#but BEFORE ALL THAT HAPPENS so like relations between Hyrule and the Gerudo people are like. Very Poor at this point. for many reasons.

[elfindreams]

I am a normal person with a job and various normal hobbies but also if you sliced open my brain you would find a region which has existed for years and is singularly dedicated to storing my needlessly overspecific post-OOT / MM Zelda headcanons covering the span of several in-universe decades and in fact aren’t headcanons because they are all completely correct and accurate and ~thematic~

[skyloftian-nutcase]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Link was here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“Pretty sure I do, moron.”

Link sighed. “Fine. You’re forgiven.”

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

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

Who knows? Maybe we can make something of this.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I don’t need one.”

“What about your shadow?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What?” Hemisi asked. “What is it?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The guard raised her eyebrow.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You still carry those, oh mighty ruler?”

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

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

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

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

Link’s smile grew. “You’ll see.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Damn right it is.”

“But I… I mean… us…”

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

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

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

“Well that’s stupid.”

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

“Different now, isn’t it?”

Link sombered again. “Yeah. It is.”

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

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

What was she even supposed to say to that?!

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

Link blinked. “…O-oh.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hemisi grew mildly annoyed. “Yes!”

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

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

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

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

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

“Your orders, my chief.”

Ugh. It was a stupid order.

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

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

XXX

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

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

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

So where was Link?

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

“Good morning,” her guard greeted her.

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

“In the guest quarters.”

“We have those in this place?”

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

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

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

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

Link just groaned.

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

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

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

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

“Sleeping,” he slurred tiredly.

“Your breath smells awful.”

“‘S your fault.”

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

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

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

She missed the war. She missed the war.

Things were far more straightforward back then.

Killing was straightforward.

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

“Hey,” she greeted quietly.

“Hey,” he whispered back.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

XXX

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Link—”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just like with my father.

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

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

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

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

“So are the nobles.”

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

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

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

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

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

[crazylittlejester]

I think a rarely seen angst idea is the main hero learning that the villain is related to them in some way. So...

- Legend learned probably during his first or second adventure that he was Ganon's nephew. The mere thought made his blood grow cold and bile rise to his throat. How could he be related, by body and blood, to that thing he has fought time and time again. He's thankful that he wasn't tainted by his malice, but that doesn't make it any easier to swallow.

-Hyrule didn't realize until much later down the line, possibly by Aurora. Maybe they were looking through old records from the eras long before theirs, only to find the bloodline that belonged to Ganon. He was sickened and disturbed, and by both his decision and hers, they burned the scroll. Hyrule hated him enough as is, they would hunt him down if they ever knew.

-Sky always knew that something was slightly off about himself. He had abilities that the others didn't, and upon learning that the Master Sword didn't burn the other heroes when they wielded it was a little strange. Fi always hinted that he wasn't something mortal, but he always brushed it off as his own paranoia. Sun knows, deep down. She knows that he is the bastard son of Demise, and that is a secret that will go with her to the grave.

-Time's mother would have been considered a lucky woman by a lot of people. To be chosen by the king of the Gerudo of all people to marry would have been an honor, and she considered it so. She would birth him a son, one with a pointy little nose like his and eyes as blue as hers. Time knew after connecting the dots during his adventure. The similarities he had with the king of thieves was far to many for any denial. It's a secret only Wars and Malon knows. The shame he feels is something beyond all else.

-Four was blessed by the winds, that's what his grandfather told him. He could easily tell if a storm was coming or if the winds were trying to lead him somewhere. That's how he got around in his journey to help the minish and when he drew the four sword. He, just like Sky, is unaware that Vati was his grandfather's brother. Wizards age much slower than non magic folk, which could easily make anybody none the wiser. He simply inherited a little bit of magic from that side of the family, that's all.

-Warriors was told outright by Impa that he was the son of Volga. He was given two options by his commander, renounce the man and deny any relations to him, or be killed for being an accessory to his war crimes. He wasn't foolish, and took the former. It didn't soften the blow after the war that his father was killed in the final battle against Cia, but what's done is done. He does often wonder if he could've harnessed his draconic side if he had betrayed the kingdom instead, but dwelling onwhat ifs never helped anybody.

-Twilight, being Time's decendant, makes him related to Gabondorf as well. Unfortunately, it seems he inherited that cruel man's tendency to lean into magics and weapons that belongs to that of darkness. The dusk could easily claim him as its own, and the shadow that plagues them all seems to have an easier time replicating his very form and personality. If he were to adorn the blasted armor Ganondorf wore during their final encounter, it would look as if made for him. Another Link who likes to pretend he knows nothing.

-Wild was born many eras before Hyrule was truly the empire it is (or once was, after the Calimty struck) today. Born between a simple human woman and the first Gerudo male to be born, he was a bright little angel. But, all good things must come to an end, and after the Imprisoning War, the young woman sought for anything to prevent her child from being executed for his father's crimes. A kind woman, Zelda, she called herself, offered to help. The young boy was swept away to an era out of reach, and the woman slept easy knowing her little boy was safe. She does wonder what happened to that kind woman, maybe it has to do with the beautiful dragon that now lingers in the sky?

-Wind is the luckiest in terms of relations. He was so far removed from Time that one could simply say that they were to distant to be proper relatives. His Ganondorf knew that the boy was somebody who could've been the heir to his throne so many ages ago, and he reminded him so much of how he was back when he was younger. He might have been blessed to not be closely relate to him, but Wind was the only one of them all to be seen as family by him.

yo dude, you put a lot of thought into these, these are cool! i don’t usually headcanon things like this but it’s such an interesting idea and definitely adds a whole new layer of angst and suffering 😭 ESPECIALLY THE WARS AND VOLGA ONE LIKE DAMN? AND WILD?? OUGH.

[lozriftsintime]

The Red Group: Chapter 2

To say that explaining what Zora were took more time than Captain had thought it was going to would be an understatement. But, to be fair, maybe he should have expected it. Even his own understanding of the Zora race had been thrown into confusion after the timelines merged. He’d mostly dealt River Zora before everything, though he had heard of the existence of the more peaceful Sea Zora as well. Afterwards they’d suddenly had peaceful Freshwater Zora as well.

Crimson and Fox only had one type of Zora each, but both of their Zora sounded different from each other’s. Fox’s Zora sounded similar to the Sea Zora Crimson had grown up with and the Freshwater Zora he’d been adjusting to, but were entirely fresh-water living. They couldn’t handle saltwater at all. Crimson’s Zora, on the other hand, apparently looked more like…jellyfish? And while they could come out of the water for a short while they couldn’t handle it for long at all. Neither of them had ever even heard of River Zora

Tune had been confused at first, but after learning more about the different types he was able to put together that apparently his Zora had somehow been turned into a bird-like race called the Rito. And that comment had led to a discussion between Crimson, Tune, and Fox about what the Rito were and what they looked like. Tune’s Rito were more Hylian-looking, but with beaks and wings that developed further after they received blessings from their Guardian Dragon, Valoo. While both Crimson and Fox had Rito that looked entirely like birds, just more upright ones and quite large. Thankfully, for Captain’s brain at least, the Rito didn’t seem to have many differences between their two eras. Fox’s Rito sounded like they may have had more dexterous wings that allowed them to be used somewhat like hands, but that was it.

And of course, all of that led to them talking about the various races scattered across their eras. Apparently all of them had Gorons, though Tune almost never saw his thanks to them having given up their volcano home to the Zora-turned-Rito and taken to wandering around the floor of the ocean. Both Fox and Tune had a plant-like race called Koroks who were the children of a giant, sentient tree known as the Great Deku Tree, but neither Fox nor Captain had ever heard of either of those races. 

