Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In a small little town close to a lake, lived the people of Gretchet. Gretchet was known for its wonderful trees that bloomed at the first sign of spring, the petals would blow through the air and engulf the town in all different colors. It was one of the most popular tourist destinations during Spring, but other than that it was always just a little town. Though it was just that, there were always thieves from other towns that would come over and do no good.

This, unfortunately, happened to you. You had just gotten up that morning to open up your Bakery as you did every other day, strolling through the peacefully quiet town you knew so well ever since you were a kid. It was a little dark to see, the clouds were covering the moon and you forgot your lantern at home, so when you got close to the door to unlock it you were shocked at the sound of glass crunching under your boot. You step back, looking at the piece of glass you stepped on. You looked ahead of it and found more pieces until you noticed the window of your Bakery’s door was broken and unlocked.

You rush forward without thinking, ignoring the noise the broken glass made as you ran. It was hard to see but squinting your eyes you could see the full damage that the robber had done or robbers. The tables, usually standing up neat and clean near the window and the corners of the shop were now flipped on the floor. The napkins and cups that you kept in a little cupboard in the corner of the store were now on the floor too, the cupboard was left open. You move around the display case to look at the cash register on the counter and see it opened as well, but nothing was in it.

You don’t worry about it, something else bigger in your mind to worry about. The day before as you were closing, after dealing with your favorite customer, you were going to leave the money in the register just as you do any other day you close but something told you to take it home with you. It wasn’t because someone sketchy was walking outside your Bakery, nor was it because someone sketchy came into your Bakery and you got the hint that something bad was about to happen after you locked up. No, it was just a hunch, a bad feeling in your stomach. So you took the money home and locked it in your safe, you brought some of the money with you today.

But that wasn’t what you were worried about, you made your way to the closed door just opposite the main one. To your horror it was open, you slammed it against the wall behind it and saw the small room in disarray. Papers were thrown all on the floor, drawers opened and the chairs moved aside. A folder laid open on the table, as you frightened the folder read ‘Recipes’. The robbers had thrown all your recipes to the floor, but from the looks of it, nothing else had been ruined. Aside from your pride in having a perfect bakery. You sat still for a moment trying to absorb everything, you had just been robbed. But the robbers couldn’t find anything so they left the place in ruins, it had to be more than one in order to make this much mess so quick in the night.

After some mental soothing, you begin to clean up, starting with your recipes. You put them into one neat pile and left them in the folder until you had time to organize them, you went to the front and picked up the tables and chairs, dusting them off. As you picked up the cups and plates that were still intact and put them on the counter to clean later, you heard a horse running in the distance. You ignored it since horses usually roam this area quite often, but the horse was coming closer and closer. You noticed that this running only happened when others road on horses, meaning someone was coming. You didn’t know who it was at this time of night running on horseback, but you definitely didn’t want to find out.

You moved a few broken pieces of glass and hid underneath the table, but after that, you noticed you left the front door open. You wanted to close it but the horses' clops got closer until they stopped in front of your Bakery, a clack of someone coming off the horse startles you. You hoped they didn’t have any friends as the newcomer walked into your bakery, you looked at their boots as they lifted them up at the noise of glass being broken. “Oh no.” They whispered. “They’re not gonna like this.” You noticed their voice was familiar, so familiar that when you knew who it was you backed up on the table making it shake.

The newcomer looked toward your direction, walking quietly until they were right in front of you, bending down slowly until you could see their face. There he was, the hero of your town and the world, your favorite late night customer and one of the guards of Gretchet: Link. His eyes were filled with worry, holding his hand out to help you up. “Are you okay? Did the guys who did this hurt you?” You shook your head, taking the hand gladly and walking back out. “No, I got here after all this. Sorry that you’re the first to see this.” “I don’t care, the fact this happened on my watch is horrible.” Link scowled, looking around the Bakery. You sighed. “It’s not your fault Link, no one knew this would happen. Besides, you just got back into town yesterday, this doesn’t have anything to do with you.” Despite your words, Link still looked down. “But still-”

“Alright, since you want this to be your fault so much, how’s about you help me clean this up before the sun comes up?” His eyes lit up, nodding eagerly. The whole time Link and you cleaned up the mess you did a little talking, by talking you mean Link telling you his stories of all the amazing things he did while away for this past week. He told of how he went up the mountains and helped the village people get their King back, how he swum with the sea people, and even go to a royal party. Hearing those stories you could only dream of ever doing something as great as Link did, to be able to have the courage of risking your life for so many people was something stupendous.

The sun was shining on the horizon just as you finished up all the baking for today, Link had done the honor of finishing up the cleaning as you worked. As you worked quietly to clean up your workstation you noticed Link watching you by the table he was sitting at, not the threatening kind or the uncomfortable one, but something along the lines of security and checking someone out. As you noticed this you somewhat felt giddy, of all the people in this village, heck, all the people in Hyrule, the hero of it had the eyes for you. You didn’t actually know if he was checking you out, for all you know he might be watching you to see how you’re doing from all this. But the way he does is equivalent to how you would look at a piece of your auntie’s pies, lovingly.

When you get finished putting your cooled pieces of pie in the display case, you pulled up a chair and sat across from Link. He had his hat pulled over his eyes as the Sun started to come up, the sun perfectly shining on his figure, you stared at him. “Why did you come to the town so early?” He sat up, leaning his body on the table. “I got up early and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I wanted to ride around on Epona for a while until I saw your door open, I thought I’d drop by and say high until I saw the broken glass.” “Hmm.” I hum, closing my eyes. “I didn’t know you woke up so early.” “I have to if I want to sell my goodies.” You smile while putting your head on the backs of your hands.

“Fair point, so what are you going to do now after all this?” I lean back, letting my arms going dead weight on both my sides. “Keep my business open, go on with my life.” “While the culprit ‘s still out there?” Link sits up, hands balling into fists on the table. You still lay back, feeling a strange sense of relaxation that the coldness you were feeling all night was finally being replaced by the warmth of the burning ball in the sky. “Yeah, I can’t do that much about it anyways.” “But what about telling the guards?” “They won’t do much, they’ll just make a report about it then go on about their day.” “Then get more secure doors.” “I may make money Link but if I use what I have to get a stronger door I won’t have enough to pay my rent.” “Well-” “I know you’d give me some money but I’m alright, I don’t need it.”

“But I don’t want you to stay here after all this.” He hung his head low, contemplating something. You chuckled while getting up, your back facing the hero. “Well if you want to help me, you can stay and assist here for the day. Maybe the culprits will come up and try again.” Link perked up again, smiling. “You’d let me stay?” You quirked your eyebrows, you thought you got your message clear to Link that he was your favorite customer. “Why would you think I wouldn’t want you to stay?” Link shrank in his chair, fixing his hat on his head. “Well, some of the girls said you were busy an all, so I would just wait until you closed to come and see you.”

You rolled your eyes, of course, the girls would try and keep Link all to themselves. Despite the other guards, and a few guys, Link was one of the most handsome guys they’ve ever had in the village. Heck, even to you Link was fairly attractive: Those light blue eyes, his somewhat dark blonde hair, his body frame akin to an athlete. Everything about him is gorgeous. Just thinking about it makes your cheeks turn red, you look away from Link and continue. “Yeah I am, but I’ll always make time for the people I care about.” Feeling your blush disappear, you turn to Link with a smile. “And besides, I always wanted some extra hands here anyways, so if you’re really up to it-” “I’ll do it then!” Link gets up, pushing the chair back and making noise, noticing he settles down some.

“I mean, to pay you back for not being there often, I’ll help you.” You chuckle, shaking your head.
“Alright, but I’ll let you do the simple things, like busing tables and taking orders. And if you do a good enough job I might actually give you a piece of my gooseberry pie.” At the mention of his favorite pie Link gasped. “Then I’ll do my best.” He nodded, you stifle a laugh as you explained to him what to do. You told him all he had to do was write the order down on a piece of paper and give it to you so you can give the order to the customer, he nodded, seeming to understand it.

When you flipped the sign to ‘Open’ you weren’t surprised to see that people were already walking in, asking what happened to the door and if things were okay, you told them it was nothing. But you were surprised that there were more people coming than usual, possibly because of Link, actually, it was because of Link. The customers, usual girls, were sitting or standing near the counter trying to start some small talk with the hero of Hyrule. Link entertained them for a while, but after some time he did ask if they were gonna order something if they weren’t he asked them to step aside for the people that were.

I asked Link if he wanted to take a little break from all the walking around, but he strongly declined. He seemed strong willed to do this for you, heck he didn’t even look winded. Seeing him take orders reminded you of one Winter eve you spent together, you two were sitting at one of the tables staring out at the streets as the snow was falling somewhat fast. You closed the Bakery early because of the weather, but Link still came at the usual time and you two decided to make some hot chocolate to drink to the weather. It was really peaceful, nothing but the wind outside to fill the comfortable silence. After you were done with the hot chocolate Link volunteered to wash them for you, you felt bad since he talked to you for a while of how hard his workload was becoming. He saw your reaction and said that it was okay ‘cause this was the easiest thing he had to do today'.

You thought of Link as thoughtful after that day, and still till this day as you watched him write down orders and try to give them their order, despite how you said you’d do that. You smiled, but put that in the back of your mind as you took the customers order in front of you.

Chapter Text

As you count the money you put it in the bag, deciding to take the bag with you again. Link was cleaning the tables soundly while whistling a fine tune, he gives you a few quick glances when he thinks you’re not looking. You also steal a few glances, looking at how his arms flex as he’s cleaning and how soft his voice is as he sings a little. You almost forget how much money you had for today, you quickly get back on track to finish up and leave. Just as you finished Link finished too, making getting out of here and going home easier than expected.

