Paya

is a character in.

Biography
Paya is first seen in Kakariko Village scrubbing the porch of her grandmother Impa's house. When Paya notices Link she jumps up with an exclamation and hides her face throughout the conversation. She spots the Sheikah Slate on Link's hip and wonders if he is the hero her grandmother spoke about and tries to remember his name. The Sheikah says she is bad at speaking and stutters before finally stating her name. Once she says her name, Paya is able to calm down enough to take her hands from her face. She knows it should be easy to say her own name and apologizes. Since Impa has been waiting for the hero's return since Paya was little, she urges Link to go inside and see her grandmother. If Link should come closer, Paya will panic and hide in her hands again, mentioning how close he is before asking that he go inside. She will remain outside until Link and her grandmother have finished their conversation to give them some privacy. Once they are finished, she comes back in to go to the Sheikah Heirloom, mentioning how she needs to look after it.

At first, Paya is still incredibly shy around Link and refers to him with a title. Still, she is incredibly eager to help him in any way she can. Link can ask her about the artifact she is cleaning and she will tell him everything she knows, bringing up a saying that was passed down through generations, at least as far back as her sixth-great-grandmother. Paya admits that she does not know the meaning of the words, but continues to contemplate it. If asked about the Village, Paya will speak about the Sheikah tribe itself, as well as how the Yiga Clan began. She warns Link that the Yiga Clan is likely to come after him, but quickly asks that he let her know if she can help. Impa speaks up, mentioning the Great Fairy Fountain hiding above the Village. Paya tells Link where he can find the Fountain in the hopes that she will aid him. However, should Link ask Paya about herself, she immediately becomes incredibly flustered. After a moment of hesitation, she begins to tell him about how she got her name. If Link asks her where the birthmark is, Paya becomes flustered again and hides her face, struggling to tell him. At first, Impa comes to her rescue and asks Link leave such topics alone. Paya finishes by promising to tell Link where it is some day. However, once Paya's feeling for Link deepen, she does try to tell him where the birthmark is. As she struggles, Impa finally blurts out the answer for her. At the end of their talk, Paya wishes him good luck on his journey.

Later on, Paya is found in Impa's House on her knees, crying in distress. She tells Link her eyes were averted for a second and asks what she should do. If Link asks what is wrong, Paya answers that the Sheikah Heirloom was stolen just when she discovered its secret. Paya then begins to sob. Impa explains that the hero chosen by the Sheikah Heirloom will be gifted with the "blessing of antiquity". Paya believes Link is the hero so she stayed up all night researching the heirloom, coming to the conclusion that the "blessing of antiquity" refers to an Ancient Shrine, with the Heirloom acting as a key to reveal it. Before they could tell Link this the Heirloom was stolen. Paya says she had been cleaning the Heirloom regularly every day, meaning it must have been stolen during the night. The place is off limits to outsiders and Paya does not believe a villager would do such a thing. This starts the Shrine Quest, "The Stolen Heirloom". Paya continues by saying someone with evil intent had come there, and although she is glad of her grandmother's safety, she still feels violated. Paya starts crying again. Because Paya is afraid the thief is possibly still nearby, Impa asks Link to stay by her side for the day. Link answers with a nod.

In her room that evening, Paya thanks Link for staying by her side the whole day and sees how crying and feeling scared will not help them get the Heirloom back. Dorian and Cado had said no one other than the villagers were around at the time of the theft when she asked them. Paya says she will try to remember all she can about the night the Heirloom was stolen but is concerned the thief is still nearby. Feeling uneasy, Paya warns Link that if he spots any suspicious movement not to approach.

After Link completes the Lakna Rokee Shrine, he returns to Impa's house and finds a depressed Paya. The Sheikah girl perks up when she hears the Heirloom fulfilled its purpose, expressing happiness that it was able to help Link in some way. Paya prays the protection of the gods of old follows the hero wherever he goes. Later on, Paya will express some loneliness without the Heirloom, though she is still grateful that Link found it useful.

Paya keeps a Diary in her room. If Link tries to read it, she says he must not and that it is just a simple journal she writes her personal thoughts in. However, Paya's Diary can be read at night when she is not in the room. On the first page, Paya has written how her grandmother, her aunt Purah, and Zelda put a lone swordsman into a long sleep a century before to prepare for a foretold event. For the sake of Hyrule and her grandmother, who has been waiting for the hero to reappear, Paya prays he comes soon. Deeper in the diary Paya wrote about Link and his memory loss, commenting how despite this her grandmother is much happier. Paya thinks Link looks gallant, the very picture of the hero she always imagined. She poetically describes his features in admiration, writing how her heart won't stop beating a mile a minute. In her Diary she admits she is still not great at interacting with young men. Although, Paya thinks she can finally speak to Link while looking in his eyes, and while she still gets a little embarrassed, her gaze always follows his. Paya suspects Link may be in love with Zelda, stating they suit each other and gives their pairing her full support, even though the thought makes her heart hurt. Thinking she may be sick, Paya explains her troubles to Impa, who only smiles. She attempts to get answers from Cado and Dorian, but the result is the same. Eventually, Paya and Impa talk about her feelings and she realizes that she is in fact in love with Link. Although she realizes it is likely to remain unrequited, Paya is happy just to know what it feels like to be in love and is grateful to Link for giving her this new emotion.

If Link speaks to Paya while she sits at the table her Diary is on, she tells him not to frighten her and asks if he needs something. If he asks what she is doing, Paya replies she is jotting down her boring thoughts. When Link asks what is on her face, Paya panics before realizing he means the Sheikah Symbol on her forehead. She explains the crest is a talisman for the Sheikah to ward off evil. It is customary for those with a long Sheikah lineage to have it inked on their foreheads to honor their past. After answering any of Link's questions, Paya asks if her answer is alright with him. When Link says goodbye, Paya encourages him to get some sleep since staying up late cannot be great for his health. Paya is very shy about her room and if spoken to standing in it rather than sitting at the table, she will ask Link to leave. If Link listens to her while she sleeps, Paya murmurs his name.

If at any time Link attempts to speak to her without any Armor covering his torso, Paya will become incredibly embarrassed and hide her face, asking him to clothe himself.

Trivia

 * Initially, Paya was to be a very young girl, but due to a lack of girls around Link's age in the world, she was changed to be a young woman between 18 and 20 years old instead.

Nomenclature
Paya's name comes from the fruit "Papaya" because she has a papaya-shaped birthmark on her left buttock.