#Zelda is impressed that it was only three times

[ovegakart]

I dont have anything for yall today, so have this hilarious out of context panel from a hyrule warriors comic im writing

[bmpmp3]

after six years of the game being out and after three and a half years of me actually playing the game i have finally beat botw. did u know finishing video games is. fun,,

[luimagines]

Steel Trap Mind (1600 Follower Raffle)

Our first place winner was @goopyartiste!

They asked for anything Warrior related so I was given total free reign. :D

Enjoy.

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

“Is he awake?”

“Is he alive?”

“Don’t speak so loudly. Everything’s going to be ok.”

“I need to see him!”

“He took a really bad hit-”

“Lost a lot of blood-”

“-amazing he even survived.”

He groans loudly and turns his head. It’s killing him- not that he wants to make a bad pun over the words he’s been overhearing. There’s voices all around him, he gathers that much. It’s bright on the other side so he keeps his eyelids closed but he can’t help the groan that escapes him as he enters into the waking world once again.

“He’s awake!”

“Oh thank the three!”

“Warrior, you’re ok!”

He huffs and figures that he should at least try to figure out where he is. At least they sound concerned over him. But who���s this Warrior they mentioned? Maybe he’s in the other bed next to him. He’s sure that there’s a lot of men in the infirmary right now. It couldn’t have only been him. He can’t seem to remember how he got here. Was the attack that bad?

What was his name? Link.

Does he have a family? No.

Is anyone waiting for him at home? No.

Where is he now? Well that's a question he has to figure out now, ain't it?

He groans again and forces his eyes open. The lights have dimmed. How considerate. 

There’s a bunch of people around his bed, teary eyed and all wearing expressions of varying degrees of relief. He frowns. Who are they?

“I’m so happy you’re alright.” You say. You reach down and take his hand, holding it gently. Your other hand comes up to caress his cheek, almost lovingly. 

Link can’t think much of anything right now. Only that his head hurts and he doesn’t think he’s home right now. He looks around the room and frowns a little bit. This isn’t the medical ward for the wounded soldiers. “Where am I?”

“We’re in a random town.” A boy with more scars on his face than Link has seen someone have. His hair is long and he has more scars on his arm that Link can see. “You were hit in the head so we brought you here to the local inn to recover.”

Link lets the information sink in. Strangers, then. Very kind strangers. He sighs and leans back on the bed. He was attempting to sit up but he must have been in worse shape than he thought if he could hardly lift his head off of the pillow. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, well next time try not to die, alright?” Another boy sasses him. He has pink hair somehow but Link gets the idea that he’s familiar with him. Stranger still- Link has never seen this boy before in his life. “We’ve got enough heroes between us all that there’s no need to make unnecessary sacrifices.”

“You scared me.” You say, gripping his hand tighter. You’re smiling softly even as you start to tear up again. You bring his hand up and kiss the back of it. “Don’t ever do that again. Promise me.”

You know him. You know him. You have to, or else you wouldn’t be doing that.

Link gets the impression that he’s important to you. But- He grimaces slightly, already imagining what this is going to sound like. “...Who are you?”

Everyone in the room goes still.

You seem to freeze entirely and grip his hand impossibly tighter. Frantic panic increases in your eyes as you search his face for something- anything. “You’re kidding, right? Link, this isn’t funny.”

“You know my name.” He whispers softly. The look that crosses over your face is absolutely heartbreaking. 

Tears start streaming down your face before you can even speak. “It’s me! You love me! I love you!”

“I don’t know you.” He settles for. Link doesn’t think he can be gentle with another person like this. Cia was bad enough. Granted, she never said that she loved him. Let alone claimed that he loved her but there have been countless others that have tried to get him to see to reason with similar arguments. He really needs to talk to Zelda about this.

“Hey now.” An older man speaks. “Settle down.”

Link looks at him and changes that assumption. He’s older than him, sure, but enough to actually phrase it that way. He has similar markings on his face though. Link things that if he tries hard enough he can remember why they ring a bell in his head. 

The man puts a hand on your shoulder and very gently pulls you away before you can collect yourself and potentially strike him. “It was a bad hit. Remember that.”

Yeah, ok- the older gentleman isn’t not talking to him.

“Warrior, what’s the last thing you remember?’ Another young man- wait, how many people are here again?- steps closer and puts the back of his hand on his forehead as if he was checking for a fever.

Admittedly, Link might be a little warm. His head still hurts. “Who’s Warrior?”

The room feels as if he had just lit a short fuse on a bomb.

You choke on a sob and Link turns his attention back to you. It’s a heart wrenching sound. As if someone had just stabbed you, or worse, killed someone in front of you. You are quickly escorted out of the room by three of the young men around him. The boy with the scars, another with a fur pelt, and the older gentleman are quick to take you out of the room.

The remaining people (five, he’s counted this time) all stare at him with varying levels of shock and despair.

“...Do you remember us?” A small voice comes from his left. There’s a boy. He’s young. He’s wearing a blue shirt with a lobster on it- hold on.

“You.” Link says and he feels a smile grow on his face. It’s weak and it doesn’t erase the pain he’s feeling, but the familiar face is nice. “I remember you, pirate. You’ve gotten bigger since the last time I saw you.”

“Not really.” He smiles bashfully, stepping closer to the side of the bed. “Do you remember anyone else?”

Link feels the weight behind that question. Looking around the remaining faces, he can’t say that he knows who they are. “Who are they, kiddo?”

The young boy gulps and bites his lip. “It’s a long story.”

One of them sighs and rubs his hand over his face. He’s a rather built young man with a long white cape over his back. Link thinks that maybe he can find someone to fix his scarf to look that cool. “This… is unideal.”

“You don’t say.” Someone snaps. It’s the smallest one there, but the voice doesn’t match the height. He’s probably older than Link originally thought. Link likes his tunic though. Very colorful.

A heart wrenching sob makes its way through the doorway as the older gentleman walks in again. It’s you. 

Link knows he’s caused that. He hates to admit to himself but what else was he supposed to do?

The older gentleman (Link gets ice in his veins when he remembers what the markings are) steps into the room and sighs. He rubs his hand down his face as looks over to where Link is on the bed. “I’m sure… you have questions, Captain.”

A title. Yes. Link has a title. And Link definitely has questions. “Who was that?”

Vaguely, Link knows that shouldn’t have been the prominent question on his mind, but for some reason he can’t pinpoint, he hates that he made you cry.

No one answers his question at first so he tries a different tactic. Clearly, he’s missing some information. “Are they important?”

To the mission? To this group? To him? Link doesn’t register that as a too vague a question, only that he wishes for it to be answered.

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

Well shoot, Link sighs. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” The final young man to speak tilts his head, raising his hands as they glow. Fascinating. Link stares at it. He’s hardly met another Hylian that could use magic so casually. “You wouldn’t have had it any other way. Pushed them out of the way and took the hit and all that.”

“Oh.” Important to him, it is then. Faintly, he thinks he could still hear you cry. “I hurt them.”

“You did.” Pink haired boy grumbles. “But there’s not much we can do about it. It’s a miracle you even woke up again as it is.”

A miracle. Link takes a deep breath. He seems to be running on pure fumes powered by those alone. “I hurt them.”

Somehow, he feels the need to repeat himself. Link doesn’t like the inky feeling that curls around his heart at the thought of that. If he pushed you out of the way of an attack, surely that means he cared about you to not think something through.

It’s stranger still- that it came to that at all.

Link has always prided himself on thinking fast on his feet and having contingency plans for his contingency plans. He’s not one to miscalculate. Many battles have made sure of that. Close encounters on top of even closer encounters have made sure that his senses were sharp and steely as the blade he wielded. 

To be hurt the way he was meant that he had miscalculated dearly. Or rather, the attack would have surely killed you and he wasn’t thinking at all when he acted. If he wasn’t thinking when he acted at the thought of you in danger or being attacked, then you meant more to him than anyone here was telling him.

Aside from you.

You did say that he loved you. And that you loved him. 

His throat suddenly feels dry.

”Here.” A cup is placed by the side of his face in an instant. Link takes it and manages to take one gulp of water before he remembers to take sips. 

“I wouldn’t have wanted them to be hurt.” He says after giving the glass back. He barely finished half of it before he started feeling nauseous. How long was he unconscious? How badly was he injured, truly? “I wouldn’t have wanted them to-”

Link starts to cough.

“We know.” The pirate gently pats his shoulder, rubbing small circles. Another thing he remembers. Link used to do the same to him when the pirate wasn’t feeling too well after a battle. Something about the food and movement not agreeing with him. It’s strange to be on the other side of the act. “They know it too. They won’t be angry at you for it.”

“No?” He looks at the boy, because he knows this boy. He can trust him. Link doesn’t know if he can trust the rest of the faces in this room.

The boy shakes his head. “You would never hurt them on purpose. You’re not that kind of person. They know that.”

Link strains his ear to hear you on the other side of the door. It’s gone quiet, but he’s almost positive that you’re still upset over this development. He wonders what he would have done to get this sort of reaction from everyone here. “Who are these people, kiddo?”

“We’re all Link.” He answers easily.

Link catches onto the way the others flinch slightly. 

He still can’t say that he knows them.

“We have to get his memory back.” The young man with the white cape says after a moment of silence. 

“It’s not that easy.” Magic Man shakes his head. “This wasn’t caused by a spell. At best, we should be asking The Champion how he deals with his memory loss. Amnesia caused by injury is a different challenge entirely.”

Link sighs and looks back to the door with his tongue between his teeth. 

Amnesia? He almost wants to laugh. Do they not know who he is?

Link doesn’t forget easily.

[azuresage]

It gets talked about a lot but I still can't stop nerding out about Link's characterization in TotK. It's done through his many creative dialogue choices and his expressions of course, but it's also done so subtly through what he *doesn't* say. Notably, he doesn't talk about himself. And this is why nobody recognizes him unless they've already met him. Because he doesn't tell them when they've got the wrong impression of him.