And then there was the Gerudo. And wow. That had been a…complicated conversation. Crimson had never even heard of the desert-dwelling people and Tune had only met one in his life, Ganondorf himself. Though apparently Ganondorf had waxed poetic about his people for some time when talking to the younger hero. Tune theorized that the rest of the Gerudo had either been washed away in the Great Flood or fled far from Hyrule before it happened. Captain himself hadn’t ever met a Gerudo, but he knew about them. A race of people who were almost entirely female and lived deep in the desert west of the expanded Hyrule borders that existed since the timeline merge. Relations between Hyrule and the Gerudo people had been tense both before and after the merge thanks to more than one fierce war occuring between both groups.

And Fox. Well, Fox was quick to jump to the defense of the Gerudo people as a whole, going onto describe a fierce and proud people who stood up for themselves and what they felt was right, even if it caused their own destruction. She knew a lot more about them than anyone else in their little group as well, having learned it from the Gerudo of her time as well as stories that she’d gotten from her princess (who she called Ren for some reason) and from her mentor, Twilight. By the end of it all Captain could honestly say that he came away with far more information about the Gerudo then he had ever thought to even wonder on. Like, apparently, they only had one male born every hundred years or so. And that boy would be taken from his parents to be raised as a king at a very young age. Also they were apparently connected to the desert itself. Fox even referred to them as desert-blessed more than once. 

It was a lot, but the information could be good to know he supposed. Zelda would almost certainly love to hear about all of this. Especially if they could ever piece together where each of them came in relation to the timeline.

Continue reading Here

[alelelesimz]

here's a long and non exhaustive list of things i want to see in a totk dlc (big spoilers btw)

i want to learn more about the zonai. people in hyrule spend the entire game trying to learn more about them and in the end when purah sees the temple of time and says "just when i thought i started to figure out the zonai!" there's still sooooooooooo much we don't know about them that i wish we could learn somehow.

ganondorf and the gerudo. in the story we learn that he is the king of the gerudo, he's evil, he wants power and loves darkness. that's all. i want to learn more about who he is in this story, his motives, his relationship with the gerudo, etc. are ALL the gerudo of that time with him? are they all evil? do they leave him once he becomes the demon king? when he gets the secret stone we don't see the gerudo warriors anymore, what happened with them?

KASS. WHERE IS HIM???????????? IS HE OKAY? ARE WE GONNA SEE HIM AGAIN? MY BOY MY DARLING PLEASE COME BACK. i truly can't believe nintendo would leave out such a beloved character without an explanation. even his family is still there. i would've preferred him having a minor role than completely disappearing :(

the connection between ganondorf and calamity ganon. are they related at all? [tangent warning] my guess is that ganondorf/demon king happened first, from there god knows when ganondorf's evil leaked in the form of malice (in botw it's said that he came from the depths of hyrule castle so that checks out) then creating calamity ganon (the one 10000 years prior to botw), which is evil in its purest form, from there he gets sealed away and 10000 years later he comes back and the great calamity happens which destroys hyrule castle and that's what weakens rauru's power therefore gloom spreading more and more and making people sick, and then totk happens. [tangent end]

who's the ancient hero??? okay hear me out here's another tangent: the ancient hero set is a reward after a huge task, so it definitely cannot be only a fan service, right? it is the look of the hero that defeated calamity ganon 10000 years ago. he's obviously not a hylian, at first i thought he might've been a zonai but he doesn't quite look like one? granted, the only zonai we've seen are rauru and mineru, maybe the others looked different, BUT if he's a zonai then calamity ganon must've happened BEFORE ganondorf??? bc by the time ganondorf appears the zonai are pretty much extinct so my theory above would be wrong. BUT if he's not a zonai THEN WHAT IS HE WHO IS HE I WANT TO KNOW! ofc 10000 years is an insane amount of years, that's longer than the entire documented history of humanity, so maybe he's a completely different race that disappeared long ago and hasn't been mentioned yet. if that's the case i wanna know about that too.

naydra, farosh and dinraal. i actually don't think this one's gonna happen lol, but i'd love to know more about them. we know that they represent the triforce and in totk we learn about dragonification. i've seen theories of them being zonai sages who swallowed their secret stones long ago. it would be so much fun to learn if that's the case and why they did that.

what happened to the sheikah technology that was so prevalent in botw? it would make sense that all the guardians in botw just died after ganon is gone. their parts were used for the skyview towers and i saw someone making the argument that they do explode when they die, so that would explain how they were completely erased from the world, although it still baffles me how despite most of the world is still in ruins, there's absolutely no trace of the decayed guardians ANYWHERE not even in the most remote parts of the world. what happened with the towers? they raised from the ground, we see the one in the gerudo canyon came all the way from a chasm which we can now explore. i wish we had more of an explanation of what happened to them.. and as for the divine beasts, it is implied that they've stopped working in the end of botw, but these machines were huge, where are they now? did they bury them again? so many questions that are probably never gonna be answered honestly :/

[breannasfluff]

Hi! I'm that same anon who comes to spam you <3 Im not sure if u published that fanfic "Ranch ruins" yesterday or today (this week has been... Long) BUT I read it a little while ago and I loved it!, I don't normally see fanfics that touch the topic of that ruins specifically (I had seen like, one other and that's it) but I really liked it! I loved that Time & Wild bonding, how Time was sad Wild was alone in his adventure and also Time reaction at hearing Gerudo Town was a big town really hurt and Wild just answering they rest of the poblation was dead that HURT, I loved it, thank you for writing 🩷🩷🩷 (btw, I think you had noticed I love everything Twilight and Wild, so, even that little interaction of Wild calling Wolfie a traitor really made me laugh xd)

Hooray, you are back 💜 I feel you on the long week. So. Hard. Take care of yourself, do something to pamper and relax!!

It went up yesterday! Next chapter is tomorrow. My goal is it will be done posting before I leave on vacation so no one is left hanging.

I’m so glad you liked it!! I also haven’t seen the topic which is too bad. I’m dropping a picture of the comparison.

Now, would the ranch have lasted THAT long uhhh shhh don’t think about it to hard. Suffice to say it LOOKS similar enough that Time’s first thought is going to be his home and Malon, destroyed. That’s probably one of his darker fears; that while he’s gone on this journey do the Goddess something will happen to the ranch. Black-blooded monsters he won’t reach in time and he’ll come home to…nothing.

THANKFULLY I’m not writing that lol.

Time is all stoic and group leader-y and sometimes I struggle to get him to unbend enough to interact with Wild. Wild tends to stick to his comfort, safe people, which means Wolfie right now and Hyrule. We will have many more Wolfie/Twi chapters in the future! I try to balance them out to a point but…I got favorites to write about 🤷🏼‍♀️

Now I’m thinking it would be fun to do a Wild and Wolfie adventure with a very feral Wild in his world��have you read In A Mockery of Recollection? I guess that’s just feral Wild related though, not Wild and Wolfie. There’s not THAT many focused on the two of them which is too bad! I like to think that Wild and Wolfie bring out different sides of each other than Wild and Twilight. Hopefully that will make their relationship richer down the line. Also, I like more of a friendship between them and less of Twilight acting like a “parent” because they aren’t that far apart in age. Wild’s a gremlin but he’s not stupid!

Anyway, thanks for the ask and letting me ramble!

[gerudospiriit]

[I brought this up yesterday, but I've been thinking about that post I saw on it again and want to share my thoughts and headcanons on why Ganondorf chose to have Nabooru brainwashed rather than killed for what essentially amounted to treason.

