#tp ashei

Shad didn't expect to make the offer.

When he'd first met Link years ago, the green-clad fellow was just another adventurer, quiet and oddly dressed and always appearing at just the right moment. He'd been indifferent to him at first, if not a tad curious, and yet as Link slowly but surely wormed himself into their group, Shad actually grew quite fond of him. They'd gotten along well enough, especially in the coming years, and more so since he'd started working in the palace.

When Shad first heard the news that his friend was engaged to the sovereign of their kingdom, it already had him second-guessing himself and his manners around the then-prince. But it was Link's coronation to become the king that threw Shad for a loop. To become a prince was one thing, sure, but a king? That was a completely different story.

To be fair, the title hadn't changed Link much at all. He was still the kind and modest fellow he was when they first encountered him in Telma's bar all those years ago, and he was awfully kind about Shad's inherent nervousness when a worse man might've mocked or ridiculed him. But it was a hard line to draw between acting formal with a king and being casual with an old companion.

Now, more often than not, the devoted scholar found himself blubbering in his presence.

One early morning, when Link came to his study for help with some research, they'd managed to have a relatively casual conversation, and he'd done something he'd only later realize was quite stupid. He actually found himself making the offer to babysit his and Queen Zelda's child – the Crown Prince of Hyrule - with no expertise or prior experience.

What's more, Link actually agreed to it. He couldn't decide who was more foolish.

All of that led to that very afternoon in the library. Thankfully, he was able to drag Ashei along so that he wouldn't be completely alone with the prince, though he doubted his partner had any more experience with children than he did.

They found Link on the floor of the library, cross-legged and book in hand, with Sol in his lap. When the two approached, his eyes flashed up to theirs, and his kind greeting was accompanied by a breezy smile. At least he was far more laid-back in comparison to all the other nobility Shad worked with. The reminder of Link's kind and gentle ways was a great relief.

"He's just eaten lunch, so he won't need much," Link explained, pushing himself to his feet with Sol still in his arms. "I told the nursemaids to stick around the halls just in case you need anything. And if something happens, send someone to get me."

"Oi, we'll be fine. He's just a baby," Ashei grumbled. "How much trouble could he be?"

Link exchanged a look with Shad, seemingly unconvinced, and the scholar smartly shook his head.

"We will absolutely ask for help if we need it. But we'll take good care of him; of that, you can be certain."

"Okay, if you're sure. I've gotta go back to work now. Zelda's expecting me."

With utmost care, he held the child out to Shad, who just as carefully took him into his arms. The hero's piercing blue eyes lingered on his son, hesitating for another moment.

"If you need me-"

"We know, we know," Ashei said, though there was a hint of amusement in her voice. "Go help your wife already, yeah?"

Link scratched the back of his neck, laughing breathily despite himself, and nodded. "Right." He patted his son's head once more for good measure before leaving the library, and the large door closed behind him with a resounding thud.

The couple turned to each other. "Perhaps we should…sit?"

Ashei rolled her eyes. Without hesitation, she lumbered to the space that the king had previously occupied and made herself comfortable. "Come on." A mess of toys and books was splayed around the plush carpet, and she'd camped out in the middle of it. Shad followed her lead, sinking to the ground especially slowly next to the warrior.

Amidst all the toys, Shad found the book that Link had been reading to him - of course he'd gravitate to the book - and took it into his free hand. The thick wooden cover was illustrated with adorable barn animals. "It looks like your papa read you a story, didn't he?"

Throwing his little arm up, Sol smacked the cover with his hand and a joyful smile on his face. "Ah, it appears the prince is an avid scholar such as I. What other books do you have, Sol?" He went digging around the pile for more of the children's books. Of course there were many: as big as the library was, there was bound to be a thousand for children at least.

Shad would have gladly gone through them all, and after some time had passed and they'd closed yet another book, it felt like he did. They'd probably read a dozen or so stories about shapes and colors and whatnot before Ashei threw her head back with a groan. "Ugh, this is so boring. What else can we do?"

Shad flashed her a look above his lenses. "If I'm remembering correctly, Sol is only a year old. He's just learning about the things around him. Isn't that right, Sol?"

"There's more to life than just reading and books, yeah?" Grabbing a ball from the assortment of toys, she chucked it down the aisle and it bounced across the carpet with nearly muted thuds. "C'mon, Sol, go get the ball."

The scholar grimaced. "You cannot be serious. He's a child, Ashei, not a dog! He won't just-"

But then, swiftly interrupting the scholar, Sol perked up. The pair watched as the little prince pushed himself off Shad's lap and toddled down the aisle with impressive speed.

"What'd I tell ya? He wants to play."

"Well, I stand corrected," he assented. "I suppose some exercise couldn't hurt. It'd be good if we could get him to burn some energy so that he might sleep better."

"Or maybe just for fun, y'know? Not everythin' has to be so thought out."

He held her gaze for a moment. "Perhaps."

At the end of the aisle, Sol dropped to his bottom and scooped up the ball with both hands.