The meme about Link having Tony Hawk syndrome is so real. People will look at him and straight up say, "Wow, you look exactly like Link!" without a hint of irony. Lookout Landing has a detailed picture of his face in their watchtower and the search party still doesn't recognize him. Penn works with Link for a long time and thinks he's unlucky that the Yiga keep "mistaking" him for the Hero (granted, Traysi asked him to deliberately keep quiet, but Penn still didn't put two and two together himself). I think the reason for this, aside from it being really, really funny, is that Link just doesn't talk about himself. He doesn't feel the need to.

Characterization isn't just about what we see a character doing, it's also about how other characters respond to them. Link is so unassuming and humble that he doesn't match people's expectations of what "Link" should be like. The three Gerudo ladies hanging out around Outskirt Stable are one of many perfect examples. Link stands in front of them carrying the Master Sword, but they expect the Hero to be taller than they are, with a giant glowing sword, so they don’t believe it's him. Obviously that's not the reality, but they don't know that. Link doesn't correct them, either. Again, he doesn't feel the need to.

This is also why many NPCs from BotW don't recognize or remember Link. To them, he was just a passerby that did them a good turn once 6+ years ago. Nobody's going to remember a person like that for so long after. They had no way of knowing he was the Hero, unless it came up for story quest reasons. When they hear stories about the Princess's Appointed Knight who woke up from his 100 year nap, defeated the Calamity, and rescued Zelda, they imagine someone larger than life. Then when they see what Link actually is like, they can't put two and two together.

This is true even during the Hyrule Restoration efforts. Link always follows behind Zelda as her shadow, which she notes in her diary, but the people in the stable investigation quests and in Hateno don't recognize him either, even though he went everywhere she did. Link is just that unassuming. He resigns himself to being a shadow, allowing Zelda to take the lead and do as she pleases but always staying nearby to support and protect her. He doesn't need to be recognizable to do his job. And we know from both BotW and now TotK that he's wholly devoted to her. He's content with this. Many people more eloquent than I have spent many paragraphs elaborating on this. I just wanted to focus on what it says about his character.

Link is humble and unassuming, so much so that nobody believes that he's the Hero unless they already know him. He's devoted to Zelda, so much so that he's willing to do anything to chase even a glimpse of her. He doesn't talk about himself or correct people who have the wrong impression of him. He doesn't need to do that to chase his Zelda. He is a person of great humility in spite of his station. I think that's so interesting and neat how the comedy of him being unrecognizable also tells us all this about him. It's also cool how this is only one aspect of him; all the dialogue choices and expressions he makes during cutscenes and actions out in the world show a whole other, lighter side to him that meshes with this. It's all so good. I am in love with it. It always kills me inside when people dismiss his characterization as being nonexistant or flat just because it's not spoonfed to them or when they say Link being unrecognizable is lazy writing instead of a deliberate choice. I am biting and gnawing and gnashing over him and his relationship to Zelda. I love them so much.

[skyward-floored]

Volga gets some spotlight for a change (hdw au)

Comes after Volga confronting Cia (and Link on Skyloft, but it’s slightly less necessary to understand this)

...

Volga seeks out and fights the strongest. That is his objective.

He goes where the sorceress tells him, leads monsters into battles as she deems fit. He sees others only as adversaries, evaluating them solely on the threat they pose, the strength they wield.

Nothing else matters.

Only his orders, and strength.

The Hylian army is at their gates, working steadily through the valley, and despite the sorceress increasing Volga’s power, they’re still advancing, calling upon the Great Fairy to aid them. Volga himself is forced to retreat back to Cia’s side, and he stands silently beside her, waiting for her orders.

She’s watching the battle with a look in her eye that grows steadily more enraged, her knuckles whitening on her staff. It isn’t long before she orders him back out, commanding him to find the princess and crush her.

Volga nods, preparing to obey, when the sorceress stops him, a manic look in her eyes.

“This time you will destroy them,” she snarls, and thrusts her hand against his chest.

Power rushes through him, greater than what he had received before, and Volga roars as it fills his veins, turning into a dragon and leaping into the air.

This time he will be the strongest.

Volga glides across the valley, making a beeline towards the army’s leader, the princess’s sword flashing across the battlefield. He lands with a roar, and she quickly turns her attention to him, eyes widening as she leaps out of the way of his first attack.

Volga is merciless, using his weapons of both spear and claws, shooting fire and dive bombing with his dragon form. The princess is annoyingly stubborn though, avoiding nearly all of his attacks, parrying blows and dodging flames.

Some distant part of Volga is impressed.

He snarls as she avoids yet another thrust of his spear, and the princess looks at him, something odd flashing in her gaze.

“Volga! Come to your senses!” she suddenly shouts, parrying an attack. “I know you to fight with honor! What glory is there to be found in using dark magic to win all of your battles?”

“Don’t mock me!” Volga snarls, slamming a clawed hand towards her. How dare she?

“Open your eyes!” Zelda shouts as she dodges, still not giving up. “I believed you to be a proud dragon warrior, not a mercenary for darkness!“

Their weapons clash, and Zelda looks up at Volga without fear, her blue eyes bright.

“Think of your family, Volga. Look past the darkness clouding your vision.”

Volga falters just a hair, a snarl dying in his throat. There is certainly no darkness clouding him, merely the extra power the sorceress provided, but Zelda’s words of family carry a spark of something different. Something... important?

Volga shakes his head, frowning.

...What had she said again?

The spark fades, and Volga roars, hitting her backwards with a clawed hand. The princess is thrown to the ground with a cry, but before Volga can press his attack, there’s a flash of blue and green, and the Hero stands in his way, sword raised.

He has a stricken expression on his face, but Volga barely registers it, roaring again as he goes to face the both of them. The princess regains her footing as the hero slams his shield up to block Volga’s spear, and the three of them resume the fight.

Other monsters join the attack, and the hero’s attention is drawn to keeping them away from his princess, mostly leaving her and Volga to fight alone. Volga draws constantly on the sorceress’s power, and it’s soon obvious the princess begins to flag against his brutal attacks.

She fights on though, tenacious as ever. Soon enough Volga finds their weapons locked again, her eyes fixed on his face.

“Knight Volga, I thought you a protector, a dragon of honor,” she says, voice breathless but earnest. Blood drips across her eye but she doesn’t loosen her grip to wipe it away. “This isn’t who you are, drawing on dark power, fighting in wars for a cause you don’t believe in!”

That persistent spark of something comes back in Volga’s mind, flickering in his thoughts, buzzing in his memory. It makes him falter, just a little.

“Please,” Zelda repeats, still straining against his spear. “For Link’s sake.”

The name rings familiar, and Volga stumbles as a face flickers in his mind, blue eyes shining through the murk. Looking at him in trepidation as information spills from hylian lips, scales glittering in places they have no right to be.

What is this memory?

He can’t recall the events that led to it, or what came after, or even where he was when it occurred. In fact... all he can really recall is the sharp urge to fight the strongest, destroy the enemy, do as the sorceress commands.

Who is the boy with scales on his arms, and hair nearly the same color as his own?

“Volga,” the princess speaks again, less strained now, and Volga belatedly realizes he’s stopped fighting. “Fight past this darkness. I know you are more than what Cia is letting you be.”

Cia.

The name is like a clap of thunder in his head, and suddenly the darkness he’d denied was choking him is all too evident, coursing through him alongside his fire, constricting his thoughts and twisting his actions. Its influence is overwhelming, and Volga clutches a hand over his chest, thoughts whirling as memories rush back.

Cia invading his home and forcing him under her service, ignoring his wishes to be left alone. Using her magic to make him fight, starting a war over lust for his son, putting him on the opposite side of his own kin.

Purposely obscuring the fact that he had a son.

Volga snarls, anger rising as flames drip from his lips. Cia used dark power, foisted upon him without his say, using him as nothing but another pawn in her game and his son—

“No... no!” Volga shouts, gripping at his head with both hands. “I won’t be ruled by darkness!”

He won’t remain Cia’s puppet for another second.

Volga lashes out at the darkness coating him, tearing at Cia’s influence in his chest. He can feel her power fight back the moment he pushes against it, darkness reaching up to claw at his mind, but Volga tears back with claws of his own, refusing to succumb to it again.

He pushes back with his own power, not that of the sorceress, fire clashing with darkness.

A roar builds in his throat as he gains a solid foothold, and he pushes it out, Cia’s dark power leaving him all in a rush.

And he is free.

Weakness follows the loss of power, but even as Volga drops to a knee, he feels more clearheaded, more alive, then he has in weeks.

And it’s overwhelmingly refreshing.

Volga curls his fingers into the dirt as he regains his bearings, clutching his spear as he raises himself up off the ground again. The princess stands a few feet away, watching him with a hopeful look on her face, and Volga huffs, looking away.

...right into the eyes of the hero.

His son.

Volga stares, the boy staring back with an uncertain look on his face. The hero’s gaze is interrupted by a monster slashing at him, and Volga shakes himself, then looks around the battlefield, taking in what he’s missed.

His gaze falls on the princess again, and something burns in his chest, a need to finish what he started. Volga raises his spear in challenge, pointing it at her and the hero.

“This time I will duel you properly. I will win this fight under my own power,” he declares.

He has other business, important business even (Cia will pay, he swears it), but his pride insists he finishes this fight. He wants to show the two of them how he really fights, no dark powers, no false strength.

To finish the fight he began in an honorable manner.

The princess hesitates at his request, exchanging a loaded look with her hero. But he nods, and she nods as well, pointing her sword back.

And they start the fight anew, dragon, princess, and hero.

The fight is invigorating, to say the least. Volga’s very scales seem to buzz with excitement as he battles the two, the old fire coming back to his blood. They’re an incredible team, truly powerful, and fighting them helps immensely with continuing to wake him up, forcing any remnant of Cia’s power from his bones.

They weave in and out in tandem, one of them striking, and then darting out as the other attacks. Despite the remaining weakness from the loss of darkness, Volga matches them blow for blow, his blood singing as he duels the two.

He hasn’t had a fight this challenging in years, and it reminds him of older days, of other duels.

A smile on a tanned face, ruby-red eyes, hair the color of new-fallen snow...

Volga promptly pushes that image aside. He needs to focus on the here and now, and his strength is fading, the hero and princess still pressing their attack.

As much as he hates to admit it, Cia’s actions have left him low on strength, and as enjoyable as this fight is... he’s fading. Rather fast.