As you all know by know, I headcanon that Nabooru and Ganondorf were a couple and, for all intents and purposes, engaged. Thus, the two were very much in love, despite the disagreements that arose between them in how best to help their people once knowledge of the Triforce came into the picture: Ganondorf obviously wanted to obtain the Triforce to wish for prosperity for the Gerudo while Nabooru felt the idea was dangerous because, if the thing existed at all, she didn't see they Hylians giving this thing up willingly, and they were already hated beyond their desert borders and one misstep away from another war they couldn't afford. As time wore on and Ganondorf began actively attacking the other races of Hyrule, Nabooru made the choice to stand against Ganondorf and try to stop him before Hyrule decided to blame ALL of this for his crimes. As we know, she is unsuccessful and brainwashed for her crimes.

So, the question then is, why? Wouldn't it have been better (especially considering that Nabooru becomes a sage) to have killed her? Why did Ganondorf make the decision he did, especially since this effectively turned the person he loved and trusted the most into a mindless servant?

I'll start with the practical portion of the complicated answer: it would raise too many red flags. Ganondorf murdering his second in command who, outside of maybe a few public disagreements that weren't related to the Triforce (those conversations were always private) in meetings, he seemed to have positive rapport with would raise too many questions he didn't want to answer for since, in my headcanons, he didn't want to involve to Gerudo in his plans. Even if he kept it secret, Nabooru was too visible of a person in the tribe (which is also why I HC that she didn't just sit in the Iron Knuckle armor in the temple the whole time). Someone would eventually start snooping and find out what happened. Plus, a Gerudo king killing another Gerudo without reason wasn't exactly a good look.

The other portion of the answer is he simply couldn't bring himself to do it. Even if he could convince the Gerudo in a trial that she committed treason, he didn't want her dead. Twinrova probably tried to convince him to just kill her, being no fans of Nabooru's, but he vehemently refused. Thus, they suggest making her a non-problem through brainwashing. Ganondorf wasn't a fan of this either, but by the time he realizes he is not going to naturally change Nabooru's mind, as in, when she gives him her ultimatum, he knows their relationship is over anyway, and he had to think of the bigger picture. Nabooru posed a threat to his plans and, close as he was, he couldn't risk her meddling any longer. Thus, he did not make this decision LIGHTLY and put it off until the last possible second.

Once she was brainwashed, he didn't have much else to do with her besides passing down orders to her as his second in command as he normally would. Outside of not having time with searching for the princess and ruling the new, broken Hyrule, Ganondorf couldn't bear seeing her in such a state. He avoided her at all costs (meaning, no, he wasn't gross and took advantage of this in any gross ways; he grew up around all women and, in short, he knows consent is sexy and she can't consent in that state even if he had interest in that sort of thing still with anyone, let alone her). In a way, he knew this fate was worse than death for her, but that understanding wasn't enough for him to kill her and make it look like an accident or something. Plus, she was useful this way for helping to search for the princess and putting down rebellions he did not care to deal with himself (under the guise of important missions for the Gerudo to keep people from knowing what she was REALLY up to, of course).

So tl;dr: Ganondorf had Twinrova brainwash Nabooru because it was more practical and would keep the Gerudo from asking too many questions and because he just couldn't do it anyway.]

[thebleedingeffect]

But before I talk any further about the moon children concept, I want to talk about the gerudo <333

Now, one large difference between the gerudo and their hyrule counterparts is that they're split into two large settlements that each act as an individual branch of the gerudo kingdom. One lies in the east, below Ikana valley and to the east of the deku swamp, within a desert that's been commonly called 'Gerudo Desert'. The other settlement lies within the northern part of the Great Bay, sharing the landmass with the Zora who commonly fill out the immediate shoreline and Termina's ocean.

This split happened decades ago when relations between the Zora and the Gerudo were still extremely rough, a large section of Gerudo were ordered to stay within the area should tensions rise. Thankfully, no war broke out and over the proceeding years an uneasy border turned into a strong alliance, nowadays the Zora and Gerudo are perhaps two of the closest allies in Termina.

Thanks to the fading tensions, it allowed for the Gerudo to more easily integrate more inland towards Central Termina, eventually also bridging an alliance with Terminans. This has allowed for the desert-residing and beach-residing branches of the Gerudo to much more easily travel and unite the Gerudo once more! And thanks to the fact that most Gerudo travel through Central Termina- it's had the added benefit of the Rito, Gorons, and Deku being on much more positive terms.

But a bit of culture!! :DD the Gerudo culture is extremely interesting as it's basically two variants of the exact same people meshing together! But one thing both branches share is a very proud history of surviving within the desert and even thriving in the harshest of conditions. Originally, their culture was actually born from one of great loyalty and care, said to be so fierce that it rivaled even the harshest of sand storms.

The Gerudo are extremely protective of one another due to this strong sense of united community and they thrive within it! Battle, strength, and skill is also something extremely valued within the Gerudo, but so is leadership, responsibility, and the keenness to protect their own. Above all else, the Gerudo have lived and fought for each other for generations and it's spawned a kind of culture that's made them equally as skilled with compassion as with the sword.

The dual side to this was that it was harder for the Gerudo than anyone else within Termina to begin trusting any outsiders, as was the desert- the whims of those outside the desert could be night and day. They were so used to surviving and experiencing the harshest of conditions, towards solely each other, that beginning to trust anyone or anything else was a tall order.

Beyond that though! Their culture is typically characterized by bold colors, breathable fabrics, and loose clothing that's also layered! Each layer can either keep heat in or with less layers can allow for relief from the desert heat. Face coverings are also extremely common amongst the Gerudo with more decorative versions often having jewels or embroidered golden thread.

Another difference from their Hyrulean counterparts is that while voe can be born into the Gerudo- it's slightly more common in Termina, typically a handful will be born every century or so. This means that while they're a bit more lenient towards voe- that also really extends to Gerudo voe. They're not kicked out of the town either!

The explanation for this is that Demise or Din doesn't have any influence within Termina, therefore a vessel for Power does not have to be born like clockwork and become king. Because of this, voe are just much more common thanks to fate not meddling with the Gerudo whatsoever.

Okay I'm gonna explain a bit how Termina is in my hyrules curse au! Every reblog with explain each "kingdom" but it's basically all these guys: gerudo, goron, zora, deku, rito, and terminans :]

But first, some geography of Termina! Just to make a sort of visual of how the world looks and all that. First, there's two main arid regions in Termina, but the Ikana region is more of a mesa, mountainous region rather than a traditional desert, but it does have a very arid climate. The second being the actual gerudo desert that lies to the south of the Ikana region with a large mountain range sepreating it from the deku's swamp region.

Farther to the north lies the snowy, dry regions of Termina where the gorons and rito largely share. Death mountain has been dormant for hundreds of years and as such the region has became closer to a tundra, with hot springs residing underground closer to the volcanic activity. More northeast to the goron city is where the rito live, high within Termina's tundras where they reside with a close alliance to the gorons.

Most terminans reside closer to the central continent, most either within clock town, around the border of clock town, along the rural area where romani ranch lies, or within the immediate area of Termina Castle. Small clusters of terminans do live closer to each of the surrounding regions but most prefer the temperate, mild climate of central Termina with the great bay being the one with the second largest population.

Ikana is a nearly barren part of Termina, none but the most solitary choose to live there as it's largely seen as a graveyard to a fallen kingdom. Several ruins can be found within Ikana, even the half-destroyed remains of a fortress, as well as the scars of the war between the Guro and Ikana kingdoms. The war was an ancient one and most records have been lost to time, but most still avoid the region as its strongly believed to still be haunted by both sides of the opposing war. Others simply avoid the region to let the spirits come to rest as they should've done in death.

