#I don’t write enough of Hyrule and Time together

[sunfloweraro]

LUtober day 5: Companion

Time and Hyrule reminisce on an old companion. Time is grateful to have such wonderful new companions by his side.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 .

“Other travel companions I’ve had?”

“Yeah,” Hyrule said. The glow of the fire before them left his eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Other than us, of course.”

Time hummed thoughtfully. “Well, my first companion… She was my best friend.”

“Malon?” Hyrule asked.

Time shook his head. Warmed his hands over the fire. “No, not her. My first companion was Navi.”

“Navi?”

“She was a little blue fairy—annoying as anything,” he chuckled, could hear her constant ‘Hey listen!’, all these years later. “But she took care of me.”

Hyrule was watching him, eyes soft. “Tell me more about her.”

No one else was awake, and tonight, by the cosy light of the fire, Time wasn’t feeling his usual hesitation to speak of her, felt only fondness where grief normally grew. And so he told Hyrule of how she had come to him as his journey as a hero officially started, how she had guided him through his first dungeon, in the belly of his father, the Great Deku Tree, and comforted him when despite his best efforts, the Great Deku Tree passed.

Grief took hold of him there, and Hyrule set a hand over his shoulder to pause him in his story. “It’s okay,” he said. “You don’t have to tell me any more.”

A heavy exhale. Time nodded.

“But… I hope you’ll get to see her again someday. It sounds like you miss her.”

Time smiled, ruffling Hyrule’s hair, eye crinkling when his young companion leaned into the physical affection. “You’re a good kid, Traveller.”

[misspelledwordswizard]

Hello there!✨️ First of all, I wanted to say that your writing is amazing! Keep up the good work ;3.

Anyway, I wanted to make a request (if you have too many, please ignore this. Don't overwork yourself). This might be a little cliche, but here is what I had in mind. "The Chain x Mulan!Reader." Mostly their reaction when they find out that the reader is a female.

Like the boys, the reader has the spirit of the hero, but in her time, women aren't allowed to fight or do anything that the men do at all. So, just like Mulan, the reader runs away from home, pretends to be a boy, and fights against Ganon's armies. Even after meeting the Chain, her identity remains hidden. One day, she gets badly hurt, and when they tend to her wounds that's when they notice that he is a she.

You can ignore this if you want ^^, but yeah, that is basically my request. Have a great day, evening, or night.

Again, your work is amazing! ✨️✨️✨️👏✨️✨️✨️

Oh, you are so sweet, thank you so much!!! I really loved doing this, did I mention I love mixing fandoms? cuz I love it so much! Anyway, I hope you like it, dear <3333

The fight against the group of Bokoblins was going smoothly, that is until a Moblin appeared, right behind me, while I was dealing with one of them, a particularly strong one. I must admit that I’ve had better days, this wasn’t a day when I was lucky, I dare say I was very unlucky today, but that was certainly the worst part. 

I barely had time to turn around to see the monster before being hit hard by its attack, and suddenly, Boom, I blacked out. Darkness, I can’t feel my body, and I don’t even know what was happening to my companions. My mind guided me to the day I met them, my fellow heroes, who bore a similar fate to mine, with one small big difference, of course. 

It was a strange day a few months ago, I passed through a suspicious portal thinking it might be some kind of enemy attack, and suddenly I fall in front of nine heroes of Hyrule from different eras.  They welcomed me as one of their own, even though I wasn’t so sure about it myself, and since then we’ve been working together on this mission to stop the shadow and its abnormally strong monsters. Simple, right? 

Wrong, not simple at all. Of course, I already have some experience in hiding my true gender, after all, I had to do it throughout my adventure to save Hyrule in the past, the problem is that now I was constantly surrounded by men! This ended up becoming a huge nightmare. As much as I like the boys, as much as I now see them as my own family, I don’t know if I can tell them the truth. No one knows about this secret of mine, and I fear how they might react, so I’ve been avoiding the subject. 

It was hard, really hard.  Like the times they decided to all go into the river together to cool off, it was hard enough to deal with all those shirtless men without freaking out, and it was even worse because they expected me to do the same, and when I didn’t, they were all over me, worried, thinking there was something wrong, that maybe I was sick or insecure about scars, which they made a point of giving me a lecture about how normal it was, and that I should be proud of mine, because they showed that I was a survivor. Very welcoming, but I still didn’t go in. 

Even with these difficulties, so far, I have managed to hide my secret well, for my own safety. Until now. 

When I finally woke up from my blackout, I felt lost, it took me a while to notice the new environment and my traveling companions who had gathered around me. I was lying on the bed of an inn, everyone was looking at me with curiosity and concern as I tried to sit up in bed, the blanket slipped, revealing that I was without my tunic.  I wore a girdle around my torso that helped to reduce the volume of my bust and keep it mostly hidden, but without the layers of clothing to disguise it, there was no way they could help but notice my visibly feminine silhouette, and it was quite obvious that they had already noticed it. 

It didn’t take long for panic to start to hit me, all the nervousness, the anguish that I kept along with my secrets, ready to overflow. I could feel my own body reacting to this, heating up uncomfortably, and apparently the others noticed it too. Time approached me and rubbed my back gently, in an attempt to calm me down. 

— Calm down, breathe, it’s okay, you don’t need to be nervous. 

— I... – Tears overcame me before I could formulate a complete sentence, which made the task even more difficult. – I’m sorry! I had to do this, no one would ever accept that the hero of the kingdom was a woman, it was the only way. I didn’t have the courage to tell you because I didn’t want you to see me as incapable or treat me differently, please, please don’t hate me! 

The tears, the occasional sobs and my crying voice only made everything harder to understand, and I didn’t have the courage to look them in the eyes, I didn’t want to see their faces of disappointment. The wound on my back hurt as I curled up trying to hide my humiliation. 

— Hate you? What the hell are you talking about, why would we hate you, girl?! – The Veteran’s somewhat aggressive voice left me confused about how I should feel, but his sentence left me confused. 

— Yeah, there’s no reason for that, my dear, it’s understandable that you were afraid to reveal your secret when you were raised with such prejudiced thoughts, but that just shows us how strong you were. – The calmness in Sky’s speech was comforting, but I was still confused. Didn’t they care, really? 

— Your gender doesn’t change who you are, nor does it make you weaker or more incapable, it just shows how amazing you are for being able to deal with all of this! – The Champion’s excitement and support helped me gather courage and look at them again. 

— But... aren’t you mad that I hid this from you? – Even calmer, my crying voice still remained as I sniffled trying to control myself. Twilight just shook her head, as if this was an absurd idea.   

— Of course not, you were just protecting yourself, darlin’.  

— Actually, now that makes a lot of sense, it explains a few things... – The Traveler says thoughtfully, before turning his attention back to me. – And most importantly, are you feeling any pain? – I just shake my head negatively, it was nothing serious, it seems like my injury was practically healed.  

— Look, no matter what they say, you’re one of us, okay? Never forget that. – Warriors speaks in a soft and comforting voice, and I tried hard not to burst into tears again, wiping the tears before they could fall and giving a smile that was a mix of relief and happiness.  

Wind approached me and hugged me tightly, I couldn’t hold it this time and shed a few tears seeing my boy being so affectionate and understanding, partly also because this hug was very close to where I had been hit, but he didn’t need to know that.  I hug him back until he finally pulls away to look at me, wiping away his own tears. 

— Look how cool, now besides being able to say that I have eight super cool older brothers, I can also say that I have an even cooler older sister! – His excitement at this fact made me laugh, and I ruffled his hair affectionately.  

— To tell you the truth, I already knew. – Four’s speech made everyone’s attention turn to him. – I mean, there were some small details that made me suspicious, but I kept quiet, especially since the secret wasn’t mine. I figured you’d say something when you felt ready, and I didn’t see any problem with that. – He just shrugged naturally. His cunning and intelligence sometimes scares me, usually those with the hero’s spirit don’t use their brains much, we usually leave that job to the princesses.  

— By the way... – My attention went back to the Sailor, who seemed thoughtful. – Is your name really Link?  

— No! – I said and laughed at the suspicious expression the youngest gave me.  – I just used it as a codename, if I used my real name, it would be pretty obvious that I’m a woman. And also, that’s the Hero’s name, right? – Everyone seemed to agree with the logic, but it didn’t diminish their curiosity about my real name, which I had no problem revealing. 

— Well, at least now you’ll be lucky enough to be called by your name, unlike the rest of us who have to deal with this bunch of nicknames to try to differentiate ourselves! – Legend pointed out, making me laugh. 

I can get used to being called by my real name again. 

[saulocept]

cardinal ache

pairing: totk! link/reader

rating: t

summary: You’re mad at him, angry, for reasons you can’t explain, not even to yourself. Naturally, he could tell, and apologizes to you in the only way he knows how – or perhaps, this too, is a confession some sort. You never know.

notes: this is more vibes than plot, sorry. wanted to get back to writing bit by bit so i'm sort of practicing again. hope i got this right. on another note, i'm opening requests as a belated celebration for reaching 300+ followers on this blog. guidelines can be found here. thanks for sticking around!

It’s cold enough in the cabin, colder still with the kind of silence surrounding you. Even with the furnace on, with the logs burning all around you – it’s still not enough to keep warm. Neither are the layers of clothes you’re wearing, thick and endless in your desire for survival. Outside, the snowstorm is relentless, unnatural in its persistence. You rub your hands together form warmth, pressing them against your cheek afterward, hoping the friction would be enough to transfer the heat to all remaining parts of yourself. It isn’t. It never is.

You shiver, grit your teeth, pretend you don’t notice the way your companion glances at you, the concern obvious in his eyes, pretend you couldn’t see the worry written plainly on his face, bared to no one else but you. You’re mad at him, after all; you had been for a while now, too caught up in your own jealousy to let him explain, or to explain to him yourself what’s happening. All you’re able to give him in turn is a silent treatment that’s lasted as long as this snowstorm.

It’s irrational, you know, senseless, even. Perhaps unnecessary too, if you’re only able to get hold of some responsible part of your brain. Link’s only doing his job, his duty as a knight (as well as the Hero of Hyrule) as best as he possibly can, and here you are, getting mad at something trivial, feeling something you’re not even supposed to feel. But you can’t help it, not really: feeling this way, acting on it, acting out – it’s as though some evil has taken root of your heart, giving control to all these emotions you know you shouldn’t even allow to get to you. It doesn’t help that you’re not entirely sure where you stand with him; you’ve known each other for a while now, accompanied each other in countless adventures, bonded long enough that you could almost think of him as a friend. But the two of you have done things that no mere friends should: shared a room, a bed, a kiss; spent a night in each other’s arms, enough times that you’ve lost count; lingered a little too long in the mornings each time it’s time to leave, as though you could somehow freeze the tenderness of the moment and stay in it forever.

You’ve never once talked about it. He’s never brought the topic up, and you’ve never been brave enough to call him out on it, content on whatever intimacy lies in the space between you, casual or otherwise; or perhaps, you’re simply too terrified to confront it, fearful to put a name on something that might disappear if you prod it too much.

But the nights only grow longer, colder. You’re not entirely sure how long the snowstorm has gone on, not sure how long you’ve been cooped up in this cabin, silent and not at all speaking; without ever seeing the sun, it’s hard to tell the hours, the days, whether a day has passed, or a whole week has gone by without your knowing. Still, you remain where you are. Too prideful for apologies, and too cowardly for confrontations, you sit there shivering from the cold, as far away from him as you can, while still remaining as close to the fireplace as possible.

“Cold?” he asks after a second, the first one to break the silence. There’s a hint of concern in his voice, genuine enough that it makes your heart flutter just a little, your anger melting for a fraction. For a moment, you’ve half the heart to ignore him, pretend you didn’t hear his words. A moment of silence passes, followed by another. You’re still thinking how to respond when his voice cuts through the silence once more, loud and firm: “Come over here.”

It’s not a request this time, but something stern, certain. A command, or something close to it. Still, he doesn’t let you dwell on it too much. He scoots over to you, huddling close enough that you feel the warmth of his body pressing against you, pleasant despite all your internal protests. For the briefest of moments, there’s a part of you that wants to be stubborn, to move away and bask in your anger until it consumes the rest of you, but something in him keeps you from doing so. Maybe it’s the warmth of his body against yours, or the way this sudden proximity lights up each one of nerve-endings on fire, just enough to kill off every protest you might’ve ever had.

A beat passes, and then another. You still don’t say anything, don’t do anything. You remain where you are, close enough that you could feel his warmth, hear him breathe. He’s the first one to speak. This time, his voice is soft, quiet, barely audible even in the growing silence between you. “You’re mad at me.” A statement, not a question, simple and straightforward, as though he’s been certain of it for a long time.

You frown, scoff, unable to keep the bitterness out of your voice, even now. “You’ve only just noticed?”

He ignores your comment. From the corners of your eyes, you see him scoot closer to you, turning his head so he can look at you fully. “I’ll make it up to you,” he declares, his voice steady, almost firm in its determination. You turn to him, frowning still, as though you’re not quite sure what you’ve heard, but he only repeats it once more, his voice loud, his words unmistakable. “Let me make it up to you.”

And then, before you can even say anything else, he’s making his move.