And suddenly, he finds himself on his knees, a sword pointing at his neck.

Volga looks at Zelda, then over at his son, both of them breathing hard. An odd feeling of pride runs through him as he looks at the boy, and he almost smiles. Only one other person has ever been able to truly best him in battle, and it’s clear both of them learned from her.

Impa taught them well.

...It was no wonder Cia wanted one dead and the other her captive.

Anger courses through him at the reminder of the sorceress’s treachery, but his energy is spent. Too spent for him to reasonably mount a successful attack on her.

His vengeance will have to wait.

The princess opens her mouth to speak, but Volga beats her to it, closing his eyes as blood runs from a cut over one of them. “I accept my defeat with honor. I lose, but I do so without regrets.”

He exhaled and looks up at the two of them, and his son meets his eyes again, blood and dirt smeared on his face.

Volga gives him a singular nod, then despite his weariness, turns into his dragon form and takes off into the skies. He needs to rest, and recover from his wounds before figuring out what to do next.

And... process the ramifications of having a son.

Impa...

Link and Zelda watch him go in silence, Volga’s wings bright as a comet as he glides away. They’re both breathing heavily from the battle, small injuries bleeding, burns stinging. Zelda is smiling though, and there’s a hesitant sort of hope in Link’s eyes as they watch the dragon grow smaller in the distance.

Zelda squeezes Link’s shoulder as Volga finally disappears from their sight, but they don’t have time to dwell on what just occurred.

Cia still needs to be taken care of. But then...

Link supposes they’ll figure it out.

[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.

.

.

.

[majorproblems77]

Sacred realm update! so I'm back!

Hi all!

Hope your doing well! :D

Only a few days late, Exam season man, what can you do?

This update shows link and Time Escaping. And time having... a Time....

Alright, now for the important stuff! Sacred realm belongs to @zelda-the-sacred-realm, and all art from the comics belongs to the comic artist. I've got their permission to do these! I love the comic so much its so good and so well done!

The link to the update can be found here! You should go reblog it, it's great, give it some love, please? :D

Let's do this, grab your popcorn and your water. Let's go! :D

Cinnamon roll Link strikes again, Clearly, the big purple guy just wants a hug!

oh no...

Panic!

Time's little superhero slide here.

Also, it must be said he's doing all this while carrying an adult. (Or close enough.) I know he's a spirit and all but that's VERY impressive!

You know when you're reading and you can hear the atmosphere, you can hear the moment that a breath is held. And time stands still.

This. The moment in a movie when everything stops before the action picks up in another way.

The talent it takes to get it from still images. I just am in awe.

Pure fear from Link.

Props to Time here for remaining calm while he's got the cinnamon roll here just scared out of his mind.

Time... Being reassuring?

Wow.

This is important I think for these two's relationship. The need to protect someone only comes to people who dont really hate someone. Before this, I'm pretty sure Link doesn't think Time cares too much about him.

Why would he right? Time's been nothing but cold to him.

(More on this later)

Link getting cocooned in Time's cloak is just, everything to me. It's such a caring more from him. (Even if it is a you can't die thing)

Ouch, that's gotta hurt

Oh man, this man is like... low-key gripping onto him.

Excuse me while I cry a little?

Twilightttttt ;-;

DIRECT FAMILY CONNECTION

EXCUSE ME WHILE I CRY MORE? ;-;-;-;

TIME? OH YOU POOR MAN

This reaction gives me father-son vibes but with time and Link, it's giving me life because oh my god these two.

Link is a cinnamon roll and must be protected.

PFFFFFFTTTT

Rip

This made me laugh I won't lie. Damit Time I was rooting for some Dad Time in this world.

Says the 'Small cinnamon roll with scared of everything issues.'

I love him but ohhhh man Time is gonna kill you

SEE

RUN LINK

RUN

Link, poor guy. Man needs help okay.

This map is interesting, I reckon is a list of the first three heroes we meet.

That top one is Skyloft. With Hylia and the floating island. - For Sky. who we met first.

The middle one has someone holding The double helix sword... That's the fierce deity on the middle level. We know Time has a connection to the Fierce deity mask. And in turn the deity himself. So this middle level is Time.

And that lower one.

If im right, This is the Twilight realm, and we will find ourselves there soon. The people look similar to the 'Link' we see on the land level to an extent while still holding a semblance of individuality.

Its almost, inverted? Like the twilight people were. Rather than looking different different.

I'm excited to see where this goes.

Also

Hi it's later

So I'm a sucker for visual storytelling in backgrounds and I think this might be more than an exploration into the depths beneath the ice.

Starting with this.

I think this, is Time being vulnerable.

The break from a cold icy exterior to something a little more personal.

Funny how when Time begins to see more personal stuff, he has more visions of the past.

The trigger has him almost scared, just look at him.

Why would Time be scared, if he didn't care?

Time appears to carry a lot of guilt around Twilight.

And when Link calls him out on it, he returns to that icy exterior, not allowing himself the opportunity to be vulnerable again.

And I wonder if that has to be explored before he can take his place within the medallion. Trials by fire, as they are so suitably called, can be for the spirits as much as Link.

Just a thought tho.

That's all from me! Hope you have a great day! :D

[shingekinohyrulewrites]

Golden Sand

Princess Zelda of the Gerudo is the reincarnation of the Goddess of the Sand. Link of the Gerudo is the first Gerudo born in one hundred years after Ganondorf. On his eighteenth birthday, he is sent to Zelda to assess whether he is a threat. The consensus ?

He is a threat.

Read first chapter on AO3 here

Read previous chapter on AO3 here

CREDITS TO THE ORIGINAL ARTIST FOR THIS IMAGE !!

A week passed after Link’s experience at the Spirit Temple. The guard in charge of him, who he learned was named Buliara, began a routine with him that started at dawn. He was given time to wash up and get dressed before he was escorted to the servants’ dining room. Despite being a servant, he ate well and was often given seconds. From there, he was given a list of items to complete that ranged from cleaning the kitchen or escorting guests around the Palace. The tasks were mundane enough, nothing too extreme or frustrating.

However, Link had yet to see Queen Zelda again. After seeing her speak with the Spirit Goddess, he hadn’t encountered her at all. He had expected to be serving her directly, especially since he had been so brash with her upon their first meeting. When he asked Buliara about it, she was quick to raise her eyebrows at him.

“You strike me as a voe who is a glutton for punishment.”

He had glared at her in response.

“She made a big deal about me not obeying her. I figured she would teach me a lesson and make me her personal servant.”

Buliara smirked, shaking her head.

Two more weeks passed, marking three weeks since Link had become a royal servant. Despite the rocky start, he was enjoying the routine he had established and actually relished the alone time he had while working. No one talked down to him or judged him; instead, he often received compliments about the work he was doing. Sometimes, when he had finished his work early, Buliara would sneak him out onto the training grounds and allow him to practice his archery. She was impressed with his skills and wanted to see how his horseback work compared.

“You have the skills of a great warrior,” she had mused. “Perhaps I can see if you can become a soldier.”

Midway through his third week, Buliara woke him at dawn as usual. Her usually calm face was marred with worry, and she was unusually tense as she greeted him.

“Has . . . something happened?”

“The Queen has requested your presence,” she murmured.

“Right now? At this moment?”

Buliara shook her head. “No, not until after you’ve had your breakfast.”

“Why so grim? Am I to be sentenced to death?”

“Do not be so stupid,” she barked. “No, you are to accompany her while she takes audiences today.”

As was custom for a ruler, Queen Zelda took audiences once a week, listening to the pleas and worries of her people and trying to find solutions for them. Link wondered what exactly he was to do - did she expect him to come up with answers on the spot?

“Do not fret,” Buliara said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Get on with your morning. I shall wait for you.”

They were silent as they made their way to the servants’ dining room. When they stopped outside the door, he turned to look at her.

“Will you be escorting me to the Queen?”

“But of course. I am responsible for you.”

She nudged the door open, jerking her head towards it.

“Go. I shall collect you after.”

He ate deep in thought, wondering what would occur. The tasks he had been completing had been enough for him, and he worried if the Queen would just put more on his plate. Or, perhaps, she would finally take a liking to him? He shook his head, sighing as he stabbed his fork into his food.

Buliara gave him a quick list of warnings as they strode towards the Throne Room.

“Only speak to her when spoken to. Unless a citizen greets you, do not speak. You are to be as silent as possible and support the Queen as much as you can.”

“Right,” he frowned. “Basically act like I have since I was born.”

A flash of sympathy crossed her face. She turned her face away, keeping it turned until they arrived.

“I wish you the best of luck.”

The Throne Room was empty, minus Queen Zelda and her personal guards. His eyes took in her appearance, and he hated to admit she looked rather . . . beautiful. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, her head adorned with a circlet with a large ruby in the middle of her forehead. She wore a strapless, pink Gerudo top that was held in place by a golden Gerudo crest that wrapped around her neck. A light splatter of freckles covered her bare shoulders. The outfit was finished with sheer pants that matched her top and amulets on her biceps.

“You. Hurry up and come kneel before me.”

Link fought hard to keep the scowl off his face as he obeyed, keeping his gaze away from her as he stood in front of her before sinking down onto his knees.

“Hm, better. It seems you’ve learned since spending some time working here.”

Her attitude towards him hadn’t changed. There was still a tinge of coldness to her tone, and she still addressed him as if he was a pest. They hadn’t seen each other since the Spirit Temple, and he had hoped that the time apart would soften her attitude towards him. A part of him had also hoped that she would have spoken to him since the Goddess of the Sand had addressed him directly.

Apparently not.

“You shall be my scribe for today. You are to write down the name of the citizen and their request, as well as my solutions for them.”

She grabbed something from behind her throne and threw it suddenly at him. He barely managed to catch it, realizing it was a scroll. It unfurled in his hands, revealing that it was blank. She was holding out a quill, and he was silently thankful that she hadn’t thrown it to him.

Zelda sat on her throne, back straight as she stared straight ahead. One of her personal guards rushed forward, placing a stool to her side and gesturing for Link to sit. He got comfortable and held the quill in his left hand, waiting for the Queen to speak.

“Please write today’s date. It is just past nine in the morning.”