Central Termina is where clock town resides and the main castle with both acting as a meeting point for all of Termina's regions and cultures. One big difference from hyrule is that Termina does not have any sort of authority over any of the other kingdoms as unlike Hyrule, it did not force a unification between all kingdoms. Instead it's moreso a single country with several allied kingdoms within it and clock town and the castle act as one of the easiest spaces for all to interact with each other. Another big difference is that there's no royal family! As with a lack of societal and financial influence over all the kingdoms, a prestigious royal family just doesn't make much sense.

Instead, clock town and it's central castle follow a more democratic approach with a hard emphasis on diplomacy as it's very often welcoming all of Termina's people within its borders. A royal family just wouldn't fly here as clock town is more of a mixing pot of cultures with Terminans own mixed in as well. The other kingdoms do not fall under this same order of business though, as the other kingdoms have more traditional branches of power to royalty.

Gorons and Gerudo have chiefs acting as figureheads while the Rito, Zora, and Deku have something closer to a monarchy; kings, queen, princesses, princes, etc.

Central Termina does not have an overarching royalty, with one exception.

The Moon Children.

[onesunofagun]

I shall now yell about Ingo, please stand by:

Ingo’s transformation from the underappreciated backbone of the ranch to an absolute ruff-wearing cantaloupe of a man is also pretty interesting (if you’re the kind of person who absorbs the Zelda series through your skin like a frog to live).

I’ve bolded the key points for skimmers.

Granted, the manga has it that Ingo just gets brainwashed by Twinrova into being a staunch follower of Ganondorf. That’s not canon, but it’s not informing any of this thinking, either way. 

In the beginning of OoT we meet Talon by waking him up from a nap, and we learn pretty quickly that he’s lazy and often yelled at by his daughter for slacking off like this. Ingo at the ranch confirms again that Talon doesn’t pull his weight around there, and since Malon’s still a child, it’s pretty obvious that Ingo’s settled with the bulk of the work.

Ingo is grumpy, he’s resentful, and he complains a lot. But he does do the work, and you can find him (presumably) in the process of mucking out the stables. 

Let’s examine what he does at the ranch:

Epona really liked that song... Only I could tame that horse... Even Mr. Ingo had a hard time...

Now, Epona is established in game to be a real winner of a horse. She’s fast, she’s smart, she’s got a lovely sorrel coat and white mane that seems to be quite rare or highly prized coloring. The catch is, she is notoriously wild. The only people she tolerates are Malon and Link, due in large part to being soothed by the song Malon’s mother taught her.

Ingo had to really try to crack this horse, which Malon’s observation suggests is unusual. 

Epona is very young when we first see her, so it’s never really revealed if she was caught wild, or bred at the ranch with a very headstrong temperament.

Ingo’s clearly the guy that’s breaking them in, though. The most Talon is doing is... sleeping in with the cuccos. We never see any organisation of the cuccos, in terms of egg collection or poultry farming, but nevertheless, Talon has the much less physical jobs even if he was doing them. His focus seems to be cuccos, deliveries to the castle and book keeping between naps (and to be fair it’s probably a little depression related, given the dead wife).

Malon gives us a cow later on, and she’s got the egg for the crowing cucco that wakes up Talon, so I’d like to assume for simplicity’s sake that even as a kid, Malon was up at dawn most days helping Ingo with the cows and milking them. It’s never really implied that she has amazing skill in dealing with horses, just that Epona has a special connection with her specifically. Other than that, Malon is simply kind and respectful of her animals (though I’ve got no idea how she got that cow to Link’s treehouse and that’s worth investigating). 

Later on, Ingo is also shown to be a competent rider. Enough that he has absolutely no qualms in challenging Link to races for wagers, and was quite confident of his ability to win.

The takeaway is, Ingo is usually VERY GOOD with both caring for and training horses, if not breeding them for the ranch.

That kind of lends to his grumbling, when he is referring to himself as ‘the Great Ingo’ and comparing himself to Talon, who is a ‘bum’. His claim to greatness may not be undeserved, at least in horse circles, and especially if he’s not getting particular credit for it, his bitterness and frustration (alongside envy, exhaustion, and dreams of recognition) would be quite deeply run.

So it seems that his friend and employer is clearly taking some advantage of him, especially after the death of Malon’s mother.

So now, let’s examine his feelings, and how he changes.

The feelings Ingo has about that are pretty textbook for the sort of thing ‘evil takes hold of and twists’, in the Zeldaverse.

Focussing on the game itself, Malon says this as an adult:

Since Ganondorf came, people in the Castle Town have gone, places have been ruined, and monsters are wandering everywhere. Mr. Ingo is just using the ranch to gain Ganondorf's favor... Everyone seems to be turning evil...

We do see other characters in Hyrule become influenced by the ‘darkness in their hearts’ as byproduct of Ganondorf’s reign. 

A prominent example of a character who was visibly dissatisfied with their lot, and then notably changes (while praising Ganondorf for what he’d done), is the Castle Guard who is heavily implied to have become the Poe Dealer. Even if by some slim means it’s not the same person, the Poe Dealer does still express that they could not do the work they do without Ganon as King, and that they now benefit from him being in that position and are grateful to him.

The Kakariko Carpenters seem to have given into their fantasies about living among the Gerudo women, and gone out to the Valley and gotten themselves taken prisoner. Following work near the fortress, the team chooses to act on their selfish desires and go for broke, chasing their dreams. They weren’t previously prepared to act upon these fantasies when Link was young, admittedly much milder in their still very prominent obsession, but seven years later, they’re quite happy to risk it all and piss away the stability of their careers (and nearly their lives) at the first opportunity.

Anyway, the trend is, those across Hyrule who are unhappy with their lot before Ganondorf’s coup tend to be ‘corrupted’ by seven years later, and appear to have given in to a twisted version of whatever they most wanted. 

This is noteworthy especially because the language in the game revolves around the Sacred Realm being opened and corrupted, too, by Ganondorf’s unbalanced heart and selfish goals. It is unable to be ‘sealed’ again while Link has the Master Sword. In aLttP, we know there is a mirror like effect to do with the sacred turned dark realm, in which it reflects the hearts of men. 

So it is very reasonable to say, that for OoT in particular, much of this evil influence plaguing the land and preying on the darkness an people’s hearts is a result of the corruption of the Sacred Realm. It is an indirect byproduct of Ganondorf’s acquiring of the Triforce, but not necessarily something he himself does to people on purpose, unlike the brainwashing of Nabooru.

Mr. Ingo is just using the ranch to gain Ganondorf's favor... But Dad... He was kicked out of the ranch by Mr. Ingo... If I disobey Mr. Ingo, he will treat the horses so badly...

This explains a lot of the more callous and greedy behaviour that Ingo shows later on, and why it seems to disappear when he is truly humbled by Link. 

Link’s win serves as a reminder of Ingo’s stagnating skill with horses, the very thing that made him feel so deserving of praise and recognition in the first place, in that for everything he now has control of at the ranch, he still cannot control that horse. He has become as much of a bum as Talon ever was, relegating Malon to do all the hard work while Ingo struts around uselessly. He’s even lost his touch with the Horses so much, in his arrogance, that now he has taken up mistreating them and using harsh and abusive methods (according to Malon’s concerns).

The humiliation and shame takes hold, his pride shattering with the loss of Epona-- not only as a valuable asset, but also as the horse he could never truly tame.

The dark feelings he was holding onto are let go of, as he regains a sense of humility, and the corruptive influence upon him dissipates. He even seeks out Talon to bury the hatchet and invite him back to the ranch.

Oh, I have to tell you about Mr. Ingo... He was afraid that the Evil King might find out that Epona had been taken away... It really upset him! But one day, all of a sudden, he went back to being a normal, nice person! Now my dad is coming back...I can't believe it, but peace is returning to this ranch!

