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Had she known it would be like this, Navi would never have accepted the mission the Great Deku Tree had entrusted to her.
The waterfalls near Zora's Domain were deafening. She'd given up on ridding her wings of the water that had logged them down for days now; each time she shook them, they became drenched again just as soon. So for now she had retreated to her favourite spot under Link's hat, which was a ridiculous but comfortable hat.
Especially when Link's hair wasn't so greasy and didn't smell like blood, but beggars couldn't be choosers, now could they.
“Come on,” she said, “if we hurry we might be able to reach Kakariko before nightfall.”
They'd gone to Zora's Domain after awakening Ruto to her role of Sage of Water. There, the king had offered Link to stay the night, but he had declined on Navi's advice. Part of her feared that if he fell asleep in the cold of the frozen caves he wouldn't wake up again, but she also just really wanted this whole thing to be behind them.
So now Link was hopping down the branches a bit more heavily than he used to, parrying octorok projectiles with a little more difficulty. One even hit him despite all of Navi's warnings, which hadn't happened in a while.
With a grunt, he fell backwards.
“Come on, come on, up you go!” Navi urged him. “Ready your shield or it'll hit you again!”
Link gritted his teeth but did as she said. A well-timed shield blow finally sent the nut back to the octorok, which disappeared under the water in a puff of smoke.
“At last!” Navi cheered.
He didn't react to her words, not even a smile or a huff. He just put sword and shield away and continued his slow descent.
Navi kept hurrying him, anxiously watching the sun coming down in the sky, dangerously close to the horizon already. She was absolutely done with this day, and by the look of it, so was Link.
She couldn't wait until they reached Kakariko Village. Impa would finally be a friendly face in the middle of the strange land Hyrule had become. Then she could point them to the Sage of Shadows and they would only have one left to awaken before they could finally put this nightmare behind them.
But it was as if Link felt her impatience, with how slow he was being this evening.
“Watch out! Link, Link pay attention where you –”
He stepped a little too close to the edge of a branch, slipped and fell into the river. Navi only just had time to jump into the air to avoid getting soaked – again.
“You clumsy boy! Why don't you look where you put your feet! It's unbelievable!”
Ugh. She cursed all the skull kids of the Lost Woods for giving her such bad luck. They would never get back to the forest at this rate.
Link spluttered. Navi realised, a bit late and with a pang of guilt, that he was struggling to keep his head above the water as the current swept him away. Worry chased all annoyance away from her, and she frantically looked around to see where he could find his footing back.
“There, swim to your right, the shore is just a few feet away...” she guided him, taking care to sound a little nicer. “You're nearly there...”
With trembling limbs, shaking and shivering, he managed to haul himself onto the grass. He lay there for a while as he coughed all the water out of his lungs; when at last it subsided, he let out a moan and stopped moving altogether.
“Link?” Navi called, frightened. “Li-ink? What are you doing? Get up!”
He was still alive, she knew he was, his breathing was so heavy she could see his chest moving even though he didn’t respond to her. He had stopped talking hours ago, he often did that when he grew tired, but now he'd stopped reacting at all, his eyes closed, his muscles slack, and Navi didn't know what to do.
“Link, please,” she insisted, her voice quavering despite herself.
She pulled on his sleeve with all her strength, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to move his gangling limbs on her own.
It was still so weird to see him like that. Grown up. Tall and lean, baby fat gone from his cheeks, wielding that huge sword and that heavy-looking shield with movements too jerky for his body. She still had trouble reconciling the sweet little boy who'd been so difficult to wake up with this hardened warrior sometimes.
Although he looked more beaten than hardened at the moment.
For the millionth time, she wondered why the Great Deku Tree had chosen her of all fairies to accompany Link on his quest. She'd been delighted at first: like everyone else, she'd been waiting impatiently to meet her Kokiri, and as such she'd disregarded all the rest as unimportant.
So what if he wasn't a true child of the forest? He'd been living with them for so long, it would hardly make a difference. They would save Hyrule together and be back before they knew it. Adventure was exciting, it would be fun, and then they would have a ton of stories to tell the others.
She sorely regretted her naivety now.
“This is not a good place to nap,” she insisted, desperation creeping into her voice. “Just another small effort...”
The groan Link let out was nearly inhuman. He brought his arm under his chest, pushed himself up to his hands and knees, then knelt up and finally stood on unsteady legs.
“That's good... we're nearly there. We're not looking for Impa tonight. We'll just reach Kakariko and get a bed there, okay? You'll sleep in a bed tonight.”
But the more time passed, the more Navi realised how unrealistic even that goal was. Night was fast approaching, and Link moved slowly, dragging his feet, a hand on the rocky wall of the cliff to support himself. He was in no shape to fight stalchildren, or even to outrun them. Navi hadn't seen any for a long time, but... it was better to be careful.
And then, as if that wasn't enough, it started raining. At first it was only a small drizzle, but too soon it evolved into full-out pouring.
Navi's wings were wet again, and she wanted to scream.
Link dropped to his knees, his arms limp alongside his body, his shoulders hunched. The impact barely made a sound, with the rustling of water falling around them. His eyes fell closed, his jaw clenched, but the rest of his features didn't move at all.
She was pretty sure the water running down his cheeks was tears and not rain.
“Hey...” she said, hovering closer to him.
Link kept crying, so silent and motionless it was a bit spooky.
“I want to go home,” he whispered.
