#adult zelda telling Link to go home and he immediately going to Zelda

[yashahimewasamistake]

In MM, the Mask Salesman tells Link that after a meeting, a parting follows, and how long that parting lasts it's up to Link.

That was wise advice, but I never understood it, because the game ended with Link parting away from Termina, Navi never returns, why was there wiseness in the Salesman's advice?

But I watched the ending again, and Talt says to Link "Go home"

And I think I have figured it out.

There's one single character in the game who Link leaves behind at the start of the game. There's even a black and white memory in which Link leaves, he leaves Zelda.

He can't control when/if Navi can return, he can't control the fact that people leave, but he can control his next action: going back to Hyrule/Zelda.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

For a writing prompt- skyward sword zelink but like older, middle aged parents

It was a well established fact that Link loved to sleep. However, when Zelda nudged him not-so-gently and told him that not one, but two of their adult children had dropped by to visit, it was a testament to his love for them that he immediately sprang out of bed to see them.

Link and Zelda had long come to terms with the fact that some of their children were fully grown and living their own lives, but it still made their hearts ache to see the empty rooms in their home. Any chance they could get to spend with them (and their grandchildren) was a blessing.

The fact that it was a special day today completely escaped Link's notice. He was just thrilled to see his two eldest, but he grew bemused as all his children arrived, some with their families.

"Dad... it's your birthday, remember?" His firstborn reminded him. "Did you think we wouldn't come for your big fiftieth?"

Link groaned. He didn't need a reminder that he was old.

Zelda came in at that point, laughing and cupping his cheeks with her hands. "Oh, love, it isn't that bad. I've been able to trial it a little for you, and I can guarantee nothing drastically changes."

It certainly felt like something drastic was going to happen. Turning fifty was terrifying. Link had noticed the subtle changes as he'd aged, how he didn't heal as quickly, how he couldn't bounce back from a two hour nap like he used to. Nothing was debilitating, though his old wounds bothered him far more now, but...

"My back hurts," he grumbled just to elicit laughter from his family. It wasn't exactly a lie, anyway.

Dinner was wonderful, but the greatest blessing of all was just to have his family there, together. Link basked in the warmth of it, and he noticed the gentle smile Zelda directed at him as she watched everything unfold. As everyone started to settle around a warm fire in the den, Link slinked into the kitchen where his beloved was cleaning up (one of their daughters had helped with the majority of it, but she’d eventually shooed her out).

“This was your doing, wasn’t it?” He asked quietly.

Zelda remained silent, which was the most telling thing of all. It was rare for his beloved to be quiet in a conversation. Link couldn’t hide the loving smile, the way his head tilted, and Zelda giggled at the sight of it.

“I love you, Dove,” she finally said, pulling him into a hug, hands soaking wet and saturating his shirt as she held him.

Link laughed, nuzzling her forehead with his cheek as he hugged her in return. “I love you too.”

[catreginae]

Thou Shalt Not Fall - The Past: Homecoming

Link, Mask, and Tune all return from the final battle with Cia, but Link doesn't seem to be feeling better. TW: somebody intentional his hands, although the reason has nothing to do with emotional distress or mental illness. To skip this paragraph, it starts with "Mask could only watch in stunned silence". Just jump to the next paragraph and you should be okay (but do tell me otherwise!). This is the start of something I call 'The Past Arc' because I am Very Original and Very Creative. This was what the people on Tumblr voted for. It's slated to have four parts but I am not good at estimating. Also, sorry in advance for typos - I've been working on this chapter on and off for like six months and I'm a little tired of looking at it.

[Previous] - [Next]

View the Master Post here!

When Time was a child, a child who was simultaneously a mature adult who saw too much of the world and a child who felt too small for it, he met two other Heroes named Link.

The first kept his name, since he and the other Link, an older kid in blue, were unintentional guests and that was putting it mildly. He was dubbed Mask, for the masks he carried, and the other was called Tune, as he was a conductor and liked to hum or sing to himself when he was bored. Mask became close to both of them. He viewed both of them as the Hylian brothers he never had and even though he tried not to become attached to people he would have to leave, he loved them both.

But much to his annoyance, those bonds had to be tested, because after his final battle with Cia, Link started acting strangely.

Mask didn't notice anything until a few days after the fight, when they first returned to the castle. Zelda let the three Links stay in the castle, as Tune and Mask didn't have a way to return home as of yet and Link said the barracks were his home and Zelda decided that wouldn't do. Tune and Mask shared a room and Link stayed in a separate one down the hall, somewhere between their room and Zelda's office. The room was far too large and lavish for Mask's taste, with two of the biggest beds he ever saw, covered with blankets that seemed too precious for him to use. There were chests that he and Tune could fit inside of just for clothes, some giant table with an attached mirror that was painted white, and there was even an balcony outside. Although he couldn't see himself spending much time in the room, he picked a bed as soon as the room was offered the room and slept through the morning, staying in bed until about nine in the morning. Tune woke up a bit earlier than he did.

Link on the other hand, didn't get up until well past three in the afternoon.

Mask and Tune found him with his face buried in the pillow, his hair sticking up in all directions. Mask was pretty sure he was drooling, surely a sign of how deeply asleep he still was. Tune started laughing while Mask just huffed at him, deciding to try to shake Link awake. Proxi came out from a pile of fabric on the beside table that Mask soon recognized as Link's scarf and went straight to him.

“I'm glad you two are here! No matter what I do, I just can't wake him up! Impa thought he needed the sleep since hasn't fully recovered from the battle, but this seems... excessive,” she mumbled, her glow dimming slightly.

That made Tune stop laughing. He went over to his bed and climbed on it, since the bed was fairly large and Link was sleeping right in the middle of it. Even with Tune being surprisingly tall and lanky, he wouldn't have been able to really reach without going on the bed. “Hey. It's time to get up,” Tune said, putting a hand on his bare shoulder and shaking him. He didn't respond at first, so Tune did it again.

“Hey! Link!” Mask called out as Tune continued to shake him. Finally, Link opened his eyes, squinting in their direction.

“Link?” Proxi asked.

“Hmmmm. Whatimeisst?”

“Past three in the afternoon,” Mask mumbled.

If nothing else, Link heard that, and immediately bolted up. “Why didn't anyone wake me? And why is it so damn bright in here?” he asked as he rubbed aggressively at his eyes. Eventually, he seemed to just settle for digging the heels of his hands into his eyes and keeping them there. Tune scrunched his face, studying Link closely.

“Impa thought you must have needed it,” Proxi answered, fluttering by his head. He lowered his hands and just stared into the covers, his eyelids beginning to fall.

“Are you sick?” Mask asked. He never saw the captain so out of it before. As far as Mask knew, Link's wounds weren't that serious and he was able to walk most of the way back to the castle by himself, but that could change and change quickly. “Maybe we should check your wounds.”

Link didn't respond. Instead, he collapsed against the the pillows, his breathing already deepening.

“I guess he must be,” Proxi muttered.

Link thought he knew what exhaustion felt like. He knew what it felt like to wake up after after losing a lot of blood. He knew what it felt like to be up all night trying to plan and fight with barely any sleep. This... this felt different. It felt like sleeping wasn't helping at all, that there was something deeper to his exhaustion than amount of sleep he was getting. He never needed so much sleep before and yet, it wasn't enough. It was never enough.

Sleeping until well into the afternoon, sometimes sleeping until dinner, wasn't the only thing that was new.

Mask and Tune were in the kitchens, helping out the chefs as they cooked dinner. Their way home had yet to appear and while they didn't want to say goodbye, it was making the two of them antsy and eager to just do... something helpful. They both agreed that it couldn't be good if they were still around, especially since most of the time displaced heroes already went home. For some reason, it was them, Ravio, and a nice girl named Marin that was still sticking around. If their work was done, surely they would have been allowed to return like the others.

Tune was singing what he called a shanty to himself, not at all shy about who was listening. He was the only one in the room who knew the words but Mask and the chefs hummed along to it. It was actually kind of fun, even if Mask had to stand on a stool to reach the counters and all he was allowed to do was stir the pot. Usually, he would be more bothered but considering he never did learn how to cook after all this time, he was actually perfectly happy stirring the pot. The only thing that bothered was the fact that at one point, he could have reached the counter without the stool.

Suddenly, the door opened and Link wandered inside.

“Ah, Link! What can we do for you?” one of the chefs, an older lady with her greying hair tied into a bun.

“Mind if I just look around?”

“Sure!” She sounded happy but Mask didn't miss the confusion laced into her voice. “Just don't get in the way.”

He nodded and entered the room. Mask, making sure he was still stirring the pot, watched as Link opened cabinets, dug through the pantry, and even disappeared into the cool room. He was clearly looking for something and apparently, he couldn't find it. That was until Link suddenly emerged from the cool room with a slab of raw meat in his hands.

“Mind if I take this?”

The chefs looked at him as if he grew a second head. He took their stunned silence as a 'yes' apparently, because he thanked them and walked away.

Mask later learned from Proxi that Link actually just... ate it like that. Raw and chewy.

Tune was strangely calm about it. In fact, he had the same look on his face that Link usually did when he was trying to figure out a plan.

The raw meat helped. It wasn't exactly what he was craving but it was a lot closer than anything else he tried to eat. Still though. It wasn't right. It wasn't what he wanted needed. What was it though? What did he need? Why was he always hungry? It didn't matter how much he ate, he was never full. His stomach became a never-ending pit.

He was hungry. So hungry...

Link suddenly had a lot more sun burns than usual.

During those days where Link was awake in the afternoon, Mask, Tune, and Proxi always tried to take him out to spar to get some exercise and fresh air. He was starting to spend a lot of time cooped up inside, spending most of his time in his room scrutinizing documents and notes, looking for something that was off although what that could be, Link didn't say. Mask didn't know what he was looking for and not even Link seemed to know what he was looking for, aside from 'something not right'. However, with some careful phrasing and appeals to the tactical side of him, they managed to get him outside to practice a couple of hours a day.

And at first, it went great. Link didn't go easy on either of them. If anything, he seemed a little stronger than usual, putting more force behind his attacks than normal. Oh, he hated the idea of them being on the battlefield but in a spar, he went all out.

After the first day, his cheeks were bright red and Mask' face hurt just looking at him. It was like they were sparring in the Gerudo Desert and not in a military ground with soft grass and dirt. After a couple of days, his face was peeling and strangely bumpy and it was at that point that Tune dragged him into Zelda's office. She quickly disappeared and then came back with a bottle full of something green, which she smothered all over her hands. Link winced as Zelda started rubbing some type of lotion all over his face.

“Ah, Zelda-” he started, hissing in pain as he did so.

“This will help, trust me. How did this happen though?”

Link merely shrugged.

“I'm worried about you, you know. You hardly visit. I barely see you anymore even though we're both in the castle.”

“Sorry.”

“Don't be. You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

Finally, Link offered a smile. “Yeah, I know.”

Link went through every medical document he could find but nothing matched up with the symptoms he was feeling. The exhaustion, the sudden sensitivity of his skin, the craving he couldn't figure out, the constant, gnawing hunger... he couldn't find anything that linked them all together. Why was it so hard to find what was wrong? He supposed he could visit the healers in the castle, but something in his gut told him not to.

Proxi sat on the top of his head, peering down at the documents on his desk.

“Did you find what you were looking for yet?”

“Not yet.”

It got to the point where Link refused to leave his room and only Proxi was allowed in. He locked the door to keep everybody out, and he just kept his window open, so Tune and Mask made sure that their window was open to give Proxi another way back into the castle. They were sure that Link wasn't trying to lock her in there, but he was definitely anxious about something.

“He isn't well,” she mumbled as she sat on Mask's shoulder. It was a clear night and Mask wasn't ready to go to sleep yet, so he decided to admire the world from his window. Although there was a bit of space between the castle and the rest of Castletown, like the way it was like in his own era, he could still see lights coming from the town. Or city. It was more like a city. It kind of reminded him of Clock Town.

“In what way?” Tune asked, squaring his shoulders. He had the face that Link would use he was thinking, his eyebrows knitting together and mouth pulled into what Mask thought looked like a thoughtful frown. He couldn't help but to think that maybe Tune knew more about Link's odd behaviour as of late than anybody else. It was almost like he was waiting for something.

“He seems to be in pain and I don't think he's had anything to eat since the raw piece of meat,” she answered. “He's either asleep all the time or awake and fidgety. He's definitely out of it too.”

“Hmm... is he making any unusual noises? Like hissing or growling?”

He definitely knew more. How?

Proxi nodded solemnly. “And his magic feels weird too, like it's tainted or corrupted somehow. Well, it felt like that since we came back from the Valley of Seers but I thought it was because he was exposed to so much of Cia's magic and it would go away after a bit! It's only gotten worse though.”

Suddenly, there was banging down the hall.

“Mask, go get Impa and meet me at Link's door, alright? Make sure she's armed.”

Mask nodded and left the room, ignoring the continuing banging coming from Link's room. He knew Impa wasn't hard to find, she was always with Zelda and Zelda was either in her room and in her office these days. He went to the office first and he was happy to find that the door was open, letting light spill into the hallway. Impa was just beside the doorway in the office as Zelda worked at her desk.

“Mask? What is it?” she asked when she spotted him standing in the hallway.

“There's something wrong with Link,” Proxi answered with a frown. He wished he knew what was wrong but at least Tune seemed to know. Impa looked to Zelda, who turned in her seat to look at them. “He isn't well but we think there's something more serious going on. Tune said that Impa should come armed.”

Zelda bit her lips but she didn't need to be told twice. She was instantly out in the hallway, following Mask and Proxi back to Link's room with Impa hot on their heels, hand on the handle of her giant sword. It didn't take long to reach his room, where the banging ceased but the loud noises inside didn't.

Tune was standing outside with what looked like the curtains in their room, cut into long threads.

“Tune? What's going on?”

“We don't have a lot of time so I'll explain later. We have to make sure he can't hurt himself or anybody else first. Impa, you're the strongest here so you have to hold him down. He'll probably try to attack us.”

Zelda's eyes were glued to the door. She looked completely distraught but took a deep breath and looked to Impa.

“Try not to hurt him too badly.”

“I'll do my best. There's no promises, though.”

“Mask, open the door. Impa, are you ready?”

Impa nodded. Mask gulped and turned the door knob slowly, then pulled the door open. The effect was instantaneous. Mask looked into the room for all of one second before Link was practically flying at him, his eyes a glowing yellow, lips pulled back into a wicked snarl and revealing canines that were far too large. Tune pulled him out of the way just as Impa raised her foot, her foot landing squarely in the middle of his chest. He hit the floor, clearly stunned.

Tune and Impa didn't hesitate to take advantage of it either. Impa sat on his back, settling her legs on either side of his hips and twisting his arms behind his back. He snarled and hissed, trying to buck her off as Tune tied one of his curtain strips around his wrists with some sort of complicated knot. Tune then moved on to his feet.

Mask could only watch in stunned silence, wringing his hands together as Tune withdrew a knife from his boot and used it cut his palm open. He shoved his bloody palm over Link's mouth. Link stopped moving, his eyes now completely focused on Tune's hand.

“Zelda, Mask, tie him up more. Leave one for later,” Tune commanded. Zelda was the only one who moved to follow his instructions, leaving Impa to help her. Mask found that he couldn't move though and he couldn't fight the tears welling up in his eyes either. Dammit, he hated crying, he hated being reminded that he looked like a child, but he was so worried. What happened to Link? Where did the man he regarded as his older brother go? What replaced him?

Thankfully, the snarling and hissing ceased completely as Tune pulled his bloodied hand away.

“What... what happened?” Link asked, his voice hoarse and quiet. His eyes were still yellow, pools of yellow encased in a red ring that Mask hadn't noticed before, but he could recognize the Link he did know within them. At least Link wasn't gone, but who knew how long he would be around for? “Where's Proxi? What's going on?”

Proxi flew, hovering in front of his face. “I'm here Link, don't worry!”

“Link... you're a vampire,” Tune mumbled. “This isn't your fault but we still have to restrain you for the time being. That wasn't nearly enough blood for you. I'm sorry.”

“A what? Somebody tell me what's going on!” he said in a low growl.

“We'll figure out the details later!” Zelda answered, raising her voice slightly. “Link, try to remain calm, alright? Impa, please summon a wagon and a soldier who can keep a secret. There's a noble family made up of vampires and I'm sure they can help.”

Impa nodded and jumped to her feet, stepping over Link and running past Mask, who was still just standing there, his feet glued to the ground. He was a hero, he should be able to act under pressure, to move forward even though he was scared. Link needed help and support and Mask just froze.

“Zelda... I'm scared.”

More tears welled up in Mask's eyes. Link sounded so small and vulnerable.

“We know, Link. We know. Just hang in there for us, okay?” Proxi said, pressing a delicate hand on his forehead.

“Impa, I'm trusting you to safely deliver Link to House Donte. Take Tune along with you, he seems to know what's going on. Make the preparations and come back for Link and Tune. Finally, make sure that Donte house knows that we are aware that they have nothing to do with what happened to Link.”

Impa nodded and took off running. Tune stayed behind and moved to sit beside Link, who turned his head away to ignore all of them. Mask almost joined them but instead, he found his eyes focused at the upturn furniture, the documents Link spent the past week studying tossed carelessly on the floor when the desk was flipped over. The curtains were torn, as were the bed sheets. A chair was smashed into pieces. Mask took a deep breath and turned to Zelda.

“I want to go with them.”

She frowned. “I need you to stay here. With Link and Tune gone, we'll need a hero to stay here in case something happens in their absence. The fact that you haven't gone home concerns me. There must be something brewing in the background. We can't afford to relax just yet.”

Mask frowned. As much as he wanted to be there with Link, who was definitely going through one of the scariest and most confusing moments of his life, he could understand Zelda's reasoning too. In a rare moment of clarity in the adults around him, they were seeing past the child-like frame and seeing him for the hero he was and they needed him. It would be tough but he needed to be at the castle.

Link would have Tune, at least.

Proxi left Link's side and zoomed to Mask's side. “Don't worry, Mask! I will stay with you and help keep an extra pair of eyes on the kingdom.”

“What about Link?” he asked.

“I know he would be worried about you and Tune.”

Mask took a deep breath. “Okay. Tune, you have to take good care of him until he gets there, okay?”

Tune nodded and threw up a salute. “You got it!”

“Zelda, what is a vampire?”

Tune and Impa gagged Link and hauled him away two hours ago and Mask found himself unable to sleep. How could be expected to try and sleep now knowing that Link was struggling and scared? Mask found himself in Zelda's office where Zelda was busy shifting through all the books in her shelves, seemingly trying to find one in particular. Proxi kept her promise and stayed by his side, sitting on his shoulder like she often did when she decided to hang out with him instead of Link.

“They are beings who survive by drinking the blood of other beings,” Zelda answered simply. “They're very rare in Hyrule but they're more common in other kingdoms. They can be very dangerous when they're starving or if they simply don't care about people, but plenty of vampires coexist peacefully with people in other kingdoms.”

Hmm. Interesting. It would explain why he hasn't heard of them in Hyrule but he did travel outside of the kingdom before, and hadn't heard of them there either. He wondered what kingdoms she could be talking about.

“So that noble family then...” Proxi mumbled.

“They are vampires, yes. Vampires can live for centuries so they've risen to the status of nobles simply by staying alive longer than any other family. They share their wealth and title with a Hylian family to hide though, so most people in Hyrule wouldn't know that vampires live there.”

“And you're sure they can help Link?”

“They have no other choice. Both of us want to keep the existence of vampires away from the public, so they will have to help him if they want him to keep their secret,” Zelda said quietly as she finally seemed to have found the book she was looking for. “This is a book about vampires, although this was written from the perspective of getting rid of them... but it might still be helpful. It came from Holodrum but it was translated into Hylian.”

“You just have a book on vampires just sitting on your shelf?” Proxi asked.

“I got this library from my grandmother,” Zelda said with a shrug. “I'll go through it tonight and see if there's anything in here we should know about. Of course, Impa and Tune might also have insights from House Donte. We'll meet up and discuss this when everybody is back.”

Tune and Impa returned three days later without Link. Mask expected that. There was no way that Link would learn everything he needed to know to navigate his new world in a span of a couple of hours. Neither Tune or Impa said much of the trip, just that the family did take him in and that Zelda's message was delivered.

When two weeks passed though, Mask was starting to worry.

“I'm sure he'll be back!” Proxi said as she spun around his head before settling down on his shoulder. “He wouldn't abandon his friends and he wouldn't abandon the kingdom.”