_

You should push him away, tell him no. A part of you knows he would’ve let you go immediately if you’d said the word out loud, if you’d even once dared to stop him: a hand on his chest, a shake of your head, some quick dismissal of a sort. But you haven’t, and he hasn’t yet stopped. He pins you down on the floor, kisses you again and again, enough to make you forget all thoughts. His mouth is warm against yours, his lips soft as they press against yours. There’s familiarity in his movements, certainty in his actions. It isn’t the first time the two of you have done this, but it’s the first time it’s ever felt this tense, this charged with atmosphere.

You’ve had him close him before, though in those moments, the lights are always off, too dark to make anything out of him: his face, the kind of expression he makes when he comes apart beneath your touch. But now, it’s different. Now, there’s the light of the fireplace behind you, and the flicker of the flames casts a soft glow upon him, makes him even more beautiful. Even the photographs you have of him in your locket wouldn’t do him any justice, nor would the poems that talk of him: the depths that hide behind his gaze, the brightness in a way that captures your reflection and makes it its own.

You wonder if this is his way of apologizing, trying to quell whatever anger sits in the pit of your stomach long enough to make you give him the silent treatment for long. Or maybe it’s something else. A confession, perhaps, or a show of vulnerability. You don’t want to ask him about it, afraid it’ll further ruin the moment, but you can’t rely on simple guesswork, or even your instincts. As if he could read your mind, however, he shakes his head, pulls back long enough to look at you. He places a finger against your lips, as if to shut you up. “Not now.” His voice is soft, a little raspy. “Don’t talk.”

You nod quietly, too startled to give him a proper response. Your heart races against your chest, and your mind swims with thoughts, none of which you can say out loud. Link smiles at you then, miniscule enough that it’ll be imperceptible had you not been this close. But you are, and it makes your heart flutter, your chest ache with a longing that your mind protests against.

Satisfied with what he perceives to be your obedience, he leans down, kisses you once more, long enough to leave you breathless. Even when it’s over, he lingers still, his face hovering inches away from yours as he stares at you, takes you in. You see your reflection in his eyes, and the look of longing in your eyes mirrors the one that sits inside your chest. It’s strange, almost embarrassing in the ache it carries, an echo so very similar to your own, and for a second, there’s a part of you that wants to look away, forget its existence, but something compels you to keep looking, keep staring.

There’s a tingle in your lips when he finally pulls away, a kind of warmth that makes you ache for more. When he starts to move away, your instincts begin to take root, take hold. Propelled by the weight of your desire, your hand moves, reaches out for the sleeve of his tunic, pulling him close, closer again. A moment of silence passes, one after the other. For the briefest of moments, you’re both frozen, not moving, not saying anything. You catch sight of his expression: the way his eyes widen just a fraction, imperceptible if you haven’t been paying any attention; there’s a flicker of surprise somewhere in there, perhaps at your sudden boldness.

It’s true; you’ve never been this brave before, at least not when you’re sober, and even now, you’re still not sure why you’re moving, why you keep trying to pull him closer: one hand on the back of his neck, the other still clutching at the hem of his tunic as you tug him back toward you without ever being certain as to why.

Everything that happens that is a blur, a little hazy. All you know is that he’s kissing you again, and it’s the different from all the kisses you’d shared before. There’s no gentleness to him now, none of the tenderness you’ve come to recognize from him. This time, it’s hungry, thick with something you can’t dare to say out loud. Desire, maybe, the same one that beats inside you like a second heart? Or perhaps, something else, something more – the kind you’re too terrified to name because it skirts too close to the truth you don’t want to acknowledge?

Either way, he doesn’t let you think much about it. He kisses you still, knocks the breath right out of your lungs, and it’s hot enough to make you forget the snowstorm outside. Sweat drips down your skin, and all of a sudden, your clothes seem far too thick, too much for the occasion. By the time it’s all over, you’re breathless and panting, your lips numb and swollen.

For a moment, there’s nothing but silence. You stare at him. He stares at you. The expression on his face is unreadable, and you’re certain that yours look like an open book, the ache in there bared to display like a raw wound. You swallow the lump in your throat, try to find the words to speak, but nothing comes except the sound of his name, soft and raspy in your own voice. “Link.”

Even now, you wonder what that means. There’s desperation behind it, some sort of plea, though you’re not entirely sure why – or what for. A flicker of emotion passes in his eyes, brief enough that you catch wind of it before it goes away for good, and you wonder whether or not he understands it, what you’re saying, what you mean without you explaining yourself.

He moves closer, leans in. The warmth of his breath tickles your cheek. He looks at you, takes you in, and you feel your heart race against your chest, an echo of desire, a product of your longing, one you’re not sure you want to acknowledge. He remains quiet, doesn’t say anything, though there’s something in the way he looks at you now that makes you feel exposed, like he could read your mind, whatever thought you’ve kept hidden from him.

He leans in, lets his lips hover inches just above yours, close enough to kiss though not quite. His breath is warm against your lips as he remains still, waits, like he wants you to make the first move. A question, one that’s directed you. If you were less chained by your desire, you would’ve been more rational, more stubborn. You would’ve sat in your anger, demanded for a more cohesive answer, stoked the conflict until the truth is plain for you to see, to understand. But it’s too late for all that anymore. Now all that’s left of you is this longing, an ache palpable enough that you feel in your chest, everywhere in your body, hot and burning.

There’s no need to think, no time to come up with the proper words, the most human of answers. There’s only instinct now, driven by emotions, an echo of a need that feels too familiar, too intimate to be that of a stranger’s. Here comes the answer now, long-awaited in your own impatience. You pull him down toward you, and he doesn’t seem surprised by your actions to yelp and protest. He yields easily, without hesitation, and when you lean up to kiss him, he’s quick to kiss you back, eager and impatient, as though he’s waited a long time for this too.

[jxsterr]

right i might be insane for this but something about zelink makes me feel like the usual acts of romantic affection are something a thousand times more meaningful and deep between them than those acts are normally. there’s something Religious about these two, like just a simple peck on the cheek is nice for the average couple but for them it’s something so much more. in fairness they are quite literally divine, zelda is the descendant of The goddess and link has the ungodly amount of strength and unwavering resolve to save the world a million times over. there’s nothing average about these two and it drives me insane

like yes they deserve just to be normal people after everything but i don’t think they ever will be, or at least not to each other. zelda might as well be her own goddess at this point, you’re telling me link isn’t going to look at her like she’s ethereal?? like she isn’t the sunshine that basks him in warmth every morning?? you’re also not gonna tell me that zelda wouldn’t have him on a pedestal of her own, like he isn’t her hero, like he hasn’t given his all and sacrificed everything just to save her countless times?? like his whole being doesn’t revolve around her, even when she’s expressed that he can do whatever he wants several times and yet he keeps coming back to her???

plus, there’s no way that all of the yearning that they would’ve had to go through pre calamity wouldn’t have them stuck in Forever Appreciative mode. we already know the link and zelda we see in the castle is Nothing like the link and zelda we see out in the world, exploring and having even the smallest amount of freedom in a world so restrictive. so just imagine all of the built up tension, maybe they released small amounts of it in their moments together outside of the castle but i don’t even think they’d have time to focus on one another when they were both so duty focused. zelda spent the entire pre calamity in a near constant state of anxiety over her powers, the most i could imagine them allowing themselves are hugs in moments of mental anguish, when they needed that love and support they couldn’t get from anyone else, when they were the only two who could understand the pressure they were under. just something to show they weren’t alone in this. then to reunite a century later without any restrictions, that first kiss would’ve been out of relief that they could finally focus on something else and that all that time of wishing for something more could finally come true

so then when zelda inevitably gets snatched up again and link has to go bumbling all over hyrule for her and he finally gets her back, there’s no way that every act of affection after that Isn’t done as if they could lose each other at any moment again. that every kiss isn’t slow and thoughtful and full of emotion just in case it’s their last. that every touch of zelda’s hand against his face isn’t something that whispers i love you i love you i love you. that every quiet touch they exchange isn’t a silent apology for what the other has had to endure just so they could be reunited again. it feels like link and zelda are the only couple who are immune to complacency because fate hasn’t been kind enough to let them get comfortable with the idea that they’re not going anywhere

to me it feels like their affection is something sacred, something special and something that they both cherish. their affection speaks for them when words are useless because fate has put them in such unique situations that nobody else could ever understand them as deeply as they do. everything they do is tender and calculated and full of love because god forbid they take a single moment for granted and GOD.

i’m currently writing something that i hope can portray my feelings about zelink affection because it feels like it is going to burst out of my chest……… or maybe that’s just the autism who knows

[wayfayrr]

This is the last set of headcanons for my 200 followers event! these are for @h4wari and they're for a reader asking the links for affection <3 I hope you'll enjoy them! writing them going soft for affection was so fun to write <33

[masterlist]

✦ After the initial meeting with the chain, once you’ve gotten comfortable with them enough to in your eyes gain a close relationship with them and close enough for them to fall. If you’re the one to initiate affection? They’re going to fall so much deeper into their obsession, taking it as you reciprocating their twisted love whether that’s your intention or not

✦ Some are far more than willing to give you it in public than others, not saying that they won’t love giving you affection they just don’t like all the looks they’ll get in public. Asking them then means you’re just gonna have to wait a moment longer before being spoilt with more affection than you could’ve bargained for. 

✦ Twilight would jump at the opportunity to give you affection, from even the smallest things like holding your hand or giving you a light kiss on the cheek. If you gave him the go-ahead to smother you? Yeah, you’re not getting away from him for a long while. He’ll give you the warmest hugs, if you really want to fluster him though just ask for anything by leaning close to him and whispering it into his ear. It’ll turn him redder than Legend’s tunic. 

✦ Time would be willing to always give you some kind of affection, unlike Twilight though he won’t always bring you into a bone-crushing hug not because of not wanting to, he just feels like it’ll be uncomfortable for you when he’s in full armour. Twilight’s strength does come from somewhere so he’s just as capable of it. His favourite thing instead of hugs, when he’s in his armour, is to pepper you with feather-light kisses all over your face. 

✦ Wild gets flustered at the idea you even possibly like him back so you asking for anything? He’s just falling even deeper for you every second you’re close to him and you don’t even know that you’re making him so much worse. Every single time you ask for something as small as holding his hand in his mind you’re telling him that it’s okay for him to press his luck further because if you’re like that then surely you aren’t bothered by the reports of villagers going missing. If everything he’s doing only pushes you closer together then… why should he ever stop? Besides that though one of his personal favourite things to be asked is to cuddle while the both of you sleep, you’re asking him to hold you when you’re most vulnerable? Sign him up.

✦ It takes the captain a little bit to get used to being affectionate with you, he’s petrified of how Cia will react if when she sees the both of you together and it absolutely kills him to turn down your requests for any. After a trip back to his Hyrule however, most of that discomfort is gone like he’s stopped considering her an issue little do you know that she won’t be bothering either of you ever again.  

✦ You don’t have to ask wind for anything, the kid is constantly hollering for your attention, whether that’s playing a game or having him ramble to you about anything and everything. The rare chance you ask him to play or if he wants to know about your past he’s literally bouncing on his heels. He gets that his older sibling might want focus more on the others seeing as they’re all significantly more touchy with you compared to anyone else, so for you to want to be with him? Your little brother, over any of them? He’s ecstatic.

✦ Hyrule turns into a flustered mess whenever you ask for attention. He just seemingly shuts down as his brain tries to come to terms with the fact that you want him over the others just doesn’t make sense for him. When he does reboot though he’ll give you the gentlest kisses as he does whatever it was that you decided he would be the best to go to for, one of his favourite things to do is slow-dancing with you, swaying together in a field as he hums a light tune? He would die for it.

[hystericstar]

maybe a headcanon or two for each link + sidon and how they do aftercare? I know it's not explicit but is still nsfw related, right? ;w;

Yeah, in my book it is! Just very soft :)

! MDNI !

𐂅 Twilight princess link 𐂅

9/10 times you’re gonna end up really sore, so he remedies that for you by giving the best massages you’ve ever had

Rough, calloused hands rubbing your back was something you never knew you needed till now

has a whole conversation with you

asking about your day, if you felt okay, etc.

goes into golden retriever mode as if you don’t limp when you walk

“ I couldn’t be happier your day went well darlin’. As for me, just your smile makes me forget anything else even exists.”

༆ Skyward sword link ༆

bath time!!!

Carries you to the bathroom and has you sit in the warm water while he changes the soiled bedsheets

he joins you when he’s done and y’all bathe together

his favorite thing is to brush your hair while humming

your’e always out like a light within minutes

idk why I just feel like he has the voice of an angel

“ Are you comfy enough? Let me know if I pull too hard on your hair, okay? Is there anything in particular you want me to sing for you dove?”

ᘏ Botw/Totk link ᘎ

Cleans you up, leaves, and then comes back with a tray full of munchies

you guys spend like half an hour praising each other

and then another half is just you happily listening to him tell stories of his chaotic adventures

a tickle fight may or may not be involved

“no matter how hard the battle was, it’d do it all again if it meant I’d get to have you look in my direction.”