Navi's heart broke. She'd never seen him like that.
“I know. Me too. But we'll go back once everything is over, okay? We just have to awaken the last Sages and kick Ganondorf's ass.”
Link didn't laugh at her weak attempt to raise his mood.
“B-but the forest... There are so many monsters. We can't go out without fighting. A-and Goron Village is e-empty, and Zora's Domain is f-frozen, and – and the people in Castle Town –”
He let out a sob, and Navi panicked.
She should have said no to the Great Deku Tree. She had no idea how to deal with this.
Another fairy would have been better. She would have known what he needed, how to comfort and encourage him. She wouldn't have chastised him for nearly drowning. Oh, Navi hated herself for that particular mistake.
But there was no other fairy. The thought of Link, drenched like a wet cat and so miserable, all alone without her, drove a pike into her heart.
She was all he had.
“I don't want to fight any more,” he said. “I just want to go home...”
He brought up a hand to his eyes and wiped his tears, but more immediately came, overwhelming him. His sobs intensified little by little, like a slowly approaching storm, and he made no effort to restrain them. Navi was helpless.
“Hey, hey now...”
She flew next to his face and wiped his tears herself. Her wings fluttered against his cheek, and this time she didn't pay attention to their wetness.
But her efforts only made Link cry harder. He clumsily reached out to her with his hand, his too big hand with thin and knotty fingers, so different from a child's. Navi held on to it, not sure what else to do, desperate to help.
It was growing really dark now. They couldn't stay here in the rain. With a kiss to Link's fingers, Navi pulled herself out of his hand and flew away to look for shelter.
There, just a few feet farther, was a small cave, little more than a recess in the rock, really, but it was deep enough that they would be protected from the rain.
“Don't leave...” Link whispered. “I'm sorry...”
Navi hurried back towards him.
“Of course I'm not leaving you, silly. I've found us a place where we can stay for the night. It's dry and we can light a fire. I know you're exhausted, but it's very close. When we reach it you can rest. I promise.”
Link nodded with a hiccup, swallowing. Then he stood up once more. He was no longer crying, and his face bore the most determined expression Navi had ever seen on him.
The time when she'd called him lazy because he had trouble getting out of bed seemed so long ago now. He was so brave, and she was so proud and impressed by him.
“We're so close, Link,” she said, hovering next to him, doing her best to let her wings touch his skin at all times, providing warmth and softness. “You can do it. I know you can.”
She wished she was a healing fairy. He was limping, and a couple places on his tunic seemed a bit redder now than ten minutes ago. Overall, he would have greatly benefited from a little magic dust on his whole body.
When they arrived in the cave, he all but collapsed onto the ground. She had to coax him some more into making a fire out of his remaining Deku Sticks with one of his spells, then to drink one of the bottles of milk he had left and a potion.
He curled up on the floor, close to the fire, his sword and shield by his side, his arm under his head like a pillow, just like he usually did on the rare occasion he didn't just play the Sun Song to chase away the night. His other hand pressed his hat to his mouth, the only comfort item he owned, dirty and torn as it was. Navi hovered above his face and brushed his hair off his brow.
“Sleep now,” she said. “I'll stand watch and wake you up if a monster comes here. Though I doubt any will. They probably dislike rain as much as we do.”
She fluttered her wings next to his cheek, a common expression of affection for fairies. He let out a strangled laugh, and she hoped she wouldn’t make him cry again.
He looked much younger than his age like this, his face peaceful at last as he was about to sink into sleep. His breathing grew more relaxed, his blonde bangs flying up and down in rhythm with the air he blew. Navi wished he could always have looked like this, like the child he was meant to be, and would have been if that stupid sword hadn't denied him that right.
She settled in the crook of his neck, tucked into his collar, keeping an ear out for any suspicious noise. She had promised Link she would stand guard, and she fully intended to. But the peaceful moment was too precious not to enjoy it while it lasted. She was tired, too. This quest was taking its toll on the both of them.
Another moment here, nestled in Link's warmth and listening to the beating of his heart, which thumped lightly in his neck below her resting place, and then she would fly around a little to make sure. Just a couple more minutes.
“Navi...” Link whispered. It rumbled underneath her, and she felt it vibrate in her wings. “Thanks.”
“What for?” Navi asked. She didn't actually expect him to answer, half asleep as he was.
“For being here with me. I don't know what I'd do without you. Be dead several times over, probably.”
A lump formed in Navi's throat. She wanted to feel reassured by his words, but all she could think about was her own inadequacies. He deserved so much better, the sweetheart. He was trying so hard, and her patience was lacking so much.
But she didn't express any of it, naturally. He already had enough burdens to bear.
“Of course I'm here,” she said instead. “You're doing a great job, Link. I'm glad to be your fairy.”
Even if sometimes she wished that her life was more comfortable, that he hadn't had such a great responsibility thrown on him. No child deserved that kind of weight on their shoulders, least of all someone as kind as Link.
“I love you,” he mumbled, half asleep.
Navi's breath hitched.
Maybe she didn't do the best job in the world. Maybe sometimes she snapped, and nagged, and was harsh. But she was there for him, and perhaps that was all that mattered.
“I love you too,” she said. “It'll all work out in the end. You'll see.”
But Link didn't answer. His breath had grown deep and regular, far into the land of dreams.
Navi huddled closer to the soft warmth of his neck and soon fell into slumber as well.