#I wonder if Zelda could tell they were here

[affogato-analysis]

I love botw koroks

I think they’re so cool, unironically. So i wrote about that in some analyzing idea idk y’all i think it’s neat

(spoilers btw for botw and part of totk)

(hence the cut here)

More accurately, I have so much love for the ones in Hyrule Castle, even more so since I made it to the Lost Woods in totk. like wym my little leaf friends were hurt get back here you son of a bitch

I love what they seem to represent, very much in a depoliticized manner (i’ll make it make sense): resistance.

Koroks in Hyrule castle are looking at Calamity Ganon and laughing. They play hide and seek games around its prison, they will be the first on its path to destruction and the corrupted guardians are all over the place.

(Full disclosure, I have no idea if they can die, but they can be scared of monsters and Hestu had his maracas stolen so I guess they can be hurt.)

So it’s reckless of them to be here, you’d think every living being not corrupted and/or engineered by the calamity would run off but not the koroks.

no they’re children playing hide and seek on wasted lands and they don’t care! Maybe they don’t realize but the main point is: the koroks are at Ganon’s doorstep and they laugh and play.

It’s a form of resistance, to laugh despite the threat, to refuse to quiet down and despair. It might not be a conscious choice, maybe they really don’t realize but still, when the Calamity struck, it lost. Despite all the destruction, Hyrule lives.

“In the dark times Will there also be singing? Yes, there will also be singing. About the dark times” (Bertolt Brecht)

In the ruins of Hyrule Castle, at the worst of the Calamity, there are children and innocence. Across a devastated kingdom there are, everywhere you look, small things still laughing and playing and living.

The koroks, to me, symbolize resilience and the victory of life over Evil, literally. A korok hiding above the sanctum is some of the brightest ‘fuck you ehehe’ i’ve ever seen, and even if the train of thought was ‘ooh hiding spot’ and nothing else, the koroks don’t shake before Ganon, even when they sit right next to it.

The koroks are, symbolically, Hyrule’s survival and victory.

[ladyrijus]

Skyward Sword Zelda is such a tragic figure in my opinion. Just put yourself in her shoes and imagine this.

It's the best day of your life. Your dearest friend, dork that he is, has finally become a knight. It's what every kid on Skyloft works towards and he finally did it. You're so proud of him. When you fly together, you muster up the courage to tell him you love him.

You never get the chance.

Instead you're whisked away into a world you believed was left behind, and saved by a woman who declares that she is your guardian, chosen by you. You have never met her before. You didn't even know there were people like you who lived down here, in the Surface.

"You must purify yourself if you are to transcend time and hold the seal," the mysterious woman with the painted tear remarks as she shepherds you through strange destinations unlike anything your books have ever taught you, "it was your will." No matter how many times she tells you this, in every iteration the language could allow, it doesn't make sense. Why would a goddess need to turn human? What could you do, that she could not?

Where does divinity and humanity diverge?

Connection.

A goddess is revered by her people who pray, in spite of her silence, for her benevolence and guidance. She is their unwavering stone, a higher power to rely on. But a girl? A girl is loved. She is someone tangible, a figure who people will see, and know, and care about, and fight for.

And that's when it clicks. Your friend isn't really your friend at all, but a hero, a pawn, who was intended to be used against an enemy of yours you no longer recognize.

You're using him. You've been using him all this time. It's sickening.

With each prayer, with each goddess damned spring you rush to, you are faced with your own marbled reflection, a testament to the fact your humanity is only a pretense, carefully timed to ensnare your friend into a hero's fate.

He doesn't seem to understand that though. He keeps running after you like the fool he is, hoping to save Zelda, his precious Zelda, that you no longer are. The smile you wear becomes harder to hold. You were Hylia first, and that is all you will ever be.

You play into the charade anyways. After all, Zelda was the reason why he went through his trials. To tell him now that she was gone would mean to destroy everything you had worked for. So you tell him everything he wants to hear: that you're your father's daughter, that you're his friend, that you're his Zelda.

And when you close your eyes, smiling from within the amber and ignoring the dull thuds of his fist against its surface, you wonder if you look anything like the statue you and your love had stood upon on the best day of your life.

"Maybe all of this is a dream," you wonder while drifting in between millennia. Time passes like the waterfalls in Skyloft, rapid, yet everlasting. Maybe you'd wake up in your bed in the Academy again. Your love would have been sleeping in (again) and everything would be how it used to be. You could be Zelda once more. And most importantly, Hylia would be nothing beyond a giant statue for you to ignore for the rest of your days.

... There's something to be said about how you fall again once you wake up.

"What kind of goddess am I," you think crudely, "to sever my own wings?"

But this time, your love is there to catch you. And he does. In that moment you pray, in your own name, he doesn't let you go.

[thezoraprince]

Flowers - Link x reader

Title: Flowers - Link x Reader Words : 700+ (701)

y/n - your name

(i like to imagine Link signing, so the dialogue for him is italicized for that reason)

The light flickered through the tree leaves just outside Link’s bedroom window. You opened your eyes to find yourself laying in his bed with his arms loosely wrapped around you. You don’t quite remember how you ended up here, but you smiled, knowing he must have carried you in after you’d already fallen asleep somewhere. He was pretty good at finding you when you did. It was quite common, actually; the soft grass against your skin made it pretty easy to doze off, not to mention the countless times you’d had to make do while traveling. 

Watching Link as he slept was almost like a dream. It was a rarity to see him so… still. You brushed the hair from his eyes and gently stroked his cheek with your thumb. He looked so handsome when he slept. Not to say that he wasn’t already handsome, but with the Calamity finally being over, he just looked so at ease. 

As you lifted up to get out of bed, his grip on you tightened. But, he was still sound asleep, lightly snoring. You giggled softly at him, untangling yourself from him to get up and make yourself some tea.

You headed downstairs and peeked out the kitchen window. There was Bolson and Karson, sitting where they usually sit in the yard. You figured they had just gotten back from visiting with Hudson and Rhondson. You opened the door and walked out to greet them.

“Care for some tea?” you asked.

Bolson smiled at you. “You know I would never turn down morning tea.”

You went back inside to get the kettle and some cups and headed back out. The three of you sat in the grass with your cups of tea, chatting about how beautiful the the flowers are this time of year. They were both pleased to see that you had planted some around the house. 

“What kind of flowers are those, anyway?” Bolson asked.

“I was wondering the same. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them before.” Karson added.

You were happy to tell them. “They’re called ‘Silent Princess’.”

They both looked at you with a questioning expression.

“They’re pretty rare, but Link had found quite a few on his journey.” You got up and walked over to the flowers to examine them. “Zelda said that with a little help, she thinks they can be domesticated.”

“Well, they’re very beautiful.” Bolson replied, just before taking another sip of tea.

Karson was more than excited to learn about them. “Maybe we could find and plant some at our place!"

Bolson stood up, cup still in hand. “We’ll see, Karson.” He turned to you with a smile. “Thank you for tea, y/n. You’re always a pleasure to sit and chat with.”

“Yeah!”

You took the tea cups from the both of them. “Thank you. You both are so kind. Feel free to come over for tea anytime.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, as always.”

Bolson and Karson made their way toward the town, Karson waving as they left. You couldn’t help but to smile as they walked away. The both of them were a treat to have around. You went back inside, set the dishes on the counter, and headed back up the stairs to find Link still sleeping. 

Gently, you crawled back into bed and wrapped your arms around him. He rolled over to face you, eyes still closed. His hair was surprisingly messier than it was earlier. You once again went to brush the hair out of his eyes. Link wrinkled his nose and slowly opened his eyes. Upon seeing you, he smiled and pulled you in to cuddle.

“Good afternoon, love.” you whispered.

He looked at you with a cheesy grin. “Hi.”

“You missed out this morning.” You started. “Bolson and Karson were here, and they really like the flowers.” 

“Of course they do.” He yawned.

You giggled at his reply before turning to get out of bed again. Link grabbed your hand quickly, just before you got out of his reach. “Yes?”

“Please stay in bed.”

“Link…”

“I just want to hold you for a little while longer.” He pouted, staring at you with those blue eyes. “Please?”

[linzerj]

Just getting this idea out there so that maybe I'll actually finish writing it one day, but -

I've been on a Legend of Zelda kick recently. Currently replaying BOTW. Never played AOC but I've watched gameplay and all the cutscenes so I know what happens. Planning to play that and TOTK again soon. But I've got this idea cooking in my head.

Theres a post that talks about "what if you could find the Divine Beasts in the Depths", and another funny post that was just "what if Teba was the sage of Wind and not Tulin?" And I remembered when BOTW had just come out, and then AOC after, and people were speculating about the characters, like Teba, being the New Champions and getting to bond to the Divine Beasts.

That didn't happen in canon, but. Hear me out. What if even just one of the Divine Beasts bonded with a New Champion... like say, the one who doesn't become a Sage?

Teba, Sidon, Riju, and Yunobo return from their adventure in the past/alternate timeline/whatever, having saved those Champions and that Hyrule from destruction. Their own timeline is still the same, but they continue on as they do in canon.

Except they all meet up shortly after returning home, and one of them (Sidon or Riju maybe) asks "hey did anyone else try going to the Divine Beasts only to get rejected" and while the rest are like "yup wonder what that's about, sad" Teba is like "no wtf are you all talking about I was settling back in with my wife and kid."

But something about it sticks with Teba. He goes home, looks up at Vah Medoh, and thinks, 'it probably won't work but I may as well try just to confirm.'

...Vah Medoh accepts him as its new pilot.

I'm unsure as to whether or not Revali's spirit will still be there for a quick hello - but if he is, he'd be like "whomst?!" And Teba would be like "if you were still alive I'd definitely adopt you because thanks to some time travel shenanigans i know that you desperately needed a parental figure in your life".

Mostly everything else proceeds as is canon up to the start of TOTK - except for the other Divine Beasts continuing to chill at their resting places, because upon hearing about Teba successfully bonding with Medoh, the others want to keep trying.

But, for whatever reason, Hylia decided that you cannot be both a Sage and a Divine Beast pilot, so the Beasts acknowledge them but never quite accept them as their pilots.

Then, TOTK. Then the chasms. Then, the other 3 Divine Beasts taking a plunge into the Depths.

Teba freaks out a little bit, but Medoh is circling Rito Village and is fine, except now there's these random floating islands but also a fuckass blizzard that's making it almost impossible to keep everyone fed, and Teba's just been saddled with Elder status so he's super in charge and Tulin is in a bit of a "I can do anything let me prove it let's go" phase and is trying to convince Teba to use Vah Medoh to fly up and stop the blizzard, but Teba is way too busy trying to keep the village from falling apart to go right now -

Then Link shows up, and Tulin runs off, and Link follows him, and the two go up and find the Stormwind Ark and fight Colgera and as the magical blizzard finally ends, Teba is just like "what the fuck".

Tulin tells him he's become a Sage, and isn't that cool dad?! And Teba is like "you're 12 and you're going to help fight a demon king?!?! Wtf?!"

But then at some point, Tulin (who knows the other Sages from that time he was in AOC, and meeting them a few times with his dad after) one day looks up from his breakfast and says "oh hey Sidon just became the Sage of Water! I saw it through my connection with Link!" And that's when it clicks into place for Teba why the Beasts never quite accepted the other "New Champions" - because they were destined for something else.

But Vah Medoh is still here. And it's pissed that it's fellow Beasts are gone and it also wants to blast Ganondorf in the face.

Unfortunately, Teba can't let it blast the castle when Link and co go to confront the Zelda illusion, because Tulin is there, Link is there, Sidon and Riju and Yunobo are there, and it's not the real demon king yet anyway.

Teba is grumpy about it, about letting Tulin go off and risk his life when he's a child and Teba is an adult, but then a huge dark dragon explodes out from the chasm below the castle and Vah Medoh is all too happy to fire upon it, knowing it's Ganondorf and wanting some sweet revenge of its own.

Teba's just surprised he can see the dark dragon, it's huge but he'd heard tales of only the young, or those chosen by thr goddesses, could see dragons. Maybe it's because of Vah Medoh that he can see this one, and the little light dragon that comes in and - hey is that Link?!

Maybe it ends with Teba going down to the Depths with Link to visit the other Divine Beasts, and suggesting that the locations stay known so that future generations may try to awaken them. They don't really need the Beasts anymore since both Calamity Ganon and Ganondorf have been defeated, but Medoh doesn't want to turn off and is happy just chilling at Rito Village with Teba. The end.

I have like 2.5k of this already written, I just wanted to use this post to write more of the ideas for the fic structure before I go to bed lol. And this idea probably doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense canon-wise, but it doesn't need to because the only reason this exists is because i love Teba and wish he'd gotten more screntime (or at least some spoken dialogue in the cutscenes!) in TOTK.

[aheathen-conceivably]

Zelda was walking back to her own bedroom after preparing Violette for bed. It was rarer and rarer that she got to spend these moments with her daughter anymore. As she grew older it was more likely for her to ask her father to bring her to bed after an afternoon in the farmyard; or, as was her new habit, to insist on her independence by asserting that she could wrap up her own hair and tuck herself into her embroidered sheets alone.

So as Zelda turned the door handle and stepped over the threshold, the last thing she expected to hear was a small voice calling Momma from behind her. Immediately, Zelda turned around to see Violette with an uncharacteristic fear in her eyes. But she had grown quiet, so Zelda tried to prompt her to speak again by asking if everything was alright. When she didn't answer, Zelda walked nearer, trying to ignore the voice in her mind that told her maybe she had only imagined her daughter calling out after her.

As she sat on the bed, her repeated question only prompted another bout of silence, before Violette brought her knees up to her chest and spoke looking at them, "Momma, do you - do you ever have nights when you can’t sleep?”

A rush of memories distracted Zelda from the question, vivid sounds of waterfalls and the smell of trees in the damp morning air. She pushed them aside to speak to the child in front of her who knew nothing of those nights. “Of course, my love. Do you want to tell me what’s keeping you up? Are you afraid?”

Violette shook her head vigorously, “I’m not afraid. Of anything. It’s just..why’s it so quiet here? I try to sleep and there’s nothing. Back at home - I mean New Orleans, it was never quiet. When I would lie in bed I would just listen to you and Poppa and then I could always sleep.”

Zelda’s focus on keeping herself in the moment distracted her from her daughters accidental admittance that she still knew of her parent’s late night careers, or the way she still called New Orleans home. “You know when I was a girl I could never sleep. It was like the thoughts in my head wouldn’t quiet down on their own, especially when they were supposed to and everything else had gone silent, is that how you feel?”

When Violette nodded in agreement Zelda brought her hand to her face, “Do you mind if I go and grab something for you? I’ll only be gone a minute.”

For a moment Violette looked nervous but she signaled for her mother to go, only for Zelda to return a moment later with a book in her hand. She sat next to Violette and opened it, “This was my favorite growing up. It’s part of the reason I came here, to America, where I met your father. The girl reminds me an awful lot of you, so when you can’t sleep or your mind won’t quiet, you can go here, into a new world in your imagination for a little while.”

Violette eyes scanned the golden script of the title page intently. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Then she turned the page, and another, and another. It was unlike any other book she had ever seen. All of the words were set alongside pictures, fanciful drawings of a girl with her hair in pigtails as she walked alongside a proud lion and a shining man made of metal.

Zelda watched Violette’s fingers trace along the words, exactly where her own had hundreds of times before. Knowing that her daughter was already gone yet again, she looked down at her a bit sadly, “And if you still can’t sleep just come find me or your Poppa, okay? We’re right next door.”

But Violette was too engrossed in the colorful drawings to answer, so Zelda rose to her feet and walked back to her own room where she had always kept the book near her pillow before that night.

Night after night as she read it, Violette never took her mother up on her offer, although she still rarely slept. Rather she laid in bed reading and rereading the book her mother had given her and imagining that she was Dorothy, swept up in something so powerful and grand that it turned everything upside down and suddenly she was in a land of magic and fantasy.

Then finally, somewhere between the pages, she would drift off into a dream-filled sleep. Through the corridors of slumber she would walk amongst a city just like Oz, one that was never quiet or dark like the desert outside her window. Each and every corner was filled with beauty and life, luminous with people who danced and sang more magnificently than anyone could ever imagine.