You take the last piece of gooseberry pie out of its tin, put it on a clean plate and put a fork in the center, you walk over where Link sat and placed it gingerly in front of him. “For all your hard work today, you deserve it.” You pat him on his shoulder and go back behind the counter to do some final touches, Link eats the pie like a savage, you find it funny. When he’s done you try and take his plate to wash but he stops you, holding your wrist with one hand while holding your hand with the other. “It’s alright, I’ll take it.” “Take it? You want to take my plate?” He let’s go and waves his hands from side to side. “No, I’ll take it to my place and wash it over there.” “Oh, okay. Just don’t break it on your way back, I know how much you like to take detours.”

He laughs. “True, but I promise I’ll have it safe and sound for you, um.” He pauses, scratching his nose. “Wow, after all this time I never even knew your name. Would you tell me please?” You roll your eyes thinking how it was about time he asked you, but you smile as you do. “I should, but I mostly like to be called Baker. If you want to know my name,” You wink, smirking playfully. “You’ll have to earn it.” He looks on surprised, but chuckles. “Alright, I’ll work hard for it.” You nod, sighing slowly.

“Then again I’m not surprised you don’t know since I rarely see you, isn’t this the 10th time we’ve met?” Link tilts his head to think, shrugging. “Probably, but from all the places I’ve been to your Bakery is one of my favorites.” You blush from the kind words. “Oh please, you’re making me blush.” “It’s true! Anyways, it’s getting pretty late.” He gets up, looking serious. As he does you realize that your height difference isn’t that much, maybe a couple of inches? Who knows. As you think Link as you something. “Huh?” “Can I walk you home, I got a bad feeling.” You don’t think it’d be great to have Link take you home after a hard days work, but you don’t really see the harm in doing it if he wants to do it. “Alright.” He nods.

Just as you walked over and flipped the sign to ‘Closed’ someone walks in, you weren’t looking so you assume it’s a customer and get into your work tone. “Sorry sir, I’m just about to close.” The guy in question was wearing a scarf around his neck, wearing a light brown shirt and dark pants. “Oh, sorry for coming in, but can I get a napkin or anything? It’s was really windy from where I came from.” “Sure.” As you walked over to get a napkin you took a glance at Link, he seemed on edge but you thought anyone would if a stranger came at this time of night. But you were somewhat used to it, sometimes travelers would come and ask for food, you would give it to them for free since you felt bad for their condition.

You picked up a couple of napkins and gave it to the guy, as he reaches out for it he grabs your wrist and pulls you toward him. The motion happened so fast you didn’t notice the knife put to your head. “Don’t you get any smart ideas Link, or I’ll cut their neck open.” You look to Link, who immediately had his bow and arrow in hand ready to shoot the guy. You noticed that he couldn’t do anything with you in the supposed robbers' hands, you try and think of something to do.

> Scream  (Next Chapter)

> Struggle out of his grip (Chapter 4)

Chapter Text

You did what anyone would do when in a situation you didn’t suspect, scream. You were so terrified that you didn’t notice the robber was startled, but you did notice Link shot the arrow straight at his hand that was holding the knife. He jumped back while holding his hand, you fell to your knees in shock as you watched Link dash past you while putting his bow away, getting out his sword. The robber noticed and tried backing up, tripping on a stool. Link pulled his sword out, as the guy put his shot hand forward to protect himself Link did something you didn’t expect. He grabbed the middle bit of his sword and bashed the end of it on the guys head, the robber fell back, knocked out for good.

Link sheathed his sword, looking back to you in worry. “You okay?” You took a minute to catch your breath, not realizing you were holding it for so long. “Yeah, yeah I’m good.” You nod, getting up slowly. You stared at the guy as Link got out handcuffs and cuffed him up. “What do we do about him?” Link looked back to him. “I’ll try to find some guards so they can take him to jail.” Just as he said that you saw a light coming from outside, watching as the guards come into view. You and Link run out and wave them over, showing them the guy and explaining the story. The guards took the robber as they walked back to the station, dragging the man in tow.

Link and you had finished closing the shop, putting the curtain down over the door as to elude the door was closed, now walking along the dark path back to your house. You both don’t say much, since there isn’t much to say, but as you walk you think of the past. Thinking about the first time you met him, you can barely remember it.

You were running, moving between people left and right, trying not to trip on any dropped fruit or loose rocks on the ground. You hear the faint noise of someone yelling behind you. “Hey, come back here!” You knew the fruit stableman was talking about you, luckily no one was trying to stop you because the guy is known to be a huge dick. You knew you won’t be able to keep running at this rate, already feeling the burn in your legs, so you make a turn, unbeknownst to you, in an closed off alleyway. There was nothing in the alleyway to hide you from the guy, so you hope he didn’t see you go in there. You turn to leave. “Not so fast kid.” Oh no, you were too late. The stableman was standing in the middle of the alleyway, holding a paddle in his hand. You walked backwards, tripping on your foot and falling to the ground.

“You think I wouldn’t notice that apple you stole from my cart? You must be stupid.” He walks forward, you crawl back. The apple in question was in your front pouch, clean as you wanted it to be. “Ya know what? Since I’m so kind , i’ll let you off with a warning. If you give me the apple back.” You knew this was a trap, from what the kids in the town said this guy would only beat you up if you gave him what he wanted. “I don’t have it anymore, I dropped it on the way here.” You said, hoping he’d buy it. If there was anything you wouldn’t give up it was that apple, the only reason you needed the damn thing was for your grandma’s apple pie she wanted to make.

Your grandma had been feeling down has of late, to the point of being bedridden. But today she had the energy to make your favorite apple pie, she went out and already bought some apples, but she was missing one and asked you to get one more. Sadly when you got to the stall you didn’t have any money to buy it, not wanting to go back and get the money you tried to take it without the guy knowing. It obviously failed. But you were damn persistent to give this apple to your granny, even if you had to play dirty. The stall owner frowned. “I’m not stupid kid, if that apple dropped I would’ve saw it rolling on the street, try again.”

“With all those people out there I doubt you would’ve saw it with those cloudy eyes.” The guys face turned into a bulls, his face turning red, probably from all the running in the hot sun. The guy took a swing at you, you dodged by lifting your legs close to your body. “You think you kids are so clever these days, well let me tell ya somethin’. You kids wouldn’t be a damn thing with-” “Shut up, you think you’re so wise, but you’re getting as dusty as this dirt.” You retort, gathering a piece of dirt in your hand behind your back. The guy gets angry and swings at you again, at the same time you try throwing the dirt in his face. You were able to get the dirt in his eyes, but the price of getting your hand hit by the guys paddle.

“AH!” You draw your hand back, holding it close. The guy grunted, backing up staggeringly. You take the chance and try escaping, but as you passed him he grabbed the hem of your shirt. “I’m not done with you yet!” He threw you down to the ground, making the apple in your pouch fall out. He opens his eyes and stares at the apple. “ You little shit .” This time he takes long strides forward, you try and crawl as fast as you can backwards, until your back hits the wall. He raises his paddle high in the air, you couldn’t evade this strike. You put your arms in front of you, ready to brace the impact.

You caught a glimpse of his paddle coming down and waited. You waited and waited until you heard a grunt, you opened your eyes. A blonde kid in a green tunic was standing in front of you, sword out and pushing back against the stableman's paddle. He succeeded, pushing until the man staggered back. The kid sheathed his sword, still standing between you and the man. “Get out of my way kid, this is between me and that thief!” “If they took something I’ll pay for it!” He protested, you sneakily to the apple close to your feet and put it close to your chest. “...What makes you think I’ll take your money?” “You don’t want to profit from this?” The guy made a point, the stableman made a ‘pst’ sound. “Fine.” The guy named the price and the kid payed it in full, once he pocketed his money he scowled at you. “Next time I see you stealin’ my stuff, I’ll make sure you pay.” After that he walks away, you and the kid were the only ones left in the alley. He turns toward you.

“You okay?” You stared at him, feeling embarrassed about the situation. As you spoke you felt your sight getting blurry.

You come back to the present, realizing Link was talking to you. “Huh?” He was looking at you in curiosity. “Is this your house?” You look forward to see your small little cabin, the home you’ve had for 5 years. “Yeah, doesn’t it look cozy?” “Yeah, it suits you a little.” “Does it?” “Mhm, I could just see you baking in there for hours.” You chuckle, letting Link walk you further until you were right at your doorsteps. When you turned around Link was on one knee, his head low. He bowed to you, as a kind gesture you bowed back. “Thanks for taking me home, you didn’t have to really.” “No, I wanted to. I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight if I hadn’t.”

You roll your eyes. “Though I’d like to stay, I gotta go back home. Sleep well.” He nods and starts walking back down, as you stare at his back you feel you need to say something more to him. But how?

> Say you’re thankful for what he’s done  (Chapter 7)

>Kiss him on the cheek (Chapter 5)

Chapter Text

If there was anything you learned from others, it was to always fight back. You tried to struggle from the guys' grip, and it seemed to work for a while. Despite Link didn’t like your idea, you didn’t want to wait for him to do something before it was too late. As your mother said one faithful day, ‘There’s no time like the present, grab opportunities like a spoon and use it to pave your path.’ She always had a way with words. The guy you were struggling with had his grip loosen, only for a moment, you were almost able to get free when you felt a hard hit to the side of your head. Everything went blurry and your body fell limp against the robbers. You only heard Link call your name as you passed out.

You woke up tired and sore, you tried lifting your hands to feel the pain on the side of your head, but they were tied together. So were your feet, you felt the rope tighten as you tried to move to get comfortable. You decided to open your eyes, it took you a moment to adjust your eyes from the light in the window next to you. As they adjusted you looked around the room, all you saw was a wooden dresser to the far side of the wooden room, with a wooden door across from you. You tried to process where you were when the events of last night occurred to you, the feeling of panic conquered you. You tried struggling against the ropes only to fail, then you started screaming. “Help! Someone help, please!”