𝄞 Ocarina of time link 𝄞

Gently holds you and takes a moment to just press his forehead against yours, admiring every aspect of you

starts gently making out with you cause he just loves you so much he physically can’t contain it

he’ll hold you for as long as you let him, face buried in your neck the whole time

holds your hand too cause he’s soft and if you disagree then you’re wrong

“you are my sun, sky, and earth. I am nothing without you.”

➳ Hyrule warriors link ➳

“I want you to breathe in and out for me, kay?”

bro performs a whole wellness check

“ I wasn’t too rough on you, was I?”

”thank you for allowing me the honor to pleasure you m’lady.”

don’t ask me why but I feel like he calls you that

actually it’s cannon Zelda just told me herself

anyways-

gentlemanly but can’t help tease you for that blissed out look in your eye

teaches you stretches to ease any kind of pain and exercises to help you catch your breath

ᖫ The fierce deity ᖭ

Asks you if you enjoyed it

wants to know if you did or didn’t like anything he did in particular

after all, he vowed he would serve you the moment he laid eyes on you

what kind of deity would he be if he couldn’t make his darling little human feel good?

“ I will do everything in my power to grant your every wish. I’d forge you jewelry made of the stars should you say the word.”

🜲 Sidon 🜲

Yk how I said twi would have golden retriever energy after?

yeah, scratch that

he is nothing compared to fish man

immediately sprints outside to get you some fresh zora spring water

don’t worry, he purified it like 5 times so that water is clean

you swear you can almost see the fin on his head wagging-

“are you hungry? Comfortable? Cold?”

eventually, he asks if you want to go for a swim

takes you to a private pond and lets ride on his back, or, if you’d prefer, you lay on his chest while he just floats along.

~《☆♡•°•°♡☆》~

done 😩

it was so fun adding in little text lines for them. Writing lines for characters is so fun istg

thank you for requesting!

[crazylittlejester]

honestly, the fandom dismisses wars trauma a little too much. Have you noticed it’s always never brought up in his character studies? And when it is, it’s totally brushed off him and cia had a WEIRDDD age gap. It’s also weird hyrule warriors never acknowledges this. I honestly don’t think it’s gonna be recognized in LU but idk. It’s just weird how quickly the fandom brushed over all that. What’s your opinion? Cuz you have cool opinions lol

Disclaimer: Everything you’re about to read is my opinion and my interpretation of a game. I’m not talking about headcanons (unless otherwise specified), I’m just talking about my experience with the game and everything else. All of this is from MY perspective interacting with the canon material from both Hyrule Warriors and Linked Universe. Also! I am dyslexic, my bad for oddly autocorrected words or weird spelling mistakes

A huge reason I started yapping so much on this blog was because I saw a lot of people either actively disliking Wars, making fucking INSANE comments about his body, overly sexualizing him, or just straight up dismissing him all together and it helped me get over my posting anxiety because it genuinely made me so upset. He’s been my favorite character since only a few posts into LU (i originally liked Twilight better based sheerly on design but it took like only a few posts before that changed), and I love HW Link in general, and I thought it was actually crazy that more people didn’t like him. I’ve written several of my own characters studies on him, some of which I’ve posted, others lay trapped in my old laptop in the form of a full on analysis paper, never to see the light of day

You can send a full grown man to war and he will come back with trauma, imagine what happens when you grab some poor teenager and tell him everything relies on him. Literally forget Cia for a minute, Link as a teenager was taken and shoved into a full on war where his men turned on him and in order to survive, he had to kill. Monsters and hylians alike, it was him or them, and he’s the one who made it out. Not to mention he was constantly running all over the battle field trying to prevent the hylian captains from being defeated, and he most certainly lost many people he cared about just because he couldn’t get there in time. He had to carry around the guilt that this war was started because some sorceress was obsessed with him ON TOP of that

This was said earlier by an anon on a post I reblogged, and I’ve been saying it myself for months but I will say it again: If Warriors had been a girl and been obsessed over that same way, I fucking GUARANTEE you people would be taking it more seriously

I literally just typed in the character name and the game she’s from and that is what google had to say about her. If an older man was described as ‘harboring serious affections’ and having a ‘desire to claim’ a teenage girl I literally don’t think it would’ve been glossed over or ignored like it is

I don’t think nintendo was ever gonna elaborate or really recognize it in the game, they never go super in depth on anything in Zelda games from my experience, and I doubt Jojo will really get into it in LU mainly just because she has so much going on with eight other dudes and potentially two more (based on the header on the linked universe blog)

I saw a lot of characterizations of Warriors and opinions of him that made me so confused and also a bit mad, such that he is a womanizer or a stupid twink (of which he is neither), and that’s a huge reason I started writing fanfiction for this fandom. Firstly to just create more content for my favorite character because I rarely saw any that focused on him, and secondly because I didn’t like some (NOT ALL) of how I was seeing him characterized. (i cannot emphasize enough: NOT ALL people in the fandom characterized him this way, I saw plenty of amazing and beautiful characterizations of Warriors)

I do not think he is a womanizer at all, in fact I fully believe his flirtatious behavior is a defense mechanism. I think his ‘woman problems’ are the fact that he’s afraid of women (especially older women) he doesn’t know or trust, but also that’s just my opinion. And I am genuinely a bit worried that now that people have stopped talking about how they noticed he seemed off a few updates ago and now that they’re saying he’s back to normal that people are going to start reducing him to a stupid dramatic twink again, as if Warriors was not the one who came up with the initial plan to fight Dink and was not the first one to fight him. As if this is not a man who lead a god damn army. As if everything he’s done and everything he is no longer matters because he’s ‘pretty’

anyways I have a lot of thoughts about him in general and im just glad the fandom has been treating him better as of late, but i am a bit worried it’s just gonna go back to how it was

thanks for the ask!! sorry i got a bit carried away 😭

[poupilette]

"Do you love her?"

"Who?"

"Your princess."

The sound of the waves was calming. The sand between his fingers was becoming less irritating as time passed on the island.

"No, I don't. Not in the way you're implying. She's the last family I have. She's my sister."

"Do you love me?"

He could feel the heat of her body next to his, and the scent of the plumeria flower she always wore in her hair filled the air.

"Yes. But it won’t be enough, will it?"

He felt a shift beside him and caught a glimpse of red hair. He didn’t turn—he already knew what he would see if he did.

"You need to go back to Hyrule."

"I know."

"Your princess, your sister, needs you."

"I know."

"I need to stay here."

"I know."

"The island needs me."

"I know."

Another shift, the sand moving beneath her feet as the scent of flowers faded. Even though he was still looking at the sea, he caught a flash of her blue dress swaying in the wind.

"Father must be waiting. Will we see you for dinner?"

"No. I need to go to the mountain."

"I see. Be careful, then."

This time, it wasn’t just a shift. He heard the soft crunch of sand beneath her feet as she walked away. He finally turned around.

"You once told me that we are incarnations of souls, traveling through time and places."

"I did, yes."

"Is there a good ending for us anywhere? A world where Hyrule doesn’t need me, a world where you can leave the island?"

A smile touched her lips as she walked back toward him. He was standing now, though he didn’t remember when he had decided to get up. She stopped a few meters away—just far enough that he knew if he reached out, he wouldn’t be able to touch her.

"You will meet them."

"Who?"

Her smile remained, but now that she was closer, he could see the sadness in her eyes.

"One day, you will meet the incarnation of us that had a happy ending, those who were able to grow old together."

"Why not us?"

The sun was starting to set, and a chill began to creep in.

"Not all heroes can be happy. You won’t be happy. You will fight your whole life and die alone, knowing you didn’t make any difference. And you will do it to save others from this fate."

The wind picked up, and the sound of the sea grew louder.

"A storm is coming. It’s time to go home."

This time, he didn’t move. He just watched as she disappeared into the fading light.

He turned to face the towering mountain ahead. His time here was coming to an end.

A flash of light made him open his eyes. He glanced around to see his traveling companions still asleep. Mornings at Lon Lon Ranch were always peaceful; it almost felt like home.

As he made his way down for breakfast, he heard the sound of two voices talking. He just had to close his eyes to hear the sound of the waves again.

Opening the door, he saw the vision of a red-haired woman smiling at him. Beside her was the old man—the hero who had been blessed with a happy ending.

They both smiled as the sound of the waves faded away.

« Good morning Vet. Said the old men. Did You Sleep well ? »

————————————

Hello there !

First of all thank you for reading (I’m saying that even tho I’m sure that no one will read but anyway)

It’s my first time even showing anyone what I write and it’s really scary

English is not my first language si if I did any mistake pease tell me I want to be better

Oh and I know that technically Time and Malon don’t have a happy ending but ✨it’s more dramatic like that✨

Have a great day. <3

[skyward-floored]

Hi hello, I got inspired by a thing and wrote an Incredibles au fic about Malon and Hyrule this afternoon, hope you all enjoy :)

I felt so bad for Hyrule writing this aaaah he’s just a little guy... good thing he has Malon <3

Ao3

————————————————————

CRASH

Malon jumped at the sound of something breaking in the kitchen, nearly dropping the basket of laundry she was holding. There was a telling silence after the crash, and she felt a surge of exasperation, squeezing her eyes shut.

It had already been a stressful day— Wind was sick, and Legend was starting to come down with something as well, and Malon had gotten behind in the laundry checking up on the two of them. Four had been clingy up until she’d put him down for a nap, and she’d also had to break up no less then three separate arguments between Wild and Legend, the latter extra grumpy because of his sore throat. Malon’s patience was rapidly unraveling, and this was just the icing on the cake.

She held in a groan, and set down the basket, tromping into the kitchen with her hands on her hips.

“Wild, if you broke my vase because you haven’t been being careful with your super speed again, then you’re going to be in some serious trouble mister—”

But Wild wasn’t who Malon found when she walked into the kitchen. Rather Hyrule was standing next to the sink, eyes wide as he stared down at the mess of what looked like a shattered cup, broken pieces and spilled water all over the floor.

“...Hyrule? What happened?” she asked, surprised at not seeing the usual culprit. “Did you drop a cup?”

He startled at her voice, and seemed at a loss for words, looking between her and the mess without saying anything. Malon raised an eyebrow when he didn’t reply, and gestured to the mess again.

“Hyrule, did you drop your glass? Or did somebody else?”

Malon took a step towards Hyrule as she spoke, but the second she did, his shoulders shot up, and he quickly stepped back from her.

“I-I did, but I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Hyrule said frantically, backing away from Malon. “I’ll— I’ll fix it, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!”

She immediately stopped moving towards him, looking at Hyrule in surprise at his reaction.

“Honey, it’s only a glass, you don’t have to be upset,” she said with a worried look, but Hyrule only seemed to get more panicked, backing away until his back hit the wall.

“I’m sorry, it— it was an accident! I wasn’t trying to, I’m sorry I’m sorry—”

“Hyrule, it’s okay—”

“I’m sorry! Please don’t punish me!”

His voice broke on the words, and Malon studied him for a moment, alarm bells ringing in her mind. All of a sudden she realized what was happening, and her heart fell straight to her shoes.

Hyrule must have had this happen to him before, when he wasn’t living with them.

During the period of his life he refused to talk about.

Oh.

“Link,” Malon said steadily, as Hyrule sank to to the ground, curling up on himself at the name. Oh no, bad choice. “...Hyrule,” she tried again, “it’s okay, I’m not mad.”

Her son had begun to shake, his eyes welling with tears, and Malon was starting to feel at a loss, unsure of how to help without making him more upset. She looked around, then carefully lowered herself to her knees, far away enough to not crowd Hyrule, but close enough to provide comfort if he decided he wanted it.

“Hyrule,” Malon said softly, and he looked at her with a scared expression. “It’s okay. It was an accident, and we can easily clean it up. I’m not going to punish you for making a mistake.”

“B-but I broke it, I was clumsy, I’m sorry I—”

“Honey, it’s okay,” Malon soothed. “I can’t tell you how many times your father has knocked into things and broken them because of his eye. Maybe I get annoyed at him for a little while, but he never does it on purpose, and we clean it up together.”

Hyrule didn’t say anything, tears still slipping down his nose.

Malon bit her lip, then cautiously scooted closer to her son, making sure he was okay with it before moving. Hyrule watched her sharply, but didn’t move away, and she carefully set her hand on his shoulder, rubbing it with soft circles when he didn’t throw her off.

Hyrule slowly relaxed at her touch, and his shoulders lowered. His shaking began to still as they sat there in silence, and eventually he let Malon move closer, until she was right next to him.

“It’s okay, honey,” Malon repeated in a gentle voice, and Hyrule wiped his nose on his sleeve. She exhaled, and brushed some tears off his cheek, then met his eyes. “It’s only a cup. I know it was an accident.”

“You’re not gonna hu... do anything?” Hyrule whispered, and Malon shook her head.

“Oh honey, no,” she said in dismay, and pulled him into a hug, loose enough that he could pull away if he wanted to. He didn’t though, instead sinking into her arms with a quiet sigh. “It was an accident. Everyone breaks things sometimes, you didn’t do anything wrong. After all, it’s not like you emptied my cupboard and started throwing cups just to be destructive.”

Hyrule let out a soft giggle, so small Malon could barely hear it, but it warmed her heart anyway.

