#Zelda’s Ceremonial Robes

[lordzannis]

Exploring the pressures of being a princess and the expectations placed on her.

Breath of the Wild Master Works, Pages 64 and 65

Zelda dons this ceremonial clothing of pure white when she undergoes her training to unlock her sacred sealing power. Because Calamity Ganon is revived immediately after she returns from her pilgrimage to Mount Lanayru, she makes her way all the way to the castle in this clothing to confront the Calamity, so she is still wearing this outfit when she meets Link again after she releases the seal a hundred years later.

Designers’ Notes

When Zelda appears in the fragments of Link’s memories, we wanted to give the player a powerful sense of “I want to know more about her, and I want to save her.” The concept of “a princess who is unable to use her sealing power” was born from the background setting of a calamitous defeat that occurred one hundred years ago. We wanted to create an emotionally effective scenario precisely because this is such a long-running series.

- Naoki Mori, Cinematic Design

Zelda is a reigning princess, but she is also a young woman whom we wanted to be realistic and relatable. We incorporated both sides of her personality along with the idea that she had reached an age at which she would no longer want to be seen as a child. We aimed for three costume designs that would help the player appreciate how cute and admirable she is with the condition that she would choose her own outfits and accessories appropriate to the time, place, and occasion. 

- Hirohito Shinoda, Lead Artist: NPC

[quiteliterallyilliterate]

I legit just see you randomly on my feed and your writing was really good and I thought why not? Since requests are open, may I request for yandere skyward sword link with goddess reader? Reader can either replace Zelda herself or is a whole other goddess that doesnt even belong or own Hyrule. Id love to see what else you have in store here!

Order up!

Sorry it’s been a while! I’ve been dealing with a lot these past two weeks but hopefully life will improve (?) Love this concept and there’s a mention of @monpalace’s idea with Skyloftians using shed loftwing feathers to propose. Not proofread, I am sorry, this took wayyyy too. Much like Link, i am eepy. That’s about all!

Hope you enjoy!~

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝

There was little refuge for Link on the surface, that much he knew. That much the world made incredibly apparent. Aside from what little lands like that of the kikwi or the ancient temple, there was little non-hostile life. The sun was fading from the sky, Hylia’s light fading from the surface land, letting monsters run rampant across the untamed earth. Not a particularly pleasant situation given the stab wound he’d nursed, limping through the forest as he tried to find a way home. With no statues in sight, he resigned himself to his fate —alone within an unkind world. Not that it’s a first that he’s felt such a manner, everyone knew everyone in Skyloft, his business was never truly his. And with Groose and his goons taunting him for his every breath, there wasn’t much to say for company. He could be surrounded by people, and yet he was —to some level— still alone. That was, aside from Zelda, missing among this realm. There was some small, nagging part of him that wish he needn’t search for her. Sure, he valued her companionship, and yet… it’s been odd lately. Originally he kept from the sky to be with her once more. But now knowing he was a piece in a prophecy —one she knew, no less— he couldn’t help but question the authenticity of their friendship. He feels wrong about it to question. The hylian people serve Hylia, he should be grateful that he’s been sent on a mission she foretold. He should be so many things. It just seems added onto the pile of things he should be. More outgoing, Zelda would say after he’d share his difficulty with speaking to his peers. Less pathetic, Groose and his lackeys would sneer. Dead, He’d often think, looking at the bags under his eyes and tousled hair. So it seemed irrelevant that Hylia wished he’d be heroic. The small decaying temple looked surprisingly stable from the inside. Vines and mosses grew into the cracks within the marble, nature filling in where people could no longer support. The door was easily blocked and the main area was large enough to safely light a fire without smoking himself out. Above a plinth stood a statue, sharp imposing eyes glaring at whomever entered with judgement. Their face was alight with the golds of the fire, setting in the allure within his mind. Looking down past stone ceremonial robes were offerings, placed at their feet, still fresh despite the centuries since any people lived down here. A deity, he noticed a little too late. Perhaps it was sacreligious of him to stay here, the Hero of Hylia taking refuge in a different god’s home. But perhaps that kingdom has since crumbled, their blades too rusted to do him any harm. The blood seeping through his tunic was the least of his concerns as sleep pulled him in familiar as ever.

Link liked to sleep. It was safe and warm, something quite the contrast to the life he’d led. He wished many times both before his journey and since its onset that he could stay asleep forever. It’d be a blessing, to exist in such a state of peaceful serenity outside of a world defined by its wars. And yet, morning after morning, he’d awake to soft sunlight or be shoved out of his bed. Hylia did not wait on him. So waking up to fingers carding softly through his hair as a lullaby —one his memories could just barely grasp at— was a sharp contrast. He felt no pain in his stomach nor the jolt of adrenaline he was used to. Turning around sleepily, he saw you, the very deity he seeked refuge under. He scrambled to apologize, your sharp eyes looking down upon him as he lay strewn across your body.

“I’m- Oh- I-“ He could not, for whatever reason, speak. Much a common theme in his life that whenever he needed his words, they’d fly away faster than a loftwing. Strong arms tightened around him, shushes and soothes whispered to his pointed ears.

“Be at ease. Your goddess cannot find you here” The fingers resumed carding through his hair, twirling the uneven cuts. “You are safe, little hero” Your words bled with a care and endearment he had not been given in so long. His mind latched to you, to your care and your soft treatment of him. He let himself rest limply, telling himself that it would pass soon. Nothing ever stays this good for this long. And yet, there were no monsters to kick in the door or someone waiting on him. There was just you and him. And no other God watching. “She’s put you through so much.” Your statement hangs in the air as Link can’t find the words that dignify a response. “To wander in here bleeding as badly as you were.” His eyes widen and he does his best to pat his tunic, feeling for the blood. And yet there was none. Aside from the rip in the forest fabric, there was no signs of him ever being injured.

“What?” His brows furrowed and he found himself looking up to you. Your skin held an inhuman glint, a glow to it that needed no sun nor fire to illuminate. Your hunter’s eyes had no iris, a scalara of pure white looking back at him. Your lips here pulled to something of a mischievous smirk as you looked upon him.

“I fixed you.” Your tone was a little uncanny, voice unused to conversing. “I used to do it frequently for the before people” He felt his eyes widen marginally. He’d never heard of the ‘before people’ only if what came after them. He knew naught of their societies, nor their deities. You giggled at his curiosity, pressing lightly on his shoulders so he’d lay back down. “It’s been so long since i’ve had such lovely visitors” Your voice was a far off cry in his mind as he buried his face in the nape of your neck. There was no rushing of blood to lull his own rushing mind, and yet you soothed him all the same. “Rest now, little Hero. I will watch the world in your stead.

There were many times afterwards that he visited you. He’d put a beacon near the clearing where your quiet temple sat. Gone was the comfort of absence that came with sleep, that nullifying expanse of nothingness. Instead, he’d seek out you, the glow of your grace soothing the rage he now brought upon the world. At your Altar he’d leave gifts, anything you’d mentioned in passing or anything he knew must’ve been good. You’d offhandedly speak of how much you missed the ancient cistern, and he’d bring you its water. He’d gather the fruit of the Faron woods, making into pies and jam and alcohol for you to feed off of. It wasn’t often, but he’d occasionally get you blood or meat. Not common, he didn’t want to raise concerns, but he knew the spirits would strengthen you. You may have only had a one man clergy, but he was loyal to a fault. He cleared the surface of monsters so you could roam freely, basking in the moonlight as your fingers brushed the grass. His favorite gift to you came in the form of a plume of crimson feathers. You were quite oblivious to the meaning behind the exchange, instead cooing over the bright colors and imagining the majesty of the bird it came from. But he knew that maybe then the other half of his spirit —as the people said— would mingle with your own to care for you as much as you did him. Bound to you perhaps by fate and now with the matrimony of his gift to you, no longer would you lay forgotten to the world. He’d build an empire in your honor if it would be your wish. He’d kill the goddess who subdued you if it were your ruling. Afterall, he was prophesied to kill a deity.