But what about his obsession with Ganondorf in particular?

When the coup happened, Ingo watched the King of the Gerudo unwittingly play out a sort of grand parallel to what Ingo felt should happen on the ranch. To Ingo’s perception, I think Ganondorf was representing an ideal version of Ingo himself. 

A man of the desert, where hard work and grit are as second nature to survive the harsh conditions. A man frustrated with the King of Hyrule’s shit, and forced to swear fealty to him despite being a King himself. A man resplendent with wealth, with fine and flashy clothes and plentiful jewelry.

And perhaps the most important note of all, the Gerudo in OoT? 

They’re horse people. 

They love horses. Ganondorf’s horse is reputed to be a purebred Black Gerudo Stallion, which is obviously a specialty breed, that is fully armoured and as flashy as he is. When the Gerudo cut the bridge leading to the valley, the only way in and out is to have a skilled horse jump the gap. 

They also have a huge horseback archery range, and prowess in the sport is an incredible source of respect amongst the Gerudo, and many of the guards possess bladed polearms suitable for mounted use. From this, it can be assumed that during the recent civil war, Gerudo weapons, war tack and military tactics were probably built around mounted cavalry archers foremost, with a lesser focus on light and heavy cavalry aside (iron knuckle armour springs to mind).

Anyway, Horses are very important to the Gerudo in the era of Ocarina of Time.

So Ganondorf is also unique in the sense that he is the King of a people who value what it is that Ingo does very highly. He, of all people, stands to immediately recognise the knowledge and skill that Ingo possesses in rearing horses.

So this is a man who successfully stages a coup of Hyrule, who clearly inspires Ingo to do much the same of the ranch, and who Ingo also feels is very likely to take his side should he appeal the matter.

And Ganondorf does.

And if that’s not a great compliment to Ingo’s actual skill, I don’t know what is, because Ganondorf is not a man that suffers fools. He’s got a limited patience when it comes to shit that is beneath his notice. Clearly, he recognises that Ingo is indeed the backbone of that ranch-- and the main reason for the quality of its Horses-- and rewards this accordingly.

And for Ingo, being on decent terms with the big scary goth King is a very, very good place to be. But it’s more than that!

What a guy! Not only did he deliver on Ingo’s long due validation, he gave Ingo everything he’d ever dreamed of having to his name, and the authority to kick Talon to the curb. He gets it! Ganondorf, this great eight foot beacon of freshly sought divine power and topaz-encrusted glory, this absolute unit of a man, this great underdog horse-lover after Ingo’s own heart; he really understands how great Ingo is. Ganondorf is paving the way for people like them! Oh, to rub shoulders wiht such greatness when the rest of Hyrule is scorned. 

Ingo feels seen. The Great Ganondorf made all that thankless time spent shovelling horse shit while Talon slept mean something. The Gerudo appreciate Ingo’s talents.

And all Ingo has to do is keep turning out really good horses, and promise to present the King with his finest.

So Ingo knows he’s in deep shit when he gets cocky and loses Epona to a wager, who at this point, he’s prepared pretty well and sunk a lot of money into on the idea that she’s going to Ganondorf. 

Who he’s probably bragged to about how fast she is.

He lost her to some jerk in tights who’d barely ridden before, too. And then when Ingo tried to cheat him out of the win, the kid jumped the damned fence an in ass-bustingly cool move that really just drove home how excellent and rare Epona was.

One does not promise the King of the Gerudo a fast horse and then fail to deliver, let alone for such a stupid reason.

Honestly, by the end, the man’s just happy to be alive.

Also I’d like to think he and Talon had a much fairer delegation of work and forgave each other, each really learning to appreciate what they have and what’s really important.

how the fuck did the Kokiri leave the forest for this scene anyway, they don’t even have their faries???

[so-i-dont-forget-again]

So I Don’t Forget Again: A Breath of The Wild fanfiction

Entry 208: Zora’s Domain

 Sidon made me breakfast. He made things I had taught him to make back at Hateno, he had to wake up very early to get the ingredients on time. He tried to hide it, but I could see he was a little sleepy through the whole day, he’s had such little rest. I really appreciate this, him just focusing on me, almost like there’s nothing else, but I don’t want him to push himself. Though I want to thank him all the same. He just makes me feel so special and safe, in a way unlike anything else, I guess. I feel like he really sees me, like he truly wants me. I don’t know how to describe this, but I want to. I want to pour these feelings into these pages, have him read this so he can know just how much he means to me, how he’s an irreplaceable part of my life, how he

I just want him to know as amazing as he finds me, I find him to be just the same. He’s much more eloquent with words than me, so maybe he’d know how to write this, but I want to at least try, even if this is just kinda incoherent thoughts by now.

We went to market, it’s a bit away from town, but that’s because it’s more of a trading area so Hylians and Gorons and others can get there easier than going through the canyon to the town. We did some shopping but we heard a lot of rumors. A new hero appearing, one who couldn’t be the reincarnated one. A hero who did not wield the blade of evil’s bane but a trident, instead of working in service of the princesses, or royalty, or goddess they worked for the people, a blond gender ambiguous Hylian who slew a massive, fearsome beast all to get ingredients for a medicine for a gerudo woman’s sick husband they didn’t even know, a person who helped the descendants of the champions calm all the Divine Beasts soon after their rampages began, a person who is a brother to the strong gorons, a person who had begun to teach others how to fend for themselves, on and on it went, even false or exaggerated tales. They were all about one simple person who served the people for their sake and nothing else. This person was not grand or flashy, they were only recognized since tridents are an uncommon weapon and even more uncommon for hylians outside of the royal family to be blond, two odd, eye catching characteristics and people made the connections from there. Sidon told me it just seemed fitting that the “Hero of the People” would wish to use all his peoples’ fighting styles, a person who was strong with all their power, their best qualities united.

I guess it is fitting. Before being the chosen hero or whatever felt like a burden, but this time, it felt different, it didn’t feel bad, like there’s this cumbersome weight I just can’t carry. I’m being called a hero for things I have done already, not things I’m expected to do, I think that’s the difference. I think Sidon could tell too. He admitted he was a little nervous about this, but if I did react badly, he wanted to be beside me so he could comfort me and not have me over hear this some other place far away and for my thoughts to go dark again. And we had the whole day to be together so we could do something fun to get my mind off it.

We had a lovely walk back. Bossa Nova kept trying to steal some of the ingredients we ended up running part of the way as he chased us. He even tried nibbling on my hair to get my attention. Sidon tried scolding him, but Bossa Nova didn’t care. After gifting a Hearty Radish he calmed down, but Sidon said I shouldn’t spoil him, that he’ll just take advantage of that and eat through all my non-meat supplies sooner or later. But then he just looked at me for a moment, smiled and shook his head before turning back to the trail ahead. When I asked him what that meant he told me he couldn’t find my behavior endearing and that I need to learn how to say ‘no’ sometimes. I guess he is a prince, he has to make decisions for his people, and he’ll likely have to say ‘no’ sometimes, but how can you say no to a cute hungry capybara! Besides I don’t think he would have stopped trying to knock us over till he was fed so I don’t think it could have been THAT bad. Just a treat. He’s a good boy, he needs the love. Sidon then gasped and said this must be why Bossa Nova likes me more now. It was clear he was play acting, playing up the moment but his reaction did get Bossa Nova to charge at him and knock him into the river for hugs. Much of the fruit started floating down river and it took a while to collect it all.