The lights there twinkled even more brightly than the night sky ever did; and in her mind she would stand between them, halfway between the ground below and the sky above, shining more dazzlingly than either. It was a place made just for her, one where all her dreams would come true. A land of fantasy and wonder and endless lights shining just for her in the darkness…

[skyward-floored]

Whumptober Day 6: Healed wrong, “it’s not my blood”

So I tried something new with this, which is part of why it took so long (the other reasons just being that it’s a weekend and I’m busy). I’m not totally sure I like it, but it was an experiment *shrug*

(please tell me what you thought please—)

I also used the “unhealthy coping mechanisms” prompt, but only sorta.

Warnings: badly broken bones, violence, blood.

Ao3 link

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If I were less of an optimistic guy, I might say that I was in a bit of trouble, currently.

Or if I was less of a sarcastic guy, I’d say that I’m in pretty big trouble, but I am, and therefore it’s only a bit of trouble. Despite what my eyes are telling me and the kind of overwhelming pain in my leg.

But if there’s one thing I’ve gained from a solid five adventures, it’s the ability to ignore pain. Even when it’s sharp and overwhelming and my eyes are stinging and passing out would be pretty nice, I ignore it with the best of them.

And in addition, I’ve found that going through everything I’ve been through gives you a pretty good coping mechanism or three. I think mine’s sarcasm. Or grumpiness, depending on who you ask. Zelda would say grumpiness, and Ravio would probably say sarcasm, but the jury’s out on which one it actually is. My uncle would probably just laugh and say it’s hot cider.

But anyway. Back to the trouble.

Hi. I’m Link, the Hero of Legend, and I currently have a boulder twice the size of me sitting on my leg.

Now if you’re like me you’re probably wondering “Mr. Link, how on earth did this happen to you, since you’re the hero of Legend and all?”. And I’d tell you that “well you see, sometimes even the greatest of heroes can be real ding-dongs. Or not look where they’re going and trip.”

Or fall down a mountain while trying to escape an avalanche.

So yeah, it was a pretty crummy situation all in all. Especially since I couldn’t remember a lot of how it had happened. If the sticky feeling on the bag of my head was any mark, then I probably had something of a concussion, which would... explain some things.

It was pretty dark down here, even with the lantern I’d managed to grab and light. Breaking my leg in an avalanche was a new one for me, but really, you’ve broken one leg, you’ve broken them all. This would be the second time I’d snapped my left leg, and based on the huge chunk of rock resting on it currently, it wasn’t going to be nearly as easy to fix as the first time.

My breath puffed out of me in a cloud as I shifted around, trying to budge the rock, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. It was only getting colder as the sun set, and the reality of the situation was starting to sink in, making my stomach feel tight.

My bag had been thrown just far enough away that I couldn’t reach it, the clasp shining innocently in the light from the setting sun. A few items had fallen out, but apart from the lantern, there was nothing that would help much. I had no idea when the others would be along, since I was pretty sure I’d fallen a good halfway down the mountain. Thinking about it, it was actually kind of miraculous the only injuries I had were some scrapes and a severely crushed leg.

Well. And the cut on the back of my head that was making my hair damp with blood. But the leg hurt more.

A hiss escaped my teeth as I tried pushing at the rock again, but it was too heavy to budge, especially with the pain radiating through my body. I was trying not to think about it, but it was getting worse the longer I sat here.

And the blue potion that was just close enough for me to reach wasn’t going to be useful unless I could get the blasted rock off my leg.

I took in a few slow, steady breaths, calming down and bracing myself. I’d shove the rock as hard as I could this time, push through the pain, try and shift it enough that I could at least reach my bag.

This time I would make it. I could do it.

C’mon Link. It’s just a rock.

I counted down in my head, then shoved at the rock with all my might, a scream rising in my throat that I choked back. Pushing put way too much strain on every part of me that hurt, but despite the terrible angle and the fact that I was making absolutely zero progress, I kept pushing, the scream coming out as a pitiful whimper.

The rock didn’t move. My leg ached.

I pulled on the last bit of strength I had and shoved, and then you can probably guess what happened next.

One moment I was shoving, and the next, I was lying on my back, darkness fading from my vision. I’d blacked out.

The sun had finished setting while I was unconscious, and the stone was cold under my back, stars beginning to glitter above me. My lantern was still lighting up the immediate area at least, and I groaned, resting an aching arm over my face.

I was trapped.

I briefly raised my arm and glared at the boulder, ignoring the way the limb trembled. I hoped it was just the cold and not because I was losing too much blood.

“Stupid rock,” I croaked, glaring at the stone. The rock didn’t reply. Which was good. If it had, I’d be a lot more worried.

I gave it a shove, then let out a cry of pain, the movement making my leg and head both throb in sync. I fell to the ground with a hiss, and stared up at the sky, watching my breath puff into the cold air.

I wasn’t getting anywhere with this. If only I could reach my items, I could already think of five off the top of my head that I could use to free myself.

But no. All I had was a lantern and a potion I couldn’t use yet.

I looked over at it again, briefly debating it. The potion would try and fix anything that needed healing, even if it was broken and lying in a strange position. I didn’t know exactly what it would do to my leg if I drank it now, but... I didn't want to find out. That would be my last resort.

Something that wasn’t the wind made a noise nearby, and I stiffened, swiveling an ear. I didn’t use to be able to do that, but perks of briefly being a rabbit I guess.

The noise rang out again, and I groaned, recognizing the familiar growl of a monster. They could probably smell the blood all over my head, heard all my yelling.

I was a sitting duck.

The blue potion glinted innocently in the lantern light, and I swallowed, my mind whirling. The potion would heal my leg wrong, no doubt about that, but my head would heal over completely, and even if it healed wrong the pain in my leg would probably ease enough for me to get a good grip on the rock, or at least stretch far enough to grab my bag.

It wouldn’t be fun. In fact, it would probably end really badly.

But between that and getting mauled by something without so much as a knife to defend myself, I’d take the pain.

Believe it or not, I’d been faced with worse.

I grimaced, and grabbed the cold glass of the bottle, blue liquid sloshing as I tugged it over. My fingers were shaking enough that the cork was hard to remove, but I finally got it, and stared at the liquid, my stomach suddenly rolling.

Eyes glinted in the dark, focused on me, and I swallowed, bracing myself.

“Bottoms up,” I muttered.

Then I chugged half of it all in one go.

The effect was immediate on my head, the pain in my scalp gone almost instantly. The potion swept through and cleared the pained fog that had been clogging up my brain, and rushed through my body like a cool breeze, healing scrapes and bruises as it went. I braced myself as it slipped past my waist and down to my leg, and the cool feeling faltered, unsure of how to proceed.

Then it tore through the limb, trying to fix things.

The boulder firmly kept my leg at an odd angle, and I couldn’t help my gasp as my bones began healing in ways they shouldn’t, bending and crooked from the rocks. My vision whited at the edges as several somethings shifted, and it took me a second to realize the scream echoing off the rocks was mine.

Then the potion finished and I choked in a breath, tears running down my cheeks as I gasped for breath.

I could tell it was wrong, I could tell it was so wrong, but I knew I’d probably vomit if I thought about it too hard so I didn’t. Again, back to the ignoring thing. Instead I shakily pushed myself up, relieved that it didn’t hurt to do so as much as it had a few minutes ago, and pushed.

The boulder was still huge, and I was still in a lot of pain, but this time it shifted a little, just enough for me to stretch a little bit further, and snag the corner of my bag. I let out a cheer that was on the shaky side, then froze.

The eyes that had been watching me moved into the circle of lantern light, revealing the beast they belonged to. Dark scales and long talons met me, and I swallowed. Some kind of lizalfos, though I didn’t recognize it specifically.

Wings spread out from behind it as it hissed, and I quickly began rifling in my bag for the items I’d need. Aeralfos were even worse.

In one fluid motion I’d grabbed both the cane of Somaria and the cane of Byrna, and as the dark aeralfos lunged for my head, I twirled them simultaneously.

A protective whirlwind appeared around me, knocking the aeralfos backwards, and at the same time an orange block appeared under the boulder, throwing it off of my leg, finally.

I grinned in triumph even as my leg throbbed with a fiery feeling, and ignored the pain as I shifted myself to a sitting position. I switched the cane of Somaria out for my ice rod, and shot a few solid blasts at the lizalfos while it was still reeling.

A loud snarl came from its snout as it flared its wings, but before it could fly, I nailed it in the face with a huge blast of ice.

It screeched, and as the whirlwind around me faded, I quickly hammered it with more blasts, until its screeches faded and the cliffside was silent again.

I let out a sigh, shakily leaning against a part of the wall, and was so busy being relieved I didn't hear the second aeralfos until it was too late.

Talons ripped into my shoulders and I screamed as air rushed around me, the monster dragging me up into the sky before I could do a thing to stop it. We were already at a height too dangerous for me to be dropped, and I struggled against the aeralfos, mind whirling.

Was I seriously going to die right after finally getting free?

An idea clicked, and I snatched my hookshot out of my bag, aiming it at a particularly rocky spot on the mountainside. I shot it, and to my overwhelming relief the chain hit, pulling both me and the aeralfos towards the cliff at a rapid speed. I was ready for it though, and I grabbed at the cliffside with a cry, the aeralfos losing its grip on me at the force of the movement.

It howled, and I yelled as I pulled myself up onto the cliff, swallowing back bile as I caught sight of my grossly misshapen leg. I managed to claw my way up, and the aeralfos followed, still making a huge racket.

My hands shook as I yanked out my sword, and as the aeralfos slammed into me and knocked me on my back, I stabbed my blade into its neck.

The aeralfos let out a wracking gurgle, then fell on top of me, dead.

I dredged up the strength to shove it off of me, then collapsed backwards, breathing hard. My shoulders hurt, my leg hurt... most of me hurt actually, but the rest of the blue potion was still somewhere at the bottom of the mountain. And I really wasn't excited at the prospect of trying to climb down with a leg that currently had a few extra angles in it.

So I didn't. I just laid there, breathing hard, trying not to look at my leg and slowly working up the energy to move.

Lucky for me, I didn't end up having to.

"Vet! Hey, I found him!"

I blinked out of my doze at the shout, and heard bootsteps pound in my direction, a horrified gasp reaching my ears. Something poked my face, and then touched my leg—

I yelled and jerked forward, narrowly missing a collision with Warriors' head.

"Don't touch it!" I hissed, and the captain raised his hands in a peaceful gesture, Hyrule abruptly appearing beside him. He gasped as he looked at me, and I tried to send him a reassuring look. No idea if I succeeded. "It's not my blood. Well... most of it isn't."

"The blood isn't— Legend what did you do?" Hyrule asked in a horrified voice. Which was surprising, since Hyrule was usually pretty calm with injuries and the like. "You have— you have bone sticking out of your leg?!”

Oh. Yeah I could see why that would bother him.

More Links appeared behind Hyrule and Warriors, and I saw several faces pale, Twilight putting a hand to his mouth, Sky's face turning green as he quickly ducked away.

"Legend did you heal this? It's bent all wrong, what on earth..." Warriors said in that voice he always used when he was trying to keep his demeanor calm. It wasn’t working.

"It was stuck, I had to heal it, long story," I muttered tiredly, not having the energy for more.

"You know we're... we're going to have to break these again, right?" Hyrule said quietly, and I swallowed.

"Yeah. I knew going into it."

"Can you handle that now?" Warriors asked seriously, and I breathed out, trying to settle my flipping stomach. It needed to be done, the sooner the better.

It wasn’t going to be fun though.

“Yeah,” I said, and Warriors nodded, sympathy on his face.

He and Hyrule moved me further from the dead aeralfos and set me on a bedroll someone pulled out, Hyrule giving my hand a quick squeeze. Four came forward and tucked something soft under my head, and Time handed me one of his bracers to bite down on.

Twilight knelt by my head and took my hand, and I breathed in slowly as Warriors and Hyrule got into position.

“Ready Vet?” Warriors asked, and I swallowed.

Warriors and Hyrule would have to rebreak, set, and then heal multiple bones in my leg. It wouldn’t be fast, and it would get much worse before it got better.

But I wasn’t alone this time. Even if I was about to be put through unimaginable pain I wouldn’t be able to ignore... I couldn’t really think of anyone else I’d rather have doing it.

I closed my eyes, and tightened my grip on Twilight’s hand.

“Yeah. I’m ready.”

[kiame-sama]

The Hylian Zonai- (Yandere!Ganondorf x Fem!Hybrid!Reader) pt 3

Warnings; yandere, yandere relationship, yandere temper, yandere behavior, smart yandere, manipulation, manipulative behavior, platonic and romantic yanderes, NSFW mentioned and hinted at, brief nudity mentioned,

"Hylian"

"Zonai"

"Gerudo"

~~~~~~~~

"Remind me again where we are going?"

"I'm going to show you something I haven't shown anyone else. I haven't even told my father about it."

"And we have to be deep in the forest for this?"

"Yes. Otherwise someone else may see."

Ganondorf hummed as he followed the soft Princess deeper into the forest, wondering just what it was he needed to be shown. Soon the dense trees gave way to a clearing filled with wildflowers and a shallow stream on the far side. Despite being rather late at night, the clearing was illuminated by the moon and the fireflies blinking in the darkness. It was a lovely place, but the King had a feeling that it wasn't what you wanted to show him.

"Okay," the soft Hylian Zonai nodded, turning to face Ganondorf, "I promised to tell you why I pulled you here in the middle of the night, but I think It's better I show you."

Before he could question what it was she intended to show him, her dress fell from her figure with ease. Where he wanted to comment on the sudden bare body before him, his voice died in his throat due to sheer surprise and wonderment.

As the moonlight caressed (y/n)'s soft flesh, the various faint tattoos scrawling across her figure began to glow with a golden light. It seemed to shine from every mark along her body and even her third Zonai eye lit up as if empowered by the golden glow. The light danced across her skin and seemed to center right beneath her collarbone above the curves of her breasts. Glowing brighter than the tattoos sat an interesting symbol of three triangles stacked together to make another triangle, a certain power humming from it similar to that of the secret stones.

"Ever since I was young, when the moon was at full and shined upon me, these marks would glow. Like my father, I was born with my markings. Only recently have I noticed a certain strength and power from them. Father once spoke of an ancient power imbued within those who were chosen by the creators of this land. The harmony of courage, strength, and wisdom. The tri-force. Father has the symbol in many places about the castle, but the only place I have seen it outside of the castle is within my own flesh."

The little Princess smiled at the Gerudo King, his heart racing in his chest as he took in what she told him. If her words were true- and he could feel the sheer power emanating from her- then the very key to strengthening himself without the aid of a Secret Stone was standing before him. Her beautiful trusting (e/c) gaze held such a fondness to them and her affection towards him could not be clearer.

Why else would she reveal this secret to him?

Even as he gazed at the mark in wonder, he felt his eyes traveling ever so slightly lower. Part of him wished to act upon the carnal craving that pulled at his mind as he gazed upon the bare form of the sweet and trusting Princess. Here she stood before him with not a scrap of clothing covering her figure, on full display for his increasingly hungry gaze. If he didn't look away or cool himself down somehow, he would...

~~~~~~~~

Rauru could feel his nails digging into the stone before him as the guards continued to relay your sudden disappearance and lack of presence in the castle. The guards, Sonia, and Zelda were all searching the castle grounds, but none of them could find either you or Ganondorf. Truly, the stress about this whole endeavor was eating Rauru alive.

Why in Hyrule would you leave the safety of your home and his protection with no warning or note? The fact that both you and the dangerous Gerudo man disappeared at the same time did not sit well with Rauru. There were countless things that man could be doing to you- with or without your consent- and it truly unsettled the Zonai King.

When the first guard woke both Rauru and Sonia to inform them of your disappearance, he feared the worst. He sent several guards to search the castle grounds for you but he had a hunch that the Gerudo king was somehow instrumental in your disappearance. When neither you nor the Gerudo king were found, he began to worry you two may be together.

He knew he had to worry about how close you got to the king in the daytime, but he never expected the two of you to abscond so late at night. Perhaps the king simply took you and decided to return to the sands, but it wouldn't make sense that he abandoned several of his warriors as well. Perhaps you led the king away for some unknown end, but Rauru couldn't think of a single thing that could prompt such behavior from you.