You knew from the footsteps coming toward the door that someone was home, from the door opening you saw who was behind this kidnapping. The guy from last night walked in without his scarf, looking basic as he took a stool next to your bed and sat in it. In his hand was a bowl of soup from what you could smell, your stomach growled, which was unusual from how much you ate yesterday night. “You’ve been out for a while,” He starts, putting the soup in his lap while holding the spoon. “Almost two days, guess I didn’t hold back.” He puts the spoon close to your mouth, probably expecting you to open your mouth. You didn’t want to, you really didn’t. Your stomach growled and you caved in, opening your mouth you felt the spoon go in lightly, you swallowed the soup.

“What are you gonna do to me?” You might as well ask, you don’t know if this’ll be the last meal you’ll ever have, or if you’ll even be alive if this soup is spiked with poison. “I won’t do anything to you, but the buyer might.” He says, feeding you another spoonful of soup. “All I’ll do is make sure you’re alive and well fed to look good enough for the buyer.” “B-Buyer?” You feel your nose burn, not denying the second spoonful. “What’ll they do to me?” The buyer shrugs. “Beats me, but once you're gone you’ll have to worry about them.” He continues to feed you until all the soup is gone, once it is he puts the stool up and walks out, giving out a final statement. “Oh, they’ll be here by tomorrow, so look your best.” They give a disgusting smile before leaving, you finally let the tears run down your face, not holding back the painful sobs.

You didn’t want to die, and you definitely didn’t want to get sold to some random stranger. You tried to think of something, anything that’ll get you out of here, but your head started to feel heavy as you moved it. You thought you were right about the poison, but it wouldn’t make sense he’d tell you all of that just to kill you off, so the second idea was anesthesia. You were positive when you couldn't even keep your eyes open, falling asleep easily.

The next time you woke up you felt drowsy, the guy was right in front of you with a backpack on. You almost couldn’t make out what he said. “I’m going out to get some groceries, I’ll be back.” He walks out afterword, you can hear the door to the house slam shut too. You try and clear your mind from the sleep haze fogging your mind and vision, determined to take this chance just as your Mom had said a year ago. It took some time but you finally cleared your mind, getting that done you think of how to really get out of here.

You feel that the rope around your hands is a little loose, that with enough struggling you could get out of them, it worked with the guy so it could work out now. The sun outside the window next to you blinded your vision as the clouds moved, you notice a couple of cracks were in the window. You think if you got yourself up and smashed against the window, you could break the window and use the glass to cut the rope off. You thought about which would be better, you didn’t have that much time until the guy came back from shopping.

>Try getting up and breaking the window for some glass (Chapter 6)

>Try getting the ropes off (Chapter 8)

Chapter Text

You say wait, getting the attention of the hero as he stops and turns toward you. “What?” You start to hesitate, wondering how you even got this far. You were about to just say ‘nevermind forget about it’, but you stopped yourself. You gathered up all the courage you could gather, taking a huge breath in, and started walking up to Link. Guessing that you were going for a hug he started walking up to you too, but when you make it up to him, putting your hand on his chest and leaning in, he freezes. He probably thought you were going for his lips, seeing as he was looking at yours with a little bit of excitement.

But you move to the side of his face, kissing him softly on the cheek. You move slightly up to his ear, whispering. “Thank you, I really mean it.” As you stepped back you finally got a good look of the startled hero. He stares at you in incredibility, blushing like crazy, he backs up and looks away. He stays like that for a while until he’s calmed down, looking back at you in a way that was between annoyed and shocked. He clears his throat as he turns back to you, bowing again. “Goodnight.” His voice cracked before leaving, you feel kind of bad because of that, but you chuckle when he looks back again. You decide to chance to blow him a kiss, which only made him stumble as he walked.

You go inside your house once the back of the hero disappeared, walking up the stairs and closing the door behind you. You slip into some comfy pajamas and jump into your bed, feeling the warmth of the covers. As you fall asleep you continue to think about the day you and Link first met, slipping into a quiet rest.

(Go to Chapter 12)

Chapter Text

It took you some time to get yourself up, almost falling off the bed damn near, but you eventually got into a sitting position against the window. You knew despite how breakable it looked, it would take a lot of strength. You took a deep breath in, putting your elbows out, and bash them against the glass. It hurt a little, but you heard the glass crack, it was working. You did it a few more times, each time ignoring the pain until it finally broke. It broke just fine, but in the process, your arms and hands were cut badly. You gently picked up a piece of glass, putting it between your heels and putting it in between the rope around your hands.

Once you got your hands free you cut the rope from your feet too, making sure not to cut yourself. After that you got up, looking around for any bandages or wraps. You think there might be some in the bathroom, but thinking about staying in this place any longer gives you a headache. That, or you really are losing a lot of blood. You think about your next move, knowing that getting out was a key priority but protecting your health was basically an asset.

> Go to the bathroom (Chapter 18)

> (Blood) Go through the window (Chapter 11)

> (Blood) Go through the front door (Chapter 13)

Chapter Text

“Wait!” You say, Link turns back to you. “Yeah?” You take a deep breath before letting it all out. “I just want to say, thanks for everything that you’ve done. I know that being a hero has to be a lot of hard work for you, and despite I don’t know how hard it is, I at least want you to know that I’m thankful for it. Everyone is, not just me.” You cough after that, not meaning it to seem like it was only you who appreciated his hard work. He looks at you, astonished, and smiles. “Aw, don’t sweat it, Baker. I know I’m not the only one who works their ass off in order to make it by, but I do know a lot of people count on me, so getting some praise is pretty nice.” He keeps smiling, you could see him light up a little.

You smile too. “Well I’m glad, now go get some rest dummy!” You say walking back to your house, you turn back to him when you get to your doorstep. He salutes to you. “I will Baker, goodnight!” He turns around and walks toward his destination. You stare at his back as he walks away, for a while, he even looks back to you, you wave. He waves back and turns around, you do the same as you close the door. When you jump into bed a little while later you feel sleep tickle your vision, almost passing out as you stood before flopping on to your bed and going to sleep.

(Go to Chapter 12)

Chapter Text

You start struggling against the ropes, feeling that with each struggle there was some space enough for you to get loose one of your hands. It took some time and will power for you to get your right hand out, quickly getting the ropes off your feet and getting up off the bed. You don’t know how much time you might have left so you quickly think of a way to get out of here. You look back to the window, seeing that it could open easily. But you could just walk out the front door, if the guy wasn’t going to be back for a while you might as well risk it.

> Go out the front door ( Chapter 10)

> Go out the window (Next Chapter)

Chapter Text

You think of going out the window, thinking if you did go through the front door you might get caught by the guy. You carefully pull the window up, being successful, and go through. Once you're out you feel the grass in between your toes, noticing that this relief you were feeling was how it felt like to be free. You don’t hesitate to run into the forest, not waiting to find out if it was a bad choice. You make a move left, then another right, you just didn’t stop running. Not until you got tired, you slow down to a walk. Once your breathing is under control you take the time to look around, the forest wasn’t that dense, the sun bleeding through the open spaces.

You think of how lost you probably were, you haven’t been into this forest since the Forest festival, last you went was 4 years ago. You keep walking, making sure not to step on any snakes or bare boulders. As you continue walking you feel a strange sense of being followed, at first you dismissed it, knowing it was a common feeling in a forest so big, but as it continued you felt uneasy. The thought of the robber having seen you escape and following you filled you with dread and disgust, you almost threw up, but you held it together. Your chance to look around behind you, but all you saw was the thick foliage of the forest.

You walk along, finally putting the feeling behind you when you hear a twig snap. You panic, looking around quickly. ‘What was that?’ ‘Who is it?’ Ran through your mind. It wasn’t until you caught a swift motion of a tail that you noticed the threat was much bigger than what you expected. It was a wolf. Not just one, but possibly a whole pack. If you ever went near the forest, rather gather berries or go on a stroll, you’d always carry your hunting rifle. But today was different, and you had nothing to protect yourself with.

You didn’t know the first thing to do when alone with a pack of wolves, and you didn’t think there was a way to survive. You felt like crying, almost going into a full break down, but you steel yourself. You just escaped from being sold to some random dude, you knew if you hung on just a little longer, maybe you’ll land yourself in a civilization. So you turned and walked, you kept walking and walking, walking, walking, and walked some more. Until you couldn’t.

It was night and it was almost difficult to see if it wasn’t for the full moon out, your feet hurt and your stomach growled. The wolves that finally showed themselves were getting impatient, making a couple nips at you that just barely came close. And when they did bite, it was just your clothes, you wiggled your way out of it, you found out later they were playing with you. Messing with their pray until they stopped and collapsed. You almost cried. Almost.

You held on strong, almost surprised at yourself that you made it this far. You could almost pat yourself on the back if you weren’t so tired. As you walked along past a couple of bushes you found an opening, a tree in the center with the roots big and long. You felt relief that you found a place to rest, pain that this was your final resting place, and anger that this was what all your effort got you. You walked up to the tree, feeling the last of your strength disappear as you collapsed against the tree.

You finally got a closer look at all the wolves that followed you, there were at least 5. Grey wolves too. You see them closing in on you, knowing there was nothing you could do you decide to say one last thing.

> Link (Chapter 20)
> Mom (Chapter 21)

Chapter Text

You decide to use the front door, feeling the window was too much of a hazard for how old it looked. You quickly open the door, seeing the rest of the wooden exterior of the house. It was definitely old and shabby, you even wondered if this was where the guy really lived, or if it was just a stop house for doing...business. You shudder thinking about it, quickly making your way toward the door. As you did you opened the door to find someone behind it or something.