“It’s okay,” she repeated, and Hyrule rested his head on her shoulder. She sat with him on the floor for a while longer even though she had things to do, holding him while he finished calming down. Everything else could wait right now.

“I’m really sorry I broke it,” Hyrule whispered after a while, and Malon ran a gentle hand through his hair.

“I know. And it’s okay, Hyrule. It was an accident.”

She pulled back and smiled at him a little worriedly, brushing a hand through his hair again.

“Now let’s make sure you don’t have any glass stuck in you, then we can clean up this mess,” she said warmly, and Hyrule nodded, looking relieved. Malon helped him up, and over to a chair so she could check him over, and cleaned the few tiny pieces of glass from his foot.

But even as Malon bandaged up Hyrule’s foot, and he helped her clean up the shattered cup, the image of him begging her not to do anything to him stayed in her head, making her chest hurt more and more every time it replayed.

Nobody is going to hurt you like that again, Link, she promised silently as he helped her sweep up the last of the glass. Nobody.

[am-i-interrupting]

Focus

Description: You worked closely with Chief Ganondorf, you knew his plans and you knew you’d have to be careful in how you revealed to the King and Queen what would happen. It couldn’t be sudden, it would have to be gradual, one hint at a time.

Tags: 1.7k words, gerudo!reader, slight language barrier (written text), yearning, implied Ganondorf x Reader, inspired by an @alilbitlesbian post

Your fingernails drummed against the table as you looked over the paper in front of you. You forced yourself to focus on it. You had to focus on it.

It was all written in Hyrulian. You knew most. You knew enough to be considered fluent but you were no expert. You needed to give the words your full attention to piece together the puzzle that was context and figure out the meaning of words you didn’t understand.

You couldn’t be distracted. You had to focus.

They were right in front of you though. How could you be expected to do anything when they were right in front of you.

King Rauru and Queen Sonia of Hyrule, you’d heard their names before but only in tones filled with annoyance and occasional malice. What you’d been told of them did not prepare you to fit in front of them.

Rauru was tall with a thin coat of fur all over his body, barely an inch thick— if that. It was all a shade of gray save for his ears which were as white as his hair with longer, fluffier fur. You’d caught yourself wondering several times if his many earrings would jangle if you scratched those ears and you got your answer when he turned his head and a soft tinging was heard as they clicked together.

Sonia was a Hylian woman with similarly long hair to her husband though hers was blonde instead of white. Her eyes were a shade of vibrant green that was more colorful than the grass and flora you saw on the trek here. Those eyes were filled with understanding that you were left questioning, not sure what she saw when she looked at you that made her soften so much.

“Are you alright?” Rauru asked with your title at the end of his sentence.

“I’m well,” you told him. You let your fingers drum against the table a few moments more as you continued to stare at the words that muddled together on the page before you finally relented. “Though, if I’m completely honest, I do believe I’m having some. . . difficulty understanding. That is to say, I don’t know all of the words written.”

Sonia’s eyebrows rose and then fell as a soft smile came to her lips. She stood and walked over to you. Her hand went to rest between your shoulder blades as she bent a bit to get a better look at the paper.

You willed yourself to not think of how warm her hand was or how you could feel the very tips of her fingers against your skin.

“Let us take a look together, shall we?” she said.

With her help you realized that you did know most of these words and the ones you hadn’t were outlandishly lavish. There was simply the matter of spelling, different dialects and all. When you’d gone over the entirety of the paperwork, her hand still didn’t leave your back,

You cleared your throat and reached for a writing utensil. “I do believe that these are reasonable expectations,” you said. “The Gerudo will happily accept your request, King Rauru.”

“I’m pleased to hear,” he said as you signed the papers.

You slid the papers back to Rauru who took them so carefully. His fingers curled around the documents, only the pads of them touching it. He seemed almost wary of his nails, like they would pierce through the pages if he held them too harshly. Perhaps it’d happened before.

With a heavy feeling in your chest, you moved to stand. Sonia’s hand and warmth retreated from you as you did.

“If that is all, I should be off,” you said. “Sav'orq and sav'orr.”

“Are you sure you wish to go?” Sonia asked. “You’re welcome to stay. It’s getting late.”

She was right, of course. The sun had gone down and the moon was beginning to rise by the time you’d finished. However, you had to leave. You’d rather not deal with him thinking something had happened.

“It’s a multi day journey,” you reminded her. “One night won’t make a difference.”

“Then one hour shouldn’t either,” Rauru said. “We have the extra room. Please, if not for yourself than to ease our minds. There are many creatures of the night which could harm you. It’d be safer to turn in early and rise the same than to traverse far enough away from the towns and stables so if something happens, no one will know.”

You tried to focus on your goal. You knew that you really should leave now, get three to four hours of travel in tonight to make up for the lost time but they made a compelling argument.

You looked at them both. They should know they already won this bout of conversation. As soon as they’d asked the question, you knew the answer.

“If it’s not trouble,” you said.

“None at all,” Sonia said. “I’ll work on the arrangements.”

She left the room. Now it was just you and Rauru, alone in such a large room. There weren’t even guards. How trusting, how foolish.

“You should tighten your security,” you told him.

His brows raised. “Any particular reason?” he asked.

Oh, so many. Too many.

There was a reason Ganondorf had chosen you to come, because he knew you couldn’t say no to him. You hadn’t said no to him so many times and in so many different ways.

It wasn’t because you were weak or fragile. When push came to shove, you’d normally have no qualms telling him he was wrong. He’d even encouraged it, fond of the challenge. You simply knew when to keep your mouth shut for either safety or occasionally pleasure.

“Like you said, dangerous times,” you settled on saying.

He slowly inhaled and exhaled, a whirlwind of emotion hidden in his eyes.

He didn’t comment further. Instead, he changed the subject, “You must be famished, it’s been such a long day and we barely took a break. May I?”

You gestured for him to go ahead.

He led you down the halls of the castle to a kitchen area. He scooped several fruits you’d seen only briefly in your time here with Ganondorf but hadn’t tried onto a plate. Then he grabbed a pot filled with water and began preparing something.

It was so strange to see, a king making and preparing his own things. It didn’t seem right or rather normal. Especially in comparison to Ganondorf who practically used you as all his needs packed into one. You prepared his food. You stood watch to guard by his throne. You handled the townspeople’s squabbles. You did everything except the political work. That was until recently when you’d been thrown into that too.

“Oh, there you are,” Sonia said as she entered the room. “I couldn’t figure out where the two of you went.”

“My apologies,” Rauru said. “It simply occurred to me that none of us had eaten in our time together. I thought I’d rectify that.”

“A noble cause,” Sonia said as she reached over you for a golden, round fruit.

She bit into it with a small crunch sound. Her eyes fluttered closed for a mere second as something in her seemed to relax.

You could see the smallest droplet of something clear begin to try to roll down her lips and chin but you reached out to gather it with your thumb before it got the chance. It was sticky on your skin though that was to be expected.

Sonia’s hand nearly went to where yours had touched her but she stopped herself.

“I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until food was placed in front of me,” she said with a small smile.

“A common realization,” Rauru said.

He grabbed three cups. What was normal in your hands was dwarfed in his. It seemed so small, like an adult playing with a child’s toy.

He held them like he held the papers (not hard enough to pierce) and the fruit (not hard enough to bruise), not hard enough to crack.

He poured tea into the three cups. You reached for the one closest to you slowly.

“No one has ever made me tea before,” you admitted.

A flitter of sadness was quickly washed away with the hand placed on your arm and smile scratched across her lips as Sonia said, “Then you’re in for a treat, Rauru makes some of the best tea I’ve ever tasted.”

“Now, Sonia, you know better than to place false expectations in people’s heads,” Rauru said.

“And you know better than to lie,” she retorted.

You hide a smile at their banter with the cup before you took a sip.

“I’m afraid Queen Sonia is correct,” you said. “You’ve downplayed. It’s wonderful tea.”

“Thank you.”

“And please, simply call me Sonia.”

You arrived in Gerudo Town nearly four hours after the sun had descended from the sky. You took a moment to bask in the comfortable temperature inside the walls of the town (especially in contrast with the sharp chill of the outside) before you began to make your way to Ganondorf’s chambers.

“You’re late,” he said sternly.

“The meeting ran over,” you explained, not lying but not revealing the entire truth.

He scoffed lightly as he turned to look at you. He circled you, inspected you with critical eyes. He searched for any sign of damage. If there was the smallest scratch or faintest bruise on your skin you knew he’d find it and use it to his advantage. He found nothing.

“Would you like to make up for your lost time?” he asked.

“Of course.”

You followed him to wherever it was he led you. You knew what you were agreeing to. You did it willingly, probably would even if he wasn’t your higher up and simply a man on the street. However, he wasn’t the only person you’d found yourself drawn to in these ways recently. You couldn’t admit to that, however. At the very least not now.

Perhaps soon you’d be able to focus on more than just him and his wants. You dared to dream that maybe one day you could focus on your own.

[queenofhyruleee]

Link/Reader Story

I tried to write a one-shot today but got carried away and ended up with the first chapter of a short story. I've never posted on Tumblr before but hey, there's a first time for everything, right?

Summary: After being shrouded in Twilight and tormented by monsters for so long, Hyrule is finally recovering and returning to normal. And what's more normal than a shitty relationship? You're a potions-maker's apprentice who is dating someone who is... less than ideal. While you're struggling to navigate your deteriorating relationship and dwindling self-confidence, your good friend Link is determined to help you see that you deserve better.

The sun dipped lower in the sky, and as it fell so did your spirits. You sighed, dropping your chin into the palm of your hand. He probably wouldn’t show. 

Again. 

You decided that you were only going to wait for another ten minutes before calling it a night and going home. Frustration bubbled in your stomach, and as the minutes passed you found yourself fighting back tears of frustration. 

Why hadn’t he come? Why does he keep doing this? 

You had been romantically involved with Elis for the better part of a year. It had started off strong and sweet, with him dropping by the potions shop where you worked nearly daily with some sort of sweet treat or pastry. Eventually, those days came fewer and farther between, but you hadn’t thought much about it because it made sense that maybe the excitement of the new relationship was wearing down. You weren’t worried because he still treated you with kindness and was happy to spend the weekends wandering around Castle Town or down by the lake. But recently, it was as if you didn’t exist. He hardly made time for you anymore, and when he did he didn’t even show half the time, later claiming some issue or another had come up suddenly. 

Like he would probably do again after today. 

Through the tavern window, you watched as crowds strolled past, chatting animatedly and munching on various foods that were being sold in the different stalls that currently lined the roads of Castle Town. Today was the Autumn Festival - the first one since the strange monsters had been eradicated and Princess Zelda restored her rightful place on the throne. The entirety of Hyrule was celebrating not only the beginning of a new Autumn, but its freedom as well. 

Yet despite all of the happiness and celebration, you felt as lonely and dark as ever. 

Sighing again, you decided you had spent enough time looking pathetic alone at the table, looking up hopefully at the door anytime you heard it open. Standing up, you caught the attention of the barkeep, Telma. 

“Headed out?” She asked, a knowing look in her eye. You nodded as you walked up to the bar, digging around in your satchel to try and find your wallet. Telma reached across the bar, resting her hand in front of you and making you pause. “No need, hon. This one’s on the house.”

You looked up at her, eyes wide. “No Telma, I-” 

“I don’t want to hear it,” she said, waving her hand in the air. “It’s the Autumn Festival today, and everyone deserves to have something nice done for ‘em.” 

Your look of protest melted into one of gratefulness. You smiled at the older woman, feeling appreciative that at least someone cared enough to be kind to you today. 

“You know, speaking of which..” Her tone had changed to one a bit darker. She grabbed a dirty cup from the pile at her side and began to clean it with a rag she held in her other hand. “This is the third time in a month I’ve seen you sitting there all alone for a few hours, looking more anxious than a man whose girlfriend just told him she missed her monthly bleed. Wanna tell me anything about that?” Her eyes bore into yours, waiting for an answer you had a feeling she already knew. 

She was aware that you and Elis were together, and she expressed from the beginning that she wasn’t entirely happy about the fact. Telma was one of the first people you met when you moved to Castle Town from your family’s farm just outside of Kakiriko Village. She immediately took you under her wing and helped you adjust to and navigate the fast-paced life of the city. Even though you were there as a potions-makers apprentice which gave you housing and meals, she still insisted on doting on you and taking care of you as if you had nothing. And in a way, you had had nothing. You were forever grateful for her kindness, her hospitality, and her unwavering friendship. You knew that she cared about you more than maybe even your own family, so you absolutely hated the feeling of knowing you were disappointing her. 

Elis was the son of one of the richest businessmen in Castle Town, and maybe even Hyrule. And he… did not have the best reputation. You of course had no way of knowing that being new to the area and all but Telma, as the owner of the most popular bar in the city, was privy to all of the hot gossip and drama. And apparently his name was one that came up with the patrons of her bar. A lot. 

When you first caught Elis’ eye, and Telma started to catch on to what was happening, she had given you a warning. 

“Now I’m not your mother, so I’m not here to tell you what you can and can’t do, or who you can and can’t do. But honey.. I’d think twice before you get involved with him.” 

