#ancient medoh

[avenin7]

pretty girl Medoh sketch cause of the lovely ask <3

[the-delta-42]

Does anyone know what they did with the Divine Beasts? I can get the Towers and Shrines vanishing, but how do you lose a whole Elephant?

[inkedmyths]

Totk thoughts so far (SPOILERS sorry I'm on mobile and don't remember how to add a Read More)

I'm having a lot of fun!! The added game mechanics, new items, new map additions, new monsters... its all making for a great experience, and not just a carbon copy of BotW. The greater focus on characters and story is a huge bonus as well, I'm having a ton of fun with that.

That being said... the game seems really hesitant to reference the events of BotW in some ways? Like I understand leaning away from it in an effort to not be just another BotW, but like. No mention of the Divine Beasts? What happened to all the Ancient Sheikah tech? Mechanically, most of it has been replaced by the Zonai stuff, it seems, but where did it all go in the first place?

Maybe it is explained, and I just haven't come across it/gotten to that point, but in some ways, the lack of explanation seems very weird and makes parts of the story suffer for it.

Mind you I haven't delved extremely deep into the story yet, but its been bugging me the entire time. Like, this weird attempt at balancing it for "new players" (who is playing this without knowing at least the story of BotW...) and still being a direct sequel... idk. Maybe this is the attachment to BotW and its mechanics and story.

[silvergarnet12]

What if you could find the Divine Beasts in the Depths?

You’re in this dark, alien environment, strange noises echoing around you, the inescapable anxiety your only companion. Squinting in the distance, you see a frighteningly familiar shade of blue flicker, faint in the distance.

Cautiously moving forward, you begin to realise the blue belongs to something much, much larger than a possible guardian. Eventually, an ancient behemoth looms overhead, still, silent, and empty, both at rest and unnervingly calm. A strange, restless melancholy replaces the sense of creeping dread, no less uneasy than before.

Entering the resting stone, in the corner of your eyes, you see movement flicker. At first you think a spirit, perhaps the Champions still linger… but deep down you know they’ve passed on… right?

Echoing footsteps fill the silence as you press on, avoiding gloom where there had once been malice, a desecration of a sacred resting place. You see the flicker again, turn on your foot and see for a split second, a beloved friend, an uneasy rival, a stalwart protector, a steadfast leader, an ally, a painful reminder of your worst failure. Even now, years later, it stings.

You try to get their attention, but there is no response. Instead, you watch. And realise. And mourn again. There are no spirits here. Not in the vast, decaying depths, not in the final resting places of a final hope.

These are echoes of the ones you knew. You can see them in the corner of your eyes sometimes, going about preparations for that ill-fated battle. It’s eerie, made no better by the Grand Poes gently swaying, their locations random but making uncomfortable sense.

Sometimes, on unlucky days, it is not preparations that these echoes go through. Pain torn screams faintly heard as their final moments are played out, a play on an eerie stage.

Vah Medoh groans in the dark, as the image of her pilot slams limply on her back, wing torn, and struggles to get up, defiance in his glare even now.

Vah Ruta cries a warning, as her pilot slumps over the controls, never seeing her killer, her last thought to warn the others.

Vah Rudania braces herself, as the echo of her pilot does the same, but the shield shatters, a flash of phantom heat coating the area, followed by darkness.

Vah Nabooris strides steady, until her pilot, fatigued from a relentless assualt, makes one fatal misstep in her final dance, lightning crackling in the air.

The stone beasts are restless, aware of the new threat, and unable to let go of the last pilots they’ll ever have, desperately trying to fight once more. But instead, they lay still, silent, a monument to their pilots lost to time.

What if you could find the Divine Beasts in the Depths?

[asktheyigamaster]

Leader Kogha of the despicable Yiga Clan,

It is no secret that I hate you, and you hate me. We are sworn enemies as by our background. Beyond putting an arrow through your skull, I have little desire to ever have an interaction with you. Your pathetic existence repulses me.

However. As much as it pains me to do so, I would like to propose a momentary truce in the name of knowledge exchange.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that you; for whatever reason, seem to have a great deal of information in regards to the inner workings and nature of the four Divine Beasts. I supose them being ancient Sheika technology means that you must have some history with them.

The one and only thing you and I perhaps share in common is that we both seem to have an invested interest in the wellbeing of Vah Medoh.

You are pleased for the rise of this ancient technology that your people created and feel as though the Beasts should remain unburied and thrive, and as her designated Pilot I have a responsibility to keep her safe and in working order.

Thus I propose the following;

You shall provide me with information to aid in Medoh's well being, and in return I shall offer you the payment of taking mercy on the next Yiga assassin that attempts to cross me. Also this one bunch of mighty bananas enclosed, which I had to fly all the way to Faron to aquire.

In short. Usually I would request the Princesses aid or perhaps Purah when it comes to any technical issues regarding Medoh. However; ever since her release from the Demon King's filthy paws, she has been making a strange clunking sound intermittently from the lower back energy core behind her main control panel. When questioned about it, both Purah and the Princess insisted it was likely just rusted gears that could be fixed with a little oil - as if I hadn't already thought of that possibility and done as such. Honnestly their dismissive attitudes about it frustrated me.

Which I'm certain is obvious by the fact I have sunk low enough to resort to coming to you for advice.

Vah Medoh is in... pain. I know she is a machine and machines don't feel pain, I am not a fool. I admit I don't know how to explain that I know this, I just do. I want to help her, even if it means turning to...distrustful sources. I am unsure where else to turn.

I would like to clarify that this is not an invitation to approach the Divine Beast. If you come within a ten foot radius of her or attempt to board, I will not hesitate to send you away looking like a porcupine. This is merely a request for information exchange. If you know what could be the cause for Vah Medoh's distress, and know how to fix it, I implore you to share it with me, just on this one occasion.

This does not make us allies, you are still my sworn enemy and I yours.

Unkind regards,

Champion Revali, Hero of the Rito, Master of the Skies.

Champiom Revali, Master of Blah-blah-blah

You hear a WHAT?

From WHERE?

Medoh is a busty mechanim, with massive metal parts. A clunking noise would be rather normal. NOT anywhere near the energy cells!!!

AND DEFINITELY NOT NEAR THE CONSOLE. THAT'S WHERE THE EMPATHIC CORE IS!