The guy was ugly, his nose was facing his ear and his eyes seemed bugged out. His complexion was green like a goblin, heck you almost thought he was until you saw his ears were normal. You were shocked, shocked and scared. Shared? The guy looked around the house, seeming confused. “Uh, is this the right house?” You were scared, but you asked. “For what?” He looked at you, looking outside before whispering. “You know, for the goods?” You shiver, but you held on. You quickly thought up a plan: Pretend you were the seller and fool the guy long enough to get the fuck out of here.

You cleared your throat, trying your best to cover your shock with a smirk. “Oh, it’s you. I didn’t expect you’d look so...scary.” The guy laughed. “And I didn’t expect you to be so small, but I guess we have to get our money somewhere.” You pretend to laugh, glad the guy and him haven’t met yet. “Yeah, so how much is in it for me?” The guy takes his backpack off, opening it to show off a load of rupees and gems. You gasp, you haven’t seen anything like this. “About 2,000 rupees, as promised.” He closes the bag. “Now where’s the baker?” You smile, pointing to the door that you closed on your way out. In that room, their all tied up for you.”

A big grin sets on his face, he walks in and shuts the door behind him. “Great, I owe you one. I’ve been meaning to get another snack for ages , but I’ve been busy with the camp and all.” He walks back. You know that when he opens it he’ll probably question why a baker isn’t there, put the pieces together and snatch you up. You think of something quick, looking over at the counter to see a knife laying out and a frying pan on the oven. You could just leave though, but the thought of that bastard doing this to numerous people was disgusting.

> Use the frying pan (Chapter 15)

> Use the knife (Chapter 16)

> Ignore that and GTFO of there (Chapter 17)

Chapter Text

You decide to go through the window, not taking the time to take care of your wounds. You carefully lift the window and step out, you feel a stinging pain in your feet, feeling the glass move under you. Once you’re out you quickly take the glass out, making sure not to make too much noise. You almost cry when taking one out that seemed too deep in your skin, but you succeeded and pulled it out. Once all the glass was gone you quickly but carefully make your way away from the house into the woods, you couldn’t run as fast as you wanted but you still felt okay to trot for a while.

As you settled to a walk you looked around somewhat sluggishly, the sun was bright in between the foliage of the trees. As you walked you looked behind you, a trail of your bloody footprints followed right behind. It wasn’t as clear but it definitely stood out, if you looked real hard you could tell. You panicked, wondering if the guy already came back and found out. The image made you want to throw up, you almost did if you weren’t surprised by the crunch of grass behind you. When you turned around you were surrounded by a giant wolf pack.

You stood still, not knowing what to do. But you definitely knew you wouldn’t be able to make it out alive, the blood was already a dead give away. You knew you couldn’t run to save your life because of all the blood you lost, and you were having a hard time standing straight with everything swirling around you. You felt this was where you were gonna die, but before you would go down you prayed to everyone you knew. Your Mom, your Dad, the village people. And Link. You didn’t know where he was, but you hoped he’d have a happy life. Maybe he’d go looking for you, you hoped he wouldn’t, but you sure did pray he caught the bastard that kidnapped you.

As you closed your eyes and went down, you could hear the wolves charging in on you. As they bit into your skin you almost screamed, tearing up as they tore you up. You kept your eyes closed, too scared to look at your body after they’re done with you. But you decided to take one look as curiosity was getting to you, but you didn’t get to look when a wolf bit down on your skull, ending your life.

(Back to the previous Chapter)

(Back to the beginning)

Chapter Text

The next morning you woke up fully refreshed, you didn’t know how long it’s been since you’ve had that much sleep. You were almost scared to even look out your window, but you did, and you saw the sun rising in the sky. It was bright yellow, the birds chirping and the leaves rustling from the gentle breeze, it made you smile. You were about to close your eyes when you remembered something and fully opened them.

Birds don’t chirp when you usually get up. The leaves don’t rustle when you usually get up. The fucking Sun isn’t up when you usually get up. You rise up from your bed, throwing your covers to the side. You overslept, you over fucking slept. You needed to go back to your bakery, you quickly went through your morning routine, washing up, brushing your teeth, fixing your hair. Once you’ve gotten dressed you quickly grab your money bag and rush through the door. As you run like crazy down the hill you wave to all your old neighbors sitting outside. You settle to a halt when you hear snoring coming from the right entrance of your little neighborhood, turning a corner you see the hero of Hyrule himself taking a nap against a tree.

His hat was covering his eyes as a smile laid on his face, arms folded behind his head and legs crossed outstretched in front of him. You were almost mesmerized by the light that was shining down on him as the shadow of the trees covered his figure, but you shook yourself out of it. You look out to the town, wanting to open your Bakery before the afternoon. You didn’t want to leave Link sleeping outside as he said he wanted to help you with the Bakery tomorrow, but he seemed so peaceful you didn’t want to wake him. You’d be okay by yourself at the Bakery anyways.

Let Link sleep (Chapter 16)

Wake him up (Chapter 15)

Chapter Text

You don’t waste any time in getting out of your room, you push through the door to your room and run down the hallway. Skipping the bathroom to just get the hell out of there, you reach the door and quickly open it. Behind the door was a hideous monster, green-skinned and all. You wanted to back up and run back to your room, but you were too scared to move. The thing stared at you. “Are you okay?” You pushed aside your shock to convey confusion, quirking your eyebrow. The thing points at your hands. “You’re bleeding, was the baker that strong for ya?” The thing starts to laugh, as they do you see their pointed teeth, now knowing this was probably a goblin. It looked like a guy too, the way his laugh was deep and husky.

He calms down to a chuckle. “You need any help? I got some wraps if you need any.” He reaches into his satchel on the side of his waist and pulls out some wraps, he hands them to you. You hesitantly take them, too occupied with your thoughts. You thought for what would happen if he found out you were the baker, would he get you and eat you? Goblins were known to eat humans, or would he knock you out and torture you? You don’t know what would happen, but you heard what he said next. “So did they escape?” The goblin asked. You give an immediate answer. “Yeah, they got out and attacked me.” “Well if they’re still here then we can get em’ now.” The goblin moves past you to the room you just left. Luckily you shut the door behind you, a force of habit.

But you had another issue, what would happen if he found you out? You would have to defend yourself, you see a knife out on the counter and a pan on the oven. Though you could just make a run for it, by the time he’d open the door you’d be long gone. Though the thought of having that monster out and about buying people was a disturbing thought.

> Gtfo (Chapter 23)

> Grab the knife (Chapter 25)

> Grab the pan (Chapter 24)

Chapter Text

Hi guys! Sorry, it's been a looooong while since I last updated, much has happened and the passion I felt for this work almost dwindled the past couple of years. But I didn't forget about it! In fact, I've been rereading my work and wondering how to improve upon it. Especially since this is my first Choose your adventure story, I want to make it a good experience for everyone. So I've decided I want to re-write it.

I've been thinking about this a lot, wondering: Should I re-write it? Wouldn't it be better to leave it be? And yeah, it probably would, but I know that later on I'll look back on this work and realize I could do so much more with it. So the re-write was definite! But then the question was: When do I do it? Well, what better time for new beginnings and new stories than the new year (Btw Happy New Year!)? Though, I should clarify that the plot of the story won't change, just the layout and some other details I thought would make this story more immersive, how a CYA should be.

Once again I'm very sorry to those who waited years for the next addition to the story, I hope the new start will be better than how it was before. On the bright side, I have three chapters in the backlog I meant to post last year but never had the time. I'll post these so you'll have something to read while I finish up the new chapters that will replace these.

So with that, thank you so much for reading and I hope you will look forward to the updated version!

Chapter Text

You decide to wake him up, for two reasons. One, he’d be cross with you for not waking him up. And two, if you gave him the reason why you didn’t want to he’d be even more cross, and Link was too cute when he was crossed. You gently push his shoulder, he doesn’t do much so you push it a little harder. He makes a grunting noise, but he goes back to sleep. Getting a little bit annoyed you held on to his shoulder and roughly shook him till his eyes opened.

“Huh?!” He comes to, rubbing his eyes as he blinks. You stop shaking him and step back, folding your arms.

“Took you long enough, I was just about to leave you.” He started looking around until he looked at you, at first surprised than happy.

“Baker! Good morning,” He started getting up, fixing his clothes and dusting himself off. “I thought I’d show up a little early, since you do after all, but you didn’t come so I took myself a quick nap.”  You could feel your cheeks getting hot at the embarrassment of being late in front of Link, you try and play it cool.

“Well I overslept as all, it was an accident.” Link chuckles, your face getting hotter. “Whatever, let’s just hurry and open the doors.” You start jogging your way there, Link follows closely behind.

As you make your way there, just like you expected, you see people stand outside your bakery. The polite clothing store lady, Mrs. Brutch, comes walking up to you with concern. “Baker, my goodness, what happened to your store?” You raise your hand up, seeing others come up to ask the same.

“It’s alright, I'm fine. I got caught up in something messy,” You hold the old lady’s hands, smiling as you say. "Thanks to Link though, I'm okay." You let go and make your way through the crowd to your bakery, getting your key out and unlocking it. You're thankful that you saved a couple of pies from yesterday, but there won’t be enough for the whole day. You let Link go inside first, making sure to block the people from coming in. “Please be patient, we’ll open in a little bit.” You close the door.

"Link, help me put the pies in the display." You look to the back, still sad about the event that happened last night. "I don't have many, and there's no time to prep, but I can still get rid of them all by today." You open the display case to make it easier as Link bring in four pies on each arm, you gasp. "Link, you don't have to go over the top. What if a pie fell?" You quickly grab all of them, Link shouting his reply as he went to get more.

