#hateno dye shop

[blueskittlesart]

I am fully assuming that Link and Zelda will wed post-TOTK. What do you think the wedding outfits will be like? Traditional royal pomp, or something more suited to the adventurous couple that is close with the common people?

fun fact about me! i am one of those bitches who has had a wedding pinterest board since they were 10 years old and i also work for a wedding planner. so. not only have i already designed zelink wedding outfits but i also designed their engagement ring and i know exactly how the entire thing goes from proposal to reception. lmao

[kokiriofthevalley]

this is going to be kind of ridiculous, but do you think that when this guy

has an idea he's like

[thunderin-brainstorm]

you are Bad Guy, but you are not bad guy

even evil chameleon henchmonsters like to stop and smell the flowers sometimes

[tinybed]

haha all my towels didn’t dry completely so they’ve been layed out on the couch since yesterday and with the morning sun coming thru the window it’s creating a mystical atmosphere in here, like a colorful towel world haha :^)

[lovely-v]

Breath of the Wild NPC: ahhhh I wish someone would save us from Calamity Ganon!

Me: not now I have to find the sexiest Gerudo Town compliant outfit so I can serve in front of all those lesbians

[cookie-waffle]

Uselessly reminding you that these things are all canon in TOTK:

- Riju is super short for a gerudo her age, but still way taller than Link

- Link has a pet koi fish (or multipul depending on how many pools you put in your dream home)

- Being able to name the piss horse golden horse implies that Zelda had not given it a name yet. Perhaps because she’s a perfectionist and must think of the perfect name, or because she rescued the horse very recently before totk, but fell in love with it so quickly that she just had to have a picture of it in her house.

- The amount (and quality) of paintings done by Princess Zelda points towards her being very artistically talented, which is not something shown in botw. Perhaps this is a sign of her feeling more free and comfortable to be herself.

- Link has 8 ear piercings in total

- Link is still very short, but, it’s easier to see his muscle definition than in botw, meaning he did actually grow like a normal person just not… vertically.

- In the original Japanese text, Zelda calls the Hateno house “the house” instead of “my house” 👀

-The elemental armor headgear will allow you to dye Link’s hair at the dye shop.

- Originally, I thought Link could see the koroks in botw because he was only 17, and that koroks sorta worked like the picori, in that only kids could see them. However, he can still see them in his 20s. So, the games could be implying that he sees them because he was raised as one of them in a past life, and that part of his soul is still connected to the forest.

- The game likely takes place around 5-6 years after botw, because there are quite a lot of new child NPCs, none of which look or act young enough to be considered toddlers.

huge spoilers under the cut

- Link was canonically a furry zonai in a past life, but he’s noticeably less humanoid than Rauru or Mineru. Link has a tail, digitigrade legs, and even dew claws. Meanwhile, Rauru and Sonia have no tails and are plantigrade. This makes me wonder if zonai started intermarrying with mortals long before Rauru met Sonia, which could account for the more human-like traits.

- Link being a zonai at one point finally makes it 100% canon that Link does not need to be reborn as a hylian. It is entirely possible that he could have been a gerudo at some point, or may even be one in a future game.

[tashacee]

In case anyone was wondering, this is my concept for Wild in Finding Family! Special thanks to @a-manicured-lawn for helping with the mask design, i would never have given him such a cool pattern on his mask without you!

More info under the cut :D

Before the end of BOTW he wore a plainer mask or a modified version of one of the regional headgears - the snowquill mask is leather and looks like a bird, the gerudo veil covers his whole face, the zora headdress also has a beautifully engraved faceplate. The flamebreaker helmet... is exactly the same.

But afterwards when Zelda was moving into the house in Hateno she found his designs for this mask, based off the champion's tunic. She really wanted to connect to him, to do something nice. So she worked with Sayge in the dye shop to have it made for him, and made properly to fit and be comfortable.

Wild cried when she gave it to him. She was worried she'd misstepped, but he quickly clarified that he loved it. It's since become his most frequently worn mask.