“I suppose.”

He looked to Tune, who was busy polishing his sword in the room they continued to share. He didn't seem worried at all. Quieter than normal, sure, but he didn't seem to be worried like Mask was. It reminded Mask of how the fact that he didn't seem all that surprised that Link was a vampire. In fact, he was the reason why they could properly restrain Link with minimal injuries to Link. It was like he knew what to what to do before he even saw Link, like he done it before.

“You have future knowledge, don't you?”

Tune sighed. “Yeah. I just don't know how much I can say. This is my present but I know his future.”

Time travel could be strange like that.

“He does come back. I can promise you that. I know this isn't over yet. He won't leave the job half finished.”

“Thank you,” Mask mumbled. It did make him feel a little bit better.

[abizarreyodelingincident]

Our Nightly Confidant 8

Accept your Wild side

The moon is high up in the sky, and Wild somehow does not fear it turning blood red. That was one of the things that left him wrongfooted before. There are many things he didn't know about the past. But this is one he is glad for. He doesn't want to imagine monsters coming back to life here.

The ranch, at night, is peaceful. So peaceful. Earlier, Malon's singing lulled the animals to sleep, and probably half the group, but it only made his stomach twist. She had laughed and wished them good night, her hand lingering on her husband's shoulder. Time never looked so happy, so relaxed as he did around his wife, well at home. He might have fled the second the others had fallen asleep.

Lying on the rooftop of the barn, Wild's chest ache with guilt.

One more thing to the list. One more thing Hylia wants him to remember.

He's trying, but can't find the words. Can barely make the effort to try. What will he tell Time? How will he... how can he apologize for something like this?

The tearing, rushing sound of shadow magic makes his heart leap for joy. It's the sound that told Wild the amnesiac that he didn't have to travel alone. That there'd be someone to watch over him, in the dark, in the storm, in the cold.

It's one of those sounds that speaks of home like Sidon's boastful greetings, the sing-song of little ritos or the taste of cold melon in desert shade.

Twilight materializes on the edge of the rooftop, furry and all, and Wild struggles to control his breathing for a second longer. He feels the tears close, and he knows Twilight notices them all too well with his wolf senses. Somedays, the shift is instantaneous, a steady hand on his back, a desire to lean back against a solid chest and furred shoulders.

Somedays, it's a beast that settles over his lap, and Wild takes the added weight on his legs like he's been given a second chance. He sighs, hangs his head, and, hands through fur, whispers 'thank you' as he lets the comfort of his brother's presence sink in. There's no need for other words. He runs them through his mind, and they weaken when he gives in and lets go of his tears.

'Thank you,' he tells Hylia for the hundredth time. For giving him that much longer with Twilight.

(He'd been prepared. He had known and Wolfie hadn't hidden it, as well as a wolf could tell him. That time he'd seen the black particles fly skyward, he'd known that was it, his friend was back to the realm of the goddesses.)

(He'd faced Ganon without fear, without faltering, and he'd rescued Zelda after a hundred years of fighting, and he had finally let the shame untie itself around his heart.)

(But he hadn't realized how much it would hurt to walk a lonely road, to see wild wolves that were a blue-ish gray instead of green-hued. To hear barking and never see his friend again.)

(Wild had been told his past self had lost everyone. Wolfie was the first one he did as himself.)

He's dried out the tracks on his face when the shadows shift, and the weight disappears.

“Need to talk about it?” is Twilight's opening move.

Wild thinks about it. “Probably.”

“Do you want to?”

The idea makes his mouth taste of ash.

“Later.”

Twilight doesn't say anything to that, and instead brushes the roof before sitting down and lying on his back. “Recognize any stars?”

Wild chuckles. “Still haven't found the Goatherd up there. Face it, it's a fictional one.”

“All constellations are made up, cub,” Twi replies with a cocky grin.

Wild wags his finger. “No, no, see, if they're in a book somewhere, it's official. It's science! Zelda told me so.”

Twilight rolls his eyes then leans back against the tiles of the roof. “Suuuure it is. Man, if only we had books in Ordon. Silly us.”

The warmth in his chest turns into gentle chuckles, and it's easy to lie back down, just close enough to brush his big brother's side.

He waits it out. It's hard enough to vocalize that he prefers not to take the initiative. It's a few more minutes of calm before Twi picks up on the hint.

“What is it about?”

“The usual.”

Fear. Failure. Disappointment. Guilt. The look in a stranger's eyes, the judgement and demands. That shrinking feeling that makes the air around him want to crush him paper thin. It's the usual. But this time, he can't help how the fear is strong, how the guilt strangles him. It's no wandering stranger, no fragment of his past berating him for things that happened in the great blank that was Link Before.

It's Time. The Old Man. Their Leader.

Twilight hums.

“Have I ever told you about the first time I met an Hylian soldier?”

No. For all they talk and are at ease, unless Wild asks, Twilight doesn't volunteer too much of his past. He's aware Twilight doesn't want to burden him, thinks he has too much on his plate. It's irritating, most times. So he cannot help feel a little eager even when he shakes his head.

Twilight's corner smirk feels a little sheepish. “Didn't think so? Ain't my proudest moment.”

“You? Having done anything you are not proud of? But aren't you the perfect, dutiful hero who knows when it's proper to scout and not?”

“Go swallow a bokoblin gut risotto.”

Wild rolls his eyes at the mention of the we-promised-not-to-mention-that-experiment dish. “I'll make you a portion.”

Twilight suddenly looks a little pensive. “... Think we could trick Fancy into trying it?”

Wild smirks. “There, your hidden fae side. The others never believe me when I mention it.”

“Balance, young hero.”

“Right. Story time!” Wild claps his hands. “So, your first time meeting a Hylian soldier?”

It sobers Twi right up. “... T'was at the start of my journey. Right after the point of no-return. The children of my village were taken, my childhood friend kidnapped, and the adults in a panic. I rushed out of town, and well, got immediately captured and turned into a wolf.”

“... Nice start.”

The bonk on the head is worth it. It wasn't even painful. “Shush. I'm bleeding out and you mock me, you disrespectful child. Where was I? Oh, yeah, turned into a wolf, captured, imprisoned and left to rot in a dungeon.”

The air chills, and Wild finds the story a hell lot less funny. He can't even make a joke about putting a wolf in a cage. It'd be like sand on a wound.

“I met someone there, who helped me escape. Lemme tell you, Cub, dungeons aren't a great place to develop a much greater sense of smell. Honestly, I probably wasn't thinking straight for a bit. I just wanted out. Fresh air. Anything but the walls closing in on me...” – Wild feels the shudder against his body – “I was near the exit when I met him. A proud Hylian soldier of her majesty's army. Right there in the dungeon, left a mere spirit by the twilight's influence. And he... he was cowering in a corner... I hated him.”

There's something to the weight of it that strikes Wild at his core. The sort of darkness that Twi doesn't show, that nothing he does hint at. But even with that, the thing that comes to mind most is what the story means now.

“Wow... ” Wild starts, his voice brimming with forced awe. “You're about as subtle as a goat's kick to the nuts, Twi.”

Warriors and Legend have nothing on the absolutely, smug little smirk on Twilight's face. “Still bitter, aren't cha?”

Wild throws his arms in the air. “Fighting Ganon wasn't half as painful!”

“Well, I hate to say 'I told you so'...”

“Liar! You live for it!”

Twi chuckles. “Yeah. But come on, I told you to face the goats head on.”

“They've got massive horns!”

“And legs. Now you know why no one wrestles cattle from behind. Predators are the only ones that approach the hind legs, and yeah, they get the kicks too.” A more serious look flitter on Twilight's face. “Knew a man or two that died that way, back home. Just, one day, startled an animal and it kicked. Landed on the wrong spot. The wrong rib. The head. Don't mess around cattle, Cub.”

Wild winces. Far more somber than before, he nods for his brother's sake. It's not like he never saw the horses kick when he tried to tame them. Just that he was good at avoiding them even when he was thrown off. He wants to say he would never get killed in such a stupid way, but...

(It had stopped raining, but the rocks were still wet in the shadowed spots. He hadn't known until...)

(He'd woken up to Mipha's voice, and Wolfie's panicked barks and tears, and he'd promised – promised – to never be so careless again.)

“What happened with the soldier?” he asks, because now his mind is on ghosts, and he's never known his big brother to hate them.

Twilight, annoyingly, shrugs. “Well, I broke the curse of twilight on Castle Town, so he's probably just patrolling the street like any other guard.”

“... You didn't look? You never met him again? Not even when you walked back into Castle Town later? I thought you had to do a bunch of quests there?”

“No,” Twilight starts, then frowns a bit to himself. “Maybe?”

A groan builds up in the back of his throat. “Twiliiiiight...”

Said big dumb oaf pushes him, just hard enough for a stumble. “It's not like I got a good look at his face. Or...” He looks away, quieter. “That I had nothing else on my mind at the time. I'd... I'd just been turned into a wild animal and asked to help an imp with some grandiose task. I was running around dungeons, surrounded by ghoul rats, and... there it was, the first glimpse of hope I might have had.”

Wild gulps. He hates to imagine Twilight, Hylian or wolf, ragged, hurt, looking for help and finding...

“He was cowering. I was just a farmer, kidnapped, stolen from home and twisted into this new form. I needed help. And there was a soldier, who'd signed up for this, for the protection of Hyrule and its citizens... She called me naïve. Asked me if I really thought a light worlder could brave the twilight.”

She. Wild tries not to tick at the mention of that one. Does not ask her name, because he knows a wound when he hears one. He focuses on the dungeon. The dark and damp, the chains he recalls, and he places Wolfie there, scared, and it makes him burn with anger to have the first person his brother come across turn him away.

But Twilight's lips are twisted in a grimace, his eyes heavy as they take in the night over Lon Lon Ranch.

“He was scared. And I hated him. Was I really any better? A man who couldn't take a step in the twilight without passing out? When my bones rattled with the thoughts of those critters crawling all over my body again?”

“You pushed through,” Wild says, because Twilight had to have. Twilight won. Twilight went on his quest and he saved Hyrule. Twilight hadn't... he...

“Yeah. I went through Hyrule, and one by one, saved the Light Spirits, reforged the Mirror of Twilight, fought the Usurper and the King of Evil. And along the way, I picked up some allies, mourned the people I was too late for and embraced those I saved. But I didn't forget that man. When I saw the kids of my village, locked in a basement in fear of monsters, I remembered. And it was a little easier to forgive. When I reached Zora's domain and saw the hundreds frozen in ice, the ghost of the queen begging me to help her son... ”

His voice falters, becomes thick with emotion. And Wild can't help flash back to Muzu's accusation, to Sidon's sad smile when he mentions Mipha's gift to him. He hadn't thought...

There's something knowing in Twilight's eyes. “Gifted me a Zora armor and everything. Some things don't change, Cub.”

“They should,” he whispers, unable to keep the raw hurt from it.

Twi snakes an arm around him, and brings him close. “Aye, they ought to, but sometimes they don't. It's out of our hands. We don't get to make the world the goddesses put us in. Just what we do in it. Maybe I don't bow to the guards in my Hyrule, Cub, but I don't hate them either. They were men. Just that. I was wrong to hate them for something out of their control.”

Twilight really is as subtle as a goat's kick to the nuts.

Maybe it's his turn. Like a bomb in a shrine. Go off once, and watch the whole thing crumble.

“There was a Lon Lon Ranch in my Hyrule...” he starts, slow, with a sob building deep in his chest, “I found the ruins. You could make a beeline from it to Castle Town. But... it was overrun by guardians.”

The wood under him feels hot. Feels like it's burning, like it'll collapse any second now as a reminder that even when his fellow heroes build themselves a life, he'll be right there around the corner to ruin it all.

“It just... we're here now, and there are plenty of ruins in my era, but I never... I never met the owners, but Malon's so kind to us, and the Old Man trusts me, and I can't bear thinking of their disappointment when they learn-”

“Cub, if your next sentence includes any variation of the word 'failure', I will shove you off this roof.”

Wild blinks. His words peter out. He sees the absolute seriousness of Twilight's threat. Then, confidently, “You wouldn't. I could be injured.”

Twilight's glare goes deadpan. “I will shove you off that side” – he points to the other side of the roof – “where we shoveled the cow manure. It won't hurt. Even if you land head first.”

That threat is a great deal more plausible.

There is silence, some variation that hints at the snores of the cows and horses in the barn below, that suggests the song of crickets and buzzing fairies by the grass, the stern, patient glare that only grows sharper every second it lasts.

Then, slowly, Wild scoots away from his big brother.

“Wild!” Twilight harshly calls.

“I'm sorry!” Wild yelps, taking off and running around the chimney to put something between them.

“Don't apologize! It wasn't your fault!”

They circle the chimney, feinting left and right.

“I was the Chosen Hero! I trained for the Calamity my entire life!”

“You had an entire country's worth of people helping! How can it be your fault alone? They dug those machines up, they armed themselves with weapons that Ganon had already faced! None of your people saw it coming, but you still fought to your death, even after everyone else had passed! Why is it your fault?!”

“Then why did everyone blame me?” he breaks, and he feels the low, background pain suddenly rush at the front of his mind. Every little sneer, every snide comment, every moment he pulled down his hood just to avoid recognition...

“They were wrong! All of them! The whole fucking country!” Twilight growls back. “They put Hyrule's destruction on your hands, when it was Ganon. Half of them weren't even alive when it happened. They had no right to blame you! If they wanted the world to be better, they should have made it better themselves! And if they couldn't, they didn't have the right to blame the only person that was still trying!”

His knees shake. He needs to grab onto the chimney's edge to stay upright. The want in his heart hurt so much. He feels his whole being lean into Twilight's words, scream at him to believe, to push past the memories and remember only the good, the smiling greetings, the cheers, the wedding, the sight of Zelda finally, finally freed from her battle to protect Hyrule. “Twilight,” he croaks. “Why didn't you... why did you stay? You knew... I'd died. I was a clueless, directionless, scattered-brain idiot! I'd done nothing to be worth your help. I was just like that guard. Why didn't you… Why don't you hate me?”

The hand that grabs his wrist closes with a steel grip. The shock jumbles his self-loathing enough that he glances up, and meets the fiercest blue he's ever seen. “Look me in the eyes and say you think I  can  hate you.”

It's like getting sucker punched. All the air in his lungs leave. Even though his panicked, overworking brain screams that yes, yes he could, hadn't he just told him all about him hating the failure of Hyrule's army? But he can't levy that knowledge against everything he knows now. He can't even make it counterweight the idea that, maybe, being steady now meant he found his balance before. It's all meaningless noise in the end. Wild just needs one look at Twilight, and even his worst insecurities relent.

“It's different! You're you,” he says, helplessly gesturing to all of Twilight. Like that's supposed to explain everything. “And-”

“And Time's Time,” Twilight completes. “Malon's Malon. Need I go on?”

“It's not the same!”

“Fine!”

Twilight gives him The Look. Not his imitation of Time's disappointed Look. But his patented I-will-outstubborn-you-and-the-goddesses-themselves Look. Wild is intimately aware that none of his companions have seen it as frequently as him. They haven't learned to fear it yet even though they should. They really, really should.

(Twi wrestles goats taller than him for fun. He wrestles gorons for fun. Wild himself knows better than to try that stunt after Daruk! Twi's insane and no one else has noticed!)

Teeth grind together, and there's the bitten out words that push him off balance.

“There is no Lon Lon Ranch in my Hyrule. Is that my fault? Should I get down on my knees before the Old Man and beg for forgiveness?”

Wild's reply dies in his throat, a strangled croak.

That can't be right.

He knows that Twilight's before him and after Time. Twilight's said so, the records existed about both of them, the order they were in, and Twilight so obviously knew the Old Man before this started...

But... Twilight had never mentioned the Lon Lon Ranch before. Part of him had been assuming... Except, no, it's always been about Ordon, the province of Hyrule from which he hails, the farmer village and the ranch on which he herds his precious, dumbass goats.

There's no Ordon either, Wild realizes with a strangle grasp of guilt. What part of his predecessors did he not ruin?

A hand cuffs the back of his head, and the shock of pain is just enough to get him to stick his tongue out. Twilight, in response, raises an eyebrow like he can read his thoughts. He probably can though, given how much practice he has.

“Ordon's gone by the time of your era, Cub. Renamed and probably rebuilt differently. I wouldn't recognize it if I walked the land myself. Don't try and shoulder that.”

But what else is he supposed to do about it?

“Let it be.”

But the lost-

Twilight hooks an arm around Wild's neck, and pulls him close. “Don't try to hold on to long gone dreams. Not everything's meant to last forever, Cub.”

Wild averts his gaze, who is suddenly so heavy he can only look down. Can only blink away the beginning of tears. He knows. He knows that nothing lasts forever, even this quest, but... why can't anyone stay a little while longer?

Twilight's voice softens, low and rumbling like Wolfie's noises. “We'll have to go our own way. We ain't nobodies. We're the Heroes of Courage. There's always gonna be someone in need of us in our own times. But you won't be alone. There's your Zelda, and your new Champions. Sidon'd love to cheer you up. And Farore knows Yunobo would need your delicate touch to get him out of his shell.”

He lets out a watery laugh. “Did I tell you about that time Zelda asked him to test a new model of cannons?”

Twi snorts, and the two of them manage to sit back down, lean against the chimney. His thoughts drift away from the memories of the ruined ranch, when time passes them by and a shooting star twinkles above.

“Farore's tear,” Twi points, “say a prayer.”

Wild indulges, though it goes toward Hylia. Quickly enough, he opens his eyes again, and shoots his big lump of a brother a look. “What will you do? Once we defeat whoever's behind our warping?”

“Well, probably try and avoid Zelda,” he says, sheepish, one finger scratching his cheek.

His bafflement is written all over his face, Wild knows, but he still needs to ask, in the flattest voice possible, “What?”

“My Queen and I ain't... It's more of a knightly what's it called. Fancy would know. Ah, whatever, call it what it is: respect, trust. And I know she will insist on a report. She's no fool, that one. Knows I wouldn't go off gallivanting for weeks and months on end for no reason. And she's not fond of being left in the dark. But I'll be darned if I ain't making a bee line for Ordon once this is over. I... I want to hug Colin, share an ale with Rusl and Uli, learn which of Lumi's firsts I missed, which I'll have to make up for the little lass.”

Lumi, Twilight's youngest adopted sibling. Few years old. Probably spoiled rotten the way Twi talks about her. In his mind, he pictures... a little brunette, tugging at Twilight's legs to be spun around and get piggyback rides. Maybe picking even a small stick, to play fight like her giant brother.

And Twilight would turn around, to ask Warriors to help train their little fighter and... blink at nothing. Shrug. That's what Wild's afraid of. The day he'll wake up and find he only needs to make breakfast for one instead of nine. That the others will move on and he will have to build yet another place for himself.

He hums, not wanting his voice to betray him.

“Home's where you make it, Cub.” Gentle fingers brush Wild's hair. He melts into the touch. “Sounds hypocritical when I'm the one who's always had a stable place, but even on my journey, especially near the end, I was home too. Home was a campfire and a princess with wits sharper than my sword and hair shifting like flames. It was the quiet of a cold night in the desert with lizards roasting over crackling embers. Back then, I was as happy as a goat in pasture. It never felt like it would end.”

A haunted shadow passes in Twilight's gaze.

“But it did,” he whispers. “It did, and now we're here, a new adventure, a new home for us.”

Wild hates the pain in his brother's voice. Hates that he sees his own hurt reflected, and a selfish part of him is even glad. It feels like love, this understanding. “I'll miss you,” he says, the only thing that can convey just how much he dreads the future.

“And I'll miss you too, you wild cub. No matter what insane scheme you cook up in that brain of yours, I'll miss every second of it.” Then he pulls back. “Also, don't be daft, you paid nearly five thousand rupees for that house in Hateno and chopped I don't know how many trees, you ain't just throwing that away on a whim, Cub. Sell it if you want to move.”

The non-sequitur throws him off. “I'm not!” Wild stammers, blushing. “Bolson would freak if I let it go to ruin a second time! And I still have to show Zelda around the place too.” The snicker makes him look down, grumble. “Mother cucco.”

“Good,” – the hand is rougher, no less affectionate, when it scrambles his fringe – “some sense at long last! There's hope for the future!”

Hope. Maybe Twi's not just a stupid farmer hunk. Maybe he should give that a try.

Wild's grin is a small, hopeful thing. “Who knows? Maybe we'll get to go on a third adventure together.”