[seratlantisite]

[image id: three digital drawings of princess zelda from ocarina of time, hyrule warriors and twilight princess. end id]

I wanted to try designing alternate looks for these three since they only really have the ceremonial/formal princess robe. design notes under the cut:

Princess of Time

gender queer, obviously

blouse from her child look, over tunic from her adult.

sheik's armour bits from Super Smash Bros Brawl specifically because it felt like the most faithful interpretation

i'm headcanoning that her mother was Sheikah (and was best friends with Impa). If i drew her in the princess dress i'd keep the skin tone and red eye the same

is a bad ass ninja no matter the timeline

as The Sage Of Time when the timeline officially split TM, i think she might be vaguely aware of herself in all three timelines but doesn't understand what she's sensing. it gets stronger as the timelines split more and more and she doesn't really know what to do about it. like its something that she gets flashes of when she's like half asleep kind of thing

Princess of Warriors

easiest outfit for me to design, i will take any excuse to draw that style of coat

not much to say here, her style was already pretty unique so she could be on a battle field in the ceremonial regalia

no real sheik elements because that's firmly an OoT thing in my head, but the throwing knife holster was new so i kept that. plus she's the most battle ready at all times so they make sense

scars. she's proud of them

Princess of Twilight

alternate design idea would have been much more equestrian slash formal riding gear but it looked too modern when i tried it

I had to use Telma as my style reference because there are no other hylian women in that game - which is not a complaint, it's just interesting

the weird vein pattern from being puppeted by ganon and zant left faint scars

why yes, that IS Midna's cloak worn as a layer of skirt. there was a confusing love triangle in that game for sure and Link was not it's centre

she ended up weirdly tall even though i started on one file... sure, why not. tallest Zelda without heels

[zelda-of-hyrule-tloz]

Echoes of Wisdom Headcanon Countdown

༺ Day 82▪︎ 19 Left

Queen Sonia became like a mother figure to Zelda for multiple reasons. Beyond just the blood relation, Queen Sonia resembled her mother and filled the role she was meant to have when Zelda had to learn her Sealing Power. Being a priestess, Sonia showed Zelda many sacred sites and traditions of the Ancient Hyrule. Zelda was at first uncomfortable; she was in a white ceremonial robe, once more hoping for a power she had no control over to show itself... But soon, she realized she wasn't alone this time. Sonia's presence helped Zelda to heal and reconcile with that part of her history, just a little bit. Perhaps once she even confided in Sonia regarding it... and the queen's patience was just the thing she needed to hear.

[cactusisconfused]

I give you more ghoap botw ideas cuz I love the au

Here are the boys :DD ghost is designed more after link in totk cuz I felt that suited him more, and soap’s in a version of Zelda’s ceremonial dress (for him it’d be robes or some kind of suit)

For the ghosts/champions i also had some ideas

Revali - Nikolai (mainly cuz hehe pilot) or Gaz

Urbosa - Laswell

Daruk - Price or Alejandro (I lean more ale on this one, but I’ll get to why in a minute)

Mipha - Roach

Sidon - Rudy or Alex

Riju - Farah

Teba - could also be Nik

And I have no clue who Yunobo would be

King Rhoam - Price

Now hear me out, I know in hyrule warriors Rhoam was kinda a dick. I say Price would be the king because as a captain he had to make hard decisions same as a king. So in this au let’s say that Price sees that yes soap isn’t paying attention to his studies/training nor has unlocked the goddesses power yet, but he does see his son trying to help his people. (though in a really dangerous way)

So as the King, Price orders the swords champion as Soap’s personal guard to keep him safe with all the dumb shit he’s been pulling. While he’s still hard on Soap with unlocking his power; he understands that you can’t really rush it, and over all is just proud of how far Soap has come already. When the calamity hits Price fights with his people until his last breath, and prays to the goddess that Soap and Ghost are ok. (Whoa that got sad, i’m sorry 😅)

Ok sorry that this is very long, I just really like botw and totk and love the idea of this au!! Also have my recreation of that one memory :DD

OOOOOOOOOOOOO I LOVE THIS!!!!

AND YOUR ART-VERY TASTY!!!

Honestly I agree for the most part about the characters. Ravoli I feel is hard to place given he has a very cocky and self assured personality that none of our guys truly fit. I want to say Nikolai would fit the most, but I also think he would work great as Teba as well (mainly cause of the pilot thing.)

I wonder though, if roach would be a better Teba given Teba in game is seemingly a man of few words (but I also head canon roach as quiet but an absolute menace, so another problem there.)

Anywho, I also have no clue who yunobo would be either 😅

-

I feel Ghosts family should also somehow be implemented into the BOTW lore. I’m thinking that when he was going through the process of getting the master sword and training to be a royal knight, not because he felt he had a duty to the royalty of hyrule, but to gain enough respect and fear so that he could finally protect his family from not only his father but from monsters and other intruders.

However, he gains more than he ever thought he would, becoming more than just a simple knight. He has less time with his family, his mother, brother, Beth and Joesph.

Eventually, some event happens were Ghost has to go against the yiga clan. In response, the yiga clan sets out to massacre Ghost’s family, much like how they did in the comics.

I think that event, that failure to protect his family, is what drove him to go completely mute, on top of already being quiet in the first place.

Idk, this turned into a long ramble. I am living for your thoughts though, love them! :)

[darkacua]

A hero with few fashion options.

Link vilely arrived empty-handed at Twisted Wonderland as far as clothing goes, she showed up wearing the ceremonial robe that all newcomers wear and she doesn't even know how she ended up with those clothes on.

Her school uniform is second-hand, someone left it forgotten somewhere and Crowley gave it to her thinking that it was the best option at the moment since the other option was that she will always wear the ceremonial robe. It's too big so she folds the pants since they are too long for her legs, the same goes for the sleeves of her shirt.

The set of green sweatshirt, pants and boots are also second-hand, only those are direct gifts from Ace and Deuce, they saw that Link's wardrobe consisted of only two things and the two of them looked among their belongings for things that would not hurt them to give away and was moderately the size of their friend. The sweatshirt is Deuce's and he actually stopped wearing it years ago but he accidentally put it in his suitcase; The pants and the pair of boots are from Ace and although he wore them, he thought Link needed them more.

Now Link's Hero's clothes for some reason appeared after a few months in her bedroom inside a trunk. She turned the bedroom upside down to find out where the hell it came from but found nothing.

It is not the one with which she began her journey, that is more than clear, that thing stopped fitting her a long time ago since they gave it to her when she was 10 years old. Her current outfit is a handmade gift from her mother, technically it is not feasible for them to use the same fabrics they make since they are sold directly to the aristocracy, and embroidered clothes are considered a sign of riches and status, but her mother threw logic out the window as long as her daughter looked good and was comfortable during her mandatory Hero trips. The white fabric hanging from the front is a gift from Princess Zelda once she learned how to embroider. She does not wear her bun when she makes an appearance with royalty since the King once scolded her for looking too childish and making “royalty look bad.”

ESPAÑOL BAJO EL CORTE

Link llegó vilmente con las manos vacías a Twisted Wonderland en cuanto a ropa nos referimos, apareció usando la túnica ceremonial que todos los recién llegados usan y ella nisiquiera sabe como termino con esa ropa puesta.

Su uniforme escolar es de segunda mano, alguien lo dejó olvidado en algún lado y Crowley se lo dio pensando que era la mejor opción de momento ya que la otra opción era que siempre usará la túnica ceremonial. Es demasiado grande así que ella dobla los pantalones ya que son demasiado largos para sus piernas, lo mismo pasa con las mangas de su camisa.

El conjunto de sudadera verde, pantalones y botas también son de segunda mano, solo que esos son regalos directos de Ace y Deuce, vieron que el guardarropa de Link consistía de únicamente dos cosas y buscaron entre sus pertenencias cosas que no les doliera regalar y fuera medianamente de la medida de su amiga. La sudadera es de Deuce y realmente dejó de usarla hace años pero la metió por accidente a su maleta; los pantalones y el par de botas son de parte de Ace y si bien si los usaba pensó que Link los necesitaba más.

Ahora la ropa del Héroe de Link por alguna razón apareció después de unos meses en su dormitorio dentro de un baúl. Puso el dormitorio patas arriba para averiguar de dónde diablos salió pero no encontró nada.

No es con el que empezó su viaje, eso está más que claro, hace mucho dejó de quedarle ya que se lo dieron cuando tenía 10 años. Su traje actual es un regalo hecho a mano por parte de su madre, técnicamente no es factible que ellos utilicen las mismas telas que fabrican ya que son vendidas directamente a la aristocracia, y se considera que las ropas con bordados son un signo de riquezas y estatus, pero su madre mando la lógica al diablo con tal que su hija luciera bien y estuviera cómoda durante sus viajes obligatorios de Héroe. La tela blanca que cuelga del frente es un regalo de la Princesa Zelda una vez que esta supo aprender a bordar. No usa su moño cuando se presenta con la realeza ya que una vez el Rey la regañó por lucir demasiado infantil y hacía que “la realeza se viera mal”.

[golvio]

One of the less jokey reasons why I’d love to see a Cultist Simulator style game with Ganondorf is because I feel like a Ganondorf game would be the best opportunity to explore a side of Hyrule we’ve never seen before.