The buckles have been enchanted by the great fairies to not come off for anyone other than him, so although there's a small risk of it slipping off, no one is going to undo it on him. It's also magically dirt resistant, comfortable, and smells nice.

(Zelda burned the mask Rhoam gave him at the first opportunity. Wild was okay with this. )

[legendofzoodles]

LU April Art things I noticed:

They’re in BotW's Hyrule Field!

Is Wind discreetly trying to wrap Warriors in his scarf like a burrito? He’s sending the wind in all manner of directions, able to give smol Four a strong breeze to give his heroic pose extra flare.

Legend has his under-tunic exposed? Was the red one damaged? Has he just recovered from an injury? Or is that tunic sitting in Hateno’s dye shop?

Not Wild and Time standing together mirroring each other’s poses. Did they have a heart-to-heart the previous evening?  

I like to think they made climbing the Dueling Peaks a competition, with experienced Wild acting as the referee. 

Bless Sky, he looks so wistful. The only one with shadows over his face. Boy misses home. 

[a-mushroom-wizard]

Just realised you can dye the snowquill set to look like revali

Turorial below:

pretty sure this works in both totk and breath of the wild

Buy the full snowquil set

2. Go to the hateno dye shop

3. Wear just the headress and dye it green, this will change the end of the braids to the green revali has

4. Take it off and Wear just the shirt, dye it black, this is the closest colour to revali's dark blue feathers, it'll also have the other fabric look like his shirt

5. Leave the pants undyed, they are already like his legs plus the pattern are the colours of his ankle jewellery

And there you go!

[luimagines]

Hey it's totally still your birthday right?

*'he/they's your Wild*

Enjoy mild totk spoilers (not really takes place post-botw pre-totk)

---

He was gone, and it was fine. You have no clue where he went, and neither did he. He had simply stepped into that dreaded portal, all but vanishing without a trace, and that was that.

Goodbyes had been short, they always had to be when your spouse was the legendary hero.

It was hard to remember sometimes that your Link was the hero of Hyrule. Hard to imagine that those same lively eyes of his had stared evil incarnate in the flesh before essentially vanquishing it. The same blond that had won you over catching staminoka bass with nothing but his bare hands and a dream and had diligently followed you along as you showed them the beauty of the new world that had surrounded him despite the terrors of the calamity a hundred years ago-- had also been the one who stood in an overtaken Hyrule castle and defended it, having long since grown and regained his strength (something they credited to you despite your insistence otherwise).

It was hard-- but not impossible. Especially then, as you stood to see him off. Even though they no longer carried the legendary sword on their back, the unmistakable strong stance he had told you what he was going to do before he even uttered a word.

You wouldn't stop him, you couldn't, but even still you found yourself torn between your heart and your mind. The logical part of you knew however (even if it pained you to see him off) that the world needed them more than you did. It wasn't surprising, you married the hero of Hyrule for Hylia's sake! But it still hurts. You knew, deep down, that you were always going to have to share them with the rest of the world, even if you wanted to selfishly lock them away and keep him all to yourself.

But none of that really mattered now, did it? The hugs and the kisses and the parting words went by too fast, everything was just too fast, now you were left despondant on the outskirts of Hateno, a pair of lovers setting out only for one to return.

You felt numb, a flurry of emotions welling up in your chest only for your mind to be miles away, unable to speak. You don't remember the walk back to the village, nor how you ended up in Link's house (or was it Zelda's now? It was never really clear, you had to ask at some point). You glanced around, slowly beginning to shuffle around, idly stacking the stray papers and nicknacks of Zelda's research scattered around the small area.

You didn't think about it, continuing to meander around the room, idly fixing things even if they weren't messy. It was useless to dwell on it, being sad wouldn't bring him back, and you were no good to everyone else if you were beside yourself with grief for a hylian who wasn't even dead yet.