We cooked lunch together, a fusion between Rito and Zora cuisine. I always love cooking with him, well I just like cooking, but especially with him. Food reflects it’s culture and traditions, cooking is literally making something to help the other keep living and making it enjoyable all the while. I don’t think I need food, not anymore at least, but I can still enjoy it, making it and tasting it with others. Eating and cooking with others feels different than on your own, it only makes sense, food reflects people and so more people would surely make it taste better. All this to say I just really enjoyed lunch. And Bossa Nova still ate his meal so giving him his treat was not spoiling him! He didn’t eat his whole thing though, but that’s not the point! He still ate it… I guess it’s because I don’t get hungry I don’t see the point in having scheduled meals. Sidon said that was not the point, the point being Bossa Nova acting bratty to get whatever he wants. But could it be so bad, all he ever wants is food or extra affection.

Sidon asked if I knew how long I can hold my breath for. Much of his kingdom is underwater and he wanted to show more of it to me. Zoras really are made for the water, even the shape of their heads are kind of like arrows so they can effortlessly pierce through it. I know fish need fins to swim, I wonder how fins help Zora swim. They’re just stunning racing past, or at least Sidon is. Even with my complete zora armor set swimming can be a struggle but for him it’s effortless, he can go in circles and make twists and turns so quickly. Light seems much starker underwater, either bright or dark, I notice his glowy parts much more, I still can’t tell if they’re always glowing or if the glow activates when he’s in shade.

His home underwater looks similarish to land with similar plants, but there are also very different ones I don’t even know where to begin describing them. Some are kind of like flat dishes and others more spindly, then there are others that are wrinkly, I’ve never seen plants like those in the rivers before. There are some like stone, Sidon says they’re called coral and are plants oddly enough. Many of these only grow in the domain, but there are similar ones in the ocean. I wondered if any could be used in cooking, as they are plants zoras have never tried and Sidon was rather keen on assisting me if I tried working with them.

His kingdom underwater is so much larger than on the surface. Sidon and his people could so easily be separated from the rest of the world and be just fine. Their most important places like the throne room are on the surface so others can more easily reach them. That is something he’s always had been so appreciative of his ancestors for doing. His people, they’ve always been distant from the rest of Hyrule whether they lived solely underwater or some place out of reach or hidden away, of all times this current era is likely the closest they have been to others even with being separated by a distant canyon still. He doesn’t like this distance, even if it is better than before. After the champions fell and the hylians had no leader, everyone mostly went their own ways and more of a divide was created between everyone, sure there’s trade and the mail service but other than that, nothing, no alliance promises or at least documents stating they were at peace with one another, there’s nothing except for the few individuals who sought out pay from others, that’s why he finds what I’m doing to be so incredible. This legend I’m making just by being myself, becoming something or someone everyone can connect too or want to strive for. A kind of hero he could only have dreamed of. I told him I can’t do anything like uniting everyone, I’ve just lived with them and gotten to know them, he however, someone who knows how to lead others, someone who can understand and relate to others so easily or through his sheer determination, his hunger to know others better, wanting those connections, he could become someone who could lead and unite hyrule. He told me uniting hyrule again was going to be a monumental task, surely one he could not handle on his own, he’d definitely need someone who’s on good terms with everyone, and more importantly a partner by his side, someone he could lean on during the rough days, someone who could emotionally support him and just be by his side, just someone precious to him to keep close.

How tenderly he held my hands and stroked them with his thumbs, and just that way he looked at me. I don’t know what I was feeling but it was so warm, and soft, and like my chest was fluttering. Just… how he wants me, not just for what I can do, he just wants me. He wants me to be there because he just wants to share his life with me, I just happen to get some additional satisfaction since I know I get to help, but even if I couldn’t I KNOW he’d want me to be there with him and it just…

It means so much to me.

Today was just so nice.

After leading me to my room he collapsed on the bed. I don’t know about him, but I know swimming definitely takes a lot of energy and he was already working with little sleep, at least this way I know for certain he’s getting rest. I hope nobody comes here looking for him. For now, I guess I should get some sleep myself.

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[rosezemlya]

My question is kind of related to the Gerudo rank question that was asked a while ago. In RR, do the Sheikah have some sort of rank? This is besides active and inactive, chosen and blood, and the leader. Also, on a side note, I really enjoy your stories!

Sheikah do have ranks (sort of)!  But their structure is decentralized and much more fluid than the Gerudo (and also I have spent less time thinking about it, because we all know I play favourites and I love the Sheikah but... *points at the Gerudo*.  This definitely has a stronger “Subject to Change as the Story Develops” warning on it than the Gerudo one!).

The highest ranking Sheikah, not counting the leader, are the heads of the various regions.  The number of regions changes over time, depending on resource levels, demographics, internal politics, and geopolitics (well, Hyrulian politics - the Sheikah are VERY domestically focused and don’t concern themselves as much with nations outside the Kingdom to the extent that they do internally (this would change if those nations ever began to make themselves a consideration, but the Gerudo do their job well and this doesn’t typically happen)).  A region can be as small as a city (e.g., Castletown is its own region), or as big as a whole territory.  The head of a region oversees all Sheikan operations within that region and reports to the leader of the Sheikah.

There can be temporary positions created that may sit above the regional heads - e.g., when Dune served as General during the war in the Return.  She ranked above the regional heads for that period, because war is something that requires coordination across regions and in which success can be threatened by power struggles and jockeying and lack of clear authorities and accountabilities.  These are typically created to fulfill a purpose and are then stood down once that purpose is achieved or rendered moot.

Each region organizes itself differently, according to the unique operational needs of that region and the whims of its head.  Some are more structured, some are less structured, some are stove-piped, some are matrixed, etc.  Some focus on military-type Sheikah, some on spy-types, some on diplomat-types, some on a mix of all of the above.  Some are big operations and some are smaller operations (you would think this is based on how big a region is, and that can impact it, but it’s greatly affected by other aspects of the region, like how friendly its people are to Sheikah, and how likely it is to contain unhealthy conspiracies, and so on and so forth).

The politics among the Sheikah largely focus on who gets to be the head of which region, and how the regions themselves are defined (there are those, for example, who think Castletown should not be its own region, and there are those who think the first group of people are crazy, and the fastest way to ruin Solstice Dinner is to ask the question).

There are also a set of important positions outside the regional system whose relative level of authority and power varies greatly over the years/kingdoms/Cycles, but who, under the right circumstances, are capable of matching or exceeding the relative power of a regional head.  These include the advisor to the Hyrules since the establishment of Hyrule as a united Kingdom many generations ago, whoever IS in charge of Castletown during the periods when it’s not a region in its own right, whoever currently holds sway over the Sheikan religious conversation (the person who is the most likely to be listened to when discussing the Quis and its reqiurements), and, of course, the Sage of Shadow (when she is not one of the other positions noted - Impa had a LOT of power before she was officially Leader by virtue of being the Sage, and when she talks about the Quis, everybody has always listened, and Castletown was one of her first serious promotions on her way up the chain).

And of course, there are relative power levels between the heads of the different regions.  On paper they’re equals, but practically speaking, some of them have more money, more agents, more political sway, etc., which means they’re taken a little more seriously overall.

[jadeile-writes]

Fanfic Progress Update 58

 Hi<3 Time to do a Fanfic Progress Update, as is the done thing on Saturdays. Stay tuned to the end of this post for a spoiler-y glimpse into the next chapter of Adventure gone Mini AND a new exciting Hazbin oneshot!

Current WIPs:

Adventure gone Mini

Fandom: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / The Minish Cap

Summary: Sidon is given his very own Sheikah Slate, the first replica Purah has managed to make, and sets out to travel with Link with the intention of registering warp points for convenient travel in the future. However, when a malfunction shrinks them down to the size of bugs, and they meet little people called the Minish, they have to change their plans from “fun adventuring” to “getting out of this mess”. Not that those two have to exclude one another. Link/Sidon.