With the both of you missing, he had no choice but to send out search parties to possibly locate the two of you. He dreaded the thought of what could be taking place under the cover of night.

"Beloved? They've scoured the nearby fields and have found nothing. I worry our dear daughter is hiding from us with the Gerudo king."

"Then it seems I must locate her myself... But..."

"Rauru?"

"I just... I worry what I may find when I do find her."

"My love, she is a young woman blossoming into an adult. She was bound to find love at some point."

"But why him? Why now?"

"Who else would she have gotten close to? We have been keeping our little one from taking her own path, but she was bound to find it eventually."

Sonia rest her hand gently atop Rauru's, trying to provide some comfort to her beloved King despite his obvious stress and displeasure. She knew that one day their lovely daughter would spread her wings and find her own way in life. Despite knowing this, she also knew Rauru was not ready to let their daughter go yet.

Zonai aged slowly and at a much more measured pace than the other races, but due to (y/n) not being a full Zonai she aged the way Sonia did. That was, up until she reached physical maturity. At physical maturity, she seemed to stop aging and instead had more mental maturing to do. Even still, she was technically an adult and was supposed to make adult choices. Still, Rauru saw (y/n) as a child and not as the adult she appeared to be.

"But what if I find them and they're intertwined, embracing in the moonlight? I couldn't possibly-"

"Rauru, if you find them intertwined, let them be. Our little girl must grow up at some point. I worry just as you do about her future, but that is not a path we can walk for her. That is a path she must walk herself. If she has found love, then good for her. I would rather she choose someone less violent, but that is still not a choice we can make for her."

Sonia smiled at Rauru, gently cupping his cheek with her hand. Of course, he knew she was right and that he was not allowed to make choices for his (y/n), but did she have to choose him of all people? Even though Rauru understood that is was not his choice, he still felt the need to keep the two away from one another to prevent his dear daughter's heart from being broken.