Of course you had thanked her for her concern and promised it wasn’t that serious, but now you were regretting not asking more questions. You had fallen in way too deep and before you realized it, you were telling yourself you were different from the other people he had been with. You would change him. Surely you wouldn’t be one of those bitter ex-lovers, drunkenly rambling on to anyone who would listen about how awful he was to you. 

Well, you hadn’t made it to the drunken rambling part quite yet, but you were certainly starting to catch on that maybe you wouldn’t be the one to change him after all. 

Telma continued to look at you expectantly, waiting for any kind of answer to her question. You averted your eyes, knowing you wouldn’t be able to lie if you had to look at her face. 

“No, everything is fine. I just have been feeling a bit suffocated at the shop lately. So I’ve been coming here to get some time alone.” Now that the lie was out, you met her eyes again and gave her a very non-convincing smile. 

Telma raised her eyebrows and gave you a very deadpan look to show you that she did not believe you in the slightest. You were certain that she was going to keep pressing for the truth, but much to your relief she instead just gave a resigned sigh and shook her head. 

“It’s just hard to watch you settle for this when we both know you don’t have to.” 

“It’s fine, really!” You tried to sound upbeat. “He’s just been super busy lately, and things keep coming up.” 

Telma rolled her eyes as she grabbed another cup and began to scrub. “‘Things keep coming up’ my ass,” she muttered. Then louder, “You actually believe him when he says that?” 

You bit your lip, knowing it wasn’t even worth the effort of trying to lie. So you remained silent instead, which was answer enough for your friend. 

“You deserve better than this, sweetie. You really do.” She cocked her eyebrows, and a small smirk suddenly replaced her annoyed grimace. “You know, you deserve something like a knight in shining armor. Someone who would treat you like royalty.” Her emphasis on certain words gave you the impression that she was trying to imply something, but whatever it was it went right over your head. She continued.

“Someone who is loyal, and kind, and would ride to the ends of Hyrule for you.” 

Now it was your turn to roll your eyes. “Yeah, okay Telma. Find me a man like that who would be interested in someone as plain as me and then we’ll go from there.” The sarcasm dripped from your voice, hiding the painful emotions that were beginning to stir again as you thought about how little Elis really seemed to care about you. Ride to the ends of Hyrule for you? He couldn’t even walk a kilometer away to meet you for dinner. And maybe that was all you could hope to get. 

Telma froze, giving you an incredulous look. She set down the items she was holding and put her hands on her hips, scoffing. “Now really?” 

You shrugged, dropping all efforts to hide your true emotions. “I’m a nobody who works as a potions-maker with nothing significant and no money to their name. Sure, a knight in shining armor sounds great and all, but someone like that would surely be sought after by all kinds of people with more to offer than me. And if they’re an actual knight then I know for a fact they’re one of the most desirable bachelors out there. I mean, take Link for example. He has women and men alike practically throwing themselves at him.”

Though you knew that comparing Link to a normal knight was hardly accurate. He was anything but normal. He was one of the members of the Royal Guard and recognized as a hero by the people of Hyrule. You weren’t sure you understood all of the details, but you did know that he had played a major role in expelling the monsters from the land and restoring peace to the kingdom. Once the major damage around the kingdom had been fixed and things began to settle back into a normal existence, Princess Zelda had held a large ceremony open to the public where he was officially made a member of the Royal Guard. You had laughed so much that day, knowing just how uncomfortable the guest of honor was with all of the attention. 

Aside from being a famous knight and hero, Link was someone you would consider a close friend - maybe even your best friend (of course you would never tell Telma). You had met him for the first time back when the monsters still roamed and he frequently paid visits to Telma and her tavern to speak with members of the Resistance. 

You had only heard stories about his bravery and heroism from your friend until the day she came crashing into the shop where you worked, speaking frantically about needing a health potion. She didn’t explain much, but you didn’t ask any questions either as you quickly got to work and provided her with what she needed. She promised she would explain more later and rushed out as soon as you had placed the bottle of red potion in her hand. You spent several hours after that as a ball of anxiety, creating the worst scenarios in your head about why she could possibly have needed the potion. 

It wasn’t until you were about ready to close the shop for the day and rush over to see her that the door had opened and in walked a face you had never seen before. The man certainly looked as if he had seen better days and was in desperate need of a nap, but regardless you were slightly taken aback by how handsome he still appeared. He was tall and lean, with broad shoulders and (you assumed) muscular arms that were hidden underneath a loose, white long-sleeved shirt. His hair was a beautiful dirty blonde, tied back with a simple leather band that left loose strands framing his strong jawline. His face had been rather pale, and dark circles sat beneath blue eyes that you suspected were dulled due to exhaustion. But despite his obviously not wonderful condition, he had still exuded a sense of strength that was almost intimidating. 

“Um, h-hello,” you stuttered. “I’m just about to close up-” 

“Are you the one that I have to thank for saving my life?” He asked, taking a step forward. You froze up, and then frantically looked around the shop, trying to find the other person he was obviously talking to, because there was no way he could have been talking about you. A warm chuckle brought your eyes back to his face, where his soft smile nearly made you breathless. 

“Are you the potions-maker?” 

 Mouth slightly open, you continued to stare. “U-uh yeah, that was me I guess.” 

He nodded and continued to walk further into the shop, closer to you. You noticed that he seemed to be walking with a slight limp. 

“Well, I just wanted to come here personally and give my thanks. Without that potion I’m not sure I would have the opportunity to be standing here now.” 

You were certain that the look on your face was ridiculous, but you had no idea how to respond to this situation. It was your job to make potions, you didn’t need any thanks for it. 

You wanted to say thanks, but instead when you opened your mouth you said, “Why are you standing here right now? If you needed that potion less than 12 hours ago, you should almost certainly still be in bed.” You gestured to his body, “And no offense or anything, but you really look like you should still be in bed.” 

His colorless cheeks turned a bit pink then, and he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, almost shyly. “Well, Telma is a wonderful person and all but I was starting to feel a bit…” 

“Smothered?” You finished for him, stifling back the laugh that threatened to come out, knowing how your friend was. A look of relief washed over the stranger’s face and he nodded, seeming to realize that you understood how he was feeling. 

“Yeahhh,” you drawled out, nodding sympathetically. “I understand that all too well. I actually had to put a lock on my bedroom door the last time I had a small sickness to physically stop her from bringing me medicine and food every hour. I love her to death but I can only take so much soup in one day.” 

He laughed then, and you wondered how in the world a laugh could sound so nice. Pushing those thoughts aside, you introduced yourself then, holding your hand out to the man. He smiled and took it, his hand calloused from years of hard work but gentle nonetheless. 

“I’m Link.” 

A lightbulb went off in your head then. “Oh, you’re Link? I’ve heard so much about you!” 

“I could say the same about you.”

It was the start of a beautiful friendship from that point onward. Whenever Link was in town, whether he was restocking his supplies, working closely with other members of the Resistance, or doing whatever it is that heroes do, you always made sure to make time to see him. And he did the same. He probably became your number one customer, always putting in bulk orders for various potions. You always joked with him about how often he needed health potions, but truthfully you were very worried about him and how he was constantly out in harm’s way. It was a lot of work, filling his large orders, but you were happy to know that you were helping to keep him safe in some capacity.

“And you’ve never.. stopped to consider why Link never takes anyone up on their offers?” Telma asked, still staring at you with an incredulous look. You couldn’t understand why she was acting so strange all of the sudden. 

“Not really,” you shrugged. “I just assumed he’s too busy for it or that he does and nothing comes of it. He doesn’t talk to me much about his conquests, work-related or… otherwise.”

Telma shook her head. “No, honey, I don’t think he’s out there conquering anyone. He seems to have uh.. a specific goal in mind.” There it was again, that tone in her voice that made it seem like she was implying something that you just weren’t understanding. It nagged at you, but you chose to brush it off. Who knew what was going on in your friend’s mind. 

“Well, regardless. I just don’t think I’m the type of person someone like a knight is trying to settle down with. But who knows, maybe I’ll ask Link if any of his fellow knight friends are available and interested.” You laughed, the joke seeming ridiculous. But your friend, on the other, didn’t seem to find it so funny. She stood, her mouth slightly open as if she couldn’t believe what you were saying. 

“You’re joking, right?” 

Frustration was starting to build up within you, unable to understand what you were doing that was so hard to believe. Why was Telma treating you like you were an idiot today? You were slightly kidding when you ragged on yourself about not being good enough, but did your friend genuinely believe it so strongly that even a joke about asking a knight was too much? She was the one that started the whole thing in the first place! 

“Of course I’m joking Telma,” you snapped. “I know my place. Elis is probably the best I can hope to get.” 

Telma closed her mouth, pursing her lips with an unamused look. She shook her head slowly and turned around to organize the newly cleaned mugs and glasses. “It’s not my place to get involved,” she said quietly, more to herself than to you. Still feeling frustrated, you huffed loudly and turned to leave. First Elis, now Telma. This was not shaping up to be a good day. 

Before you could fully turn around though, she glanced back, stopping you with the serious expression on her face. “Really. You can do better. There is better out there. Waiting to love you the way that you deserve to be loved. You just need to open your eyes.” 

Your sour emotions were already set though, and you were in no mood for cryptic messages. “Alright, thank you fortune-teller Telma. I’ll see you later. Thanks again for the drink.” And without looking back, you walked to the door, opened it, and took a step into the darkening evening. 

The air was crisp and cooler than it had been since the spring, signifying the exit of summer and beginning of a chilly autumn. Very fitting weather for the night of the Autumn Festival. 

You crossed your arms tightly against your body as you walked, the thin shirt you chose to wear not doing a good job to protect you from the chill. You felt your temper cooling as you walked as well, gradually being replaced by a feeling of deep sadness and loneliness. All around you were people enjoying the festival, happy to be surrounded by those they love. Grandparents lovingly watching their grandkids laugh and play as they ran through the crowded streets playing tag, friends walking together and sharing stories that made them snort and grab their sides from laughing so hard, new couples attached at the hip and so engrossed in each other they hardly watched where they’re going… it was isolating. Here you were, recently stood up for the umpteenth time by someone who was supposed to care about you, walking through massive crowds of people and yet never feeling more alone.

You felt an all-to-familiar tightness in your throat, and the tears began to prick the corner of your eyes, blurring your surroundings into blobs of shimmering color. You fought hard to keep your composure, determined to make it back to the shop so you could run to your small bedroom upstairs and never come back out. But the loud voice in your head was determined to break you. 

Why? Why am I not good enough? Did I do something wrong? How can I be better?

The strong feeling of hopelessness that came with those though breached the dam you had built to hold back the tears, and with a loud sob, they started to spill. A few people within your vicinity turned to look at you curiously, likely wondering what could have caused the noise that came out of your mouth. You put your head down and covered your mouth with your hands, hoping to muffle the sound of the sobs that continued to come involuntarily. 

Luckily for you, there was a small alleyway directly to your left. You were able to shove past the poor innocent people who were in your way and beeline for the abandoned area. Once you were in the alley, you began to run, desperate to get as far away from people as possible. You weren’t able to make it very far though as a dead end blocked your escape. Incapable of thinking of any other alternatives, you resigned to this being your stopping point and slid down the wall until you were sitting with your arms wrapped around your knees, legs tucked as closely to your body as you could physically get them. Dropping your head down, let all of the feelings you had been holding in for the evening out. 

It was overwhelming yet cathartic. The force of your sobs wracked your body for what felt like hours, the thoughts of inadequacy and rejection running through your mind on an endless loop. But eventually, you found it easier and easier to take deep, measured breaths and the body shaking sobs gradually slowed to a halt. No longer did you feel… well, anything. The only thing you could feel now was numbness. A quiet calm to replace the raging storm that had been going on. 

You sat up, leaning your head against the wall behind you. You stared up at evening sky, the sun out of view as it dipped closer to the horizon. You’re not sure how long you sat there, relishing the feeling of feeling nothing at all. You knew you needed to get up, but you worried that once you stood the feelings would come rushing back. 

Your solitude was ruined by the loud crashing noise of a door being opened with extreme force close by. The sound startled you, making you nearly topple over with surprise. 

You heard a whiny, high-pitched voice over the thundering beat of your heart. “Come on, it’s about to start!! We’re not even going to get a good view at this point!” 

A few meters away, a young child came running out of the small apartment door that you hadn’t even realized was there. Had they heard your crying? 

“Leon, slow down. There will be plenty of space available. The procession goes all the way from the city gates up to the castle. Certainly not everyone will be crowded in the same area.” An older woman stepped out after the child, her smile conflicting with the stern tone in her voice. She didn’t even glance in your direction as she shut the door behind her and followed the child down the alley to join the festivities you had so desperately escaped. 

Ah yes, the procession. You had almost forgotten all about that. 

As a closing event of the Autumn Festival, the royal family traveled in procession through Castle Town, waving and acknowledging their loyal and loving subjects. It was not just them, however. The royal carriage was last in line in the procession. Preceding it were several (and in your opinion, more interesting) groups. Professional jugglers, wowing the crowds as they showed off the impressive skills they have while on the move. Bands of Gorons who marched in step, beating out different tunes powerfully on large drums. One year, when you were young, there was a fantastic group of Zora dancers who mesmerized the crowds with their movements, as smooth on land as they were in water. It changed from year to year, but since this was the first Autumn Festival celebration after years of being terrorized by monsters, it was sure to be a big one. 