What in dear Ganon's name did you do to it, Featherbrain?!?!! There's not any moving parts TO clang there. This means you made a part move. BADLY

...

It is the place you and Link fought off Ganon's influence isn't it? Both of you share a proclivity for explosive arrowheads, DONT YOU?!?!

mmmmhhhhhhhaaaAAAAAAA

And of course the Princess just told you to oil her up! ... I excepted better from Purah though......

At least you understand that they are wrong, so there's some hope.

There should be more to your situation. No, there definitely is. And the people who, through what I imagine can only be sheer ignorance, managed to convince a Pilot of a Divine Beast that it can't feel pain, are SO not qualified to tell me what it is. A nither are YOU! A pilot who is calling himself a fool for thinking a sapient creature can feel.

I am going in there right now. And I am going to help Vah Medoh, or at least learn exactly how you hurt her to add it to the list of Yiga geudges or so help me Ganon. And you try to stop me the Rito will be holding a contest for a new mech pilot. Cash in that promise of yours not to touch a Yiga for this, I don't care.

By the way! Those are some BRILLIANT Bananas, incredible quality, juuuuuust the right ripeness. Thanks a lot. You gotta share where exactly you got them.

Kindly, Master Kohga, the only guy around with an Ancient Sheikah engineering degree.

[muchmossymess]

A Revali Fanfic Recommendation

I urge you all to put your life on hold for a moment and go read this brilliant fanfiction:

A hundred years after the fall of Hyrule to Calamity Ganon, and the hero Link has finally sealed the darkness and freed the Divine Beasts of their curse - and with it, their pilots are finally free. But not just as spirits. Awake once again, the four Champions of old have a second chance at life and must re-adjust to this future world with their decendants. Well - all except for one Champion, who doesn't have a decentant. Or even anyone left alive that knew him. Teba is happy to take in his revived ancient idol as one of his own, but sharing a living space with a hundred year old Champion with an ego the size of his divine beast and who might have some issues he's not willing to share can be a lot sometimes and they don't always see eye to eye. Revali thinks he should return to leading the new generation of Rito warriors. Teba thinks this actual child should never have been leading warriors or fighting a war in the first place. Tulin is just excited to have the infamous Rito Champion in his house.

Beautifully written and lovingly crafted, this baby can fit so much trauma and whump into the most gut-wrenching and heat-breakingly found family story you may ever read. 130,000 words, 36 chapters (and still regularly updating!), and a CRIMINALLY low number of kudos. If that doesn't sway you, here is some gushing under the cut <3

You think you've read a champions revival fic before? This will have you saying "how the FUCK have I not seen this before" and completely change the way you view everything (mild exaggeration. m i l d). We have all of your favourite revali tropes: being a dick and getting owned, being a dick and being right, getting own and never showing those feelings to the light of day, getting killed, getting unkilled and loved, showing emotions but being super weird and revali about it, bonding with tulin!!, bonding with teba and the rest of rito village, bonding with the champions, having panic attacks and trauma, vah medoh being the best ever, being a terrifying force of nature, being an idiot kid, and so much more!

Do you like grumpy dad teba? Do you like revali swallowing his pride? Do you like revali immediately spitting his pride back up and being a bitchy bird? Do you like mipha and revali as gossip buddies? Do you like the complete and utter fool revali makes of himself everytime he so much as hears the name link? Do you like people seeing right through his facade and calling him out on it?

AND NOT TO MENTION THE WORLD BUILDING??? this fic is so in depth of the political climates, racism, lore, changes in culture during times of war, colonisation, biology of the races and just fucking everything?? It adds so much life to the world of hyrule I am genuinely shocked at how much this person clearly loves these games (botw/totk/aoc) and they are able to incorporate all of this amazing information in a way that flows so naturally and just hhrnngngg I am fucking insane about it. THE SCIENCE, oh my god how did I forget all the wonderous thoughts surrounding the divine beasts and the sheikah tech, oh god and how they write the magic system? Guys I swear it's so good.

Characterisation is on point, everyone feels so full of life and that they are reacting exactly how you would expect them too, and they just seem so real, like they are right beside you as you're reading. The author does an IMMACULATE job of drawing you in and making you feel a part of the story, all the while being just beautifully written?

Don't get me started on the attention to rito culture. I have never seen someone pour so much love into something before, genuinely on of the greatest things I've seen. I've always had a fascination over how the races of hyrule view each other, similarities and differences, how their cultures and histories intertwine, and conflicts that may arise. But oh. my. god. My jaw was on the floor every time, it's so rich and beautiful but not without the horrors (and oh god, they are Horrors tm) and again it's just so real!!!

Be warned, however, that there is gore and viscera and terror and hurt and war crimes and death (duh), but for each terrible thing to happen it is repaid tenfold in love and kindness somewhere down the line. (Unless you are into hurt no comfort, then sorry buddy!) It is a beautiful narrative and the exploration of trauma and self is mind boggling and just go read it!!! 😭 😭 😭 I just love this fic so much, it has instantly sky-rocketed to one of my top 3 favourite fics I've ever read, and I'm so grateful to have found it and now be along for the ride that if I could bring that to one more person then by god I will fucking do it

[coconi]

I just finished Tulin's storyline and excuse me while I bawl about this game further cementing the fact that Revali made himself a Champion. He was no descendant of an ancient Sage nor did he have a loving family to train him (that we know of). There was no power destined to be his: he crafted his own version of wind control without any support or spiritual guidance and excelled at it and then he and the other Champions went into battle without the special helms, without a sacred tear/charm to further enhance his abilities, without the certainty of two rulers (and a sage from the future) with god-like powers that could back them up if things went awry. Because of this, the original Sages survived where the Champions did not.

Revali was doomed from the start and if he'd known he would've still honed his craft and piloted Medoh with his beak held high and I am in shambles about it

[3leggedmagpie]

Kass heads home after journeying abroad to research more ancient songs, happening to pass by Vah Medoh's boneyard on the way back. He wonders if the old bird ever gets lonely out here and quietly takes a seat, trying to recall the lilting tune of a renowned Rito archer...

There now, in its eye: a glint of activity? Of recognition? Or just a trick of the light?

