The Silence Between Them | ✔

18) Power

⚔ In which Zelda and Link go to the Spring of Power ⚔

Zelda

This was the best detour I've ever had. I'd never been to Lake Floria before yesterday, and it was more lovely than any of the pictures I've seen or stories I've heard.

And last night, watching Farosh and listening to Link talk about the dragons as if they were old friends like they were his favorite things in the world, I could have heard forever. He was happy and didn't care that he let his barrier drop. For those few minutes, he was a boy again. A teenager, a regular man, and not a military-grade soldier or seasoned guard ready to kill. It was nice.

When he got me up again before dawn, pulling me out of bed like a small child, he'd smiled and chuckled as he groaned out thanks for making me breakfast. When we finally rode away from Lake Floria as the sun rose, he seemed almost sad to be leaving.

But when we were back on the main road by lunch, he'd perked up a bit and told me more about Faron and the little village on the coast.

"It's called Lurelin and it provides Hyrule with eighty percent of its seafood supply. Plus, it's really pretty there, with their houses, and the beach is always busy, and there are always people just willing to be there. When I went with my father, I met this boy. His name was Riden, and we played with the crabs and tossed a ball back and forth across the beach. I didn't want to leave because of him. I haven't seen him since but-"

Link keeps talking for a lot of the ride. And I let him. I've grown fond of the way he tells stories or shares random facts about things we pass. I've grown to realize he's very intelligent and has a fantastic memory. He can recite a map of Hyrule as if it was drawn on the back of his eyelids and spout random facts about monsters, places, cultures, or how one part of Hyrule's population might do things differently than another. He talks freely as if almost to himself, jumping from one topic to another. He talks about his mother and the friends he left behind in Hateno when he moved back to the castle. He mentions a girl name Avery that let him stay in her home after his parents passed, and two boys, Klaus and Linebeck, and their adventures around Hateno. He mentioned how they would always play at the foot of Mount Lanayru when they had a full day to waste and how much they liked the taste of the water that flowed down from the mountain.

I hardly prompt him at all and only ask a couple questions when his brain gets ahead of his mouth. But the way he spoke was endlessly entertaining, and the way he told jokes always made me laugh. He could probably be a poet if he wanted to be. At least, that's what I think.

The ride to South Akkala Stable only takes a day and a half, but it seems a lot shorter with the amount of fun I ended up having. It was a wonderful break from thinking about the impending doom I've sent on the kingdom if I can't get my powers to work in the next few weeks. We don't have a date for the Calamity, but I'm not sure if having a set date would make it better or worse.

We spend the afternoon hanging around the stable. The Akkala Highlands area is pretty dangerous, and just getting to the Spring tomorrow morning, especially in the dark, will take some work. So, for now, we stay near the populated mini settlement.

Link and I take up different conversations with people. I speak to a young woman helping her father. They're trying to get to Castle Town to see healers. I don't know what Link is saying, but when the woman retires to check on her father, he's knee-deep in a game of cards, the cutest look of concentration on his face. Do people that travel really always have a deck on them? I stand, sit next to him, and peak at his hand. I have no idea what it means. I've never been the biggest fan of cards.