You continued to sit, looking towards the crowd as it continued to grow, their excited voices bouncing off the walls of the empty alley. Normally, you would be one of them, jumping up and down with excited anticipation to see what that year’s procession has in store. But now you couldn’t imagine standing there, surrounded by happiness and laughter. 

The crowd roared as the first part of the procession finally appeared, slowly crawling through the street. You listened as people cheered for the performers who walked, “ooh”ing and “ahh”ing as they did whatever it was that they were doing. You couldn’t see through the crowd of people who now blocked off the entrance of the alley, so you could only listen and imagine, picking up bits and pieces of conversations as it drifted down to your ears. 

You didn’t need to be able to see when the Gorons arrived, however. That you could feel. The vibrations rattled your entire body as they beat their drums in sync, the unfamiliar tune sinking into your very bones. It was an oddly relaxing feeling. You were happy to close your eyes and rest your head on the wall, soaking in the feeling. You were left with an achingly empty feeling in your chest when the Gorons were far enough away that you could no longer feel their drums. 

You decided that even though you were tired, you would wait until the end to get up and begin making your way home. With the crowd the way that it was, there was no way you would make it anywhere anyways. So, you continued to sit. 

As you waited, your mind drifted to Elis. If he hadn’t come to meet you, then where was he? Was he just lounging lazily in his bed as he so often liked to do, unable to be bothered to come meet you? Or was he out there in the crowd, standing with his friends, cracking jokes without even sparing a single thought for you? 

Your heart dropped as another thought crossed your mind. Was he out there in the crowd with another girl? Had he spent the evening whisking someone else around to the different stalls, sharing all sorts of sweet treats with her? Feeding her fresh fruit as they walked? Whispering things in her ear, making her giggle and blush? Did he give her his jacket when she began to shiver because she was only wearing a light shirt? Was he going to take her home once the festivities ended? 

You could feel the emotions coming back, much to your displeasure. You didn’t want to feel anything. You liked the numbness. But the thought of Elis leaving you to look foolish while he was out entertaining another girl was too much to handle. 

You decided that you needed to get home. You couldn’t stand to be out any longer. You would shove people out of the way if you needed to. 

Standing up quickly, you made your way back to the entrance of the alley where the crowd was currently a wave of excitement. You began to push your way through, but you were only able to make it to the front of the crowd before you realized you were stuck. There was rope that stretched down the street as far as you could see on both sides of you. To block people from crossing the road and potentially getting hurt or messing up the procession, you assumed. 

Frustration bubbling and exiting your body in the form of hot tears that welled up in your eyes, you turned to push your way back. But once again, you quickly realized that wasn’t going to happen. A large Goron stood behind you, happily oblivious and chatting with another large Goron besides them. Considering you had to crane your neck to look up at their faces, you assumed that you would not be able to get their attention with all of the noise and distraction. Groaning inwardly you turned back and stood miserably, knowing that your only option now was to stand and wait for the procession to end. 

Luckily you didn’t have to wait long before you heard the sound of the horns, signifying the arrival of the royal carriage. Once again, the crowd around you came alive, everyone excitedly standing on their toes and moving around to try and get a look. 

The horses were the first thing to come into view. Beautiful white horses donning colorful, bedazzled bits and draped with navy and gold saddle blankets made their way past you. Children and adults alike stuck their hands out, reaching to try and get a touch of the magnificent creatures as they passed. You wanted to be excited, but the heavy feeling in your chest and tightness in your throat remained, and you knew it was only a matter of time before the tears began to spill again. You just hoped you could hold out until you were able to get away from people.

Something heavy suddenly pushed up against your right shoulder, nearly toppling you over. Luckily you were able to keep your footing and straighten yourself up before falling. Pushing the hair out of your eyes, you glared in the direction of the mysterious force. 

Two girls, probably just a few years younger than you, were standing there, staring at you with wide eyes. 

“So sorry!” One squeaked, genuinely looking scared. You held your glare for a few more seconds before turning your head back to the procession, not even bothering to accept her apology. Her and her friend did not seem bothered for too long, however, and began to chat animatedly. They were so close that you couldn’t help but overhear. 

“Do you think we’ll see him?”

“Of course we’re going to see him you idiot! He’s like, Princess Zelda’s shadow! Wherever she is, he is!”

Suddenly the conversation you were trying very hard to ignore grabbed your attention. You realized, with slight amusement, that you had a good idea as to who they were probably talking about.

“I mean, I don’t blame her for always wanting him around.” 

“Oh I totally agree. If I had a knight who looked like that, I’d never let him leave my side.”

The girls burst into giggles, and you rolled your eyes. But also, you knew you couldn’t blame them either. There was no denying that Link was very easy on the eyes. 

The girl closest to you sighed wistfully. “He just seems so dreamy. He’s brave, and strong, and he’s so kind! One time I saw him buy a whole basket of bread that he then passed out to the line of people who had been waiting for hours to see the doctor. This was when that horrible sickness came through Castle Town a few months ago and everyone was sick! He risked his own health to make sure people were fed while they waited.” 

You hadn’t heard about that, but you were not surprised in the least. Link was an absolutely selfless man who consistently put other people’s needs before his own. He had done it a time or two for you as well. One of those times was actually during the sickness that the two girls were referring to. 

You had managed to stay healthy for awhile, but you found yourself extremely overworked during that time, trying to keep up with the mass influx of orders of health potions and other remedies that came pouring in from desperate townspeople. You had averaged about an hour of sleep a night for days on end, and were lucky if you were able to eat a single meal. Luckily, Link had offered to help you with deliveries which took a massive load off of your plate. However, it still took a major toll on your body physically. Luckily, Link was there to save the day. You know, like heroes do. 

The bell dinged, signaling that someone had entered the store. You didn’t even bother to turn around, busy cutting and weighing the ingredients in front of you. It was a very precise recipe, and even the slightest miscalculation or mess up could change the effect of the potion entirely. 

“Hey, I’m back.” His calm and gentle voice was a welcome break from your frantic muttering out loud to yourself as you worked. You simply grunted and waved the hand holding the knife into the air to acknowledge his arrival. 

His laughter was followed by footsteps as he walked behind the counter, coming to a stop beside you. His presence seemed to bring you comfort, and you could feel yourself starting to relax slightly. “You know, waving a knife at a member of the Royal Guard could be seen as a threat. Be careful where you point that thing.” 

You rolled your eyes and finally turned your head to face him, your exhausted smile meeting his boyish grin. “At this point, there is nothing you could do to me that is worse than what I’ve been dealing with the past few weeks. Go ahead and lock me up or chop me up, either is preferable at this point.” 

His smile faltered, and you could see the concern in his eyes. Suddenly, he looked very serious. “Have you eaten today?” 

Sighing, you put down the knife and stepped away from the ingredients. You decided a short break wouldn’t hurt. Running a hand over your face, you tried your best to stifle a yawn. “What time is it?” 

“It’s a few hours past midday. Have you eaten?” He repeated, eyes boring into yours. You worried your bottom lip, nervous to tell him that you had not. 

“Well, Elis told me he would bring me lunch an hour before noon.” 

Link’s eyes hardened. “And did he?” 

You laughed timidly, shrugging. “I’m sure something came up and he was too busy.” 

The blonde did not look impressed in the slightest. “So, no.” 

You waved a hand nonchalantly. “It’s okay, I’m not super hungry anyways. Too busy to be hungry!” With fake enthusiasm, you made to turn back to your ingredients and continue working. Link’s hand gently touched your arm, stopping you from moving. 

“You need to take care of yourself. You need to eat.” The concern in his face made your heart skip a beat. 

You nodded finally, giving in. “I know, I will. I guess I won’t be any help to anyone if I die of starvation huh?” 

Link shook his head, his expression still very serious. “I’m not worried about other people. I’m worried about you.” 

You froze, your breath catching slightly in your throat. Your brain seemed to malfunction as you tried to figure out how to reply. But Link was suddenly distracted, rummaging around in the satchel that was slung across his body, a concentrated look on his face. Finally, he seemed to find what he was looking for and pulled out a small brown bag, which he then held out to you. You looked at it, then back up at him. He nudged it forward again, prompting you to take it. 

“Please.” 

You didn’t have any words as you gingerly took the bag from his hands. Slowly, you opened it and peered down at the contents. Bread, cheese, a few slices of dried meat, and a large red apple. You looked back up at your friend. 

“I can’t take your lunch from you!” You exclaimed, trying to push the bag back into his hands. He was having none of it though. He grabbed your hand with both of his. He gripped it gently but firmly, closing your fist over the opening of the bag and pushing it back towards you. 

“It’s not my lunch, don’t worry.” 

“Oh, so you just walk around with spare lunches in your bag?” Though when you really thought about it, he did always seem to have literally everything inside that bag..

Link looked away, suddenly seeming shy. “Well, no. I brought it. For you.” 

“For me?”  For what felt like the millionth time that day, your chest swelled with gratitude for the blonde. 

“You know.. just in case.” 

It was both charming and upsetting. It was extremely sweet that Link was concerned and thinking about you. But it made your heart sink to think that Elis, someone who claimed to love you, couldn’t even be bothered. You tried your hardest to fight back the tears as you nodded and accepted the meal. 

Link seemed to let out a breath of relief, smiling gently as he watched you pull the bread out and nibble on the edge. 

“Please promise me you will take better care of yourself.” 

You just nodded, your mouth full of bread. He narrowed his eyes and leaned down, his face just inches away from yours. You froze, suddenly feeling nervous at his proximity. 

“Promise.” 

His face was once again serious, but his eyes were soft. Caring. 

You swallowed the bread you had been chewing and nodded again, genuine this time. “I promise, Link.” 

He continued to stare, unmoving. “You promise what?”

You groaned, making a face. “Really?”

But his stoic expression told you that he was not joking. 

“I promise that I will take better care of myself,” you muttered, feeling like a child who was being scolded. He still didn’t move for a few moments, however, continuing to search your eyes with an unreadable expression. Finally, he stood up and nodded once. 

“Good. I expect to see you eating every day from here on out. On your own,” he added. “Not waiting for a meal that will never show.” 

The meaning behind his words cut deep, and once again you were reminded that the one person who was supposed to care about you didn’t seem to. 

But at least you had Link. 

 A loud squeal brought you back to the present, where you hadn’t even realized you zoned out. 

“Oh here it comes!”

And sure enough, the royal carriage came into view, pulled by two gigantic horses. What little sunlight remained reflected beautifully off of the gold exterior, the different jewels that decorated it sparkling magnificently. The fabric top was not in place, giving the crowd an unobstructed view of the figure standing inside. 

Princess Zelda was the vision of beauty and grace as she smiled and waved to the crowd. Her blonde hair was pulled out of her slim face and back into an intricate braid that was adorned with flowers that matched the white and lavender dress she was wearing.  A small but genuine and warm smile graced her lips, and her eyes were sharp and alert as she scanned her surroundings and took in the sight of her subjects. She exuded a sense of strength and unity, which was something the people of Hyrule had desperately needed for so long. 

Once again, your train of thought was broken by an obnoxious squeal. 

“There he is! I told you! I told you we’d see him!” The girl next you jumped up and down, not even realizing that she bumped into you every time she did so. Her friend was leaning heavily over the side of the rope, trying to get the best view possible. You held your breath, feeling anxious all of the sudden for a reason you didn’t understand. 

His hair was the first thing you spotted, the navy cap contrasting heavily with the blonde locks that weren’t quite as well tamed as the rest of him. The pristine white trousers and navy and crimson tunic hugged his athletic figure generously, showcases the strength he had built over years of hard work and fighting. His sword was strapped to his back, ready to be pulled at a moment’s notice if needed. But what you noticed most about the knight was the way that he carried himself as he marched alongside the carriage. 

He held his chin high, shrouded with an air of confidence well earned from countless successful battles. Despite his tall and muscular frame, he was endlessly graceful, almost gliding along the ground. His bright blue eyes were alert and sharp, and he scanned the crowd continuously, making sure there were no imminent threats to the princess or otherwise. 

Your breath caught in your throat as you watched him, suddenly finding yourself enamored with everything about him. Telma’s words from earlier came back to you as you continued to stare. 

A knight in shining armor. 

There was a phrase to describe Link if there ever was one. From his strength, to his courage, to his generosity, to his kindness. He was the embodiment of a true knight. 

Suddenly, you found yourself once again reliving the memory of the two of you in your shop, concern etched into his face as he stared down at you. 

“Please promise me you will take better care of yourself.” 

“I’m not worried about other people. I’m worried about you.”

An intense feeling of loneliness and longing washed over you, making it harder for you to breathe. You bit down on your lip as you fought to hold back the tears that suddenly welled up in your eyes. 

Whoever Link chooses will be the luckiest person in all of Hyrule. To have someone who cares so openly, someone with such a good heart.. Not someone who would continuously abandon plans and give half-hearted excuses for why he can’t come. 

