#sagexftime

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“Wow, you’re really pretty, Miss.”

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   {➹} – IT HAD TAKEN the hedgehog a little longer than he thought to actually find the princess. He had assumed she’d be inside getting ready or something along those lines but when he found the castle in lockdown he settled for searching around it instead. He didn’t know how long it took but he had just looked up at the sky, at the darkening clouds, before facing forward again when he saw her.

     It had been impossible for him to stop the smile forming on his muzzle, joy exploding in his chest. He was glad to see she was alright and, unlike himself, hadn’t changed all that much. She was still as graceful, as beautiful as ever, and as she made her way to him Zelda might have just noticed that tail of his wagging (a completely subconscious action, he’d argue).

     “Of course I came back, we’re friends after all, aren’t we?” Did she really think he would purposefully stay away from her? It would have taken a lot to keep him away, and a lot had happened over the last few years but he wasn’t going to get into that. Not now.

      He would only beam at her, a small spark of guilt in his eyes as he did so. “An’ I could never forget you, or your birthday. Things got...a little hectic back home but they’ve sorted themselves out, for the most part. I’m sorry I didn’t stay in touch but...I couldn’t. I know it sounds like a poor excuse but ‘s true.”

Finally, Link had found their way back to Hyrule Castle, after nights of contemplation and steeling themself. Memories from another time came flowing back: Malon asking their help to wake her father, climbing up the vines to get past the gate, sneaking around the guards in the courtyard, and finally locking eyes with Princess Zelda. This time, however, Link’s plan of attack would have to be different. They were no longer a child, so they had to find another way to sneak past the guards.

Luckily, Link had just the thing. Searching through their bag, they pulled out the Deku Mask. They hadn’t worn it in some time; the last time they wore it was for a particular Business Scrub who refused to deal with Hylians. The abilities this mask offered were perfect for the job, so Link put it on, enduring the pain of the tormented soul embodied by the mask- and within seconds, Link had transformed into a Deku Scrub.

The next step, of course, was to search for a Deku Flower. There just so happened to be one right outside the walls of the courtyard. Spinning inside the bud, Link braced themself, launching straight into the air moments later. With flowers twirling, Link was able to glide over the heads of all the guards, who didn’t even notice a thing. Link landed in the courtyard without a hitch, and just as they expected, Zelda was right there. She was all grown up now, wearing her elegant gown and cape. It wasn’t the most ideal reunion, with Link having to use their Deku Scrub disguise, but it sure was fun to sneak in again for old times’ sake.

“Zelda, ah.... it’s me...” Link called out nervously, in a high-pitched, squeaky voice typical of a Deku Scrub. “P-please forgive me, I had to take this form...” they explained, feeling a little awkward. Link knew they had to remain this way for now, though, lest the guards discover that the one banned from the castle had returned.

Edwin, being a prince - or at least having once been one, he didn’t think he technically was anymore - could recognize royalty when he saw them. Honestly it wasn’t hard to. Whoever was in the fanciest clothing was generally either well-off and thus powerful, or royalty. He didn’t remotely recognize the style she wore, it didn’t match up with any of the nobles he’d met over his lifetime, but he could tell - the way she held herself, the cleanliness of the fabric, everything about her screamed nobility-!

And it made him immediately straighten up, trying to pull at old memories and lessons to look more like his parents would have preferred he look around other nobles. Not that he really had anyone to anger should he do otherwise...

The farmer chuckles at her observation, absentmindedly rubbing at his forearms as his eyes turn skyward. Clear skies and cold weather, it wouldn’t be long before he would have to clear his fields for the winter. Not long after that before snow would fall and the fields would look no different than those outside the castle. In some senses he welcomed it, and others he would miss being outside more freely. Being cold is no fun. Perhaps a trip to the castle was in order for a new coat.

Raguna brings his attention back to the woman, an awkward chuckle at the bowing of her head. Something about her seemed.... perhaps not nostalgic but familiar. Did she know her? No, he didn’t remember anything prior to his amnesia, and a woman like this surely would have stuck out in his mind.

Right?

The way the swordsman sees it, there’s not really a point to imagining it considering he was living it. Efforts to be through the forest and back into town before the storm hit had been fruitless. Clearly. And through some sick stroke of luck he’d come across the woman with far more survival skills than expected given her appearance. When Wylan had first come across her he’d presumed her to be some kind of apparition warning him from a grave. He’d started to listen before he was called over to her.

“If it makes you feel any better and improves your opinion of me, I had been trying to get out of the storm. Nobody’s crazy enough to dive into something like this willingly.” He says with a snort, then a cough as he rubs gloved hands together to generate even a smidgen of temporary warmth. Finding dry wood was difficult, but he was happy to have found at least a few logs that would serve as a frame for the fire.

Confident with what he’d set up to go with the branches that the woman had collected he steps back and fastens the hood around his face as a wind cuts through the small clearing they had found.

“My name’s Wylan. I was heading to Kakariko when the snow started picking up. Woe is me. Now I’m stuck with you. And I’d....” He fights back a shiver, blowing hot air from his mouth and wrapping his arms around himself. “Really appreciate you use that magic and ignite the fire. And me while you’re at it.”

“Coffee is a tradition.”