"I've lifted a whole boulder before, bigger than my entire body, I think I can carry more than two pie tins." Link boast as he comes back with three pies on each arm, just to show off. Which annoys you, pleases you, and makes your stress go up by five. You quickly take the pies and put them in the display case, restarting the cycle until Link comes back with only one pie. 'Save the best for last' he said with a warm smile, with the last pie being his favorite, Gooseberry. You smile too, faint memories of your childhood coming back to you in a flash. Then you realize that the mood seemed different from before; you and Link were really close, your hands were under his, and the lighting in the room was dark enough to make it feel electric. With a bright blush, you pull back, taking the pie with you and putting it on a cake stand. You place the glass case carefully on top, making sure it was centered before looking back to Link.

"You ready to start the day?" Link nods as you walk past him, not needing to see his readiness before going to your window to flip the 'closed' sign to 'open'.

The day went by fast, the pies selling like hotcakes (Thinking about that, maybe you should sell cakes too). Some people came to ask if everything was alright, not able to come yesterday. You tell them it’s okay, even the guards from yesterday came by to confirm to you that the guy from yesterday was the one who robbed your bakery. You sigh in relief now knowing it was only one guy, from the corner of your eye Link’s shoulders relaxed, he must’ve been relieved too. Just as you were running out of pies you flipped the sign, this caught the attention of your neighbor Mrs. Name. She walked up to the side of you as you gave a customer the last slice of pecan pie. “What’s wrong hon, is it ‘cause of the door?” You chuckle at her southern accent, shaking your head.

“No, we already caught the culprit. I just don’t have any more pies, I’ll have to close early to make more.” Mrs. Name nodded, though she looked over at the door with her hand hovering over her mouth.

“But you do wanna do somethin' 'bout that door right?” You look at the door, surprisingly the door didn’t really bother you until she brought it up. Looking at it now you start to feel uncomfortable. You cover it up so as not to worry her further.

“Well I have to, don’t want no thief coming into my bakery again.” You grab a cloth and wipe the counter, she smiles while watching.

“Well I know just the fella, recently my granddaughter didn’t like the way her door was making this squeaky noise, so she went to this guy in the town two towns over and asked for a door inspection, you should try him.” You think about it, it sounds kind of shady but why would your neighbor even recommend it especially when her daughter used the same services.

“Does he do business doors too?”

“Absolutely! He fixes all the doors, I’ll give you his business card.” She reaches into her purse and pulls out a small white card, handing it to you. Feeling the texture you like how soft it feels against your fingertips, you run your fingers over the corners. 'Dallas & Doors' was on the front in bold curvy letters, you flip it and examine it's back, same as the front but with extra details to where to find the man and how to get in contact with him. “Now I have to get back to my routine, you know how my Joe gets.” You smile and wave as she goes, wishing her well.

You look back at the card, seeing that the guy lived in Writher Village. Two towns away she said, it was a pretty long trip, a day trip if you left early. You pocket the card and serve the remaining customers until they leave, as they do you look to see Link picking up the plates from the tables. “Oh Link, you don’t have to.” He looks to you with a smile.

“Nah it’s okay, besides I technically work here now.” You roll your eyes as he laughs, helping him into the kitchen.

“Yup, a payless worker.” You think about it more. "Well, unless you do wanna work here full time. If you stay I won't mind." You say, leaving Link to wonder if there was something more to your offer. If he knew he didn't say anything related to it as he chuckled and replied.

"If only, but the life of a hero is never done. Though if I ever want to retire, I'd think about your offer first." He smiles to you, the look making your heart leap to your throat. You look away before you make a fool of yourself.

A couple of minutes go by when the dishes were done, you and Link put them up in the cupboards. As you finish Link stops, going over to the bag he brought. You didn’t notice he had it. “I almost forgot.” He rummages through his bag, saying ‘Aha’ when he finds something. He pulls out a plate, specifically the plate you gave him with the pie. He hands it to you, clean as ever. “I kept my promise.” You take it, chuckling to yourself. “Thanks, you didn’t have to.” “Too late.” You put it in the cupboard with the rest of them, finishing up the cleaning. When you both walked out you locked the door behind you, seeing the hole again. You stare at it for a split second, dread filling your body, but you shake it off and walk with Link.

As you and Link walk to your house, you pull out the card Mrs. Name gave you. Link looks over to see. “What’s that?” “A card my neighbor gave me, it’s a guy that can fix doors.” “You planning on visiting him?” You think about it, it wouldn’t hurt to, and who knows how long you can keep the door like that. Thinking it over, it disturbs you how you didn’t find it a problem to begin with as you look over to Link, who just so happens to look at you. ’Maybe it’s ‘cause of him’, it’s been two days and you haven’t felt even the slightest bit of worry since he’s been around, but if he weren't here you'd refuse to step foot into your beloved bakery. But like numerous times you don’t get to see him that often, and when he’s gone you would have to notice it sooner or later. “Might as well.” You respond later, catching Link off guard. “He lives in Writher Village so it’s not that far.” “Writher Village? That’s where I gotta go, you mind if I tag along?”

You’re not surprised when he said that, it’s what you expected, maybe even hoped. “Not at all, I might need the company.” He smiles, looking ahead. “Oh, we're here.” He says somewhat sadly, you look ahead and see your house too. As you walk up to your door you thank Link for his help again, he shrugs. “No problem, but when are you setting out to the Village?” You think about it, you think that tomorrow night might be a good time, especially since you’ll have all day to pack and make pies. “Tomorrow night. You’ll be ready?” He chuckles, turning around. “Of course, see you tomorrow.” “You too, and I better not catch you sleeping on that tree again!”  "If you don't keep me waiting again!" He waves his hand, you sigh as you close the door, deciding to spend the rest of the day doing some chores.

After making your living arrangements a little more bearable, you go and pack your things. You pack enough for a couple of days, hoping you wouldn’t have to stay there as long as possible and grab some of your money. You look at your bag, pretty sure you packed everything you needed, but you feel something’s wrong. Maybe it’s just your gut wanting to make sure everything was in place, you didn’t use to have it until you opened your shop, but that’s a story for another day. Then again, you were never wrong when something seemed off. Should you double-check or head to bed?

• Double Check (Chapter 26)
• Head to bed (Chapter 27)

Chapter Text

You leave him be, not just because he looked good while sleeping (like seriously he looked gorgeous, you knew he was hot but damn was he breathtaking too), but because you felt the work he did for you yesterday was enough for him. You didn’t need him to work today too, you’re pretty sure you could handle it by yourself, you’ve been doing it yourself ever since. So with a soft pat on his head, well really his hat, and quietly running off. As you make your way to the town you see tons of people at the front of your bakery, when you settle to a walk you walk up to the scene calmly. The first person who sees you walks your way, Mrs. Butch reaching out to grab your hands. “Baker, my goodness what happened? Are you okay?” You give her a sheepish smile. “I’m alright, I just got robbed last night is all.” “Oh my goodness!” With her yell she attracted the attention of everybody else, leading to you getting bombarded with questions by every other shopkeeper.

You take this as your cue to get into your bakery, telling Mrs. Butch you’d talk to her later and sidestepping your way in. Just as you made you closed the door behind you, but a hand clamps down on the side. You were spooked at first, not sure what to do, so you were frozen there until the person with the hand showed his face. “Aren’t you forgetting someone?” You sighed in relief when you saw Link, but unlike you, he seemed a bit annoyed. You didn’t see the problem with letting him in so you opened the door, when he got in he folded his arms. “You said you’d let me work with you today.” 

As he spoke you walked behind the counter, checking if everything was in place. “Well I know, but I thought you helped me enough yesterday and wanted to give you a break.” Link didn’t seem to be taking that excuse. “Then how come you’re already here?” “I woke up late.” You admitted shyly, your back facing the hero as you look in the cupboards, not really looking for anything. Link taps your shoulder, startling you to turn around, and hands you a plate. You take it slowly, noticing how shiny and clean it was. “It’s the plate you gave me yesterday, I promised I’d wash it.” As he talks you look at him, he doesn’t look directly at you but he seems shy. He’s trying to break the tension. You smile, putting the plate in the cupboard and closing it. “Thanks, sorry I didn’t wake ya. But now that you’re here,” You turn around, looking the hero in the eye. “Let’s get to it.” 

You walk around the counter going to the door to flip the sign, then you stop. “Forgot to mention, but since I woke up late I couldn’t make any pies, so we’re just gonna have to make do.” Link nodded. “No problem, we’ll just close early.” Hearing that you felt sad, but you focused on just getting through the day. Flipping the sign and opening the door, you greet the beginning of another workday.

Your workday went by pretty fast, with Link around the work was easy and simple. Sure it got pretty annoying when people were just there just to start a conversation with the Hero of Hyrule, but it was handled when Link told them to order something. You even got to talk with the police who arrested the guy yesterday, relying on you the news that the guy who attacked you was also the guy who broke into your bakery. In the corner of your eye, you see Link’s shoulders sag, smiling as he looks back at you. You weren’t the only one worried. Later you got to talk with your neighbor, Mrs. Name. “Hun, what happened to the door? Are you okay?” You gave the last slice of blueberry pie. “Oh it’s nothin’, just got robbed last night and caught the culprit yesterday. I’m fine.” She nods. “Good, I was worried there. But you’ll do something about the door right?” When she mentions that you look at the door, feeling a sense of worry. Now that you think about it, you wonder why you weren’t worried about it before. Maybe it was Link, no, it was definitely Link. With him around, you didn’t have anything to fear. But when he leaves, you know you’ll have to deal with it eventually, that time could be tomorrow even!”