Progress: Chapter 36 is the current latest chapter and was posted on 18th of March. Chapter 37 is finished and will be posted on 8th of April. Chapter 38 hasn’t been started.

I post a new chapter every three weeks on Wednesdays. These updates always include a sneak-peek for the next chapter, slowly getting longer over the three weeks waiting period.

—–

That month of the year

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel

Summary: Every year, for a single month, the Radio Demon gets… emotional. His antlers are in velvet and he’s pumped full of hormones that make him behave quite unlike himself: suddenly, everywhere he looks, instead of seeing fellow demons all he sees are helpless little fawns that nobody is taking a proper care of! Solution? Adopt them.

Husk, Niffty, Camille, Honey, and the rest of the older Fawns put up with their Mom/Dad’s nonsense every year, but this time there’s a new, rotten apple in their midst and they have to protect Alastor from this crook. Without Alastor knowing about it. As Husk likes to put it: “This is fucking bullshit. …I mean fudgy nonsense.”

(Crack taken seriously. Gen)

Progress: The first two chapters are finished (with some heavy editing still required for the second one). The third chapter has been started. I want to have at least three chapters written before posting anything, preferably more than that because I don’t know how long this fic is gonna be. I can tell it’s longer than the originally planned five chapters tho, since we’ve barely gotten the ball rolling with the first two chapters!

This fic is co-authored by Maximillian!

—–

Hah! Our afterlife is the most hilarious bushwa, dearest

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel

Summary: This is not a stand-alone story! This is a oneshot/drabble collection in the universe of “Shit, the Radio Demon is a part of my afterlife”. Read the main story before bothering with this one.

I decided to give my readers a chance to throw Radiohusk prompts at me, and had the Afterlife-verse as an option to set the stories in. Everyone liked that, so this fic is now a thing. Enjoy the extra mischief from these two dorks!

Progress: Chapter 9 is the current latest chapter and was posted on 27th of March. Chapter 10 is about 2/3 done and is scheduled for 10th of April (Friday). This story will have at least seven more chapters, but who even knows at this point. Additional prompts are not accepted at this moment.

This fic receives a new chapter every Tuesday and Friday, unless something comes up. I’ll post a sneak-peek for Tuesday’s chapter on these updates, and one for Friday’s chapter in a separate post on Wednesday.

—–

What boundaries?

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel Summary: It was a fact that Alastor was incapable of existing in the same room – or even the same house – as Husk without initiating some form of physical contact on a constant basis. Husk swore it wasn't what it fucking looked like. Too bad nobody ever believed him. Alastor actively stroking his chest fur as he made the claim probably didn't help his case. Progress: Hey it’s a new thing! This is a very long oneshot (6000 words so far, and still missing a bit) that I’ve been randomly working on all week instead of writing the things I should have been writing! : D But that’s fine, this is almost finished now and I’m going to get this done and posted by 7th of April (Tuesday). ...Is this Radiohusk, you ask? Hehe, you’ll have to read and find out~ And look! There’s a sneak-peek for this at the end of this post! ;)

—–

Other WIPs I’m not currently working on but intend to get back to someday:

PoE Drabbles (Pillars of Eternity)

DC Drabbles (Justice League)

Diaphanous Relations (Forgotten Realms, R.A. Salvatore’s books)

Rolling with it (Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)

Possibly worth staying for (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

Experiment in Romance (Hazbin Hotel)

—–

That’s it for the WIPs! Here is the promised sneak-peek into Adventure gone Mini and What boundaries? (Note: the text may end up slightly different in the fic itself due to more editing happening before publishing). Enjoy!

Mini

Misteri led the two of them through the Toadstool Town, as it was called. The town wasn't very large, especially compared to the capital, which was the last city they had been to, but she used the little time it took for them to walk to the town hall to animatedly talk about her home. She explained how they, indeed, used magic to keep the toadstools preserved, and in some cases even alive if it was known that the building would need more space in the future – the Minish who wanted large families would start with a small house and then let it grow bigger as they had more children. It was very fascinating and practical, and Sidon looked like he wanted to stop and observe the growth with his own two eyes, as silly as that was. Also, turned out that the local Minish were called Mist Minish, while the "regular" ones were Forest Minish. Rumor had it there were Mountain Minish around the mountains, and Field Minish in the Hyrule Fields. Misteri didn't know if there were Desert Minish in the Gerudo lands, Water Minish in the Zora Kingdom, Jungle Minish in the Faron region, and maybe some specific kind of Minish around the Hylian and Sheikah towns, but assumed it to be so. Link suddenly felt like their mini adventure was woefully inadequate now, since there was so much more to the Minish world to be seen all over Hyrule. He wanted to explore all of it one day. Maybe with Sidon, maybe with Zelda, maybe with both. It didn't seem like he was going to be running out of adventures anytime soon. Good. They arrived to the town hall before they could get too deep into their speculations, which may have been for the best. Said hall was very small. In fact, it seemed more like a-

"Welcome to my home!" Misteri said, arms wide and a smile on her face. Yep, that's what Link thought. "We don't actually have a set town hall as there really isn't that much of a need for one. It's just the home of however is in charge, and that's been me for the last few years. Make yourselves comfortable; I'll prepare the dinner!"

—–

What boundaries?

Husk should have known this would fucking happen. Honestly, he couldn't believe he hadn't seen this coming, because this was a fucking inevitability.

What was "this", one might ask? "This" was Alastor hanging onto his person every fucking time they were in the same room for literally any amount of time. This very moment was a prime example of the phenomenon. Alastor and Charlie had entered the lobby together, discussing something or another about the hotel's development. They had walked over to the window that had a view of the hotel's front yard and stopped there to continue their discussion. Husk, at the time, had been at the bar counter, as per usual. But within the first five minutes of the pair's appearance he suddenly found himself no longer leaning against the counter and making cherry blossom strings out of the paper packagings the plastic straws were wrapped in, but instead he was between Alastor and Charlie, with Alastor's arm around his shoulders and his pointy nose nuzzling his cheek while the guy continued the conversation like nothing was amiss.

He had to give Alastor some measure of credit: they had been at the hotel for three entire days now and this hadn't happened in front of company until right then. His summoning here not counting.

—–

That’s it this time. See you next Saturday!

AO3    FFnet    Purple Crayon    Ko-fi

[gerudosage-a]

❛  CLOSE-UP HEADCANONS.   ❜

@bransles​ asked for two, hair & six, eyes.

nabooru’s hair is, as with all gerudos, a distinctive, eye-catching flaming red. texture often differs between gerudo women, influenced by their unseen fathers, but it’s commonly accepted that their hair is always long & impossibly straight, with rumours abounding in all corners of hyrule of how it is ornately decorated & threaded with jewels. it is, for the most part, exaggeration, though nabooru will not deny that she loves the opportunity to dress up & adorn herself with fine things, as the situations which call for it are few & far between. her own hair has always been the customary vibrant red, but rather than ramrod straight, there is a gentle wave to her hair, seen most often when she frees it from its clasp at night, or the rare occasions ( such as weddings, funerals, & religious ceremonies ) where she deliberately wears it down. as a child, she preferred it just long enough that it could be safely tied back, & for much of her younger years, it reached only to her shoulders, & was often braided, to ensure it did not trouble her. as she grew, she embraced the traditional look of the gerudo & let it grow further out, to the length she maintained it at as an adult - when left to hang loose, it reaches to the tops of her thighs.

