This is a story of giving. Giving from the heart and without the thought of receiving anything in return. This is a story of three sets of travelers from BotW and the young man who gave them more than they could ever have expected.

BotW still belongs to Nintendo. 'Cause y'know, I wouldn't have to write fan fiction if I owned more than a copy of the game.

Three Gifts - by Pseudo Twili

All Tye and Sorelia set out to do was to find a living silent princess which they could pluck together and carry it home with them as a testament to their love. Tye had proposed the mission, and of course his comely wife would not let him set foot from their cottage door without her by his side. They braved many a storm, nights in the cold, and the discomforts of the road. What nearly finished them, however, was a surprise attack by monsters.

"Run, Sorelia!" Tye grunted as he held up his shield just in time.

He was the only one with a weapon, as he thought he could protect his bride from anything they came across. She sprinted away, one blue bokoblin at her heels, but she did not run far because she would not leave her husband. Tye was half distracted from the enemy who kept striking his shield with its club; he needed to kill the monster and rescue Sorelia, but just the one was proving to be more than a match for him. She screamed again, barely dodging the bokoblin's clumsy swing. Every part of Tye's being was invested in the match and it did not occur to him to ask for help; it was Sorelia who saw their great need and sent one breathless plea heavenward.

"Help us, Hylia!"

Then, as she ran through the field grasses, she tripped on something she could not see. Even as the breath left her body in a sudden jolt and her hands met roughly with the ground, she was sure she had but a few moments left to live. She expected to feel the blow of a club, but it never came; instead she heard the sound of something slicing through the air, followed by a slight noise from the bokoblin and then a thud.

She sucked in the breath for which her lungs yearned and twisted around, her hands and knees smarting and her heartbeat echoing in her ears. The blue monster that had so nearly felled her lay on the ground, itself slain by an arrow through the head. Her heart gave a leap of hope and she pushed herself up from the ground, her eyes wildly searching for her beloved.

Tye's left hand was beginning to feel numb after blocking so many blows. He heard Sorelia scream; a bolt of rage and fear seared him as if with an iron. He struck fiercely at the bokoblin, but still the monster was hardly fazed. The sword in his right hand was doing him as little good as it did for his beloved wife! A hot, anguished tear trickled down his cheek.

Suddenly, something or someone came up from seemingly nowhere, struck the blue bokoblin once, twice, three times; the creature let out a squeal, the last sound it would ever make before it perished. Tye stood for a split second, his whole being shaking, before he dropped his sword and shield, turned, and sought out his wife with eyes that would not stay dry.

Then he saw her, and his heart gave a great leap, for she was already racing through the grasses toward him. When they met each other, she threw her arms around him and he around her. Her tears flowed freely, dampening the front of his tunic; he no longer blinked his away, but let them trickle down and land in her hair.

"Sorelia!"

"Dearest Tye!"

When finally they parted, Sorelia giving her husband a sweet kiss and he reciprocating it, they turned to see who and what it was that had saved them. Their rescuer was stooped down, picking up the spoils left by the monsters. When he straightened, the couple could see he was a warrior of some sort, with a tremendous bow slung over his back, a sword that glowed with a holy blue light, and a shield with a triumphant scarlet bird emblazoned upon it. His face was young but he had a certain alertness about him and he held himself with the sureness and readiness of a soldier. His tawny hair, a bit long and unkempt, moved slightly in the breeze. He wore plain trousers, boots scuffed up with the dust and grime of travel, and a red cap and tunic that looked like they'd been dyed the exact color of mushrooms. Some white fluffy stuff lined the brim of his cap, giving the traveler a festive look.

Their arms locked and with Tye's other hand on Sorelia's arm, the couple moved toward the stranger, their faces alight with relief and gratitude. He saw them approaching, grinned and held up his hand in greeting.

"How can we ever thank you for saving us?" Tye said, and much to his embarrassment, he sniffled.

Sorelia leaned a little closer to her beloved. "Thank you, kind sir. Without you, my husband and I would surely have met our end."

The stranger seemed to be embarrassed. He put his weapon away and rubbed his head, sheepishly.

"Is there any way we can repay you?" questioned Tye. "We have no money but there must be something we can do."

"Would you care to share a meal with us? We have plenty to go around."

The traveler's eyes brightened and his grin returned at the mere mention of food. He nodded immediately.

The three of them gathered around the fire which Tye had lit shortly before the bokoblins ambushed them. Sorelia resumed with her preparation of their humble meal. Her husband remained at her side like a prickly weed seed, and she was grateful for his presence. She looked up at the stranger, whose eyes were focused on the cooking pot.

"I'm Sorelia and this is my husband, Tye. What are you called, good traveler?"

