The Company You Keep (BotW Link x Reader)

The Game

You and Link have continue riding. You are delighted to not be riding on your horse's bareback anymore. The saddle is significantly more comfortable. In addition, you actually feel secure riding now, so the two of you can travel at a fast speed. You pass the Faron Tower, which stretches far into the sky. Remembering that Link had bragged about climbing up there, you are impressed, but not overly surprised. Just about everything he does is impressive to you. As you continue down the road, you are amazed that you barely have to direct Vanilla. She is just following the path by herself.

"Does Cocoa just follow the road, even when you aren't making him?" You inquire.

"Yep. Once you develop a strong enough bond with your horse, they will just take you where you want to go," Link answered.

"That's really cool!"

Since you and Link are traveling at a faster rate, the horses get tired more quickly, so you have to take breaks more often. Link doesn't seem to mind though. He believes that the time you spend resting is made up by the distance you travel, now that you are moving faster.

"Not that I'm in a rush or anything, but when do you think we will get to Kakariko Village."

"I'd guess another couple of days. Why do you ask?"

"No reason in particular. I just wanted to know. I'm actually a little excited to see another village." you admit.

During one of the resting times for the horses, Link has you follow him further into the jungle. 

"As I said earlier, you will fight some bokoblins today," he says, "Since you only fought some stalkoblins last time, I'll watch you again to make sure you don't get yourself killed."

Clearly a little nervous, Link rests his hand on your shoulder and gives you this comforting look. You understand that he will keep you safe if anything bad happens, so you have nothing to fear. You locate a singular red bokoblin, and using the spear Link lent you, you easily kill it with a couple of strikes. 

"See, it wasn't bad. Now, while the horses are resting let's have some fun, shall we?" Link suggests. 

He shoots you a devious look and you are a little scared by what he means.

"What kind of fun?" you ask cautiously.

"It's a game. We will split up and roam around the woods a bit. We are looking for any bokoblins to kill. The one that kills 10 bokoblins first, and returns back to the horses, with whatever the monsters drop, wins," he explains enthusiastically. "The prize is to be determined."

"That's not fair! You have way more experience than me. You'll obviously win." you protest.

"You're right. Fine, you can have a head start, plus you can count the one you just killed, so you only have to kill nine more."

Content with your slight advantage, you agree. Just as you are about to run off, Link grabs your arm.

"Here, you are going to want these." He hands you a shield and an extra spear. You give him a quizzical look, but he just says "You'll see." 

Without any other interruptions, you disappear into the dense forest. After a few moments, you find another bokoblin. You are a little nervous without Link watching you, to make sure everything goes smoothly, but you know that he believes you can take care of yourself. You quickly find seven additional bokoblins within about 30 minutes, meaning that you only need one more before you can go back to the meeting place. As you are quietly sneaking around, crouching as Link had done before, you notice that your spear is in bad shape. You don't think much about it, since you have another one. You find another red bokoblin, kill it with ease, and add the bokoblin horn that it dropped, to your collection for Link.

Having killed all the bokoblins you needed, you start jogging back to the horses, hoping that Link isn't there. Being a little careless, you make a lot of noise walking through all the twigs and leaves on the ground. In your peripheral vision, you notice movement in some tall grass. You are unsure of what it is, so to be safe you prepare yourself, in case you need to fight. For a moment nothing happens, so you cautiously continue toward your destination. 

All of a sudden a black bokoblin jumps out from behind the tall grass. You are so startled that you fall backward. You've never seen bokoblins that weren't blue or red. You try to get back up to fight the monster and as you strike it, your spear shatters into tiny pieces.

"Oh, sh*t! Come on!" you blurt out.

The bokoblin swings his Spiked Boko bat at you. You try to grab the shield that Link gave you, to block the attack, but it gets stuck on your back. The monster hits you in the rib cage and you can feel the air get knocked out of you. Knowing that there's no point in fighting, you try to head back to Link for help. It is extremely painful to walk, so you are very slow, clutching your side. Fortunately enough, you were almost at the meeting point before you got attacked so you don't have very far to go. 

With the bokoblin on your tail, you can finally see the clearing where the horses are. You look around but can't see Link anywhere.

"Link! Help!" you cry out desperately, but it isn't loud enough.

There's no answer and you panic even more.

"Link!" you call again.

You spot the blonde approaching the meeting place with an armful of different fruits. The bokoblin lets out an ear-piercing screech which gets Link's attention finally. Without hesitation, he drops what he is carrying and charges toward you, sword and shield ready. 

With the bokoblin's attention now on Link, you are able to get out of its reach. You watch as Link fearlessly fights the monster. Within a minute the black beast is dead and Link returns to you, worry in his eyes. He notices the way you are holding your side.

"How bad is it?" he asks softly.

"Pretty bad. It hurts to walk, and breathe," you admit.

"Most likely a broken rib then. Come sit down." He leads you over to a log that you rest your back on. You try to steady your breathing.

"I'm sorry y/n. I shouldn't have let you out of my sight." Link says without looking at you.

"No, I should have known that I couldn't handle that one by myself," you counter.

"I took an unnecessary risk by letting you do this by yourself. I'm the reason you got hurt." He looks up at you after he says this and you notice that he has a cut on his cheek.

"You got cut! Are you ok?" you question him, surprised.

"Are you kidding me!? You have a broken bone, and you're asking me if I'm alright," he scoffs.

"What? Just because I'm hurt, doesn't mean that I can't still worry about you."

"Sorry. It's just... I can't let another person die on my watch or because of me."

Without thinking and as a reflex you repeat "Another?" but then immediately regret it.

He turns his head away from you again in response. 

"Nothing, nevermind. I guess I'll make you something to eat that will help you heal faster," he states, quickly getting up from his spot beside you.

You throw your head back against the log that is supporting you, in frustration. You are starting to see how foolish this adventure is. "Maybe my parents were right all this time. Link is going to get rid of me so that he doesn't have to continue carrying a burden. I'll be stuck with no map or directions for where to go next. I'll be stuck in a world that I don't know, all alone," you whisper to yourself. 

You notice the hot tears starting to form in your eyes and quickly wipe them away. You don't want Link to see you cry. "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it," you think to yourself.

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~ I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Sorry It's late. I wanted to get this chapter out on Saturday but I was so super busy. There will be another chapter out this weekend too.

~ Don't forget to vote for the chapter and leave a comment. Honestly, they really motivate me to write and get more chapters published.