CultSim & Book of Hours were all about this secret side of the world devoted to magic, the eldritch and esoteric, and the forces trying to suppress it so individual quests for ascension don’t cause too much collateral damage (which then go too far, as police and bureaucracies often do). The game’s format itself was based around peeling back the layers of the mundane world to get at that secret world, and from there to go still deeper to discover the purpose of your game and possibly ascend to godhood/end the world/etc.

In Zelda, we get constant vague references to a secret occult world—a cult of dorks in black robes who live in the woods in AoC, a reference to an unnamed tribe of dark mages in FSA, mentions of “lost writings” or deteriorated scripts holding forbidden knowledge in TotK, etc. And there are countless witches here and there, from Maple to Twinrova, which suggests there might be at least a couple less formal covens kicking around, some transference of more secret magical knowledge between masters and apprentices throughout the ages.

So…who are these people learning this obscure and sometimes forbidden knowledge? What eldritch secrets are there to actually know, beyond the bright and fenced in path of what Princess Zelda is taught, diluted down to “what Link/the player needs to know in order to do their job?” Who keeps preserving the knowledge of Ganon’s existence? Who keeps trying to resurrect Ganon and why?

Not to mention who are these people, specifically? Cultist Simulator featured all sorts of factions that borrowed inspirations from everything between Mesopotamia to the lost ceremonies of the Mysteries of Ancient Greece to the Spiritualist and Occultist movements in the UK and US in the latter half of the 19th century. On one end, you had grand spiritual societies like the Ordo Limiae, which devoted itself to the study and navigation of boundaries between the occult aspects of magic, only to dissolve into countless schisms and petty infighting once the society’s heyday had passed. Then you had more recent up-and-comers like your own cult, with even more petty infighting and backstabbing between upstarts jockeying for ascension into the Mansus in the vein of Aleister Crowley’s rivalry with William Butler Yeats. Then there are the Libraries, which each devote themselves to the collection, preservation, and distribution of occult knowledge, as well as the containment and dispelling of cursed tomes that could be dangerous to the general populace. And then that’s not to mention what the Edge folks have going on, with the underworld organizations that traffic in tallied years of life, loosely organized bands of monster hunters, that one Edge/Heart cult that was “a society of physicians and duelists” obsessed with the saving and taking of life, and so on.

What kind of networks of occult knowledge would a hitherto squeaky-clean and spiritually orthodox universe like Hyrule have? What other gods are out there, once you stray from the kingdom-approved domains of the church of Hylia and vague myths of the Golden Goddesses before her, beyond even the more localized shintoist style cults in isolated villages worshipping local nature spirits and tutelary deities? What were the networks of people both Ganon and his mothers studied under, who made Twinrova who they were, and, in turn, made Ganon who he is?

Who is Ganon to these people? An aspirational figure? A god/demigod the mages just getting started down this path whisper prayers to? A fellow acolyte of forbidden knowledge they could learn from? A rival to backstab to guarantee their own ascension? A resource to exploit? More importantly, how does Ganon feel about all this? Does he ever communicate with any of these people, or does he fuck off to a tower somewhere until Link shows up and the cycle starts over?

I doubt anybody at Nintendo has ever thought about this as hard as I do, but overthinking is kind of my thing. Right now, I’m overthinking the question of “Where the hell do all these dark wizards keep coming from?”

[weirdmageddon]

Cumpleaños chica, no hay que preocuparse

AO3 MIRROR

Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Rating: T

Relationships: Link/Zelda, Link & Zelda

Summary: Now seventeen years old, Zelda is finally able to step foot on Mount Lanayru. Link keeps a close eye on her at the Spring of Wisdom, the final spring she has yet to visit to hope at awakening her sealing power. Once again, she is unsuccessful. Canon compliant imagining of events earlier in the day before Calamity Ganon awakens as seen in Memory 15. One-shot.

Tags: Canon Compliant,  Pre-Calamity,  Selectively Mute Link,  he talks a little bit but he’s mostly quiet and terse when he does,  Developing Relationship,  Hurt/Comfort,  Zelda Needs A Hug,  Non-Explicit Intimacy,  Cold Weather,  Huddling for Warmth,  Character Study,  POV Multiple

Author’s notes: Inspired by a conversation I had with a friend. It tickled my brain that Zelda wore her bare-skin ceremonial robes on a freezing mountain, not to mention in the freezing water. The expression and movement Link makes towards Zelda when the Calamity awakens in the memory gave me the impression that he was worried about her state earlier in the day as well. This fic arose tying the threads of what scenario was most likely to have reasonably happened earlier that day, as well as whatever caused them to be suddenly comfortable being so touchy-feely with each other that entire day as seen in the memories.

Beta read by another friend. I hope you enjoy. I don’t write a lot, but I like to think that I have a talent for grasping the “voice” of characters.

Title is most people’s interpretation of a nonsense lyric from Tears for Fears - Listen. Give it a listen if you haven’t. Give it a listen even if you already have.

Today is her birthday.

However, instead of celebrating her seventeenth over fruitcake with friends and family, she’s standing with her skin nearly bare in frigid waters. Her white robes blend in with the snowy landscape of Mount Lanayru. She has goosebumps all down her arms, partly from the below freezing temperatures, and partly from the premonition she feels in her bones.

Her silent but loyal guard stands at the entrance of the spring, his back turned away from her to give her privacy. She still doesn’t feel that she has much anyway, for she knows he’s listening to her. He always has, but doesn’t make it known.

Zelda stands small in front of the stone statue of Hylia, smiling down upon her in a way she feels is patronizing at this point.

“Hear me now,” Zelda articulates with a tone of resignation, “Goddess of Wisdom, Nayru. I come seeking your strength. The spirit of your sisters have not answered my plea. I fear that you may be my last chance... and I hope that it won’t be too late.”

As Link looks back down the mountain, his mind isn’t empty. It’s filled with thought he tries to push out to numb himself, but today he’s stirring on a few things.

Before their ascent to the Spring of Wisdom, Link offered Zelda her winter coat, but she refused. She said that she needed to fortify her spirit by braving the cold as a display of her devotion. He remembered what Zelda had said to him the day before:

“Lanayru’s decree is very specific. It says, ‘No one is allowed, under the age of seventeen, for only the wise are permitted a place upon the mountain.’”

Her decision to forego her coat did not seem very wise, but he knew better than to argue with her. He packed it with him just in case. He does not enjoy seeing Zelda push herself like this to what seems like self-enforced punishment. Her actions appear to be out of desperation at this point.

Link’s nose is running and he wipes it on his sleeve. His ears are warm and snugly tucked into his hood. He briefly glances over at Zelda’s ears and observes that they are pink and raw.

“Today is my seventeenth birthday. Father made me begin my training ten years ago to this day. And today is the first time I pray to you.“

She gives a gentle chuckle, but it’s not one that makes Link feel warm inside.

“Ten years...” she says. “Ten years of my childhood wasted to being ordered to do something as fruitless as this. The Calamity draws ever nearer. It could awaken at any moment, and yet...”

Zelda looks down at her hands and examines their lack. Her fingertips are pink and raw.

“Nothing...”

She’s silent for a moment. The wind blows steadily and the water laps as she puts her hands back down.

“I have great knowledge of the ancient Sheikah relics that legends say brought Calamity Ganon to its downfall ten thousand years ago. If only Father would let me learn more about them I could help... since I can’t seem to do anything else of any good. Surely it’s better than naught?

“If so,” Zelda fumes indignantly, “wouldn’t this be a wise thing of me to do, then?!”

Zelda’s frustration is understandable and justified. Link has seen it evolve every time she visits the springs to pray. He assumes that they could have started as prayers, but since the time he’s been tasked with accompanying her, she seems to end up talking her personal thoughts aloud and venting.

“At this point, I honestly don’t even know if you’re real or not, but please. Give me a sign... a hint. Illuminate my path.”

It’s year ten and Zelda is met by silence yet again.

She balls her fists and curses under her breath. Even with a new spring, she didn’t have her hopes up. Her color looks paler against the periphery of her skin being tinged red from broken capillaries. Zelda begins to sigh, but stops when the frigid air burns her airway.

“This was my last chance...” Her somber tone hangs heavy in the air.

“So, I failed then.”

The silence upon the mountain is broken when a powerful, freezing gale of wind from the north blows Link’s hood in front of his face and causes Zelda to halt in place, grabbing her own arms with her hands for warmth. Link whips his head around, the wind chill making him finally decide to make a break for it. He wades into the freezing water and grabs Zelda’s hand.

“Link,” she snivels, either from the cold or her misery, he wasn’t sure.

Link responds with a soft affirmative grunt and pulls her towards the stone landing, indicating that she get out of the water.

