#…yeah 👍

[baileys-writing-desk]

In which a dragon gets pink nails

Link paints the old Thunder Dragon’s nails pink.

(spoilers for the end of skyward sword!)

AO3

Months after Link delivered the final blow to Demise, and he and Zelda moved down to the Surface, the hero makes his way to Lanayru Gorge to see his new friend. First he had traveled to the dragon’s current residence north of the desert, to find that Lanayru wasn’t there. He had gone to visit home today.

The Timeshift Stone has been deactivated and taken from the area, leaving a hot, barren landscape, so Lanayru can return. As Link walks up to where the dragon floats, he smiles to himself, thinking of the last time he was here to do the Lightning Round. After fighting eight bosses in quick succession, he now bears the strongest shield of all: the Hylian Shield.

“Link!” Lanayru exclaims in his cheerful, bellowing voice. “Hello there, it’s great to see you again!”

“Mighty Thunder Dragon, I have something special for you today…if you don’t mind.”

“Sure, why not?” The dragon shrugs his shoulders. “Let me see.”

Link reaches into his pouch, summoning the magic to bring out a thick paintbrush and a massive clear bottle filled with Luv’s bright pink polish, which he had used earlier to paint both his and Zelda’s nails. Knowing the size of his next recipient, he gathered more of the material to fill a much larger bottle.

“Hold out your claw for me,” he exclaims.

The dragon’s eyebrow furrows, and he stretches out a front claw, still many feet above Link’s head.

“No, I need to reach it.”

“What is this for…?”

“I’m gonna paint your nails!!” Link beams with delight, holding out his own hand. “Your claws will look just like this.”

“You’re gonna…paint my nails pink?” The Thunder Dragon lets out a hearty laugh. “I’ll do many things for you, but this is ridiculous!”

“Lanayruuuu,” Link whines, “pleeease?”

The dragon sighs with defeat. “….Fine.”

Lanayru floats closer to Link, lowering himself down onto the ground with his left claw sitting on the small round ledge. Link is brought back to his adventure, when the dragon laid in a similar manner while hacking up coughs, glancing at the hero with bleary eyes. He had been ill for so long, that surely he thought it was the end…and before Link intervened, it was. Although it has been over a thousand years for Lanayru, these events are still very recent for the young hero.

The dragon takes the bottle and brush with his other claw, placing each object on the ledge as Link hoists himself up. The hero dips the brush into the bottle and smiles as he begins to apply the first coat, on a pointy nail nearly as large as his body. Zelda had mixed silver sparkles into the polish, Link now realizes, and he chuckles slightly.

“Looks like your nails are gonna be sparkly!”

The Thunder Dragon groans, closing his eyes and letting Link continue without protest. It seems, however, that Lanayru isn’t too pleased with having pink sparkly nails. But since the two have become good friends now, they each often give in to the other’s demands reluctantly.

Link applies the paint across each of the dragon’s nails, for what seems like forever…until at last the coat is finished on one claw. The bright sparkles gleam in the sunlight, nearly an exact match to the hero’s own nails. This coat shows up well, to his relief, since there wouldn’t be enough polish left for another. He has already used so much.

“Okay Grandpa, give me your other claw,” he demands. “Blow on this one gently to help it dry quicker.”

“I’m really not that old.” Lanayru rolls his eyes teasingly, obeying Link’s request. Soon the other, non-pink front claw is on the ledge. “I’ve already got Faron and Eldin making fun of my age ‘cause I’m the oldest.”

Link begins painting on the second claw, grinning. “I’m not saying your age is a bad thing. Just that you’re like the grandfather I never had. It’s a compliment!”

“If you say so.” Lanayru laughs once again as he gently blows on the other claw, being careful not to touch it to his fluffy white beard.

While Link works, he quietly hums the Song of the Hero to himself, the song the dragons had taught him, and the song that led him to the Triforce. The back of his left hand now glows with the three golden triangles, even long after the defeat of Demise.

The Thunder Dragon’s eyes light up as he hears the soft tune. “Hey…that’s my song.”

“You bet it is. That’s why I saved you, old man!”