“Lucky for you my granddaughter just got her door fixed, good as new too. The guy she paid to do a door inspection checked the door and fixed it on the spot, you should check him out, give him a try.” “Really? He fixes windows too?” “Absolutely! Here, I’ll give you his business card.” She goes into her purse and gives you a card, as you read it you notice how far the guy lived. “Unfortunately he’s two towns over, but it’s well worth it.” You thank Mrs. Name for the offer, keeping the card. “Alright, I gotta get back to my schedule now, you know how Joe gets. See you later!” She walks off while waving behind her. After she leaves you close the bakery, satisfied you sold all your goods. When you and Link clean up you think about the card Mrs. Name gave you, the town specifically was Writher Village, it would take a days trip to get there, but if it meant you would get your door fixed, and possibly upgraded to something better, then you thought of going.

Sure it would mean you’d have to miss out on a day of work, but I’d take you a day to make the pies so you’d still miss out either way. You thought this as you finished cleaning, noticing how quiet the shop was. It wasn’t strange that the shop was quiet, but Link would usually start to make conversation at this point. When you turn to see Link cleaning one of the chairs, he seems focused (hopefully not on the chair). His stare seemed distant, when you walk close to him he snapped out of it. Looking to you he asks, “What’s wrong?” “I was just about to ask you.” Link grinned and stood up. “I’m fine, just thought about what you’re gonna do about the door.” You walk to the door, the curtain still down. “I was just thinking about that, my neighbor gave me a card for a door repairmen. He’s in Writher Village so I was thinking about packing up and trekking over there.”

Link perked at that. “What a surprise, I was just gonna head that way too.” You stand straight. “Really?” “Yeah, something about monsters terrorizing the outskirts, so that means I’ll ride with you!” Link seemed excited, getting up and pushing the chair in. “Awesome, you ready to close up?” Link looked back, admiring his work. “Yup, let’s go.” You flip the sign at the end of another workday, walking home with Link in tow as you roam in silence. When you made it to your door Link bowed and said goodnight, you copy and close the door going to do some packing for the trip. You pack all of the things you may need, and some you want to bring. When you’re done you feel something’s wrong with your packing and feel you should check over it again, but maybe it’s just because you’re nervous from this being the first time in a while you’ve been away from your small little town.

With that, you head to bed.

Chapter Text

You pick up the knife from the block, feeling how dirty the grip was and automatically shivering. As you pull it out you see how rusty and dull it is, only widening your realization how old and abandoned this place was, which brought up the question of who owned this house and where were they now? You shake them away, not knowing if you were too scared to find out or if you didn’t want to know. “Hey! I think they went out the window, they’re not here anymore!” You hear the goblins' heavy footsteps coming back, derailing your train of thought and thinking of a plan. As a final result, you put the knife in your pants and under your shirt as the goblin comes around the corner, you act as though you were waiting for him and act shocked.

“What?” “Yeah, come on we need to find them.” The goblin stomps out the door, walking along without a single thought. You think to take this as your chance to run now that the guy is gonna be preoccupied, but you shake it off quickly. If you wanted to run then was your chance, you have to go hard or go home, you forgoed to go home so you could take care of this guy so you might as well finish what you started. You walk out of the house, covering your eyes as the sun hits your face. Your eyes try to adjust as you feel pain moving them around, just how long were you in that house? You walk and see the goblin going down the road, looking left and right for you. Well, the Baker he’s trying to find. You think of how you’re gonna do this.

The goblin looks into the nearby forest, walking in closer as you walk toward him. “You see em?” “No, they gotta be in there, I can smell them.” The goblin sniffs the air, the sound reminiscent of a pig's oink when strolling around the pen. You follow the goblin in as you look around, the forest gives off an ominous air, it’s pretty and spacious but you feel it holds something more than what meets the eye. In order to make this feeling go away, you try to get some answers from the goblin. “I hope you don’t think you can get away with not giving me what you owe.” You don’t know how much the guy was trying to sell you off for but you feel you deserve to know. “Don’t worry I won’t, the moment I get my treasure is the moment you get your rupees.” So it was rupees he was buying you with, you’re astonished.

In your small town rupees aren’t a pretty common thing, you don’t know exactly how much rupees cost but if someone walked into your bakery with about 10 rupees they could buy out most of your selection. So you think that’s a lot of money, then again Link always has rupees on him.

Speaking of Link, you wish the Hyrule hero was here to save you. In fact, you wonder if he’s been looking for you since the hold-up, but you don’t think it’s possible for how long you’ve been stuck in that old house in the middle of nowhere. Actually, where the hell were you? You push that aside, deciding again to think about it another time, right now you wanna know what this guy is doing and where he’s from. “What are you going to do with them? There’s not much you could do.” 

“Oh please, there are tons of things to do. Do you know how much worth a human is in Phonix? Especially one that can cook? That’s already worth millions, and benefits most Goblins like me.” He snickers, you try and succeed in not showing how disgusted and terrified you were. You touch the knife through your clothes, now noticing how dirty they were. You wore something like a brown shirt and brown pants, you had no shoes either. The guy must have changed your clothes while you were asleep, but you go back to the plan at hand.

As the goblin walks along you make your move, grabbing the knife out of your clothes you take it and roughly stab him in the back of the head. You step back, too shocked that you actually went through with it. Just as you took a breather the air is knocked out of you just as fast, causing your legs to buckle and collapse on yourself. Wondering what happened you look up to the goblin to see him take the knife out of his head, tossing it aside like a toy. “I knew you were up to something, but to try and stab me in the back? How cute.”  He bends down close to your face, smiling. “If you don’t want to give me what I want, then I’ll take you as compensation.” He grabs you and tosses you on his shoulder. With no strength and your consciousness slowly fading you fall into darkness.

After that things went downhill for you. Thankfully the goblin wasn’t interested in consummating with you, but that didn’t make it any more bearable. You were beaten both physically and emotionally, forced to do things you didn’t want like killing a lamb to make lamb chops for them and getting the shit beaten out of you for not making it right. Eventually, you cave into the demands he made, instead of trying to find hope where there is none you accept that maybe this was your fate. You were never one to go into religious talk but this seems like the only way to accept your position.

Now you happily cook meals for the goblin as they do whatever they do, you’ve learned that ignoring their work seemed in your favor. In front of the stove is your home, your comfort. The only thing that allows you to escape from this hell hole through daydreaming. You often find yourself thinking about the Hyrule hero, where he is and if he still gives a damn about you, you wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t. But like before, you still held hope that maybe, just maybe, he’s still out there looking for you. But you could only hope as you went back to chopping vegetables, wondering when you’ll ever get to bake your pies again.

(Ending discovered: Slavery)

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Chapter Text

Hello everyone! Or anyone who still cares lol.

This is a post that is long overdue and is deserved for anyone who liked this story and is still interested after not posting for years, and for anyone who might read this in the future, though I doubt that, but you never know!

Let me start off by saying that I haven't forgotten about this! I simply fell out of love with the original story premise that I made back then and the way the story was going. I'm still working on it, but in a different capacity. In short, I'm rewriting it! Everything that I've written is going to be rewritten from start to finish (an actual finish that I figured out). So whatever I've written here will be changed and, possibly, the whole story will be deleted as a whole. I'm still on the fence about it, as I've heard and read that people like to go back to old works and hate seeing it gone, so any comments would be appreciated for how I can go about it.

Secondly, I am a fool! When I started writing this, I had little to no information about the LOZ universe and its story. I was interested in learning, but going into this with no info whatsoever was bad and, what I feel, is disrespectful to the fandom as a whole. Years later, I love the lore and still have so much to learn. The only Zelda game that I've ever played was four swords on the DS and that ish was hard for me! As such, I want to step back and learn more about the Zelda universe before I even attempt to go deeper into the CYOA story I want to tell.

Lastly, I'm sorry for not updating. As time went on I fell out of love of the previous story and fell out of fanfiction as a whole. I've always written some things behind the scenes, and I'm still adding new details to the story despite my absence, but not letting you guys know, no matter how few of you are still here, is not cool. I hope you can forgive me.

Overall, I'm rewriting the story. I'm doing more research and coming back to this work with a better understanding of the Zelda series, and I'll be ending this version of the story until I have AT LEAST as many chapters done as I did for this version. Thank you for reading and I hope you'll look forward to my new version.

In fact, here's a little look at what I've been cooking up! Thanks for reading.

"I can't do this alone!"
"It's not your fight."
"Just stop trying, it's pointless."
"Submit to me."
"I don't care about that!"
"I'm what?!"
"I don't need anybody."
"It's up to you now, chosen one."
"This is it then, huh?"
"I've never felt this before."
"It's your move."
"I-I think-"
"So, what will you do now, Xilam."

You wake up in a daze with shaky breaths, sweat clings to your skin, your body tangled in the blanket and sweaty sheets. The full moon's light shines through the open window as the wind cools your heated skin, giving you temporary relief. You sit up in bed, trying to ignore your skin peeling off the sheets. It was another hot night in Gretchet, summer having rolled through like a hurricane after the last day of spring.

"...Another nightmare." Your heart beats through your skull, painfully so. Each labored breathing pushing out the unease you've felt after each night terror.

With groggy movements you reach over to your bedside table and grab your clock, it's glass slightly foggy and scratched. Angling it so the moonlight shines on its hands, you read the time: '5:03'. You put down the clock, take a stretch, feel your back and legs popping, and get up to start your routine.

First order of business, a shower. The wind has done wonders to get rid of the sticky feeling you had, but it doesn't do much for the smell that's blowing through your room. Without a hitch you walk out of your room and into the hallway, slouching your way into the bathroom.

'With a clean body comes a clean mind', said your late teacher, or something along those lines.

As the memory passes you quickly dry off and get dressed. Your clothing was nothing new, simple in style and effective in the kitchen. Putting your short hair in a little pony tail you don your baker boy hat, brown button-up shirt, blue jeans, and black steel-toed boots. You grab your bags and house keys, locking your house up and readying yourself for the trek to the town center.

