stable girl

♡︎ii. It Happened Quiet

"as I land like a flower on the meadow"
* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Reader POV
I feel Links arm tighten itself around my waist
after I ask him my question for my turn.
"well, my favorite is probably either blue or green...or maybe orange! no, no, yellow!" He yells, as I feel him moving from side to side behind me.
I chuckle and look over my shoulder.
"you sound sort of like me...I don't really have a favorite color, I tend to just enjoy everything that comes with it" I explain, looking forward again.
"huh? what do you mean?" Link asks.
I hum and shift myself on Kings saddle.
"I mean...if you look out there, you see a whole bunch of colors, right?" I say, pointing towards a field we were passing, admiring its bright colors.
"yeah, I see blues and purples, greens. it's pretty" He responds, leaning over my shoulder.
"So, that's what I mean. I take in the picture as a whole, and tell myself it wouldn't be the same picture without all of the color. you can't have just one color" I say, shrugging my shoulders and looking back into the field.
"that's a very interesting and-"
I feel Link raise his hand to his chest and sniffle.
"-touching way to express that" He says.
I chuckle lightly at his humor, but looking out into the fields I see a few brown blurs pass in the distance.
"horses! I found some for you, Link!" I shout, making Link stare over to where I pointed.
"you're gonna tell me how to do it again, right?" Link questions over my shoulder nervously.
I shake my head.
"no. do it on your own" I speak harshly, and Link flinches.
"i'm joking! of course i'll go over the technique again, silly" I laugh, and he lets out a relieved sigh from behind me.
I turn Kings reins to direct towards the small team of horses we were targeting.
"see one you like yet?" I ask him as we draw closer.
"yes, actually...that white and brown spotted one is really pretty..." He mumbles as he leans over my shoulder to look.
"well, let me stop King right here. we'll get off and i'll talk about how to do this. sound good?" I say, pulling against Kings reins as he comes to a halt.
"okay, that's fine. i'm nervous though..." He says as he gently caresses my hips.
I blush as I pull myself away and climb off my horse carefully, then help Link down onto the grass. I look back over to where the herd was initially, and see they are still just about in the same spot.
I look up at Link and sigh.
"alright, so...first off, take a deep breath. you cannot be stealthy if you're too anxious. breathe in for 5 seconds, hold it in for 5 seconds, and breathe out for 5 more. do it with me" I explain, motioning my hands as I take in a nice breath, Link staring into my eyes as he does the same. Then I put a finger up to show holding it in, and finally moving my hand down to let it out.
"you're okay now? you'll be alright, don't worry. it isn't as bad as you think, just follow my directions" I say gently and he tries to hold back a smile, but it doesn't work and he gives me a wide grin followed by a nod.
"okay, good..." I sigh and shift my weight on my legs.
"now, all you have to do is crouch down into the tall grass and approach behind it very quietly. once you get closer, you have to slow down...so just as you're right next to it you're able to aim yourself and grab on, jumping on its back" I explain the first part, and he furrows his brows with a determined nod.
"alright. once you're on, hold very tight. the horse will freak out and try to buck you off, but you have to stay on. while you're holding on, try your best to soothe the horse for a few seconds by rubbing its neck" I say, walking over to hug Kings snout.
"that's important. the relationship you have with your horse is key, so leave a good impression and make sure the horse feels safe and loved..." I kiss the side of Kings face as he neighs quietly.
"but I don't believe you'll have a problem with making your horse feel okay after you've caught it" I say with a smile as I walk up to him again.
He takes in another deep breath, and nods as he exhales.
"okay, I think i'm ready" He says, starting to walk off.
"alright, go ahead then. good luck. and be quiet!" I say, as he begins to crouch down.
I stand next to King as I watch Link slowly make his way over to the group of horses.
He makes a few turns here and there as he adjusts to the movement of the horse he's trying to catch. He quietly continues to make his way over, occasionally looking back at me for reassurance, and finally ends up just beside the steed.