Zelda doesn’t even bother trying to fight against his urges to get her out of the cold water. She knew this effort was futile. She hates herself for being so useless to everyone. For, in all her wisdom, not figuring out a way to her power by now, ten years later. The heir to a throne of nothing.

The water insulated her legs from the air, but now that they are exposed, her legs are frozen in place. They’re mottled from poor circulation.

Zelda chatters, “I... I can’t move them.”

Link’s eyes widen and he lets go of her hand, and instead kneels down, reaching his arms behind her back and knees, and slowly lifts her with a grunt. Carrying Zelda, Link walks her down the steps of the landing and places her on the flat frozen grass. He takes his hood off and gives it to her.

Link then grips the hilt of his Master Sword and lifts it out of the sheath. He runs to the nearest tree and plows his sword into it as hard as he can, gathering wood bundles and bringing them back to Zelda.

The bag that he packed for the trek sits on the ground next to Zelda. He pulls out one of the towels that’s been kept warm by red chuchu jelly. The towel is white and the royal crest is embroidered in the corner with golden thread. He quickly takes it out and wraps it around her. He takes the other warm towel that was packed and places it on the ground for her to sit on, which she does.

Link takes the red chuchu jelly that was warming the towels and places it on top of the bundle of wood he set on the ground. He removes the bow from his back, takes an arrow from his quiver, and shoots at the substance. The arrow piercing the jelly creates a small explosion of heat that sets the wood alight. He looks back at Zelda expectantly, and the two move closer to the fire, sitting beside each other. He holds her hand. Her hand is so cold.

A rare occasion, Link gently voices his thoughts. “It’s dangerous to stay in your wet clothes in this weather.”

In any other situation, he would be bashful about insinuating she undress with him nearby, but he’s dead serious on making sure she doesn’t get hypothermia, if she hasn’t already. He glances at her with a pleading expression.

Zelda understands. “Please don’t look.”

Link’s expression shows exasperation, as if he wouldn’t even think of it. He turns and covers his eyes.

Out of his sight and by the warmth of the fire, Zelda undresses out of her wet gown. She quickly wraps herself back up in the warm white towel.

“Okay.” She sits next to him again, her arms and legs shaking.

“...So that’s it,” she laments with a pause. “After all this time... it was a failure. I’m destined for nothing.”

Her thoughts guide her away from the present, remembering how cold she used to be towards Link because he executed his skills seemingly without flaw or issue. He was naturally talented at harnessing what he needed for his destiny from a young age. Even now knowing Link’s hidden struggles he confided in her, and knowing that he doesn’t despise her for her inability to harness the sealing powers of the Goddess, it doesn’t change the fact that she remains unskilled and aimless at unlocking them at seventeen. She thinks on how if this had happened back then, she would have rather frozen to death in her pretty white robes. Link is so warm, however. He always was, in hindsight. She was just plagued by her own shortcomings. Even if his expressions were cold, his heart was always warm.

Link brings her train of thought to a halt as if on cue, pulling her back to the present when he wraps his arms around her body and holds her close in the warmed towel. He doesn’t say a word, because he doesn’t feel the need to, but he also just doesn’t know what to say. He presses her icy arms close to him. His body is so warm.

Zelda breathes out, with a cloud of steam, “Link... I...”

Making a quiet questioning noise, Link pulls back slightly to meet her eyes.

“...Thank you. I’m sorry for my reckless behavior. I don’t want to be a burden on you.”

Link doesn’t respond in words, but he blinks; his eyebrows lower, and he has a pensive look in his eyes. He then rests his chin over her shoulder as he holds her. Clearly, whatever apology she’s given, Link has already forgiven before she even stated it.

Link quickly grew to care about Zelda beyond the scope of his bare minimum duty to protect her as ordered by the king. Despite being fearless and formidable in the face of physical threats, Link was afraid of one thing: getting pulled into any drama or causing anything that could foster gossip of his relationship with the princess. A random swordsman born to a line of soldiers from Hateno entrusted with being not only the captain of a royal’s personal guard, but being the exclusive one chosen to accompany her on her escapades was enough to get him looks, so he kept his mouth shut and kept a few steps behind her. It pains him that he can’t show her the affection he feels towards her due to the hundreds of eyes boring into him every day. He’s never been close like this to her before.

But right now, the moment is only between him, her, and the Goddess.

Link still feels her muscles are stiff and quivering. The towel may not be enough. He pulls out of the embrace and puts his palm out to signal her to wait a moment. He stands up and starts performing bodyweight squat-jacks.

Zelda stares at him in disbelief.

“What... are you doing?”

Link is silent and focused on moving, engaging his entire body. He continues the squat-jacks until he feels himself begin to break a sweat, grunting during the last one, at which point he stops.

“Generating body heat,” he huffs.

He stumbles, taking a seat beside Zelda again and removes his coat, panting out puffs of steam. He takes off his belts and blue tunic, now only in his off-white long-sleeved undershirt. This should transfer heat better, he thinks. Over his undershirt, Link puts the coat back on and wraps the sides of it around both him and Zelda to form a seal with it so that the air is contained. Link again closes the distance with a gentle but firm embrace. She can feel his heart thumping in his chest from the exertion against her arms which makes her a tad lightheaded and giddy, but his idea is working. The sum of the fire, the insulation from the warm towels, the heat radiating off his body as well as his breath confined by the coat, is warming her.

“Oh. Of course...” Zelda responds sheepishly to the situation, internally justifying his actions with reason. “Yes, that makes sense.”

He tucks his face into the towel over her collarbone and exhales heavily.

Even with his back turned when she prayed, Link always kept an ear open to what Zelda would say. He had escorted her to the Spring of Courage just a few days prior; he vividly remembers hearing how her voice broke as she asked the Goddess what was wrong with her, and it made him deeply uncomfortable to hear her so miserable. He had turned to face her and gently counseled her to wrap it up for today, with his superficial reasoning being that it was getting late, but the deeper reason being that he didn’t want to listen to her hurting. He wanted to hold her tight at that moment but was still worried about professionalism and politeness. There wasn’t much he could do. But currently, Link is feeling catharsis for that missed opportunity.

The two stay like this for a half a minute before Zelda breaks their silence.

“Link. I need to tell you something,” she says gravely.

Link’s ears perk at her tone. He nods, softly grunting in acknowledgment. His breathing is still short.

“Two nights ago, the night after we returned from the Spring of Courage, I had an unsettling dream.” Zelda’s eyes become distant, moving up and to the left, as though she were recalling the scene. “In pitch darkness, there was a lone woman haloed by a blinding light. She was beautiful. I could sense she wasn’t of our world. Her lips spoke urgently, but I couldn’t hear what she said. Her words failed to reach me.”

She looks back down to the top of Link’s messy head and frowns.

“I woke up from it filled with a feeling of dread... dread like I hadn’t known before. Since that dream, I haven’t been able to shake this sense that something terrible is about to happen. And whatever it is, I’m not prepared.”

A lump forms in Zelda’s throat. “And I’m not sure why anyone would believe this sense of urgency coming to me. After all, what have I to prove successful communication with the Goddess? Nothing. And yet...”

“I believe you,” Link replies.

He is actually biting his nails internally, but he tries to numb himself to it and it doesn’t show. After accompanying her countless times, he knows how observational Zelda is and can’t help but trust her intuition.

“Are you afraid?” she asks waveringly.

Link bites his tongue, unsure what Zelda wants to hear. If he says he’s not afraid, will she feel like she’s being undermined and overreacting to a major threat? If he says he is afraid, will she lose confidence in his ability to protect the kingdom? The pressure is also on him to perform, just as it is for her. Hesitantly, Link confesses to his stress with a whispered humph. His arms are still wrapped firmly around Zelda’s body, and he rubs her back comfortingly, feeling the beads of the towel’s fabric under his hands. The sensation of his chest rising and falling makes her feel safer.

Zelda instead seems relieved at his response. That he knows how she feels.

“I just feel that—it feels that at any moment something awful could happen.”

Link pulls back to look her in the eyes, hands on her shoulders for coat insulation. He wants to tell her they’ll get through this together but he is unable to speak, or even know if what he’d say would be the truth. Zelda’s too penetratingly critical to believe it, and he’s not sure he truly believes a pointless platitude either, to be honest.

Zelda also looks into his eyes. After being accompanied by him countless times, she has learned to read her taciturn escort’s subtle expressions. His tight-lipped face communicates worry and pensiveness, which paradoxically feels reassuring to her. Her face heats up when she begins to feel her eyes involuntarily water. She’s always been a strong girl. She held herself with dignity when her mother died eleven years ago. She can’t remember the last time she felt hot tears stinging her eyes, at least not in front of anyone else.