It was fine. He was going to come back. You just... had to keep busy. Hateno had no shortage of jobs for you as it continued to grow and develop. You still had to drop off those cloths Senna ordered to the dye shop. Zelda still needed you to help teaching the children at the school until another official one was found-- that one was pretty long-term, likely to keep you busy and on your feet. And then of course you had promised Zelda that you would ask Nagda for gardening tips in order to try and help Aster, who seemed better able to grasp onto information about her father's vegetables rather than gardening in practice. You still hadn't completely gotten over your uneasiness towards the flower-obsessed--

Oh. You were crying.

The blurriness in your eyes and the wet streaks on your cheeks were unmistakable, yet it's presence still caught you off guard. You couldn't tell why, you were fine, it wasn't a big deal. 'It's fine, you're okay' you repeated to yourself like a mantra, Link was coming back and everything would--

"Are you alright?" a quiet, worried voice broke you out of your mental stoop. Your body froze up, still facing away from the concerned blonde in a feeble attempt to maintain some dignity. When did Zelda get here? How much time had passed.

"I uh, I'm sorry I just-" you fumble your words, not really having anything else to say but 'sorry'. For what exactly was unclear: for being caught in her house unannounced, for moving her things around as you tidied up, perhaps even for crying in general, not being strong enough to bear the load that was required of you as the hero's spouse.

You felt like a child, having been caught red-handed at your most vulnerable with no excuses for the way you were acting. Instead of being scolded though, or even being questioned as to what exactly you were doing there and not your own home, Zelda immediately met you with nothing but compassion. The blonde frowned a bit, seeing your clearly distressed state, immediately stepping forward to bring your crying form into her arms.

You shakily exhaled, deflating a bit. You apologize again, wiping at your eyes even if it only accomplished in making your eyes more irritated and red as more tears make their way out. You hated it. You hated it and you hated him for making you go through it, even if it was illogical to do so.

For once, even if it was selfish, you desperately wished for simpler times, when it was just the two of you against the world. When some days your biggest problem was entertaining yourself during long journeys between stables on your way to the next province. When your biggest plight was having to scramble after your partner when one of their idiotic stunts he swore wouldn't go wrong did just that. Hell, you'd even take before the calamity was defeated and the only people you two had were each other. Everything changed when you guys settled down and started placing roots.

Now it seemed like you saw less and less of him with every new task, and now he was just gone. You missed just looking over and seeing somebody once told me the world was gonna roll me, I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed. She was looking kinda dumb with her finger and her thumb in the shape of an L on her forehead. Well- looking back at you, your somebody, Link. Now he's gone and you don't know when they're coming back or even if they're safe.

You don't say any of this though, especially not when the rescued princess herself was right in front of you. It was a stupid thought only expressed in the heat of the moment, and you had long since learned to control those thoughts and urges. You weren't some child that needed to lash out and hurt those closest to you in your despair; you were an adult, the spouse of the hero of Hyrule who chose to strengthen the remains of Hyrule alongside the princess-- you needed to respond appropriately.

You gather yourself, you have no choice but to after all, crying in the princess' arms wasn't a solution nor a luxury that you could afford. You reveal everything to her, what little information you did have anyway-- the portal, how he left through it, and essentially not having any information on their whereabouts or even if he was safe.

"Oh, I see" Zelda responds sympathetically, understanding your plight and Link's potentially dire situation. Her lips together as she nods to herself, a sudden look of determination filling her eyes. She pulls back from you, looking into your eyes as she grabs onto your shoulders.

"Link is a strong and reliable swordsman whose resilience knows no bounds" she starts in hopes that some of her resolve spark up your own "I have no doubt that he'll return to you to the best of his ability. Please have faith in him, if not as your partner then as the hero and as my dearest companion".

You nod, simply taking the words in. Link will be fine, he has to be fine. Your heart couldn't take it otherwise.

You don't know what you'd do if he wasn't fine.

:)))))

..........You shrek rolled me.... in the middle of an intense fanfic!?!?!?!?!?