He's heard a few curses about the goddesses from the others before, but he knows Hylia can't be  too cruel if she sent Twilight his way. He'll never admit it in front of witnesses, but, at the very beginning, he needed someone to watch over him. Though, Wild thinks with a bit of irritation, only at the beginning. He learns quickly. And it was mostly... the loneliness afterward.

Twilight sighs, wistful and despairing, and teasing. “That'd be something. More months of babysitting.”

Wild, despite himself, rises to the bait. “Excuse me. Which one of us attracted the wrong attention and got chased through Hyrule Fields?”

Instead of the sheepish, boyish grimace Wild was expecting, Twilight's mouth split open in a wide shit-eating grin. “You were overthinking it.”

“O-overthinking...? Wait. You did that on purpose?! There were three guardians! We nearly died!”

“Nearly never counts, young hero.”

“I broke twelve weapons!”

“You were overburdened. It would have slowed you down.” Twilight waits the right amount of heartbeat in incredulous silence, then adds: “Also, you had spent twenty minutes trying to decide whether or not you should replace your broadsword with that flaming flamberge. After that fight, you had plenty of space in your inventory. No need to hunt some Farore-damned koroks.”

Wild stares, his jaw hanging. The world just backflipped and landed flat on its face. Twilight... he what?!

“Hylia, I changed my mind. Don't reunite us past this. He'd lead me to my death.”

Twilight eventually recovers from his bellows of laughter. But the grin that remains has an edge of fangs to it, something impish that reminds him of Time's cryptic comments and Wind's mischief. “I would not. But in the event that we do die an inglorious death, the others will assume it was your fault anyway.”

Wild sputters. “W-what? No, I'd describe in excruciating details how you, big lump of a wolf, just ran straight at monsters with no plan!”

“Who would they believe between us? The wild, mannerless pyromaniac that's constantly pulling death defying stunts? Or the dutiful, dull farmhand that's always trying to reign him in? Just imagine the scene.”

Wild does. The image comes to him unbidden, of some sort of white featureless plain full of fog and the spirits of his brothers-in-arms, where they both just materialize there, singed by the fatal explosion of some guardian's laser.

He wouldn't even get a chance to speak.

They'd all just send him various flat looks and pat Twilight on the back, calling it a good run. It was bound to happen eventually. And Twilight, the ass, would soak it all up as if it was earned and not his plan in the first place!

He needs to sit down. “Holy shit, you're worse than Ganon.”

Twilight offers him a bottle of Lon Lon milk. Likely poisoned, he thinks, after that revelation. He sips some of it anyway. It's good milk.

“Wild, you can't even fathom the depths of my mercy.”

See, someone who could make 'mercy' sound ominous had no right to complain about being called evil.

“You're scaring me.”

Twilight's legs swing over the edges of the rooftop. “Good, because it seems you haven't realized how much blackmail I sit on. Months, Cub. Months and months of travels with no one to tell you no. Every embarrassing thing you've ever done, I was a witness to.”

It's probably a bit sad that Wild can't even narrow it down to a handful of incidents.

“But I haven't destroyed you yet, Cub.”

Wild fights the full body shiver that crawls down his spine. “Don't think I won't bring you down with me! I have pictures! Ah! Who will they believe now?”

“Me,” Twilight replies flatly.

He hates that this one simple word deflates his hard-earned comeback. “I hate you so much, Twi.”

“Aw, I love you too, little brother.” The arm that hooks around his neck is none too gentle. “So stop jumping over fucking lava!”

“No, I'm a free spirit! And I won't listen to your evil whispers anymore!”

With practiced ease, Wild ducks under the moblin arm trying to strangle him and slips by the edge of the rooftop. A kick pushes him forward, and he backflips just to strut over Twilight's lumbersome build, and lands in the pile of hay. Twilight has barely the time to shoot a warning 'Oy! Get back here!' that Wild sprints away into the darkness. The tearing, blockish sound of Twilight's teleportation rings behind him, and he doubles his speed. Dumb wolves can't climb over the fences or the cliffsides that surround the ranch.

He's halfway around the track when he realizes that his chest no longer pangs with the echoes of guilt. And the first thought that comes to mind is 'that conniving goat-lover!'

 ***

 Three days later, after a trek through Sky's forests, Four is the one that speaks the thing that's on all their mind.

“So... anyone else is wondering why Wild is so unusually well-behaved?” he says once Wild is out of earshot, having left with Sky to wash down dishes in a nearby stream.

Wind nods heavily as others voice their assent. Hyrule, in particular, looks a little put off since being told 'no' to exploring the region yesterday. The fact that it had been said through gritted teeth had confused him a little, but he hadn't managed to find out the reason. Wild had just asked the others to witness how he was being a 'respectable hero that follows rules, remember that'.

Legend and Warriors, though, don't seem too concerned. Counting their good fortune maybe. They do, however, make a bet about it. “Better that than moping around,” Legend snarks.

“Don't be mean,” Hyrule says, chastising. “Though I guess I'm glad he's feeling better.”

Time, wordlessly, glances at Twilight, who may or may not be staying in the background, leaning against a tree with the face of a wolf left alone to watch over three defenseless and tasty lambs. The expression does not waver at his mentor's silent question. Far from it.

“Spite, reverse psychology and some long term planning,” Twilight drawls.

That sends a shiver down their spine.

[going-fancognito]

Hellooooo~ could i ask for some hcs for teba and saki adopting a hylian baby girl?? How would her relationship be with tulin?? Also she wants to be a worrior when she grows up 👉👈❤️

Ok so slightly off topic, but my personal headcanon is that Teba basically adopts all the new gen Champions. Yunobo and Riju are little sweet beans so there was no question there. Sure, Sidon’s technically older than him, he’s also a pure fish boi in need of hugs. Don’t even get me started on Zelda after she’s rescued. Once they learn about the crappy treatment from King Rhoam? Boom, new sibling for Tulin.

And Teba and Saki will be damned before they let a feral child like Link go without supervision

(“Kid, it’s 4am. Go to bed and fight the Hinox tomorrow.”

“I’m an adult Teba, I know what I’m doing.”

“You’re 17, that’s underage.”

“...Technically, I’m over 100 so-”

“Magic comas don’t count. Get back here.”)

Saki finds you crying in a basket one morning outside her house

Immediately brings you inside and uses her feathers to warm you up

By the time Teba’s back from the Flight Range, you’re sitting in a high chair being hand-fed mushed carrots.

Teba’s silently freaking out

OhHyliaANEWCHILDYAY-

Suggestions of giving you to a Hylian family will be quickly shut down

“Saki, it’s cold as shit out there (Language Teba!), and look at the lack of feathers, their practically naked! Nope, the tyke’s our responsibility.”

Yeah, anyone that wants to take tiny baby away will have to fight Papa bird first

So begins your new life with the Rito. Congrats.

Welcome to the nest kid.

Teba nicknames you his little Chickadee (sometimes Chicky for short)

However, anyone else that tries calling you that is at risk of getting their tail plucked

The other Rito might be a bit surprised at first, but they soon accept the new addition to the village

(Teba’s a warrior, but he’s also famous for having big dad energy)

You once get lost in the woods and was found by Kass, who offered to bring you home

When you tell him you live in Rito village, he dooesn’t even hesitate

“Let me guess; Teba’s kid, right?”

Wow, how’d he know!?

(Lucky guess)

You’re a Daddy’s little girl big time

So when Tulin’s born, there’s some worry that you’d get jealous and possessive over your parents attention

Surprisingly, it’s the opposite 

“Chicky, why don’t you let me have a turn with Tulin?”

Nope. You’re too busy being a big sister right now

“...That’s great sweetie, but don’t you think daddy should-”

No, ‘cause Birb Dad stinks of Moblin guts.

*GASP* Betrayed by his own kin!

(Tbf, he did just go monster hunting so-)

You’re as doting on your brother as Mipha was with Sidon

Spend years training at the Flight Range with your dad and younger brother, and grow up to become an ace archer

What you lack in feathers, you make up for in pure skill

So it REALLY sucks when you can’t fly to help your dad fight Vah Medoh

It admittedly sucks a little less once a certain Hylian arrives to help

(Not gonna lie, the starry look on your face may have played a part on Tebas decision to adopted Link)

[fatefulfaerie]

Disguise (I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus)

Day 9 of the 12 days of Christmas prompts orchestrated by @zelink-prompts

Incarnation: Breath of the Wild 2 several years post-caves

There were many legends about Hylia’s Day that breathed through the mouths of Hylian parents around this time of year, lulling their children to sleep in soft warm beds that contradicted the warring weather outside, which was cold, dark, and lonely. But the inside was warm and soft. Family was here, and nothing could be warmer.

It was said that Hylia’s Day was the day Hylia was first born into a mortal body. Some say that it is just a myth, that it isn’t possible for that to occur or for her to be continually reincarnated. Yet no matter the dissent, Hylians all around Hyrule honor their goddess in celebration and reverence, thanking her for a bountiful year no matter the losses, and praying for the exciting year to come and the blessings that will come from it.

Adults offered their prayers to the nearest goddess statue one by one, before returning to their homes to eat with their families, to think upon their past year and be thankful for what they have before them. Tomorrow was to be a large feast with the entirety of the village, ushering in the new year with a welcome smile and hopeful hearts, but for now Hylians tucked their children in with fairytales of Hylia’s birth into a mortal form, the hope she gave to the people of Hyrule, and what she was said to look like, ebbing golden hair with a white dress pure of blood and skin aglow with her golden light. Children slept with such a comforting image in their mind of an otherworldly protector, all the while brimming with excitement for the morning to come, after Hylia has smiled upon all the children of Hyrule and filled their stocking with goodies like honey candies and rupees.

In reality, it is the parents who fill the stockings, who continue such a fantasy of an active goddess. Yet, they rested their deceit by believing that Hylia really did smile upon her children, and that filling their stocking was a way to for children to learn her unconditional love and generosity, and perhaps echo those same values onto their own hearts.

A particular cottage in Hateno, however, housed secret proof that Hylia really did reincarnate in times of upheaval and ruin, to save the people of Hyrule in a mortal form. Although her memories of past lives never interfered or were even remembered by her current incarnate, her power remained.

So, when Zelda smiled upon her children, the set of twins really were having Hylia smile down at them dozing off. And, later in the night, Hylia really was filling their stockings with all sorts of goodies. The couple, of course, knowing Zelda was the last incarnate of Hylia, had decided not to tell their children of Hylia’s mortal ties to their mother. Thus, Link and Zelda had been raising their children the exact way they themselves were raised, learning kindness and generosity through the legend of the goddess Hylia.

There was, however, one Hylia’s day rumor hat had started to spread among children of the age of Link and Zelda’s twins, that if you look out the window at just the right time in the night, you can see the light of Hylia shooting through the sky, and sparkling her magic over all the houses.

When Elyjah woke up in the middle of the night, he hoped he hadn’t overslept past his chance. He nearly darted out of his bed, not caring whether or not he woke up his twin sister Wendie in the bed next to his. Luckily, he hadn’t, Wendie still sleeping soundly.

Elyjah tried to summon his skill at the game his parents taught him called “act like a Sheikah”. Little did he know it was a method to get them quiet for just a few minutes of the day, but Elyjah started to take pride in how good he was at being stealthy in comparison to his sister.

Elyjah slowly treaded up the stairs to the the loft where his parents slept, and where the nearest window was. He was extremely cautious as he reached the top of stairs, looking to his left to make sure his parents were actually asleep.

The little boy let out an audible gasp at what he saw, completely stunned. He didn’t know where his mommy was, but if she had only seen what he was seeing now, he could only imagine her shock. In fact, Elyjah could hardly believe it either.

He immediately ran down the stairs to his sister’s bed, shaking her awake and in a surprisingly fitting combination of yelling and whispering exclaimed,

“I saw Daddy kissing Hylia!”

“Go back to bed,” Wendie mumbled drowsily, turning the other way.

“I’m serious! Get up!”

Wendie sat up slowly, rubbing an eye with her fist.

“Are you sure you know what you saw?” Wendie asked.

“Yes,” Elyjah said, grabbing his sister’s wrist and practically pulling her out of bed. “Come on.”

They six-year-olds both staggered up the stairs hurriedly.

“See?” Elyjah said, his hand pointing to his parent’s bed, Link sitting and facing someone who had her back turned to his children, her hair golden in the moonlight and her dress pure as snow.

“That’s not Hylia, that’s Mommy!”

Their loud volume made Zelda turn her head immediately, Link as well alerted to the presence of their kids, and that they were out of their beds. The twins suddenly feared they were in trouble.

“What are you two doing out of bed?” Link asked.

“I wanted to see Hylia’s light out the window,” Elyjah explained with his small voice. “And I…I thought you were kissing Hylia.”

Zelda and Link hid their laughter as they exchanged glances, just as soon returning their gazes when their daughter started to run up to their bed, attempting to climb up between Link and Zelda although she was much too short to manage it. Link and Zelda kept their smiles.

“Are you up to see Hylia’s light too?” Wendie asked her parents before Link picked her up and put her on his lap. Wendie looked up and met her father’s happy eyes, those blue eyes that looked just like hers.

“So that’s why you two aren’t sleeping,” Link said, looking over to see his son already standing on a chair looking out the window. “How do you know this light will even show up?”

“I think it will,” Zelda said, Link immediately looking in confusion at his wife.

“What are you doing?” Link mouthed.

“Really?” Link heard Wendie ask excitedly.

Link asked Zelda where she was going with this without saying a word, only his expression giving way to the inquiry.

She held up her hand, wiggling all five of her fingers before standing up and heading to the window.

“It’s been dwindling for years now,” Link whispered, catching up with Zelda after allowing Wendie to run to the window. “Do you really think you can summon enough?”

“Hey! I got here first!” Elyjah exclaimed, looking down at his sister from where he stood on the chair, who was trying to push off his feet.

“That’s not fair! I can’t see! Mommy!”

Wendie had looked behind her with pleading blue eyes, bouncing up and down out of frustration.

But Link was already bringing over another chair, one Wendie happily climbed up on, soon staring out the window much like her brother.

Zelda took Links hand and closed her eyes, tightening her grip as they moved their hands so that they were hidden behind them. With what seemed a great amount of effort, a Triforce finally appeared on Zelda’s hand, yet already weak and subsiding.

But it seemed to be just enough, Zelda opening her eyes to see a golden light flash across the sky, beautiful and transcendent. Her children’s eyes were wide with wonder and amazement.

Zelda smiled as Link put his arms around her shoulder, her head locking into the crook of his neck. Love filled her heart and she was thankful for everything she had gained after so much loss.

[ashleyswrittenwords]

Restless

Another Zelink Oneshot

Commissioned by @florette-the-witch​ <3

Link is sick. Link is also stubborn. Post BOTW.

——————–

“I’m not sick,” he said again, sitting up before a hand was placed squarely on his chest. It didn’t take much pressure to force him back to the pillows.

Zelda glared down at him and though she didn’t say anything, he could feel her silent reprimands. The back of her hand found his forehead.

“Link,” she whined at him, “You’re burning up!”

He found the hem of her loose shirt and toyed with it. “Only because you’re near me.”

Despite his jesting, her eyes grew frantic. With a lithe hand, she moved his hair back and tested his temperature with her opposite hand. Zelda’s lips formed a pronounced frown and he heard a mantra of mumblings, not unlike when a hypothesis of hers would lead to a conclusion she wasn’t expecting.

Finally, she huffed and disappeared from view. The series of mumbles following the sound of her footsteps as she fled down the steps. Idly, he stared up at the rafters above. Weariness chanted in his bones, but his head was restless as always.

The gutters need to be cleaned, he thought aimlessly. If they aren’t Bolson is going to give me hell again.

And he didn’t want another lecture on the responsibilities of being a homeowner. With a grunt he sat up on his elbows and heard a sharp, “No.”

Zelda reappeared at the top of the stairs and held a glower his way. Again, his head hit the pillows.

“I’m okay enough to do a couple more things.”

“You aren’t,” she plainly said. “You weren’t yesterday, but I foolishly let you. You’ve gotten worse today.”

A wet cloth touched his forehead and, dear gods, he nearly moaned. Instead a loud hum of satisfaction came from his chest and he opened his eyes to find Zelda’s quiet worry. Her fingers grazed the side of his face, then cupping his cheeks. In the light, her hair glistened gold. Its shortened length was growing out now and he curled a lock between his fingers.

“Let me see your smile again,” Link croaked. He winced at his own voice.

Immediately, she pressed her pink lips together to stifle one. “I think not.”

The spite in her voice was far from real and soon she devolved into a wide smile. She glanced at his lips and when she dipped down for a kiss, he covered her mouth.

She stared with admonishment in her eyes.

“If I’m sick,” he grinned, “Then I’d rather be the only one sick.”

The way her tantalizing lips parted made him pray to the gods to get better soon. At least for her sake. That frown was recurring and he found discomfort in the unrest in her eyes.

“Well, hopefully your fever will break by the time I get back,” she sighed, pulling shoes from under the bed. Zelda glanced at his startled expression and followed up with, “I’m going into town. You need something warm.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“No,” she commanded, already pushing back on his bicep. “I’m perfectly capable of buying a few items myself.”

And then she looked at him in a softer light and he damn near melted under it. Her hand trailed down his arm and found his fingers, letting them tangle into her own. Without words, she brought the back of his hand to her mouth and left a chaste kiss.

A healthy Link couldn’t say no to those dancing eyes, how was he ever to put up a fight now?

Link didn’t and she left him with the hint of a smile. Soon the door to their home would signal her leave and the weathered man inside would groan at the ceiling. They had never owned a clock, but the one in his mind began ticking.

A three minute walk to Hateno’s center; five if she took her time. It would take ten minutes to shop for ingredients in East Wind; fifteen if she haggled with Pruce. All in all, if she wasn’t back within a half-hour he’d wrought himself from the covers and go to find her. At the thought, he nodded to himself as if that made all the sense in the world and crossed his arms over his chest to cement it.

Tick, tick, tick, tick. Couldn’t the gods allow time to pass a tad faster? Tick, tick, tick, tick.

Clean gutters. Taxes. No, Zelda always paid those. Weekly scout of the perimeter with village garrison; that could wait. Help Zelda weed out the big spider in the garden.

It felt like he was forgetting something vital and the task snuck farther into the recesses of his mind the more he sought it out. Hadn’t most things felt like that these days? The fact hadn’t calmed his body and the itch to brace himself for the consequences of forgetfulness kept him far from sleep. The damp cloth on his head was warming to his skin and his body was blistering hot.

Sluggish movements cast the covers from him and Link cursed his discomfort and his inability to kiss the woman he loved. It made him drag a hand down his face.

Then, it struck Link.

The horses. He hadn’t fed the horses this morning.

Shit. He ambled to sit up, suddenly thinking their light braying outside the window wasn’t all that cute anymore. Link’s attempts to stand faltered as his legs felt weaker than before. It had been several hours since Zelda forced him back to bed. 

Link heaved himself off the mattress and stumbled into the desk chair. He gripped its back and breathed a labored breath to keep his lightheadedness at bay. A chill violently took hold of him and he slowly wrapped the quilt from the bed around his shoulders. Eventually, he gathered the confidence to take on the stairs.

Zelda’s lectures ebbed at his ears with each step but what she didn’t know wouldn’t kill her, right?

He was never a man who could waste a day in bed. For the majority of his life there has always been a goal to work towards. Even when he could barely remember his own name, his spirit was restless. As a child, his goal was to become a knight his father could be proud of. His late adolescence brought upon keeping Hyrule’s princess safe and slaying Calamity Ganon; though as long as that took, he completed them all the same. Now he was an adult and life didn’t bear the burdens as it once did.

After Calamity Ganon, he found that he wanted to make Zelda happy. Her sign of happiness on Hyrule Field had confounded him. With her kingdom in disrepair and a century’s imprisonment, she would still smile for him?

Why she would embrace his filth-ridden form was even more of an anomaly, not to mention when she continued to hug him for weeks to come. And, of course, Link couldn’t help himself after that. Weeks turned to months and months into years. Their hugs changed to shy kisses and shy kisses to much, much more.

The thought occurred to him as the quilt twisted around his feet on the last stair and sent him tripping. Link yelped, scrambling to support himself on the door handle.

The spring breeze made him grip the covers harshly over him. It wasn’t a long walk to the small stable, only around the house, but it seemed like forever. He shuffled slowly on the grass and felt the tell-tale sign of exhaustion making gravity feel harsher than it was.