At least the fluids in her body were warm again, she tells herself.

Link notices. He wipes her eyes with the towel. She takes the towel in her own hands and lowers her chin, hiding her face. He pats her back gently as she gives a hefty sniff from her runny nose.

“Let’s head back,” Link says softly. She nods, face red from both embarrassment and the cold.

Beckoning Zelda to her feet, he hands Zelda back her dress. Unfortunately, she has no dry change of clothes besides the coat by itself, and neither of them want her to present herself naked in a towel in front of the rest of the Champions.

“Put it back on,” Link gestures to her ceremonial gown. “I’ll keep you warm on the way.”

With Link’s back turned and eyes closed, Zelda dresses back into her white gown. It’s still damp, but it is not dripping wet. A good portion of the water has evaporated next to the heat of the fire and in part due to the type of fabric it is woven from. The smoky scent of embers still lingers in the cloth.

At the same time, Link puts his own clothes back on; he dresses back into his blue tunic and fastens the belt around his waist and chest. Once Zelda gives him the okay, he turns around, takes her dry winter coat out and slips it on over her gown. He takes his hood back, packs away the towels into their bag, and stamps out the fire.

He glances down at Zelda’s open-toed sandals, her poor toes red. “Can you walk back in those?” he asks. Even down the slope of the mountain, the Naydra Snowfield poses as an obstacle before the clearing to Lanayru’s East Gate where the Champions await their return.

“No,” Zelda simply states, shaking her head. She knows she won’t be able to. She was able to power through open-toed footwear in the snow earlier out of a sense of expectation that her devotion would be heard. But that thread of hope has gone nowhere, and she has since emerged from the Spring of Wisdom with a slightly more impoverished state of mind from their initial trek up the mountain. Her feet are also icicles.

Guilt hangs heavy in her chest for telling him that she isn’t able to walk in her sandals through the snow now, though she could earlier. Even when she had just told him she doesn’t want to trouble him, and even when he addressed her worry in his typical silent way. When will she just accept the seemingly endless lengths he’d go for her? It’s literally his job, she reasons to herself. Get a grip.

Link doesn’t seem to give away what he feels about a situation. Directly knowing how people feel about states of affairs is how Zelda naturally feels at ease with others. Even now she still sometimes finds her imagination running wild at what his attitude is for any course of action or situation, wanting to make sure she doesn’t accidentally step on his toes if he truly dissents but never voices it. Since meeting Link, she’s had to learn to understand that he is actually a very simple person, much simpler than she had initially believed. He holds no strong opinions either way and seems fine, even functioning at his best, when sailing wherever the wind may take him. She’s amazed and even a little envious at how ‘okay’ he seems with things all the time, but her slight envy backpedals as she wonders if an existence like that ever feels aimless and numb.

Numb like her toes right now.

Shouldering the bag, Link kneels down next to her and slowly hoists Zelda up in his arms with a guttural grunt, holding her in the same bridal carry as before: his left arm supporting her back and his right arm behind her knees. When lifting her, he adroitly puts a slight twist on the fabric of the dress around the contour of her legs so that the cold air doesn’t have many opportunities to blow in from under.

Link’s stature is slightly shorter than Zelda’s by about ten centimeters, but he is still strong enough to carry her. She is repeatedly impressed by his physical strength for such a small, lean little Hylian.

“I hope I’m not too heavy,” Zelda coos, “I’m so sorry to make you do this, Link.” The guilt of burdening him with more labor just won’t quit no matter how much she knows he probably doesn’t care.

Link gives her a look, a mild but confident one accompanied by an almost imperceptible grin. More readily does Zelda identify his smiles from his eyes than his mouth—the way his bottom eyelid just ever so slightly moves upward. Seeing his expression brings her a faint sense of relief, showing her that he has it under control and isn’t struggling, and also that she needn’t worry about apologizing.

He kind of likes doing it, anyway.

After taking one last glance at the Spring of Wisdom, Link turns his back to it and begins to move down the mountain with Zelda in his arms. Zelda doesn’t look back.

                                                      • • •

The two continue their journey through the snow in silence. They’ve descended down Mount Lanayru from the Spring of Courage now. The late afternoon sky reflects off the snow-capped mountain behind them and the snowfield before them with a gorgeous pale orange glow, accompanied by contrasting blue-tinted shadows.

Link glances at Zelda, and notices her eyes are closed. He thinks about how exhausted she must be, yet so determined to get the answers she needs. He knows she will continue to push herself, and he is determined to keep up with and protect her. Under it all, his heart breaks for Zelda. It’s not fair. Time after time, she dedicates herself fully. Just like him. She puts just as much effort into her training as he does, yet gets nothing out of it but reminders of her inadequacy. Link was naturally born with a gravitation towards swordsmanship. He enjoys the thrill, making sense of and creating his own techniques, and seeing how he has improved. In this way, he thinks Zelda is even stronger than he is for having to put up with training she loathes and sees no progress out of for ten years. If she were able to freely chase her intellectual pursuits instead of being required to play her role as princess for the kingdom, Link is certain she’d have as much skill in her own niche as he does in his own, and would actually be satisfied with her own accomplishments. And doing this on her birthday no less? He wants nothing more than to cook something delicious for her today in comfort and safety. She deserves it. She deserves it so much. She pours hours into dedicating herself to the benefit of everyone. And for that, he feels himself bonded to her, and especially after today, a deeper sense of devotion and protectiveness towards her than he has ever felt before.

Without much thought, he holds her closer as he carries her through the afternoon-lit snowfield, hands squeezing her back and legs which causes her eyes to flutter open. The air is gradually getting warmer and the snow is thinning under his boots. He’s starting to tire a bit, but continues forward.

With grass now under their feet, Link puts Zelda down. The air is warmer here and Zelda is noticing she’s getting sweaty with anticipation. She takes off her coat and hands it to Link who promptly bags it.

Approaching the east gate, her expression becomes more and more pensive at the prospect of informing the Champions of her failure again and squashing their hope. They’ve given her so much encouragement. It’s only fair that they get something in return for the time and hope they’ve invested into her endeavors. She feels herself to be a hope sink. Not to mention, what is she going to tell her father back at the castle...? From behind her, Link sees her head bow slightly.

“Zelda,” Link speaks with that gentle breathy tone of his that he rarely uses. He knows Zelda doesn’t care for him addressing her with formalities such as Princess.

She stops and turns her head to him, knowing that it’s important enough for him to speak about. His expression is neutral but there’s an inhibited fondness behind it. “Yes?”

Link saunters until he’s caught up with Zelda, stopping next to her. He reaches from below and holds her hand, lacing his fingers between hers.

“Happy birthday.”

[silverjirachi]

4-6 exile vilify pls

4. What detail in [insert fic] are you really proud of?

The whole thing with Thelem. Since I made the realization about the ending of the book very early on, I was able to shape every single scene and every piece of his dialogue around this point. There are some very subtle things going on with him; things he says, things he leaves out, little things that he does in every scene he has that make his knowledge apparent, and I'm hoping it's one of those things that deepens meaning for the reader with each re-read and recontextualizes things after you get through the book the first time. There's even some bits in the wording and tone of the prose that point to Thelem too.

5. What do you wish someone would ask you about [insert fic]? Answer it now!

Oh god well I feel like I talk about this fic a lot actually, and I've gotten a lot of great questions. But I don't think people have ever asked me just like... what my favorite parts were. So, small list of fav moments:

the scene where Azelphir gives Astor The Prophecy™

Astor's first "prediction" when he says "Because Fate has decreed it" at the ceremony and Azelphir's reaction to that

the time Astor saves the Queen from drinking the poisoned goblet

the time Thelem yells at everyone in the abbey

Astor saving Rose from the Malice (I love this detail because despite how Astor spends his entire life hung up on this fear of killing her, what he ultimately ends up doing is buying her time).

The part immediately after Astor dancing with Rose where she loses her earring and he brings it to her

Astor's short encounter with toddler Zelda just as he is leaving for exile

Astor's "you could, but you won't" moment when the Yiga Clan almost kills him when they capture him

And of course the heart-wrenching..,, "I know, Astor. I always knew."

6. What’s one fact about the universe of [insert fic] that you didn’t get a chance to mention in the fic itself?

Astor is the reincarnation of Ganondorf's royal seer and does not remember the pact he made. This is a big part of the reason Ganondorf is so aggressive toward him. The robes Astor obtains in the Yiga Clan hideout are literally his old robes. I mention the mark of the Order on them, but I'm never direct about how Astor ended up selected by Ganon from the time he was born.