Her voice softened as she spoke to him. Her eyes were still looking straight ahead, trained on the door. After a moment they opened, revealing an elderly Gerudo woman. She wobbled in, keeping her head lowered and sinking into a deep bow upon standing before Zelda.

“Your Majesty, thank you for taking the time to listen to me this blessed morning.”

“May the Goddess of the Sand bless you. How may I assist you?”

The elderly woman stood up, her eyes flickering towards Link. She quirked an eyebrow before shifting her gaze back to Zelda.

“I have heard from my neighbor, who travels outside the city to get goods, that there has been an increase in theft among merchants. She is in fear that she will be targeted next, especially as a Gerudo. Is there anything you can do?”

Link wrote down her request word for word, his handwriting surprisingly smooth. He noted that Zelda had glanced over at his work before nodding subtly in approval.

“That is a shame. I was not aware of an increase in theft outside the city. I shall send word to the guards who patrol right outside of the city and correspond with foreign merchants who come in.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. She is afraid and embarrassed to bring up the matter.”

The next woman was brought in, and the next one after. It was a steady stream, each one coming in and explaining their concerns while Zelda listened intensely. Link noted that, despite how cold she was towards him, she was a Queen with a loving heart for her people. He saw the way her expression softened as each citizen spoke of their worries, and she took her time to think of the proper response to appease them. She actively listened to them as well, not looking away from their faces as they spoke, even if they refused to meet her eyes. He also admired how eloquently she spoke, how she made sure her words were simple enough to understand but with a trace of wisdom behind them. He was most impressed by her intellect; it appeared that her mind was working quickly as she listened to the concerns. She also refused to make promises that she couldn’t keep; if something was out of her control, she would be transparent about it. However, if she had power over a solution, she promised to get it done quickly to appease her people. Link became more in awe of her as time went on.

At noon sharp, the doors were shut, leaving Link and Zelda alone. He had used two scrolls, taking detailed notes on the conversations and adding names of the citizens when possible. He had also made sure to specify Zelda’s responses, and he was quite proud of his work. One of the guards approached to take the scrolls, looking them over and nodding in approval. Zelda stood up, stretching her arms overhead before sighing. She turned to look at Link before taking the scroll from the guard.

“I must say, you have wonderful handwriting.”

Surprised by her compliment, Link quickly bowed his head.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Excellent work. Thank you, Link.”

She lifted her gaze from the scroll and looked directly at him. Her eyes studied his face before a small smile tugged at her lips. Link felt heat rush to his cheeks as he bowed his head again.

“Forgive me if this is brash, Your Majesty, but I must say I truly admire you as a ruler.”

“Admire me?”

“You have a big heart for our people. You truly care about our wellbeing and work hard to ensure that we are satisfied. Not all rulers can claim that.”

She looked away, clearing her throat.

“You flatter me.”

He frowned. “I . . . did not mean any offense.”

“It is simply my duty,” she murmured.

“No,” he shook his head. “You go above your duty, Your Majesty.”

She didn’t respond, still looking away. After a moment, she cleared her throat.

“You are dismissed. Thank you for your hard work, Link.”

[linksthoughtbrambles]

BRAMBLES CONGRATS ON 500 THATS AMAZINGGG. For my request how about Zelda taking care of a sick Link (any zelink, maybe even shink👀)

No Expectations

An Ocarina of Time one-shot, Shink, rated T, ~3000 words, whump, hurt/comfort though perhaps not in the usual sense, also on ao3.

Sheik stared down at the Hero of Idiocy.

His entire body was one massive, inflamed bruise, his eyes swollen shut, lips split from repeated impacts. He had at least three broken ribs—and a concussion, obviously. If Sheik hadn’t pulled him out of there, he’d have become yet another skeleton adorning the depths of the ancient Shadow Temple, his bones pounded into the earth by hands too cursed to be seen.

He clearly hadn’t seen it – not until the last minute, when he’d almost run out of fight.

Irritating as his fairy was, she should have screamed louder.

‘Hey! Listen!’

Hey, fairy—fly in his pouch and hand him the damn lens if he’s too busy getting pummeled to think of it himself.

Now, Navi flitted nervously about Link’s head.

“Off with you,” Sheik said.

The fairy tinkled.

“He’s bandaged as much as will help and I have the witch’s potions. You hovering won’t help.”

She tinkled again, wavering wildly up and down.

Sheik had the distinct impression he’d been told likewise. “I’m not hovering,” he said. “I’m tending. Now, out. Why don’t you go eat—whatever it is you normally eat.”

That was met with furious, high-pitched buzzing.

Sheik took out a bottle.

Navi spluttered fairy-dust as she whizzed out the open casement.

Sheik smirked. It was the only amusement he felt all day, before or after; getting the viscous red potion down Link’s unconscious throat proved non-trivial, and every time his breathing paused blood roared like forest-fire in Sheik’s ears.

He managed to keep Link’s bandages clean and, thankfully, free of any sign of festering. There was little to be done about the crushing injuries but wait for his body to heal itself—with a little help from water and the medicines, of course. Sheik turned the narrow table in the room into a miniature apothecary and requested broth from the innkeeper with each meal.  He’d be damned if he wouldn’t have something Link could eat the instant he woke.

More than 24 hours later, Sheik stood mincing herbs for a poultice, glowering at the green issuance from the leaves as it stained his fingers.

How could he trust Link to prevail after this? Sheik had held almost entirely back—the sword’s wielder needed to become a true master of his martial craft. He couldn’t be coddled.

Sheik slid the herbs into the mortar with the others and began grinding them into a thick paste with unnecessary viciousness. It smelled delicious, and he glowered harder as a sudden hunger pang hit him.

The pestle ground to a halt when a second, much louder stomach-growl occurred behind him.

Sheik turned to find Link watching with bleary eyes, dark between slits in puffy lids, his swollen lips parted, his expression confused if anything, though difficult to read amid all that distortion.

Anger roiled upward from Sheik’s abdomen and settled as a red heat in his head. It narrowed his eyes and wrinkled his nose, though his mask hid that part.

“So,” Sheik said. “You’re awake.”

Link licked his lips and winced.

Sheik set the mortar down with deliberate delicacy, held by its rim in his fingertips and released with an exaggerated opening of his full hand. He would not rage at Link. He would make it very very clear Link had screwed up.

“It’s you,” Link said, his voice a pale whisper.

Sheik’s brow pinched.

The hunger growl repeated itself.

Sheik grimaced and reached for the now-lukewarm chicken broth he’d kept lidded. He brought it over, slid an arm beneath Link’s shoulders, and began upward pressure.

Link groaned.

“It won’t be so bad once you’re propped,” Sheik said flatly.

A few groans, gasps, and winces later, Link was upright enough on pillows to sip from the cup. Sheik had been prepared to stop him from drinking too fast, but Link didn’t seem able, anyway. He took so long, Sheik’s shoulder got sore from holding the cup to his lips even though he only managed a quarter of it.

Link leaned his head fully back, neck craning toward the ceiling, his eyes moving as though reading words written there above them.  “Thank you,” he said

Shiek’s nose wrinkled invisibly once more. “You’re…” an idiot… “welcome.”

In two more days, Link could sit up briefly by himself. Sheik fed him and tended to his wounds, but spoke very little, and when he did it was all practicality. He kept catching little snatches of expressions on Link’s face—ones he wiped clear when Sheik would turn fully to face him: his brows pinched—a slight lifting of his cheeks, with no smile—a dusting of red visible despite his bruises—a swallow.

Nerves and confusion, it seemed.

“You’re angry with me,” Link said to Sheik’s back.

All movement in the room ceased.

“It took you this long to figure that out?” Sheik asked matter-of-factly, careful to keep any heat out of his voice.

“No,” Link said. “It took me this long to say it.”

Sheik found himself taking a long, deep breath and sighing, slow, his eyes shut, a stinging sensation beginning in them he tried to crush right out of existence. That would give the game away entirely. He knew what he sounded like when he cried, and it wasn’t what people expected to hear. Even the tears—those weren’t Sheik enough. Impa would be furious with him.

His eyes squeezed further shut.  He shook his head and leaned, both palms flat on the edge of the table.

“Sheik?” Link asked on a quiet, high pitch.

He just shook his damn head.

“I was so glad to see you,” Link said. “When I woke up.”

Sheik turned just enough to side-eye him.

He was still reclining on the pillows, his head turned to face Sheik but resting. “The last thing I thought before I went out was…”

Link’s mouth kept opening, just a little, with no sound.

Sheik huffed. “That you should’ve taken the damn lens out of your pocket?”

Link blinked rapidly for a solid three seconds. Then he broke into a smile he was clearly trying to fight, the left side of his mouth twitching insistently while his lower lip rose as if to clamp the top one in place. His face kept turning redder, and the tiny snort of laughter which escaped Link twitched a corner of Sheik’s mouth upward despite himself.

Link’s laughter burst out, mixed with painful wheezes as he held his battered ribs, and Sheik’s gut insisted on shaking with impossible, ridiculous, unwise laughter. It was madness to take Link’s life-threatening error lightly. Insane. It did take him too long to figure things out.

“Y- you-“ Sheik said, trying to break through his own laughter and failing, tears now streaming freely down his eyelids to his face mask, excusable as hilarity, though the shuddering in his abdomen insisted on being more than that.

Link calmed before Sheik did.

He did try to stop it. He splayed a hand over the top half of his face, his eyes shut.

Link had been breathing softly, then caught his breath a few times. “Hey,” Link said.

He said it like that.

Sheik fought not to curl in on himself.  His his muscles tautened like harpstrings.

“Come here,” Link said. “Please.”

Sheik tapped his foot.

“Please?” Link asked. His voice was far too gentle. Sheik removed his hand in time to see Link pat the edge of the bed.

Sheik ground his teeth.

But the feet beneath him took him there.

He sat, the mattress denting more than it seemed like it should for a person his size.  His muscles trembled with the effort of remaining together.

Link held his hand out, palm open. Sheik stared at it, then at Link, who nodded. Sheik held his own hand out, confused until Link clasped it in his own, his grip firm despite his off-color skin.

Sheik did not gasp.

“There’s something else I took a long time to say,” Link said, his words very soft. They stopped Sheik’s breath entirely. He watched, transfixed—horrified—elated—as Link’s other hand approached his mask.