There wasn’t anything to rest on where the horses were, so Link brushed it away. An itching in his sinuses grew into an enormous sneeze that made the two mares shake their own manes. A glob of snot clung to his nose and Link made a lame attempt to shirk the green blob from his hand.

“Don’t judge me,” Link nasally said to the auburn haired horse.

He removed the quilt and regretted the action as he did it. Chills made him violently shiver. But the horses needed him more than he needed the warmth and the knowledge pushed him to hang it on the stable hooks. The action alone made his arms weary.

Hay bales were on the opposite wall next to the firewood and he heaved one up. Usually the action was nothing, but the lack of appetite the last couple days left his heart racing. Even the horses seemed concerned when the hay dropped over the gate and he stumbled to brace the wall. His world was a boat on rough waters, swimming precariously in his vision.

Link gulped and felt himself flush. He hadn’t felt this queasy since he trekked the Gerudo desert without the proper gear and suffered hyperthermia. 

Dimly, he heard his name from the other side of the house and he responded faintly. Another call for him grew closer while a blurry head of golden hair rounded the corner.

“I-I’m right here.”

Link was leaning against the wall, bracing the support beams to keep himself from slipping to the floor when Zelda reached him.

“Hylia above,” she cursed. An angelic curse, but a curse nonetheless. “Link, what in the goddess’s name are you doing out here?”

A soft gasp. “You’re hot to the touch.”

He knew it was bad when the motivation to respond with a quip didn’t manifest itself. With a firm but gentle grip, she wrapped one of his arms around her and made Link use her as support.

“The horses.” He nearly retched when she moved forward and to remediate it he shut his eyes.

“Is that why you’re out here? I fed them this morning.”

All he could do was nod and beat down the urge to puke on the love of his life. Slowly they hobbled around the bend and Zelda wrangled the door open.

“Come on,” she cood. “Can you make it up the stairs?”

His affirmation was to lean on the guard rails instead and breathe in heavy pants.

Without him seeing it, Zelda pulled his hair from his face into a low ponytail. She always carried multiple ties around her wrists these days. Her arms wrapped around his middle with a feather-like touch, partially supporting him and also just to feel his being.

“You worried me. I expected a sleepyhead, not an empty bed.”

Link wanted to chuckle, but he lacked energy and her tone was devoid of amusement. When he didn’t say anything at all, she coaxed him up the stairs. While he fell on the bed, Zelda shuffled through the closet and produced several blankets.

The sudden coverage around his person made the nausea subside and her hands tucked in the blankets around him to make sure there was no room for cold air to seep through. Link closed his eyes at the sensation of chills subsiding.

Her footsteps retreated before he could breathe an apology, but she wasn’t gone for very long. The smell of simmering chicken broth wafted to his nose.

“How many times have I gotten sick and you’ve taken care of me?” She pinned him down with her eyes.

Thrice, but she wasn’t asking for an answer from him. Zelda took his face in her hands. There was a small line that creased her forehead. 

“So why is it that the one time you get sick it’s the end of the world?” she voiced, sincerity stressing the question.

Link didn’t have a response for that. Guilt borrowed into him. Weakness was something he could never have afforded and now that he could… it made him feel inadequate. 

“Do you not want me to care for you? Because I promise you that I’m trying to look out for you, my love,” she said, voice filled with warmth and a clear sign of the love in her eyes. Link’s heart ached.

“Zelda,” he rasped, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

The crease soothed slightly and her grasp on him fled. “I know. You did worry me, no, you continue to.”

He could hear her wring out the washcloth in a water basin she had pulled upstairs. Then, a sigh.

Link swallowed, thumbing through all the things he could say to remediate the conflict in the sound of her breath. He fell on a simple: “I love you.”

The frantic tone of his voice quirked a smile on her face and when she looked up, he could swear she was a benevolent deity. “I love you too.”

“So much,” he followed up.

Then, she laughed. “Too much!”

“Oh, gods, never enough.”

She smiled down at him as she smoothed the damp fabric on his forehead. Beautiful was a word that flashed in his mind repeatedly. Lucky, lucky, lucky.

“Do me a favor, lover boy.”

“Anything.”

“Take a long nap.” Zelda scrunched up her nose defiantly. “I’ll be downstairs where you won’t be able to escape.”

As she stood to walk away, he took her hand in his and pressed a kiss to the back of it, basking in the way a slight rosy color tinted her cheeks.

Link fell asleep without even trying. When he woke, it was still daylight and the afternoon cast shadows across the room. His hand was wrapped around another’s and it didn’t take his sleep-muddled mind long to figure out who it was.

She slept with shallow breathing over the side of the bed. Her head rested on the edge of the mattress with her hand clasped around his. A sea of golden locks. On the nightstand was a bowl of soup, still steaming. Link turned to get a better view and realized that feeding the horses hadn’t been what he had forgotten.

Next week he had to trek out to Gerudo Town. To Zelda, he was making the journey to check on the young Gerudo chieftess. In actuality, there was a small package waiting for him in the jeweler's shop.

Link had always thought her ring finger was missing something. 

[toastscraps]

The Way Home

Written for the discord weekly prompt “Sky”, based on @linkeduniverse. Characters owned by Nintendo and given breath by @jojo56830 ; I just pretend they’re mine.

Bonuses: 

- 3k + words - Yes - > 7.4

- NPC mayhem - Yes

- Short of Prayers - Yes, as far as I can tell

- Head in the clouds - Oh, you betcha

Warnings: mentioned character death, blood, wounds, angst, death from a child’s perspective

Other Warnings: backstory, very little editing, may be OOC, a child’s perspective, which may be inaccurate, not much research, author’s lazy writing and personal headcannons

Summary: Hyrule gets in trouble and Sky tries to get home 

               One instant they were in Wild’s Hyrule, marching through an endless field and laughing as Wind regaled them with tales from his pirate days. The next, they were in another world altogether, a forest by the looks of it. Immediately the talking suffocated into an eerie quiet.

               Legend chuckled nervously, breaking the silence. “You’d think, after all the times this has happened, that we’d be used to this by now.”

               “Whose Hyrule is this?” Time asked. No one seemed to know. It didn’t look familiar to Sky, but then again, he’d hardly explored his world.

               “It-it could be mine,” Sky offered hesitantly. Everyone turned to look at him, and he felt his face heat. “I mean, Zelda and I haven’t explored the whole Surface yet. This could be one of those places.”

               “In that case, it could be mine, too.” Wind’s hands went to the charm at his chest. “Tetra and I are still setting up our new Hyrule. But this doesn’t seem like it belongs on the new continent.”

               “Well, be on your guards. We don’t know exactly where we are; ignorance can be dangerous.”

               They tensed, preparing to be jumped by monsters. They continued to walk ‘till they came to a clearing. All was calm. Birds flew from tree to tree, singing happily to one another. A small stream with fresh, clean water burbled nearby. If there was anything malicious present, nature didn’t sense it.

               Time was the first to lower his sword. “The forest is quiet. And the animals seem happy.... I don’t think there’s anything here.”

               Shock was the first thing Sky felt. It seemed like they were constantly travelling, constantly fighting. There was always danger. But Time wasn’t mistaken. For now, at least, there were no keese or octoroks or even chuchus around. How was it so quiet?

               Warriors was the next to drop his guard. “I vote we stay here for the night. All opposed?”

               Legend sputtered at his friend and threw his hands in the air. “You can’t just vote on that! It’s not even noon yet!”

               To be honest, Sky could use a break. He began to calm as well and looked around. Hyrule had already put his weapon away and was peering at a bug on the ground. Wind was examining his surroundings with wide eyes, and Sky wondered how many forests he had been in; obviously not too many if the novelty of it hadn’t worn off yet. Of course, Sky wasn’t one to talk. He still felt a little claustrophobic surrounded by this much vegetation.

               Four relaxed, too, replacing the bow he’d taken out. He eyed Time in an attempt to gauge his reaction. “I wouldn’t mind taking a day to get my thoughts together.”

               “We need more supplies for food and potions,” Wild admitted. “It would be nice to just take the time to stock up.”

               “I – could use a break, too,” Legend muttered. Everyone turned to look at him and his face soured. “What? I’m not always adventuring. Or fighting. If we don’t have any pressing battles at the moment, why not?”

               Sky hated to pressure Time into anything, but, “If this is my land, it would be nice to try to map it out a bit, n’… get used to it.”

               Time was frowning. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to take a day off to rest and catch up.” Everyone cheered, but he wasn’t done, “But if you’re going somewhere, don’t go alone. At least pair off.”

               “I’ll go with Wild,” Twilight offered. “Someone has to keep him in line.”

               “I’m not that bad,” Wild muttered, but he gestured to Twilight and they went out into the forest to gather food and supplies.

               Wind had laid his things out and was already fidgeting. “I can teach you some fighting techniques, if you’re bored.” Warriors slung his arm over Wind’s shoulders. “I know moves you’ve probably never dreamt of.”

               Wind ducked under Warrors’s arm and danced away. “Hah! You wish! I have a few tricks that will make you look like a fumbling newbie!”

               “Oh ho ho! It’s on!” As they walked to the far side of the small park, Sky turned to Hyrule.

               “I guess it’s just you and me, huh?”

               “Huh?” Hyrule seemed to snap out of his thoughts as Sky addressed him. A butterfly flew off of his finger and into the sky. The younger hero looked over to where Time, Legend, and Four were setting up camp and talking lightly. “Oh. Yeah.”

               “Here,” Sky offered. “I’ll show you how to make a map… that is, if you want me to.”

               Hyrule glanced at the pack Sky was slinging from his shoulders, and then over to where Twilight and Wild had disappeared a half a minute before. He most likely wished he was doing something a little more fun than cartography. Oh well. Sky was feeling a little petty, and this was (maybe) his world. If the teen didn’t want to come, he could always find someone else. “…Sure.”

               “Alright.” Sky took out a compass and looked down at its reading.  He took out the magic chronometer Zelda had given him for his birthday and began to do the calculations. “It’s noon right now, so…” He frowned. They were quite a ways away from the approximate position of Skyloft; about ten degrees off in longitude, in fact. That was nearly a month’s journey.

               “C’mon, Sky! What are you doing? Let’s get going!”

               “Alright,” he muttered, and marked their position on the map. They began to head south.

               The air in the shade of the trees was nice and cool, a gentle breeze occasionally rustling through the tops. Birds called to one another, and furry rodents jumped from one branch to another, chittering as they seemed to fly. It was actually quite peaceful. Sky felt himself begin to relax and just enjoy the day. Hyrule was humming some tune or another beside him, looking around at the old trees and moss-covered boulders.

               “There’s probably some source of water around here,” Hyrule said suddenly from beside him, startling Sky. “See all the moss?” Sure enough, it had gradually begun to get greener and greener as they’d travelled. The trees suddenly thinned, and they came upon a large pile of boulders, as if some giant, ancient hand had gathered them up like marbles and piled them in the middle of the clearing. These had less moss, as they were heated by the sun, but lichens freckled their surface and sickly saplings sprouted from them here and there in an attempt to grow.

               “I want to get a bearing from there,” Sky said, nearly under his breath. Hyrule loomed over him in interest as he knelt to grab his instruments. They were hand carved and worn from years of use, marks carefully, accurately placed to optimize precision.

               “Hey, what are those?”

               “These are the tools of the trade,” Sky replied. “These are what you use to get home.”

                 “I’m sorry, Link, but they’re not coming home.” The words made no sense to Sky. How could they?

               “When are they coming home, then?” he asked again. He didn’t understand.

               “They are – Link, they’re gone.”

               “Where did they go?” His four year old mind couldn’t comprehend what was happening. He’d been awakened early that morning by Pipit’s mom, but Pipit hadn’t come along to play. His was still asleep in the little house next door. A big man with bushy eyebrows had arrived with Mallara, a breeze of wind blowing through the house at their entrance. It had startled Sky awake. He’d thought it was his parents returning, but these weren’t his parents.

               “They…. They went below the clouds, Link.”

               “But… they’re coming back, right?”

               Mallara and the man exchanged glances. Why were they looking at each other like that?

               “Link, they can’t come back. They… they’re lost to us, now.” The man’s thick eyebrows drew together in concern.

               “No, Momma said they’d be back. The sun’s not up yet…”

               Pipit’s mom slowly knelt down and grabbed Sky by the shoulders. Her blue eyes shone wetly. His own were beginning to sting, for some reason. “Oh, Baby, they… they can’t. They’re gone, honey. They’re below the clouds. No one comes back from there.”

               Sky was beginning to panic. What was going on? Why couldn’t they come home? “No!” he wailed and jerked himself out of her hands. “I want my mommy and daddy! Where are they!?” The sky was beginning to lighten, villagers were opening their doors and birds were soaring through the heavens. Someone a couple of plots down laughed. “They’re coming home!”

               “No Link, they’re not.”

               In his panic, Sky bolted. The man let out an exclamation of surprise as he ran through their little yard and out into the common roadway. His parents were coming back!

               He made it all the way to the edge of the island. “Mommy! Daddy!” he called out desperately, but no one answered. A cold wind blew at him from below and he shut his eyes and put up an arm in front of his face. Hot, wet tears were beginning to flow down his cheeks to drip off his chin. “Daddy! Mommy! Please…” He fell to his knees and covered his eyes. There was a loud sound as air was displaced, and he stumbled back, startled, as his parents’ two Loftwings landed in front of him. Ember, his mother’s golden-brown bird, gently nudged him with her beak, pushing him back further from the edge.

               “Where is she,” he whispered, hugging her nose. The large bird stayed quiet and still. His father’s mount, a grey-blue male called “Dusk,” came up carefully behind and hooked his neck around his shoulders. Sky began to sob, the birds calmly absorbing his tears and shudders. He was only partially aware as footsteps approached him from behind and stopped.

               After a time, Dusk released his hold and Ember gently prodded him to his feet and pushed him to the adults. Once Mallara’s arms were securely about his shoulders, the bird backed up to join Dusk at the edge. They took off into the skies, their forms disappearing into the distance. Sky was numb as he was led toward Pipit’s house, the big man having disappeared at some point.

               Pipit was up when they got there. “Mamma? Where’d you go? Oh, hi Link! What’s wrong?”

               Sky shook his head. His parents were lost. They weren’t coming home.

               “Pipit, Link’s going to be staying with us for a couple of days,” she said gently. “Why don’t you go get a place ready by your bed for him?”

               “Okay! Link, you wanna come help me set up?”

               Sky could only nod, words now stuck in his throat. Pipit grabbed his hand and led him to his little corner. It was neat and tidy, clothes carefully folded under the bed, straight and clean. The window at the front of the house was open, a fresh breeze blowing through.

               “Sorry my bed isn’t made,” Pipit prattled on excitedly, “But look! I just got a new bed set!” He ducked beneath his bed and pulled out a matching blanket, comforter, and pillow. “You can use it if you want!” They were embroidered with Loftwings and clouds. But Link didn’t want the new blankets, even if they did look soft and comfortable. He wanted his own.

               “This is gonna be fun!” Pipit exclaimed as he laid them out on the floor. “We can stay up and tell each other stories, and we can go outside and watch the knights fly!”

               Sky didn’t want to stay at Pipit’s. He wanted to go home and snuggle under the covers and wait for his mother and father to wake him up.

               “And then, we can use this map my cousin made to find lost treasure!” Pipit shoved a crude drawing done in crayon toward Sky’s face. “See? X marks the spot!” He pointed to a red mark near the large waterfall.

               Sky straightened, his tears disappearing.

               Pipit pumped his fist. “I knew you’d like treasure hunting!” Sky didn’t care about any treasures, though. His parents were lost. But what if it was because they didn’t have a map? Maybe they could come back if they knew where he was. Ember and Dusk had probably gone searching for them, that was why they flew away! They would need a map to get back!

               Sky ignored Pipit’s surprised yell as he ran toward the kitchen area. Pipit’s mom had all sorts of clutter just lying around the house, and one of those things was a stack of paper. Sky grabbed a sheet off the top and a piece of charcoal from the box beside it. He frantically set the paper down and began to draw on it. First he drew a picture of his house, with the path leading down to the road. He drew Pipit’s house next door, and then the neighbor’s house on the other side. He drew a line for the edge of Skyloft, and then snatched a red crayon that was resting among the stack of charcoal, which he used to mark his house with an X. He was aware of Pipit behind him, standing awkwardly as he drew.

               “Link, what are you – ” Sky didn’t give him a chance to finish, jumping up and running with his drawing toward the open window where the breeze blew out. It sucked the page from his fingers and the map went flying into the air, the wind carrying it out to the open sea of clouds. Pipit stood awkwardly behind him. Sky watched as it became a tiny speck and disappeared. “What did you do that for?”

               Sky didn’t answer, looking out into the blue expanse. His mom and dad would come home. They just needed a map.

                  After that first map, Sky drew hundreds of them. Nearly every day he would take a piece of paper, a bit of charcoal, and he would sketch out directions to his house. About a week after his parents were lost, the knights came in to his house and cleared their things out. He watched silently as furniture and clothes were taken out and put into storage for him to inherit when he got older. He got his blankets and pillow back, but only because he was moving to the Academy. Pipit’s mom couldn’t keep him; she hardly made enough money as it was.

               Gaepora, the man with the big eyebrows, showed him his room in the bottom level of the Academy. It was large and fairly spacious, with its own furniture and closet. The bed was much too large, and his little blankets didn’t even touch the edges. The first night there, he panicked. It was too big; everything was too big. It wasn’t right. There should be two more bodies in the room with him. He wanted his mother and father. He bundled his pillow and blanket under his arm and practically ran out of the building. It was night, and the air was fresh and cool.

               Sky gasped as he stumbled out onto the lawn, trying to catch his breath, and looked up at the stars. They shone out, a necklace of diamonds and pearls befitting the goddesses. The moon had risen; its face half full but bright. Sky laid out his blanket and placed his pillow at the top. He shivered as the temperature dropped and dew began to form on the grass around him, but he refused to go back in and instead watched as the lights of nature’s ceiling danced toward the west.

               He woke up the next morning in the academy room. Someone had tucked him into his bed and covered him with extra blankets. But he was alone. No one was there to greet him or to run their fingers through his hair and tell him it was alright. He felt tears fill his eyes and ducked his face into his pillow as he sobbed. He’d dreamt that his father had been the one to carry him.

               Paper was harder to get at the Academy than it had been at Pipit’s house. It’s not that there was less of it, just that it was hidden away. Sky had learned quickly that paper with writing on it was not to be used to make maps with. The students got really angry when those got sucked out the window.

               But he found Gaepora’s office. There were shelves and shelves of books (all with words on the papers, so he couldn’t use those) as well as a set of drawers on the far end. The whole room was nearly as large as Pipit’s house. The top drawer had some paper, as well as bits of charcoal. There was no red crayon, but there was a bottle of beet juice that he must use to grade, and a feather pen. Sky was too afraid to touch it, but he still had an end of crayon from Pipit’s house, so he used that.

               He discovered the map in one of the classrooms. He took to sneaking paper in there after hours and copying the map as best as he could onto the paper. The only problem was that he wasn’t sure where the Academy was on the Map. He pointed at places on the map until one of the students was kind enough to tell him where everything was after class one day, reading the big words he couldn’t. He carefully placed an X where he was currently staying and walked to the edge of the island, where he let the air take his message to his parents. Gaepora had begun to teach him the basics, and he picked up on counting quickly. He spent hours examining buildings and measuring footsteps to different landmarks and to the edge of the island. Many times, after releasing a map into the sky, he would sit on the grass and stare out over the sea of clouds, waiting for the birds to return, or for a sign that it had reached his mom and dad. He never spoke. When he learned to write his name he began to sign his sheets “LiNK” before letting the wind rip them from his hands.

               Everything went into those little maps of his.

               But then one autumn day one of the knights caught him throwing the paper off the island. He was led back to the Academy, where he was given a strict talking-to. He didn’t understand “resources” or “precious” or “recycle” or “limited”. He didn’t understand “renew” or “mulch” or “mass” or “forever”. He understood “gone” and “wasted” and “useless.” But he wasn’t wasting anything. He was using it to find his parents. Sky never spoke, even after being reprimanded. There was nothing he could say.

