Forged in Malice

Chapter 4

They spent only a few days in Kakariko, Zelda insisting that he should relax after such a stressful experience. Link didn't mind it too much, though he was usually restless having to stay in one place for too long, he wasn't bedridden. Zelda had informed Impa a little about his predicament, or at least he assumed since she had been giving him a few chores to keep him occupied. Just simple things like helping Paya clean around the home, which he didn't mind as it helped clear his mind. Paya honestly needed the help with how she tends to clean all day and hardly sleep at night.

Speaking of Paya, Link has noticed she's been a lot more quiet around him than before. Sure, she was typically stuttering and flustered about her social anxiety, but the young Sheikah woman made an effort to greet him whenever he visited and made some amount of small talk before going back to her cleaning. Now she was jumpy around him on top of being a blushing and stuttering mess whenever he tried talking to her. Link knew she had a crush on him, but he didn't think it was this bad of a crush.

He was contemplating on whether he should bring this up or if it would eventually fizzle out. Paya was nice, and he would definitely say that she had some attractive qualities, but Link didn't have those feelings for her...or anyone, currently. He still had his duty to the country as a knight, as a hero, and he didn't feel the need to form any serious relationships until he was ready to settle down, or as settled as Link would allow as he doubted his love of traveling would ever end. It was currently clawing under his skin to head back out into the wilderness, but Zelda could potentially release the wrath of the goddess if he just up and left after she told him to rest.

His ear flicks slightly when he hears Paya clear her throat rather obviously, snapping him out of his thoughts of distant cool waters running over luminous stone deposits. He turns his head slightly and raises an eyebrow, hoping she would repeat herself without him saying much. The poor girl seemed to only handle so much of him talking before becoming too flustered.

"S-sorry, Master Link. I...I was just wondering a-about why you've been wearing that c-cloak lately...u-usually you keep th-the hood down but...I've noticed that you keep it up and secure whenever it's windy." She says, trying to stay composed around him. Link supposed it was valid to question him for wearing the hood for several days at a time. He thought for a moment, wondering if it was best for him to tell Paya the truth or just lie. On one hand, lying to her could potentially backfire and have her upset with him not trusting her, but telling her the truth could also have her freak out and alert the other villagers about his strange condition, regardless of her doing so on purpose or by accident.

"Well...it's not a case of countless bad hair days, if that's what you're wondering." He says, figuring that she would find out somehow due to her crush on him. Though Link highly doubted she would stalk him and catch a glimpse of the horns without him knowing, it was best to let her know beforehand since he considered her a friend. "...it, uh...would be better to show you since it's a bit...hard to believe." He adds, tilting his head towards the back of the large home. Link still didn't want most people to know since he and Zelda knew so little about why this happened to him and if it could be fixed.

Though Paya was confused and a bit hesitant, she followed him around to the back of the house. After a quick check to make sure Cottla, one of the little kids in the village, wasn't hidden under the porch or tucked away around the corner where she could hear them, he turned back to Paya. "Alright... Just...don't freak out." Link says softly, lowering the hood to reveal the horns.

Paya gasps, her hands darting up to muffle the sound despite them being alone and her dark eyes locking onto the dark horns as they stand out against his golden hair. "...H-how...how did this happen?" She says, her voice soft and barely a whisper.

"Malice," was all that Link could muster as an explanation, watching as Paya's expression turned from shock into one of sympathy.

What happened next confused Link greatly, as the young Shiekah woman reached a hand out to caress his cheek. He assumed at first that Paya was trying to comfort him in some way, not that he really needed it. As much as Link wished to change the past, it was best to keep moving forward and figure out exactly what he was now, if it can be reversed, or learn to live with the changes to his body. However, his assumption was proven wrong when her hand drifted up through his hair and towards his horns. His own snaps up to grab Paya's wrist, not too harshly but enough to stop her wandering hand. Link's usual calm expression shifts to give her a pointed glare. "Don't. Touch. Those." He warns in a deep and dark voice. Link really didn't want to feel that strange and fuzzy feeling he felt when he woke up the morning after the incident.

Paya's reaction was...unexpected. She visibly shivers under his gaze as her face flushes more. Link also noticed that her breathing seems more heavy as her dark eyes glaze over with some emotion he was unable to place. "I-I'm sorry...M-Master Link." She replies in a low and breathy tone that makes his skin crawl. Paya may constantly address him by title regardless of how many times he told her not to, but he did not like it with that voice.

Link, still gripping her wrist, moved her hand away from his head before letting go. "Just...don't do that again." He says, taking a sizable step back. "I need to go talk to Zelda...about our trip to Purah's lab...I'll see you later." He adds, awkwardly but successfully getting out of that strange situation as Paya is left a bit dumbfounded as he quickly pulls his hood up and tries to hunt Zelda down.

Luckily he didn't have to go far as the princess was near the general store, her nose in a book as she was relaxing in the seating area. Her eyes glance over at him as he approached, his feet thudding against the wooden planks catching her attention. "Oh, Link. Is everything alright?" Zelda manages to ask him before he takes her hand and nearly drags her further away from Impa's home and towards the western entrance. "L-Link! What has gotten into you?" She asks, clearly confused and worried.

When he stops, he lets out a sigh. "Something really weird happened with Paya." Link signs, trying his best to explain the strange situation that just happened. 

"Slow down, Link. I'm still rusty on the Hylian Sign Language," Zelda says, "So...Let me get this straight. You told Paya about the horns." Link nods his head. "She was a little shocked but otherwise fine." He nods again. "But then she tried to touch them? ...why?"

Link just shrugs, causing the princess to sigh. "Alright, that alone is an odd reaction...especially now knowing that you do not particularly like them being touched. However when you warned her, what did you say her reaction was to that?" Zelda asks.

"It was weird, like her face was red and she was breathing like she had just ran around the village for a couple hours. And her eyes were glazed over with this look...like I was an oasis in the Gerudo Desert." He signs. Zelda just stares at him, the gears in her head turning as she tries to figure out what he was trying to say.

"...it wouldn't happen to look like you staring down a meat curry with those Goron spices you seem to love, would it?" She asks and he just gives her a look. How the hell would he know? "Regardless, I'm sure an examination by Purah will help shed some light on all of this. We can head to the Hateno Lab tomorrow, if you'd like." Link continues to stare her down. "...it's an 8 hour trip, Link. We cannot use the slate because it doesn't recognize you and if we left now, it would be nightfall by the time we get there."

"I'll help you pack." He says with a grin.

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