Hunter and Apprentice; Fantasy Zelink AU (The Legend of Zelda)

Chapter Eleven

Friend. He'd called me a friend. Maybe that shouldn't have been such a big deal... but to me it was.

We started swimming after our small heart to heart. At one point, I swam down and picked more of those stones up from the bottom. Link asked me about them, and I explained what they were. He was learning more and more about ingredients, being a witch's apprentice, and I was impressed with his questions and some of the things he already knew about.

When we left the pool I dried us off with my light.

We talked more about what Link was learning from Ira, and I answered the small questions he had about some types of ingredients.

We had a lot of time before Fade progressed to night, but talking about ingredients and alchemy certainly carved a chunk out of that time.

He seemed to enjoy the topic, which meant he'd chosen his profession well. I was glad for it - if he hadn't chosen to learn the art of potion-making, he wouldn't have been placed with Ira, and I'd never have met him.

~*~

Before it started getting too dark, I took Link along the path to the top of the waterfall.

I looked around with a critical eye. "We could probably train up here. It's pretty private, but it's not a ton of room... I wouldn't want you to fall off..."

"Well, we can try, and if it doesn't work out we can find another place."

I moved to the side of the cliff that wasn't raining water down on our heads. The waterfall from above hit one side, and then a river took it across and down to the pool below. I sat beside the river and started to spread out the picnic.

Link helped me with the blanket, then I took the food out of my movada and placed it in a circle in the middle. I also took a couple of candles out and left them at the edges. It wasn't dark yet, but once it was, I might want to light them.

I liked candles. They were like little domesticated flame pets.

Sometimes I had wished I had a fire affinity instead of light... but the night that my affinity had awakened would have been far more destructive with fire than it had been with my light.

Link sat down across from me. "This looks good."

"I would hope so, it is." I smiled.

We settled in, and I probably ate too much, but I couldn't help it. There was something so soothing in this moment. I had a new friend. And not just a friend but... one like him. One that I already had so much in common with. One that wouldn't leave this time.

We finished dinner with night deepening around us.

"What is your favorite ingredient to go and hunt?" Link asked as we cleaned up.

I blinked. "Oh... huh." I thought about it. "Probably..." I frowned. "Well, I like the ingredients that grow in populated areas of Aiuan settlements. I get to meet other people that way. But more on the side of wild ingredients... Hmm... Coastal ones. I love the ocean. There's a few I can barter for from Koritsi, and others to harvest in caves off of beaches, or right in the shallows. I love the ocean, but it kinda scares me, so I don't go very deep."

Link smiled. "All of those sound pretty cool..." He handed me the blanket he'd folded. "Maybe I could go with you... to the coast... sometime."

I took it and grinned. "Oh, absolutely, I'll let you know the next time a hunt is ordered."

~*~

We laid back under the stars, under the slowly shifting lights of the sky. I'd had to get the blanket out again because I'd totally spaced and had put it away.