For my birthday- you evil mastermind you, how dare.

Is it really spoilers though if it just mentions that like Zelda was a teacher? I heard about that but I fail to see how that has anything to do with the plot so I think you're fine. Unless there was another thing that I missed because I don't know any better.

Thank you Bee!!! I wanted to yell and scream. :D

[breannasfluff]

“Just look at my scarf!” Warriors holds up an end spattered with monster blood. The group is gathered around a cold stream washing off the worst of the blood after a fight.

Legend glances over from where he’s dunking his hat. “Maybe if you didn’t wear a scarf into battle, you wouldn’t have that problem. Goddess knows how it hasn’t been chopped off your neck by now.”

Glaring, Warriors returns to carefully rubbing blood out. “Some of us care about how we look.”

“In a fight? What happens when a monster catches the end and pulls you down? What if they use it to choke you?” The Veteran stops scrubbing his hat to better berate the other. “That scarf is going to be your own noose at the rate you’re going. Just take the stupid thing off!”

“Hey! The scarf is important! Just because you don’t understand emotions like caring and sentiment—“

Time’s sharp voice breaks in. “Boys! Enough. If Warriors made it through a war with his scarf I’m sure he will survive the monsters, too.”

Wild watches the two shoot glares at each other. This goes beyond their mock fighting and edges on true anger. Tempers are short, shortened by the dragging battles.

Legend flips Warriors a rude gesture when Time looks away. The Captain’s hands tighten in his scarf before he looks away and smoothes it into the water again.

Sky, ever the peacemaker, says, “I think the scarf is nice, Warriors. Might as well mix up the outfits, right?”

His only response is a grunt.

Hyrule flutters at Legend’s side, gently pleading for him to let the matter go.

Wild’s tunic is still covered in monster blood, but he ignores it as he watches the group. Time is exhausted; bags starting to form under his eyes. Twilight dozes next to him instead of washing his spare pants. Despite Sky’s attempts at mediation, his patience is running out.

The de facto leaders of the group are rapidly nearing their limits. They rely more and more on Warriors, as a Captain, to help, but the expense is a sharper temper and less understanding.

Leading the group means slipping into Captain mode, where Warriors expects compliance and respect. The Chain understands and he tries to temper it, but Legend does poorly with oversight at the best of times. This is not the best of times.

Warriors stares at the water running over his scarf, shoulders drooping. Leadership isn’t a burden Wild has any interest in sharing; he can barely watch out for himself. Is there something he could do to cheer up the Captain, though?

“Wish I could clean this properly,” he grumbles, before giving up and gently wringing out the fabric.

The comment sparks a memory of Hateno and the dye shop; women chattering shout cleaning techniques. They talked about making a lavender oil that could do nicely…

Mind made up, Wild taps at his slate to see what supplies he’ll need.

Read the rest here!

[knarroweddown]

Well, Well, Well...

Time heads out the door, shutting it gently, and Purah scribbles names next to items. Then she gets to work.

—

Contrary to popular belief, as reliable as he was, Time should not be trusted on errands alone. Ask his lovely wife, Malon, there is a reason she has to accompany him to Castle Town after all. 

The door shuts softly behind him, crackles of the furnace accompanying the occasional sighing breeze. Colorful streaks peek above the distant mountaintops, brightening Time’s figure as he makes his way down to Hateno.

‘Alright, Link. Make this quick, no detours or noticing suspicious soft patches of dirt. Just a cucco egg,’ Time thought, steeling himself against anything mysterious.

The noise of conversation gradually rises as the Hero of Time makes his way closer to the small village. He pauses at the dye shop. Oh, that shade of red would look good with his fireproof tunic and that light green-

No, stay focused.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Time calls to a nearby villager, “Are there any ranches nearby? I need to gather a few eggs for a friend.”

“Ah! O’ course there are! The closest one is right up there.” Rising onto the balls of her feet, she points over the house roofs and up the hill to a small windmill. “Not only do they have cuccos, but they also have a few sheep and cow products if ya need ‘em as well!”