Gretchet was a small town, a population of around 2,000 and a handful of businesses all together, but it's en route to one of the biggest western cities of Hyrule, Amber city. This means it's a pit stop for many merchants and cargo carriers when traversing there, including tourists. In the spring time, the painter's trees come alive with colorful leaves. From white to purple, the trees bloom different colors, the rarest ones blooming into a rainbow as the most common only bloom one. When the weather becomes windy, the leaves come off the trees and paint the stone streets like a painter's empty canvas. Because of this, Gretchet is considered a popular tourist destination, solidifying its place in history for many years.

...Or something along those lines. The history of Gretchet was told only a few times to you by some of the longer lived residents, passed down from generation to generation. Because of this, not one story is the same. From a story of wizards who battled and bloomed the fields with their magic, to one of the goddesses blessing the land with color. Even your late teacher gave you some bogus story you somewhat recall.

The walk takes about ten to twelve minutes, even longer in the fall and winter time. As you make your way out of the shadows of the trees, the sight of the moon shining down on the town took your breath away; wind at your back and the sky clear of any clouds. This sight alone is what made you buy a house on the hillside. Each night as you walk down to town you enjoy the tranquility of nature, leaves rustling and swaying in the breeze. The full moon was very beautiful, lighting your path ever so graciously. Looking at the dirt paths, littered with colorful leaves. It makes it difficult for the older folks of town to find their way, but muscle memory helps with such matters.

That quickly skims your mind as you continue your nightly stroll to Fitz Bakery, located in the middle of town with a few other stores. Your steps echo across the quiet street until you make it to the small steps, jumping over them and coming face to face with your wooden door, whose center harvest beautiful cerulean see-through glass. You take out the small bronze key from your pouch, holding the doorknob as you unlock it.

Entering the bakery, the first thing that greets you is the smell of baked goods, both from the previous day and years of steam being pressed into the wood. The second thing that greets you is darkness, the only light from the open door behind you. You go through your bag again and touch something metal, pulling it out reveals your [[lighter]]. With quick flicks and calm steps, you carefully get to the back behind the counter, lifting up the barrier to get through. You hold the lighter out to the wall, trying to find a switch. You search the left most wall and touch it, flipping the first and third switch. Soon the room is filled with warm light that takes a bit getting used to. You shut your lighter and turn to the front of the bakery to check that everything is in place. You see someone standing in the doorway.

You stand still, shocked. When did they come in? You try to get a good look at their face but can't as they're in a dark spot, though their clothes seem different, more colorful than the usual Gretchet attire. Quietly you rummage through your bag.

"Who's there?" Your voice shudders as you back away towards the kitchen. You guess from the distance between you and them, you have a head start of running through the back exit and losing them through the back alleys. And if they're faster, well, the knife in your grasp will have to do. The figure comes forward with their hands up, stepping into the light to show you.... A very handsome face.

"Um, sorry. I was just walking by." The stranger, a man with tan skin, long blonde hair and bluish-green eyes smiles meekly as he steps forward. You've never seen a man with such striking features, or anyone who had such captivating eyes. His response is monotone but lends sincerity. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't scare me." You lie, your hand holding the knife in your pouch shaking slightly. "But you should know better than to step into someone's business when they're not open. You're trespassing."

"Am I? I'm sorry, I'll leave right now." With quick steps, the trespasser leaves, walking down the road away from the bakery. He doesn't pass the window of your shop.

You stand there for a while, making sure he doesn't come back before making your way over to shut and lock the door. You feel your heart pounding through your skull, breathing a huge sigh. After a minute you come out of your shock with a huff, straightening up and walking to the kitchen, cursing under your breath.

"Fuckin' tourist."

After that little surprise you went about your daily tasks. It takes about one to two hours to prep everything before you get down to business, but that's why you wake up so early in the morning. By the time you've gotten the last of the pies in the oven, you tiredly open your door and push a door stopper in to let some air out. You take the chance to put the chairs and tables in order before heading back behind the counter and laying your head against the cool wooden surface. You just sit there, enjoying the wind blowing through your shop and the sound of people walking by outside, making it clear that people were up and about, ready to start their day. You think about the man from before, his eyes glued to the back of your eyelids. You feel your cheeks heat up as you groan.

"Oh, so you are awake," A mellow voice rings across the room, you jump up from your seat, staring at the doorway to see the very pristine owner of a boutique shop, Mrs. Akaday. As you settle down in your seat she walks over with her knee high brown boots, the fur scarf around her neck blowing in her face. Her white dress gives a radiant glow that dulls out the gold necklace she has, along with her huge white sun hat. She pushes her brown hair out of her face as she takes a chair with her other, dragging it across the scarred wooden floor until the back was facing you, dropping down on it with her arms folded on top. "And my, do you look drop dead tired."

"Hi, Mrs. Akaday," You cross your arms on the counter and lay your head down, Mrs. Akaday smiles sweetly at you. "There's still pies in the oven so I'm not open right now."

"I know that dear, I'm not so old I can't read the sign." She moves her hat back a bit, framing her gorgeous brown skin and soft hazel eyes. "I just wanted to check up on my favorite baker, you know I just got back in town yesterday."

Oh, yeah, you do know this. Her daughter told you yesterday while you were washing dishes how she came back in the afternoon, giving souvenirs before falling to sleep on the couch. You hum an agreement, closing your eyelids.

"If I'm your favorite, surely you got me something?" You joke. You hear a thunk beside your head and open your eyes to see a huge wine bottle, embellished with beautiful carvings in gold. You look at the bottle, not sure if you should take the whole thing or ask if she wants to share it with you, thankfully she continues.

"As I was walking the streets of the Bintor region's famous Endor Avenue, I came across a bar that sold these lovely bottles of wine. I remembered how Mr. Baker would complain about how there was 'no good alcohol in this world', except for the wine from Endor's wineries. And since it's been almost five years since you've been apart of our small city, I thought I'd give you an old taste that your teacher loved." She stands up from her seat, gesturing toward the bakery as she speaks, an air of melancholy to her. "You can open it whenever you want, consider it an anniversary gift."

"Uh, thank you." You stare at the wine bottle, raising your head to give it a better look. It looks too expensive to even be in your store...

The chair she grabbed scrapes across the floor as she puts it back in its rightful place, walking to the door. She turns back and gives you a smile, her brown skin and gentle eyes making her seem like a wisp, add her white wardrobe and you can almost mistake her for a ghost. "Seems the suns almost up, I have to go back and check on my boutique. See you later, Baker."

"Have a good one." Your voice came out bewildered as you take the glass bottle in your hands, the cool glass glistening under the yellow lights. You think about Mrs. Akaday's words, has it really been five years since you've come to Gretchet? Since you've taken the job that your teacher so begrudgingly gave you. It's insane to think it's only been that long, you think of all the times you've gotten up in the early mornings, walking the same path everyday, rain or shine. All that time you've stayed in this cozy town, wondering if there's anything else in store for you tomorrow. Hoping for something more. "Five years..."

As you stared at the bottle in thought you heard a sharp ringing underneath the counter, recognizing it as the timer you set for the pies, you reach under and twist it off. You set the timer down and put the bottle of wine in a cupboard. Walking back to the kitchen to check on the pies a weird feeling washes over you, tight in your chest.

Once everything is ready and you flip the sign to open, business goes smoothly. You got the first serving of pie, then the second until more and more people started coming in as the smell blew out into the street, a line stretched out for a couple blocks. From the late morning to the afternoon you remained on your feet, back and forth from your kitchen to the dining room constantly. If the you from four years ago saw you now they would quit while they were ahead in becoming a baker. The idea of having to be on your feet all day would easily dissuade you, along with having to stay in a boiling kitchen, and waking up early, and having to do work day by day, and-

Yeah, now that you think of it any work that would make you sweat seemed to be the last thing you wanted to do. Thankfully, that mentality has already left the station and has been replaced with a more mature thought process. Like finding a good discount on ingredients, or keeping a whole pie to eat for yourself only to realize that you ate that pie in two days and you feel bad about it because you promised yourself you'd watch what you ate and now you have to stop yourself from eating a whole bag of cookies your neighbor made for you for helping her cut her grass last week.

....Maybe you should get back to work. Business has slowed a bit which allowed you some down time. You sat at the front counter, writing down notes for a new pie recipe you're experimenting with. As you tried focusing on your task a couple of neighbors came over an sat down at your sides, sitting silently and eating their share of pie as they enthusiastically take quick peaks at your notebook. You know from listening that the man on your right was Erksid, his chewing was akin to how a horse eats their grains, and the man on the left was Digsum, whose chewing was more smacking, with the sound of a wet 'smack' after every chew. You bang your hands on the counter hard, making the boys straighten up in shock, almost tipping over in their chairs.

"Y'know, it's rude to peek at someone's things without permission." You close your notepad and shove it into one of your pouches, looking between both men. "I knew you fools didn't have any decorum, and this doesn't surprise me in the least..."

"Aw don't say that Baker. We's just curious is all." Digsum speaks first, straightening his posture in the seat as he swallows his bite of pie after. "Ain't that right, Erk?"

"Yeah, you never let us see it. But you let Mrs. Akaday's daughter look at it all the time!" Erksid follows, pointing his fork at you with a petulant pout on his face.

"That's because Adrana doesn't go around telling other people's businesses, unlike you dolts." You snatch the fork from his hand and point it back at him, his hand going up in surrender. You stab the fork back in his pie. "And unless you both want your dirty laundry out in the open, I suggest keeping your noses in the pies you're eating."

The sound of the bell on the door chiming alerts you to a customer, instinctively putting you in business mode. You get up from the chair and turn around, putting on your customer service voice as you take out your pen and pad, kept snugly in your side pouches. "Hey hey, come right on in."

