto your forearms.

"A civilian? The civilians you fought the calamity to save?" You tried to wrestle his hands off of you, no matter how much you wanted them there.

"I don't know why the queen asked me to assist you. I am nothing more than a hindrance!" Tears made a reappearance, as you knew they would. Your body hurt, your anxiety was now at panic level, and here was Link, lecturing you for taking a walk.

You finally broke free from his hold, "So, sir hero knight, we should part ways. I will continue my research on my own and report my findings to the queen directly. You wouldn't want this civilian to hinder you anymore."

Link grappled you into his chest. The heat from his breath coolly hit inside your ear as he held you in a swinging embrace. "Y/N, you don't get it. I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at what could have happened. I'm mad that the Hyrule I fought for is facing peril once more. And-"

He pulled you back, making sure to lock his eyes on yours. "I'm mad that I could have lost you. So please, all I ask is that you exercise more caution. " His eyes made a brief trip to your lips and back up to your eyes. "I want you by my side." His mouth opened to add to his statement, only to lapse shut as you continued to gently sway together.

"Oh, Link, I'm sorry. I really just had the best evening with you and wanted to see the sea again. Forgive me. I want to stay by your side for this trip also, but not at the cost of holding you back."

His eyebrows flickered upward in disappointment. He let you go and stood before you. "That isn't what I meant but go on." He whispered in a deflated voice. You continued, " If I am to stay by your side, I refuse to burden you anymore. So, you must teach me..."

Link blinked in confusion. "Teach you?"

You gave him a sore grin. You gently grabbed his earring, pulling his lobe down, and spoke into his ear like a loudspeaker.

"Teach me how to fight."

Before Link could protest, a squawking sound shattered the surrounding environment. The Bokoblin had begun to writhe around in the sand like a fish washed ashore. Link retrieved his sword, and in one swift swipe, it glided across the Bokoblin's abdomen as if he were cutting bread. The Bokoblin flatlined once again. Link looked at the Bokoblin, then back at you.

"Y/N, tomorrow begins your knight training."

Edited: 7/12/23