Time bows slightly in thanks, eyeing the hill he had just descended from, “I appreciate the information.”

Preparing to make the hike again, he shifts in his armor. The breeze ruffles his hairs and leaves twirl in the air when he makes it halfway up. That of course is when his thoughts became a tad bit sidetracked.

“...ink,” came a whisper.

Time’s ear twitches, seems like someone’s looking for Wild. Unfortunate that he’s probably halfway across the continent already.

“Listen, Link!”

His head turns sharply and in a flash, he’s back in the Lost Woods. Green fairies flit to and fro between the tree trunks, giggling amongst themselves. A blue light floats in the shade of the trees, retreating deeper into the thick foliage.

Time feels his heart jump into his throat. “Wait!” He cries, “Slow down! Navi!”

Sharp branches slap against his face, but Time doesn’t feel any of it. The light was growing dimmer and he wasn’t getting any closer. Around him the trunks grew thicker, packing tighter together the further he pushed forward.

And then darkness.

Link- no, Time, frantically looks around, turning in circles to find his friend. “S-she has to be over here somewhere…”

Everything blurs momentarily and he’s back in reality. Except…

A well sits in front of him, its depths beckoning him like a spider in its web. Cautiously, the Hero of Time makes his way towards its stony hem, peering into the abyss. Time feels his ear twitch-

“Watch out!”

Metal meets metal, sparks soar into the noon sky. His mirror-image stares back at him, except it isn’t. Its eye glowed a bloody red and the body a translucent black. Time felt himself falter in shock, allowing the Shadow to retreat back.

“What, stuck in the past?” It cackles tauntingly, swinging its sword in circles. The Shadow lunges at Time, feinting to the right and slicing him across the back of his thigh.

Time screams in rage and pain, stumbling and catching himself on the well when his leg gives up. He wobbles on one leg, glaring at his double. This wasn’t an ideal situation, if he was able to the draw attention of one of the boys-

“Tsk tsk, Hero. No one’s around to help you, I’ve made sure of that,” the Shadow snickers, “Say hello to an old friend for me~.”

Then Time is falling, staring up at the red blot that grows smaller and smaller.

—

well wasn't this fun! maybe I'll write a second part, maybe not! Hope the pacing was okay.

WTIYS Challenge by @breannasfluff

[giriduck]

Every 8 months or so, Pikango visits Kochi’s dye shop in Hateno Village, to restock on pigments for his paints. The artist always brings a small satchel full of interesting lichen, chips of glittering mica, or anything that may have caught his eye on this travels that Kochi might want to use in a new dye.

They visit of the rest of the day and chat about news, bond over color theory, and celebrate Pikango’s latest creations. Kochi thinks that Pikango is a masterful painter, and Pikango finds Kochi’s relentless puns amusing.

[totkdaily]

Day 49: Hateno School, Secrets, and History

In the morning, I report back to Sophie. She says Cece loves the plain, slow life here. She thinks Cece and Reede want the same things. I should speak to him. 

On the way to the inn I speak with Leop. He and his son-in-law Worten like things simple, but his daughter Prima loves Cece. This thing really is tearing families apart.

Worten and Prima run the inn. Prima's nagging him to wear a Cece hat, so he's hiding on the veranda. 

I find Hateno's Goddess statue and grab stamina to make two even circles. I should probably collect some hearts next time. 

At the Mayor's House I chat to Clavia, his wife. Reede's got a secret shed and she wants to know why. He goes in at midday, apparently. 

I wonder if the nearby wells would get me under the shed, but then I see Reede's daughter heading to the school and I decide I'd like to see it.

It's a beautifully cheerful building, one of Hudson's I think.

Symin is advertising for teachers on the board outside! Is he here? 

Symin! 

As good as it is to see old friends, I don't enjoy having to tell yet another person that I came back without Zelda. 

He says the Princess built this school.

There's a notebook upstairs with evaluations - Symin's addressed them to Zelda. 