With a cloak on his shoulders the tourist from this morning stood in your doorway, standing awkwardly as he looks around. You look over the man. If you didn't think he as attractive before, he surely surprises you with his looks in better lighting. He was surprisingly attractive, his tan skin giving him a more foreign appeal that makes him stand out from the usually pale Gretchen folk. His striking blue eyes scanned the shop shine as the lights hit them, and his face was beautifully sculptured. As you admittedly start to stare in awe you hear Erksid and Digsum talking behind you, the screeching of chairs scooting closer.

"Is that Link?" Digsum shushes Erksid, catching the attention of some other customers.

"Yeah, it's gotta be. Look at those features, it's definitely him."

"It's Link?"

"That Link, right? The Hero of Hyrule?"

"The princesses hero? No way!"

Whispers echoes through the bakery, all eyes on the newcomer as he looks at the inner decor, unaware or ignoring the spotlight on him. As you listen to their mumbling your mind is clouded with confusion. So, this man's name is Link. And he was a hero. The hero of a princess? How though? It seems everyone knows about this Link fellow, yet your left out of the conversation. As you pondered this, you let spill the one question on your tongue.

"Who's Link?"

You don't take your eyes off the man, but you feel the gazes of your customers fall on to you. The air grows thick with tension that could shatter at a drop of a fork. The man hears the question and looks at you. He nods to you in acknowledgement.

"That's me."

Next Page

Chapter Text

"Okay. Well, Link, what can I do for you?" You ask. The man, Link, simply looks around as he talks.

"Well, I wanted to get something sweet for the princess, and the people suggested your shop. But I don't know much about confectioneries." He rubs the back of his neck and hides his face. A princess? Was this guy a knight or something? You doubt it. Yeah he's hot, but he looks more like a model than a knight. Maybe that's what he calls his lover. Not the first time some love-sick fool walked in your bakery and asked something for their 'wonderful princess'. You hold back a chuckle and approach him with a smile.

"I see, do you know if this 'princess' has a favorite fruit? Even a favorite drink can help." You hide your playful tone, knowing all too well that being too familiar with customers was a no-no. Link hums in thought as he taps his finger along his chin. You can't help but stare in fascination at how such a simple habit makes him seem more handsome than he already is.

"I think she likes bubbleberries, and she drinks a lot of ormice juice."

"Interesting... I haven't made a bubbleberry pie yet, but I do have something that goes amazingly with ormice juice." You take out a spare menu behind the counter and give it to Link. A business move you picked up on while under your teacher. "Gooseberry pie has a tart taste that goes well with ormice juices sweet and savory flavor, that might be a good place to start."

"Hmm, alright. Can I get a whole tin than?" He looks the menu over, clicking his tongue quietly. "And can I get a piece of the golberry pie?"

"Of course you can, that'll be twenty four rupees up front." You outstretch your hand, smiling more when Link gives you the colored currency. You pocket the gems and rip the note from the note pad, handing it over. Seeing his confusion you quickly add, "That's so if you aren't happy with your order I can refund you accordingly. Just make sure you bring it back with the tin you ate from."

He nods as he takes it, pocketing the note and sitting at the farthest side of the counter. You move to the kitchen, pushing open the door and going over to your pie rack. You've already prepared everything before hand so it's as simple as boxing up the pie, cutting a piece from another and plating it up to perfection. You take a step back to see the box and realize something.

"It's not...'romantic' enough." You remark to the kitchen. You wonder what you can do to make it more attractive on the outside, but nothings coming up. You walk over to the storage closet and look around, maybe there's something you could use, then it hits you.

No, something actually fell on your head, a bright rainbow colored ribbon dangling off the tip of your hat. You slowly pull the ribbon until you have both ends in your palms. When did you get this? Maybe from Adrana on some random day? Oh well, it doesn't matter, this is the perfect thing that can spice up the box. With no dilly-dallying you wrap the ribbon around the box and step back to examine your work. It was dull before, but with the ribbon it adds a bright accent to the boring box. Now that everything's in order, you grab a fork and stab it into the golberry pie piece, grabbing the box and plate by the bottom and walking it out to Link. Pushing through the door back out to the dining room, you walk over to the 'hero' and set the plate in front of him with the box by his side.

"Here you go sir, hope you enjoy." Link nods to you, picking up the fork and shoving a piece of pie in his mouth. You watched on with a warm smile as Link went from curious to bliss as he chews on. There is nothing as satisfying as seeing a smiling face eat your food. Even more so when they take another bite, which he does. Seeing this as a good opportunity to get some answers, you ask some questions. "So Link, seems like a lot of people know you around these parts. I don't like reading the news much, so sorry if I don't know who you are."

"I just do whatever I can for the people, but mostly travel throughout Hyrule until I'm needed again." Link looks at the box as he chews his pie, swallowing before answering. "I'm called upon to help Princess Zelda from time to time too."

"Zelda? Like, Princess Zelda?" An throaty chuckle passes through your lips. For something that should sound so grandiose, he says it like it happens every weekend. Link nods.

"Yes, I actually have a letter from her." He rummages through his pockets until he pulls out a white paper with a red ribbon tied around it. He gives it to you, like it was any ordinary letter. It even had the red wax seal with a cursive 'Z' on the front. You wipe your hands on your apron before grabbing it. The texture of the paper feels soft against your rough hands.

"Whoa, the paper's so soft..." You can't help but slide your fingers along it's edges, stopping to twirl the ribbon holding it's position. Should you smell it? Goddess no. You slowly give the letter back, nodding your thanks. "Thank you, but maybe don't show people something that can actually be important."

"It's alright, like I said it's only a letter to get her something sweet. By the way, this pie is delicious." Link takes another bite, talking with his mouth half full. His smile was small, and despite how you hated open mouth eaters, it warms your heart.

"Thank you, I guess that means a lot coming from you." You rub the back of your head, bashfully looking to the multi-colored bow on the box. After seeing that red wax seal you definitely know now that this Link guy is somehow important. Just from touching it did you feel how high-class it was, the silky smooth texture stuck on your fingertips. That for sure means he's in the graces of a royal, or at least someone of high standing. Still, this guy, this one guy, is the hero of Hyrule? And at the beck and call of Princess Zelda no less? You're still skeptical. Sure, just from outside appearances you can tell Link is strong, but strong enough to save an entire country? You want to scoff. Though, if there's anything you can give this guy, he has good taste in food. Digsum, still at the counter with Erksid having left while you were in the back, taps on the surface to get your attention.

"Hey Baker, let me talk to ya for a sec..." He nods his head to the farthest end of the counter, opposite Link. Nothing that Digsum says is ever important, but it would be rude to ignore him. You excuse yourself and walk over. He moves to the last chair and beckons you to give him your ear.

"Baker, this is our chance to get famous!" His eyes showed rupee signs as you leaned in. Your eyebrows shift in question. "Think about it: We got Link, coming in and enjoying one of your pies. If we can tell him to spread the good word to the nobles up north the whole town could profit, including you! Imagine, your own bakery on the corner of the busiest street."

You dream about it from time to time, waking up in the attic of your bakery in the business district of Castle Town. You dream of baking the best goods you've ever created, ones that look so weird and foreign but so so good, and surprisingly your master was there too. Like a weird phantom-type thing? You dream of the customers you'd serve, from the high-class to the miners here from Gretchet. It was the best dream you'd ever have, but it only comes around when business was slow. Now that you remember it there were a couple unfamiliar faces in the crowd, but one stood out to you more than everyone else. The dream always ended when you walked over to them, the smile they gave you bringing butterflies to your stomach.

"So, what do you think?" Digsum's fists shake in excitement, but your thoughts wander to that mysterious smile. You shake your head.

"Nah, I don't think I will." It came out softly, dream-like. It caught you by surprise so you quickly shook your head and folded your arms to get back on track. "I want to get to the top by placing in the Pie-per Festival, you know that."

Pie-per Fest, where the best of the best puts their best pie up on the block to see if they get the grand-prize, twenty thousand rupees and a chance to have your pie at the biggest ball in Hyrule: the Gold Moon Ball. It's every baker's dream far and wide to participate in something this big, but it only takes place every five years as the gold moon shows up a month after the event has taken place. Your master had wanted you to participate sometime under his tutelage, but then that happened...

"Pah! That stupid thing won't get anyone anywhere, why wait months when you can do it now?" Digsum waved his hand, he wasn't such a fan of competition so this wasn't anything new.

"Just let it go Digsum, Gretchet will be fine regardless of what one little baker does." You smile and ruffle his hair, throwing the towel over your shoulder as you walk back to Link, seeing the plate licked clean. You clap your hands to get his attention. "I see you're all done here, let me take that plate off ya."

Link stayed for a bit and chatted with you and Digsum, asking about the market and a couple spots he should visit. Digsum tells him some popular tourist spots as you drop a few secret spots where the rare trees are. Digsum leaves for work before Link, and Link leaves a bit after to get ahead of the crowd.

You quickly get the dishes done and take the opportunity to take a midday break. With time on your hands you lean against the counter and think about your next move.

"Hmm... I think I'll-"

[[Go check the market for ingredients]]
[[Play around with some recipe ideas]]

Chapter Text

A gift given to you by your teacher, Fitz Zel a.k.a Mr. Baker. You don't smoke like he did, but you do use it to light the oven when you need to cook. There's a really weird design on the lighter, well, more like a symbol or something.

There are three circles, each with a different shape in the middle. The one at the top left has a triangle, the one at the bottom middle has a square, and the top right holds a heart.

You remember asking your teacher on his death bed what the symbol means, he gave an airy chuckle and said in a low rumble. "You'll know when the time comes."

Then, when will that time be?