This is my personal headcanon, but took it out because I wanted the focus of the story to be on the cruelty and randomness of fate, not karma. While Astor being unable to escape a pact he doesn't remember making--and made in a past life that should not affect him in the present--does still speak to the cruelty of fate, it also reads as karma to me, and that's different, and not the meaning I wanted to give the book. So that fact is like, canon-but-not-canon. I wrote Exile//Vilify with it in mind, but also in a way that it can also be excluded. It's up to the reader to decide if they like it or not, or even got the implication at all.

Other honorable mentions:

Thelem and Azelphir actually do love each other, but can't be together per laws of the abbey. Thelem is aware of his crush on Azelphir, Azelphir repressed his own.

Azelphir is always the first one into the chapel in the morning per his job. Something very important happens in the chapel toward the end of the book. I will... let you connect the dots there.

Astor loves Rose (I think this is obvious but maybe not obvious to him.. there is a lot of unrequited love in this book). Thelem knows Astor loves Rose.

Azelphir is the prior at the time of the Great Calamity 🤡 poor buddy

The abbey doesn't have an abbot because their abbot is Fate 😊

Check out the abbey's location on the BOTW map!! Isn't that fucked up and bad!!!!!? (There's also a floormaster/gloom hand that spawns at the abbey's precise location in TOTK??? the game's files also apparently refer to it as a "Miasma Lord" which is..... an interesting thing to note, given the circumstance.)

Azelphir has a major gap in his psychic abilities. I want to share it, but also don't so it's a surprise in Trouble Will Find Me. There is one kind-of hint of it in Exile//Vilify, but it's subtle, and in my revisions I'm doing currently I'm going to make it slightly clearer.

Ask me writing things!!

[midnapanda]

Actually wait. If Zelda was supposed to be dressed like the goddess on the day of the Wing Ceremony, then she later gets an outfit that's even closer to the resemblance of the goddess, why is That outfit just a plain, white robe/dress?

Like, we know she was close to the "actual" design if we consider the hair ribbons and like, the bracelet she has. But Zelda's outfit that she made herself has a lot more detail to it.. did she take creative liberties with what legends depicted? Or creative liberties so that it would match better with things she already owned? Like, if that's the case then I just love her more. So smart and artistic.

[laxyaklovesloz]

The Legend of Zelda: Real Courage 2: Dark Mirror | Chapter Twenty: A King’s Funeral

The funeral was held early the next morning, too early for Lila’s taste. Zale felt a lump in his throat as he prepared for the ceremony. He let tears fall as he put on his special clothing and looked in the mirror. He appeared more regal than he felt. He felt like a lonely little boy about to say goodbye to his father for the last time.

He looked at his eyes in the mirror and steadied himself. Memories of his father’s life came into his mind. He would remember the happy times, however few, and not the sad times. He would make the funeral a celebration, not a day of mourning.

In the Temple of Time, adjacent to Hyrule Castle, crowds gathered awaiting the day’s events. Hyrulians of every race came to pay their respects to the fallen king and witness the rise of the new king. Hylians were predominant, but there were also Gorons and Zoras.

The generals held a place of honor at the front of the crowd. With them were their spouses and their children. They all wore their most ceremonial attire. Even Lila was given a fancy outfit to wear, and she adorned the Master Sword proudly.

Lila and Salvatore escorted Zale to the Temple of Time when he was ready. No one had the heart to speak, but Zale held Lila’s hand the whole while.

Zale was pleased to see that Impa had returned. She wore traditional Hylian armor to blend in. Zale wondered if there were other Sheikah in attendance and glanced around, looking for white hair and red eyes. He caught sight of a Sheikah woman standing near Ella and Nellie. Good. Presumably, that was Ella’s new guard. Zale would have to compliment Impa on her speedy work.

Before Zale entered the ceremony room, Salvatore went forward to announce him. The crowd bowed until Zale and LIla were seated near the casket. Ella was already there, and Zale wondered if she had been announced like he had. He watched the crowd. They were whispering and pointing at Ella, a strange girl so high in the ranks and so beautifully dressed. Zale deduced that she had not been announced. That would be his job later on.

While looking at the crowd, Zale was surprised to see Link, Zelda, and even Rova. He caught Zelda’s eye and gave her a nod. Some of those around them looked around to see who the prince was nodding to. Link, Zelda, and Rova pulled their hoods closer over their heads.

Zale then turned his attention to the room. It was beautiful, with stained-glass windows lining the upper part of the walls. The images depicted were of important events in Hyrule’s history, including the Twilight War. Prominently displayed at the head of the room were the glass images of the Hero of Courage, the Princess of Wisdom, and the Wizard of Power. A calmness came over Zale as he looked at the portrait of the princess.

A few flowers decorated the room. A large bouquet of warm safflinas rested upon the king’s casket. Two portraits of the king stood as sentinels on either side of the casket, completing the decorations.

It came time for the funeral ceremony to start, and Eugene took his place in front of the casket. He was wearing the same robes as yesterday.

“Hyruleans, we gather here today to honor a great man, King Gaepora Nohansen Hyrule. As advisor to the king, I had the pleasure of getting to know him personally.”

Eugene gave a moving speech that taught Zale some things about his father he didn’t know. Afterward, the Royal Choir sang a beautiful hymn. Then, Eugene performed the ceremonial magic that made the casket disappear in a flash of light. In its place, a mask hovered, turning in the colored lights of the stained-glass windows. Eugene took the mask in both hands and, walking slowly and deliberately, presented it to Zale. Tears slid down his cheeks as he beheld the face of his father.

Eugene bent down and whispered, “I’m sorry for your loss. That goes in the Royal Treasury.”

Zale nodded his thanks since his throat was choked up.

Eugene returned to his place and bowed to the crowd. Everyone bowed back to him, including Zale and the royal party. There was a moment of silence with everyone’s heads hanging low. Then Eugene straightened up, signaling for everyone to do the same, and said, “This concludes the funeral ceremony. This evening will commence the coronation. Thank you.”

The crowd began to disperse. Zale stayed in his seat, staring at the mask of his father. The tears dried up and he called to mind the happy times. He smiled at Lila and said, “Let’s get lunch.”

Lila wiped a tear from his cheek. She smiled back. “Okay, my prince.”

The time between the funeral and the coronation was uneventful, except for when Zale stole secret kisses from Lila. Soon enough, it was time for Zale to receive his crown. The ceremony went smoothly, and then it was time for Zale’s announcement. Eugene stepped back to give the new king room.

With the crown on his head and the blank book in one hand, Zale said, “Thank you all for attending. It is an honor to serve you, people of Hyrule. I promise to rule with a kind heart, just like my father. It is my pleasure to announce my successor. My sister, Princess Zelda. Ella, come here,” he added gently.

While the young girl stepped lightly to Zale’s side, the crowd murmured in hushed though shocked tones.

“Princess Zelda has been kept a secret for her protection, but now it is time for her to reveal herself,” Zale explained. “Should I die before a new heir is old enough, she will become the new queen.” He nodded to Eugene who came forward again.

Eugene said, “All hail King Zale and Princess Zelda,” and knelt.

“All hail King Zale and Princess Zelda,” the crowd repeated, also kneeling.

After a silent moment, everyone stood up again.

Eugene said, “Thus concludes the coronation ceremony. Everyone, please enjoy yourselves. This is a joyous day!”

The crowd cheered and slowly left the throne room. Many people threw looks at the royal party as they waited their turns to exit. Zale wasted no time in leaving the room as well, his hand clasped tightly to Lila’s. Though it was dinner time, Zale led her to a private room. His heart fluttered wildly.

Lila giggled as he closed the door. “You’ll be missed at dinner.”

“Who cares about dinner,” Zale said. He was flushed with excitement. “There’s something important I have to ask you.” His eyes shone brightly.

Lila caught his mood and she had to gasp. “What is it?”

Zale knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his. He took a deep breath. “Will you be my queen?”

Lila’s open mouth held a ghost of a smile.

Zale went on, “You’re the most amazing, beautiful, courageous woman! Will you be my wife, for me to love you forever? I know, being a queen may seem like a lot of work, but I’ll be by your side–”

“Yes,” Lila said, breathless.

“Yes?” Zale asked, rising to hug her. “Yes?”

Tears were in Lila’s eyes as she smiled and nodded. “Yes!”

Zale held her up and twirled her around.

“Yes! You said yes!”

“Yes, I did,” Lila giggled. “I will be your wife!”

Zale kissed her passionately, again and again. They leaned against the wall, kissing with all of their might.

Then Lila’s stomach grumbled loud enough for both of them to hear.

“Oh! I’m sorry!” Zale said. “I’ve kept you from dinner. Shall we tell everyone the good news?”

Lila’s eyes glimmered like the stars. “Yes, why wait?”