               Sky was in the middle of drawing a map the next afternoon when a Remlit jumped up and climbed the tree above him. The branch shook, an overripe fruit dropped to the ground, breaking open with a wet squelch. Charcoal froze on paper, and he didn’t know why, but he began to hyperventilate then and there. Tears fell from his eyes as he hid his face behind his knees. Gone. Gone, gone, gone, gone. Fell beneath the clouds. Fell so far –

               Sky stopped sending messages out to his parents after that and withdrew into himself even farther. He never smiled anymore; who was there to smile for? He continued to sneak out at night and stare across the cotton sea at the stars and to watch the sun cut its path through the heavens. He never answered anyone’s questions, and tended to ignore people when they talked to him. He still took paper and charcoal out of the drawers, but had stopped trying to draw the shape of the island and the network of buildings and roads. Instead he’d begun to map the sky.

               The child woke up one morning after having fallen asleep trying to trace the stars to wide blue eyes and a nose inches from his. He startled, lurching up and back as he scrambled away. The little blond girl that had awakened him giggled into her hand, undaunted by the fact that he’d nearly busted her face. Her pink dress swayed in the breeze.

               “Hi, Link!” she greeted. “My name’s Zelda. My father’s told me so much about you! He said you might be sleeping outside.” Sky had seen her before and knew that Gaepora had a daughter, but had never really paid much attention. She usually ran around with a red haired boy that was a year or so older than they were. “C’mon! We have breakfast waiting for us back at the Academy. You don’t want to miss it! Today it’s sweet squash and nut pear!” She pulled on his hand ‘till he rose to his feet and took his lantern. She handed him the papers that had been resting underneath and dragged him along with her to the dining hall. Sky didn’t know what to think of Zelda. She was different than the adults and the students, who tended to tiptoe around him. Other kids avoided him and he didn’t understand why. Her presence didn’t remove the sharp shard in his chest, but it did ease it a bit. She sat next to him as they ate, prattling on about this or that, and asking him questions he didn’t know how to answer. Her father sat on the other side of her, talking to one of the other instructors about lesson plans for the day. The breakfast was hot and steaming, and normally Sky couldn’t taste anything, but like the sun Zelda had cleared away the morning fog and he was realizing how good it tasted.

               “Oh! Father, you should see what Link is making!” She suddenly exclaimed, surprising him. She grabbed his left hand and pulled it upward where her father could see his map of the stars. Her father looked at it briefly and chuckled.

               “Why, that’s a mighty fine bracelet you’ve drawn, Link,” he said.

               Sky frowned. It wasn’t a bracelet.

               Zelda sighed in exasperation with as much attitude as her six-year old self could muster. “It’s not a bracelet, dad! They’re stars, see?” Gaepora looked closer and his eyes widened.

               “Link, did you make this?” he asked. Sky nodded and shrank, unsure if he was going to get in trouble or not. “This is wonderful,” he said, his hands spreading the papers out to make a more complete map. Last night Sky had gotten quite a bit more of the heavens in, though he’d fallen asleep before he reached the bright one that he’d really wanted to get. “I suppose you aren’t making maps of the island anymore?” Sky shook his head.

               “You used to make maps of the island?” Zelda asked, looking at him curiously. Sky nodded. He wondered why they suddenly cared. “Why did you stop?”

               Sky opened his mouth, but nothing came out, so he closed it again. He’d stopped because he’d been told he could no longer send messages out, and because he’d finally realized his parent’s weren’t lost below the clouds. They were beyond where his maps could reach.

               They were with the stars.

                  Gaepora had seen his interest in map-making and star charting and began to supplement his regular curriculum with geography and geometry. He taught him about angles and calculating the distance between far away objects. He cracked open dusty old books that had theories on how to navigate based on the celestial bodies and learned alongside Sky. Between the two of them they mapped the entire island over the course of a year, fine-tuning their techniques until it was indistinguishable from the ones that were made by flying high above the island and drawing its shape.

               In the summer Pipit taught him to climb trees and look for dead branches. He learned to carve spoons and bowls and other useful things from the wood, carefully storing away the wood curls for compost later. The men sometimes took out rotting posts that had been in the ground for too long, and after cutting the soft crumbles away the children turned them into walking sticks and treasure boxes. Pipit was selling them to help his mom.

               Sky used his knowledge to make a tool he’d seen in one of the old books. It was supposed to make measuring angles at a distance easier. He had to take it to Gaepora for help to make accurate marks. He attached the mirrors and scope, and for a few days played around with it to see how it worked. Zelda had begun to come along with him on his ventures as he surveyed the land, once again drawing little sketches of sections of their island.

               Sky grew older and stronger, and eventually Zelda was able to coax him out of his shell a little bit at a time. She asked why he kept making maps when he’d already made one of the island.

               “I want to make sure I can find my way home,” he whispered. “I don’t want anyone to get lost.”

               Zelda was startled, both by hearing his voice, and by the words. “How could anyone get lost? No one flies that far from Skyloft.”

               And Sky didn’t have an answer.

                 “It’s called a sextant,” Sky answered. “It takes angles between different celestial bodies to tell you where you are in the world. You can make a sort of grid for your measurements, and map everything out. You use the chronometer and the sun for most of it.”

               “Huh,” Hyrule bent over and looked at it, but his posture screamed bored.

               “You don’t have to pretend to be interested.” Sky chuckled as he raised the instrument to the sky. Now that he was high enough on the boulders, he could see the horizon.

               Sky measured and calculated and marked the place on the map. He took his angle from the north to an interesting mountain peak in the distance and to several other landmarks he could see, using a protractor to get the angles. He left the lines, knowing that it was a poor idea to try to find the distances without going to those places first.

               They continued to wander around, Sky marking their path and adding interesting points to the map. Hyrule admired flowers and brought out his own sketchbook to draw a few of them. It was peaceful.

               The edge of a swamp brought them to a halt. “I probably should mark this,” Sky mused, looking in both directions. There was a large boulder, but it wasn’t nearly tall enough to see above the trees. He found an old wide willow and began to scale its branches. When he was at the top, he was able to make out the horizon and get what he wanted. Once he’d done the math and drawn an arc to represent the edge, he hopped down and turned to Hyrule. “Alright, we should probably head back. I want to make sure my measurements were right and get supper while it’s hot.” Sky looked up from where he’d packed the tools away to find he was talking to air.

               “Perfect,” he muttered. He took a deep breath. “Hyrule! Hyrule! C’mon, let’s go!” The younger hero didn’t answer, and Sky grew slightly annoyed. Then he noticed boot prints in the soft mud of a land bridge. Sky sighed. The teen had been doing so well, too.

               Sky followed the trail to a wide open area where no trees grew. There seemed to be some sort of solid path made out of logs and sticks to a wide raft or landing pad type thing in the middle of the pond- like area. And there was Hyrule, bent over and staring at something on the ground.

               “Sky! Come look what I found,” he said, grinning. He was petting something grey and fuzzy and approximately the size of a pig in his arms. “They’re so soft and tame! I didn’t realize we had any flightless birds like this!” The animal in his arms was gangly and ugly, but there was also something very familiar about it. Sky couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

               Suddenly his eyes widened in realization. “Hyrule,” he said lowly, “put the fledgling down.”

               Hyrule frowned. “What do you mean, fledgling? This bird is way too big– ”

               “Hyrule! Put it down, NOW!” There was a cry in the sky as a familiar shape swooped toward them. Hyrule visibly paled and quickly put the smaller bird down, backing away cautiously, his feet stumbling off the raft and onto the bridge. The brown-grey Loftwing landed fiercely between its chick and the boy, lowering its head and opening its mouth with a hiss. Its wings spread out threateningly, its tail rising into the air. Sky felt ice run through his veins. He had only seen a Loftwing position itself like that once, and that was when Pipit’s bird nearly took off his ex-stepdad’s arm after the man had been hitting him in a drunken rage. He had been in the infirmary for almost two months and had never gone near Pipit or his mom ever again. “Easy,” he cautioned, putting his arm on Hyrule’s shoulder before the younger could draw his sword. “We’re not gonna hurt you or your babies,” he was sure to keep his voice low and calm even as the teen eased his shield in front of his body. They were nearly to land. The great bird continued to stalk after them, hissing threateningly.

               The moment they got to semi-solid ground the two turned and ran, slowed down by the mud sucking at their boots. A loud cry pierced the air and the sound of flapping followed them. Sky made sure to place himself between Hyrule and the animal, raising his shield to block the attacks of talons and claws. He grunted as he pushed, hoping to knock the avian off course a little. It delayed it just enough that the two made it under a half-fallen tree, which the dam promptly ran into, tangling itself in the vines and causing the trunk to crash into the ground behind them. It screamed at them as they continued to try to make their way out of the swamp.

               “Phew, that was close,” Hyrule panted.

               Sky stiffened. “Wait,” he whispered. “Where’s the mate?”

               The older hero barely had time to tackle the teen to the ground as a shadow appeared above them. As it was, flaming hot agony tore through his back and he screamed, his shield bouncing against the ground as they landed. To his credit, Hyrule acted quickly and rolled out from under Sky, raising his shield to block a second attack. There was a metallic thud as the bird bounced off, but Sky was only aware of the pain shooting across the small of his back and up his to his shoulder blades. He stumbled to his feet and attempted to raise his shield. A heavy weight slammed into him as the bird collided with Sky, knocking his head against a rock. He bit back a scream as the furrows in his back made contact with the ground. Gritting his teeth he tried to push it off with only the tempered steel between them, but his arms were trembling and a giant beak was headed for his face. There was a banging and clanging as Hyrule yelled and tried to scare it away. The yellow drake turned its head from its victim and gave an angry hiss at its challenger. Its weight left Sky as it charged Hyrule.

               Groaning, Sky rolled over and propped himself on his trembling left arm, throwing up what was left of his breakfast as his head pounded. The world was spinning, and Hyrule was trying to scare off the protective male. Sky must have lost track of time, because between one moment and the next Hyrule was jerking him up off the ground, rushing him toward what looked to be a very weathered outcropping of limestone. He was quickly ushered into a little hole in the ground with the younger hero following closely behind. The bird screamed and hit the side of the cave, clawing uselessly at the entrance. Little pebbles and waterfalls of dirt piled at the bottom, but it had all been loose stuff that had collected atop the stone. Eventually it gave one last hiss and left them there, presumably to fly back to its mate.

               Sky’s back was on fire. He didn’t want to move, but Hyrule had other ideas. He was yanked into a sitting position, where his soaked shirt was lifted and cold hands touched the raw skin.

               “Oh crudthisisbad.” The words came rushed and whispered, and Sky groaned, letting his chin rest against the younger’s shoulder. He felt so tired. “This is my fault.” Sky heard the sound of a flask opening. He was pushed slightly backwards and a bottle was pressed to his lips. “Here, drink this.” Sky obliged, the burning across his back lessening a bit. There wasn’t much in the bottle, but it helped. He sighed.

               “I’m sorry,” Hyrule said again moving behind him, but Sky could hear the relief in his voice. His head was pounding and the world was lopsided, but he managed an answer.

               “Na’ y’r fault. You din’t kno.” Sky heard rustling, and then a gurgling, and then something wet was being pressed to his back, dabbing at wounds and wiping away grime. Sky hissed when it made contact with torn flesh.

               “I should have, though,” Hyrule said. “They were wild animals. I should have left them alone.”

               Sky hummed. “T’ be ‘onest, ‘ve ne’er seen a fledgling ‘fore. Din’t rek’nize it ‘till…” he yawned. All he wanted to do was sleep, but the washrag was reawakening the fire down his back.

               “Don’t go to sleep yet. You have a concussion.” How did he know?

               “I know because you’re slurring and your pupils are uneven.” Hmm. Good point.

               He was pushed lightly, and then cloth was being wrapped around his middle by gentle hands.

               “Now, tell me about your ‘spectant’ thingy.”

               “’S call’d a sextant.”

               “…My name is way better.”

               “’S ‘cause t’s one-six ‘f ccccircle.”

               “Okay, so, what do the little marks do?”

               Sky fought to stay awake and talk about his tools. At some point the wrapping stopped and his shirt was lowered again.

               “’N th’ chronometer‘s special. Zelda m’de it f’r me out ‘f Timeshift stones. C’n tell Univers’l Time and Loc’l Time any pl’ce an’ era.”

               “Fascinating.” Sky looked up and tried to tell him more, but Hyrule shushed him. “I think it’s gone.”

               Sky snorted and smiled. “’Could’a tol’ja th’t.”

               Hyrule rolled his eyes. “So sassy. Let’s get you back to camp.” Sky felt a firm grip on his arm as he was lifted to his feet. He blinked as the cave spun around him, and struggled to stay upright. Hyrule went up to the entrance first, looking carefully in all possible directions. He pushed their packs and weapons through first, and then when nothing happened led Sky closer. Sky was leaned against something cool and hard, his legs trembling as he watched his friend go through next. The older hero waited a couple of tense moments before Hyrule’s face reappeared, his hands reaching down. “Alright, I’m gonna try to pull you out, but you’ve gotta help me, OK?” Sky nodded and gripped Hyrule’s forearms, and between the two of them they managed to tug him out of the hole.

               Sky was left on the ground, huffing and panting as Hyrule shouldered both of their weapons and bags. Suddenly someone’s arms hooked under his own and helped him up. “You alright?” Hyrule asked. Sky nodded and tried not to puke as the forest became a blur before settling again. “Alright. Easy now.” His arm was pulled around the shorter hero’s shoulders and he was led toward the edge of the swamp. They circled around slightly in an attempt to avoid entering the large birds’ territory.

               “So, you seemed pretty familiar with them.” Sky was glad for the distraction Hyrule was giving. “What were those things?”

               “Lof’wings.” He’d never realized they nested on the Surface.

               “LOFTWINGS?” Hyrule cried incredulously. “Those birds you said everyone flew on in the sky?”

               “Mmmhmm.”

               “Those weren’t predators of some sort?”

               “Nnn.… I dun thing so, ‘nywa’. ‘N Skylof’ ‘ey jus’ ate pun’kins.”

               “These were wild animals!”

               Sky just shrugged. Maybe they acted differently when they were nesting. Who was he to say? They always seemed to spawn out of the clouds when he was younger.

               “When did you get your Loftwing?”

               “We dun get ‘em; ‘e’re two halv’s to a ‘ole.”

                  Sky wasn’t whole, and he didn’t know if he ever could be again. He felt like wood chips left for composting; weak and shredded and only held together by fragile static cling. Zelda and Gaepora helped keep him from blowing away completely, being the string purse that would shelter him until he could put himself together enough to enjoy the sun. But they weren’t glue, and he was cracked in so many places he wondered how he didn’t just crumble completely.

               Through Zelda’s prodding and Gaepora’s gentle understanding, he’d slowly emerged from his self-imposed hermitage. He was no longer able to go out at night as it had become increasingly dangerous, but he’d become less dependent on solitary contemplation. He’d begun to talk in audible, if brief, sentences, and was proud that Gaepora trusted him to run errands, including looking after his Remlit Mia (but only during the day, Link; she’s not safe at night). He puffed his chest out when Zelda’s father said he was the best errand-runner he’d ever met and soon became well known in his village as the seldom-spoken delivery boy. He was only ten but was making enough in tips people gave him to buy his own paper and charcoal.

               He was getting something for Owlan (he couldn’t remember what; not that it was important) when he overheard two men talking behind the Bazaar. Normally he would have just ignored them and continued on his way, but he overheard his name.

               “Yeah, poor boy. ‘S got no one left.”

               “Parents fell below the clouds, didn’t they?”

               “Yeah, heard it was an accident. Dark cloud of keese flew into them and blinded the birds. Halk and Tanaja were knocked off their Loftwings, or so they say.”

               “What, and the other Rescue Knights couldn’t get to them?”

               “….”

               “The whole thing reeks, if you ask me.”

               “I heard they were lower than usual, or something. It would have been too dangerous for the others to dive after them.”

               “Cowards. They didn’t even try?”

               “They had their own families to look after.”

               “Poor kid. Didn’t even have any bodies to bury. Something like that…how could you get closure?”

               Sky felt the world around him freeze, his errand for Owlan forgotten. His parents could have been saved? There was a chance they could have been brought back to him? His mom could have woken him with gentle strokes to his hair? His father could have carried him on his shoulders to the Bazaar that day like he’d promised? He tried to remember their faces, and in a panic realized that he couldn’t anymore. What color were their eyes? Was his mother short, or tall? Did his father have a low, gravelly voice, or a calm, steady one? Cold shock turned to deep, unsettling sorrow. Something hotter, deeper down burned, and he barely held it in as he sprinted away, pounding up the stairs to an enclosed courtyard.

               The ember deep inside burst into flame as he came to the top, and he screamed to the sky, curses landing against dead rock and sobs hiccoughing into cracked tile. Why had they been taken from him? Was he not worthy of even their memories? It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t… Why? Couldn’t they have been saved? Didn’t he need them more than the heavens did?

               He screamed, anger and fury leaking out as hot tears as he allowed himself to mourn. His ears twitched as he heard footsteps behind him, and he bit the base of his palm to keep himself from crying out any more. His body shook with sobs, but behind his eyelids were flashes of faces he did have, a counterpoint to the ones he’d lost. As if summoned, he heard a hesitant voice behind him. “Link? A-are you okay?” Zelda’s words were soft, but he couldn’t answer. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block her out. He didn’t want her to see him like this.

               “Link, stop! You’re hurting yourself!” Gaepora was there, too. Immediately Sky was aware of the taste of copper in his mouth, and he heaved as he removed his hand from his mouth, a string of red saliva following.

               Suddenly an angry scream pierced the air, an echo of Sky’s furious cry from earlier. He looked up, startled out of his downward spiral by a shadow in the sun. It was diving toward him, wings stiff and tail straight. It called again and slammed into the base of the stone, flapping and flailing as it righted itself to land in front of Sky. It wasn’t the most graceful thing ever; in fact, its crimson feathers were ruffled, fuzzy and spotted in patches that indicated it was just barely a juvenile. Its neck was long and gangly, its legs awkward and unsure as it stumbled forward. Its head was a little too big, its tail just a smidge too short. And immediately something in Sky settled, like a Remlit in the sun, like a bee in a flower; like a boy with his bird.

               Do I know you?

               A large beak pressed against his chest, healing the ache there, and he brought up his hands to caress the bridge. Red smeared on it, and in a distressed huff, Sky rubbed it off with the sleeve of his other hand. The bird made a small cry, and Sky decided that, yes, he did know this bird. He knew it like he knew the feeling of charcoal between his fingers, Zelda’s soft smile, and Gaepora’s warm voice. For the first time in years, he felt whole.

               The Loftwing nudged him until he got onto its back, something surprisingly like – no, it was – joy bubbling up inside of him. He gave a whoop and a laugh as suddenly they were launched off the ground. Rider and mount became one, climbing and dancing through the air in celebration. Sky had been found.

                  “We’re lost,” Hyrule concluded.

               “We’re not lost,” Sky said, his slur having disappeared five minutes prior. He was walking (limping) on his own, though he was still having trouble seeing straight, and everything was bright.

               “Yes we are.” The younger hero shook out the map Sky had been working on. “I can’t see any familiar location.”

               Sky squinted past the glare to the paper in his friend’s hands. “You’re holding it upside-down.”

               “Oh.” Hyrule righted the map, the x in the middle now above the rest of the drawings. “I still don’t know where we are.”

               “There’s a mountain around here. It’s the only one for miles. I drew it on the map.”

               “No you didn’t.”

               “It’s a line of sight, not a specific location.”

               “I don’t… Oh. Never mind. How do I work this thing?”

               Sky huffed in amusement. “You are a traveler, right?”

               “Yeah, but I don’t use a map. I follow my natural instincts.”

               “Natural instincts? Does that include petting wild animals?”

               “…Shut up.”

               Sky sighed. “The top of the paper is north. The compass arrow always points north.  We just came from the swamp, and we’re on the other side of the path from the mountain.”

               “So, head toward the mountain?”

               “For a little bit, anyway, until we find a familiar landmark.”

               They found their mark five minutes later when Hyrule spotted a good sized pond they’d taken a measurement at. With a little prodding from Sky, Hyrule was able to use the compass and map to make their way back to the others.

               It was getting dark, but Sky’s head was already feeling better. He could see their campfire ahead, flickering happily. Laughter and relaxed chatter reached them, and Hyrule turned to him with a grin. “You’re a genius, Sky! We’re home!” Hyrule said it casually, but Sky felt something inside him warm.

               Home, huh? A small crowd cheered as Wind pointed a practice sword triumphantly at Warriors’ chin. Legend was jeering good-naturedly while Time and Twilight watched on. Four was having an amiable, one-sided conversation with Wild. As they joined the others and potions were brought out, Sky couldn’t help but smile. Home wasn’t a place; it was the people you were with. He could be weeks, months, years from Skyloft, but he was never lost. He had found his way home.

