Forged in Malice

Chapter 5

Neither of them had many personal belongings, Link always packed light and mainly used the Sheikah slate for storage of things he didn't immediately need or extra weapons, and Zelda only recently regained her body with very few things surviving the century of neglect and corruption. Everything she owns now were either clothes gifted to her by the kind Sheikah villagers or items Link was able to collect from the ruins of Hyrule Castle. Because of this, it was easy for him to pack her into the saddlebags of Chestnut. The plan was to stop at the Dueling Peaks Stable to grab Zelda's horse, the white stallion that she renamed to Dahlia, before making the trek to Hateno.

Zelda paid her respects to Impa, thanking the Sheikah elder for housing her and saying her goodbyes, as Link impatiently waited outside with his mare. He wanted to leave soon in order to avoid what would definitely be a very awkward situation with Paya if he ran into her again. The blond knight busied himself with grooming Chestnut, making sure her hooves didn't have any rocks stuck in them, brushing out any tangles in her mane, and ended up braiding the locks of Chestnut's mane as the princess seemed to be taking an awfully long time saying goodbye to Impa. He couldn't blame her, the Sheikah elder had been a dear friend to both of them in the past, at least what he remembered. And now they were both stuck in the future, where a majority of the people they knew before the Calamity either died during the initial attack or from old age.

Before he could be lost in his somber thoughts, he sensed someone standing way too close to him and his horse, so he glanced over his shoulder to see the shop girl, Lasli. "Oh, are you heading out soon?" She asks, seeing that the mare wasn't wandering around for a fresh patch of grass or tied to a fence post to be kept in place.

Link nodded in response as he turned to face her, his eyes darting to the large but thin wooden box in her arms. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's the box for, Claree making you do deliveries?" The young woman seemed a bit startled by him noticing it, as if she didn't want him seeing it yet despite not doing much to hide it.

"O-oh, this? No, Miss Claree doesn't do any orders like that. I...just wanted to give you a gift, that's all." She says, her face flushing lightly from embarrassment as she held the box out to him. "I never did properly thank you for the fireflies...or for comforting me at the graveyard, that night."

Link was a bit confused at first, seeing as that was the night he was on the hunt for the thief that stole the ancient orb that Paya constantly cleaned. When he went to interrogate Lasli about it as she was acting suspiciously, he was surprised to hear that she was only there to mourn for the death of someone she loved. Of course he wasn't going to go about accusing her of stealing the Sheikah Heirloom when she was grieving. "You...didn't have to give me anything." He says, but takes the box regardless. It was rude to outright refuse a gift.

Upon opening it, he saw a rich, navy blue bundle of fabric at first. "I remembered that you liked the Hylian Hood when you bought it at the shop, so I thought I would make something similar. Consider it a Lasli original." She replies as Link pulls the article out, revealing a long cloak with a white embroidery trim on the edge, a circular design similar to the Sheikah runes on their shrines and tech surrounding a Silent Princess flower on the back, and a silver clasp to keep it secure on him. His eyes widen slightly, surprised that the young woman put this much effort into what he had assumed was a simple thank you gift.

"...wow...this...this looks amazing..." He says softly, admiring the stitchwork that went into making such a piece. He knew from his own crude attempts at fixing torn clothes that sewing and the like required a lot of focus and a precise hand, and though his hands could wield any sword with such precision, sewing was a completely different skill and his skills were far below amateur. "...I...I'll try to wear it the next time I stop by, but thanks." Link adds, knowing that Lasli would want him to try it on now, but his horns were still an issue.