[Image Description: An animated pixel artwork depicting Kass and Vah Medoh from the Nintendo game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The Rito bard Kass sits under a tree, playing his bandoneon. His music floats towards a grounded and decommissioned Divine Beast Vah Medoh nearby, now partly overtaken by grass and blue nightshade flowers. A faint flicker of activity seems to dance across the machine's darkened eyes. End I.D.]

[tumblingdowntheway2019]

MASTER LIST HERE!!

Was talking to a friend on Discord and we're laughing at this screenshot I took.

It got me thinking about how much I miss the daytime routines from BotW and then thought about how they would react to the Blood Moon coming.

More below cut.

My list is:

Yunobo - Nervous but ready as can be. The Gorons would point out the nervousness but would say he would be like "The Great Daruk" soon enough, just with his nervousness cause it's Yunobo.

Sidon - He'll be at Mipha's statue watching it and promising her that there will be an end to them soon. Yona promises she would do everything she could to make sure Link and Co are safe and is there for them.

Riju: You can find her where the Blood Moon is rising and sometimes comforting the younger Gerudo kids with Patricia. She'll saying she remembered how she felt when she was young and vows to make sure they are safe. Buliara would say something about it separately and agree.

Tulin: He would be above the village and raring to go. But he would show some maturity and worry as well. Teba and Saki would say that they remember how Teba and Harth got hurt against Vah Medoh. They don't doubt Tulin as a Sage, just the understandable parents being worried now that he has a big responsibility.

Purah and Robbie would be used to it after a hundred (100) years, but try to keep everything flowing while Josha is just fascinated and wondered how it was handled during Ancient Times.

I miss daytime routines and wish there were more reactions to the Blood Moon. Different reactions for where it rises.

[avenin7]

What was Medoh's life like growing up? Were things significantly different 10,000 years ago?

I have been trying to think about how to answer this one since I got it. Medoh had a very typical upbringing in the village. period typical sexism causing her to narrow down into the route of medicine woman at a relatively young age. (she’s not one to just lie down and take it, but the environment in which she was raised didn’t exactly give any other options. she lived out the projected path, if a bit adjacent.) typical parents who loved her a typical amount and were good enough at what they did that she ended up okay. she wasn’t very scrappy growing up. not one to pick fights or really make herself anyone’s problem, but not one to really enjoy the company of others. would rather be isolated and alone. Her parents died when she was a teen and she really dove further into medicine as a way to cope. becoming one of the best healers in the village. her skills were renowned and she had surprisingly good bedside manner too. She was just, very simply, a girl.

Times were very different back then. the village spilled out into the surrounding area around Lake Totori and had a booming fur, wool, & cloth trade. This is an approximation of what the area looked like at the time-

the green is representative of rito-centric settlements vs the blue being hylian-centric. (not pictured are the smaller tribes further northeast in deep Hebra or the south in the Tabathan cliffs). most of the hylian settlements focused on farming and raising alpaca/goats where as the rito acted as protectors of the area and weaving the fibre into blankets or fabrics to be sold. it’s a mutual beneficial relationship for both parties. societally things were community driven but with the air of sexism surrounding what roles people could/should participate in. whether that was the influence of the hylian settlers or simply how things came to be isn’t exactly clear. but overall the villages ran smoothly and peacefully.

[mimus-of-bellingar]

There's been so many complaints about the ancient Sheikah tech no longer being around in TOTK since the release, but it kind of makes sense why they wouldn't be. Even without the official "oh, they just vanished" explanation.

I mean, just look at these things from the perspective of a modern citizen of Hyrule who had to deal with these things for a hundred years, probably even from a modern Sheikah's perspective, honestly.

The Guardians and Divine Beasts were suppose to be these bulwarks against Calamity Ganon, even though they didn't really understand how they worked and had still not figured everything about them out by the time the Calamity struck.

And Ganon absolutely destroyed the old Hyrule with it. So much death and destruction at the "hands" of the technology supposed to protect them.

On top of that, given Link's first reaction to Purah's repurpose of the guardian legs - extreme panic -, I think it can be surmised that the average citizen of Hyrule would most likely be traumatized by the sight of them.

It doesn't matter that the Divine Beast helped in the end, after they had already caused so much destruction. The Gorons considered Vah Darunia a nuisance that had to be held in check or else it caused havoc, the Gerudo didn't like Vah Naboris getting near their settlements and causing all these sandstorms, the Zora only seemed to accept Vah Ruta as the place of Mipha's rest and the Rito couldn't care less what Vah Medoh did as long as it didn't interfere with their everyday life.

And then they stopped working altogether if the epilogue of BOTW is to be believed.

So it makes sense that they would agree to have these weapons deactivated or destroyed and repurposed after the Calamity passed.

There was no way there was still room for them in the new Hyrule, no one would trust these machines again, not even the Sheikah themselves. After all, the Towers in TOTK are made of repurposed Ancient Sheikah parts, probably even from some shrines.

And if Link solving all of the shrines in BOTW is canon, there is no more purpose for them, unless another set of 120 Sheikahs are willing to spend their afterlives as living mummies for 10.000 years.

[gothic-soda]

Liking Revali is crazy because I’m constantly thinking about how he’d look in different outfits in botw/totk.

Like, I want to draw him in the ancient armour set and the rubber set and the voe set and the vai set and the snowquill armour and the stealth suit and the frostbite set and the charged set and the ember set and the yiga set and the vah medoh helm and the barbarian armour and the glide set.

He is corroding my brain send help.

[avenin]

Not one of the explicit asks, but I'm curious since I can't seem to find it: are the ancient AU Medoh, Ruta, Naboris, and Rudania actually the Divine Beasts where like their souls are in them or is it more that the Divine Beasts are just named after them or something else?

so the divine beasts are named after the four of them! In this au, Zelda has commissioned/built the divine beasts. These are their first pilots. Vah- in this instance means divine so at the time of the au they are just called The Beasts but after Ganondorf is sealed away, the people’s of each nation name them and elevate their pilots to divine status (more socially than practically).

That being said its not to say their souls aren’t connected to the beasts in some way, but that more goes into the magic system and lore. I actually designed each of the pilots to be compliments to our botw champions. A “better” version of them so to say.