"Now," Sonia started, straightening Rauru's necklace, "go find our daughter and make sure she is safe. I don't want either of you coming home upset."

~~~~~~~~

Rauru walked among the trees, seeing the moon-dappled path stretching out before him as he walked the ancient trail. Granted, the forest was not far from the castle, but Rauru knew his daughter and had shown her this very path himself many moons ago. As he moved beneath the swaying trees, a faint sound on the wind carried itself to him.

"- stop it!"

Those few words and the familiar voice sent his heart into a frenzy, hastening his step and carrying him swiftly to the sound. He would easily bring himself to kill the Gerudo king regardless of how that would impact his standing if the man dared lay a hand on his precious daughter. And from the sounds of it, his sweet (y/n) would thank him for the intervention.

Right before he reached the clearing a certain sound stopped him in his tracks. It wasn't crying or a loud struggle, it was... Laughter?

He peeked through the treeline to see (Y/n) and Ganondorf- both fully clothed- in the stream, splashing the cold water at one another in what could only be described as completely innocent play. The man's hands were much larger than the little Princess' so he was winning their splash fight rather soundly. Still, the soft Princess hadn't given up yet and she was not playing fairly.

Through a mix of time-displacement and Ultra-hand, she was redirecting the water back to the Gerudo king. Both were laughing even as the icy touch of the water send shivers through them. Eventually, Ganondorf had managed to temporarily distract (y/n) long enough to lift her from the ground and dunk her in the deeper part of the stream.

"I yield! I yield!"

(Y/n) laughed even as she cried out her surrender shaking her soft Zonai ears free of the water, playfully shoving the larger man. They were both panting at this point as they let the water settle, standing far too closely together for Rauru's liking. Eventually, (y/n) was the one to move closer to the Gerudo king, her head tilted to one side in an almost curious expression. The king didn't fight as the little Hylian-Zonai pulled him down to her level, hands resting on either cheek. But as the distance between them began to close, Rauru felt compelled to act.

"Ahem."

The sudden clearing of his throat made (Y/n) quickly pull away, looking towards the sound with a mixture of surprise and irritation. That bit of surprise faded away almost instantly when she saw who it was that had intruded upon what was meant to be a private moment. Now her expression was one of complete irritation as she stared out at her father.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you are."

"Well, don't let my presence stop you then. Unless, you know you are doing something you shouldn't."

This caused a reaction he didn't expect from his little daughter, her form easily rising from the waters and her expression one of anger. Her lip curled back to show her teeth as she sneered in his direction, clearly upset at the intrusion from her father.

"Doing something I shouldn't? Like what? Fostering positive relations with our neighboring Kingdoms?"

"This is not fostering positive relations. This is canoodling with a violent monster!"

Those words caused a cascading reaction that neither Rauru nor Ganondorf had expected from the soft Hylian-Zonai. The sharp sound of a slap echoing in the clearing put a rather fine point on the anger of the little Princess towards her father. Her Zonai ears were flat against her head as she glared poisonously at him, her hand still in the raised position it ended in.

"How dare you? How dare you talk that way about the man I love? A monster? You are the monster."

Her angry tone broke with the hitch of a sob as tears filled her once trusting and affectionate eyes. Though she was soaked through with the cold water of the stream, she was still quite swift as she ran back towards the castle, tears staining their way down her delicate cheeks.

"Wait! (Y/n), wait, I said!"

Rauru attempted to call out, but his sweet daughter was already too far and too upset to hear him. Despite how he wanted to chase her, he was still near the demon of man who had entranced her in the first place. He turned to look at the afore mentioned man, surprised to see one of the most wicked grins on the man's face as he stared in triumph. His voice dripped in a mocking saccharine tone as he taunted the Zonai.

"This will certainly make her listen to you and not resent you at all. Absolutely. Well done, oh 'great king of Hyrule'."

"Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth, Ganondorf."

"Oh? (Y/n) seemed to enjoy this forked tongue of mine quite a bit."

"If you put your hands on her-"

"The only hands I have placed on Princess (Y/n) are the ones she's asked for. Can you say the same?"

Rauru could feel the rage in his chest as the sun-kissed king sauntered away back to the castle, leaving the Zonai King to his thoughts. Instead of getting his beloved (Y/n) to see what a monster Ganondorf was, Rauru instead turned her against him. The only way he could possibly heal the now deep rift between him and his daughter was to get Ganondorf to show his true colors to the world.

Hopefully that would be enough to make (Y/n) see.

[multi-fandom-imagine]

« You Belong || Prince Sidon ||

A/n: here is the fic idea I was talking about, but I will give it a more happier ending! Though I’m not quite sure how I feel about this one.

And thank you anon for this lovely idea

Warnings: Blood, child birth/mentions of child birth.

To say Sidon wasn’t over protective of you would be an understatement. The man was constantly by your side and if he wasn’t he had no begged is sister and to Yona to watch over you.

He didn’t trust anyone else near you, how could he? He wasn’t deaf to the whispers of the people, how some would often say he wasn’t the father. How could he be?

You were the first Hylian to become pregnant by a Zora and honestly he was a bit sick of watching you get poked and prodded and then he revived the news of his close friend and Zelda vanishing. He couldn’t imagine what his sister was going through, didn’t want to imagine if you left his life.

It was even more troubling when the slug started to appear in the Domain, he didn’t want you anywhere near that and while he hated to leave you alone he knew what he had to do.

“Sidon, please be careful.”

Stepping close to you, he placed his hand on your stomach rubbing the bump gently. “I’m always careful haha!” Doing his best to stay positive he cupped your cheek then stepped back. “Yona will be watching over you.”

Watching him closely, you rubbed your stomach doing your best to push the pain aside as he vanished into the waterfall.

Hearing your name being called, your turned spotting Yona, a look of concern on her face as she quickly made her way towards you. “Why didn’t you tell him.”

“He has to much to worry about….dealing with whatever is causing the slug now I think I’m going to just lay.” Gritting your teeth you stumbled forward clutching your stomach, nearly falling to your knees you were pulled into Yona’s embrace.

“How long have you’ve been holding back these contractions?” The woman’s voice was full of panic as she called over one of the Hylian medics that were watching over you.

“Only a few hours?” You let out a weak laugh, your eyes closing for a moment feeling a rush of pain wash over you, it felt like you were being torn apart from the inside.

Shaking her head, Yona did her best to explain the situation but she was more concerned with you. Your skin tone was starting to lose its natural color and the metallic scent of the blood was making her sick, she knew she had to do something but she knew nothing about humans. “You’re both going to be fine, I promise. I’ll keep them safe Sidon.”

The birth was grueling, you could feel the blood but that’s the only thing you felt. You tried to listen to the Hylian woman telling you when to push. You tried to keep your gaze focus on Yona but it at felt to much, it hurt to much.

A broken cry tore from your lips as you fell back on the bed. “I can’t do this! I can’t.”

Grasping your hand on hers, Yona did her best to give you a smile. “You can do this! You will do this! And you will do this. You and Sidon are going to be wonderful parents…you must push.”

Taking in a deep breath and taking her words to heart you continued to push until you heart the cry of a small infant fill the small room.

A weak smile formed on your face though your eyes started to slide closed. Yona panicking as she rushed to your side still holding the crying infant. “No..no you must wake up.” Calling out your name she placed the infant by your side hoping, praying for a reaction.

And nothing, no smile, no in take of breaths. You were quiet and still, like everyone in the room though it was the Hylian that watched over you that broke the silence.

“What do we do?”

Blinking away a few tears, Yona picked up the infant as she hugged the little girl to her chest. “Clean her, we can not let Sidon see her like this, I will not let him see her like this.”

•

Waking up to nothing but an ocean of blue was an odd feeling, you really didn’t know what to expect. You also didn’t expect to see a woman that looked so much like your love.

“Mipha? You’re Sidon’s sister?”

“I am…I never expected my brother to follow in my footsteps for falling for a Hylian though.” Letting out a soft laugh you couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her though your heart dropped when you realized what she meant.

“Am I dead.”

“Not quiet….I couldn’t just sit by.” Stepping close to you, Mipha placed a gentle hand on your cheek as she gave you a soft smile. “Thank you for loving my brother.”

And with that you were engulfed in a blue light, the former Princess fading form your vision as you gasped for air.

•

“I do not.” Sidon frowned looking at the squirming infant in his hands. She was so small, she looked so much like you. He could see some features of himself, the eyes, little fangs poking from her gums whenever she would let out her cry’s, webbed fingers and toes. He could even see a red hue to her skin and while he took her appearance in he tried to wrap his head around what Yona told me.

‘Gone…how could you be gone?’

“I want to see her.”

“Sidon..I don’t think!”

“You will not deny me this.” Nothing mattered to him right now, he needed to see you, had to see you.

Quietly, Yona gave the King a nod as she lead to him to where they were keeping you. Silence filled the room as he knelt down beside you. He tried to blink away the tears but seeing you, he knew he couldn’t hold back.

It felt like nothing when he lost his sister, he felt like he had just lost his soulmate. The infant letting out little cry’s as he pressed his head against yours. “I’m sorry my bro ex. I should have stayed by your side. I should have.”

Yona stepped back, her hands clasped in front of her as she watched the scene unfold. Her heart clenching tightly in her chest. Seeing someone so strong, someone that always had a smile on his face, it made her sick. Just as she was about to give him some space, she winced from the bright blue light engulfing the room followed by a shark intake of your breath.

Tears were streaming down your face but you were alive, and Sidon looked so happy. The man tugging you close to his chest careful not to hurt the infant that was laying next to you.

“You’re alive…h-how.”

Giving him a weak smile you placed your hand against his cheek. Leaning into your warmth, Sidon closed his eyes as he did his best to to listen to how you recovered.

“I’m happy I’ve got to meet her, at least once.”

Shifting his body so you and his child were in his arms, Sidon placed a small kiss on top of your forehead. “I am too.”

He always knew his sister was special and he couldn’t help but feel joy knowing that she was watching over everyone.

[one-idea]

Nika reincarnated and the King of Hell.

I don’t know how many of you are Zelda fans but Luffy being the sun god Nika could go crazy hard with the Skyward Sword storyline.

For those of you who have not played Skyward sword no worries I’m changing enough of the plot it won’t matter to much

Let’s say there is the legend of Nika. A legend pass down of the sun god who came to earth to liberate slaves and return joy and freedom to the world.

Most of the texts has been lost but the oral tradition keeps the story alive. However it is not a totally accurate account.

They tell the story of Nika’s exploits on Earth. Including his help from other gods/angels/deities.

But the most famous tale is the story of Nika’s fight with the King of Hell. The fight to free the people of this world. Nika was able to seal away the King of Hell but was fatally wounded as a result of the fight.

However the true version this tale had been lost to time. The current version is missing quite a lot of detail. Including the fact that Nika, perhaps knowing he would be needed again or just wanting to be with his friends and loved ones once more, sacrificed his immortality so that his soul could reincarnate as a human.

Thousands of years later Luffy is born.

After Luffy unlocks Gear 5 he starts to get these weird visions or feelings. It starts out while he’s sleeping but he’s starting to get them while he’s awake. It’s starting to worry the crew. One minute he will be standing there talking to them and then the next his eyes are locked on the horizon, but they aren’t really seeing anything and he’s not responding to their calls.

It’s only for short periods of time, and Luffy tries to brush them off with the crew, but he’s really starting to freak out. Because he’s seeing things that he does not remember happening.

When they arrive on the next island Luffy gets separated from the others. Maybe a cult follower of Nika. Maybe an old friend, someone who already remembers their past life with Nika and is here to help Luffy as he unlocks his memories. (Maybe Shanks or Sabo, someone Luffy would willingly go with and trust them when they say his crew will be fine)

Meanwhile, while Luffy is going on a journey of self discovery, the crew is losing their minds

Specifically Zoro. He’s been having weird dreams since Enies Lobby when he unlocked his Asura form for the first time. They were few and far between but they always freaked him out because why was he fighting Luffy in those dreams?

It’s been getting worse since he gained Enma. Every night since picking up that sword he’s been having weird dreams. Something that used to happen once a month at most is now a nightly occurrence. And then when he unlocked the title King of Hell he started getting them in the day. And he’s starting to freak out. Because he’s starting to remember their previous lives. But nothing makes sense. There are some memories where Zoro?Asura? and Luffy?Nika? Seem to act like they do now, there are some memories where they seem closer (memories that make his cheeks burn) but there are also memories where they seem to be at each others throats and fighting to the death. But that seems to be only one memory, the one memory that won’t leave him alone.

And he’s been wondering for weeks if Luffy has been remembering to. If the pauses where he zones out are actually him being plaguing by visions to. But he’s to scared to ask, because what if the only memory Luffy has of past Zoro is them fighting? Or what if Luffy isn’t seeing visions and Zoro is just crazy?

And now Luffy has gone missing and they need to find him but they keep getting to him to late. Luffy’s moved on to the next temple, next location, and they are always just a step behind their captain.

(Note other crew members are remembering things from their past lives as well. I haven’t placed them all yet but they were definitely around with Nika in the past. Now what role they played is up for debate. A different god/ one of Nika’s angels/ or just a person who was loyal to Nika in the past, someone he liked enough to tie them to his soul when it reincarnated.)

Once they reunite Luffy and Nika have fully merged. The crew can tell he’s different. But they don’t have long to talk. Something is coming. Whatever happened in the past is about to come again and Nika has to hold it off until the crew is ready to fight. (Till they remember what he does) he goes to do this but swears to them that no matter what happens or what they remember he’s still their captain, he’s still their Luffy.

And the he’s gone again. Somewhere they can’t follow this time. Not until they remember. Not until their enemy is defeated.

As they go on their quest they all start to remember different parts of the story. Which could lead to one of them (probably Sanji) remembering the final fight between Asura and Nika. But he has no other context so it just lead to him and Zoro fighting because he thinks Zoro is their enemy or at least he used to work for him, because Asura dealt the fatal blow to Nika which started this reincarnation crap.

It isn’t until they put the whole story together that they find out Asura was possessed when he fought Nika. It was an unseeable betrayal because it wasn’t a betrayal. Once Asura delt the fatal blow to Nika he snapped out of it. He followed Nika’s decision to sacrifice his immortality in the hopes that they could be together again.

The main enemy is probably Imu. An ancient deity who Nika sealed the powers of long ago. Enough time has passed that the seal has weakened and that is way Luffy has to hold the seal while his crew gets their memories back.

I love Zelda and I think this could be a lot of fun taking elements of both skyward sword and Tears of the kingdom to make it work.

Obviously the whole crew had their roles in the past life. So did Ace, Sabo, Shanks and others

I kinda like the idea of Shanks being Luffy’s guide to his memories while his crew runs interference with the Strawhats. One of the great parts of Skyward swords story is your always a step behind Zelda and Impa never lets you forget that you were to slow to save her. That if Impa wasn’t there Zelda would be dead, and Link would have been to slow and weak to stop it. The idea of Shanks crew (and maybe Mihawk) taunting the Strawhats with the fact that they are to slow or weak to protect their captain has a lot of drama to it. Luffy’s safe, Shanks’ wouldn’t let anything happen to him, but the fact that they (the Strawhats) are to slow to help him over and over has to hurt.

This could also work really well with Sabo in this position. Sabo helping Luffy with his memories while Dragon taunts the crew.

I also love the idea that for centuries Asura was blamed for Nika’s death and Zoro and the crew learning about it with no context. Zoro would lose his mind at just the idea that he could ever be the one responsible for killing Luffy in a past life. Of course it’s not the full truth as they later find out but that moment would be awesome.

Let me know what you guys think. I want to talk about this more.

[links-in-time]

Wild Visions - Chapter 4

The Chain tries to figure out what has affected their Wild brother. Meanwhile, Hyrule tries to do some investigating while playing along as Princess Zelda.

🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴

“Woah, Sailor, slow down, what do you mean Hyrule is Zelda?” Time asked, trying to understand Wind's wild and mostly incoherent babbling. 

He, Legend and Sky had returned to camp late in the afternoon, closely followed by Twilight and Warriors. Wind had instantly fallen into telling them of their meeting with Wild on the road near the Rito village. 

“He tied us up and left us there. But he took Hyrule with him, he kept calling him ‘your highness’. He didn't attack him at all.” Legend explained, while he allowed Wars to tend to his dislocated arm. 

“Wild also took the Master Sword, he didn't seem at all happy that I had it,” Sky added, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

The young knight had retrieved the Master Sword when the first portal had opened in his time. He had briefly heard Fi call out to him and urge him to take her on his journey. That had been months ago now, and her familiar weight on his back had become a comfort. Now he felt almost too light without her there. He knew well enough that each of the heroes of Hyrule had their own relationships with the sword. Some were better than others. But he wasn't the only one that mattered. Whatever mad state Wild was in, he clearly remembered his connection to the Master Sword. 

“He didn't seem like he was going to hurt Rulie?” Four tried to clarify. 

“Not at all. For whatever reason, Wild seems convinced that the traveler is his Zelda. And if we can be sure of one thing about Wild, he will defend Zelda with his life. I don't think we have to worry about Hyrule,” Sky insisted. 

“So what do we do?” Asked the Captain. 

At that moment he popped Legend's shoulder back into position. Most of the boys winced at the scream which tore its way up Legend's throat. Wind, who had been sipping on a potion, spat out a mouthful and quickly wiped his face on the back of his sleeve. 

“Sorry Lege, you were pretty nicely distracted,” Wars patted him on the back and offered the Vet a potion. 

Legend snatched it from the Captain’s hand, glaring at him as he took a violent swig. 

“Wild clearly doesn't recognise the rest of us. He never said a word when he attacked Four and myself,” said Time. 

“He only spoke to Hyrule when we saw him,” Wind added. 

“Sounds like how he was before,” Twilight uttered, deep in thought while he'd listened to the others. 

“Before?” Asked Four, “before when?”

“Before the Calamity.” 

***

Link felt greatly relieved to have Zelda back under his watchful gaze. He still couldn't remember how they had been separated in the first place. But he decided that in light of rescuing her from the Yiga soldiers, it was of little consequence. 

They walked in relative silence around the perimeter of Lake Totori, the light of the slowly fading sun reflecting off its deep waters. On their left, the imposing pillar of rock the Rito called home stood silhouetted against the sky. High above, Link could see the tiny forms of Rito flying among the clouds. He wondered where Revali might be. Whether he might be at home with his people, or spending time at Hyrule Castle with the king and the other champions. 