Zale laughed, “Good point!”

They walked hand in hand to the dining room, which was unusually full. Link and Zelda weren’t there, but the generals and their families were. Everyone was waiting for the king to arrive.

Zale couldn’t help himself. As he entered the room, he held up Lila’s hand and declared, “We’re going to be married!”

The room erupted into applause. Congratulations were thrown around like confetti. The happy couple took their usual seats at the head of the table. Then dinner was served.

[thefangirlthatwaited]

At Twilight (Chapter 22) - Legend of Zelda Story

Link X Original Character

“Let Beth know-” I stopped mid-sentence when a chill ran down my spine. I rushed to the window of the Sanctuary and saw that the sky had gone dark. I rushed outside to the still air and saw Malo and Beth looking up at the sky.

“You two, get back to the Inn now!” I yelled, pushing Luda that way, too.

“But Fae, look at the sky!” I followed Malo’s finger and saw the familiar portal Minda and Link used to fast travel around Hyrule. Except it wasn’t the normal teal that matched mine and Minda’s markings. No... This one was red, and I knew trouble was about to pour down on us.

“Malo, Beth, get inside now!” But it was too late. The portal above roared to life, dropping two shadow beasts. The two kids screamed as the beast turned towards them. I acted on instinct to protect them, diving in front of the attack and getting my gloves clawed off, revealing my markings. Beth and Malo hid behind me as the Shadow Beasts growled and hissed. 

“Fae,” Malo whimpered.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you. I promise.” I looked around for a way out, but with the arrival of the Shadow Beasts, a barrier appeared as well, blocking our escape. I cursed at myself for leaving my sword at home. At least then, I could defend Malo and Beth better.

“MALO BETH!” From the entrance of the Inn stood Ilia looking horrified. “Fae, let them go!”

“This isn’t, Fae!” Beth yelled back. No, this wasn’t me, but who was the guilty one? A creepy laugh echoed around me, causing Beth and Malo to grip my sides tighter.

“Amazing how you can tame my beasts.” Tamed? Was that what was going on? “Then again, I should have never doubted the child of my God.” 

I yelped as a figure appeared between the Shadow Beasts. He was tall, taller than most men I’d seen. He wore black, baggy clothing decorated with turquoise Twilight symbols on the sleeves. The sleeves of his robe are long, with eight tassels on each sleeve hanging to the floor. He wears a ceremonial apron on his chest with a symbol I didn’t recognize. His face was obscured by a helmet that resembled a chameleon’s head.

“Who are you?” I hissed.

“Has the traitor not spoken of me? How shameful.” He sighed. Traitor... This man was Twili. I could tell by his clothes and if he commanded the Shadow Beasts. 

“Zant.” 

“She has spoken of me.” My eyes narrowed, and he laughed. “You remind me of her. Then again, my God chose her to bare you.”

“What do you want, Zant?”

HE chuckled, the tongue of his helmet receding to allow me to see his mouth in a crooked smile. “Why you, of course.”

I took a step back, pulling Malo and Beth closer. “Me?”

“My God is a benevolent one. He gave me this power to rule the Twili, and in return, he asked me to help him conquer the world of light.” Zant petted the Shadow Beasts while stepping closer. “He requested to bring his daughter home.”

My stomach lurched at the thought. “Never!” Zant disappeared and reappeared behind us, trapping us between him and the Shadow Beasts.

“You cannot escape, and why run? The powers you possess.” In my mind, I played out dozens of scenarios to get Malo and Beth out of harm’s way. Had I remembered my sword, I could have fought, but even Link lost the first battle against Zant. I knew what I had to do.

“I will go with you if you allow these two go free. They aren’t the ones you want.”

“Fae!”

“No!”

I kneeled and took one hand from each child. “I’ll be fine, but I made a promise. That you two would be safe, and I keep my promises.”

“But-”

I wiped a stray tear from Beth’s cheek. “Trust me?” They nodded. “Good.” I stood and faced Zant again. “Do we have a deal? I go with you, and you leave this village alone?”

“You would give your life for people who fear you?”

“Any day.”

“Very well.” Closing my eyes, I teleported Malo and Beth to Ilia, and Zant laughed. “Power indeed.” He closed the distance between us, his lips inches from my ear. “I wonder if my god would gift you to me as my bride once the world of light is his.” I swallowed down the bile that rose. “Only time will tell. Now we must go. My god is waiting.” In the blink of an eye, the village was gone, and we now stood in the throne room of Hyrule Castle.

“I have returned, my lord,” Zant said, bowing to the throne. I held my breath as the man from my nightmares stood. Now, I saw him complete for the first time. 

“My daughter, home at last.” He chuckled. “After our last meeting, I was surprised to be cut off from you completely. Has the hero managed to corrupt you?” 

Full Chapter on Ao3

[powdermelonkeg]

Tears of the Kingdom: A Scene-by-Scene Analysis

Tears of the Kingdom: A Scene-by-Scene Analysis

At long last, we've gotten our title drop for the sequel to Breath of the Wild. No longer will I have to call this Bo2W in my tags. No longer shall I agonize over fake title leaks.

But I digress.

You're all here for one very specific thing, and it's time I delivered.

This is our opening shot, a Zonai carving of someone...important. We don't know who, but there are some interesting details to extrapolate here.

The eyes, for starters. A broadly-stroked circle with three triangles underneath.

Already, we can see some parallels.

But the rest of this face is...more intriguing, to say the least.

The ears, to start. A stylistic choice? Whoever this is, they have way longer ears than we usually see on Hylians. Key word there being "usually."

Princess Zelda tends to have much longer ears than other Hylians, even Link. OoT Zel has the longest in full 3D modeling, but compare Skyward Sword Zel to Link and Groose:

Hers are longer, narrower, and usually without earlobes.

On top of the strange ears, we also have this...I believe it's a third eye. That's something I've never seen outside of things like bosses.

Moving on to the lower body-

It's a little hard to figure out, exactly, due to how angular and stylized everything is. But from what we can tell, our mysterious figure has long, flowing hair, a triangle at chest level, and a robe that reaches their feet.

I was trying to figure out what this ensemble looked like, when I remembered a specific line in Skyward Sword.

And then it hit me.

A tall, magnificent figure baring a triangle, with a flowing cowl and robes that meet her feet.

Even the strange dots on the figure's robe.

They bear a rather striking resemblance to the chain on Skyward Zelda's ceremonial outfit.

Given the prevalence of Skyward Sword references in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom both, and the Hylia statues everywhere, I think it's not a far stretch to say that this is a Zonai depiction of Hylia herself.

The shot changes to show a battle underway, next:

This gives us some more recognizable faces—the onslaught of Malice, a legion of Bokoblins and Moblins both. Interestingly, though, the Moblins carry a weapon I can’t identify.

My first impression is a double-bladed scythe, but it could just as easily be wind marks behind a club, or a flag to herald their side. With the stylization, it’s hard to tell.

Against them, we have our armies, bearing shields with an interesting crest on them.

A stretched version of Hylia’s insignia?

Looking closer, we can identify these soldiers, at least, as Hylian (or some other similar pointy-eared race, like the Sheikah):

Our next shot is a full view of our strange deity.

And THIS gives us a lot to work with. We have Zonai writing we can analyze-

What looks to be either a Sheikah tower or one of the dragon pillars in Faron

Clouds-

-and an island

Which neatly parallels the floating isles we saw in previous trailers.

Our new god(?) has their hands outstretched in offering

Which is an...unusual pose. It’s once I’ve never seen on any of the Goddesses—Hylia always has her hands together, at her chese, while Din, Nayru, and Farore tend to be holding something-

-have their hands to their chests-

-or be posed like muses.

But do you know where I have seen this arms-out pose?

Hmm. Interesting.

But what intrigues me most of all are the symbols above our figure’s head.

They’re all identical, seem to be giving off some sort of light, and most importantly, there are seven of them. And in the world of Hyrule, the number 7 in legend usually refers to one thing:

In Breath of the Wild, we saw up close and personal how Zelda’s destiny shaped itself. We saw her trials and struggles at the beginning, and the game ended with her finally realizing the power her birthright grants her. But that’s far from what her ancestors, historically, have been capable of. And, seeing that Ganondorf is returning...

Speaking of Ganondorf, our next shot appears to be him, from the regalia to the posing.

Though, it is worth noting that the figure in the effigy has pointed ears, not rounded like the prince of darkness in the corner.

Also interesting to note, we can start to see malice creeping towards this figure at the bottom, in the form of red lines.

We then go to a much more alive figure.

This, from what I can tell, appears to be Zelda. Her hair flows, her dress has a sash around the waist, her arm is bare, and it looks like there’s a bracelet around her wrist, though it’s hard to tell for certain.

