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The sky was thick with stars, tiny and precious. Link traced the constellations one by one, murmuring their old stories—stars he had once believed he would never see again. Each pattern held a different page of destiny, written across the heavens.
At first, Hilza watched with wide eyes, following his finger as it drew invisible lines between the lights. But soon the grass stole her attention entirely. She sifted through the cool blades until she found a small worm, pink and glistening. She held it out on her palm, beaming with solemn pride. Link smiled his approval and let her be, content to gaze at the midnight sky while his daughter hummed happily beside him. He had missed this world. More than he wanted to ever admit.
"Pa!" Hilza whisper-shouted, her voice sharp with excitement. "Papa, look!"
Link turned his head. A faint pink glow pulsed from the grass, soft as a heartbeat. Hilza reached for it, but he gently caught her wrist. "Careful," he breathed.
She nodded, suddenly very serious. He parted the blades with a careful hand to reveal a fairy perched on a pebble no bigger than a button. Her wings were folded, her tiny body glowing rose-gold in the darkness. She looked up at them with an expression of pure annoyance—unafraid, but thoroughly unimpressed by the interruption.
"She's so pretty!" Hilza said, too loud for the quiet night. The fairy's face tightened further, as if offended by the volume. Still, she did not move from her pebble.
Link pulled his daughter gently to her feet. "Come on now. It's bedtime, little miss."
"But I wanna stay with the small lady!" she whined, not taking her eyes off the creature.
He laughed softly and smoothed her hair. "Maybe next time, baby. Okay?" She nodded sadly, too tired to truly argue, and shuffled to her bedroll by the fire. Sleep took her almost the instant her head touched the ground—the past few days had really taken their toll.
Minutes later, the fairy crawled out from the grass. She shot Link a look of profound indignation, as if this was all his fault, then fluttered up on delicate wings. She settled into the soft curve of Hilza's cheek and curled there, much like a cat would. Within moments, her glow dimmed slightly, and she too fell asleep.
Link watched the small pink light rest against his daughter's skin, rising and falling with her breath. Something tight and knotted in his chest began to loosen. They were going to be okay. They could make it work here.