The sooner he and Zelda reached home, the sooner Link would find out. 

Night began to fall as they reached the stable. Link approached the front desk and asked for two horses for himself and his traveling companion. They had always agreed he wouldn't refer to the Princess by any royal titles while in common company, just in case they were ambushed by Yiga. 

“Link, it’s getting late,” Hyrule pointed out, stepping forwards and offering Wild a sleepy smile. “Perhaps we should stay here for the night and push on in the morning. We're not in any rush and it would be safer to travel by day.”

Link considered the proposal for a moment. Zelda was right that the roads were safer during the day. At least they wouldn't have to worry about stalfos. Also Zelda would be able to get a good night's sleep in a bed before a long day of riding. As much as Link felt a nagging in the back of his mind to get going, he didn't want Zelda to suffer on his account. 

“Alright, we can stay the night. I'll stand guard outside,” Link decided. 

Hyrule almost panicked, but he managed to keep his cool and kept talking. 

“But surely you need rest too, Link? How will you protect me if you're tired?” 

“I've traveled for days without sleep before, I can manage,” Link replied, offering Hyrule a placating smile before turning away from the desk. 

Hyrule wanted Wild to go to sleep so that he could search through his stuff. He hoped he might find something to tell him what had happened to his friend, but he couldn't do that if Wild insisted on staying awake. Then Hyrule had a thought. He wasn't Hyrule at the moment, at least not to Wild anyway. He was Zelda and Wild had sworn to protect and obey the Princess of Hyrule. 

“Link, I order you to sleep.” 

Wild halted in his tracks. Hyrule gulped, nervous that he'd overstepped. A moment later, Wild's shoulders sagged and he turned his head to look back at Hyrule 

“Alright, fine. I suppose we're safe enough here. And there's always someone at the front desk.” Wild sighed and walked back to the front of the kiosk. “Will you swear to wake me if there is trouble?”

The man behind the counter appeared a little startled by this request, but quickly overcame it. 

“I swear to wake you sir, but rest assured these lands have been much safer in recent times.”

Link thought that was an odd thing to say. Perhaps the Rito had been running extra patrols. Revali’s last report had told of more monster sightings in the hills and around the Hebra mountains. Still, he nodded and thanked the stable-keep. 

He and Zelda found a pair of beds together on the far side of the room. Link carefully lent the Master Sword against the wall by the head of his bed, before taking off his boots and his belts. Zelda was quick to get herself comfortable and snuggled up under the blankets. Link almost chuckled at how only her eyes and nose were visible above the top of the blankets. 

Zelda had such beautiful eyes, filled with light and wonder, like the light of - a fairy. Wild and untamed -  

Link shook his head. For a brief moment he thought he was looking at someone else. But there was Zelda, her eyelids softly drifting shut as her head sank into the pillow. 

Everything was alright. Zelda was safe and Link would take her to the castle. He would fulfill his latest command and everything would be alright. 

***

“You all know Wild remembers very little about his life before Calamity Ganon,” Twilight sighed. 

The others nodded as they gathered around their newly rebuilt campfire to listen. 

“When Wild remembers something, he often slips into a catatonic state and he won't respond to anything for a while. Then when he comes back to himself, sometimes the things he remembers affect how he behaves. For example, he told me once that he remembered a time when Zelda was one of the few people he would speak with. With anyone else he would sign or simply not speak at all. The memory was so strong that he struggled to talk to us for a few days afterwards.”

“Do you think he's stuck in a memory?” Wars suggested. “He's reliving some trauma where Zelda was in danger so he's doing everything he can to protect her.”

“That could be one explanation,” Twilight nodded. 

“There's something else too,” Time spoke up. “I found muddle bud spores on Four’s tunic after Wild attacked us.”

“So he's confused,” Sky remarked. “That's why he didn't recognise any of us. The muddle bud made him think we were enemies.”

“We could have looked like anything to him if he got hit by that stuff,” Legend huffed, rubbing at his newly healed shoulder. 

“But why does he think Hyrule is Zelda? That's what I don't get,” said Twilight, rubbing his hands over his face. 

“I don't think we're going to find the answers tonight,” Time sighed. “At least we know where he's going, and we know he can't teleport with more than one person, so he and Rulie will have to walk or ride to the castle. If Wild let's Zelda stop to rest on the way, which I can almost guarantee he will do, we should be able to catch up to them easily enough.” 

“Then I suggest we leave at first light and cut across country to make up for lost time,” Wars stated, slapping his hands on his thighs. 

“I agree, everyone get some sleep. I'll take first watch,” Time decided “We'll break camp in the morning.”

***

Hyrule itched to get up out of bed. But just because Wild had agreed to go to sleep, didn't necessarily mean he was going to do it. As dutiful as Wild seemed towards his Zelda, Hyrule knew him a lot better than even Wild thought. He suspected that Wild would try and stay awake as long as possible to keep a subtle eye on Zelda as she slept. So Hyrule waited as long as he could to make sure Wild had in fact fallen asleep. 

Even then Hyrule forced himself to stay put. Wild was one of their lightest sleepers, the slightest sound could wake him even from a deep sleep. Leaving Hyrule to fight off his own fatigue and wait for the tell tale sound of Wild's breathing to change. 

Somewhere after midnight, Hyrule took his chance. He soundlessly slipped out of his bed and crept across to Wild's. His slate lay on the pillow beside his head. With feather light fingers, Hyrule pilfered the device and turned it away so the light wouldn't fall onto Wild's face. 

Hyrule quickly but clumsily flicked through Wild's inventory. He didn't know what he was searching for, but he had spent enough time looking over Wild's shoulder while he'd consulted his slate, that he hoped he would notice something obvious if he saw it. Nothing jumped out at Hyrule however. There were no new plants in his ingredient list. No cursed items in his inventory. Also nothing of note seemed to be missing either. 

Defeated by his first search, Hyrule carefully replaced the slate where he'd found it. He knew Wild kept almost everything he had in his slate, but he also carried an adventurer's pouch just like the rest of them did. Since Wild had slept on top of the blankets, it made it easier for Hyrule to pick Wild's pockets. There wasn't much to be found in the first pouch Hyrule tried. Some dirt and a few bits of broken twig, along with a few golden seeds and his climbing gloves. His second pouch almost felt empty too, until Hyrule's finger tip brushed something hard and cold. 

He hesitated before gingerly removing the object from Wild's pouch. Hyrule turned with the thing gripped in his fist and held it beneath a nearby lamp. It glinted in the warm light, and Hyrule saw at once that it was a small glass vial. Similar in shape and size to the ones Wild used to keep his elixirs in. Only this one was a colour Hyrule had never seen before. 

The liquid inside was a warm honey yellow with a very runny consistency. As he tilted it one way it appeared almost clear, but if he shook it, the contents would become completely opaque. Knowing better by now than to drink strange potions, Hyrule popped off the cork and took a sniff. 

Though it looked like honey it almost certainly wasn't. There was nothing sweet or familiar about whatever was inside that vial. It was certainly magical however, which is why Hyrule slapped the cork back in almost immediately. The magic inside felt like corruption, like the miasma that choked his era. It was so foul it almost made him retch. 

Had Wild drunk some of this stuff? Was that why he was acting so strangely? But surely, even with his low ability for magical perception, Wild would have sensed the dark aura over such an item. Then another idea dawned on Hyrule. What if he'd been forced to drink it? What if someone with vicious intent was behind Wild's actions? 

Hyrule didn't have to reach far to think of a certain someone he knew might be capable of something like this. Had their persistent enemy finally found a way to corrupt one of their own? Had Dink got to Wild while the rest of them were sound asleep? If he had, Hyrule merely added this latest crime to Dark Link's long list of offenses against his brothers. 

< Part 3 : Part 5 >

[aegon-targaryen]

Lost and Found

Zelink Week Day 1: Under the Stars | TP Zelink | read on AO3) | @zelinkcommunity

On the other side of the suspension bridge, Link took a deep breath of chilly air and released it in a long gust. From the back of her horse, Zelda could see the tension leaving his shoulders, could see the absent smile tugging at his lips. Trees bent down over the path to greet them with the sunset colors of autumn.

She had never visited Ordona before, but she did owe its Light Spirit a debt. She sent a silent prayer towards the spring as they rode past, as thanks for rescuing her and Link from Ganondorf’s warpath over a year ago. That was the first moment of quiet the two of them ever shared—his hand outstretched across the golden water, his fierce eyes softening as Zelda slid her fingers through his—but not the last.

“We’re here,” Link said, dismounting in the next clearing. Zelda’s eyes found the massive oak and followed the ladder up to the door carved into its trunk. As usual, he’d been overly modest in his description.

They tended to the horses and carried their bags up the ladder. The curved walls of the oak were lined with bookshelves and tools from the life he’d left behind. Wind rustled the forest outside, making the treehouse creak around them, and a faint smile flickered across Link’s face at the sound. He brushed his fingers over the wooden tabletop, finding it free of dust, and said with a sigh, “I keep telling Uli she doesn’t have to come in here and clean.”

“Is the bed up there?” Zelda wondered, studying the series of lofts overhead.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Link countered in a deadpan voice he must have picked up from Midna.

She swatted him playfully. “And here I was about to compliment your home!”

“Thanks. I’m glad you finally gave in.”

“Well, you were…persistent.”

“The harvest festival—”

“—only comes once a year, yes.” Zelda smiled at him. “But if I return to find my kingdom overthrown, I expect you to deal with the fallout.”

“You’ll return to find everything just as you left it,” Link decided, kissing her forehead, “because your hard work has paid off, and your people love you, and you deserve a break.”

Heat rose to her cheeks, and she was still trying to formulate a response when a shout rang out from the clearing outside: “Link’s here!”

Grinning from ear-to-ear, he pulled her back out into the brisk day. A group of children was running to meet him, and as soon as he dropped down from the ladder, the three older ones pounced, tackling him to the ground in a tangled heap of cheers and laughter. One little boy with round cheeks and a stoic expression stood apart, watching Zelda’s descent.

“Queen Zelda,” he greeted. “When you have time, I have several business propositions to discuss.”

Link had warned her about this. Zelda met the boy’s eyes solemnly. “You must be Malo. I owe you my thanks for repairing Castle Town’s southern bridge and remodeling that store in the square. Both have done wonders for commerce.”

He nodded, taking compliment as his due, though the almost imperceptible twitch of his mouth gave Zelda the impression that he wasn’t used to being taken seriously. On the ground, Link was still laughing with a kind of reckless abandon he’d rarely shown when they first came to know each other in the days and weeks after Midna’s departure. The entire world seemed a ruin then, and joy long out of reach; now it was right here in this sunlit clearing, wrapped around Zelda like a warm cloak.

She’d heard enough about these children that she could guess their names even before being told. Colin resembled his father, though something of his sweet, shy demeanor also reminded her of Link. Talo seemed the complete opposite of his brother, loud and curious, and Beth kept staring longingly at Zelda’s fine silk riding skirts and dark Sheikah cloak.

The children towed Link down towards the village, where people were rolling out log tables and hanging lanterns from the trees. She knew Rusl from his time in Castle Town; some of the others dipped into awkward bows or curtsies, and the mayor started stuttering out a formal greeting before Link stopped them with a roll of his eyes.

“Call me Zelda,” she said, the words unfamiliar and a little uncertain in her mouth—but she wasn’t here as queen; she was here as someone who mattered to Link.

And what a weightless feeling that was.

“Where’s Uli?” Link asked Rusl.

“Cooking. By the way, Fado could use your help with the goats.”

“How is he not better at that by now?” Link muttered, glancing at Zelda apologetically. “Fine, but we’re going to see Uli first.”

He led her across a shallow creek and up to a cottage on the hill. The moment he opened the door, the smell of pumpkin and cloves drifted outside, making Zelda sigh with longing. There was an older blond woman at the stove—looking remarkably serene despite the toddler bumbling around her legs and the mountain of dirty dishes in the sink—and another face she knew well from the Resistance.

“You came!” Ilia sang, rushing around the table to pull her into an embrace. Zelda hugged her back, surprised but smiling. The older woman kissed Link’s cheek and put her young daughter in his arms, crossing the room to take Zelda’s hands.

“Welcome, Zelda,” she said so warmly that it ached—in a sweet way, though. “I’m Uli. I’m so glad to finally meet you.”

“Thank you, Uli. I feel the same way.”

“I should go make sure Fado hasn’t been trampled by goats,” Link said, meeting Zelda’s eyes over the toddler’s head as she tried to grab at his earring. “You want to come with, or…?”

“I’ll stay and help.”

He smiled, glancing between her and his best friend and the woman who had raised him before he set the child down, stepping outside.

Uli took Zelda’s cloak as she shrugged it off. “Perhaps some tea? Please don’t feel obligated to help.”

“Link has been teaching me to cook,” Zelda replied, sensing her uncertainty about how to host a queen. “I’m always eager to practice.”

“Oh, wonderful. Perhaps you could chop those onions.”

Zelda got to work. She could still see Link through the window—Colin and Talo were shrieking in delight as they dangled from each of his arms; Beth clung to his legs, and he was pretending they all weighed a thousand pounds as he trudged dramatically towards the ranch with Malo trailing somberly behind.

“He looks good,” Uli observed.

“He looks happy,” Ilia agreed fondly.

Hearing the relief in their voices, it struck Zelda that the Link she saw out there, so removed from fear and doubt, was who he’d been before they met. He’d made peace with what he’d done for Hyrule—as much as anyone could—but that didn’t mean he would ever be carefree again.

Her eyes stung. Because of the onions, of course, nothing else.

“I’m grateful to you,” Uli said quietly, following her gaze out the window. “He’s been through so much that Rusl and I don’t understand. But he says that you see him clearly.”

That was true. No matter how different their backgrounds, there was so much Zelda shared with Link. The memories of neverending dusk, of wolves with bloody muzzles, of Midna’s coy smirk and stubborn pride. The scar Zelda’s unwilling blade had carved beneath his eye; the lightning-marks climbing up her limbs from when he’d redirected magic at her puppeted body. They were tied together in a way that had terrified Zelda at first—but that was before she’d loved him.

She wiped her stinging eyes and said simply, “He sees me too.”

For a long while, it was just the three women in the kitchen: chopping vegetables, making easy conversation, keeping the toddler out of mischief. Link popped his head in to see if Zelda needed rescuing, but she sent him off with a smile. The shadows grew long and the dishes came together one by one: pumpkin soup, pumpkin fritters, meat-stuffed pumpkin, pumpkin pie…

“Are we making anything that doesn’t include pumpkin?” she wondered at one point.

Ilia peered at her in bafflement. “Why would we?”

That seemed a fair point. The house smelled absolutely divine by the time they were ready to carry everything outside. The villagers were lighting paper lanterns to offset the fading daylight, turning Ordon into a world of flickering fireflies.

Dinner was a noisy affair, with everyone passing food and pumpkin cider around the log tables and shouting to be heard. To her own surprise, Zelda didn’t mind the noise. She liked the simple delight on the children’s faces when she answered their questions about life in the castle, the pride she felt when Link complimented her cooking, the teasing stories everyone told about his childhood. It was like the villagers all formed a circle together, and Zelda was inside its protection without question, despite her status and her past.

When the adults had a few pints down, someone broke out a country fiddle and began playing a lively tune that made the children jump up immediately. Everyone else followed but for Uli and Rusl, who lingered for a moment, exchanging glances while their daughter wriggled impatiently on the bench in between them.

“We just want you to know how happy we are that you came,” Rusl told Zelda quietly. “I don’t know what use a little farming town could possibly be for a queen, but you’ll always be welcome in Ordon.”

“Always,” Uli added quietly, and there was something perceptive in her soft gaze that suddenly reminded Zelda of her own mother, witty and devoted and six years gone. She managed a grateful nod as the couple finally got their daughter’s cooperation and joined the dance.

Colin grabbed his little sister’s hands, bouncing her around to the beat, while Uli and Rusl flowed together like an old river following its familiar banks. Ilia was giggling at her father as he stumbled through the steps. These people had suffered greatly under the Twilight—and surely they weren’t strangers to hardship before that, all the way out here at the mercy of the seasons—but they loved each other so freely, so simply, that it made Zelda’s throat constrict.

She had so much now: Link, Auru, her other friends in the Resistance, and a whole castle of people she was finally learning how to trust. But her family was long gone. And it was at times like this that she felt them most acutely. Her father wouldn’t have associated with these people, but she could almost see her mother dancing to the fiddle with her skirts swirling around her, unrestrained by duty or propriety.

Link’s hand found hers under the table. “You okay?”

“I—yes. It’s only…”

When she trailed off, Link squeezed her hand and suggested quietly, “Let’s go look at the stars.”

Zelda breathed out a sigh of relief as he led her towards the river, allowing the laughter and lanternlight to fade behind them. The sky over Ordon was breathtakingly clear, unimpeded by the lights of Castle Town. Instead of admiring its majesty, she buried her face in Link’s shoulder for a moment, feeling the rhythm of his pulse and the warmth of his hands as he stroked her hair.

“It must be hard for you to be here,” he ventured after a while. “I’m sorry.”

“Your family is wonderful,” Zelda said honestly. “It’s simply…complicated, for me. But it’s complicated for you to be with a queen, and that hasn’t stopped you. This won’t stop me.”

“I would never try to replace what you lost. But I’m here, Zelda. I’m always here.”

“I know,” she said, finally turning her gaze skyward. She’d spent a thousand sleepless nights this way, wishing she could pluck just one of those distant lights out of the black canvas to guide her path. Maybe she’d succeeded after all—because she had Link at her side now, keeping her company when everything else seemed dark. “Thank you, Link. For being here.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” he said, drawing her in for a long kiss. She felt a smile tugging at his lips before he pulled away. “Except maybe my treehouse. I never got the chance to show you the bed.”

She laughed. “That’s for later. Would you teach me how Ordonians dance first? I only know the waltz.”

“Oh, Zelda,” Link said with all the soft sincerity of starlight, “I’d love to.”

When they returned to the music and the gentle orange glow of the lanterns, everyone smiled at Zelda in a way that reached past some barrier deep inside her to embrace the lonely, frightened girl she’d once been, before the landslide of events that started with Midna’s sharp-toothed grin and led to this moment, to these people. Link brought her into the circle, and under the gentle glow of the stars, Zelda learned to dance.

.

.

.

[candy-floss-consumer]

Hello every-sprout! My most recent event!fic was supposed to be my last one of the year, but when @zelda-the-sacred-realm announced an artist/writer event for their wonderful comic, I really couldn’t resist!

My event piece is based largely on the presently available chapters of the comic. I saw the weeping goddess statue in Chapter 2, Part 7 and the writing creature in my brain immediately began frothing at the mouth. This short story takes place shortly before the beginning of the main comic, with a lot of foreshadowing toward certain parts of said comic.

I know there is a lot of available information, but I wrote most of this before remembering that the archive existed, haha. (I did take a peak at the post of how ToTK may affect the story, though, given that I chose dondons as their ranch animal of choice.)

*As a note, as there are sentient Lizalfos seen in Chapter 2, Part 5, I played with the idea of different, kinder Lizalfolk who have no desire to be manipulated by the cycle of darkness.

