A tall sheikah girl walked into the room carrying a tray of tea, looking down at the ground. She glanced up, noticing the visitors seated in front of her grandmother.
"M-master Link! And you must be... Princess Zelda!" She stuttered, tripping on a pillow and dropping the tea. Link, however, was quick to react, and grabbed the tray before it could spill. He then took Paya's hand and lifted her up, setting the tray on the ground between Zelda and Impa.
"I- I am so sorry! Th- Thank you master L-Link, I"
"Don't worry Paya. You can relax. Sit with us." Link suggested, speaking gently. Paya nodded and sat on a pillow beside her grandmother, and began shakily pouring tea.
"So... the Calamity is gone. Wonderful. I am very proud of the two of you." Impa began. She talked to them for a while, and before leaving, Link asked why no one in the village seemed to know that the Calamity was gone if Impa had known.
"Well," Impa began. "If you needed to take time to tell me, I would not let everyone know until you were ready. You came to me today because you are ready to start new, to rebuild Hyrule. Should you have not been ready yet, that would be fine. You would have time to prepare."
Link and Zelda smiled, and looked at each other.
"I'm ready." Zelda stated.
The two said their goodbyes to Impa, and left the house.
"Oh and one more matter." Impa stated, just before the two walked out of the house. "Although Calamity Ganon is gone, not all of his followers are. The yiga may still be seeking revenge. Be careful." With those last two words, she looked to Link. He nodded, agreeing that he would protect Zelda, at all costs.
"Come again soon! Nice to meet you Princess, great to see you again Master Link!" Paya said as she bid them farewell, giving them some supplies for the trip. As she said goodbye to Link, she blushed heavily, and again dropped the bag of supplies, which Link picked up after assuring her that it was fine. Zelda noticed the way Paya looked at Link... jealousy boiled up inside her little by little as she fumbled with the supplies and the bag, and as Link helped her pick it up finally.
"Well, we should be off." Link said with a final wave. "Goodbye Paya!" Zelda sighed in relief, and waved back toward the girl as well as they walked to the horse. And, as they walked away, Zelda grabbed hold of Link's free hand, gripping tightly.
As they reached the horse, Zelda was still clamping onto Links hand. "Uhh Zelda?" Link spoke, and Zelda looked up. Link pointed to his hand.
"Oh. Yes. I'm sorry about that-" Zelda stammered, releasing Link's hand. "I-I got a little nervous. About leaving."
"It's okay." Link replied, smiling, his cheeks sharing the same red tint as Zelda's. "I just have to get everything on the horse. The supplies and all." He lifted up the bag with a smile.
"Yes yes of course." Zelda said, looking down. She waited a few moments until Link was done, and then sat back on the horse, with Link's aid. Link pulled the reigns and the two were off, riding through the countryside within minutes.
"Link..." Zelda began after a short while. "Where are we going?"
Link smiled. "Home."
As the two rode, the sky began to darken, signaling the end of the day. Zelda was sitting behind Link, and although she had gotten sufficient sleep last night, she was still very tired, and was dozing off quickly. Her eyelids dipped down, and she leaned into Links back, holding his waist for support. Slowly, she began to fall asleep, and Link realized, as he felt her breathing slow and deepen. He smiled. She was so peaceful now, and he hoped that it would last. He wondered about what Impa had said about the Yiga. Could they really still be out there? Or was she just trying to ensure that he would be careful? They didn't have a leader, Ganon was gone. But the killing of Master Kogha only seemed to anger them before... could they still be out there? And if they were, who would they be after? Zelda? He frowned. He knew he could protect her. The Yiga were intimidating, but nothing no be the least bit scared about. Still, he would hate for Zelda to be affected. He would hate for her to have to go through anything like she did before with... No. He interrupted himself. I will not let that happen. Link shook his head, and pulled on his reigns again, sending himself and the princess flying over the countryside, but being careful not to wake the sleeping beauty.