But what you had told Telma was true. You were a nobody with no money to your name. You had nothing to offer anyone. Elis was rich and had status. For someone like him to be with someone like you was almost unheard of. It would be silly to get caught up on something as silly as feelings when you were being given more than what you deserved. 

It still hurt though. And the tears still came, spilling over and sliding down your cheeks. 

“He’s getting closer! Oh my goddesses, he’s almost right in front of us!!” The girl next to you grabbed her friend, shaking her with excitement. You watched from the corner of your eye as they quickly rushed to fix their hair and straighten out their dresses that had been ruffled in all the commotion. 

You found yourself annoyed at their behavior, but appreciated the heads up. With you being in the front, there was a very good chance that Link would see you. And he couldn’t see you crying. You turned away, trying to hide your face as you wiped frantically at the tears. But it seemed like the more you tried, the more the tears came. You began to panic, which only added to the strong emotions that you were feeling and made everything worse. 

You turned back around, planning to just sneak a quick peek to see how much time you had before he walked by. If he was too close, you planned to just turn around and stay turned around until he was well past you. Sure it would look funny, but he wouldn’t know that that was the back of your head in the crowd. 

But unfortunately, just like it had been for the entire day, luck was not on your side. As soon as you turned around, piercing blue eyes met your red and watery ones. 

You immediately straightened up, wiping frantically at your face and trying to plaster on a smile that was horribly unconvincing. Link’s eyes widened as he took in your appearance, and you could see that he was visibly struggling to keep his facial features calm.

“Annessa, he’s looking at you! I can’t believe it, he’s looking at you!!!”

The girl’s voices sounded far away as she screeched at the girl next to you, whose name was apparently Annessa. The only thing you could focus on was Link and the pained expression he worse on his face as he fought against whatever emotions he was currently feeling. 

Once again you tried to give him an unconvincing smile, but it was the ultimate failure as your lips quivered and you had to put your hand over your mouth to hide the sob that came out. 

Did he know? Did he know how pathetic you were? How you weren’t even worth your own partner’s time? Surely he had to know that, as someone who was one of the most popular men in the entire kingdom. He was only nice to you because that’s who he was. He was a nice person. 

You maintained eye contact with him for as long as you could, but eventually you had to turn away, embarrassed by your emotions and how unstable you appeared. When you brought your head back up, Link was no longer looking at you. He looked forward as he continued to march on. 

Exactly. He knew that you weren’t worth it. That you were an embarrassment. 

But what you weren’t expecting was for him to turn his head, glancing back over his shoulder to get one last look at you. You weakly waved, and he frowned before turning back around and continuing to look forward. 

“Did you see that?? He even looked back at you!! You made the Link do a double take!!!” 

The girls next to you jumped up and down in excitement, squealing on and on about Link and something about marriage and children. You weren’t sure because you tuned them out. You tuned everything out. That feeling of numbness returned, which you were grateful for, and you spent the rest of the procession staring at the ground, blissfully unaware of anything happening around you. 

Eventually the procession had ended and the crowd began to clear, excitement still in the air as the chatted about the day’s events to each other and made their way home or to the bars. It was nighttime now, so the party would likely continue for most of the adults, whether that was in the tavern or at private parties around the city. 

For you, you were just happy that you could finally make your way home. You did not want to party, you did not want to socialize. You wanted to crawl into your bed and never get out. You wanted to physically become one with the pillows. 

As you approached the shop, you had a stupid hope in your heart that maybe Elis would be there waiting for you. That he had come late to the bar to meet you, and when he couldn’t find you in the crowd he decided to wait for you at your shop. But, of course, you were met with disappointment and darkness when you arrived home. Nobody was waiting for you at the door, and there were no explanations about why he never showed. 

You entered the shop and barely remembered to lock the door behind you before dragging yourself upstairs to your bedroom. Master Shido was out of town, traveling to who-knows-where for some rare ingredients, so you did not have to worry about the noise you made as you collapsed on to your bed. 

Today was awful, and you wanted absolutely nothing more than for it to be over. You lay in the dark, staring up at the ceiling, but sleep never came. Instead, your mind whirled continuously about Elis. 

What was he doing at the moment? Was he with another woman? Did he even feel any remorse for standing you up? How would you confront him? Should you even confront him? What would you say if- 

Thud. 

Your froze, your racing thoughts stopped by a loud, muffled noise downstairs. You held your breath as you waited, in the silence and in the darkness, for more noise to come. But it never did. 

You were starting to believe you had simply imagined it when it came again.

Thud. Thud. Thud. 

Someone was knocking on the front door of the store.

[karama9]

for fic writer asks: 14, 24 for ATHU, 26, 29 (for No More), and 42?

Thank you for the ask @doomed-era!

14. Are there any tropes you would only read if written by a trusted friend or writer?

I’d be more likely to give tropes I don’t like a chance if they were written by a friend or trusted writer for sure, but lately with the Expanding Hyrule community, I’ve been trying to give everything a try.

The main thing I tend to not read is straight up romance. I often like a romance element in a story, but when romance is the main topic, I’m just not drawn to it, I get bored. In the pre-AO3 days, this made finding fanfics I wanted to read REALLY hard. I’d look at a listing and from the summaries, ID 95% as just romance (50% of which some sort of AU).

If I do read it because it’s an author I like, it might not make it to my favorite among their stuff, but a good writer usually does mean I’ll still enjoy it.

24. Are there any easter eggs in ATHU, and if so, what are they?

Does it count as a timeline easter egg that the Hero of Time is dead? XD

There are a few actual ones. Mindo is named after Mido, Hylrick and Naydri are of course named after Hylia and Nayru, several places have names lifted straight from the BotW map like Maritta and Tobio.

Link is an artifact holder and has several items from past heroes, including the magic cape, the hookshot, and the raft.

The Forgotten Temple has the sword chamber inside the giant statue of Hylia.

The Goron names are all French puns.

And then, as will become increasingly obvious the more I manage to squeeze it in, A Link Against the Dark is canon to ATHU. The version of A Link to the Past I’m writing matches the one known in ATHU’s Hyrule. There is zero justification for this, I just like to tie my stories together!

26. Would you rather write a fic that had no dialogue or one that was only dialogue?

I think I might have written some stories with no dialogue. I’d consider both a challenge unless it just lends itself to it, but as much as I can write a lot of dialogue, I’d probably have an easier time writing an introspective story with an inner monologue than writing a coherent story with just dialog.

29. What songs would be (or are) on a playlist for No More? Explain your choices if you want!

The song I most associate with that story is Do You Hear the People Sing from Les Miserables. I can just picture Din’s Justice singing it, and Link himself.

“We’re not gonna take it” also comes to mind for Link, just for the angry rebellion sound.

42. Have you ever received a comment that particularly stood out to you for whatever reason?

A few, yes! I’m going to go ahead and copy a couple because they were nice enough that it’s almost a self promo:

On Hero:

-On the ground, bowing to you- This is the most beautifully horrific story I have had the pleasure of reading. I am a horror addict, and this is the best Zelda fiction I have read, EVER! And I mean EVER! -faves- -Gets up, and dusts off- Well, maybe not comparing to the parody section of this fandom, but this one's at the top of my list! The characters were all great, the way the words flowed was AMAZING, and I want to bow to you personally, but then you might think of me as a stalker. Continue writing! Go far and wide with your genius! Juist don't squander these talents while you have them!

(… the bowing stuck to my mind)

On Arashikage:

Typically I don’t have much trouble when it comes to leaving comments on stories, particularly since doing exactly that is my day job, but I’ve had this story up for almost two weeks and haven’t been able to stitch together a coherent comment for it. Not because of any fault of the story—the opposite, in fact. Arashikage is INCREDIBLE. Fact. I stayed up until four a.m., two thirty a.m., and three thirty a.m. on consecutive nights devouring chapter after chapter after chapter. Although the story is over 130,000 words, it felt longer to me, and not because it’s wordy or contains redundant or unnecessary passages. Indeed, every chapter, every scene, every paragraph, all felt like they were pushing forward, striding boldly toward an inexorable climax, and I found myself constantly thinking about the story whenever I wasn’t actually reading it.

No, it felt like a long story because you managed to fit a frankly astounding amount of information into each chapter while also maintaining a deeply compelling and snappy pace—a truly rare find with stories that land anywhere over a hundred thousand words. I am a genuine sucker for stories told in first person present tense, and it only took a handful of chapters before I found myself beginning to viscerally react—I had to put my phone down and do the equal-parts-frustrated-and-delighted-silent-screaming-into-a-pillow thing numerous times, particularly during any scene where Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes were interacting. Despite Snake Eyes obviously never talking during the present-tense scenes, you still gave him a strong voice, and with each passing scene, my desire to see the two reach some kind of reconciliation grew exponentially. As a result of this building tension and the way you made me profoundly invested in the characters and situation, I swear I spent the entire final chapter feeling genuinely giddy. The sarcasm and teasing between Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes in particular made me laugh aloud so many times—standout were the escaping-the-cell shenanigans and the whole nonsense with the head and hands in the bag. The latter is such a morbid sort of humor and I felt almost guilty for laughing as hard as I did, but it suits the tone established up to that point perfectly. I applaud your ability to weave together the serious and the hilarious into one seamless whole.

This story reminded me of just how much fun reading a well-crafted piece of fiction can be. As I have no knowledge of the specific source material you were drawing from, the twists and turns were all new to me, and this is absolutely the type of story that overrides any sort of pre-existing canon I already had. Every version of Storm Shadow that I encounter from here on out will have the backstory and journey established in this story unless proved otherwise.

Although it’s already been a couple weeks since I finished reading, there’s still so much I could talk about. Again and again I was delighted by the details you chose to include, from Japanese culture to ninja culture to Cobra politics to Storm Shadow’s vibrant, breathtaking, and often heart-wrenching inner journey. I knew, I knew, I knew what was promised to him wouldn’t be honored, but oh you resolved it with such a delicious release of tension—and better yet, redemption. There are few things better than a well-executed redemption arc, and this one has shot to the top of my list for this year. I’m going to come back to this story again and again, it’s deeply, profoundly inspiring to me on multiple levels, and I feel like there’s so much I as a storyteller can learn from it. Maybe then I’d be able to write a comment that would feel properly coherent—there’s so much that I could talk about, I’m never going to be able to do it justice in this comment, barely scratching the surface as it is.

Thank you. Thank you, thank you for writing this story, for posting it, for providing hours of entertainment and tension and delight and for many more hours spent thinking about it. I am intensely fond of Storm Shadow now, more than I ever imagined possible when I started reading the first chapter—I can assure you he’s shot right up to my second-favorite character. I assure you I mean this as the highest form of praise when I say this story reads like original fiction to me. Obviously I’m familiar with G.I. Joe and its characters and even some of their backstories, but the way you wrote this story, from the words you chose to use to the scenes you included, constantly made me think of an actual novel. I enjoyed it tremendously, and I look forward to the inevitable second read with even more anticipation than the first read.

I should get in the habit of re-reading that one each time RSD strikes, honestly. :D

[laughingsour]

Flora and Tetra fic idea.

I’m not really sure I will ever write it. But I wanted to share some ideas I had for a fic in which Flora and Tetra meet each other.

-First the other Zeldas don’t play a big role in this adventure, at least not yet. But it could be considered the beginning of them gathering the Zeldas.

-My full name for Flora is Zelda Archaines Hyrule. From the ancient thinker and inventor Archemides, who’s supposedly the first person to shout “Eureka!”(What do you think?, could I do better or is it a good name?)

-It begins when Flora learns where Wild dissapeared to. That he’s traveling with ancient heroes across time. Being the stubborn girl she is, she decides to try to go find him.

-She eventually finds a way to open her own portals by scanning the ones the Shadow creates with technology from the Sheikah towers and using the black blood to pinpoint the places in time Wild may be in. (She doesn’t realize it yet, but her portals also work because of a combination of the technology and her time magic that she learns to use in TOTK).

-To defend herself in her travels she carries a bow and a prototype version of the Purah Pad that also allows her to open the portals. Unfortunately they are still unable to reliably recreate the runes and so they’re often faulty.

-The rune that allows her to create the portals also takes a lot out of it so she can’t use it repeatedly and has to wait a few days between uses. Any use before then could potentially damage the Pad.

-She and Tetra meet shortly after her first time jump which lands her in Legend’s time. I haven’t figured out the details but I imagine it’s something similar to the first meeting between Vanellope and Ralph in Wreck-it Ralph. With Tetra teasing the hell out of Flora while she trying to retrive her Purah Pad.

-Tetra instantly suspects this “Flora”, as she calls herself, is a Zelda based on what she knows of the situation Wind is in. And her teasing questions are also sublte attempts to get the comfirmation from her. “You’re not from here are you?”

-As for how Tetra got to this time. She decided to chase the Postman to find how he gets across time, she loses him but when she does she realizes she’s not in the Great Sea anymore.

-Tetra of course has her trusty cutlass to fight. And if that is somehow not enough she also carries a pistol.

-Right off the bat Flora and Tetra don’t like each other because of Tetra’s own ill-feelings for the “Zelda” name. And Flora doesn’t care much for Tetra’s seemingly callous and selfish attitude. But they both agree to work together so that they can reach their respective Links.