[bahbahhh]

begin again

a lot of change happens in between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. let’s fill in the gaps. zelda pov | zelink | totk spoilers | rated T zelinkweek2023 | @zelinkcommunity [first] [previous]

also on ao3

chapter 6

for the prompt "in another life"

Without the Sheikah Slate, it will take them almost a month to travel all the way to Hateno Village. Zelda promises to write when Riju asks before they depart, and it inspires Zelda to request the same of Tauro when they reconnect with his team passing through Kara Kara Bazaar. He responds enthusiastically and offers to send her copies of all his findings. 

“Where do you port?” Tauro unclicks his notepad from his belt.

“I’m sorry, what?” 

“Oh, my apologies. It’s an expression from home. I do that when I’m excited. The thought of sharing my research justfills my sails! Ha! See, there it is again.” He chuckles, and then takes a slow, calculated breath, rolling his shoulders back into place like he’s resetting something internally. “I mean to ask, where should I send it all? Where is your home?”

She hasn’t been back to Hyrule Castle since they defeated Calamity Ganon. Akkala Citadel stands hollow like a skeleton on a hill. Gerudo Town is familiar and welcoming, but her roots remain detached. She sees flashes of the various cots she’s slept on over the past two years and the familiar lost and lonely feeling begins to pour back into the space newly created with the haircut. 

Zelda tries to fight it, reminding herself she’s lighter and that she deserves to be, and that explorers don’t need homes, even though Tauro’s just told her even he has one, but her voice gets trapped. She just stands there, silently choking, like there is a stone lodged in her throat. 

“Hateno.” Link rescues her from herself. Saves her, again.

Zelda leaves the Gerudo Desert picturing her feet dangling over the end of a too-short cot for eternity. 

—

A Rito messenger finds them just before the Dueling Peaks and delivers an update from Teba. The skies of Rito Village are finally clear. Vah Medoh rests at the bottom of Lake Totori. 

“Interesting,” Zelda says after the messenger takes off back in the direction of Tabantha. Link looks at her and tilts his head. “That they decided to use the lake, you know?” When his expression doesn’t change, she continues. “It’s just, I remember reading that the Rito were once thought to be water dwelling.”

Link raises his eyebrows. 

“Yeah, like the Zora.” Zelda nods. “Maybe the Rito and the Zora are connected? Who knows. The Royal Library contained records mostly to do with the Royal Family. Rito lifetimes are shorter than Hylian’s and their history is almost entirely passed down through oral tradition. I supposed I could ask Kaneli or Kass…” 

“What about us? Hylians? Anything curious about our ancient ancestors?” He signs. 

She feels a tug. He’s asking her for information. Wisdom. Hylia’s outstretched hands. The Zonai owl’s wide eyes. Notebooks carried like a weapon. “Not much survived from the time before the first Calamity. There was a great purging of information by the King who banished the Sheikah Technology, largely because it was all recorded bySheikah Technology. There are some clues, though, beyond what the Royal Family at the time decided to record or destroy.”

“Clues?”

“Sure. In the ancient ruins, what was passed down in secret like the Calamity Ganon tapestry. In other places, too. Like…well, here, show me the sign for ‘Hylian’, again.” Zelda nods eagerly. Link complies, framing either side of his face with his hands. He moves his hands away from his face, pointer finger and thumb gradually coming together to pinch the air several inches beyond his ears. 

“Notice anything?”

Link shakes his head. Zelda repeats the sign for him and then gestures to the space between her ear and the point where her fingers meet. His face is blank. She laughs and drops her arms. So much for being a good teacher. 

“Our ears. They used to be longer.”

—

“As you can see, my experiment was a complete success!” Purah squeals, spinning around twice before she loses her balance and topples over onto her desk. Link lunges forward to help her, but Symin is already there with both hands and a slightly exacerbated look.

“Perhaps you should wait until you’ve adjusted a bit more to wear the high heels, Ms. Director,” Symin pleads. 

“Nonsense!” Purah bats his hands away and sets her glasses back into place on her face. “The fastest way to learn is to do. And besides, you’re just saying that to keep me short and away from your honey candies! I will find them. Mark my words.”

With the heels, Purah is taller than Zelda and almost a full head taller than Link. Any trace of adolescence is gone from her face. Snow white hair curls attractively along her jawline in a way Zelda’s shorter cut has yet to discover. 

Zelda is immediately curious why Purah picked this age specifically, looking a bit older than she remembers her, but she resists the urge to fire off a dozen questions. They all pertain to technology she won’t have access to much longer. Why waste her energy stoking a dying fire? 

“It’s incredible, Purah. Congratulations.” Zelda settles on praise.

“Just in the nick of time, too. SNAP! Oh, hm, I suppose I should ditch the kiddy catchphrase. Speaking of ditching, here’s the Sheikah Slate back, Linky.” Purah tosses the Slate at him. His hands hesitate until the last second before opening to catch it.

If Purah’s chucking the Slate, she must truly be ready to move on from the Sheikah Technology. Zelda glances over her shoulder, blinking furiously to ease the sting in her eyes. In the corner of the room, the Guidance Stone is dark. 

Zelda clears her throat and forces herself to turn back. “Have you thought at all about what you’ll tell everyone?” 

“Growth spurt?” Link grunts.

“Jealous?” Purah sticks her tongue out at Link, He laughs. She hobbles around the side of the desk, wincing every few steps, and then plops into her chair. “I told Impa and Robbie of my intentions to use the Sheikah Slate before I left Kakariko.”

“Really?” Zelda blinks. “So, no asking for forgiveness?”

“I wanted to offer them the opportunity to reverse their aging as well.”

Zelda becomes aware of her heart beating. She pictures Impa, all of twenty-five again, traveling alongside her across Hyrule. “What did they say?”

“Robbie was tempted, but he has a family he loves and he does not wish to outlive them. Impa,” Purah looks at Zelda over the top of her glasses. “said she’s lived long enough and is looking forward to, and I quote, ‘the obscurity of retirement’.” She rolls her eyes and starts sorting through the papers in front of her. Zelda deflates but her disappointment diminishes quickly. She understands the appeal, having wished for the same thing upon her return from stasis. Only she wasn’t afforded the option to resign. 

And how can she forsake a duty literally in her blood?

“Think they’ll change their minds once they see you?” Link asks.