I sincerely hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Looking forward to how the rest of the Sacred Realm legend plays out! Much love 💕

SUMMARY:

Goddess Hylia has shed her tears for many of her children. The Goddess statues dotting Hyrule’s vast landscape and the statuettes held in many hands bring those tears into the mortal realm in order to heal wounds. According to legend, only the pleas of the righteous can bring them forth. But unknown to all, now that her powers have waned, only a Spirit of the Hero can reach her.

Still, the Goddess has other ways to help her people.

[Submission under the cut:]

a bit of warmth to you

a Zelda: The Sacred Realm Event!fic

     The tears of the Goddess had always been known to heal. Brought into the mortal realm by the statues made in her image, the myths surrounding the miraculous substance were nigh infinite. Fables that—in ancient times—ensured that any traveller with a shred of faith kept a statuette on their person. For safety. For assurance. For the day that they were brought to their knees. 

Or worse.

Pala’s great-grandma still kept one in her pocket on rainy days. On the desolate nights that her mother, Great-Great Grandma Cala, had marked the old cycle of the Blood Moon. Even now Pala could understand why she did it. On nights like those, every kind of ghost story felt real. 

She remembered snuggling up to Grams’ side in the old, creaky sofa still kept here in the summer house, a shiver barely touching the tip of her spine. The blinds to the window the sofa was placed adjacent to were cracked open just enough to see a sliver of the moon. Haunting as it was beautiful. Back then, her knees, young and knobby, would knock against her great-grandma’s with every fearful jolt. But Grams never said a word. Her gaze would flicker only from the statuette next to the old, weathered journal on the table to the silent vision of the moon above.

The sight of the eternally weeping goddess still stuck to the back of her mind, despite the many years that had passed since then.

She had gifted one to Pala at the end of her fifteenth summer. And despite Pala herself holding little belief in its power, she could not deny the comfort that the sight of the little statuette brought.

Unlike her great-grandma’s personal carving, this one was made of ivory. Likely sourced from a horn shedding one of their bucks had shucked off two winters before. Dondons were easy like that. Once their horn was detached, the shedding was no more important to them than a mildly interesting rock. Grandpa Dan had always claimed that was why their family had picked up ranching them. The horns were valuable. Easy to obtain if someone did it right. And dondons themselves were amicable animals.

The carving of the statuette was not shoddy by any means. It was actually quite beautiful. Made with more detail and skill than she had expected from her great-grandmother, given her arthritis. But Pala could tell there was a slight difference between hers and the one made of old kokiri wood Grams always carried.

Namely, the lack of tear tracks scorched into its face.

Even now she can picture the strangely perfect markings burnt into aged kokiri wood. Symmetrical. Down to the stray tear on either cheek. An impossible feat for human hands. The ivory statuette tucked away in the pouch at her hip had no such detail. 

But she knew better than to ask.

Pala rolled her shoulders, warding off the stiffness she could feel threatening to seep in. She needed to get moving anyhow. Heaven knows what Grams would say if she saw her still loitering around the front door at this hour. The sun was already tipping past the horizon line as it was.

She finished adjusting her breeches, tapping the heels of her boots a few times to get them fitting just right. Once everything was snug, she pushed the door open and stepped out into the cool morning air. It wouldn’t last for long, given the natural humidity in this region, but it was the best way to start the day. It made the gradual increase in heat more bearable. To Pala, at least.

She marched off the porch, grabbing a sputter lantern as she did so. Even with the sun pulling the sky into hues of purple and pink, the old stallhouse in the paddock hardly had an open ‘window’ for it to show through.

Their field in Upper Faron was quite a bit of land. It was less open than the one down near Lurelin, but it still had plenty of room. Most of the crowding came from the native flora. Crawling thickets and towering durian trees made it feel as if someone had built a low roof over the whole place. Not that the dondons cared any. They were short, heavyset animals with plenty of food to eat at their eye level. As far as they were concerned, the local thickets were an all-you-can-eat buffet. Another point of ease in their care, really.

Pala grunted as Lunal, the heifer in the stall closest to her, bumped into her keg with an unhappy snort.

“Fine, fine,” she placated, smoothing her hand over the beast’s blunt snout, “I get it. It’s scrub time.”

Lunal gave her the best estimation of a droll look that a dondon could perform. It was quite impressive actually. Pala shook her head with a laugh, lifting her scrub brush up to the beast’s back and getting to work.

══════════════════

     Pala looked down the field toward the river at the sound of a familiar shout. It was now about midday, and the sunlight easily permeated through the surrounding flora, allowing her to see. There, on the other side, was a quickly approaching Lizalfolk woman. As she grew closer, the clearer her features became. 

It was Talon. A Lizalfolk fisherwoman who had been a friend of the family for decades. Since around the time Great-Great Grandma Cala was girl, if she remembered right. Pala often thought of her as a sort of maternal figure. She was a mature woman. Confident and sturdy. 

Pala watched as she climbed up the small incline in a few short leaps. Almost as if she was in a rush. Pala had never seen her move so quick outside of fishing.

“Get Erta,” Talon grunted as she came to a stop in front of her. The panic that reflected in her eyes was unusual. Pala’s stomach twisted at the sight of it. When she hesitated, Talon frowned. “Now, Palais.” 

The intensity of her voice was alarming. But Pala nodded anyway and turned on her heel, rushing to the house. 

It felt like an omen. Like a warning. Briefly, she wondered about the town. About Hyrule itself. Hopefully, the royal family had received a warning as well. They were kind, as far as Pala knew. And they ruled well. It didn’t sit right with her that only she and her family would know. 

Though she wasn’t sure how they would be told about whatever was happening, but she was sure they could find out somehow. There was no way a bunch of dondon ranchers would be the only ones in Hyrule to be warned. 

Besides, didn’t heroes show up in times like this? It certainly felt like they should. Pala had never felt so nervous in her life.

She felt out of breath by the time she made it to the house. The door was already open, the muffled sound of Gram’s low voice easily heard. She sped inside.

Grams turned at the sound of her footsteps. She took one look at Pala’s face and frowned, sighing as she retrieved her cane.

“Talon—” She started. Grams waved her off, already limping toward the door. She glanced back for a moment. She gestured toward the outdoors with her chin.

“Let’s go, Palais.”

Pala nodded. She trotted forward, gently helping Grams walk as she guided her back to the lower hill. Talon remained where she had left her. The frown on her face must have remained the entire duration Pala was gone.

“Talon,” Erta leaned heavily on her cane as she approached the woman.

“Erta,” she returned quickly. She glanced behind herself, her eyes flickering across the empty plain. “You should move the herd early this season.”

Pala blinked in surprise. They had never changed fields so early. Not when the weather was so pleasant. At least, not to her memory.

Her great-grandma gave the fisherwoman a long, hard look.

“Dan won’t like it.”

“He doesn’t have to.” Talon glanced backwards again. “The thought of an adventure will win him over.”

Pala looked too, though she didn’t see anything. It was unlike Talon to be so jumpy. Yet she was. Pala returned her gaze to the fisherwoman as she spoke again.

“Besides,” Her gaze flickered toward the field Granddan was likely in, “The fresh Lurelin air would do him some good, too.”

Talon wasn’t wrong. Every trip back to Lurelin was always an adventure. It was never a guarantee just who someone could meet on the road. Nor could someone really predict the weather or how the terrain had changed in the past six months. Pala distinctly remembered a time when the river had moved, blindsiding the three of them.

The conversation continued, pulling her from her thoughts.

“What about you?” Grams asked. The natural follow up in a situation such as this. Pala glanced at Talon from her place at her great-grandma’s side. She wanted to know the answer, too. The fisherwoman shook her head. Pala frowned.

“Rivers are in my blood. You know that.”

Grams sighed. Her shoulders sunk, her mouth opening as she looked down, “Take care of yourself.”

“I always do.” Talon assured. Then, she turned her eyes to Pala. Her gaze flickers to the hilt of the throwing dagger at Pala’s hip. “Don’t forget what I taught you, Palais.”

A stone sunk into her stomach. Talon’s words felt less like a brief farewell and more like she might never see her again.

“I don’t think I could even if I tried,” she tried to smile, but she was sure it appeared more like a grimace. It was the best she could do. When Talon returned it, Pala didn’t say anything about how sad it looked.

The fisherwoman gave her an approving nod. Then, she looked back to Pala’s great-grandma. Despite the sincerity of her words, they sounded brittle. 

“May we meet again, my friend.” 

When Pala glanced at her, Grams smile had stiffened. She made the impossible promise anyway.

“Until then.”

══════════════════

     Grams had been right. Granddan was not happy about moving the herd. No matter how her great-grandmother had played it off as an adventure like Talon had suggested. Pala had always known that Granddan had been an adventurer when he was young. Peddling dondon ivory and the like as he went searching for anything that piqued his interest. He even claimed that a boy he’d met would one day grow up to be the Hero talked about in the old legends. Grandma Malta had called that particular claim hogwash all the way up to her deathbed, but for the first time in nearly a decade, Pala hoped it was true.

Hyrule might just need a hero right now.

She stayed quiet as she shuffled around the kitchenette, listening in as predictably, Granddan disagreed with the spontaneity of the plan. He didn’t like changing things so abruptly. And to be perfectly honest, neither did Grams. Which was probably what actually bothered him. Something about this entire situation had forced Grams’ hand. She would have never agreed to Talon’s suggestion otherwise.

“You understand this doesn’t make a lick of sense, don’t you?” Granddan asked, the question nearly rhetorical. Pala glanced at the pair just in time to see Grams raise a single, thick brow.

“And since when has ‘sense’ meant so much to you?” She rolled her shoulders, continuing her work and packing things away. “Don’t forget who raised you, boy.”

Granddan grumbled a bit under his breath.

“Guess I’ll have to head into town to send a courier down to Lachlan,” he spoke up, already turning toward the front door. Pala quickly looked back at the counter, hoping she wasn’t caught listening in. Granddan’s snort told her otherwise. She lifted her gaze. There weren’t that many private conversations in their little house, anyway.

“Don’t.” Grams called out before he took more than two steps. Granddan whipped black around, his brows drawn together in consternation.

“Whaddya mean, ‘don’t?’ He’s gotta know we’re coming.” Her grandfather made to turn back toward the door again. Grams wasn’t having any of it.

“I said, don’t.”

“You gotta start making sense sometime, Ma!” Granddan hissed. He gave up, marching over to one of the dining chairs and dropping into it with a heavy thud.

“Don’t you take that tone with me, Danel.” Grams pointed the knitting needle in her hand at him as she spoke. Wisely, Pala continued to stay quiet as the two ‘argued.’ Grams continued, “And it’ll make sense when it makes sense. It isn’t as if Lachlan puts anyone up in our old hut anyhow.”

Pala peered at Granddan, waiting to see what he would say. In the short silence that followed, Grams put her knitting away. When Pala glanced back at her, she saw that she had pulled the old calendar book from Great-Great Grandma Cala. Granddan had clearly caught sight of it. He didn’t say anything, but the frown on his face deepened. He looked to Pala just as she returned her gaze to him.

“C’mon Pala-girl,” Granddan said instead of what he so clearly wanted to, “Ol’ Kilo won’t listen to anybody ‘cept you.”

“Yessir,” Pala said as she, too, turned fully toward the front door. “Though, I think s’just ‘cause he don’t like you all that much, Granddan.”

Granddan sniffed.

“Maybe he would if he made better choices.”

“Don’t put him up in the stall next to the hutch, then.” Grams called out from behind them. Granddan couldn’t deny that she had a point. Pala figured he would refute it despite that. After all, dondons weren’t meant to eat cuccoo eggs. Kilo did it anyway.

“He should know better!” Granddan called back.

Pala thought to herself that Kilo did, in fact, know better. He just liked getting a rise out of Granddan. Just like his sire once did. She briefly wondered if her grandpa actually did know about Kilo’s tricks before quickly discarding the idea. If Granddan knew, he wasn’t letting on.

“C’mon Granddan,” Pala tugged on his arm, “I’ll even let you have Helt’s pasture.” She watched her offer work like a treat, the irritated look in Granddan’s eyes disappearing almost immediately. He patted her on the head.

“You’re a blessing straight from the goddesses, Pala-girl.”

“Course I am. I had you to raise me, didn’t I?”

Granddan laughed.

“That y’did, Pala-girl, that y’did.”

══════════════════

     Talon wasn’t there to see them off a few days later. Something about it seemed wrong to Pala, though the fisherwoman wasn’t always around to say goodbye most times anyhow. But a lot of things were different this time around. The way they felt watched when she came to them, her suggestion early move, Grams allowing the early move—nothing added up. Not really. It made Pala worry.

But Grams had been strict in their preparations. There was no time to go searching for her. Worse yet, a storm seemed to be approaching from the west. If they left now, they could probably outrun it. And mauve that had been Talon’s plam all along. Even if it felt like there was something more to it. But leaving now gave Pala no time to do anything else. No time to say goodbye. Not to the townspeople or the other Lizalfolk Pala knew. There just wasn’t enough.

That was what rattled her most.

Pala sighed, checking over the doors and windows in the house one last time. Granddan was out securing the last of the tarps, and the cuccoos were already caged up in the back wagon with Grams. She was the last one left. And terribly, she had the strangest feeling it would be the last time she was. The summer house wouldn’t be here when they got back.

At least not the way it looked now.

She shook her head. Stepping out into the late morning sun, she reached back to pull the door closed. It slotted almost perfectly into the frame. Each half of the latch mechanism lined up, clinking together as she moved the latchbolt into place. Her hand lingered for a moment. The other reached into the pocket with her ivory statuette of Hylia, holding tightly around the well-carved object.

Pala closed her eyes.

The prayer was short. But it didn’t need to be long. All Pala needed was safe passage and the promise of reunion. So that was what she asked for. The statuette sat warm in her hand, though she couldn’t tell for sure if it was the warmth of summer or an answer. She chose to believe the latter.

Her eyes opened.

“C’mon Pala-girl!” Granddan called from the driver’s seat of the front cart. She glanced over at the caravan. The entire herd was present, ready to follow Kilo and Lunal, the dame and darrow. Squinting, she could see that the two were already harnessed up. “Sun’ll only get hotter!”

Well, he wasn’t wrong.

Pala jogged up to the front cart, climbing into the seat next to her grandfather. Looking at the well-trodden path ahead of her, she could easily imagine they were going out on an adventure. Out to save the world, though it really only felt like they were saving the herd. Still, the thought made her feel a bit better about leaving. 

Two clicks and a familiar whistle later, they were off.

As the wagon rumbled over the ancient, weathered road, Pala felt the statuette in her pocket pulse once more with warmth. It was of little comfort, though it did soothe her nerves a bit. The distant clouds were suddenly just a bit lighter.

As if everything would somehow be alright.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Imprisoning War Drama is consuming me and I cannot contain it any longer, so... here you go.

Hemisi still couldn’t believe this was happening. Link was here. Zelda had sent him here.

Her beautiful, stupid, wonderful friend was right in front her. Her former betrothed was right in front of her. Her best friend was right in front of her.

The pretense, of course, was that he was there to help reestablish healthy relations with the Gerudo. It had been three years since the war, a time that Zelda apparently deemed long enough to acknowledge their existence again. Hyrule hadn’t helped the Gerudo at all in the past three years as Hemisi had struggled to protect and guide her people, as she’d tried to pick up the pieces from a once thriving civilization.

Hemisi had originally been angry about it. Angry about everything. On the one hand, it made sense – the Gerudo had been Hyrule’s enemy. The destruction of her own kingdom was due to Ganondorf, not Zelda. On the other hand, it felt like one last slap, taking her lover, her dignity, and any hope she had of receiving help for her people despite betraying her own father to help Hyrule.

But that was then. It had been three years. Hemisi couldn’t exactly say she liked Zelda or Hyrule, but she also couldn’t say she wanted to see that kingdom burn anymore. She probably wouldn’t mind beating the queen senseless, though. But that wasn’t exactly noble, and she was trying not to be like Ganondorf. Anger was an exhausting emotion, and she was working on not relying on it or feeding it all the time.

Anger was certainly not what she was feeling now. What she was feeling was utter disbelief and exhilaration.

Link was here.

Truly, such a reunion should merit some sort of show of emotion. Instead, what came out was, “You look like shit.”

Link’s somber expression immediately shattered, bursting into life with as he let out a laugh.

And just like that, it was as if the last three years hadn’t happened. It was as if their last conversation hadn’t been her trying to convince him to come home with her, to part ways with his wife and unborn heir. Link was immediately at ease, and Hemisi felt overwhelmingly happy.

Maybe they were just pretending. Maybe enough time had passed that somehow it just worked. It seemed impossible, strange, ridiculous that they were suddenly laughing in the small space that counted as Hemisi’s court room in their new settlement, but… somehow it worked.

Link’s laughter subsided, fading into a gentle, sincere smile. “You look beautiful.”

Well, that was quite the straightforward statement to say in front of all her guards. Link seemed to realize that too, despite Hemisi’s even blunter statement earlier, and he tried to backtrack, but Hemisi waved him off.

“You doing okay?” She asked, pushing beyond it as she smiled in acknowledgement of the compliment.

“Y-yeah,” Link shakily answered, though it was hard to tell if it was due to his earlier slip up or something else. “I’m… yes.”

The euphoria of their reunion was fading fast as something nagged Hemisi’s mind, and she said, “Well, I’m glad to hear it. There were rumors circulating that you were really ill, and I… I was worried.”

Link’s mood shifted, and he seemed to grow closed off nearly immediately. She’d seen the expression before, a mixture of a mask in front of nobles and superiors and the cold, calculating gaze he’d get when he had to guard himself. She felt a strange sense of pride and reassurance that she could still read him so well, but it was far outclassed by the worry that gnawed at her further.

Hemisi waved a dismissal to her guards, who all departed, leaving the pair alone. She rose from her seat (she hardly could call it a throne – none of their new accommodations compared to the splendor of their former capital, destroyed as it was) and walked up to him, closing the space between them. “I’m… look. We didn’t exactly end things on terrible terms last time, but we also didn’t exactly end them on great terms, either. I just wanted to say… for my part, I’m sorry.”

Link’s face softened, surprise peeking through the cracks. “For what?”

For what?! “Oh, I don’t know, for trying to seduce you?”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“Pretty sure I do, moron.”

Link sighed. “Fine. You’re forgiven.”

Well. Now the initial greeting was out of the way, the wave of excitement was disappearing, and they’d quickly addressed their last interaction.

…Now what? Goddesses, she missed when they could just be casual with each other, when they could just be friends. It had almost felt real for a moment, when they’d been laughing together.

Who knows? Maybe we can make something of this.

“The news was that you were to discuss relations with the Gerudo?” Hemisi prompted as Link seemed at a loss for words.

“Yes,” he hastily confirmed, trying to get his footing, lost in her gaze. “I—the queen wants to reestablish trade. With the border, at least.”

Hemisi read into the words easily. “So having a neutral zone, you mean? Where we can interact? But we’re not really allowed in the kingdom still, I presume?”