[hauntinghyrule]

Apparently I woke up at 2 AM, wrote a couple rambling paragraphs about Erune into my notes app, and immediately fell back asleep.  I’m editing them into a coherent post now, because 2-AM-Kae had some interesting thoughts.

Erune isn’t a major character in the manga - she only appears in one chapter - so her personality isn’t as developed as, say, the Links. But there’s still more depth to her than just “generic pretty girl who everyone (*cough* well, almost everyone *cough*) is immediately smitten with”!

In particular, there’s a dilemma Erune faces that I think many people - myself included - can find really relatable: the question of what it means to grow up, and whether or not you have to leave behind the things that make you happy in the process.

Like the other characters, we don’t know exactly how old Erune is, but she can probably be assumed to be in her teens: still in many ways a child, but coming closer to adulthood, and starting to think about what that means for her.  She tells Green that she’ll be giving up Rosie, her beloved doll, because she’s “too old to play with dolls.”

Perhaps the thought had already been on her mind for some time, but it seems abruptly urgent for Erune.  She’s not giving up Rosie “soon,” she’s giving her up “tomorrow.”  It’s not hard to guess why; with the Dark World incursion, her town is in turmoil - monsters are swarming, children are going missing, and no one knows what to do.  Erune, ironically, displays more maturity than many of the adults, who fall into counterproductive in-fighting rather than working together (hmm, sound like anyone else we know? especially this early in the manga?)

Amid all the chaos, I can easily imagine Erune feeling like she needs to be as grown-up as possible, as quickly as possible, because somebody needs to be mature and reasonable around here!

But Green sees it differently.  He looks sad to see her talking about giving Rosie away, and urges her to keep the doll.  “But isn’t Rosie important to you?  If so, you shouldn’t let her go.  You’ll be sorry later on.”  It’s a short exchange - Blue interrupts them pretty quickly - but my interpretation of Green’s meaning, at least, is that growing up doesn’t have to - shouldn’t - mean giving up the things that make you happy.  It’s good to have things that bring you happiness, even if they might seem “childish” to others!  Having hobbies doesn’t make you less mature!

I can remember being a similar age to Erune, and having similar worries: that growing up would mean I’d have to give up the things I enjoyed, like cartoons and video games, because they’re “for kids.”  And, well.  You’re reading a lengthy analysis I just wrote about my favorite Legend of Zelda manga.  I think it’s safe to say that didn’t end up being true at all :)

Of course, hearing a message and internalizing it are two different things.  Immediately after they’re interrupted, Erune is stolen away to the Dark World  and turned into a living doll herself.  She is lured by the promise of never having to grow up, of being able to do nothing but play, all day, forever.  I think this reflects how much the dilemma was still weighing on her, even after talking it over with Green.

I wish we’d seen just a little more of Erune’s character development after this.  The next (and last) time we see her in the manga is after the Links swoop in to rescue everyone, and they’re all safely back home.  It would have been nice to see her fight back against the Dark World’s thrall, or otherwise reaffirm that she doesn’t need to give up the things she enjoys in order to be strong and capable.  I know page space was limited, and I wouldn’t want to sacrifice another part of the story to make room for it, but still.  Would’ve been cool.

Though I would have liked to see a more concrete arc resolution, I still think it’s an interesting and relatable bit of characterization for Erune.  There’s more to her than just a generic, pretty, damsel-in-distress!

[wistsandmagic]

Heeeey so now I’m home from work, far more awake than I was this morning, and it’s time to do a bit more with this Legend of Zelda thing, so it’s time for a PART 2.

It has been nearly 1000 years since Calamity Ganon was defeated for good.

The teenaged Hyrulean princess, daughter of a Hylian king and a Sheikah queen, once was named Zechariah. She loved her parents, but she hated her name. Hated her body. It wasn’t her, and being the first male-born Hyrule heir in 400 years did not change her feelings. Even if many tried to reassure her that it was good luck; a sign that there was no need for the powers of the goddess Hylia in the near future, despite the odd, worrisome rise in monster activity, the princess was not happy. She had told no one but her parents that she had been born with the gifts the goddess had bestowed upon her female descendants, and to her, that was even more sign that her body had had a miscommunication somewhere before her birth.

 Her mother had trained her in the Sheikah arts, a matter of both tradition and caution, and her parents approved using her skills to change her body to one she liked far better. So, after a year of deliberation and preparation, Prince Zechariah became Princess Zelda, taking the name of her ancestors, blessed by the goddess. No longer was she in a body that she despaired of, and finally, she could bring her gifts to light.  Her parents officially struck the name  of Zechariah, Prince of Hyrule, from the records, and inscribed in its place the name of Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, daughter of King Daedenal and Queen Midana. 

Meanwhile, in Gerudo Valley, a slightly older teenager chafes under his nannies’ watching. His name is Ganon, and he is one of the very rare, male-born Gerudo. As such, he is precious, and in hopes of reclaiming what once was a noble name from the beast of Malice that had corrupted it, his mother, Valja, Chief of the Gerudo, had named him Ganon. The Gerudo believed that a name or word could be reclaimed from evil if given to something good, and their hope rested with the Chieftain’s son.

Ganon is, beyond all doubts, good. His spirit is free from evil, his heart kind and just, and his greatest ambition is to explore the outside world he has heard so much about, but has not seen.  His people believe he should not leave, that he is too young, too inexperienced, but Ganon is also gifted with a silver tongue, and eventually manages to convince even his mother that letting him see the outside world, to let him explore and learn, to understand, will make him a better ruler when he comes of age.

His mother agrees, but on one condition. As he travels, he must stop in the kingdoms of her old friends and ‘check in’, so they can instantly send word to her that he is alive and well. She knows that Queen Midana, King Sidon, and Chief Gokoro will do this for her, and she will let them know to expect him at some point. Ganon agrees after some thought, seeing the worry his mother has for him, and she allows him to be outfitted for long travel, along with a sturdy donkey.

Ganon manages to reach the middle of Hyrule the same time as a delegation from Zora’s Domain, consisting of King Sidon himself, a few guards, and the king’s two daughters: the elder a tall, stately Zora like the king himself, the younger...a slight, somewhat odd girl who could either be half-Hylian, half-Zora, or a full Hylian, no one can quite tell.

In fact, Ganon meets the delegation because he quite literally gets knocked off of his donkey by this second daughter, who had launched herself out of a tree (where she had been hiding from her father’s guards so she could go explore a bit) without looking to see where she was landing.

The poor Gerudo teen is knocked out, Link thinks she has killed him, and she panics and nearly drowns Ganon in a combination of healing power and marsh water in an attempt to bring him to. The good news is she manages to heal the concussion she gave him in the process. The bad news is that in the panic, Ganon’s donkey, with all of his supplies, fled to goddess knows where.

Out of sheer worry and the odd, nagging sense that there is a have to here, the odd blue-blonde haired girl insists Ganon comes back to her father’s encampment and travel with them for a bit, so she can at least replace what he lost. Ganon agrees, if only to ease her mind, and finds out once she leads him back to the encampment that he got knocked out by the younger princess of the Zora Tribe, who goes by the name Link.

Needless to say, this shocks him more than getting kicked in the face and knocked off his now-missing donkey. King Sidon welcomes Ganon with open arms, and upon learning the boy was heading this way to go ‘report’ to Queen Midana so she could let his mother know he was alive, offered to simply take him with them, so he would not have to travel alone, and he could come to Zora’s Domain next and make his next ‘check in’ whenever he pleased. 

Being offered something by a twelve-foot-tall fishman is not something one generally refuses, and Ganon has enough sense to realize this. Plus it means free food, King Sidon’s two daughters are pretty, Mipha immediately starts mothering him (which grates just a bit, but she is technically a young adult, not a teenager), and Link is....oddly interesting, though he can’t explain why. Ganon is a teenaged boy. This is really a no-brainer.

Thus a delegation from Zora’s domain plus one Gerudo chief’s son make their way to Hyrule Castle over the next few days, fighting entirely too many monsters to be comfortable along the way.

There, the three young royals are introduced for the first time, and they instantly feel a strange connection to one another. With all three of them in the same room, Link suddenly has a name for the nagging feeling she had when she first insisted Ganon come to her father’s camp. There is a connection between the three, all of them can feel it, but none of them can explain it. Zelda remarks how it feels as though she has known Link and Ganon for forever, despite having only just met, and there is an almost unsettling agreement between the three of them. It just feels right.

Unfortunately, the three of them do not get to explore this connection further, to try and find out just why they have this odd feeling of knowing, because disaster strikes.

Out of the ruins of the Sacred Grounds, a beyond-ancient evil rises, shattering the peace of Hyrule within one night of the as-yet-unaware Triforce bearers’ meeting. The Sacred Grounds sink beneath the earth, and in its place, the being that created Calamity Ganon some 11000 years before rises: Malice itself. Malice, not to be confused with Demise, the demon whose reincarnation would take the name “Ganondorf” and who would eventually turn into Calamity Ganon. Malice is who created Demise, and thus, through time, managed to keep the original Ganondorf on the reincarnation cycle, despite Demise’s ultimate power being sealed by the goddess Hylia in ages long past.

If Hylia is the goddess of Hyrule and the people of the surrounding lands, Malice was Demise’s god.  Hylia sealed Malice along with Demise, being made aware of the supernatural, incarnation of pure evil once Demise came to the surface, but where Demise had help in breaking his seal, Malice has had to work alone, in secret, for thousands of years. Now, the seals -- under the Sacred Grounds ruins, in the Forest of Spirits, on Daval Peak, in Dragon’s Exile, on Gerudo Summit, in Lake Totori, under the Forgotten Temple, in the middle of the Thyphlo Ruins, under Death Caldera, in the Rabella Wetlands, hidden on the Peak of Awakening, near Koholit Rock, and last but not least, under Lake Akala -- have failed, and Malice returns in full force, beginning to lay waste to the land.

The goddess Hylia appears in a shaken Hyrule Castle and informs Zelda, Link, and Ganon that they are the Triforce bearers, and as she awakens the true gifts  in the three of them - the triforce pieces of Wisdom, Courage, and Power -   the three teenagers who Fate has only just brought together now have to figure out how to work together to destroy this spawner of evil once and for all. Not only do they have to learn how to control their newly awakened powers, but they have to learn how to do so in harmony with Hylia’s blessings, because otherwise Malice can only be temporarily subdued, not destroyed. For the first time, all three pieces of the Triforce can be used to work in harmony, but in the hands of three kids who have never done this kind of thing before, their chances seem slim.

Except for the fact that all three of them can feel the bond that holds them together, and they determine to use this to their advantage...becoming friends along the way.

[courageousguise]

Not such a simple fluffy foe

Words: 1217 warnings: mild injury

While Link wouldn’t say he exactly held any loyalty to the kingdom he supposedly came from in this world, he did still hold loyal to a few things. Chief among them were his princess, Zelda, and his father, the Great Deku Tree. Neither were here, as far as he knew, but their words held much importance to him… in this particular case, the words of his father.

The trees were important. He knew this very well, growing up in a forest. They were a central part of the ecosystem, they gave homes to the living creatures, shaded forest floor plants, and their great roots held the very soil together. They were incredibly important, and beyond even what he’d learned as a child, he would always love them- his father was a tree, after all. They were sacred to him in a way.

So to hear that there were some rabbits that were running around destroying the forest? Oh, well, now Link could absolutely not stand for that!

When he’d asked for directions, everyone who’d looked at him had just laughed- You’re just a little kid. Go along and play hero elsewhere, alright? That had of course infuriated Link, but there was so little he could do- he couldn’t just force them to believe him. No matter how much he’d insist, it simply wouldn’t work. He’d had to enlist the help of the goron mask just to get any of the adults to listen to him, eventually getting some general directions to where the rabbits had last been seen.

Now really though, how difficult could this be? While they were causing harm, they were still rabbits- Link didn’t really think that a rabbit could be that scary. They were so cute and fluffy! How could rabbits ever be that dangerous? He’d probably just need to get one with an arrow, or maybe a shock arrow if he really needed, but he doubted they’d pose much of a threat.

When he saw the rabbits, too, they didn’t seem too bad! Really big and weird, but like… were they seriously that big of a threat? They looked cute, in a weird sort of way! He wondered briefly if any of the girls he knew back home would like them. According to Saria, girls liked cute things. Although, he didn’t think that was always true- they liked weird things too. As far as he could tell, at least… he didn’t really get any of that. It was more what people had told him.

Well, back on focus. Link nocked an arrow, aiming it for one of the weird rabbits. He paused for a moment, considering if he should use an enchantment- nah, there was no way these things could be that dangerous. He’d save his energy for later.

So he shot the arrow.

And then everything went to hell in a handbasket.

The rabbit he’d shot had not gone down, and had instead gotten very mad. Very quickly. And it and its two companions had all looked in the direction of Link, who was suddenly feeling very, very, very small.

Ah, he thought to himself. Crap.

The monstrous rabbits were now all chasing after Link, who had slammed the goron mask on and was currently rolling away as fast as he could go. Thank the goddesses that gorons were fast when they were rolling- he found himself wishing so desperately that he had the bunny hood, a hundred percent aware of how horribly ironic that was in this case.

He knew he couldn’t roll forever, both in terms of his own magic energy and also the fact that these stupid rabbits were not giving up the chase. After a slit second decision, he stopped- quickly turning to face the rabbits, meeting the first one head on.

“RRRAAAAAAAAAGH! HYAH!”

Grabbing the rabbit by the shoulders, Link gave a mighty shout as he wrestled the creature to the ground. It would seem that he’d temporarily lost the others during the chase, although he didn’t know how long that’d last- but no time for worry! Even with the skin of a goron, this thing hurt- it was kicking and scratching viciously, even biting at him!

“Ow!!! Ow ow ow!!!!!”

In frustration, Link just punched at the monster. Which seemed to work fairly well! It stopped biting him for a few moments at least, enough for him to back off. Brute force would definitely not kill this thing, especially not if there were more around… he had to be smart. Clever. Look at his surroundings, like Navi had taught him so long ago.

Around him was the forest, obviously, but beyond that? Well, there was a bunch of rocks, and a little pond, and… wait, a pond!

The goron mask came off for Link to navigate around the pond, back as a beastkin once more but still ready to keep up the fight. Bad luck came in the form of the other monsters having caught up, but he was ready for this… he could do it! Definitely!

Drawing the three of them closer, Link waited until they were all standing in the pond. Then, he pulled out another arrow- this time enchanting the arrowhead with electricity, and shooting it into the water. The effect was immediate, lightning arcing between the one with the arrow in it and the water, all three taking a pretty huge hit.

But, no time to cheer- the stupid things still weren’t dead!

Out came his sword now, leaping for the one with the arrow first. That one had taken the brunt of the damage, and went down easy- with a very large thud, there were now only two monsters remaining.

Big stupid ugly monsters, Link thought to himself, you’re going down. I can take you.

He didn’t want to risk using any sort of fire magic in the forest, but his ice magic could be good to at least slow them down. He didn’t have any sort of experience at using his sword to cast spells, but he’d at least give it a shot- hitting the closer monster with his blade to set off the ice spell, freezing the creature’s feet to the ground.

That only seemed to make it more irate, but Link didn’t hesitate- finally able to get a good few attacks in, he felled the binge chungus. Now, it was just one left… and the one left seemed even more angry than before.

But just one was no problem, Link felt. He could deal with just one monster, especially after he’d just taken care of the other too- he was feeling a little exhausted, so magic wasn’t going to be an option for this one, but that wouldn’t stop him from fighting. He was nothing if not perseverant, and while the final one definitely took the longest to defeat, it eventually went down as well.

Now, as for how to get these rabbits back… he thanked the goddesses that the place only needed one as proof, because even as a goron he didn’t think he could drag three of these things back to town.

Well, no time for complaining… sighing as he slipped the goron mask back on, he grabbed one of the binge chungi and started dragging it back to town.

At least he’d beaten them?

[firstpuffin]

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening remake

-Note: It’s kind of embarrassing to admit but my comments around the visuals of A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening are straight-up incorrect. The two games did not share the same visual style and I honestly don’t know why I said that; I most definitely knew better. Still, I’m not going to get rid of it because the internet needs more examples of people admitting to be being wrong.

I say a lot that I want to be positive, but it’s really gonna be hard with this one. See, at the latest Nintendo Direct it was announced that they would be releasing a remake of the 26 year old game, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. As it happens I was already considering writing something about this game in a “Games from my Childhood” article, but that would actually have been positive! This one is… well, I’m going to at least try and balance every negative with a positive.

-at least the title screen looks good-

  So where to begin: I won’t cover the story because spoilers but how about some personal background? The game came out a year before I did (ha! bad jokes) and I have no idea when I got my grubby little paws on it, but it was a part of my life genuinely for as long as I can remember, along with the Pokémon games. I never completed it as a child, but my memories of it were so good that I returned to it as an adult and completed it, learning its sad secret.

-hey! according to this it released the same year I did; me getting my years mixed up I guess-

  Link’s Awakening (LA) was originally a pet project made outside of work hours which is why it borrows resources from other games such as the Mario series, but it was eventually released to critical acclaim. The gameplay is much the same as its immediate predecessor A Link to the Past (LttP), but with a number of new items and a unique soundtrack. Visually it is much the same as well, although its original release was black and white for the GameBoy with Link’s Awakening DX adding colour for the GameBoy Colour.

  So let’s start with the visuals as that is most of what we have right now: the original shared its visuals with LttP what with them using the same assets (tools, resources etc) and LttP had a sequel recently that looked really nice. But the upcoming LA remake looks nothing like it; I wouldn’t expect it to but when a defence of the artistic choice is that “it’s an update of the original graphics” (so why not use the assets from the LttP remake?) or that it somehow “reflects the atmosphere of the original” except there’s no reason for it to be any different to, again, the LttP remake. And in response to the “atmosphere”, LA was one of the darker yet in some ways more whimsical games; this new style is childish to the extreme.

  Don’t get me wrong, I love something that is good and childish, but there is a level when it stops being great and starts to feel like they condescend to the player. Bright colours, simple faces, high pitched noises- Oh god the noises!! I’ll expand on the sounds later but I’m still on the visuals. I’ve heard the game described as looking like Claymation, which isn’t wrong, but my immediate thought was that it looked like cheap plastic. And after watching it again and again as I discussed it with a friend, this opinion stuck.

-tell me this doesn’t look like claymation; this isn’t a game, it’s an animated short film-

  You know how shiny and tacky cheap plastic usually looks? Imagine an entire game like that; an entire world like that. Fans of anime may understand what I say next, but there is a large element of “chibi” in this new game. Large head, tiny body. It’s often seen in short 4 minute spin offs of popular series.

-as you can see, chibi is hardly meant to be taken seriously-

-just to hammer things home-

  So shiny plastic, silly chibi art with a soulless expression. Oh yeah, that. Link’s eyes have zero soul behind them. Zero. He’s a freakin’ monster. Have you seen those Funko Pops? You know how empty they look? Some have said it somehow reflects the original game’s art again, but back then they didn’t have the technology to make him look soulless and young me always thought he looked determined; it was really cool.

-determined; dead inside-

Okay, so I said I would try and be fair, and I have shat upon the plasticine toy-box long enough, so here’s what is good visually. The areas are actually really nice. 

Ignoring the nail varnish sheen on everything, things are really detailed. There is an unfortunate trend in games, likely due to technical limitations, to have flat textures. Basically, imagine the difference between a tile or wood panel floor, and a picture of a tile or wood panel floor. But this game looks to have really tried in these areas. The grass looks thick and lush, tiles look like more than a photograph on the floor and even the flat flowers on the ground look decent. Just a shame it all looks like LEGO. Actually, a LEGO Zelda game would be awesome. But this is not that.

  I haven’t explained that very well, it’s an area that I am new at but I will say that clearly a lot of care has gone into the assets and the world. It is not a lazy game in any way.

-don’t tell me those trees and rocks and- well, everything, don’t look like LEGO-

Next I’m going to talk about the sound. First of all, I’m convinced that they have artificially increased the pitch of Link’s voice so it is painfully sharp to the ears. I’ll admit, I have an unusual sensitivity to lights and sound and thus I prefer darker colours and quieter sounds; I avoid clubs like the plague and not just because I’ll likely catch it there. So maybe, just maybe, I’m noticing something that won’t be a problem for most, and is just unfortunate for me. And let’s ignore that it doesn’t match the darker tone of the game.