“No. Impa told me to give you the Slate once you returned so you could continue clearing the shrines. You only have Akkala and part of Central Hyrule left, right? I suppose you could stop by Robbie’s while you are up there, Linky, but they both seemed pretty confident in their answers.” Purah stands abruptly, the chair toppling over behind her. She ignores it and starts marching toward the kitchen. “Symin! Write this down: ‘Subject’s appetite remains voracious one week post re-aging.’ I suspect this will dissipate with time, but the nutritional needs following a rapid physical growth are important to document! Come Symin! Teach me how to scramble an egg. No, two eggs! I require protein!” She disappears beyond the wall and Symin follows after, shaking his head. 

Zelda glances at Link. He’s looking down at the Sheikah Slate still in his hands. The map is displayed on the screen. Only a few constellations of blue remain. She half expects him to disappear in shards of light right then, but he looks up at her with those luminous stones, and just waits. 

“Are you going to leave today?" Her mouth is dry. 

He nods and then with his free hand, ‘I’m ready.’

He’ll make quick work of what is left. His body is strong again. She’s seen to this on the journey back, advocating for rest and hot meals, trying to model what he will need to do when she’s gone, all the while recording notes about the terrain she’ll soon cross on her own. Obscurity feels like too much of a stretch in this lifetime, but who knows, with this haircut and some travelers clothes, maybe she could aim for inconspicuousness.   

“I would like to go with you…at least to Hyrule Castle, if that’s alright? To review the surviving historical archives? Please?”

He holds out his hand. The only person who is reaching for her is the one she needs to let go. She flexes her hand at her side. It’s almost time to, like sand through her fingers. And yet–

One last time, she tells herself and then she takes it. 

—

The lone shrine within Hyrule Castle is conveniently located beneath the library. Link clears the shrine and starts in the direction of the passage up to the castle main. Although she wasn’t permitted to walk them herself, she knows the castle is filled with many secret pathways, including an underground one that leads all the way out to Castle Town. They were all built as a means of evacuating members of the Royal Family during a siege, but none considered the possibility the greatest threat to Hyrule could emerge from within the castle itself. 

The air is damp and heavy. It smells – she thinks about Link and the cave shrine – funnier than it should. Musty and mineral and sickly sweet, like something is rotting behind the bedrock. She opens her mouth, a joke about not drinking cave water on her tongue, but parts of the cavern suddenly look too dark for her liking. She’s aware that there are things hidden under Hyrule Castle, her father told her as much a century ago when he was still entertaining her questions. And like most of the castle above, she was forbidden from going anywhere near the tunnels. The only difference was the rule wasn’t unique to her. The entrance to whatever lies beneath the castle was completely sealed off to everyone. Even the King. 

Zelda turns and hurries away from the smell and the dark up into the safety of the library. 

They spend most of the day there. She wants to lose herself in information, have something of value to offer back to Tauro but as she suspected, the vast majority of the texts are beyond saving. Deprived of proper preservation efforts and exposed to the elements for a century, many disintegrate in her hands. She finds a few history books in her father’s hidden study, which remained sealed and undisturbed until Link discovered it toward the end of his journey. She recognizes her father’s handwriting and surmises he was copying older texts. Perhaps a quiet duty of the King or a hobby he never shared with her? She sits in his study for a long time, reading through recorded history of the Royal Family. Ancient wars and evil Kings and legends of gods descending from massive islands in the sky. Eventually, her brain stops absorbing information and she just traces the slant of her father’s impeccable penmanship. 

Link leaves her be, disappearing into the castle to hunt down and take care of any monsters that wandered back within the walls.

He isn’t back when she finally emerges. Beams of dying sunlight stretch toward her through the gaps in the ceiling. Shadows begin to fill the sanctuary of her library, so she starts chasing the light throughout the castle. She wanders the battered hallways and lets her memory fill in the broken pieces. Her family’s colors are barely distinguishable behind the grime clinging to the rugs and torn banners along the walls. 

She realizes where her grief has been taking her right before she enters the Sanctum.  The main entrance to her chamber collapsed during the initial siege, but there is an additional entryway here, built so the Goddess-blood princess would always have access to the Sanctum for prayer. She follows the staircase up into her room and uses furniture to scale the wall up onto the upper level so she can access the bridge. 

The ceiling to her study has been blown open. Miraculously, her desk is still standing, along with a few glass vials containing remnants of century-old elixirs and dehydrated plant specimens. She drags her finger along the dust on her microscope and pushes around pages of notes. The contents have been claimed by mildew and weather and time. 

Her old diary lies open. There is a phantom pit in her stomach. The bitter aftertaste of mortification. She had been helpless to stop him when he found it in her room and brought it here to flip through it.

It was the only time she heard the Calamity laugh.

She pushes it aside and starts pulling open the drawers. Quills, dried up wells of ink, and charcoal for sketching. She retrieves the handful of ancient screws and gears she hid in the back from her father. Beneath them, her secret journal. Not her private feelings and unfiltered thoughts, but her notes on the Sheikah Technology. Pages upon pages of research, theories, and data. 

Of course, it’s completely intact. 

“Hey,” Link speaks up from behind her. She doesn’t jump. She knew he would appear eventually. “We should make a fire. It’s getting dark. We can leave in the morning, unless you want to–”

“No, I’m good,” Zelda grabs the notebook and a few other loose documents and pushes it all into his hands. “Here. For the fire.”

He frowns at her. She pulls open her adventure pouch, fishes out her Restoration Summit proposal, folds it, and adds that to the pile, too. 

“Just burn it.” She hears her father in the harshness of her tone. There is ink on her fingers. 

—

Her mood continues to sour as they clear the rest of the shrines in Central Hyrule. The guardian team has been busy consolidating all the guardian parts the Gorons don’t want, so when Link returns from clearing the shrines in the Lost Woods and Hyrule Ridge, all he has to do is point and click. She’s quiet and reserved, but no one seems to notice. There is an excitement building, a collective sense of accomplishment as they near the end of the clean up. A group cheers them on when they depart from the main camp. Link leads the horses in the general direction of the road. It will either take them back to Akkala or the Great Plateau. 

They board the horses at the Riverside Stable. The golden horse pushes his nose into Zelda’s shoulder and she smiles, scratching the spot behind his ears he likes. She has yet to name him, but it’s getting hard to imagine herself traveling without him. It would make obscurity impossible, inconspicuousness a challenge, but he’s a strong horse and loyal, following her command over Link’s now.