“Not—what? Hemisi, you came to the baby shower.”

“Upon being invited by the queen,” Hemisi noted, crossing her arms. “You think we’d have been allowed passage without the paperwork?”

Link’s brow furrowed, eyes upset, and he sighed, taking a step away.

Hemisi glanced around him as a new thought occurred to her in the silence created. “Where’s your entourage, anyway? Shouldn’t the mighty King of Hyrule have some royal party following him?”

“I don’t need one.”

“What about your shadow?”

“I asked Lady Impa to stay in the castle.”

Hemisi chuckled. “Oh, I bet she loved that.”

Link’s eyes grew sad, and he tipped his head to the side. There was clearly something he wanted to say, but he’d always been a quiet man. He kept his words to himself, sighing again.

Hemisi felt like she was fumbling some kind of negotiation before it had even begun. For the sake of her people and her sanity, she tried again. “Look, why don’t—why don’t we have a drink? I bet you haven’t had something as good as a Noble Pursuit since the war.”

The tip of Link’s mouth curled up slightly. “We never had a Noble Pursuit during the war. It was mead, remember?”

Oh, that’s right. It had tasted awful. “Well, then that means you’re in for a treat. Can’t a king enjoy a little beverage? It’s our hospitality.”

Link’s smile disappeared, replaced by something new, a soft, strange bemusement, thinly veiled behind a cool gaze.

“What?” Hemisi asked. “What is it?”

Links shifted, trying to find the right words. “Why are… you’re so… last time we talked…”

“Was over two years ago,” Hemisi reminded him. “What, you really thought I was petty enough to hold a grudge that long?”

“Was it just a grudge?” Link asked quietly, voice heavy.

Was our love just worth a grudge? Is that all it means to you? Hemisi wasn’t entirely sure that was what he was asking, but it certainly felt like it. Was he expecting her to be angry as she had been, bitter and vindictive and wanting to snap? Part of the reason she’d been so hostile then was because she’d immediately been insulted by the Hyrulians – she’d been trying to stay neutral during the visit. Her original mission had been to convince Link to return to her. She hadn’t been there to pick fights over anything else. She hadn’t been there to fight.

But there was something in the heaviness of his tone, in the exhaustion in his face that had merited her initial words, in the tension of his muscles. As much as Link played his part of the Hero, as much as he bowed and kissed the ground Queen Zelda walked on, he very clearly held far more feelings about the matter than he expressed.

It wasn’t as if Hemisi hadn’t known Link loved her, hadn’t recognized their parting would hurt him too. But he’d been the one to leave her. She hadn’t exactly expected him to be hurting as much as she had, left completely abandoned just after killing her father, left to pick up the pieces of a shattered kingdom and people by herself when he had promised to be by her side, left to mourn the loss of her entire family alone.

A familiar hurt and anger churned in her stomach and chest, but she bit her lip and tried to redirect it. “You know it wasn’t. But what are you expecting? You look as tired of it as I am. You’re the one who chose Hyrule, chose Zelda over me. Repeatedly. I did try to convince you otherwise both times. Now you’re surprised that I actually respected your choice?”

Link swallowed, taking a small step away, the dark presence that clouded him seeming to dissipate a little. “No, I—I’m sorry.”

“You keep saying that,” Hemisi dully snapped, not quite able to reel in her frustration. “Doesn’t change things. Can we just… try to move forward? And have fun now? Drinks?”

Link nodded sheepishly, letting her guide him to her room. If they’d been in her old home, there’d be an antechamber where she could entertain guests. But as it was, in this new settlement they’d established at the oasis they’d found, she hardly had a regular sized house. The throne room was the only place to have an audience with people formally, and drinks hardly seemed a formal affair to be had there. As she passed the hallway leading there, letting Link get ahead of her, she paused, looking one of her trusted guards in the eye. “Don’t… if we drink a little too much… do me a favor. Don’t let it get crazy.”

The guard raised her eyebrow.

“You know what I’m talking about,” Hemisi whispered irritably. “No matter our feelings for each other, and no matter the choices we make about our relationship, we’re acting on that sober.”

It wasn’t like Hemisi was expecting anything to happen, of course. But alcohol was getting involved. And as much tension as there still seemed to be between them… well. She just… she was better than that. The baby shower had been her last attempt, one last act of hope, a thought that if the queen had an heir Link’s duty was fulfilled. She was not going to be so pathetic as to keep pursuing someone who had chosen another woman, no matter her feelings on the matter.

The guard nodded. “I can respect that. Nothing will happen.”

Feeling far more secure about the matter, she walked into her room. Link was standing in the center a little awkwardly, but his gaze had fixed on one of the walls, eyes a little wide, mouth a little parted, expression unguarded. It was a mixture of surprise, amusement, and regret, eyebrows moving subtly between the three along with his lips.

Hemisi huffed, walking up beside him as she looked at the wall in question. On it was an old painting of Ganondorf (it had originally depicted the entire royal family, but she’d cut him out and kept the rest elsewhere), pinned to the wall with multiple daggers that had been thrown at it. She was still most proud of the one she’d thrown that had ended up between his eyes. It held the piece quite well.

“You like it?” She asked, crossing her arms. “It’s my therapy.”

Link snorted and nodded. “I’m surprised you don’t have one of Zelda.”

Hemisi’s eyebrows rose in surprise. She hadn’t expected that to come out of his mouth. Link seemed equally surprised that he’d admitted it, and he shifted anxiously, asking about the Noble Pursuit. Chuckling, she walked over to where the bottle was sitting in the shade, commenting, “I probably would’ve had one for her a couple years ago. But you didn’t want that, remember?”

She wasn’t quite resentful enough of the queen to throw daggers at her. Zelda herself had seen and dealt with some shit, based on the little Hemisi knew. That didn’t mean she liked her, though. At all. She wouldn’t mind throttling her, honestly. But still. The queen wasn’t nearly on the same level of Hemisi’s hatred as Ganondorf.

This wasn’t something she really wanted to talk about much, anyway. If she vented to Link about how she wanted to punch his wife, he’d certainly jump to her defense, whether he himself liked her or not. And if his defense did prove that he liked her, it would only increase Hemisi’s ire, which was frustrating to just think about. She didn’t want to be petty or jealous. She was better than that.

Even if it did hurt. Even if the past three years alone could have been spent with someone who loved her and supported her, even if maybe her struggle to rebuild the Gerudo might not have been so terrible (or even lethal to some who had died in the interim) for everyone involved.

Hemisi was more than just a spurned lover. She was a chief of the Gerudo, she was a warrior. She would not perseverate on the queen.

She just wanted her friend back. She was hoping a little alcohol would loosen them both up to have an actual conversation.

Three drinks later, they were having more than just an actual conversation. They were having fun.

Link laughed as he put his glass down and leapt to his feet. “Okay, but I want to contribute to your therapy, to your masterpiece over there.”

Hemisi giggled. “With what? You’re not using my knives.”

“I have kunai,” he said easily with a wave of his hand.

“You still carry those, oh mighty ruler?”

“I told you, I don’t need an escort for a reason.”

Hemisi barked out a laugh as she stood on her bed, motioning towards the painting of Ganondorf. “Go for it, then. Good luck hitting anything when you can’t see straight!”

Link wiggled his eyebrows challengingly. “I’ll get him in the jewels.”

“I already got a knife in his headdress and I’m not moving it.”

Link’s smile grew. “You’ll see.”

Hemisi hummed, looking skeptical. What was he going to do, try to knock her knife off the jewelry that adorned Ganondorf’s forehead? Link faced the portrait, hand steady despite how glazed his eyes were from the drinks. He focused for a moment, and oh how her heart fluttered at the sight of it, oh how she remembered all the battles they’d fought together in the war, and oh how—

How the kunai flew, how it whistled through the air it cut as it passed, how it hit sunk into the canvas perfectly, how it landed right between the dead king’s legs.

Hemisi gawked for a moment, Link looked delighted and victorious, and they both scream yelled at the shot, raising their arms in unison.

The air was filled with excitement and glee, at the two young adults laughing and screaming with glee, at how Hemisi leapt up and down on her mattress cheering before she leapt into Link’s open arms and he spun her around. They were giggling in absolute delight, laughing at the release of the moment, at how it finally seemed to entirely break whatever barrier they were keeping between each other. Link got dizzy from spinning and fell backwards, and both rulers landed on the bed with a grunt, breathless from their amusement.

Hemisi jumped up as soon as she had breath to do so, stumbling a little. Link caught her before she fell on a table, and she laughed again, leaning against it instead.

“You’re a lightweight,” Link commented with a chuckle.

“Am not!” She snapped playfully, shoving him away from her with a laugh. Then she glanced at the art. “Feels good to do that, though, doesn’t it?”

Link looked as well, smiling. “Yeah. Too bad I couldn’t make that shot in the last fight.”

Hemisi wheezed. “Goddess, that would’ve been fucking amazing.”

The pair giggled, and then Link seemed to grow contemplative a moment, asking, “You really… I’m sorry. That he… that everything. You know?”

“Why do you apologize so much, Link?” Hemisi asked, far less irritated about it now that her mind was addled.

“I don’t know,” he answered. Clearly alcohol loosed his lips far more than she remembered.

Ah, wait, but there was that time she dared him to call Impa his mother. Maybe she’d underestimated how much alcohol messed with him.

“Pfff, and you call me the lightweight,” she snarked.

Link rolled his eyes, only mildly exasperated. “Fine. It’s all his fault anyway.”

“Damn right it is.”

“But I… I mean… us…”

The air grew thick, and the two grew quiet. Then, softly, Link tried to ask, “Do… do you still…?”

“Do I still what?” Hemisi pressed impatiently, reaching for her drink. “Speak up, goofball. Remember when I used to tell you that when we were first dating? My gosh you were such a quiet, timid little thing.”

“I wasn’t timid,” Link huffed. “Just not used to being allowed to speak.”

“Well that’s stupid.”

“Unlike you, I was just a guard, not royalty.”

“Different now, isn’t it?”

Link sombered again. “Yeah. It is.”

Then he looked her dead in the eye. “I still love you.”

Hemisi nearly choked on her spit, breath ripped out of her. What the—

What was she even supposed to say to that?!

Well. If she was sober she’d probably contemplate that more. Instead, she just said, “I still love you too.”

Link blinked. “…O-oh.”

Hemisi laughed so hard her ribs hurt. “Oh? That’s all you have to say? You’re hopeless! Did you really think I hadn’t? What, just because you said ‘no’ and I respected that you thought that was it?”

Link blubbered, flustered, cheeks far more flushed than they were a moment ago.

“I get it,” Hemisi interrupted his pathetic attempt to formulate words. “You love Hyrule more.”

Link’s stuttering ceased, and he watched her with a clear gaze. Then he sighed, looking away, eyes distant. “I… yeah.”

Hemisi’s heart ached, but it also swelled. His selflessness was one of the reasons she loved him so much. She just… had never imagined it would come between them. “Hyrule has a good Hero.”

Link’s lip wobbled a little, eyes growing glassy, alarming the Gerudo chief a little. He looked at her a moment, eyes pleading, desperately fighting for control, but the alcohol was preventing it from happening, and the tears trickled down his face.

“Oh, love,” Hemisi said, hearing her own voice tremble, and she walked over to him, pulling him into a hug. “I know.”

“I’m sorry,” he cried quietly, words thick and choking in his throat. “I’m sorry.”

Hemisi felt his tears on her shoulder, felt him tremble in her arms. She was uncomfortable and warm, on the verge of tears herself, addled and ecstatic, and instead of really digging into the issue as she might have when she was sober, she kissed his head and said, “It’s okay. You love Hyrule. But… do you love Zelda more than me?”

Link’s quiet cries were sharply interrupted by a hiccup and a snort, and he yanked away from her, expression bewildered.

“Well?” Hemisi pressed, sniffling and poking his chest. In the back of her mind, a voice that was probably what was left of her rational side whispered, this is so pathetically stupid WHAT ARE YOU DOING JUST HUG THE POOR GUY YOU IDIOT.

Meh. She wanted to know. They could hug after.

Link laughed. “You—you really—you have to ask??”

Hemisi grew mildly annoyed. “Yes!”

“W-wait, I—” Link moved out of her reach, heading for the table. “I need more alcohol for this.”

“Coward!” She called after him, his laughter contagious.

After taking another swig, Link walked back to her and pulled her to him, their lips meeting, and goddess she immediately drank him in, their bodies pressed so close, and Link poured all his energy into the kiss, hands roaming, and great Din above, Hemisi started to tug, started to feel her heart quicken, her body scream for just one thing, and—

A pole wedged itself between the couple as one of her guards jutted the handle of her spear to separate them. “That’s enough of that, Majesties.”

Link’s cheeks matched Hemisi’s hair, and the Gerudo chief rolled her eyes. “Leave us be!”

“Your orders, my chief.”

Ugh. It was a stupid order.

The guard gently but firmly grabbed Link by the arm, dragging him for the door. Before he left, though, he shot her a smile and a wink, and she knew, she knew in that moment who he loved more.

She smiled, collapsing on the bed, and before the door had even closed she was drifting off to sleep.

XXX

Hemisi groaned. Her head was killing her, and everything was too freaking bright.

She really didn’t remember much of last night, but she knew she’d had far too many drinks. Even if she didn’t recall that much, her body was certainly screaming it.

What had even happened last night? She remembered how it had started. As she tried to comb through fuzzy images, the linear progression steadily unraveled. She blinked her eyes open hesitantly to find herself alone in bed, still wearing her attire from yesterday, and she sighed a little in relief from that. At least nothing neither had planned had occurred.

So where was Link?

Slowly sitting up, Hemisi hissed as some sunlight peeked between the curtains of her room, hitting her eyes like a slap to the face. She shielded her face, grumbling and cussing as she nearly crawled out of the room.

“Good morning,” her guard greeted her.

Hemisi glowered halfheartedly at her, ignoring the fact that she likely looked like a disaster. “Where’s the king?”

“In the guest quarters.”

“We have those in this place?”

“We converted one of the guard’s rooms into one.”

Did they? Was that something Hemisi had planned for Link’s arrival? She didn’t remember that either. Great.

Leaning against the wall, she half dragged herself to the room in question, finding Link leaning over the bed, head nearly buried in a pot. He spat in it, clearly having just gotten ill, hair spilling over his shoulders. A twinge of sympathy pulled at her, and Hemisi sat on the bed, pulling his hair out of his face.

“Morning,” she echoed her guard’s greeting, waiting for a similar bite in reply.

Link just groaned.

In the past she would have laughed at him. Today, she just felt pity. She had been the one to encourage it, after all. She rubbed his back a little apologetically, waiting to see if he was going to get sick again. Instead, he slowly pulled back, grabbing a handkerchief and wiping his mouth.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been hungover,” Hemisi noted quietly, feeling her head throb rhythmically. She grimaced, closing her eyes. She almost apologized, but she chose the better route, smiling. “You’re a terrible influence on me.”

Link huffed, turning and nearly pouncing on her, tackling her to the bed and holding her hostage in his arms. Hemisi yelped, irritated at the motion as it made her headache worse, but also giggling at the roughhousing. She shoved hard against him, but he refused to let go.

“What are you doing, you butthead?” She grumbled, wiggling in his grip.

“Sleeping,” he slurred tiredly.

“Your breath smells awful.”

“‘S your fault.”

Hemisi huffed, admitting defeat. Her heart hammered with cheer at his behavior, at how they could still be casual around each other without the help of liquid confidence. Perhaps it was just that his mind was still addled from the hangover, from feeling uncomfortable and ill, but she’d take it.

Besides, she felt like garbage. She wanted to sleep. Link clearly was slipping back into a nap. So she just joined him.

When the pair woke again, It was nearly midday. A pitcher of water was resting on the nightstand, though neither knew when it had been placed there. Hemisi honestly didn’t want to really start the day, boneless and warm, safe and comfortable in Link’s arms. She remembered all the times they’d snuggled together to stave off the cold, for protection and a sense of security, weapons at the ready, wanting some kind of assurance that the other was okay, that they themselves weren’t vulnerable.

She missed the war. She missed the war.

Things were far more straightforward back then.

Killing was straightforward.

Link shifted a little, snapping Hemisi out of her musings, and she looked over to see him watching her. He was half asleep still, eyes a little glazed but so, so soft, face relaxed and open.

“Hey,” she greeted quietly.

“Hey,” he whispered back.

The moment lasted too long, each lover lost in the other’s eyes. Hemisi felt herself leaning in, Link reciprocating, and they both pulled away at the same time, sitting up with excited energy.

“Well,” Hemisi quipped breathlessly. “Guess we should do those negotiations, right?”

Link blinked, watching her a moment longer, and then squeezed his eyes shut, taking a deep breath and rubbing his eyes. “Yeah. We should.”

“Not that last night wasn’t fun, of course,” Hemisi added with a nervous laugh, genuinely adding, “I don’t remember much of it, but what I do remember was… really nice. Maybe we can still have fun, you know? Without blacking out, at least.” Curious, she added, “Do you remember anything?”

Link huffed a little, mildly amused as he stretched. “Not really.”

Oh well. She was wondering if she could get more information on what had occurred, but whatever. They’d had fun, at least. “Well, we both could use a good start to the day. What about a nice warm bath? With some salts and nice oils… and a massage! Goddess, I sure could use one. I could arrange for it.”

Link peered over at her, letting his hand fall to his lap, and he smiled. “That sounds nice.”

Hemisi felt herself smile in return. They could have a nice day. They could. She scooted in front of him and leaned in cautiously for a hug. Link let her relax against him, carefully wrapping his arms around her once more.

Humming, melting into the embrace, Hemisi noted, “Goddess, I’m glad Zelda sent you alone. This would be way less fun if she came.”

For a moment, nothing happened. She listened to Link’s heart beat against her ear. His arms pulled her closer. And then his entire body stiffened. She felt his chest go rigid, trapping a breath in it, and slowly his arms slipped away. Hemisi pulled away, a little confused, and saw Link staring at nothing, eyes hard, face like a stone.

“Yes. Yes, she did send me alone.” He noted quietly, voice like ice.

Hemisi blinked a few times, feeling like she’d just gotten whiplash. “Y-yeah. She… what’s wrong?”

Link rose abruptly. “We should go downstairs to discuss the trading between Hyrule and the Gerudo.”

The entire atmosphere had changed. The coldest desert nights had never felt this frigid. Hemisi hesitantly rose. “R-right. I…”

She didn’t know what had happened, what was wrong, what she had said. Given how carefree and silly they’d been last night, given how gentle and caring they’d been this morning… how had she said something wrong?

Doubting and overthinking everything she’d stated today, she clarified, “You know I meant… separate. Separate baths. Right?”

Link glanced at her, and though his expression didn’t change, his eyes melted a little, trying to show some concern. “I know.”

That was all he said, and there was still finality to it. Reluctantly, Hemisi walked out of the room, wondering what the heck just happened and how she’d managed to ruin everything.

Link joined her downstairs shortly after, looking somewhat put together. Despite little hints of lightheartedness that she’d throw him, he kept everything strictly formal. The negotiations were quick enough, and before sunset he was ready to depart. Hemisi offered for him to stay the night, to rest and relax, to eat something because by the Goddess Din herself he didn’t look as healthy as he used to, but he refused.

Hemisi watched him go in the dark, her heart heavy, wondering how seeing him again had made things so much worse.

XXX

The king’s arrival in the throne room was unexpected, but the room was cleared quickly as he walked towards the queen.

“Welcome back,” Zelda greeted, a little confused. “I thought you might be gone a little longer. Did it—”

“You did that on purpose, sending me there alone,” Link interrupted her, eyes fierce. “You used me.”

