New Home - BotW Link x Reader (Undergoing Revisions)

Chapter 34 - How Heroes Unwind

I was raring to go, and led Link right back to the stable excitedly. But all my excitement left my heart when - as Link did his best to change into the stealth gear - I ran right into that peddler from before.

"There you are, sweetheart," he said as I was busy showering my mare with affection. She'd run over from pasture at my call, and was now happily getting pet over the fence when... this guy showed up. My shoulders stiffened and I bristled with how easily he called me sweetheart; but I was absolutely not his sweetheart.

For my sake, hopefully Link would be quick in figuring out how to put everything on for that set. Admittedly, there were a lot of parts, but-

"I was talking to you," the man continued, leaning against the fence a few feet from me. I looked sidelong at him, then returned my eyes to Sky. Honestly, the audacity of men. Sky seemed to share in my sentiment thankfully, because she nickered quietly, her dark and intelligent eyes searching my own.

"I heard you," I said. "But I'm not your sweetheart."

"Aren't you? You didn't seem phased by me calling you that before."

"I honestly didn't think I'd ever see you again," I admitted. "I just wanted to do my business and be on my way."

"Yeah, well-"

Sky cut in with an indignant whinny, one aimed right his way. I smiled and patted her neck affectionately. "That's my girl," I cooed.

"Alright, sweetheart, you really ain't so tough, are you? Why don't you-"

I was saved, once more, by someone cutting in. Link was at my side then, having approached silently - so the gear worked, then. He seemed to have gotten dressed alright, though for now the mask was lowered down about his neck, and he was just holding the hair sticks in hand for now.

"Who do you think you're calling your sweetheart?" He asked evenly, though anyone could tell he was angry. The peddler far overshadowed Link, and now he stood to his full height - but Link wasn't intimidated.

"And who do you think you are, pipsqueak?"

Anger flared up in my chest, but before I could come to his defense, he spoke up for himself. "I know what kind of man you are," he said surely. "When you can back your words up with anything other than more words, then come find us. But until then, leave us - and more importantly, leave her - alone. Come on."

With a hand pressed to the small of my back, Link guided me away, leaving the man seething and Sky laughing as best a horse could before trotting away to (probably) tell Epona about it. For now, we ducked beneath the stable's canopy, heading to where our things were stored.

For the past couple of weeks, we'd occupied these same two beds, ones that were right next to each other and admittedly that I'd miss when we continued our travels. As for that man, he had been prowling around here a lot, but he hadn't approached me while I was with Link, thankfully. He did leave for a couple of days at a time though, and since none of the stable workers seemed to particularly mind him being here, it seemed like this was a normal place for him to be.

Link didn't have to ask if I was alright, because I was smiling already. Instead, he merely walked around himself in a circle, presenting himself to me. "Well? How does it look?"

"It looks good," I said truthfully. "Seems to fit you well, anyway. Does it feel good?"

"Yeah," he said, holding one of his arms towards me. "The fabric is really soft."

"Oh, good," I said, running my fingertips across part of the sleeve of his upper arm. "Because that's what the merchant told me when I bought it. It's a soft, noise-suppressing cloth. Supposedly."