Runaway in Hyrule Chapter Thirteen - He Showed Me The Stars

Instructions

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*Chapter 13 - He Showed Me The Stars°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Before that moment, the camp had been full of quiet movement—people shifting logs closer to the fire, brushing dirt off their clothes, or stretching their sore legs after the long day of walking. Heather had been telling a small group about a fox she once saw near the Great Plateau, and a couple of travelers were teasing each other about who walked the slowest today. The fire crackled, sending sparks drifting upward into the darkening sky. Kael nudged me at one point, whispering, “Think the soup will actually taste good?” I smirked. “It smells good.” “We’ll see,” he said with a playful lift of his eyebrow. Just then—the call for soup. A wave of excitement sweeps through the group. People start lining up with their bowls, laughing and talking over each other as the warm, creamy smell drifts through the air. Someone jokes about how this will finally warm their “soul after walking forever,” and another dramatic voice declares they’re “seconds away from collapsing,” earning a chorus of groans. When it’s my turn, the man hands me a bowl with a proud grin. “Careful, it’s hot,” he says. “Thanks,” I reply, breathing in the scent—rich chicken, fresh herbs, and something lightly sweet, maybe the carrots Heather found. Kael has already finished his serving—he eats fast, apparently—and is leaning back on his hands, waiting for me. I sit beside him again and start eating slowly. The soup is comforting and warm, the kind that settles deep in your chest. Around us, the soft clatter of spoons and low conversations fill the camp. Firelight flickers across everyone’s faces, painting them in soft gold. We sit like that for several minutes. People laugh, trade travel stories, argue about who snores the loudest at night. Someone begins quietly tuning a small stringed instrument. The air grows cooler, the sky a darker shade of blue. Kael glances at me gently, not rushing, just… waiting. I finally finish my serving and set the bowl aside. “Ready?” he whispers, leaning toward me slightly. My heart jumps. “Yes.” He stands and holds out his hand to help me up. I slip my fingers into his, and he pulls me gently to my feet. Before we walk away, he grabs his sword. “Just to be safe,” he says with a small smile. We step away from the camp and follow a narrow path through a cluster of trees, the branches whispering as we pass. The night air is cool, carrying the scent of pine and faint smoke from the campfire behind us. After a short climb up a small hill, we reach a rocky clearing at the top. “Look,” Kael says softly. I raise my eyes— and the breath leaves my lungs. The stars here are impossibly bright, shimmering like scattered shards of glass across the sky. To the right, a crimson glow pulses faintly. “That’s Death Mountain,” Kael explains quietly. My gaze drifts left to the snowy peaks, glowing silver under the moonlight. “And over there are the Hebra Mountains,” he adds, pointing. “Oh wow…” I breathe. I sit down on a flat rock, overwhelmed. Kael settles beside me, close enough that our shoulders almost touch. “I’m glad you decided to join me on my adventures,” he says softly. “I was getting a bit bored.” I laugh. “I’m glad too.” For the first time in a long time, everything feels exactly right.