“This okay?” Link asked.

The shape Sheik’s head drew was a circular war between a nod and a shake.  Link’s hand flinched back a hair.

“If it’s not, I- I’ll-“

A tiny sound escaped Sheik and mortified him instantly: high, soft, and pleading. He felt as though his skin had become the shade of his irises.

“Does that mean you want me to?”

Sheik shut his eyes in frustration with himself. He leaned a fraction closer to Link’s hand.

His fingers sent shivers down Sheik’s tense nerves as he gently eased the cloth down.

Sheik spent long moments just breathing.

“It is you,” Link whispered.

When Sheik finally opened his eyes, the smile on Link’s face was the most breathtaking he’d ever seen on him, even with his split lips and mottled skin.

“I almost took too long,” Link said. “I thought…” his smile turned sad as his free hand hovered between himself and Sheik. “I thought I would die without telling you.”

An unsteady puff of air left Sheik’s mouth. “That I’m Zelda? I already knew that.”

Link laughed, too, a calm huff. “Kind of. But, no… that’s… not it. At least, it’s not all.” Suddenly Link was struggling to sit upright. Sheik helped him on instinct, his clasped hand anchoring Link’s and pulling him upward. Link grunted his pain, but he stayed up, now much closer to Sheik.

“I was surprised at first, and confused,” Link said, his voice now shaking.

Sheik shook, too. “About what?”

A small smile touched Link’s face. “By how attracted I was to you,” he said.

All that red drained from Sheik’s face. He wouldn’t be surprised to look in the mirror and find his eyes had de-reddened too.

“I was always hoping to see you,” Link said. “Around every corner. You seemed to always know where I was or- at least where I would be, but I could never find you when I tried.” He laughed, its flutters nervous. “I was hoping you’d still be in Kakariko when I left the temple, but then…”

Link seemed to deflate. His head hung, shaking side to side, his shoulders slumped. “I failed you.”

Sheik wanted to say he hadn’t, but it just wasn’t true. It was part of his anger.

“Impa…didn’t come out either, did she?”

Sheik’s lips quivered.

“I- am so sorry,” Link said, his chin weak.

“Everything has its time,” Sheik said.

A few puffs of halfhearted laughter left Link. “Except me,” he said.

“You nearly did,” Sheik hissed.

“…Yeah. Yeah, I did. I shouldn’t’ve joked about that.” He gave Sheik a sheepish look.  “I wasn’t smart. I rushed in. I was trying to catch up to Impa. I didn’t prepare anywhere near as well as I should have and I was trying to make up for lost- lost time- finding the lens. I don’t know why I didn’t even think to look through it when I got smashed into the ground repeatedly.”

“Probably because you were too busy getting smashed into the ground repeatedly,” Sheik said.

“But…you found me.”

“I followed as soon as the village wasn’t burning.”

“Why this time and not the others?”

Sheik gave him a long look.

“…Do you always follow me?”

“Yes,” he said, very quietly.

Link leaned closer and closer. Their bangs met first—then their foreheads. “So…if I turn around…why don’t I see you.”

“I’m good at hiding.”

“Why hide from me?”

“To stay strong.”

“You can’t be strong with me?”

“I can’t be seen to be-“ Sheik bit his lip, taking a calming breath. “You must understand. No one knows who I am. I can’t seem to be interested in you.”

Link raised on eyebrow. Sheik’s cheeks flushed at the same rate as Link’s mouth curling upward. “So…you’re interested in me.”

“Of course I am,” Sheik hissed. “You and I are the keys to ending Ganondorf’s evil reign!”

“Oh, I see. So you can’t seem to care about how I’m doing.”

“Exactly.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is? Because you teaching me all those teleportation songs sure seems like you care about how I’m doing. In the battle for Hyrule, I mean.”

“No one saw me teach you those.”

“Oh, so it’s okay if no one sees.”

“Of course.”

Link was smiling so slyly at him. He could think of one (unwise) way to wipe that smirk right off his face, and it made him grip Link’s still-clasped hand much harder.

“Ouch,” Link said.

Sheik did not apologize. “You yourself said you were- confused. Surprised. You can’t have immediately known who I was.”

Link reached up to brush a strand of hair from his eye. “No. Not right away.”

“But you were attracted.”

Link nodded.

Sheik registered those eyes of his wandering all over his face. His heart sped when they lingered longer on his lips than they should have. “You are not the only person who would think it odd.”

Link snorted. “There’s a difference between me coming to terms with things about myself and some jerk being judgy.”

“It isn’t about judgement. It’s about expectations. I am a man.”  Sheik stared hard at him, eyebrows shot way up, daring Link to challenge him.  “And if I behave in a way contrary to people’s expectations, it will be noticed. I can’t afford a doubt which would whisper in Ganondorf’s ear.”

Link chuckled. “You think that’s more likely to tip him off than the music lessons?”

Sheik shoved his face right up to Link’s, eye-to-eye and nose-to-nose, glaring. “I had to do that. No getting around it. Riskier to try and pass it off to someone else.”

Something changed in Link’s expression, then. It reminded Sheik of something, but he couldn’t place what.

“Okay,” Link said. “If- you think it’s a bad idea, I won’t push you.”

Sheik’s eyes stung again.

“I just- wanted to make sure I told you.” Link huffed again, half a laugh but also sad. “Before my time actually comes.” He reached for Sheik’s hand and unclasped it from him—and placed an extremely gentle, chaste kiss to its heel.

Sheik didn’t let any sound out.

His hands came to rest in his lap, but Link’s went to the bed on either side of him. He was trembling hard.

“You…shouldn’t sit up so long,” Sheik said, annoyed with himself.

“I’m alright.” Link said.

Sheik watched the wielder of the Master Sword shake—not out of fear: out of pain. More than one kind.

It occurred to Sheik that he, on occasion, could also be an idiot.

“I didn’t realize,” he found himself saying, “the mistake I was making when I threw you the ocarina.”

Link looked back up.

“I should’ve taken it with me. Impa and I could’ve taken it with us to the ends of the earth. Maybe we could’ve destroyed it. Ganondorf might eventually have found another way in, but he also may have grown old and died before he did. It would’ve spared Hyrule. It would’ve spared you. I…” Sheik swallowed, and he just let it happen this time—Link already knew. Whatever expectations he might’ve had didn’t matter.

And if Sheik was honest with himself, Link not having figured it out had been part of his anger, too. How could he not have known Sheik was Zelda?

And yet how could Sheik expect him to figure out something kept so tight to his chest?

It turns out he had, anyway.

Maybe it didn’t take Link all that long to figure things out. Maybe the problem was the time it took to choose.

The back of Link’s finger brushed first one tear, then another, from Sheik’s cheeks.

“I made the same mistake,” Link said. “I opened the door for him.” Link’s hand came to rest on Sheik’s cheek, and it changed something in Sheik’s entire body. His back wanted to arch, his breath begged to speed, and something warm and hazy seemed to enclose his thoughts, encouraging him to discount everything he’d said to Link in the past ten minutes.

“Neither of us is perfect,” Link said, his thumb caressing Sheik’s cheek, “but I love you just the way you are. No exceptions, and-“ Link smiled softly- “no expectations.”

Sheik found himself holding Link’s hand to his face, his arm pressing Link’s to his side, and realizing expectations had, in fact, been his problem. He’d expected Link to do all this alone—thought he needed to, to prepare for what was coming. Ganondorf was far more deadly than any of the creatures inhabiting the corrupted temples, and Link needed to be ready. Sheik was already ready, wasn’t he?  He hadn’t spent 7 years sealed in the Sacred Realm asleep. He’d trained and fought and grown and lived for nothing but the moment he could free Hyrule from its tyrant.

Yet neither he nor Link would succeed in that final endeavor alone. They would need both parts of the Triforce to overcome Ganondorf—as well as Sheik’s innate magic and Link’s truly extrarordinary strength and prowess.

Even Impa had been overcome by the evil spirit of shadows alone.

“Maybe,” Sheik said, astonished at the fluctuations in his own voice, “I should’ve- stepped in. A lot earlier than I did.”

“It’s okay,” Link said.

Sheik knew he meant it. He swept the tip of his nose against Link’s, a soft touch.

Then, they were kissing.

Sheik didn’t quite understand how it began, but Link’s mouth was on his, his hand still on Sheik’s cheek while the other slid against the small of Sheik’s back. Sheik buried his fingers in Link’s hair and curled an arm around Link’s shoulders, pressing him closer, the two of them making sounds of mingled relief, desire, and-

Pain?

Sheik gasped, inwardly cursing himself as he released the pressure on Link, who was chuckling.

“Ouch,” Link said.

“Maybe you’d better lay down-“

“Yeaaaah.”

Sheik helped him ease back down to the pillows and Link grasped his hand, kissing the backs of each knuckle. Sheik huffed flushed laughs at each one, eventually extracting himself while Link smiled at him.

“You,” Sheik said, “need rest.”

Link shrugged, then winced.

“Ha. See?”

“Yeah, I know.” Link adjusted himself lower on the pillows. “Are you still mad at me?”

Sheik studied him a long moment. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m not sure I was to begin with, truly.”

Sheik waved a hand at Link’s confused face. “Rest. I’ll ponder my inner workings. Don’t worry about it.”

He went back to preparing a salve for Link’s eyes and lips. This time, he smiled at the smooth concoction, imagining the look on Link’s face when he applied it—an incredible relief from the near-constant scowl he’d worn these past three days…and seven years.

--

[Thanks for the ask, Ace! This just kept getting longer 😂].

[game-boy-pocket]

I was going to wait until I was done with the game to mention this but I am so impressed I feel like I need to let people know about this as soon as possible but i'm playing a new Ocarina of Time romhack called the Ultimate Trial, and it's incredibly interesting so far.

Link and Navi actually get lost navigating the Lost Woods, and end up cursed, losing all their equipment, most of their vitality, and even some of their memories. This seems to be taking place just before Link sets off to confront Ganondorf, so it's, I guess you'd call it a mid-quel or a side story. They come across a stronghold protected by a man named Shiba, full of refugees from Ganondorf's attack on Hyrule Town, it kind of accounts for several residents that went missing, but it also adds a lot of NPCs as well, even some familiar faces from Termina. In this stronghold, you can't die, you just get sent back to the lobby with all the rupees you have, and you can spend your rupees to power up and try to make it further on your next run. It's pretty addictive.