Zelda flinched a little, not used to this vehemence from him, never having seen this. Even at his darkest, cruelest moment, when he’d refused to see Sonia, he’d been cold and quiet. This was the exact opposite. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t speak to me like I am fool, Your Majesty,” Link growled. “I did not enter our marriage out of blind loyalty and obedience. I’m not your political toy to continue abusing! You sent me there to curry favor with Hemisi!”

“I—yes,” Zelda answered honestly. Somehow, that derailed her husband a little, though it seemed the fire was quickly returning. It gave her time to elaborate. “I wanted to reestablish relations with the Gerudo, and you were the best person to choose for that. You two love each other.”

Link’s brow furrowed further. “Yes. We do. And you knowing that means you sent me there to exploit it. You’re using me to get to her.”

“I just…” Zelda stumbled over her words, heart racing, trying to not feel slightly afraid by this turn of events. “I just want you to be happy.”

“And you want to be able to conveniently control the Gerudo through me!” Link corrected her. “This has nothing to do with me being happy. Do you think so little of me that you assumed I’d just go there and throw myself at her, that I don’t take my vows seriously? Do you think I am that much of a simpleton, a mindless animal driven only by feelings and cravings? You think I’m an idiot?”

“No!” Zelda argued, rising from the throne. “I just—it isn’t meant as an insult or a trap, you wouldn’t be the first—”

“You’re comparing me to your father now?” Link scoffed, voice rising as he gestured angrily. “Can you insult me any further? Will you call me Ganondorf next?”

“Link—”

“I agreed to our marriage because it was a desperate plea, a last-ditch effort to prevent further destruction,” Link growled. “I did it to protect Hyrule, to protect Hemisi, to protect you. You weren’t trying to use me as much back then – you were trying to look out for your people. And you were willing to sacrifice both of us, and I understood and accepted that. I didn’t just follow your orders, I knew what I was agreeing to, I meant my vows when I took them! I committed to this arrangement in every way possible, and you dare treat me like some pawn you can—”

Link cut himself, seemingly enraged beyond words, and he took a breath to calm himself a little before hissing, “Don’t try to use me like that. I am not a blind fool. You think I have spent years in this castle and not learned the politics? I’ve allowed you to utilize me multiple times, but I will not be your tool to hurt or control her. You will never control Hemisi.”

The throne room was deathly quiet as the two monarchs stared each other down. Link’s red eyes were like fire, glare furrowing his brow deeply, while Zelda’s green eyes held uncertainty and hurt, confusion and fear, and the king gave a jerky, terse nod of acknowledgement before storming out of the room.

Zelda slowly sat back down on the throne, releasing a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, and buried her face in her hand as she leaned to the side. There were quiet footsteps, carefully loud enough to be heard when they had every ability to hide themselves.

“I thought you had ensured everyone left so no one could listen to our conversation,” Zelda noted tiredly.

“I did,” Impa replied. “And then I came back.”

Zelda blew out a frustrated breath, rising to her feet. “I don’t understand why he’s so upset! I was doing him a favor! He loves Hemisi, they can be together and it still benefits the kingdom!”

“Zelda,” Impa tried to explain gently, but her tone only irritated the queen further.

“Don’t,” Zelda cut her off. “Don’t talk to me like I’m some ignorant little girl. I’ve been ruling Hyrule for almost five years now, I’m not a child who knows nothing!”

“I didn’t say you were, Your Majesty,” Impa said appeasingly.

“Link shouldn’t be—this is so—I can’t win with him!” She snapped, feeling tears sting in her eyes.

Just like with my father.

Why couldn’t this just be easy?! Why couldn’t one thing in her life be easy?!

“Your Majesty,” Impa tried again. “You can’t… you can’t control others’ lives. It’s not like… just giving orders to accomplish a goal.”

“I’ve healed Hyrule through my orders,” Zelda reminded her advisor.

“Yes, you have. But Link isn’t a kingdom, a distant group of people, a problem to be solved. He’s a person.”

“So are the nobles.”

“You manipulate them because you have to. That doesn’t mean you should manipulate everyone.”

It was called manipulation when there was a negative outcome. It was called helping when there was a positive one. If Link had just listened and understood his duty, it would have been a positive outcome!

Zelda sighed tiredly, hugging herself and turning away. Impa was her confidante and advisor. She should listen to her. But…

She needed to pray. She needed to sort this out.

“I’ll be in the temple if you need me,” she said quietly, leaving the throne room, trying to get the terrifying image of Link’s furious face out of her mind.

[aheathen-conceivably]

The wooden floorboards in the hallway that connected Zelda and Antoine’s bedroom to Violette’s slowly grew more worn with time. On some nights it was Zelda’s feet that walked back and forth over them as Antoine got to spend a few moments alone with his guitar; on other’s it was Antoine’s as Zelda read a few pages of a book between her hours of work and sleep.

On that night it was Zelda’s steps that echoed down the hall. Before she even opened the door she knew that the sounds of guitar awaited her; but not even that could make her feel better, so she didn’t bother to look at Antoine as she entered the room. Instead she walked straight to the vanity and reached for the zipper between her shoulder blades. As she struggled with it Antoine spoke behind her, “Is she asleep?

His playing hadn’t stopped, because his months of practice had already made it so that he could easily speak without ever missing a note, just the way he could at the piano. Despite herself, Zelda let out a small laugh with her answer, “No. She acted like she is, but I know the second I closed the door she opened that book again.”

His voice kept coming, unbroken alongside the music when all she wanted was silence, “There are worse rules to break. I would wager a bet you were much the same with it when you were young.”

Zelda kept her eyes on her reflection as she gave up trying to unclasp her zipper, instead redirecting her fumbling hands to her earrings. She offered Antoine nothing but a terse nod in response, but the void of her silent answer was quickly filled with the vibrations of guitar strings. As her earring back refused to budge she turned away, retreating into the cold silence of their bathroom to undress alone.

When she emerged the room had grown quiet, the guitar neatly set against the opposite wall and far out of reach. Antoine was on the edge of the bed, looking at her intently. She looked back at him, wondering how she could deflect the pain that she knew he had detected. Before she could think of anything he spoke, asking her what the matter was. Her hands fluttered as she avoided his gaze,  “Nothing, it's - it's the corn. It’s not growing as well as last year, no matter how I try.”

But he wasn’t fooled, and when he said her name, it was filled with an honest imploration simply to talk to him. She started to spiral, because she knew that the moment she spoke, she would reopen the wound that they had both been trying to ignore for months. But again, he said her name, this time even calmer and softer than the first time. Another half dozen lies went through her head, but each of them seemed like a paltry waste of energy; so instead, she sat beside him.

“Zelda, I know it's not the corn. I know your face. Don’t lie to me.”

He’s here, telling him won’t jeopardize that. You know that. You know. “It’s just - it’s just in those brief moments when she opens up to me, when she’s kind and excited to be around me, I realize just how much more she likes you, how much more she likes Josephine…”

His hand immediately went for hers, a tangible guilt driving his touch that she had been fiercely trying to avoid, “Don’t say that. It's not true, you know it's not true.”

“No, no. It’s fine, it is true,” she tried to brush it off, to look at their hands and stop herself before her words went too far, “I suppose it’s only natural. I was more like my father. It just makes me wonder, makes me think if we had another, maybe they’d be more like me, maybe they’d…”

But she had already done it, and she knew it. She had shattered whatever tenuous peace they had found in their untenable solution to preventing any more disappointments. She dropped his hand and tried to move away, but his arms immediately went around her. “Zelda, we can try again. We can try all you want. I didn’t want to push you, to make you uncomfortable.”

“No, I know. I’m — I’m sorry, I just didn’t want to be disappointed anymore. If we didn’t — then I wouldn’t — then at least I would know there was no chance. I should have told you…”

With the words spoken it was easier to let him pull her closer. Immediately the guard she had so carefully constructed crumbled, “Please don’t apologize, please. You didn’t need to explain. I knew. I understood.”

Half of her was crying with relief as he pulled her back onto the bed against his chest. They had never consciously decided to cut out this part of their relationship, only drawn an inevitable link between the pain that wouldn’t stop coming and any sort of intimacy that wasn’t purely domestic and mundane. It had become a way of doing what they did best, ignoring the problem until it became a problem itself. Only then it was even harder to tell him why, because as the physical distance grew between them, so did the emotional one.

So now, both seemed to unravel together, the spoken words lifting the wall that had risen and seemed impossible to break through before. As his hand traced along her face, it became easier to speak too, “I just…I don’t want to try anymore. I don’t want to plan it or time it or think about it. I just want us to go back to the way that we were when we first got here. I just want it to be about us again.”

He looped his arm around her shoulder and her entire body responded to the movement, letting go of it’s tension and relaxing into every point where their bodies met. He sensed her movement and tightened his grip, “Then we don’t have to, my love. It can be what you want it to be, okay? If it’s meant to happen, it will happen. We don’t have to worry beyond that any more than you want to.”

She reached over to take his face in both of her hands as she leaned over onto him. Then she kissed him, truly kissed him, for the first time in months. If it’s meant to happen, it will happen.

[skyward-floored]

Hello!!

Um…

I really loved that one fic you wrote called “caged” with fable and legend, and I also really liked the sequel. I love how you described the scenes, it was really fun to read!

I saw that you were talking with another user about how legend got into the castle, and you mentioned that he probably got in through the secret passage way that he knows from alttp

I was wondering if maybe you were thinking about writing a prequel to that fic?

Maybe about how the chain lands in Legends Hyrule and they see Hyrule castle looming in the distance, perhaps under a spell of some kind and legend immediately runs towards it to find he can’t enter normally and he tells the chain that he does know of a way in. So they enter through the secret passageway and perhaps legend gets some flashbacks to alttp as they’re fighting monsters (or maybe brainwashed guards) and looking for fable.

It’s just a suggestion tho! I’m aware you have other stuff to do, so…

Uh anyways, I really liked this years whumptober fics a Lot too, they were all amazing! You are really such a talented writer!

That’s all, hugs!!🫂🫂🫂

I hope you have a nice day

So I wasn’t really thinking about writing a prequel at all, and I don’t do requests really but... well. The idea intrigued me, and I sat down and started writing, and this came out 😅

It’s minimally edited and certainly not my best work, but hey, it’s something. I hope you enjoy the little prequel anon, and thank you for the kind words :)

Caged

The sequel (Aftermath)

———————————————————

Again.

Again.

It was all Legend could think of as he stared at the castle in the distance, dread and anger and too many emotions for him to name making his hands shake.

They’d just exited a portal, landing in his Kakariko, and the relief of being back in his own time was immediately overshadowed by the oppressive dark magic in the air. Impa had found them soon after, and explained with a worried look in her eyes about a wizard who had tricked them, and overtaken the castle.

With Zelda inside.

The blood had begun to roar in Legend’s ears as Impa explained further, but he was barely listening anymore, his head spinning and chest tight with anger.

She’s in danger again, the kingdom’s in trouble again, and I wasn’t here to protect—

“Legend, what should we—?”

He took off.

He ignored the shouts of the others, the calls for him to wait up, and booked it towards the castle, his pegasus boots making it impossible for the other heroes to keep up with him. Rain had begun to fall at some point, but Legend didn’t let it stop him, not even when he nearly wiped out in a puddle.

He reached the castle gates in mere minutes, and banged a fist on the doors. They were shut tight though, sealed with magic that Legend knew he wouldn’t be able to break. But he pounded against them anyway, took out one of his rods and blasted at it, tried his rings and items and all sorts of things before finally kicking at them with an angry yell.

The others had caught up to him by then, and they joined his side, split evenly between looking at him and looking up at the gates.

“How are we going to get in?” Wind asked a little hesitantly, and Legend sighed, swiping some drops of rain off his face.

“I know a way.”

He’d hoped he wouldn’t have to use it, but it looked like it was the only way they could get inside.

Legend led them all around to the east side of the castle, the group’s weapons drawn and eyes squinted through the rain for any enemies. It was only a passing shower, not a torrential thunderstorm like the last time he’d used this passage, but the similarities still made Legend tense.

History sure does love repeating itself.

More then one concerned look was shot his way as they went, but Legend ignored them, as well as the memories that were trying to claw their way to the forefront of his mind. He had a job to do and a princess to save, and he wasn’t going to get lost in his head.

Even though this was at least the fourth time he’d done this and he was so tired of evil striking at his kingdom and the people he loved and having to stop them again and again. He wasn’t going to think about it.

Not now.

They didn’t run into any monsters on the way to the other side of the castle, which made Legend suspicious, but he wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. He quickly revealed the secret passage that would lead them inside, and gestured the others in.

“That’s convenient,” Wild commented, and Warriors studied the passage in interest.

“Are you the only one who uses this tunnel? Seems like a security risk.”

“Only a few people know it exists,” Legend replied, then dropped in so he wouldn’t have to continue the conversation.

Legend took the lead as they began to walk down the tunnel, and kept himself several paces in front of the others, his shoulders slowly hitching upward.

Water dripped as they walked along the passage, running on the edges and making the floor damp. There weren’t any monsters in this spot either, which made it easy for Legend to stride as quickly as possible past the spot where his uncle had breathed his last.

He hated being down here. He hated the reason he was down here and the slimy feel of the floor under his boots, and the smell in the air and the squeak of rats he hated it.

And was it his imagination, or was he smelling blood?

“Legend?”

Legend breathed in sharply as a hand landed on his shoulder, and he looked over at Twilight, the older hero giving him a searching look. They were nearly to where the dungeons connected, he didn’t want to stop now.

“You alright?” Twilight asked, and Legend let out a bitter laugh.

“Sure, I love coming home to find out the kingdom got taken over in my absence. And nobody knows what happened to my Zelda, and getting to tromp around in the sewers, I’m having the time of my life, thanks,” he snapped. “What’s one more crisis for the kingdom of Hyrule?”

Twilight’s hand didn’t leave his shoulder. “Legend.”

Legend stopped in his tracks and glared back at Twilight, gripping his sword so tightly he was sure it was leaving lines in his palms. “What.”

“We’ll save her, Legend,” Twilight said firmly, and gave his shoulder a bracing squeeze. “You’re not alone. You’ve got us this time— whatever this wizard is capable of is no match for all nine of us. We’ll save Zelda, and the kingdom. We’ll stop this together.”

Legend stared, then looked behind Twilight to where the rest of the Links were standing, and they all gave him equally determined looks. Their eyes were bright and fierce, and full of just as much resolve to save Zelda as his own were.

Legend felt his eyes sting, but he forced himself to blink the tears back, and nodded at Twilight, breathing out as some of the emotions storming in his chest eased a bit.

Twilight released his shoulder, and Legend turned back around, waving them all onward.

“Only a bit further to the dungeons. We’ll check for Zelda there first, but if she’s not there, we’ll... we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Legend said firmly. “Finding her is our biggest objective. The wizard comes second.”

The others nodded as they crossed through a doorway, and Legend squared his shoulders, shoving away the rest of his anxiety and terror and digging up the courage in his chest that had gotten him through six adventures already.

We’re coming Zelda, hold on, he thought desperately, shouting a warning back to the others as they reached the dungeons, and an enemy’s sword nearly took his head off.

Please be okay.

[sunny-porridge]

fics that held me softly in July

the depths - by @bahbahhh

I don’t even know how to begin describing this. I have to frequently put the phone down to let the words sink in. The prose is so beautiful, the emotions are so raw, the relationships (specially between Link and Tulin) are so profound, and the plot is developing into one of the most intriguing and fascinating takes I’ve ever read. This is truly a piece of art - and it has visual art, too! Give the comic a shot and prepare for a ride > the depths au (tumblr.com)

--

Frenetīk - by @not-freyja

If I ever do one of these rec lists and not include my dear Freyja, call the guards. I’ve been kidnapped and replaced with my evil twin sister, brand new hair band. 

It’s hard to put into words what this story made me feel. Our most beloved soft boy is dealing with grief, and what’s left after the loss.

Frenetik is, once again, part of the Concatenation series, but I think this one stands alone on its own as a truly rich exploration of Sky. Of course, it will make a lot more sense if you’ve read This is an Adjuration (how many times will I have to tell you to go read it?), but the thing that stands out the most about this story is the powerful emotion surrounding love, and loss, and change – a change that you can’t outrun, or escape, or stop, because it’s happening inside of you.

It's something that feels undescribable, and yet... It's here.

--

The Inn at the End of Time - by @musical-chan

If I were to choose one word for this story it would be haunting. It’s a very intriguing concept, sort of a Links meet, except these are all based on the one guy who broke the timeline... Several times.

Yeah, several Times.

Anyways, the execution is wonderful, mixing a sort of muted fridge horror and a levity that has left me thinking about this story from several different angles. 

Idolatry - by @tashacee and @a-manicured-lawn

After the War, The Captain is the cornerstone of progress in his era, helping rebuild his town stone by stone, but lately he has hit rock bottom. Iconic as he is to his people, it’s easy to take a hero for granted. Fortunately, the Chain has just arrived at his era, but will they be able to help him before he crumbles? Will he become a hollow monument, or are there precious stones hidden deep within his core?

Tash, Lawn, take the wheel. I’ll go where you go. And I have so many more rock puns.

The Fairy Dance - FilipaMariaKerachitomene

This series is another one of my regulars in my lists. I truly love the setting and the connections it makes between every era, every Hero and Princess, and even side characters. The main story is very plot driven and touches on heavier subjects, but The Fairy Dance is a sweeter side story set in Hyrule’s childhood, and it really sets the scene for who Hyrule is and how he makes sense of the world around him and his Princesses.

NSFW ZONE !!

The Obligatory Beach Episode - Anonymous

Listen, I don’t know what to tell you. This series made me who I am, and this entry has been nothing but high notes. Solid character development? Check. Carefully crafted worldbuilding? Check. Interesting plot? Check. Are you wondering how the mailing system works, or why the heroes can use their rupees interchangeably? The answers are all here.

And of course, well… You know what you’re here for. Truly wonderful sex scenes that go beyond the merely physical and really show how intimacy and love are some of the most powerful drivers of a hero’s journey.

Beach Episode also features a guest star that is absolutely stealing the show - not without her introducing a fair share of unexpected changes and complicated feelings. Bah.

one night / all night / every night - ocean__blue

Link and Impa, rivals as sworn protectors of the crown, both want to go after Zelda, but neither of them has any practice in the matters of love. So, they make a deal to set aside their differences and help each other out to learn together. What could possibly go wrong?

Featuring Zelda/Impa/Link from an unknown era - loosely based on the era of the Wild, but with some original spins that make it completely unique. It’s a fresh story with humor, heart and a lot of heat.