Link tenses up slightly, worrying me that he had gotten too scared to continue, but he only did this to wind up his jump as he leaps onto the horses back, using one hand to hold tightly against the horses mane. It surprised me how high Link had jumped so suddenly, but I was proud of him for at least getting onto the horse. He was good at being stealthy.
I grow a bit anxious as the horse continuously tries to buck him off, but Link shows no sign of giving up. I bite my bottom lip as I see Link rubbing against the horses neck, and trying to lay his head against its mane.
Luckily, the horse slowed down, and started to trot in place as Link gently started to let go of its mane.
He did it.
He turns to me with a bright smile as his horse neighs loudly, and he rubs against his horses cheek to calm it down. He steers his horse around gently to come over to me, and I clap as he approaches.
"you did so good! i'm proud of you! I told you it wasn't bad" I say with a smile as he hops off his horse.
"thank you! it was actually kinda fun, if I had to admit" He shrugs, and I cross my arms with a raised eyebrow.
"what? I like a little challenge here and there! it's fun!" Link places his hands on his hips in defense and I chuckle.
"i'm only teasing you. I know exactly how you feel" I say, slowly making my way over to his new steed.
"Link, she's beautiful" I say, lifting my hand gently to pat her nose, and she lifts her snout up to meet with my hand.
"what a sweet girl, she's so friendly" I admire his horse, and he walks next to me.
"she? how do you know?" Link asks. I remove my hand from the horse and turn to look at him.
"I just checked. it's not that hard to notice I guess" I chuckle nervously, and Link does the same with a mild blush.
"anyway, until we reach the next stable you'll have to ride her without gear" I say, getting myself ready to climb onto King.
"unless you still want to ride with me and now that she's yours, she'll follow" I suggest, resting myself on Kings saddle.
"I'll be okay riding her. I don't want her to feel alone at a time like this, I just caught her. it would be nice to stay with her" Link says gently, turning to his new horse and stroking her snout. She neighs happily as she obviously has taken a liking to Link already.
This reminded me of myself, and how quick I felt so attracted to Link. We were like magnets, always pulling towards each other. I felt that as soon as he walked into my stable.
I feel my cheeks grow slightly warm as I continue to watch him bond with his horse, then reminding me there was something else I wanted him to do.
I turn my head and reach for my bag holding our food. Pulling it open, I remove three apples and turn myself back towards Link.
"Link! give her these. she'll love it" I say, going to throw one apple at a time.
Link jumps up and catches the first one, then second, and barely the third in his arms. He laughs gently and turns to his horse, and she immediately picks up an apple he was holding against his chest.
"woah, girl! easy" Link says, and the tone of his tender voice made my cheeks warmer, and butterflies erupt inside me for a split second.
I clear my throat and run my fingers through my hair.
"So, you have a name for her yet?" I ask, looking back over to see him finally lifting himself back onto her effortlessly.
"not yet, but i'm sure our journey to Kakariko will give me enough time to think" He says with a smile, and I smile back.
"once we get to the next stable is when you have to decide. that way we can register her for you" I explain, grabbing Kings reins as Link has his horse trot beside me.
We start our way towards Kakariko again after Link checks if we're going the right direction, and it falls silent for a few minutes, until Link speaks up.
"how do you know so much about horses?" He asks, causing me to look at him curiously.
"what do you mean?"
He tilts his head and scratches the back of his neck.
"well, I mean like how you explained the directions to catch a horse, and how you figure out it was a girl so quickly, what to feed them to gain trust...stuff like that" He explains, and my mouth forms an 'o' shape.
"I have worked at a stable my whole life. Ive been tending to horses for years, it's kind of a part of me. my dad taught me a lot too" I answer, and Link nods.
I chuckle gently and smile up at Link.
"now how about we find ourselves a stable so you can register her!" I say, pointing to Links new horse and tilting my head.
"right!" Link says.