The gameplay loop is focused, so if you don't enjoy that aspect of Zelda games, it might not be for you, but there's some light puzzle elements. But essentially it's a game where you go through several gauntlets of enemies with nothing but your sword and shield, and three hearts at the start, but you buy and earn more goods. The bean seller returns selling hearts at increasingly more increased prices. There's a trade quest, mini games, lots of shops, collectibles, and there are even new items, abilities, and new enemies and bosses as well.

Some of the gauntlets will have different rules. There's the main ones that are just "make it to the final room", there's a boss rush, an endless mode, and a timed challenge. There may even be more I have yet to find, as the strong hold has lots of secrets to explore, and NPCs show up gradually as you play the game.

Also there's some visual upgrades to, Link's model has been updated, and several monsters now look a lot closer to the artwork than their in game counterparts. Redeads are downright freaky.

It runs nearly perfect on my N64, there is some slowdown if there's a lot of enemies on the screen, which only really happens in endless mode. If you like Ocarina of Time I would suggest you do not miss this hack. You can get the patch here: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/8640/

[singofsolace]

“I didn’t know you could do that.” for Zelda x Lilith

Thank you so much for this prompt! It really sparked some immediate inspiration for a pairing I haven't written for in awhile. Who knows, maybe this will be what sends me back to all my Madam Spellman WIPS! 💜

This little ficlet explores a gift of Zelda's that was originally meant to be part of the show but was later dropped: telekinesis.

“I didn’t know you could do that.” Zelda x Lilith ❤️ Word Count: 571

Check it out:

Zelda doesn’t even remember what the fight was about. All she knows is that one minute Lilith was sitting in her parlor, sipping her tea, and having a civilized conversation about something or other, and the next, every object and piece of furniture in the room was hovering three feet from the ground.

“Zelda?” Lilith says, her eyes half fear and half curiosity. “Zelda, why don’t you take a breath?”

Zelda tries, she really does, but the breath gets caught in her throat. She feels immediately dizzy, the sitting room blurring around the edges until the only thing she can see is Lilith standing there in a red dress, her hands held in front of her, like she’s trying to calm a particularly dangerous and easily-spooked mare.

“Zelda,” Lilith repeats, her voice almost pleading, and Zelda remembers the last time Lilith begged, and she thinks a bloodletting might hurt less than the shame of having turned this woman away. 

Lilith reaches out to touch her arm, and Zelda can’t help flinching back. Suddenly, her unconscious magic snaps like a rubber band, and all the objects come crashing to the ground.

“I’m sorry,” Zelda whispers, hating how small and weak her voice sounds. “I… I didn’t mean to.”

Lilith reaches towards her again, slower this time, and Zelda bites her lip, closes her eyes, and forces herself not to move away. 

“Look at me,” Lilith says, and though it is a command, there is a note of hesitancy to it, that lets Zelda know she is no longer under the Caligari spell, and if she would prefer not to follow the order, there would be no punishment.

Zelda opens her eyes. Lilith is looking at her with wonder, now, and not fear. 

“I didn’t know you could do that.” Lilith inclines her head to indicate the mess Zelda’s magic has made of the room. Lilith smiles, then, and it sends a funny feeling fluttering through her stomach.

“Telekinesis,” Zelda offers, and of course, Lilith knows what it was, but it’s the only word her mind could come up with by way of explanation.

“Impressive.” Lilith’s smile widens to show her teeth. “It takes most witches a lifetime to harness that kind of power, and most never demonstrate that level of control.”

Zelda scoffs, shaking her head. “What control? Those objects levitated against my will.”

“Even more impressive,” Lilith’s hand squeezes her elbow in support. “How you managed to hide that level of natural ability from me for so long is astonishing. I knew you were a gifted witch, Miss Spellman, but that display tells me I still have much to learn about the extent of your talents.”

“Please, call me Zelda,” she offers, avoiding Lilith’s gaze again. “And thank you.”

“Don’t thank me,” Lilith admonishes, but there’s only fondness in her tone, and not criticism. “I didn’t give you that power. And neither did the Dark Lord, I might add. That’s something deeper, something purer and more dangerous than anything even Hecate could give you.”

“What is it, then?” Zelda challenges, wondering how this ability she’d had since childhood could possibly be something special, when she’d been punished for it all her life—first by her father, and then by any number of teachers at the Academy.

Lilith’s smile reaches her eyes and takes on a slightly terrifying glimmer. 

“Why, it’s chaos magic, my dear.”

[wonderlandleighleigh]

rewrite 2

@theycallme-thejackal wanted more so

She figures if Joel is going to aggressively blame her for his life falling apart (again), then she deserves just a tiny bit of retaliation in the form of bringing the kids with her on Zelda’s night off. So she manages to throw together something delicious in her pyrex before bundling up the kids and taking them to Lenny’s new place in the Village.

It’s nice, though a little old. There’s even a doorman, and he lets them up to the fifth floor readily. 

Lenny opens the door, looking a little surprised, and still exhausted, but he’s not unhappy she’s there, letting them in, and instantly, Ethan and Esther adopt Kitty as one of their own.

“I made a box fort in my new room, wanna see?” Kitty offers, and off they go. 

Midge smiles fondly, before looking around. The apartment is covered in boxes, both empty and not-so-empty ones, and Lenny looks a little sheepish.

“We’re settling in,” he tells her sheepishly. “We’ll get there.” 

Midge smiles at him kindly. “I know you will. I’m sorry to spring my kids on you like this. I didn’t have a sitter for tonight, and since Kitty is here, I thought it’d be okay.” 

He grins a little. “It’s nice for her to make friends.” 

 She smiles back and offers him the pyrex. “Dinner, as promised.” 

He takes it and shifts the lid open a little to get a whiff, before looking at her in half-amazement, half-annoyance. “It smells fucking amazing.” 

“I’m glad you think so. Hungry?” 

“Starved,” he admits as they head for the kitchen. “Kids! Dinner!” 

“Can we eat in the box fort?!” Kitty calls back. 

Lenny shrugs and looks to Midge. “I don’t mind if you don’t mind.” 

She shrugs easily. “Sounds fine.” 

“Come get plates to bring back to the fort!” Lenny calls, and it ushers in a stampede of socked feet.

They fill three plastic plates with chicken and carrots and kugel and the kids rush back with their dinners towards Kitty’s room, giggling and chattering to each other. 

“That didn’t take long,” Midge observes as she and Lenny dish out food for themselves. 

He clears off the small kitchen table of court documents and boxes so they can sit and eat, and he pulls a bottle of wine from a cabinet. “I figured if you were gonna bring dinner, I should supply the libations.” 

“Very generous,” Midge quips as he pours them some wine into small cups. “How was Kessler?” 

“Fine,” Lenny shrugs. “He says hello. He told me if I were a woman and could borrow your outfits I’d have a better time in court.” 

“Too bad you don’t have the tits to hold up my dresses,” she teases gently. 

“Yes, a terrible shame,” he agrees. “How’s work?” 

“It’s-” Midge stops and thinks about it. “Great. And awful. And great. And awful.” 

“Sounds right,” Lenny nods as he starts eating, stopping to chew slowly, eyes closing. “Fuck that’s good.” 

Midge grins proudly. “So far, I’m just the girl in the room, and Gordon keeps trying to hit on me, and because of it, all the other writers hate me.” 

“Gordon’s wandering shvantz is to be avoided at all costs,” he tells her, pointing a fork at her. “I’ve heard stories. None of them are good.” 

“That’s the impression I got,” she agrees. “He was very disappointed that I had plans tonight and wasn’t going out for after-show drinks with everyone.” 

“Well, I feel very lucky to have you here,” Lenny admits quietly. “It’s been…” he stops, looking down at his plate. 

“It doesn’t sound good,” Midge offers. 

He nods. “The only bright spot’s been having Kitty around.” 

“She seems sweet,” Midge nods. 

“The sweetest,” Lenny agrees. “Look…I…Midge, I-” he stops and swallows. 

“Lenny…” 

“I should have called,” he blurts out. “I was a coward, and I just- I don’t know. After that night on stage it felt-” 

“Lenny.” 

He stops when she puts a hand over his. He looks up at her, that tired look still in his eyes. 

“I’m really glad you’re back,” she says softly. “And I’m really glad we get to do this.” 

He keeps his eyes trained on her, and he looks like he’s doing everything in his power not to tug her closer; take her into his arms. It’s clear that they’re still on shaky ground. They don’t know where they stand with each other, sitting here in his nice new apartment at his small kitchen table with their kids happily eating and playing together in the other room.

It feels like jumping into the deep end, from creatures of the night to hosting a playdate.

“I don’t really know what I’m doing,” he confesses. “The lawsuits are getting harder to fight, and my mother fucking up my west coast plans has been a nightmare, and I’ve been clean and exhausted and I just want to make sure my kid is happy and taken care of. I’m afraid I can’t do all of this on my own.” 

She lifts her hand from his and reaches out to stroke his jaw. Watching Lenny melt into her touch brings back a very specific night for Midge, and she can’t help reveling in the memories of being so close to him. 

“Then it’s a good thing you’re not on your own,” she offers gently. “I’m juggling a lot, too, but I want to help as much as I can. As much as you’ll let me.” 

She sees something change in his eyes, like he’s made a decision, and suddenly, her chair is being tugged closer to him, and she’s being kissed tenderly; gratefully. 

It doesn’t last long, as three giggles echo from the hallway, and when they turn towards the sounds, they find all three kids watching, before running away back to Kitty’s room.

Midge laughs and lets her forehead thump against Lenny’s shoulder. “Shit.” 

Lenny chuckles and keeps holding her.

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

Mist?

This is only one of three mentions of this word, and one is already published! I’m impressed. You’re winning so far for rare words, @estelian-01

———————————————————————

The pink mist dissipated, leaving in its wake only a thin, silvery scar crisscrossed over his burn marks. Wild pressed at its smooth, slightly rubbery surface, but none of the expected pain appeared.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” The brown-haired traveler, Hyrule, winced. “I tried to make it as small as possible without touching.”