  And the music? Also quite high pitched. And super cheery. It doesn’t have either the dreamlike or dark tones that could be expected (and just thinking of how it could be dreamlike gives me shivers; it could be so good) but is instead inanely cheery. In fact, I hope they sped everything up for the trailer and the pitch is just an unfortunate side-effect.

  On the plus side, the trailer opens with a cool cinematic and I swear the music changes from a nice, cheerful rendition (I don’t dislike cheerful in-and-of-itself) of the Zelda main theme to the death squeals of various instruments that I mentioned before. On top of that, it ends on a really nice vocal version of the LA theme, Ballad of the Wind Fish. If the trailer had been the cinematic and that closing song alone then I would be beyond excited about the remake. Thank heaven it wasn’t, I’m not sure my love of the series could survive such a plummeting disappointment.

-and here’s the actual trailer for your perusal- 

So I’ll finish here. I was originally very pleased, excited even that they had decided to remake what was a favourite, underrated and apparently forgotten game, but I kept my expectations low because I knew what to expect from these companies. I thought I did anyway. I was still disappointed. I thought I had prepared for the worst. Still, at least it gave me something to write about.

  But, the game has clearly had a lot of work put into it and gameplay-wise it actually looks to flow really well so I’m sure it controls like a treat. But the visuals and music are too big of a deal for me to let slide; if it keeps up like this then it could literally be painful for me to play. Still, games do change a lot from the initial trailer to its release and I even put forth an idea of why the sound may hurt me so much here. Maybe the final game will be a lot better. Unfortunately, the things I want to be done in games and such rarely are, and I am often alone in my complaints.

And finally, yes I am aware that the famous and incredibly popular Wind Waker entry in the series also had similar complaints and became, as I said, incredibly popular. I wasn’t a part of that crowd, I was too young and honestly, Link’s Awakening was the only Zelda game I had actually played at that time. 

[strad-214]

Ocarina of Time Fan Fic: Chapter 2: Back to Normal?

Sorry that I'm posting this later than I promised. Like I said, college student, I have my priorities. Also, still havn't fixed that of italics issue, so, the inner thoughts are still indistinguishable from the narrative, sorry. Again, if anybody reading this has depression issues, PTSD of any kind, or survivor's guilt, please don't read this story line. And if you do suffer from such, remember that you are loved and never alone.

*************************************************

Link and Zelda, together again.... sort of. She wasn't the same Zelda he knew, she was... different somehow. They were both different somehow. Link couldn't place his finger on it, but he feared that the lack of a real danger was enough to change how they would come together.

The one remarkable thing was that he was able to convince her to hear him out; Link told her everything. She didn't remember exactly, but she believed his story and understood what had happened, even though "there is no man named Ganondorf." Second week being back, told anyone who would listen, hearing that in response was getting old.

No matter... Link thought to himself. Impa and Zelda believe me, that's all that matters. Impa even seemed to imply that she knew exactly what Link was talking about. Perhaps, one day, she would reveal more.

Well, one day came, and instead of Impa revealing more, the King suddenly was swayed. Three months in being back and serving the King as the youngest soldier in the King's service, Link received a summons to come to the castle. Once again, Link packed for the trip and left Kokiri Forest for the castle with Epona. As the pair walked to the castle, he thought of how Epona had come to him right away when he visited Lon Lon Ranch for "the first time". She almost seemed to recognize him. For this, Epona immediently bacame the most precious thing to him, and Malon and Talon where more than happy to give her away to him. She was still too small to ride, but walking around Hyrule together was more than enough for him.

After staying at Lon Lon Ranch for the night, Link arrived at the castle by noon on the second day. He took Epona to the stable where Zelda was no doubt waiting for him... but when Link dropped off Epona, she wasn't there. Concern immediately invaded his thoughts. He grabbed one of the stable men and asked him where Zelda was.

"How should I know brat? Get out of here!" The man pushed Link out of the way and muscled by. It took every ounce of self control not to shout at the man, Link kept forgetting that he was now a young adult trapped in a boy's body.

After cooling off, Link wandered around the castle, trying to find anyone who could direct him. But the usually bustling castle seemed desolate now. What happened here... he wondered. Perhaps the Gerudo King was here and now he was too late to stop him.

Link rushed to the audience chamber with sword and shield drawn, he didn't know what he was getting himself into, but he knew he was going to do what he could to prevent--

Trumpets blared as he entered the front of the audience chamber and what must've been every knight and guard and towns-folk in Hyrule stood at attention. At the end of the room, in front of his throne, stood the King of Hyrule and Zelda stood at his side.

"Link!" The King called down the hall. "Step foreword, son." Stunned, and incredibly confused, Link sheathed his weapons and humbly walked down the hall of Knights and soldiers. He now stood before the King and Zelda who in her arms held a pillow upon which sat a silver ring inlaid with an emerald.

"Kneel before me." The King ordered. Link immediately obeyed. The King held out his hand over Link's head

"The visions that we were blind to would have come to pass where it not for you and and my daughter. We, now know this." Link glanced up and six old, bearded men in robes stepped foreword baring the seals of the six temples around their necks. This reality's sages.... Link thought.

"Hyrule owes you a debt it could never re-pay, Hero of Time." The King bestowed. "Rise, Ser Link, and take your signant ring." Link stood up and found Zelda standing before him. She had a large smile on her face

"Congratulations!" She whispered excitedly in the smallest voice. She bowed her head as Link gently took the ring and examined it. It looked just like the Spiritual Stone, the Kokiri's Emerald. "Put it on!" She whispered! Link nodded and did as he was told.

"Accepting this ring makes you, Ser Link, the sole protector of Hyrule. May we prosper under your careful watch!" The King stepped forward now and addressed the mass of people.

"Good people of Hyrule! I present to you, Link! The Hero of Time!" The Audience Chamber erupted in thunderous applause. Link wasn't even sure how to react, his whole body felt numb. According to this reality, nothing actually happened, so... I don't actually deserve this.... Link stood there feeling ashamed as ackalaides washed over him, acknowledging that he just undid what his Zelda had sacrificed for him.

***

"-- and you will need to appear at court when matters of Hyrule's security are to be discussed." The right hand advisor to the King had been informing Link of the duties that came with this new authority. The party that followed Link's awarding was proving to be less of a party for him and more of a lecture. Everyone else was roaming around and talking, even the King and Zelda were. Not Link, Link was getting told how to run his own life again.

"Yea yea, I get it. Might we do this some other time?" Link finally requested.

"Oh, of course! I would be delighted to continue this conversation at another point in time, Ser Link." The right hand acknowledged. Link just looked at him and blinked.

".... don't call me that." He muttered as he stormed off and out of the audience chamber. He headed off towards the stables to get Epona; he already had enough of this and wanted things to go back to the way they were.... the way they were....

He caressed Epona's snout tenderly and contemplated on dropping the ring here and leaving forever. He contemplated on just going into the Lost Woods and never coming out again. "... but then I wouldn't have you, would I? I could never ask you to leave home like that." He assured Epona out loud.

"Why would you leave?" Zelda's small voice reached Link's ears. He sighed and turned around to see the Princess standing there looking concerned.

"I... I just needed some air. I couldn't take that party anymore." He tried to assure her. But he wasn't even convincing himself.

"You said leave home. Why would you leave Hyrule?" Zelda asked. "I thought you wanted this...."

"I didn't... well, not like this anyway." Link answered. "I didn't want to be given any honors, I didn't want to be celebrated. I just... just..."

"Just what?"

"I don't know, okay?" He insisted. Zelda took a step back, she looked hurt by this. He almost didn't care... but the look on her face was destroying him. ".... I'm sorry, I just... I don't know what to make of my new reality... it's so hard...."

"I understand. " Zelda said strongly, walking towards him now. "You're scared..."

".... yes, very." Link admitted.

"Courage is acting even though one is horrified." Zelda wrapped her arm around his shoulders and stood at his side. "You taking that ring is proof, you are very courageous, Ser Link." Link blushed and scowled.

"Do you have to call me that?" He asked.

"You'll get used to it." Zelda assured as she kissed his cheek. At that very moment, Link felt relief, more relief than he had felt since he had gotten back, and she could tell.

"Feel better?" She ask.

"... yea, a little." A small smile found it's way on to his face.

"Good!" She now completely hugged him, and he hugged her back. Her embrace felt like home. He hadn't felt this happy since Sheik revealed himself to be Zelda on the other side. She stood back and looked him in the eye, a playful smile lit up her face.

"Tomorrow morning is the first day you would need to be in court, then, after that, you and I are going to go on an adventure!" She declaired happily.

"Where?" Link asked, suddenly excited by the prospect of exploring.

"Let's start with Castle Town and see where the day takes us!" Zelda suggested. "See you tomorrow! Don't wander too far, you need to be here bright and early tomorrow morning!" Zelda bounced off back into the castle.

Link fondly started remembering how he and Zelda first met last time; they ran into each other in Castle Town and she was in disguise, they played all day and had a wonderful time.

That can happen again.... Link wondered. Everything seems to be returning to normal. He thought. The presence of the ring on his hand drew him to look at it again. .... almost normal.

*************************************************

This is an edit to the post: Hope you all enjoyed the set up! The rest is going to come in waves as I have a lot to do... often. Shout out to @linkeduniverse for inspiring the story!

[liv-andletdie]

Puppy Love

Author: liv-andletdie Rating: Teen and up Pairing: TP Zelink Modern AU Notes: Link is a vet at Ordon Veterinary surgery. Zelda is an Aristocrat with a dog who is sick… surprisingly often. Though nothing seems to be wrong with the poor thing.

Available on Ao3

Chapter 6: The Heart to Heart 

It had been six days, eighteen hours, thirty seven minutes, twenty six seconds and counting since Zelda had left Ordon. Not that Link was keeping track or anything.

In those six days Link had thrown himself into his work. He’d visited the ranch several times to check on the newborn kids, fought with a particularly fractious cat in order to insert an IV catheter, reluctantly listened to a man’s own heartbeat when he informed him that his dog had a similar heart murmur, consoled a woman who was upset that her duck couldn’t swim (despite the fact that it was a cucco and perfectly healthy), and solved the mystery of one feline friend’s disappearing waste (turns out it was relieving itself in the garage).  To say he was exhausted would be an understatement. His only comfort was that, at the end of the day, he could collapse in his bed and sleep until dawn.

So it was surprising that he had given that up in favour of peeling potatoes in Rusl’s kitchen.

To be fair, it wasn’t as if he could just leave. It was a longstanding tradition. Every other week he, Rusl, and Ilia would meet up and have a nice home cooked meal together. This time it was the turn of the elder man to host, and for some reason he had requested that Link be charge of potatoes. It was his job to peel and slice the root vegetables incredibly thin, Ilia had been given the easier job of working with the cucco, and Rusl had the hardest job of all, keeping his rambunctious toddler out of the kitchen while his eleven year old son focused on homework.

Link couldn’t say that he envied him. He envied Ilia. The cucco was far more complicated to prepare than the “dauphinoise potatoes” Uli had requested. All he had to do was cut and peel potatoes, tasks which required very little concentration, giving his mind ample time to fixate on a certain brunette and her stunning blue eyes.

It had been six days, eighteen hours, forty five minutes, twelve seconds and counting since she’d left Ordon, and Link could still hear her parting words, sharp in their formality, cutting through him like a knife.  

Goodbye, Doctor Wolfe

“Uhh, Link?”

Ilia’s soft voice pulled him from his reverie. He turned quickly to face her, blue eyes catching on emerald green. Mischief seemed to burrow in the corner of her lips as she held back a giggle. “I think that potato is fully peeled, don’t you?”

Fighting back the slight confusion at her words, he looked down to the vegetable in his hands. There was a large sloping dent in the side where he’d been relentlessly going over it with the peeler, Potato shavings were all over the cutting board in front of him, and starch coated his fingers and palms. Dropping the peeler on the countertop and the potato in a pile with the others, he turned back to face Ilia.

“Here,” she sighed, handing him a clean kitchen towel from the drawer. He nodded sheepishly in thanks, wiping his hands on the rough towelling before returning to his work. He could hear Ilia moving around behind him, her gentle footsteps echoing like thunder in the silent room. She seemed… frustrated about something, but he couldn’t put his finger on what. He was about to ask her what her issue was when she landed against the countertop beside him.

“You’re going real slow,” She sighed, an overdramatic tone curling over her breath. He fought back his own smile at her act.

“Don’t you got a cucco you need to prepare or something?”

“Cucco’s all done. I’m just waiting on you and your potatoes.”

“Well,” Link gestured lamely to the cutlery drawer behind him. “Get a knife and start cutting ‘em up if I’m so slow.”

Ilia pushed herself away from the counter, the sound of forks and spoons clattering against each other filling the air in her absence. Link knew she was trying to make as much noise as she could. He was always the more quiet of the two, prefering to let Ilia do most of the talking, but even he knew that he’d been a little quieter than normal recently. Ilia appeared beside him once more. She gave him a slight nudge with her elbow, wordlessly asking him to move along a little before beginning her new task.

The two continued to work silently, the quiet hanging heavy in the air. Beside him he could sense Ilia getting more and more wound up, tension seeping into her shoulders, her back going ramrod straight. Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, he could see her chew on her lip before dropping her knife.

“Are you gonna tell me what’s bothering you or do I have to play a guessing game to find out?” She blurted, cheeks immediately going red in a blush. Link felt himself stop in his own task, the peeler falling from his hand to clatter against the counter.

“What?” he breathed. “Ilia... I’m not… There’s nothing-” She cut him off with a raised hand, her shoulders dropping. She looked as exhausted as he felt.

“You’ve been acting off all week,” She started. “You’ve been quiet, more so than usual. You’ve been throwing yourself into your work, sleeping as soon as you get home.” She seemed to get smaller, her body folding in on itself as she lost the strength to stand.  “It ain’t healthy Link. I’m just… I’d understand if you don’t want me prying into your business, but… I’m worried about you. What is it? What’s going on?”

“Ilia it’s… I’m fine”

He wasn’t fine. He was the furthest from fine that he’d ever been, and that was saying something. He was distinctly “Not Fine”. If you were to look up the definition of the word “Fine” in the dictionary you would find, written below in small print, “The very opposite of Doctor Link Wolfe”. It had been a week and he was still wallowing in his sorrows! Sorrows that he wasn’t even sure he deserved to wallow in. So what! He wanted to cry, You didn’t get to take Zelda out for coffee boo hoo. It’s not like she would have wanted to go out with you anyway.

“I’m not fine.”

“I gathered.” Ilia rested a hand against his shoulder, her thumb brushing against his collar bone. She looked ready to launch into a motivational speech, to start telling him that everything was going to be alright, that happiness was just around the corner, and whatever other saccharine phrases she could think of. But instead she simply squeezed his shoulder and fixed him with a sympathetic yet knowing look. “Zelda?”

“That’s so crazy, how did you guess?” He snarked hearing Ilia laugh beside him.

“Well, short of you doodling her name in your notebook, you’ve been sighing like a school kid with a crush for weeks.” She wrapped her arm around his shoulders, pulling him against her side. “Everyone was waiting on you to ask her out. What happened with that?”

“I didn’t ask her out,” He muttered, eyes fixing on the potatoes in front of him. They still needed slicing.

“You didn’t? what?” Ilia gasped, the sound far too loud for his sensitive ears. “Why not?”

“Because, Ilia,” He pulled away from her, craning his head back to try and protect what was left of his hearing. “I never got the chance to! And now I probably never will.”

Ilia put her hands on her hips, fixing him with a confused look. A manicured eyebrow raised slightly as she tilted her head to the side. “I thought you had plenty of chances,” She said, words slow as if she was trying to figure out a difficult puzzle. “You were at her house often enough.”

“That’s different,” he defended, roughly picking up the vegetable he’d abandoned. “I couldn’t ask her out when I was at work. What if she’d said no? Then the whole thing would have been awkward, not to mention creepy.”

“How would it have been creepy?” Ilia asked, trying to focus on her own potatoes.

“It just would have been! Like… imagine you had a dog and you loved it with all your heart. Then you thought the dog got sick and you called the vet and they just flirted with you and asked you out! It’d be weird,” Link roughly peeled the potato in his hand, slamming it down on the chopping board when he was done.

Ilia was silent for a moment, the only sound was the gentle slicing of potatoes. Link was convinced that she’d dropped it, that she was done questioning him about his failed attempts at romance with Zelda Freaking Harkinian, and that she was happy to just focus on the, frankly ridiculous, Dauphinoise potatoes. And then she spoke, her voice soft and full of an innocent and genuine curiosity.

“What about the park?”  

Link fought back a cringe. The park. Oh man, the park. He’d not expected to run into Zelda when he’d gone for a walk. But then Naru found him and he couldn’t just ignore her! What kind of vet would he be if he didn’t return the husky back to her owner? And then Zelda had let him stay and she’d talked to him and he’d had a really, really great time. He’d been so close to asking her out and then…

“What about the park?” He tried not to sound angry as he reached for a knife to help Ilia with her potato slicing.

“Well, that would have been a great time to ask her out,” She explained, her eyes not straying from the food in her hand. “You weren’t technically on duty so it wouldn’t have been…creepy.”

Link brought the knife down on the potato with a little more force than was necessary. The park would have been the perfect place to ask her out, or at least get her number. There was no threat of imminent danger, no awkward work talk, just two adults and a husky in the sunshine. Two, single, adults. Two adults who weren’t in romantic relationships and- why didn’t he just ask her out?!

“I was going to,” he defended, hitting the knife against the chopping board. “Then someone called me about a Goat and I had to leave.”

Ilia at least had the grace to look sheepish. “It’s not my fault! How was I supposed to know you were busy wooing Miss Harkinian?” she reached for a new potato, stifling the giggle that threatened to rise as Link’s ears turned scarlet. “You still had enough time to ask for her number before you left.”

Enough time, Link decided, was a matter of situation. It was relative. If you had ten minutes you had “enough time” to make instant ramen, but you didn’t have “enough time” to eat it. And that’s not even taking into account the amount of time needed to boil the water or get the cutlery out. Even if the packet says “ten minutes” it takes a lot longer than that to accomplish the task to a high standard. Do you have time to make and eat half cooked noodles in ten minutes? Yes, but why would you?

He would admit that, theoretically, he had had “enough time” to ask Zelda for her phone number before he left. It would have been easy to say, “Hey let me get them digits real quick,” before running off, but would it have been successful? No one wants to eat half cooked ramen, and no one wants to get rejected when asking for someone’s number (especially if that person is Zelda Harkinian!) He may have had “enough time” to ask but would he have had “enough time” to get a positive answer?

His head hurt.

Scooping up the potato slices into a bowl, he pointedly refused to look at Ilia. She was waiting for his response, for him to either agree or disagree with her. Link wondered if he had “enough time” to get her to drop the conversation before Rusl came back.

“I didn’t ask for her number,” he muttered, taking his chopping board over to the sink to rinse it. “She asked for mine.”

It probably wasn’t the best thing to say to get Ilia to drop the conversation, but he wasn’t going to deny that it was worth it to hear her excited cry of “NO WAY! REALLY?!” ring out through the kitchen.

“Don’t get too excited,” he warned grabbing the kitchen towel to dry his hands off. “She only wanted my work number.  Y’'know, for emergencies”

Ilia seemed to deflate at his words, shoulders sagging as she let out a mournful sigh. He wasn’t so sure what she had to be upset about, he was the one who almost made a fool of himself in front of the girl he liked (the girl he liked, goodness how childish could he sound?)

“I guess that makes sense,” Ilia muttered to herself as she lined a gratin dish with the potato slices. Link took a step back to let her work, she was better at organising things neatly than he’d ever be, and while the dish would probably taste the same no matter what he still didn’t want to serve Uli and Rusl ugly looking food. “She’s a busy lady, makes sense she’d want to just be able to call up when somethings wrong and…” She froze, potato in hand. Link could see her eyes flicker as she tried to work something out, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion. “That ain’t right.”

“What ain’t right?” he asked, leaning against the counter near the sink. Ilia seemed to be still working it out, potatoes and seasoning left abandoned in front of her.

“Well,” she started. “You said she asked for your work number right?”

“Right”

“Okay,” Ilia turned, leaning against the counter to face him. She crossed her arms over her chest, her mouth set in a determined frown. “Did she know that you don’t have a personalised work number? That you just use the surgery’s number?”

Link shrugged. How was he supposed to know what Zelda knew and what she didn’t know? It wasn’t like he’d interrogated her at the park for information or anything. ”I guess” was the best answer he could come up with. “I mean… if she’s called the surgery before, then she’s seen the website and knows I just use the number on there… why are you looking at me like that?”

