Help Me-botw link x reader

Chapter 4-Sleep and Simmered Fruits

"Where are we going first?" I asked excitedly.

I was practically skipping along the road, I was so happy. Link smiled slightly at my exuberance and replied, "Kakariko Village. Then...I don't know."

I cocked my head, thinking. I'd only seen maps of Hyrule so I had no idea how long this trip would take. Hyrule was incredibly large, with a large variety of different ecosystems. "Hey Link...how long will it take to get to Kakariko Village?"

"Well," he furrowed his brows like he was trying to remember something, "I went there before I got to Hateno and the trip took about a week and a half."

I nodded. It would take a bit to get there. Right now we were walking alongside Link's horse until we were a bit outside the village. Link's horse was beautiful and brown with a white spot on its muzzle. I wanted to ride her so bad, I had only rode a horse a couple times.

Link saw my gaze on his horse and said, "let's ride Epona. It'll go faster and I can tell you want to ride her."

I nodded vigorously and watched Link smoothly climb on the horse, like he'd done it for years. I guess he has.

I was significantly less smooth when I tried to get on, causing Link to laugh. Once I was secure behind him I swatted his shoulder. "Shut up."

He just chuckled a little more before snapping Epona's reigns, letting he jolt forward. I was startled by the sudden movement and automatically clung on to Link's waist. I blushed deeply but didn't want to let go for fear of falling off. It took miles of riding for me to loosen my grip and relax.

The rush of adrenaline ran out and suddenly I felt so, so tired. It was only afternoon but I wanted to go to bed. Who knew traveling could take so much energy out of you?

I leaned against the boy sitting in front of me, feeling increasingly sleepy. I was so out of it I didn't notice that my head rested in the crook of Link's neck or even that my arms were around him, hugging him like he was a pillow.

I dosed off a few minutes later, completely unaware of how much the boy I was so close to was blushing.

~LINK'S POV~

(y/n) was strange. So strange.

I didn't know what to even make of the girl, from her longing for adventure to her willingness to be my partner.

She was so admirably...brave. She left the only place she'd ever known to come with me. (Y/n) was the reason of my jumble of emotions. She was the reason I kept Epona at a smooth trot so as not to wake her up. She was the reason I had a protective little fire in my chest.

She was so innocent and I don't want anything to happen to her. I'm infinitely glad she came with me, but desperately wished she'd said no. Stayed home. Safe.

I felt more comfortable with (y/n) than I had ever been with someone before. She seemed so energetic, so curious and in awe of the world around her. It was incredible to watch.

I truly don't know how I feel about her. She's my partner. Maybe she's my friend. But when I see her hair waving in the wind as we travel on Epona, her wide eyes taking in this new world around her, even feel her head resting on my shoulder, an unfamiliar emotion blooms in me.

In my one hundred and eighteen years of life, I can't remember ever feeling that way. Sure, I remember virtually nothing from a hundred years ago, but I feel liked I'd remember having such a strange emotion as this.

I wanted to investigate it. See what it meant. But that would take time—time I don't have. Time Zelda doesn't have. I can't let it distract me. So I push it down. It's my imagination. Culture shock at this new Hyrule. It's fatigue. It's anything but important.