Aster, Medda's daughter. Active, loves her father, likes tomatoes, optimistic. 

Karin, the mayor's daughter. Kind but shy, not confident but perceptive. Loves maths and helping her father, may one day be a scholar. 

Azu, Ivee's brother, Amira's son. AKA A-Zoom, hero. Used to be best friends with Sefaro but Sefaro is now busy at the dye shop. 

Sefaro, Sayge's son. Firebrand, but bright. Reads adult books and about the Calamity. 

They sound like a great group of kids.

Symin writes that he had some kind of premonition before the Upheaval - he felt it before the Calamity also. He hopes the Princess will be safe with me at her side. 

Well. That didn't work. I failed. 

I sit in on Symin's Calamity lesson. He reminds me that there was another Princess and another Swordsman 10,000 years ago, with a Sword that Seals the Darkness. 

It sets me to thinking. How long ago were the Zonai, exactly? Was that Zelda, the Princess from 10,000 years ago? In which case, who exactly was the hero? 

The kids don't even believe the story. I nip back to Kakariko for a picture of the screen they have that depicts those events. 

I should know my history better. Symin says the 10,000 years ago Calamity involved the Sheikah and the Divine Beasts. Zelda's gone even further back than that... but even then, there was a Princess, a Sword, and an Ancient Hero. 

It's so strange to be standing here as Symin recounts the events of our Calamity. The loss of the Champions, Zelda's power, my healing sleep… 

Azu wants to be like the ancient hero - he's even wearing green. 

The next lesson is home economics. What does Goron spice, Hylian rice and monster extract make? The kids don't believe you can eat monster extract. Kilton's the only guy I know who sells it, and he said he was going to Tarrey Town… Maybe I should head over that way once I'm finished here and fetch some, so the kids can give it a try. 

Now, Reede's secret shed. The tunnels under the wells are incredibly convoluted - but if there's a bubbulfrog, I can't find it. I do, however, manage to ascend into Reede's shed and read his journal. 

He's trying to breed a new pumpkin. Him and Nack are working on a Cece-inspired pumpkin to appeal to the youth.

I go and speak to Reede, and it seems that the new pumpkin is only half of his plan. The other half is to bring back an old taste that his grandfather collaborated on… is he talking about cheese? Because I already helped Koyin make cheese, days ago. I give him the sample Koyin gave me. He gives me 100 rupees for it, to be fair. 

I catch Clavia on her way to bed and tell her about the secret pumpkin - she gives me some tomatoes in return. 

Speaking of Koyin… I don't think she was wearing a Cece hat. I climb the hill and give her and her dad mushrooms. Dantz reminds me of his need for acorns, so I head into the forest for some squirrel hunting. It takes me the night to find one.

[phoenixcatch7]

Lights burn long

Hey guys! I don’t normally do this but I wrote a little one shot to get me back into writing, and since it’s so short I thought I’d share it ^^. Little domestic hateno fluff piece.

The light of the setting sun often struggled to reach the house across the bridge, tucked at the foot of Heartbreak Pond as it was. Candles were lit a half hour early, an hour in winter. Link liked to find the more expensive scented ones, sold in little shops in the towns across Hyrule. They added a pleasant smell to the twining smoke as it filled the house, casting flickering glows on the clay walls, turning them the colour of the sunset the furniture never saw.

Zelda liked lighting them, a soothing task, and she did them that night as Link gathered the dishes from a late meal, the clink of the cutlery in time with the soft snap whumph of wicks.

He piled them in the sink, jiggling the flame blade they used to heat their water until it glimmered a hot amber. Taking a handful of lye shavings from the pot behind the tub, he sprinkled it evenly into the water and stirred it slowly with a cloth, watching as suds began to trail behind his hand.

The creaking of floorboards took Zelda upstairs, lighting the last two on the desk and at their bedside, to extinguish last as they went to sleep once the moon peaked over the mountains.

