I Live to Serve

Chapter #11: It's Quite Simple

Author's note: I first started writing this story four years ago in 2020 during the Pandemic. It was a casual passion project when going through a big BOTW hyperfixation (as the kids call it). Since then, I've maintained BOTW as one of my favorite games (though it's been quite a long time since I've played it), and I've enjoyed reading comments from the various sites I've posted this on that have trickled in over the years. I've been inspired to read back through this whole thing and return to it.

Enjoy!

...

In the months since Link had pulled himself out of the Shrine of Resurrection, he hadn't taken the time to notice all of the small freckles that made the face of Hyrule so very beautiful. The restless crickets that dotted the fields between Kakariko Village and Zora's Domain had only ever been vaguely noted as a possible resource that could further propel the mission that had consumed his remembered lifetime; now, they were the source of his focus as he and Paya rode on. Small creatures with wings that captured the sun that hung above their heads. He tried to envision how many there were. Surely, he thought, hundreds of thousands hidden beneath the blades of grass.

He became so lost in thought that he nearly forgot about the Sheikah who accompanied him. Paya, much like him, seemed to be lost in a sort of wonder at the landscape around her. Such amazement was noted by Link after a brief glance back at her. The look in her eyes, of pure awe, brought Link out of his entomological pondering. He recalled her comments about never having left Kakariko Village. He wondered what that must be like; to have only ever seen a corner of a tapestry so beautiful.

But in some ways, he understood it himself. Although Link had trudged through a great deal of Hyrule, he had been doing so with such vigorous anxiety that it was as though he hadn't truly seen that which had been in right in front of him. He wondered if his eyes shone like her's.

"We'll come to Wetland Stable soon enough here," he commented, gazing down at his Sheikah Slate. "If you're hungry, we can stop and eat." It was around midday, and although he wasn't used to stopping routinely, his recent neglect of eating had resulted in a deep hunger burning in his stomach. Besides, she was probably used to a schedule, and he wouldn't be so irresponsible as to starve his company.

"Oh?" Paya's eyes retracted from the landscape. "That might be nice..." a thought seemed to pass through her mind. "Do we have... a way of paying for it?" A sudden anxious air flooded her face. "I don't have any money. I've never really... Grandmother said that outside of Kakariko, you have to pay for most everything!" Her eyes widened at the new realization. "Oh, how did I not think of that?" She shook her head, chastising herself.

"I have money," Link dismissed with a frown. "You don't have to worry about that?" He was confused at the very proposition.

"Well, I..." Paya's eyebrows sunk down. "I didn't think any of this through too much... To be honest with you, I don't know how much of the world works at all!" A sort of forlorn look crossed her eyes.

"We can turn back," Link offered instinctively. "If you've changed your mind." His eyes trained on the road ahead. A sort of ache crept into his jaw. He hadn't realized it was clenched.

"I haven't!" Paya dismissed, panic once more creeping into her voice. "I haven't at all. I'm... I'm so pleased to be able to accompany you, Master Link!"

A visible grimace trembled through Link's body at the title.

"I just... I worry that I might become a burden... that's all," Paya shuddered in the warm Central Hyrule air. "I don't have any practical skills, not really. I can't... hunt or fish or..."

"I can," said Link. His calloused hands clutched onto the reigns. "I've kept myself alive for long enough. And now that Ganon is gone, I doubt there will be as many difficulties." Despite the statement of security, Link's instincts hadn't adjusted entirely to the idea. A sharp gust of wind still propelled him to clutch his sword every once in a while. Even when contemplating crickets, he made sure to occasionally scope their surroundings. But Paya had no reason to worry. "And if you want-" Link offered, casting a soft smile in her direction. "I can show you how to fish and hunt... Or perhaps scavenge." The more he thought about it, Paya didn't seem like the type to enjoy firing an arrow at an animal.