Link looks southwest. In the distance, she can see the rise of the Great Plateau on the horizon. He reaches for her hand. They are going to fast travel right into the Shrine. Into the maw of the magic that healed his broken body. Trapped his soul.

You don’t have to do this alone.

She can’t go back on her word. Not now.

“Last time,” she promises herself and reaches for his hand.

He must think she’s offering comfort, because he smiles.  

—

They make camp outside the cave when it's all said and done. Tomorrow, they will fast travel to Akkala and part ways. He’ll head north to clear the rest of the shrines and meet up with the guardian team there, and she’ll reconnect with Hudson in Tarrey Town to talk through his formal proposal for the next phase of the reconstruction.  

Link’s cooking one of her favorite dishes: a simple meat and rice bowl. She glares at the cooking pot and watches the water start to boil. He pulls out the ingredients, carefully drops them in, and starts absentmindedly humming a cheerful, light melody as he stirs. She’s noticed he does this whenever he cooks. They are all wordless songs she knows she’s never heard before, and yet somehow, she instantly recognizes them. Could hum along if she would only let herself. 

“What’s the song?” She asks.

He looks up at her through the curtain of his bangs. In the stillness, shadows dance across his skin in the firelight and he briefly wears different versions of the same face. 

Just like the songs she’s never heard, somehow, she recognizes each one.

“The song you are humming,” She fails to keep the edge out of her tone. “What is it called?”

He shrugs, sets down the spoon, and signs, ‘I hear them in my head. Sometimes when I come upon a new place, or in my dreams. I’ve asked Kass and he says he never heard any of them from his teacher.’

Zelda softens a little. She pulls her knees up into her chest and wraps her arms around them. “Kondo. The court poet’s name was Kondo. He was a Sheikah.”

Zelda waits for Link to continue, but he’s fallen silent and still. Likely to allow her a moment with the memory of her former friend. It only makes her anger swell. She hugs her legs tighter, trying to steel herself against his kindness. It will only make it harder to let him go when it’s time to. “Does Kass have any theories? About where these songs come from?”

‘He thinks I was a musician in another life. Who knows, maybe I’ll take up an instrument when this is all done.’ He takes up the spoon and resumes his stirring.

She narrows her eyes and looks up at the clouds forming overhead. Storm clouds. In the distance, a ribbon of gray scales and lightning weaves across the sky toward them. Farosh. Perhaps summoned like the clouds by Link’s innocent humming, or, more likely, completely unaware of them or Hyrule’s restoration, or the passing of time itself. 

Zelda thinks about Link’s final letter. About how seeing a dragon, this dragon, is what gave him the strength to meet his destiny; restored his faith in this land and the people living in it. She wishes the sight of Farosh could do the same for her. Or perhaps the memory of Naydra swirling free over her head on Mount Lanayru, or Dinraal’s fire blazing over the Spring of Power visible from the window of her room in Tarrey Town. 

But the dragons don’t bring her comfort. They don’t inspire her. All she sees are symbols. Misery like lightning. Icy blue loneliness. Fiery rage. 

“You should go,” she blurts. 

Link looks up at her. 

“I can make my way back on my own.” 

He laughs. 

“I’m…I’m serious.” Zelda lowers her legs and curls her fingers into fists at her sides.

He’s not even looking at her. His attention is back on the food. He signs with one hand in her direction. ‘I’m not leaving you.’

“Why not?” Every word stings pouring from her lips, but the pain is liberating. It fuels her determination to keep going. She raises her voice, practically shouting. “You should!”  

Link drops the spoon into the pot and glares at her. Finally. 

“What? What’s the difference? Tomorrow, in a week, in a month? You-your–” Zelda waves her hands, trying to catch the perfect word in the air in front of her, like a firefly in the dark. She growls impatiently and continues, “you are freefrom your appointment.”

‘Appointment?’

She throws her hands up. “I have no intentions of taking the throne once Hyrule is restored, therefore, I am no longer in need of a knight.” 

“I’m not a knight,” he says.

“No. You’re not.” Pain rips at her stomach, threatening to tear her wide open. 

He stares at her. 

“Stop looking at me! Go.”

He doesn’t move.

“Fine. Fine! I’ll go.” She rises to her feet and dusts herself off. He stands with her. Unbearable heat builds in the back of her throat. She lifts her hand to push him away and immediately notices the scar. 

It’s glowing. 

Zelda erupts like molten rock from Death Mountain. Like the Calamity did into the sky that day all those years ago and ten thousand years before that. Something unchecked and vengeful and ugly rises up the darkest parts of her. 

If a dragon is required for him to realize what’s needed of him, then, so be it, she’ll become one.

“The Master Sword is gone. You have not worn the Champion’s tunic since Calamity Ganon’s defeat. You recommended the destruction of the only source of value I had to offer Hyrule.” She aims her finger at him and jabs. “You did that to me.” She heaves the last word at him and takes a few steps back, circling, and then gets right back in his beautiful face. “I will help rebuild Hyrule in penance for my failures, I’ll play Princess again, since it’s a title I am unable to retire from. That I can’t just put back, like a sword.  I-I will commit myself to research and uncover the secrets of the past and record them better so future generations can actually know what is important, instead of wasting time…wasting time…”

Tears stream down her face and collect under her chin. “You’re free, Link. You can let me go, too.” She mimics the gesture he showed her over a year ago. Invisible sand passing through her trembling fingers. “You have to do it. I’m not powerful or courageous. I am cursed with knowing and I know this about myself. It’s the last thing I’ll ever–” Her voice hitches.”I’ll ever ask-ask of you. Please, because if you keep looking at me like this I might—I can’t do it myself. Just let me go.”

Link stands there in the aftermath of her diatribe, like one of the tattered flags in Hyrule Field that somehow survived Calamity Ganon’s attack and the lonely century that followed. He’s wearing a rare expression of shock, probably processing the completeness of his freedom now that she’s violently discharged him. 

He opens his mouth and then closes it. Lifts his hands and drops them. He does this a few more times. She wants to grab him, but she has no right to reach for him now. She starts wiping her face, trying to make herself look less pathetic, less in need of rescue, so he’ll turn and go. 