As the house filled with light, Link pulled out the first plate, running the cloth over it in slow circles. The hot soapy water warmed his fingers, turning them pink.

Zelda returned, hiding a small yawn in her hand. She leant against Link for a brief moment, her hair swaying into his cheek until she rocked back.

“Sleepy?” he asked, tilting his head to see her squeeze her eyes shut. She hummed, soft and long. “See, that's what happens when you stay up late in your research, you're tired the next day. Get an early night tonight.”

In lieu of a response, she leaned into the counter, swatting at him like a idle cat until he stepped aside, keeping his hands in the sink. Throwing open the cupboard underneath with a creak, she patted around until a towel appeared, white and blue dotted and a present from Paige down at the dye shop as an unexpected house-warming gift.

“Let's get this done first,” she said. “I'd love to get to sleep without having to smell old food.”

“You sleep whether I track bokoblin guts into the house,” Link informed her, and got swatted with the towel for his troubles.

“Unlike a certain someone I could mention, I didn't get enough sleep for a century, so I like it when I get to do it without troubles,” Zelda said primly, taking the spoon he handed her and scrubbing it dry.

“That's not at all what you said last night.” This time, the towel was slightly wet, and left his ear faintly damp.

“Well you should know better than to pry me from my research, Link, really.”

“Mhm,” he agreed without sincerity, swirling his rag in the steaming water to fish out any last cutlery, and realising all the forks had sunk to the bottom. For a long moment, the home was filled with the swish of water and the clink of metal as they cleaned. The sharp smell of the lye stirred about their heads and mixed with the beechwood of the candles as the wax started to melt.

Through the windows, the last rays of sunlight started to fade, smothered by the clouds as temperatures began to drop outside. Inside, the flame blade rippled and sparked in its metal shelf, warming the house from within.

Zelda was yawning hard as she dried the last piece, hard enough that she paused her wiping to screw her face up with the size of it, tears springing to the corners of her eyes. Link took it and the towel from her, stepping into her space to put it on the rack.

“Get to bed,” he chided softly. “You had a long day.”

“Yesterday,” Zelda complained, but conceded, surrendering to his gentle chivvying and heading up the stairs. The top of her blonde head moved around over the railing as he finished the nightly preparations, getting undressed and untying her hair for sleep. He heard the gentle woosh of the candle on the desk being blown out, and then the rustle of her kicking her way under the covers.

He gathered the papers strewn over the table, a couple on the floor, shuffled them into a pile for Zelda to exclaim over his ruining her sorting in the morning, folded the blanket and hung it over the armchair back, kicked the leaves that had wandered in towards the door.

He had a few hours until he was tired, still used to being up all hours of the day and night, and so ran a finger over the well worn shelf in the side table they'd filled with books until he found an omnibus of birds and insects, and settled in the chair as he pleased, kicking both legs over one arm and leaning into the crook of the other.

The candles burned long and sweet, the sky outside fading from purple to a rich blue, and as the moon peeked its round head over the spring of wisdom Link found his head beginning to bob on his neck, the owls on the page beginning to flutter their wings and fly from the paper, singing their distant songs in his listening ears.

He closed the book, leaning over to slide it back on the shelf, and slid to his feet with a delicious, languid stretch. Each candle on his slow circuit of the house blew out one by one, the deadbolt on the door slid into place, the flame blade checked to confirm its dimming to a cool grey. Each step on the stairs felt like hiking a snow covered mountain, and he rested his hand on the railing as he climbed up, hiding his own yawns.

Zelda was already long asleep when he reached her, hair a golden halo in the last glowing candle, face lax in dreams.

Link shucked his clothes one by one, pulling on his worn lobster shirt and a pair of shorts. He sat on the edge of the bed as he undid his hair, running his fingers through until it fell loose again, and tied it back in a simple ponytail to keep it out of their mouths during the night.

He climbed into bed beside her, tugging the duvet free and slipping under. With a silent breath, the last candle cast the house across the bridge into deep darkness, and Link was asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.