“It’s no problem. Thank you, 'Rule,” Twilight said. He quickly set to work rewinding the Gerudo silks around Wild’s arm. “Wild, what do we say?”

Wild sent him a glare—he wasn’t a mannerless beast—but said it anyway. ‘Thank you.’

———————————————————————

Ask Game: Send me, @hotcheetohatredwastaken , a random unique word (so like, not “the” or a name. Can't do "eyes" either, it occurs a grand total of 537 times XD), and I’ll respond with an unpublished paragraph from Blood Drops on Roses: Linked Universe - HotCheetoHatred - The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms [Archive of Our Own]! No context tho >:D

[luimagines]

A Dragon’s Dominance

Another commission.

They wanted Warrior Dragon au. In which case all the lu boys are dragons. I was given many creative liberties. It’s slowly consumed my very soul.

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

You had learned something new about your traveling group. Every last one of them was some variant of dragon.

It was surely a learning curve for you. With time, you had learned that there was a whole secret culture that you would have been completely ignorant to had you not have it more or less shoved in your face. They could see more, smell more. They had half forms and full forms and were incredibly possessive. They shared their bonds in ways you couldn’t even register. You had no idea.

And they had tried so hard to hide it from you.

While dragons are still considered mighty and powerful creatures…. They were received in less than stellar interpretations in some eras. These boys were quick to learn that it was better to play it safe than to be overly prideful.

You had ended up in Warrior’s era. Queen Zelda was quick to receive the weary group and decided that a party should be thrown for the Heroes of Hyrule.

No one was impressed.

But no one was going to fight her on this. As a dragon herself, she would treat her kind and her hero with the honor he would be (and has been) denied otherwise. Zelda’s and the royal family were typically the only tolerable dragons, you came to learn later on.

The boys began to get ready as the party began to be prepared. You were given an outfit to wear as well, courtesy of the Queen and a request from Warrior- should the grape vine be believed at all.

You tried to make it work but you had begun to feel out of your element as it was. You were going to run late if you stalled any more.

There was a knock on your door.

You jumped and froze. It came again, a bit softer this time and more hesitant.

Warrior called your name.

With relief causing your heart to jump into your throat, you dashed for the door, pulled it open and pulled him in. “Link, help me. I don’t actually want to go.”

The name had escaped you before you could stop it. You were too frazzled to even realize your mistake.

Warrior blinked. He took a minute to process it. You were beautiful. His heart was beginning to betray him. His palms began to sweat. He wasn’t sure if his own outfit would even compliment yours the way he would have intended.

“Well…” He starts. “I don’t plan on staying the whole time if that helps. I’m not… fond of this sort of interaction anyway.”

You begin to calm down. “Really? Why? I thought this would be right up your alley.”

Warrior kicks the floor a bit. You look positively ravishing. He wanted to do something reckless. Something irreversible. Easy boy. He coughs. “I may blend in but that doesn’t mean I like it.”

You take a steadying breath. “That’s… fair actually. … I bet you have some people throwing themselves at you, huh?”

“It happens from time to time.” He admits.

You frown. “...I see… I can imagine that wouldn’t be very fun then.”

Warrior smiles gently. “It’s just one thing though. I have other reasons but they are neither here, nor now.”

He looks you up and down. You can feel your cheeks flush and you struggle to look him in the eye for the time being. Warrior offers his hand, brushing it hesitantly against yours. “Hey, I think I have just the thing to finish your outfit off… If you’re willing to follow me for a moment anyway.”

Anything to keep you from going into the public.

“What is it?”

Warrior takes your hand, pulling you to his side. He wraps his arms around your waist and guides you through the halls of the castle. “Something I’ve been holding onto for someone special.”

Well that doesn’t answer any of your questions.

He stops in front of some doors.

You think you recognize them. This must be his room. 

Warrior lets you go. “Give me one moment.”

You nod and he disappears behind them. Three minutes pass.

He emerges with a ribbon of some sort. No, that’s not quite right. Warrior holds it up. His face is red and he looks bashful. Something in this moment seems significant. You can feel it in the air but you don’t know why.

“I wanted to give this to you for a while now.” He says quietly. “I couldn’t do it before because… well… I didn’t have it with me, obviously… but I think it compliments you quite nicely.”

He holds it up and you can see small fabric flowers, sewn onto a thin embroidered wire with ribbon hanging near the sides. It appears to be a headband… but much more intricate.

“Do we have the time to even fix that onto me?” You blurt.

Warrior laughs and steps closer. He brushes a bit of your hair to the side and starts the process of braiding the ribbon into the hair that will fit, making sure the flowers give the appearance of a crown along your hairline. “To be completely honest, as long as I’m your escort, it’s not like you’ll get in trouble. People won’t think you’re rude for showing up fashionably late.”

You have calmed down completely at this point. Vaguely, you can smell whatever Warrior must have put on before he left his room. It seems just like him. It smells like hickory smoke and the comforting feel of an old beloved book. At the same time… you think you can actually smell his cologne through the musk. You can only think of Warrior. Only he would smell like this.

“Well, I’ll just show up when you do.” You say quietly. “That way I won’t have to worry about doing something too stupid.”

Warrior chuckles, matching your whispered voice. His fingers work nimbly to secure the headband to your head and it feels nice to have your hair played with. The moment feels comfortingly intimate, even if nothing is necessarily happening. “If you fall, I’ll catch you.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” He takes a step back, looking proud of himself. “Gorgeous. Just I knew it would be.”

You flush entirely. But this is just Warrior. Encouraged by his smile, you give a little spin, showing off your outfit completely. “What do you think? Am I good to go?”

Warrior smiles wider and offers you his arm. “I think the party can finally begin.”

You laugh a bit, placing yourself at his side. “Does that mean they’ve been waiting for us specifically? Would they then have permission to start?”

Warrior grins with you. “Naturally.”

“You’re so full of it.”

“You wouldn’t change a thing about me and you know it.”

“It’s just a shame that you know it too.”

The banter was easy and amusing. You always seemed to relax in the presence of Warrior. He was just so pleasant to get along with.

Before you knew it, you had arrived at the doors to the ballroom. Warrior puts his hand on the door knob and turns to you. “Ready?”

With him at your side, of course you are. You tell him as such.

Warrior grins in the dorkiest way he can manage and opens them. “Then let’s try to forget the present for a little while.”

You nod and follow him in without question. The music continues but you can feel the way heads turn in your direction. Your grip on Warrior tightens, refusing to let him go although you’re well within the walls of the party.

“Dance with me?” Warrior tugs on your arm gently.

You look back up at him for a moment. You nod.

Warrior smiles and leads you to the dance floor, letting the music carry you through the motions. You can’t get rid of the feeling of stares no matter how much you try to ignore it.

“I just need to stay for three dances more often than not.” Warrior informs you. “If you want, you can come with me and we can both get out of here.”

“You’d let me?” You whisper. A smile lights up your face at the thought. “I won’t get in trouble for doing so, will I?”

“Of course not.” Warrior laughs. “If I’m held to that standard, why would they ask any more from you? It’s nice that you’re here with me though.”

The song ends and Warrior bows a little for fan fare. “One down. Two more to go.”

The next song to start up is one you recognize and it’s a bit longer than your typical dance. You don’t look around the room for another partner. You simply grab Warrior’s hand again and start to move to the beat. “Well we can get one more in the bag before someone steals you away from me.”

Warrior grins and shakes his head. “I’m more worried about someone stealing you away from me.”

“Strange. You’re the popular one.”

“And yet, here we are.” He says.

Warrior spins you around and you can feel yourself being pulled closer to him with every orbit. You lean into it and drop your voice to a whisper. “I can’t be crazy, right? Everyone’s looking at me.”

“I know.” Warrior replies in the same hushed manner. “It’s because you’re the brightest star of the night, Sweetheart.”

“Well how do we get them to stop?” You  plan your hand by his shoulder. Warrior’s keep his hands on your waist and small of your back, swaying with you to the beat of the music in the background.

He sighs. “Unfortunately, I fear we can’t do that. …And I’m also afraid it’s my fault.”

“What?” You blink in shock. That can’t be it. “What do you mean?”

“You came in with me and you’re wearing my headband… well it was actually my mother’s.” He admits in a quieter voice than before. “But some people are more nosier than they should be because of my position… and standing with the princess… and defeating Ganon and all that jazz you already knew about.”

You stop moving with him. Warrior has to stop the dance and with small and hesitant movements, he takes your hand. “Allow me to explain? Please? It’s…. A dragon thing.”

“No need, Link.” A voice drops in, sugary sweet and skin crawl worthy. Cia drapes an arm around Warrior’s shoulders and sneers at you from over his shoulder. “If they don’t understand… well no one can hardly blame them for it. I would like a word with you however-”

“No.” Warrior steps out of her hold, standing over you protectively. A small tongue of flame flicks within his breath. “I’m going to be the one to do it. I claimed them.”

“Do they even know what that means?” Cia raises an eyebrow. She appears to be calm but at the same time you don’t understand what has Warrior so on edge. He looks ready to fight.

You grab his hand and hold it tight. “Maybe not. But I can learn.”

Warrior shoots you a grateful look.

Cia looks muffled. Her grip tightens around her staff but she manages to side step out of the way for Warrior to lead you to the doors that lead to the garden. He begins to take you out of the ball room even if you’ve only been there for ten minutes total.

You try to look for the rest of your group but you can’t seem to see anyone you would recognize. You’re not sure if that means they’re not there, that they’re hiding or that they changed their style and dress so much to fit the party that you just can’t recognize them anymore.

You get dragged out into the moonlight and into the rose hedge maze. Warrior still appears to be on edge. He looks over his shoulders multiple times as you move and eventually pulls you behind one of the walls of the maze.

You both look at each other for a moment, letting the words and implications drape itself over the both of you. You take a breath and pull a little bit of ways away from Warrior. “...Claim me?”

Warrior blushes. You don’t think you’ve seen him so flustered and bashful before. He coughs and brushes his thumbs over your knuckles. “Dragon term…”

You nod. “Yes. I’ve gathered that at this point.”

