Forged in Malice

Chapter 7

"Mr. Hero! It's time to wake up!" A light and high pitched voice drags Link away from his slumber. The horned Hylian groans softly as he shifts under the leafy blanket as he cracks one eye open to look at the leaf faery. "The sun is already awake for this lovely morning." The korok continues, nearly standing over him on the bed.

"Nnn...f...five more...minutes." Link mumbles as he curls his body further under the blanket. It was a surprisingly warm and soft bed for something made out of leaves and twigs, and it was free. There was no way he would pass up such a luxury, even with the soft chatter and noises from the surrounding koroks within the Great Deku Tree. However, the korok running such a priceless inn wasn't taking his answer.

"Mr. Hero, you told me to wake you up in the morning. It's morning, so you have to get up!" The tiny leafy being protested, floating above him for a moment to grab the blanket and toss it aside. However, it didn't get very far, only half of the blanket sliding off of the bed with Link's feet still covered in the green foliage.

Link sighs and sits up, glaring at the korok half heartedly. "Ok ok, I'm," Link yawns, "I'm up. No need to get that snippy, Pepp."

Said korok seemed satisfied with his answer as they reappeared in their usual spot next to the bed. "Have a nice day, Mr. Hero!" Pepp replies, waving goodbye as Link drags himself out of bed and to the center of the Deku tree.

It had been about a week since Link arrived at the Lost Woods, though he didn't expect to still receive a warm welcome from the koroks due to his demonic appearance. They all seemed to think it's just something he wanted to have, like wearing a particular piece of clothing repeatedly. The Deku Tree was more aware of Link's predicament, but still welcomed him to stay with them all for as long as Link wished. Of course the Hylian was grateful to be able to stay, especially in such a secluded area that even the Yiga were hard pressed to locate.

Because of this, he was more comfortable with leaving his horns and wings uncovered. All the little koroks were amazed with them in the beginning, even Hestu wanted to see if Link could really fly with them "like those large birdfolk". Now, the amazement has worn off and Link didn't have to gently scold them for touching his horns or struggle to walk around with about a dozen or so of them hanging off of his large wings.

As Link retrieves the slate and cooks a simple breakfast, he quietly thinks about his plans for the day. It is best to check up on Zelda and the others at the lab, it's possible that they've made some progress in their research or need him for something to continue. He also wanted to get back to working on making his horns either hidden or disappear. Getting the tangles out of his long hair has been difficult due to his horns curling over his head, so if they can temporarily disappear, Link can brush the tangles out and give his hair a good wash. It would also mean that his wings would eventually do the same and he can walk around towns without worrying about scaring people. The only issue would be hiding his tail, which is rather easy and he's opted for keeping it wrapped around his hips or waist like a belt, and controlling whatever is making people react weirdly around him. He's not one hundred percent sure that it's just lust since he's been around Zelda consistently and she hasn't been affected, and everyone else he's been around only seemed friendly or a little nervous around him...aside from Paya.

Link has yet to really talk to her since the incident, and he's also not planning to answer her letter as of now. Sure, Paya is sweet when she has the confidence to speak with him and her company is almost as calming as Zelda's and Mipha's were, but he didn't share such romantic feelings towards the Sheikah woman. He couldn't remember if he ever felt such a way in his past life, before the Calamity. Surely he must have with Mipha since she crafted the Zora armor to fit him, almost too perfectly. But the Zora Princess was no longer around, and he only had distant memories of her that didn't feel like his own at times.