“Ah, right.” Lanayru’s booming voice turns somber. “You only saved me because of that song…you needed it. I would certainly have been left for dead otherwise.”

“Lanayru!” Link scolds, but then considers his own words. “I’m sorry…that was bad wording on my part. Sure, I needed the song, but I would have saved you even if I didn’t. That’s what heroes do, you know.” He pauses, taking a breath as he continues painting. “And that’s why I always come to see you, to keep you company, because I know you get lonely out here by yourself.”

“…I do.” Lanayru sighs. “That’s why I left this place. But sometimes I need to come back. Lanayru Province is my home, even…” He waves a pink-nailed claw at the desert around them. “Even like this.”

“You know, if I could bring your land back, I would.” Link explains. “Not just by going into the past with Timeshift Stones…I would return everything to how it was before, for good, so you could be happy again.”

“There is no need. This was bound to happen, Link, and nothing I could do would revive this place. Believe me, I tried, but…I couldn’t. Instead I left. There is nothing here for me to protect anymore. I was able to relocate most of the robots to save them, but some had already rusted…the facility is filled with sand and monsters, the sea is all dried up, everything that made this place great is…gone.” Lanayru holds up his newly painted claw again, the pain clear in his eyes, gaze distant. The mighty Thunder Dragon never cries, but this must be his equivalent. “You know this, hero. There is nothing you can do.”

“I’m so sorry,” Link mutters. “I shouldn’t have brought that up…I won’t from now on, ok?”

Lanayru remains silent, barely speaking a word as Link continues to paint, and the hero’s heart sinks in his chest. Why did you do that? He ponders over all the baggage the Thunder Dragon must carry on his shoulders, to watch the fall of the great Lanayru Province he was tasked to protect…

He apologizes again, but the dragon simply sighs. It seems he needs a minute to process his thoughts. Finally, Link uses the last bit of polish to completely cover the nail, and sets the brush down with a slightly sore arm.

“Here, your nails are finished.”

Lanayru’s gaze returns to the hero’s, eyes slowly lighting back up. “You’re done?”

“I am. Now do the same thing as the first one, blow on it. Just don’t pick at them, and it should last a little while.”

Lifting his claw up, the dragon slowly floats through the air to his original position, his large form towering over Link.

“You know, this looks pretty good.” He chuckles as he studies his nails. “Thank you.”

“See, I knew you would come around to it!”

“Link, I have an idea…” Lanayru hums in thought. “Let’s get out of this place. I wanna take you somewhere.”

…

Lake Floria is calm and quiet this afternoon, with the Water Dragon outside of her hall to bask in the fresh air. She dives under the water, circling around her small jellyfish friends, before resurfacing, splashing water across the lake with a chuckle.

The waterfall that she’d opened for Link, leading to the Ancient Cistern, is once again pouring in front of the dungeon, preventing anyone from passing through. Link has long ago obtained Farore’s sacred flame, and upon receiving the news that the young hero had defeated Demise and completed his adventure, Faron had closed it back up. There is no need for anyone to enter now.

Along with the noises of the waterfall and the splashing of the lake, the dragon almost misses the hearty laugh from up above. But the noise causes her to look up, only to see Lanayru the Thunder Dragon, flying down toward her.

Ugh. What does he want?

As the other dragon approaches, Faron notices something small and green on his shoulder, and realizes it’s a person. Link. The chosen hero. It has been quite a while since she and Link crossed paths, perhaps because her attitude towards him had driven him away.

“Howdy, Faron!” Lanayru bellows, dipping his lower body into the water to face her. “Look what Link did for me.”

He extends his front claws out for her, keeping them above the surface, and she gasps in surprise.

“Your nails…they’re pink!”

“Do you like ‘em?” Lanayru and Link both giggle, and she can’t help but scowl in response.

“I can’t believe you let him do that, Lanayru.”

“Come on, it’s a lot of fun!” The Thunder Dragon exclaims. “And if you’d like, Link can do the same to yours. Then we can match!”

Faron huffs, folding her scaly arms across her chest and rolling her eyes.

“Let’s get something straight.” She glares at the hero, still on Lanayru’s shoulder. “If you paint my nails PINK, you’re dinner!”

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