But there are some other important details here, too. First of which, we have the Zonai text.

It looks to be vertically formatted, like traditional Japanese would be. Looking close, we can see that these aren’t just random drawings to look cool, either; there are repeating symbols.

What this means is that this is meant to be read, rather than just an environmental effect. And given the frequency of repetition and the message being so short, we could be seeing a departure from A-Z translations that Hylian has, and shifting more towards the alpha-syllabaries of OoT and Wind Waker with the Zonai text.

Moving on, up in the corner, we see a doubled version of the marks above the strange deity’s head.

And then the Zelda carving is holding her hand out to another.

Another larger than hers, with bracelets about the wrist, pointed claw-like fingers, and markings up the arm.

My first thought is that this must be Link. It’s Zelda and another in legend, of course it must be, right? But in that case...why hide it? Why keep that side of the bond in shadow?

Of course, Link isn’t the only person to sport a hand like that in this game.

And then, we get to the actual game footage.

Starting off, we have Link pushing open a seat of double doors, with twin dragons on them.

The handle looks to be eye-like

And there’s faded writing on the circle.

We see Link run out onto a platform, one of the strange shrine isles we saw in the original trailer ahead of him.

I feel like these are going to have as much bearing as the Sheikah shrines in the first game.

We get a glimpse of the building Link just came from in the background, big enough to be a dungeon. Then...

What ARE those? Scrolls? Catridges? Whatever they are, they occupy the spot held by the Sheikah Slate, so we can assume they're powerful.

Then we get a slightly-more-enhanced view of Link's corrupted hand. It looks like there's a slot in the top, maybe what the cartridges plug into?

I’m going to continue this in a reblog because Tumblr keeps deleting new additions I make to this post. I’ll update this with a link (ha) when that happens. Stay tuned!

[pessimisticshapewithablog]

Clothes sketches for my Lamb OC!

I'm struggling with putting Mina in clothes. Clothes are an important part of a character's design and can help visually show aspects of a character without it needing to be said. But when it comes to characters who don't really need clothes for thermoregulation it becomes a form a cultural and self expression. Which is dependent on the world the character is in. So many moving parts...

Initially I only drew the clothes and didn't include Mina's fleece. Then I realized the her fleece is still a part of her wardrobe even if she can't take it off normally.

1) The first design was inspired by Skyward Sword Zelda's ceremony / goddess dress. I changed the sleeves to make it more comfortable for someone covered in wool. It is very light and partially transparent. It was going to be Mina's sacrifical or priestess clothing.

2) This design is the same as the first but I removed the sleeves altogether. More comfortable.

3) A simple long vest or house coat for Mina. Something she would wear to keep her wool clean. The green color was inspired by Ratau's tunic. I researched natural cloth dyes and determined that Ratau, and Mina, could have access to the resources to make this color consistently.

For those who are interested, this green resembles Lincoln Green, a color produced from combining woad (Isatis tinctoria), a strong blue pigment, yellow weld (Reseda luteola) pigment or dyers' broom, Genista tinctoria. I use this green liberally when coloring.

The wraps on her legs, which I forgot to color, are inspired by show animal care. Apparently to keep a sheeps boot wool clean before a show, keepers cover their lower legs.

4) A thick green tunic inspired by Ratau's vest.

5) Ceremonial Vestments of silk with gold embroidered hems. Mina's own cult, not TOWW's, was going to feature green instead of red.

6) A simple green linen tunic.

7) I was trying to figure out what Mina would wear while crusading. The brown leg wraps and green tunic would make her look like Link. Mistakes were made...

8) A green linen tabard with brown leg wraps. I wanted clothing with less material for Mina to wear.

9) A fancy green tabard with gold embroidery. Maybe something light to wear around the cult that marked Mina as the leader.

10) & 11) A simple red sarong like dress with leg wraps. No sleeves. I like these, I might make them shorter though.

12) & 13) Purple linen dress with gold belt wrap. I wanted a design that was more witchy but I felt it didn't fit Mina. Purple would be a hard color to find and I felt the dress would be uncomfortable over her wool.

14) A heavy blue denim overall dress with leg wraps. Something for Mina to wear while cooking or working around the cult.

15) & 16) just practicing the canon! Follower robes.

17) Gold embroidered robes and a black wool vest denotes a high level follower. In my COTL playthroughs I give followers with really good traits special titles like Keeper and Deacon in addition to their names.

18) Tried putting mina in pants. Hated it.

19) A shepherd's Crook Scythe. Mina would use it as a catalyst for curse but it can double as a weapon in a pinch. It would also be a staff-of-office for Mina's position as TOWW's cult leader.

20) A corset belt with pouches. What would Mina keep in those?

21) A red crusade cloak with bell. One of my favorite designs I've come up with. I wanted something that screamed "I do Magic". I fell in love with slit sleeves. They look plain but elegant. I added the corset belt but with no bags.

22) A green "fleece of the glass canon" crusade cloak. I previously wanted to stick with the canon design for fleeces, a short cloak, but I really liked the design #21 and wanted to create derivatives of it. It's lined with red linen/wool.

23), 24), & 25) Black Crown cloaks with bells. Mina would transform the Red Crown into a cloak to wear while crusading. The hood is very long and pointed to give it a magic-user look.

26) A "fleece of the glass canon" cloak that Mina would use as a template for her crown cloak.

27) this cloak was inspired by Witch Hat Atelier. I didn't like it for Mina. For the woodland setting it felt too refined amd modern.

28) this cloak was inspired by Sypha Belnades' cloak from the Castlevania animated series. I like the look but that hood / collar makes absolutely no sense and I hate that.

29) this isn't an original design but something I saw on some Zelda fanart. I wanted to see how it would look on Mina. I like it. I added leg wraps. It initially had a dress underneath but I got rid of it. Too many layers.

30) I tried to incorporate some of my previous designs with the canon "fleece of the Lamb". The bells on the ends make it look like something a court jester would wear though. Also I don't think it would be a good idea to wear something that makes a lot of noise while crusading/ adventuring. Unless that's the plan. I imagine a very self assured lamb would wear something like this.

31) & 32) A simple linen pinafore with a braided cloth belt and leg wraps. The colors are based on Ratau's tunic. I feel like Mina would wear this before she started being a cult leader.

33) I don't know when Mina would wear this. It might go over ceremonial vestments or she wears it when visiting TOWW.

[aswestbridgeturns]

Once again, in the soft light of the morning, Hilda felt like she was seven hundred again. Zelda's probing gaze warmed with the lecture that would soon follow such a confession. Would she ever learn how to follow in Zelda's meticulous footsteps? A clinical approach for a pristine academic who dimmed the light of any man and woman who dared to stand too close. Hilda's ill temperament curdled by the slightest of inconvenience would soon leave her in the same fate as Salem.

"Throw it away," she huffed in a stupor. Hilda usually couldn't deny the scrumptious scent of a well made roast but it was too soon. Drell couldn't just expect her to fall back into the pits of his tortured love because of one well marbled hunk of meat. Be strong, don't cave. She's only your sister. Her jaw tensed and relaxed between each calculated breath. The swelling pressure crawled at her chest before she imploded. All it took was one well meaning pass her Zelda's fingers to kick off the catastrophic implosion. "I blew up his office and cut the fabric, where the nipples lay, out of his ceremonial robe..." she peered guiltily up at her sister. "..it's not so bad.'

Zelda observed her sister carefully, centuries worth of experience with all of Hilda's idiosyncrasies and a sister bond that was neigh impenetrable made it absurdly easy to determine when she was deflecting. Even before Hilda could concoct her most likely evasive and feeble excuse. Really bad, then. Zelda's contempt for the warlock who continued to play with her sister's emotions were conflicted by her fundamental reverence for him as head of the council.

"So that's where the pot roast came from…" she hummed, patting her sister's hand a few times to convey that she did feel sympathy for her romantic plights despite the unease at the retaliation against the short fused warlock. But her vague explanation did not mislead her. "Shall I pretend that I believe that's all you did, because I don't," she lifted a finger to gently smooth down a quiver in Hilda's brow so slight it might have gone unnoticed, but she'd seen it. Indicative of omission, for sure.

"I can't help if I don't know all the details, am I going to have to grovel or will a well written letter of apology through the Toaster suffice?"

[knightofhylia]

Sometimes worship is spending time furiously googling renaissance women's fashion for your dream Hylia cosplay/ceremonial robes. I'll do a more in-depth post later but I've found something very interesting! I was looking for inspiration for head coverings since Hylia is almost always depicted with a veil. I found this imagine and thought "Damn this kinda looks like Time Era Zelda's veil"

2 seconds later I find THIS