"Good job, Sol," Ashei encouraged. "Now let's play. Roll it back."

Sol looked up at the two, eyeing them up and down, and for a moment, it almost appeared as though he understood. And then, the little prince raised the squishy ball to his mouth.

"Oh, Sol - no, don't eat it! You have to play! Roll it!"

With exaggerated gestures, they waved their arms to try and get his attention, but the child certainly wasn't impressed. He held their gaze with wide-eyed judgment as if they'd flown off the handle.

Dropping her hands to her lap, Ashei huffed. "I don't think he knows how to play this game."

Shad scratched the side of his face. "No, I suppose not. But it was a good idea." He fixed his spectacles over the bridge of his nose and turned to Ashei. "You're not so bad at this."

"What? You thought I would be or somethin'?"

"No! No, it's just…for someone who doesn't want children, you certainly have a way with them."

They'd had this conversation before. Their relationship had progressed rather nicely for two unlikely friends, and one day, when he'd gotten around to asking, she'd absolutely rejected the idea of ever having children.

Which was fine for him, considering he hadn't particularly wanted any either; he hadn't even pictured himself with a lady, much less a family. But Ashei had won his heart, someway, somehow, with that brutish charm of hers, and he rather enjoyed spending his days with her.

They'd decided together to continue adventuring for as long as they could, just as Auru had. There was still so much of the world to see, and it wouldn't really be safe or easy to tote a child around abandoned or uncharted territories.

"They're kinda fun, yeah? All they want is to eat and run around. I respect that." His eyes crinkled with a laugh and he shook his head in amusement. Then, all of a sudden, her face fell. "Oh no."

"What?" But he didn't need an answer. Following her line of sight, he quickly saw what'd spooked her: the place where Sol had been sitting was empty. "Oh no."

The two jumped to their feet. The library was enormous, spanning dozens of feet in either direction, with countless aisles and thousands of books, and they already saw how surprisingly fast the child could run. At least the door to the library was shut, thankfully, and it was rarely occupied, so he was safe.

Without discussion, they split up, each searching the closest aisles for the royal child. Ashei was throwing books up in an array while Shad was running through the aisles.

A short while later, they clashed halfway through a hall. "Any luck?" Ashei asked. But Shad was doubled over, panting, and he could only shake his head. "Remind me again why you offered to do this?"

"I don't know! I was clearly not in the right state of mind!" He huffed, bringing a fist to his lips to chew his nails. "Link's going to decapitate us, isn't he? I always figured I'd die on our adventures. I never thought a library would betray me!"

Of course, they knew that Link was a kind king, especially towards his friends. Fortunately for them, they'd never really gotten into any quarrels with him, but they'd certainly heard the tales of his battles and even seen how he acted when someone made the mistake of insulting his wife, and neither of them was quite ready to be on the other side of that.

What's worse, it was well-known amongst the people that Link was a bit of an overprotective parent. If anything would tick him off, it would be losing his child.

"No, he won't...probably." Shad's eyes bugged out. "But we don't wanna piss him off, yeah? So let's find him - fast."

"Okay, okay. You go west; I go east?"

She nodded and they split up once more. From the distressed call of the scholar and the steady shout of the swordswoman, Sol's name echoed throughout the library. They peeked through aisles, scattered the books, and overturned cushions. Either the child was lightning-fast or had somehow learned how to turn invisible because he was nowhere to be found.

Eventually, Shad and Ashei plopped to the floor, utterly exhausted, their hair in disarray, and their breaths heavy and panting. "I'm sure he won't kill us…right?"

As if on cue, the door to the library opened with a tired groan, and the king stepped onto the carpeted floor. They tensed, immediately preparing to deliver the blow.

"Papa!"

Wide-eyed, the two adventurers exchanged a look. Small, uneven thuds followed as Sol waddled across the carpet from some unknown corner of the library. He stopped at the toes of his father's worn but polished leather boots.

"Sol!" He bent at the knees before scooping his son up into his arms and resting him against his hip. "What're you up to, bud?"

Both Shad and Ashei pushed themselves to their feet, and the scholar nervously dusted off his pants while Ashei placed her hands on her hips. Before they could come up with a good enough excuse, Sol chimed in. "Play!"

"Oh?" Link raised his eyes to his friends. "'Play?'"

Ashei's eyes widened. Perhaps she'd been repeating that word enough that he caught on. "Yeah, we were playin'. Y'know, hidin' and seekin'?"

Link's head cocked, curious, and Shad was close to passing out from anxiety. But then a smile bloomed across his lips and he looked down at his baby.

"You learned to play hide and seek? Already?" He chuckled, noting the way the two babysitters looked positively pooped. "And it looks like you're good at it, too." He flashed them an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. He's got a lot of energy."

"'Sorry?'" Shad repeated breathlessly, in disbelief. The king was sorry that they'd lost his child?

But Ashei was quick to elbow him and interjected, "Yeah, it's no problem. We had fun."

"You hear that, Sol?" He bounced the baby in his arms. "They had fun. Maybe you guys can hang out again sometime soon."