-Flora actually has a lot of admiration for the Hero of Winds, she knows the legend but not the real story with details. She looks up to him and his Zelda because acording to the legend they were able to rebuild Hyrule when it was destoyed by Ganon, even when the hero himself was not the gods’ first choice. (I go over this in the fic I wrote. For the future: A battle of wills)

-Their anger with each other comes to a head when it’s revealed to Flora that Tetra is another Zelda (and not just a Zelda, but the one from the legend of the Hero of the Winds) and Tetra furiously denies being Zelda and that she never asked to be Zelda. Flora acuses Tetra of being a selfish brat who cares about no one but herself and would never understand the burden of having to fullfill the duties that come with the name.

-They both storm-off absolutely enraged, agreeing that they’ll find a way to their friend by themselves.

-Flora tries to calm herself by sulking by a tree and then by humming to herself Zelda’s Lullaby. It works, until she realizes Tetra is now standing in front of her completly awestruck with tears rolling down her cheek. ”How-how do you know that song?”

-Tetra’s mother used to sing that song for her before she died (I headcannon that she’s the adult timeline’s version of TP’s Zelda and was called Madame Dusk in the Great Sea).

- Flora offers her comfort to Tetra and when she finishes crying she opens up that she never asked to be “Zelda the Princess” either. She confeses that she understands her resentment because she always felt like a failure as a heir to the goddess’ blood. And thoroughly apologizes for what she said to Tetra.

-From then on Tetra and Flora start to get along very well and become great friends. They still get on each other’s nerves but in a more teasing manner than before.

-Flora often has to play diplomat for Tetra and keep her from killing everyone who angers her. But Tetra often pulls them into shenaningas with Flora doing very little to disuade her, when not being a very willing participant. “Oh, why not? We’re not in my Hyrule.”

-They are the epitome of “Getting along like a house on fire, including setting a house on fire”.

- By the time the Links return from chasing the Shadow, Tetra has made peace with the name Zelda and with her heritage. Of course she doesn’t stop calling herself Tetra, but she believes that the Zeldas are awesome.

-Flora in turn calls her and Wild’s daughter in the future Sonia Tetra Hyrule. In honor of the most ferocious and bravest queen to ever sail.

- A couple of other trivia from my headcannons. The people in the great sea hardly know about the Golden Three goddesses or Hylia and instead worship smaller deities like Zelphos and Cyclos. Mainly because having wind is vital in the Great Sea.

-A headcannon I think others have proposed before. But I like to think that different regions in Botw’s Hyrule hold a particular Hero in higher regard than others. I.E- The Hylians in central Hyrule looked up to the heroes of Sky, Time and Twilight. The Rito look up to Wind (Revali was secretly a fan of the legend and the fact that Wind had to earn the right to be a hero played into some of his resentment for Wild). The Goron look up to Hyrule, etc.

[orgaslink]

For the kissing prompts

31. Neck kisses For Twark?

Thank you for the ask, Lolabearwrites! You may have kinda stumbled upon one of my most favourite ships and a prompt I’m smitten for, so hope you enjoy as much as I enjoyed writing it! I could have kept on and on writing for this and I may have to revisit this thought in the future. For now, enjoy some Twark (DarkLight) neck kisses, below the cut for hint of spice.

It was no secret to Twilight that Dark had been through a lot, emotionally, mentally and especially physically. Just the tattoos alone would be a big thing to go through with the amount of ink adorning Dark’s entire body, and that was without considering what happened before the tattoos.

Mapping out the art etched across his partners skin, Twilight soon found that tracing the patterns and lines to be one of his favourite pastimes, especially when he could also catalogue Dark’s reactions to his explorations.

Twilight soon learned that he could make Dark’s skin ripple beneath a teasing finger tracing the works along his abdomen, muscles tensing and quivering to the stimulation. Following the trail of ink over Dark’s ribs caused him to huff out a sound that would closely resemble laughter if Dark didn’t stifle it, the quirk to his lips giving him away more than the turning of his head ever could. Twilight would prefer if Dark didn’t try to hide his reactions, but he was more than happy to bide his time and keep up his explorations as long as Dark allowed.

One such reaction, Dark couldn’t hide from Twilight. Not with how enthusiastically his body betrayed what it was feeling. Idle fingers had found their way onto Dark’s chest one sweaty, post coital night, Twilight absentminded in his meandering touch that slowly trailed further up Dark’s chest, his clavicle and finally weaving their way over the coiled dragon over his throat. He hadn’t meant anything by it, merely basking in the afterglow of their session together and touching Dark for the sake of staying close to him.

Dark’s reaction had him rethinking that.

The hitch in breath would have been easily missed by someone who wasn’t becoming intimately intune with Dark to know what that hitch meant when paired with the subtle shift of Dark’s body where he lay on his back with Twilight half on his chest. It was enough to pique his curiosity and traverse his fingers in the same pattern in experimentation. He was not disappointed to feel Dark’s pulse thrum beneath his touch, the heartbeat he could hear from the cushion of Dark’s chest thumping just a little harder.

Twilight wasn’t like Hyrule, he was academic nor particularly interested in study. Unless that study involved the ways in which he could turn his lover on and the many ways in which they could indulge in one another and bring about a pleasure that Twilight had never experienced before in his life – that was a subject Twilight longed to excel in.

It spurs him into action, his body inching up Dark’s to bring Twilight’s mouth closer to his neck where he nosed at Dark’s jaw and continued trailing one finger over his neck tattoo. The tilt of Dark’s head upwards was telling, and Twilight fought to keep the grin from his face, instead opting to begin exploring his lovers neck with his mouth rather than his fingers.

Dark gasped, fingers gripping the bedsheets beneath him as Twilight’s explorations became more confident as Dark’s reactions grew more obvious. Twilight’s tongue was hot as he alternated mouthing at Dark’s neck and teasing with his tongue, but Dark’s skin was hotter, burning up beneath Twilight ministrations and causing heat to pool below his navel.

“Fuck Twi! I–”

“Shhh,” Twilight covered Dark’s lips with a finger, the very same that started this maddening tease. “Don’t talk, just let yourself feel.”

Dark felt a lot of things that night. All of them fan-fucking-tastic, mind blowing and some leaving a warm fuzzy feeling in his chest that Dark wouldn’t couldn’t name.

[asterias-corner]

notice how everything feels.

uhm, i never really share my writing, but i really liked how this one turned out and i wanna share it-

~~~~~~~ sky and wild bonding because i wanna see them more >:(

—

I’d always been described as cryptic, whether it be by travelers, stable-hands, flora, even my brothers, but i had to admit- they were right. I was never one to sit still, once I’d woken up after my time in the shrine, i’d been drawn more towards nature, the way the grass felt against my feet, the texture of the dirt, the trees lightly scraping my hands as i would climb to see the vast world around me, and the wind carding through my hair as i stood in towers. Even after gaining a handful of memories, i was well aware of the fact that i would’ve been punished for acting so childish- whether by the king or the head commander of the guards. Maybe because i would get dirty and didn’t fit social norms- I would get dirty while rolling in the grass- staining my shirt, shield surfing down mountain sides, howling with the wolves at night, chirping to the birds, cooking some meat for the dogs at stables, and even taste testing every single thing i’d come across. Everything had a sound and texture, some were good, some would make me want to claw my ears and hands off, a gamble truly- but a gamble he was willing to take to find tasty edible things nature had to offer. After joining the chain, no one commented on his strange behaviors, only until he was about to attempt to eat the entirety of a vegetable from the ranchers garden- roots, dirt, and all. They didn’t trust him much after that to be left alone with anything he’d deem edible, sky was the only one curious enough to ask about why he thought that was edible, and they’d talk about it for hours. One specific night on watch in twilights hyrule, wild sat comfortably beside the flickering fire light, occasionally looking around to do his job- watching out for monsters or strangers. Wild carefully laid down flat on his back after the fire had gone to a small dying light source. The moment the flames went out, after about 10 seconds- the night sky was suddenly brighter, stars shined against the black ink that flora had deemed ‘space’ and the moon was a waxing gibbous tonight, so it was especially beautiful. After hylia knows how long, he heard the sound of someone shuffling in their bed roll. He sat up on his elbows, looking around and seeing sky drowsily staring at him, raising an eyebrow as if asking ‘gonna wake me up for watch or no?’ As he sat upright. Wild smiled sheepishly, sitting up now to better watch sky walk over and plop down next to him. 

“You didn’t wake me up for watch”

Sky elbowed him playfully, grinning slightly.

“Sorry, got carried away loving this view”

He gazed upwards, craning his neck to watch different stars twinkle and occasionally a shooting star would follow suit. As he and sky watched the night slowly drift from a cold and comforting silence, to a morning fog of moonlight and sunlight battling for the sky. 

“Well, times gonna throw a fit when he finds out we just stayed up and didn’t wake legend for 3rd watch”

Sky laughed softly, bowing his head in a sad attempt to muffle his laughter in his knees. Wild shrugged, taking in the morning scents of early moon fall and sun rise. The grass had a slight frost of late October, birds starting to stir in their nests, his hands making contact with the frosty grass and would turn his hands light red from the chill, and the fact he was breathing and alive. 

“Do you ever believe that there could be an even higher power than hylia?”

I innocently asked, i knew this could be a touchy subject for sky, but it was a genuine question. He was quiet, but inhaled and exhaled calmly. 

“I’m not sure, i definitely believe there is someone or something at the same power level as her, but i don’t know”

He shrugged mindlessly, not once taking his eyes off the black and pink mixing together to make the view of daybreak. 

“What about a god, goddess, or deity that controls or is associated with nature? I’m sure hylia doesn’t manage the forests, oceans, rivers, and animals on her own..”

I murmured aloud, half speaking to myself and sky.

“Maybe, i wouldn’t doubt it.”

Sky smiled, leaning into wild comfortingly. 

“I’m never going to judge you if you have a different belief than me, we both have very different stories and experiences with hylia, I’d never hate you for expressing your discomfort or disregard of hylia, and i hope you know that”

Sky firmly looked me in the eyes and elbowed my side to truly get his point across- earning a choked laugh from me. 

“I know, i know, thank you sky, I’d also never judge your belief and trust in hylia, I’m well aware she’s your girlfriend.”

I poked sky’s chest accusingly, smiling smugly. 

Sky frowned, but kept his humor in his eyes. 

“These are my favorite bonding moments, just exposed to nature- just us and the spider crawling on your leg”

I smiled widely, after sky heard the last part- he shrieked in horror, looking down and practically flinging himself upward as the little spider was resting on his thigh. Everyone immediately bolted awake and reached for a weapon hearing his screams, but soon realized the false alarm that was sky shuddering and tugging at wilds ear as he chewed him out about doing that to his poor brother. 

Yeah, wild enjoyed these moments. 

———-

I’ll proof read this like weeks later and realize i wrote something wrong 😨

[crazylittlejester]

Hey Jes could you pretty please give me a thorough rundown of the cannon Hyrules Warriors events

ie the actual stuff that happens in game.

Bc I really want to write stuff for HW and Lu as well as make theory posts for it but idk much of anything abt HW

Jes this is a free invitation to fucking yap to an extreme about hyrule warriors

Cause all I know is the first 10 minutes of it, Zelda has bad dream, we see link fighting, battle happens , link fight and got brunt by Volga he is now the hero and that’s it

So pretty please tell me abt HW

so the thing about hw is you can understand like 80% of the plot from JUST the cutscenes, and someone put it together like a movie on youtube and this is only like an hour long:

admittedly i have not played this game in a while and i forgot some of the smaller things about it, so my apologies if any of this is wrong but in summary:

the game starts with the war coming to the castle and then Link, some random ass soldier, runs into Volga on the field and Volga is genuinely kinda like “can you get your unimportant ass out of the fucking way good lord” and he tries to kill Link (and Impa too i think) and this awakens the triforce or something and then boom: Link is revealed to be the hero and everyone’s kinda like “oh good we found him!!” while Link, mid battle, is like “oh what the fuck…” and at the end of this first battle Zelda goes missing (they find her next battle, but she’s Sheik and they don’t know that)

Ganon was split into like four different pieces and he was Not too happy about this so he decided to corrupt this sorceress and she got split into two people, Lana and Cia, and Ganon basically promised Cia Link as like a war prize if she helped him basically put himself back in one piece and the pieces of Ganon were stuck in different timelines so that’s why all these portals get opened, because the bad guys need to get all of Ganon in one spot but this ALSO allowed Link to get allies from said times, like Midna and Fi

basically the first half of the game is them trying to close these gates to other times IN said other times so shit can go back to normal and for all of five seconds yay the war was over, but then what ends up happening is the Ganon Pieces get unstuck and he forms a whole dude again and he’s a little pissed (and i think this happened because the master sword was pulled and that’s what was holding back the fourth piece of Ganon? i don’t remember its been a hot minute) anyways Ganon takes Zant and Ghirahim and steals the ENTIRE triforce, and Link finds a way to kick his ass anyway, which is CRAZY and not enough people talk about the fact that Wars beat a fully triforced Ganon

Edit: JUST AN ADDITION, but im pretty sure he is canonically just a commander, not a captain (my dear mutual @hyruledwarriorr probably knows more than i do about that one, and also he might have things to add to this he loves hw alskkdkd)