“I won’t do that,” Link says it out loud, but he’s signing at the same time. His hands shake with urgency as he does. He signs the same words over and over again until she stops wiping her face and counters.  

“W-why not?” 

Link drops his hands. His voice sinks into a whisper. She has to lean forward to catch it. “I want to be with you.”

Without the rain, she can’t tell if she’s manipulating time again. She feels like she’s suspended in the air. Like she’s trapped in stasis again. “You what?” 

“I put the Master Sword back to heal it so I could protect you. I don’t wear the Champion’s Tunic because it is precious to me and I’m afraid I’ll ruin it more than I already have. I recommended we destroy the Sheikah Technology to freeyou from the past. I will not let you go. If I wanted to do that, I would have left after we first got to Kakariko. I chose to stay.” He takes a step toward her. His entire body is trembling. He palms his throat when his voice won’t come any more no matter how hard he tries to summon it. He looks her directly in the eyes, tears swimming in his own, and moves his hands slowly, clearly. ‘I choose you. Do you choose me?’

“Y…you choose me?”

He nods. 

“Why-why did you say anything? Do anything? All this time, I thought–” She shakes her head in disbelief. He reaches out and grabs her hands. His current explodes across her skin until every inch of her is buzzing. He’s Farosh climbing out of the spring, a candle in the dark, the taste of magic on her tongue. 

“Important things take time.” He gave her the answer months ago. “I was waiting until you were ready. Everyone is. Hyrule sees all you’ve sacrificed, all you’ve done. We all see you and we are willing to wait for you.”

Her ears are ringing. Farosh glides across the sky above their heads. She’s never known the beauty of time granted, only the agony of it passing too quickly or the suffocation when it stops completely. All she’s ever known is pressure, so governed by it, she’s created it all herself in the vacuum that was left inside her when it was taken away. 

Hyrule hasn’t been trying to bury her with the Sheikah Technology. It’s been making room for her. All of her.

“Are you ready?” Link asks. 

Zelda looks at him. He waits. The electricity she feels between their hands is visible for a moment across his skin, and his eyes, those luminous stones, they don’t shine. They burn.  

“I am,” she says. 

Link lets out a single, cathartic sob. It’s heavy with breath, like he’s been holding it in for a hundred years. Like he was actually worried she might need even more time.

He releases her hands and starts to sign something, but then stops himself.  He pauses, scanning her face, and then steps into her–impossibly, extraordinarily close. He grabs her face with both hands, fingers sliding insistently into her hair under her braids, and kisses her.

[tashacee]

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW GOOD YOUR UPDATE TIMING IS I was literally JUST listening to the Prehistoric Planet theme and thinking abt the Ancient Hero (the actual Hero Against the First Calamity, who created the aspect that Wild’s wearing) and like imagining a WHOLE trailer type thing for an Ancient Hero game set 10,000 years ago with like. the following scenes:

Music opens: The Ancient Hero stepping out of the Shrine for the first time and standing right where Wild, 10,000 years later, will stand

Echoey/cello/violin section: Ancient Hero goes to Temple of Time & learns from priests/nuns abt his status as hero & his duty against the Calamity

Drums/flute/theremin(?) section: Ancient Hero finding his tribe in Faron and learning abt his culture/ppl/instincts/ideal combat style

Main theme refrain: begins his real journey across Hyrule & learns how to properly utilise Sheikah tech & command guardians, learns abt Divine Beasts (still being built at that point, including Master Cycle)

Violin/flute section: meeting Rito & Zora for the first time & helping choose the Champions

Heavy brass section immediately following: meeting Gorons & Gerudo for the first time & helping choose the Champions

Theme divergence section: passing the trials for his own Master Cycle, test-leading the Champions against monsters from the field (I hc that the reason the Master Cycle is so small/mobile is bc the Ancient Hero was a field commander & couldn’t be stationary)

Main theme refrain (heavy), in four parts:

First section: shots of Ancient Hero practicing with Goron Champion, Vah Rudania panning mega-shot from sky

Second section: shots of Ancient Hero practicing with Zora Champion, Vah Ruta panning mega-shot from sky

Third section: shots of Ancient Hero practicing with Gerudo Champion, Vah Naboris panning mega-shot from sky

Fourth section: shots of Ancient Hero practicing with Rito Champion, Vah Medoh mega-shot from below as music crescendoes (imagine: watching Vah Medoh as it takes off), then panning mega-shot from sky

Final section & close: high-speed slideshow of moments between Ancient Hero & Ancient Champions, ending with a backwards-moving shot spanning distance between plateau & Hyrule field where the Calamity is forming, viewed over Ancient Hero’s shoulder (Master Sword hilt visible in foreground)

Silence: black screen, glowing green text fades in in Zonai font:

The Legend of Zelda: ANCIENT

And lo and behold, just as I finish imagining this epic fake trailer set to a soundtrack of a series not even remotely related, what should update but the Ancient Hero’s Aspect AU!! Your timing is just incredible!

YEAH! This is so cool!

[nintendocafe]

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - amiibo rewards

8-Bit Link - https://amzn.to/439w0pN

Treasures: Pixel Paraglider Fabric, Cap of the Hero, Tunic of the Hero, Trousers of the Hero, and Sword of the Hero.

Other Drops: Knight’s Broadsword (Tarnished or Untarnished), Soldier’s Shield, Knight’s Shield, Arrows, and Barrels.

Breath of the Wild Archer Link - https://amzn.to/437l24i

Treasures: Tunic of Memories Paraglider Fabric and Ancient Blade.

Other Drops: Knight’s Bow, Soldier’s Bow, Assorted Meat and Assorted Fish.

Breath of the Wild Bokoblin - https://amzn.to/3WuQ2bM

Treasures: Bokoblin Paraglider Fabric.

Other Drops: Boko Bow, Spiked Boko Bow, Boko Shield, Spiked Boko Shield, Bokoblin Guts, and Assorted Meat.

Breath of the Wild Daruk - https://amzn.to/3Mzt12K

Treasures: Goron Champion Paraglider Fabric, and Vah Rudania Divine Helm.

Other Drops: Cobble Crusher and Assorted Gems.