Warrior looks down at your hands. “We have hoards… We’re quite greedy as a species you see. When we see something we want we put a claim and a mark on it. Sometimes we can say either or and still mean that-”

“You want it.” You finish for him. “You want something, you take it, it’s yours. Am I wrong?”

Warrior bites his lip. “That’s the premise.”

You hum. It’s not necessarily a foreign concept to you. Finder’s Keeper’s right? “How do I fit into this then? You want me?”

Warrior coughs, breaking his character somewhat. “I’ve… wanted to court you for a while now. The others were waiting and teasing me relentlessly.”

“What did you even do?” You raise an eyebrow.

Warrior reaches over and touches your hair, twirling it around his finger. You tense and bite your lip. “The headband?”

Warrior nods. “It’s yours…. If you’d have me.”

You can’t help but to flush as well. “So when all the people were staring-”

“There’s been some issues in the past. Everybody is wondering if I’ll ever take a mate to a degree.  Haven’t shown interest in anyone and for good reason. I’m not known to have the highest merit. Or the best prospects or even the biggest hoard-” 

“You want me as part of your treasure?” You cut him off. “The headband was to tell everyone else that?”

Warrior pulls you closer and leans into your space. “I get it… If you don’t want literally anything to do with me. I’m damaged and my future is only going to get harder to deal with and that’s not even scratching the surface of the social pressure and expectation my name comes with-”

“Link.” You say it purposefully this time. The man shuts up instantly. “Let me see you…Scales and all…”

Warrior doesn’t move. He doesn’t meet your eyes. He doesn’t even appear to be breathing. You don’t think he’ll go for it. The thought that you’ve crossed a line vaguely passes through your mind. Warrior begins to shift in front of you. He grows a tail and horns. His eyes sharpen and fangs sprout just behind his lips. His scales appear to be a bright blue, with hues of green and purple that dance in the changing light.

“There.” He looks away.

“Is this all you can do?” You trace your fingertips over the scales that encircle his eye, dragging your nail down his temple and cheek, stopping just past his jaw and down his neck. You can see Warrior gulp.

“Well …no.”

“Show me?” You’re pushing it.

Warrior looks into your eyes. His grip tightens for just a moment before he steps back. Another shift happens and a full dragon stands in front of you. Smoke comes out of his mouth but he lays close to the ground, trying to appear smaller and as least threatening as possible.

“You’re precious.” You drop to your knees and cup his face.

He scoffs, sending more smoke into your direction despite his attempts to control it. “Now I know you’re making fun of me.

“I’m not.” Your heart drops for a moment. You don’t want him to think that you’re trying to ruin a sentimental moment as it is. You kiss the tip of his snout and lean back comfortably against the grass. “You are very pretty. Even as a reptile.”

Warrior shifts back into his half form. His eyes bore into yours and he’s quick to pull you closer. “Please don’t play with my heart. I need an answer. I can take it off if you reject me. I won’t try anything else-”

You kiss him.

Warrior freezes and doesn’t know how to react even as you pull away. You swallow the small lump in your throat. “You idiot. I don’t care about your dragon customs or whatever. I don’t know what the process is for all of this… But all you had to do was say something.”

You wrap your arms around his neck and hide your face in the crook of his neck. “You’re a sweetheart. I’m willing to give you a chance.”

You can feel Warrior’s heart beat against you. It’s quick and panicked. You have a feeling this isn't how he thought this night was going to go.

He hugs you back fiercely and begins to purr. This delights you to no end and it’s suddenly very hard to stop yourself from giggling. It tickles.

“I promise-” He says with a thick voice, heavy with emotion. “- that I’ll do everything within my power to make sure you want for nothing and that no one will harass either of us. I swear it.”

“And Cia?” You say beside his ear.

“...She’ll be a problem.” He settles on. “But she’s been acting out for a while now. Leave her to me and Zelda. And if you need anything else regarding the magic then talk to Lana. She’s more… flexible than Cia on more things than just me.”

You nod and relax into his hold. That smoky scent comes from Warrior is pleasant and comes in waves as you both sit on the ground within each other’s arms. Warrior relaxes as well and hugs you tighter.

“Easy.” You warn. “I might smell like you by the end of the night if you keep this up.”

“Good.” He mumbles. “That’s the point.”

“Eh?” You pull back. “Do you mean to say-” You push him back as well so that you can actually look him in the eye. “-that you’ve been doing that this whole time? It’s purposeful?!”

“Of course.” Warrior smirks at you. “You’re mine.”

[doctorcanon]

Hero!Zelda AU Facts Sheik Edition

Sheik is Impa's eldest grandson and Paya's younger brother. Thus not eligible to be his grandmother's successor. He doesn't hold this against his sister, however.

Assigned Female at Birth but was given his father's name because his mother claimed it "just felt right" so he doesn't have a deadname and takes a lot of pride in being his father's son.

Started medical training a year after and revealed himself to be an incredibly talented mage much like his father.

He continued to work through the Plauge Times where he helped care for his parents and several other patients. Many patients survived, unfortunately his parents weren't one of them. His mother from an acute seizure and his father from heart complications a year later.

Something of a prodigy, he went on to tutor a young Princess Zelda in subjects she fell behind on while she healed from The Plague.

He proved not only an excellent teacher but a better friend to the isolated princess and The King was impressed by her improvement, that he started to invite him to diplomatic meetings alongside her. Eventually, he recommended him to the Officer's Academy.

There he met Link, the bastard son of the king. They did NOT get along at first. But after the violent death of their teacher, Captain Daruk, the two - along with Revali and Sidon - found common ground and reclaimed the Master Sword from the Holodrum Territory.

Their troubles unfortunately did not end there. Tasked with ending a series of strange and destructive weather phenomena by the Three Oracles; Link, Sheik, Revali and Sidon journeyed to Labrynna - the source of the magic.

While they succeeded in defeating the sorceresses Veran and Vaati, Queen Ambi of Labrynna took this to be a declaration of war, despite evidence that the mages planned to assassinate her.

They managed to escape capture but not without great personal cost. Especially on Sheik's part as he sustained terrible burns on one side of his body, scarring him permanantly and blinding him in one eye.

Even though Sheik retains much of his combat skill but he is officially discharged from Hyrule's military due to his injuries. Ten years later, he is foremost considered to be a politician and advisor to the young princess.

However, the war with Labrynna escalates. Skirmishes with neighboring Holodrum have spiraled out of control as a result. And rumor has it they seek an alliance with Dotor of Termina.

Over that ten years, however, Link and Sheik's relationship evolves from confidants to lovers. While Sheikah are not typically banned from romantic relationships, formally courting the new Captain of the Guard poses some...complications.

In their eyes, they aren't keeping their relationship hidden just...private. Being nearly in their 30s, it's no one's business. Not even the king's.

But with an imminent match to Termina's borders, Sheik worries about the toll the war has taken on Hyrule but especially Link who puts on a stoic face as his mental state deteriorates with each battle.

These concerns put a rift between him and General Ganondorf Dragmire who claims that he's brought shame to the legacy of infamous Sheikah impartiality.

Just when war on yet another front seems inevitable, Ganondorf suggests an advantageous marriage between Zelda and Dotour's son Kafei. And all hell breaks loose.

[shearlin]

Word count: 2395

Chapter 6: Wind

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A day late but it's here!

This is a silly chapter, a tiny break from having angst in the first section :) I really like it. It inverts the formula of the previous chapters but I think it turned out okay.

A bit of a behind the scene update: I... might have scrapped 5k words of the 9th chapter because I didn't like how it was turning out. I've planned out and locked a new outline for it, but yeah I am really slow to write something new (that's the reason I've prewritten this fic before posting it excluding that last chapter, because 9 weeks is plenty of time, right?) and I hope I will be able to finish it on time, but... yeah :/

Anyway, Wind chapter is here! Enjoy :D

Barely a day has passed and Legend was already fed up. Worst part? He only had himself to blame.

He was justified as far as he was concerned. Not only was Ravio clearly going through his stuff and renting his adventure gear - again - they also only had a half an hour or so to spare to make a detour to his house and allow Legend to swap his gear and for all of them to restock potions and arrows at Ravio’s shop. They were in the middle of pursuit of a group of monsters. Who knew, what would the horde do if they let them get too far ahead or if the chain would be able to go back to his house once they finish the job.

The standard argument he had with Ravio almost every time he returned home after the merchant decided to move in, about whether the rental of his old gear was a good idea or not took him… more than they realised. 

So he kind of… shoved everything in sight into his bags and stormed off.

Well, not everything everything. He had a very good and clear reason to pack every single item he did and to leave those he didn’t behind.

If he could just remember what those reasons were now, that would be great.

If he could just remember what those reasons were now, that would be great.

So here he was. In another Hyrule, a day later, in the middle of the clearing where they made a camp to rest in for a day or two after the hard battle, trying to sort through the haphazardly grabbed items and somehow make his bag manageable again. He swore to every deity he knew the name of, if he would reach for one thing only to take out something completely different that was in its spot one more time- he was going to lose it.

“Need a hand with that, vet?” Four asked, keeping his distance outside of the circle of chaos around the other hero, doing impressively well to hide his amusement at the situation.

Four, among the others, tried to appeal to his reason when he was stuffing six-adventures-worth of items into his pouches. Only the fear of possible retaliation from the man with an entire arsenal in his back pocket stopped the ‘I told you so’s from spilling out.

“Do not touch my stuff,” he growled in response, putting all his seeds with the slingshot and the seed shooter - I never use scent seeds. Why do I still keep them with the rest? - and fishing out yet another shovel from the pile on the left, from between the different rods and canes. He knew he wanted to bring a backup to avoid the awkward situation from a week ago, when they were lacking in the equipment department but by Din this was an overkill.

Maybe they had a point. Maybe talking with Ravio distracted him too much after all…

“Why do you even have this many shovels? And why did you brin-? The question died on smithy’s lips at the murderous gaze Legend sent his way. “I’ll umm… I’ll be over there if you change your mind.”

With that, Four retreated to Sky and Hyrule on the other side of the camp, the three of them watching the whole ordeal from a safe distance.It didn’t mean he was left alone. Oh no. Far from that.

Read the rest on Ao3!