Ilia’s grin had returned. A marvelous, wonderful, grin that Link was normally in love with… when it wasn’t directed at him. She looked like she was about to burst into laughter or a childish “I told you so” song at the first chance she got. It scared him.

“Say that last part again,” She prompted pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

“If she’s called the surgery before then she’s… oh,” realization hit him like a pile of bricks, knocking him down and pinning him to the kitchen floor. Zelda’s called the surgery before, she has the number. She wasn’t asking for my work number was she? “Oh shit.”

Link heard a loud gasp almost drowned out by the sound of an eleven year old giggling. Turning sharply he saw Rusl enter the room, a disapproving look on his face as he carried his son over his shoulder. Colin, for his part, was laughing so loud that his cheeks had gone pink.

“Language,” he chided, dropping Colin to the floor “we got little ones in the house, Link”

“I’m sorry,” Link muttered, a hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. Ilia stifled her own laughter behind her palm, ignoring the annoyed look Link shot her way as she went back to work on layering the potatoes in the dish. “I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s alright,” Rusl sighed, moving to put the cucco in the oven. “Just watch out next time.” He clapped Link on the shoulder, giving him a quick squeeze as he moved around him to the cutlery drawer. “How are those potatoes coming?”

“Great, thanks to me,” Ilia smirked, walking over to the fridge to get the cream. Link stuck his tongue out at her as she went past.

“I had it,” He pouted. “I’d have been done by now if it wasn’t for you”

“You’d still be peeling the same potato if it wasn’t for me,” She said as she slammed the door to fridge shut. Rusl gave her a warning look as he handed the cutlery to Colin. “He was too busy pining over his crush,” she explained unable to hold back the shit eating grin that curled over her lips.

“Link’s got a crush?!” Colin exclaimed, pausing in his task of laying the table. His pale blue eyes lit up with mischief and Link felt his blood run cold at the sight. Middle Schoolers, he thought watching Colin’s grin grow with every passing second. They can smell weakness.

“I don’t have a crush!” He lied, feeling like a petulant child as he crossed his arms in a huff. Beside him Rusl let out a bellowing laugh, a hand coming around to hit him squarely between the shoulderblades.

“Who is she, son?” He asked through his chuckles.

“No one!” Link cried “There isn’t anyone...I don’t… I’m not-”

“It’s Miss Harkinian!” Ilia piped up, a musical giggle leaving her lips. Link endured another rough shoulder pat from Rusl. Colin looked confused as he continued setting the table. “She asked for his number,” Ilia continued practically bouncing on her heels. “Tell him what happened, Link”

Link’s blood turned to ice at her words, freezing solid in his veins. Rusl was looking at him expectantly, the once comforting hand on his back now pushing him head first into an awkward situation. He wanted to avoid this, wanted to run and hide but he was sure that the three of them would find him in a heartbeat.

“What happened, Link?” Rusl asked giving him another less than gentle pat to his spine.

Link looked around the room, eyes darting from Ilia to Rusl to Colin. Each of them stared back at him, waiting for him to say something, anything! They reminded him of a pack of wolves on the hunt. Bloodthirsty and ruthless.

“I...I gave...She asked…” He felt his throat dry up, his palms getting sweaty as he clenched his fists. This wasn’t going to be fun, but it would be better to bite the bullet now… wouldn’t it?

“I wanna preface this by saying that she asked for my number in case of an emergency! So before y’all try to make fun of me, just know that I was only doing what she asked.” He swallowed down the lump in his throat, rolling his shoulders back and bracing himself for the incoming onslaught of teasing. “I gave her my business card.”

“Well,” Rusl said, drawing out the word agonisingly slowly. A smirk hid in the corner of his lips, just barely visible as he spoke. “That seems like the right thing to do if she’s asking for your professional number.” The smirk grew larger, the light of it shining in his eyes. “Was she asking for your professional number?”

There it is, Link thought, The question I’ve been asking myself for the past week.

“Yes,” He replied automatically, fixing his gaze on the kitchen floor, his eyes trailing over the grooves between the tiles. It really needed to be swept, perhaps he should do that after dinner to save Uli a job.

“Are you sure?” Colin piped up. He’d seated himself at the head of the table, elbows resting on either side of his plate. He looked innocent enough, all pale blonde hair and baby blue eyes, his chin resting on his open palms while he kicked his legs below the table. A cunning facade, no doubt. But Link knew too much, he’d grown up with him.

“I’m… I’m pretty sure, Colin,” he sighed. He wasn’t sure, far from it. He kept replaying the moment in his head over and over. She’d paused. Zelda had definitely paused. She’d left a space between asking for his number and clarifying that it would only be used in an emergency… had she?… had he?... No. No, it couldn’t be.

“Are you sure you’re sure?” Colin said, matching his father’s smirk. It was a look Link had seen fairly often in the past eleven years. Gotcha.

“Miss Harkinian’s called the surgery before,” Ilia sounded wistful as she carried the potatoes over to the oven. “That’s the one thing that’s confusing me”

“Oh yeah,” Rusl crooned, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “That is confusing.”

Link could feel his father figure stare at him, the smirk no longer hidden as it curled proudly over his lips. “I wonder why she’d need a number she already has?... unless-”

“Alright, I get it!” Link cut in, already exhausted from repeating the conversation with Zelda over and over again in his own head. “I messed up, I had a chance, maybe, and I blew it.”

It hurt to admit it outloud. He’d thought it countless time over the past week, but he’s always followed it up with, It’s not like she was interested in me anyway. It hadn’t made him feel better about the situation but it certainly hadn’t made him feel worse.

But this! The idea that she liked him back, that she wanted him as much as he wanted her, and that he blew it for the both of them. Well, that stung.

Rusl pulled him into a hug, resting his chin on the crown of Link’s head. “You didn’t mess it up” he said, the smirk in his voice replaced with a genuine, if bittersweet, smile. “There’s always a chance you’ll see her again.”

Now that would be something, Link thought as he let himself get pulled into the embrace. A heavy sigh escaping him as he rested his forehead on Rusl’s shoulder. “Shiiiit” a sardonic laugh passed his lips. “There’s always a chance”

“Come on what did I say?” Rusl sighed, his own laugh bubbling up. “Little ears are present”

“Oh it’s okay I’ve heard worse,” Colin called from the table causing Ilia to erupt in giggles and snorts.

“From who!?”

“From Talo. He knows a lot of bad words.” He sounded almost impressed as he leaned back in the chair, balancing it on it’s back legs. Ilia gave him a slight reprimanding look causing him to pull his seat back into the upright position.

Reluctantly, Rusl pulled away from the hug, giving Link another pat on the shoulder as he did so. “I’ll have to have a talk with Jaggle,” he sighed running a hand down his cheek as he turned to his youngest son.` “Go get your mother, let her know dinner will be ready soon.” The three of them watched as Colin raced off, the sound of his footsteps dimming as he ran through the house on his quest.

They rested in near silence for a moment. The only sound was the gentle hum of the oven as their dinner cooked. It was peaceful, calm. The perfect respite after a week of stress and shouting and heartbreak and loss. If Link closed his eyes he could imagine that he was standing in the past, back before he’d ever heard of Zelda Harkinian, back before he’d fallen for her, and back before he’d lost her. He could imagine, for a second, that the ache in his chest wasn’t there, and that it was just another family dinner.

“I meant what I said,” Rusl spoke, voice low as if to preserve the calm that had settled. “There’s always a chance Link. Don’t give up hope just yet.”

<><><>

Actually hyped for this chapter? What happened I got super excited for it! Looks like I'm getting back into my flow at last! Really quite proud at how it turned out and a massive thankyou once again to @electragoob and @andelynk for helping me out, and @zeldasdiaries/ @missdellarosa for being incredibly supportive and wonderful <3

And that's to you all who are sticking with me through this!

We've got one more chapter and then it's the epilogue

[webcomixwastaken]

Fanfiction/Writing Meme

1) is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason?

/eyes bear novel waiting to be edited so it can be an actual readable manuscript /hugs BotW fic closer anyway

2) what work of yours, if any, are you the most embarrassed about existing?

I’m not regretful for writing “World Wide Story”, but it did feature several problematic/lazy tropes of the fandom that I would not indulge anymore.

3) what order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

I actually am fairly linear but 1) I outline very extensively 2) have an email draft saved solely to jot down paragraphs or conversations that need immediate documentation

4) favorite character you’ve written

MATVEY KOURINEV (he’s from the bear novel)

Gilly from WWS holds a dear place in my heart, as does Francis.

I’m really happy with how I was able to portray Maru and Abigail in my Stardew fic.

5) character you were most surprised to end up writing

Francis was a big darkhorse. Likewise with Sam from Stardew Valley.

The countess from the bear novel is surprisingly hilarious.

6) something you would go back and change in your writing that it’s too late/complicated to change now

I still don’t like the title “Hold Your Destiny”. I wish I could change it but with a substantial amount of subscribers and beautifully loyal commenters the brand’s stuck

7) when asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

Nope.... mostly.

I won’t deny I write fanfic to people IRL, but I won’t mention it off the bat in public spaces. I’m not embarrassed by it, but it’s exhausting to get into defending or explaining it. I’ve got plenty of original work to chat about anyway.

8) favorite genre to write

I actually LOVE slice of life! Mundane day to day stuff is my jelly and jam!!

9) what, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

Stop writing and consume other media. Every idea is recycled anyway.

10) write in silence or with background noise? with people or alone?

It doesn’t really matter; works out all those ways. I do like my weekly writing crew though because of the accountability.

11) what aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?

Character development (clearer objective/intention behind actions), consistent POV, axing out the rambling backstory/descriptive padding to focus on the action

I tend to be slightly lazier with my fanfiction though because I see it as a medium where self-indulgence ought to be allowed. It’s a strength of the genre.

12) your weaknesses as an writer

Individual narrative voices especially in alternating first person POVs, creating conflict (because I love my sweet slices of life, I’ve been told that sometimes things fall into place a little TOO perfectly for my characters even if they do have challenges up ahead)

God. Damn. Titles.

13) your strengths as an writer

Vocabulary, dialogue, and balanced description (”big vs small moments” as my teacher used to say).

14) do you make playlists for your current wips?

nope

15) why did you start writing?

....because it’s fun??

And because I am good at it. It came a lot more naturally to me than music or drama despite the fact I’ve had years of practice in those fields, and I also feel more confident in my skill here than I ever did there.

16) are there any characters who haunt you?

Ursa and Yurie hover behind my headboard, Matvey glowers at the end of the bed and Polina is my personal poltergeist wailing from the ceiling. Because I’m supposed to be married to the bear novel but instead I’m having a torrid affair with Zelink fanfic.

Meanwhile, Gillian, Frances, and Tonia are sobbing in a corner because I shut them in a folder and avoided them for over a year (I’ll rescue you guys soon I promise)

17) if you could give your fledgling writer self any advice, what would it be?

“GO TO TUESDAY WRITING MORE GOSH DON’T BE LAZY”

18) were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? what were they?

The age when I read and devoured the most books were about 8-13 years old, so I loves me middle grade something fierce. Sharon Creech, Jerry Spinelli - faves faves faves. And actually, the Redwall series probably has had the biggest impact on how I view and write the fantasy genre. I’m serious.

And since my final year of undergrad theatre major life was basically just dramaturging the heck out of Anton Chekhov for 8 months, I’d say he’s my biggest adult literary influence. Especially in the way of character building and dialogue. Want to improve your dialogue? READ PLAYS.

(Honestly I feel like the stuff I like to read isn’t what I usually write; Ray Bradbury’s work is a treasure and I savour ALL his words, but I sure as hell don’t write the way he does.)

19) when it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

I outline a lot and they’re pretty detailed. The outline can definitely change by the way. It changes extremely frequently. Honestly it’s just a comfort/fallback for me to know that I have some sort of direction for the story.

20) do you write in long sit-down sessions or in little spurts?

I have a weekly session with IRL friends where we meet up at a cafe on Tuesday evenings and plunk the words out for roughly 2.5-3 hours. Technically Thursdays too but I’ve been skipping them recently (baaaaaad!) Since Mondays are my days off I sometimes escape then too.

Otherwise I will confess I just veg out at home after work.

21) what do you think when you read over your older work?

“This is clearly older work.”

22) are there any subjects that make you uncomfortable to write?

My fic will rarely go above T, and if it does it’ll probably be M for violence/tragedy rather than any sexual content. There’s plenty of it out there written by folk who can pull it off way better than me anyway!

23) any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

Having studied theatre, including stage combat, particularly rapier/broadsword has been hella useful in writing Zelda fanfic. You know, the one with Link the famous swordsman with that famous sword. Oh, same with Abigail in “Beneath the Surface” too. I’m not googling when I describe their fights. 

24) have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story?

Not related to my work, but I now possess a fairly extensive knowledge of sea creatures from the creative writing workshops I teach at my job. For some reason the ages 6-8 classes are always ocean themed.

Did you know some sharks lay eggs that look like oblong sacs?? They’re like big leather tampons. That, and sea dragons can’t move independently. They just cling to seaweed and hope for the best, the poor tiny delicate things.

Not even talking about how much Zelda lore stuff I read up on now, wow

25) copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of

Whyyyy don’t I just be a big fat shill and link you to my AO3

[fatefulfaerie]

New Love (Santa Tell Me)

Day 8 of the 12 days of Christmas prompts orchestrated by @zelink-prompts

Incarnation: Skyward Sword around two decades post-Demise

“Zel?!” Link asked as he tread through the grassy clearing, dotted with smatterings of trees and bushes. He looked from his right to his left for his wife that was somehow nowhere to be found.

Suddenly something gripped at his wrist before he could pass the next bush, pulling him down quickly.

“Shhh,” he heard as he found himself crouched behind a bush. “You’ll scare them away.”

Link’s expression warped in confusion, looking over to see his wife, Zelda, and her best friend Karane, both hiding behind this bush for no reason Link could discern. 

“What in Hyrule are you doing?” Link asked, in no way understanding why three adults creeping and crawling towards their 40s were hiding like children with a secret.

Zelda tipped her head slightly with a continued smile.

“They’re finally bonding.”

Link looked to where they were looking and saw his fifteen-year old daughter sitting on a bench, talking to Karane and Pipit’s son.

“So?” Link asked, not quite understanding.

“We think they like each other,” Karane explained with a whisper, Link still not quite connecting the dots. “And keep your voice down for goddesses sake.”

“They’ve liked each other ever since they were toddlers,” Link argued. “What makes this any different?”

Zelda laughed into her next words, looking at Link.

“Like as in like like, Link,” Zelda said in reply. “We think they have a crush on each other.”

Link’s lips parted, and his blue eyes turned from confusion to complete panic.

“Well…w-well what are you two doing just sitting here?! We’ve got to put a stop to it!”

“Link,” Zelda said, laughing again.

“Zel, what if he touches her,” Link said, as if it were worse than the threat of Demise.

“Then the whole world will implode,” Zelda said sarcastically.

“Zel, I’m serious.”

It was Karane’s turn to laugh.

“You’ve known Oliver since he was a baby, Link,” Karane said. “I don’t think he’ll hurt Azalea.”

Link muttered something indistinguishable as they all returned their gazes to the young couple before them.

They seemed to just be talking rather harmlessly where they sat out of earshot. Although Oliver, the sixteen year old with round, blue eyes like his mother Karane and styled brown hair like his father Pipit, had an obvious blush upon his freckled cheeks, Link and Zelda’s daughter Azalea didn’t have any blush they could see. However, Azalea wasn’t without a rather natural smile, blue eyes brightened by her company.

Link was on edge as he watched his daughter be courted, forgetting how well Karane and Pipit had raised Oliver and assuming the poor boy was a threat to his daughter’s safety, the safety of her heart, of her confidence, of her innocence, of her chastity.

Oh gosh did Link not want to go there. He furrowed his brow at the thought of Oliver laying a hand anywhere on his precious daughter and as soon as Oliver placed the absolute softest hand on hers he popped up from behind the bush faster than Zelda could stop him.

“Get your hands off my daughter!” Link said, trying to rush forward until feeling his wife hold him back by clutching his elbows. Zelda was disappointed that was Link was really about to fight this boy that was less than half his age.

Oliver had immediately taken his hand off of Azalea’s and stood up at the sudden exclamation, now completely red in the face, so red that his red-tinted brown hair matched his complexion. He stood completely frozen, paralyzed by fear.

“Dad? Mom?” Azalea asked, standing up as well and taking a step forward. “What are you doing? Were you spying on us?”

“Maybe,” Zelda said with a smile and raised shoulders.

Azalea lost her words, searching for them with moving lips that produced no sound as she looked from Oliver and then back to her parents.

“But…but why?”

“Don’t look at me,” Link said as he crossed his arms, somehow knowing Zelda was looking at him. “You pulled me into all this. Literally. You two are the spies.”

“Two?” Oliver asked with a furrowed brow, figuring it out. “Mom?”

Karane emerged from the bushes slowly.

“Hi, Ollie,” she said with a visible wince and a small wave.

Oliver gave a heavy sigh, lifting his arms and dropping them back down.

“Great,” he said. “Just great. Now you’re gonna tell Dad.”

Karane’s eyes widened slightly, standing up a bit straighter.

“There’s something to tell?” 

Oliver was completely shocked as he suddenly realized he had outed the existence of his own secret. He gave a nervous chuckle.

“You were out of earshot,” he said, bowing his head. “Of course you were, uhm…”

He looked from his mom to Link and Zelda, all of them waiting expectantly.

“Well, you see,” he said. “Azalea and I, we…we’re kind of…dating?”

There was no response from the adults, so Oliver’s anxiety prompted him to continue. He looked over to Azalea.

“I…I mean, we…we only just now made it official so it’s not like we kept something from you.”

He returned to his gaze to his mom.

“I was going to tell you when I got home in few hours,” he said. “I didn’t think you guys would actually be here as audience members.”

Karane had already expressed a warm smile, eventually walking forward and embracing her son.

“I’m sorry for ruining your moment, Ollie,” Karane said. “We’ve just noticed you two flirting a bit more and we were curious.”

“Mom…” Oliver said, scratching the back of his head. Azalea blushed.

“But we’’ll leave you two alone now, right Zelda?”

“Yes, of course,” Zelda said with a nod, Azalea relieved her parents weren’t going to embarrass her any further.

“We’re just going to leave her alone with him?” Link asked as Karane and Zelda turned to leave with a wave towards their children.

“Come on, Link,” Zelda said, grabbing his hand and tugging him along like they were seventeen again. “It’s time to go.”

Her father’s echoes of disapproval subsided out of earshot as Azalea watched them leave. The breeze ran gently through her blonde hair and Oliver moved to stand beside her.

“I suppose I don’t have to tell you how embarrassing that was,”  Azalea said. “I think you know very well how embarrassing that was.”

“They just care,” Oliver said, Azalea looking over.

“A lot,” Oliver added. “And they want to be involved. I think it’s hard for them to accept that we are growing up.”

“My dad was ready to kill you for just touching my hand.”

Oliver shrugged.

“I’d say you’re worth dying for.”

Azalea blushed immediately. Such outright flirting was something she wasn’t used to and she didn’t quite know how to respond except to part her lips. Pretty soon she couldn’t help but smile.

“If you say so,” she said with a flirtatious smile and hesitant eyes that weren’t quite used to this sort of thing.

Oliver peered over Azalea’s shoulder to make sure the adults were completely out of sight.

“It looks like they’re gone,” he said. “What do you say we pick up where we left off?”

“Oh?” Azalea said coyly, looking up at the sky. “Where was that? I forget.”

“Well, I uhm,” Oliver said, nervously. “I said that I had never kissed anyone before and then I…” He took one of her hands. “I placed my hand on yours saying that I’d wanted to kiss you for a while now and then your da—“

“And then I was planning on saying,” Azalea interrupted. “That I had never kissed anyone either, but kissing you would be…good.” She suddenly panicked how weird that sounded, completely unromantic and choppy. “I…I-I mean if you still want to, of course. I’m…” Azalea chuckled. “I’m probably not good at it at all.”

Oliver smiled and shrugged.

“That makes two of us,” he said as they both leaned inward, eyes tracing each other’s face until they almost surprised each other with the other’s lips. A heat in their hearts rose to their cheeks after just a couple seconds they rescinded, smiled, and went in for another.

Oliver didn’t care how dead he was for kissing the daughter of the best swordsman in the land.