Link x Reader ~ Find You

Chapter 7

~Link~

The weathered wooden floorboards of the Kakariko inn creaked slightly under Link's weight as he shuffled along drowsily towards the kitchen. His striking cerulean eyes wrinkled up tightly as an eager beam of early morning sunlight danced across them through a window, causing him to groan in discomfort.

"Good morning, Link!" a chipper voice greeted.

Link looked up at a brightly grinning Luda, who stood in the kitchen placing a tray of biscuits in the wood-fired oven. He gave her a small smile in return.

"Good morning, Luda." He replied in a quiet tone, trying not to wake anyone else in the inn.

"Did you sleep well last night?" The young brunette asked politely as she cracked an egg open on a pan over the fireplace.

"Like a baby." Link lied. He hadn't slept well that night. In fact, he'd barely slept at all since he last saw you; but he wasn't going to tell Luda that, or anyone for that matter, not after what happened just a week before...



flashback

A cucco's rough crowing cracked the static morning ambiance that lay over Kakariko Village. Telma, who had already been laying awake in her bed for some time, was startled from her thoughts at the bird's cry. She sighed deeply before swinging her legs over the edge of the mattress and stretching her arms above her head, her joints crackling with her movements. Her eyes fell to the other side of the large cedar-framed bed she sat upon. It lay cold and vacant. She lingered as she thought of the life she could have had in this room; or at least the life she wished she could have had.

She slipped on her worn Gerudo sandals slowly, sleepily, before realizing she hadn't changed out of the night gown Renado had lent her the night before. Her work-worn hands ran over the soft material gently, its deep blue hue seemingly mirroring her mood. It had belonged to his wife. It must have. It felt almost inappropriate for her to be wearing it, and she had felt pretty uncomfortable accepting it, but Renado had insisted. She hadn't brought a change of clothes or anything else since she and the others had left Castle Town so hastily. She had offered to journey back to pack herself a travel bag, but Renado convinced her to stay. "It's a dangerous journey to make alone," he had said. He was going to Town anyway for the business of obtaining the scrolls, so he assured her he'd stop by her place and pick up some of her belongings.

Telma looked around for yesterday's clothes, which she was sure she had maturely left in a pile on the floor. She quickly found them folded neatly on a nearby chair. Renado, no doubt, had done that before he left for the castle.

"Always so thoughtful..." She murmured.

After changing into her dusty clothes, she took the night gown and folded it carefully, as Renado had done for her, and placed it on the end of the aging bed. Slowly she approached the mirror hanging above a sturdy looking dresser and sighed. Her deep emerald eyes were lacking their usual spark of livelihood, with sunken, drooping dark circles looming underneath them amidst the mild indications of wrinkles. Her hands messed with her auburn braids briefly before she turned to leave the master bedroom.

A great yawn escaped from her lips as she meandered down the narrow hall, her sandals snapping against her heels with each step. As she approached Link's room, she noticed the door was standing open. Curious, she slowly peered in...

Empty. He must be up already.

Dismissing the hero's vacant bedroom, she made her way downstairs to the kitchen carefully, trying not to trigger any of the boisterously creaky floor boards. The cloak of early morning darkness made it difficult for the woman to see much of anything in the kitchen. She fumbled about a bit in search of a match to light some candles, stubbing her toes in the process.

"Son of a blood-sucking - gah!" She cursed subduedly, her eyes screwing tightly shut in pain as she cradled her aching foot. "Where are those damned things?"

"Looking for these?"

Telma jumped, startled. She whipped around to see a slightly disheveled Shad standing there with a box of matches in one hand and a burning lantern in the other, a soft smile adorning his lips.

"Good gravy boy, are you tryna' give me a heart attack?! Geez Louise!" She cried out in a shouted whisper, her heart pounding furiously from the adrenaline shock.

"O-Oh, I'm so sorry Telma! I didn't mean to scare you so badly..." He whispered sheepishly, his face turning red with embarrassment. Telma shook her head lightly before she accepted the matchbox from the timid man.

"No need to apologize boy. Just gave me a good start is all." She breathed heavily as she flicked a match across the rough surface of its case. A tiny flame sprung to life and illuminated her finely manicured fingers as she lit a well-used candle resting on the counter.

"What are you doin' up so early anyway?" She asked as she shook out the match's flame, turning to face Shad. His dark, indigo eyes shyly flitted away from her intimidating gaze.

"Well, I..." he shuffled his feet a bit and fiddled with the lantern nervously.

"Well?" Telma questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I was with Ashei. We were up most of the night." Telma's eyes widened and she looked quite taken aback.

"I didn't realize you two were, uh... I figured you to be the kind of gentleman who waits until marriage before ya'll... seal the deal. Also, Ashei's room is right next to poor Luda's bedroom, and the walls here are pretty thin.. Although, I suppose it's a bit too late for me to be telling you this now-"

Shad's face grew bright red and his innocent cobalt eyes grew to the size of saucers as he began blabbering almost incoherently.

"A-A-A-A-A-A-h, n-n-no T-Telma, you m-misunderstood me!!! I-It wasn't like that at all! Our rooms are n-next to each other you see, and I woke up hearing some strange sounds coming from her room! I went and knocked on her door, but she didn't reply, so I-I went in and she was curled up on the bed crying; I just comforted her and and we talked and stuff..." he trailed off meekly, the poor young man shrinking back.

"What do you mean by 'stuff'?" Telma asked, an impish grin beginning to grow across her face. Even in the dim candlelight, Shad's cheeks were obviously burning.

"W-We... We might've kissed a bit, but that's it, I swear! What kind of guy would I be to take advantage of her when she was so vulnerable?"

Telma's plump face twisted a bit. "And kissing her isn't taking advantage of her?"

"She kissed me actually, and I didn't push the situation any further than that..." His demeanor relaxed a little and his lips turned up into a soft smile. "I never thought in a million years she would ever have feelings for me, too..." he mumbled under his breath.

Telma smiled at the gentle young man, noticing how content he looked. The pair stood there in the inn's kitchen for a moment, letting the light mood linger in the air as long as it could.

"Would you care for a cup of tea?" Telma asked after a while, clearing her throat.

"Love some." Shad replied softly, nodding appreciatively.