Breath of the Wild Guardian - https://amzn.to/3oBO64F

Treasures: Ancient Sheikah Paraglider Fabric and Ancient Blade.

Other Drops: Rusty Broadsword, Rusty Claymore, Rusty Halberd, Arrows, and Iron Boxes of Materials.

Breath of the Wild Mipha - https://amzn.to/3IFMyxA

Treasures: Zora Champion Paraglider Fabric and Vah Ruta Divine Helm.

Other Drops: Zora Spear and Assorted Fish.

Breath of the Wild Revali - https://amzn.to/422SnMo

Treasures: Rito Champion Paraglider Fabric and Vah Medoh Divine Helm.

Other Drops: Falcon Bow, Swallow Bow, Arrows, and Assorted Herbs.

Breath of the Wild Rider Link - https://amzn.to/3qcnOGx

Treasures: Hylian-Hood Paraglider Fabric.

Other Drops: Soldier’s Broadsword (Tarnished or Untarnished), Arrows, and Assorted Mushrooms (Including Hearty Truffles).

Breath of the Wild Urbosa - https://amzn.to/437fx5u

Treasures: Gerudo Champion Paraglider Fabric and Vah Naboris Divine Helm.

Other Drops: Gerudo Scimitar (Tarnished or Untarnished) and Assorted Meat.

Breath of the Wild Zelda - https://amzn.to/3MvSFpa

Treasures: Hyrule Princess Paraglider Fabric.

Other Drops: Knight’s Shield, Soldier’s Shield, Assorted Gems, and Assorted Herbs.

Majora’s Mask Link - https://amzn.to/43lEpGk

Treasures: Majora’s Mask Paraglider Fabric, Fierce Deity Mask, Fierce Deity Armor, Fierce Deity Boots, and Fierce Deity Sword (Complete Fierce Deity Set is possible).

Other Drops: Knight’s Broadsword (Tarnished or Untarnished) and Assorted Mushrooms (Including Hearty Truffles).

Ocarina of Time Link - https://amzn.to/43H8C31

Treasures: Lon Lon Ranch Paraglider Fabric, Cap of Time, Tunic of Time, Trousers of Time, and Biggoron Sword.

Other Drops: Soldier’s Claymore (Tarnished or Untarnished), Arrows, and Assorted Meat.

Skyward Sword Link - https://amzn.to/3IDkWZK

Treasures: Sword-Spirit Paraglider Fabric, Cap of the Sky, Tunic of the Sky, Trousers of the Sky, and White Sword of the Sky.

Other Drops: Knight’s Broadsword (Tarnished or Untarnished), Knight’s Shield, Soldier’s Shield, Arrows, and Wooden Boxes of Materials.

Super Smash Bros. Ganondorf - https://amzn.to/3IFPb2h

Treasures: Demon King Fabric and Dusk Claymore.

Other Drops: Explosive Barrels, Gerudo Claymore, Bokoblin Guts, Assorted Gems, and Assorted Meats.

Super Smash Bros. Link - https://amzn.to/3okJwYI

Treasures: Mirror of Twilght Paraglider Fabric, Epona Horse, Cap of Twilight, Tunic of Twilight, and Trousers of Twilight.

Other Drops: Knight’s Broadsword (Tarnished or Untarnished), Soldier’s Shield, Assorted Fruits and Nuts.

Super Smash Bros. Sheik - https://amzn.to/3OzdiDF

Treasures: Sheik Paraglider Fabric and Sheik’s Mask.

Other Drops: Eightfold Blade (Tarnished or Untarnished), Shield of the Mind’s Eye, Phrenic Bow, Arrows, and Assorted Mushrooms (Including Hearty Truffles).

Super Smash Bros. Toon Link - https://amzn.to/425As7u

Treasures: King of Red Lions Paraglider Fabric, Cap of the Wind, Tunic of Wind, Trousers of the Wind, Sea Breeze Shield, and Sea Breeze Boomerang.

Other Drops: Boomerang (Tarnished or Untarnished), Knight’s Broadsword (Tarnished or Untarnished), Arrows, and Assorted Fish.

Super Smash Bros. Young Link - https://amzn.to/43qMF7W

Treasures: Lon Lon Ranch Paraglider Fabric, Cap of Time, Tunic of Time, Trousers of Time, and Biggoron Sword.

Other Drops: Soldier’s Claymore (Tarnished or Untarnished), Arrows, and Assorted Meat.

Super Smash Bros. Zelda - https://amzn.to/422SQy8

Treasures: Princess of Twilight Paraglider Fabric and Dusk Bow.

Other Drops: Soldier’s Bow, Knight’s Bow, Assorted Gems, and Assorted Herbs.

Tears of the Kingdom Link - https://amzn.to/3MTKapb

Treasures: Champion’s Leathers Paraglider Skin.

Other Drops: Knight’s Broadsword (Tarnished or Untarnished) and Assorted Mushrooms (Including Hearty Truffles).

Twilight Princess Link - https://amzn.to/3MxXAG7

Treasures: Mirror of Twilght Paraglider Fabric, Epona Horse, Cap of Twilight, Tunic of Twilight, and Trousers of Twilight.

Other Drops: Knight’s Broadsword (Tarnished or Untarnished), Soldier’s Shield, Assorted Fruits and Nuts.

Wind Waker Toon Link - https://amzn.to/3IFmt1o

Treasures: King of Red Lions Paraglider Fabric, Cap of the Wind, Tunic of Wind, Trousers of the Wind, Sea Breeze Shield, and Sea Breeze Boomerang.

Other Drops: Boomerang (Tarnished or Untarnished), Knight’s Broadsword (Tarnished or Untarnished), Arrows, and Assorted Fish.

Wind Waker Toon Zelda - https://amzn.to/424Apcj

Treasures: Bygone Royal Paraglider Fabric and Sea Breeze Shield.

Other Drops: Soldier’s Shield, Knight’s Shield, Assorted Gems, and Assorted Herbs.

Wolf Link - https://amzn.to/41Zz6LP

Treasures: Mirror of Twilight Paraglider Fabric.

Other Drops: Assorted Meat.

Zelda and her Loftwing - https://amzn.to/3otdg5E

Treasures: Goddess Paraglider Fabric.

Other Drops: Soldier’s Bow, Knight’s Bow, Assorted Gems, and Assorted Herbs.