"Link," he replied.

"I hope you like risotto, Sir Link," she said as she dug around in her pack for the wild rice she and her husband had cut from a field the day before.

The swordsman licked his lips. "I love risotto." He watched unabashedly as she put the rice, butter and salt into the large cooking pot. "Erm… I have some supplies with me, if you'd like to use them in your dish."

"You've already done so much for us," Tye said. "We cannot possibly accept any…more… What is it dear?"

Sorelia ceased tugging at his arm and sent him a meaningful glance. "I would be glad to add whatever you'd like," she said.

While Link searched through his pouch, she gave her husband another look, one that told him he shouldn't refuse the young man anything when he had saved both their lives, even if it meant giving up on a matter of pride. She turned her attention back to the pot again, and Tye watched at the swordsman took a great many things from his pouch: swords, bows, clothing, a huge assortment of foodstuffs and some disgusting looking items that couldn't possible be edible, could they? He had to wonder how Link stored everything in that pouch of his.

With a nod from Sorelia, the swordsman broke up a couple different kinds of mushrooms and let them fall into the pot. Several minutes later, the risotto was ready, and she used a big wooden spoon to dish it onto three worn and slightly chipped plates which Tye brought to her from one of their packs. The couple was surprised and amused by the voracious appetite of their guest. He consumed the contents of his plate while theirs were still half full, and he didn't even pause in helping himself to more. The pot emptied quickly and Sorelia made more; this time Link threw in crab meat and carrots.

As they ate, the husband and wife explained their mission, waiting, as they had with everyone else, for a lecture and a warning about how dangerous it was to travel. Link, however, said nothing and merely continued to shovel the food into his mouth. He said about three words during the whole meal, but he paid ready ear to every one that Tye and Sorelia uttered. He even made a third pot of risotto, using ingredients from his pouch, after he had polished off the second batch.

When at last he seemed to have satisfied himself, he set down his plate and gave a rather large burp. "Excuse me," he said, for he did not usually have to worry about his manners when he was traveling.

Sorelia took the plates and gave them a quick cleaning; she peeked into the cooking pot and saw that it was once more empty. Meanwhile, the two men moved away from the campfire and Link began to give Tye some tips on combat. They sparred as an hour trickled by, with Link taking the part of a bokoblin and telling Tye what to watch out for. From a relatively safe distance, Sorelia observed them with eyes that took in every detail and movement.

"The bokoblins are stupid and often leave their backs unguarded," Link explained. "If you can get behind it, or knock its shield away, you'll kill it much easier."

The traveler seemed to have boundless energy, it seemed to Tye. Sorelia was beginning to nod off, and he himself felt like he'd run a marathon with someone on his back. Link glimpsed his weariness and suggested that they cease their training session.

"You're good," Tye admitted frankly. "Better than I could ever hope to be. And you're not a bad hand at instruction either; have you done that sort of thing before?"

Link's eyebrows scrunched together and he frowned as if he was trying to remember something. "I…might have…once."

"Would you care to spend the night with us? I'm afraid all we have to offer is the ground, but we would be honored."

The swordsman agreed with a nod. While Tye and Sorelia settled down under the slanted blanket-tent the former had staked up, Link propped himself against the trunk of a tree, covered his lower half with a blanket and stared up at the stars. He responded with a quiet and somewhat distant response when the couple bid him a good night. They, however, did not pry and were glad to fall into slumber while they held each other in their arms.

Early the next morning when Tye and Sorelia awoke, the traveler was gone. Resting at the base of the tree where he had slept, he had left the shield with the red bird and a magnificent sword with a golden hilt and purple scabbard. Resting on top of sword and shield was a blue and white flower which glowed softly and mesmerizingly in the pale light of the dawn. Sorelia glanced at her husband, whose loss for words was identical to hers. He picked up the sword and shield and stared at them as if he'd been given a piece of the heavens.

"Look, there's a note," she murmured, reaching for the scrap of paper tucked halfway into the scabbard.

The writing had been formed quickly and on an uneven surface. To the couple whose love would rival those in the storybooks, and which will never cease to inspire me. This sword and shield are for you. Don't worry, I can get more of them anytime. You need them more than I do. And it was signed simply, Link. P.S. This is what the silent princess looks like. May the goddess guide you on your journey to find one of your own.

I really wanted to write a Christmas story this year, and since I've still been playing some Breath of the Wild a little bit here and there, I settled on that. As I wrote this it naturally turned out a bit longer than I initially thought. (When doesn't that happen to me, anyway?!) I intended this to be a one-shot, but then I got the idea to publish each section separately. You can expect to see the next gift tomorrow and the third on the day after. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

12-25-2018 ~ Published