for practical reasons, nabooru has worn her hair high since she was an adolescent, embracing a high ponytail, held fast with what passed for an elastic - a small length of rope or strip of leather, tied tight enough to keep it in place. on an unauthorized raid at age fifteen ( for which she was severely punished, & now regrets for her recklessness ) she & two friends managed to get their hands on some jewellery & other accessories, & nabooru quickly laid claim to a golden clasp ornamented with the biggest jewel she had ever seen in her life. she wore it daily over the tie in her hair until her thirtieth year, in which the clasp finally broke, before deciding instead to replace it with something less ostentatious for her day to day life. that didn’t mean the golden ring she chose to replace it was plain, of course, but it was a pleasant surprise to her that her neck no longer ached from carrying the weight of a ( potentially fake ) jewel the size of her fist upon her head every day.

she also, for a small amount of time as a teenager, braided it when going on a raid, or when she anticipated a fight might occur. at the bottom of her braid, over where her second tie laid, she would slip a heavy, spiked ring, also claimed on the above mentioned night, believing that being able to swing her head & let her braid & the weapon at the end of it take people out would be an intensely cool thing to do, & would be something which would gain her infamy. she discovered instead that more often than not, she ended up hurting herself, either by the weight of the ring pulling hair out of her head, her inability to aim correctly often resulting in just smacking herself with it, or the fact that it resulted in a very visible target for those she was trying to fight against. she tried it for two weeks, & now she pretends that it never happened. instead, when in battle now, she splits between her usual ponytail, or pulling it back into a tight bun, depending on how much time she has to prepare herself, & whether or not she will be armoured during the fight.

as mentioned, on special occasions, nabooru prefers to wear her hair down entirely. for ceremonies involving her role as chief of the gerudo, she ornaments her hair with a headpiece in the traditional gerudo style, made of gold, decorated with small precious stones, & held in place both by weaving it into her hair, & liberal use of golden hairpins. it’s a rather simple piece of jewellery, all things considered, golden tines forming a sort of halo behind her head, & on more solemn occasions, she ornaments it with a silk organza veil. when meeting with the other sages, & undertaking duties relating to them, she chooses a plain golden circlet to rest atop her head, & lets her hair hang loose. it’s a tradition she regrets starting, in truth, as it’s so long it’s quite annoying to deal with when left to its own devices, & she’s ripped more than enough out of her scalp by sitting on it without thinking, but rauru is something of a stickler for tradition, & she cannot be annoyed with his complaining should she change something on a whim.

as you can imagine, living in the desert is not especially kind on the body, & the hair is no exception; serums & potions for hair health are almost as coveted in the gerudo fortress as lotions for the skin. nabooru is quite particular about her personal hygiene, & her hair is no exception. she washes it as often as is feasible, though she will begrudgingly go without if the water supplies they have begin to run low, & uses whatever shampoo-adjacent products she can in an attempt to keep it sleek & clean. she also takes great care in trimming it, that there are no dead or split ends, & though it can take a great amount of time, she brushes it thoroughly every morning & every night. sleeping with sand in your hair is not a pleasant experience, & she does everything she possibly can to avoid it.

nabooru’s eyes are one of her most striking features. upturned & deep set, deep goldenrod in colour & heavily lidded, it’s often said that nabooru’s eyes burn bright with the ferocity of the spirit she carries inside her, & she would agree wholeheartedly with that statement. the lashes which surround them are not especially long, but they are surprisingly dark, giving her an unintentional yet permanently intense look, which does work in her favour - it’s hard to stand against her, be it in battle, or simply an argument over who gets the last bread roll, when her jaw is set & her eyes are dark, & flashing like lighting. make-up is, as with most cosmetics & luxuries, a rarity in the gerudo fortress, unless they deliberately set out to steal some, but when cosmetics meant for the eyes come in, nabooru is often one of the first to scavenge from the haul. she likes to paint her lids to emphasize her eye colour, as she believes that it, besides her hair, is her most defining feature.

for most of her life, nabooru’s eyes are of no concern to her - her vision from childhood is spectacular, & she earns praise for it & the accuracy it lends her when it comes to archery, as whilst her strength allows her to nock the bow & pull the string, it is the sight she possesses which lets her hit a target from fifty paces, or one which quickly flees from her, be it on foot or on horseback.

after she is released from twinrova’s brainwashing, nabooru begins to have problems with her sight, & she never pinpoints the source, but it manifests mostly in odd sightings at the edge of her peripheral vision which leaves her in a state of lowkey paranoia, & results in anxiety becoming the background radiation of much of her adult life. she can’t fully put a name to the things she sees - sometimes it looks like insects, sometimes formless shadows crashing into her line of sight, only to disappear with the turn of her head. she believes it to be residual dark magic, meant to torment her, but with no idea how to go about identifying it, let alone how to get rid of it, she tends not to speak of it. only those whom she loves & would trust with her life ever find out what it is which makes her jump with little provocation, what sends her head spinning like a top as she frantically tries to track that which has startled her.

at the tail end of her forties, nabooru’s sight begins to go. it starts with a gradual dimming at the corner of her vision ( though it does nothing to quell the appearance of the shadows ), & she invests in a set of eyeglasses, rimmed with gold, in order to help her see better, which gives her quite a distinguished appearance, in her opinion, but they are only a temporary measure - no healer can mix a potion strong enough to save her, & she resigns herself to the loss of her sight with as much grace as she can. she has seen the rise & fall & rise again of hyrule, the betrayal of her people & their redemption, seen her daughters’ smiling faces in the sunlight, & a world thought by many to be beyond mortal reach. she cannot deny, she has seen more than enough in her lifetime than others could in a thousand. she is seventy years old when her vision leaves her entirely, but she doesn’t let it get her down too much. she has faced every challenge life has thrown at her, & overcome them all, & the family & friends who surround her have been extraordinarily supportive since the day her vision began to fade. learning how to see with her hands won’t be easy, but she has never been one to back down from what is difficult, & she has excelled at most things she has tried her hand at ( or so she says. ) why should this be any different ?

though her sight disappears, her hearing is as sharp as ever, & it helps her in training young warriors in how to be stealthy. her not being able to see them means nothing. if she can hear them, they’re not good enough. it becomes a game for the children in the fortress, to try & sneak past her as quietly as they can, & her snaps & shouts when they inevitably fail results in plenty of laughter from all involved. everything has a silver living, as they say.

[zoran-royalty]

Just Once IV: Distant Friends

Rutara wasn’t fond of parties, if she was really being honest. She found most court parties to be stuffy, stifling affairs, and if she could have left without making some kind of political slight, she probably would have. Most of the time, anyway. Zelda was her best friend besides her brother, so she would make exceptions for her. After all, misery loves company.

At the moment, she was wearing a dress that was some sort of bizarre hybrid of Hylian high fashion and the distinct lack conventional clothing of the Zora. A fitted bodice and an open-front, sheer skirt. Its only positive point was that it accented her deep purple scales. She hated it, and made a great show of complaining about it while lying sprawled on Zelda’s gigantic bed.

Zelda had laughter in her voice when she said “Why don’t you just leave it here then and wear your sash?”

Rutara rolled over and rested on her elbows as she faced her friend. Thank goodness whoever designed this crazy garment at least had enough sense to cut the sleeves short enough to let her fins free. “Some suitor or other commissioned it for me. Father said I had to at least wear it once. Apparently it’s supposed to be wearable on land and in the water,” she gave a sharp smile, “We’ll see how it holds up hunting tomorrow.”

Zelda turned from her jewelry box, holding up two pairs of earrings and grinning. “I can already see you ‘accidentally’ ripping it on coral. Now, green or blue?”

Rutara looked Zelda up and down, contemplating. “Blue. They make your eyes look brighter.” She rolled onto her back again, reached out, and plucked a small chocolate off of the tray sitting on Zelda’s bed. “So,” she said around the candy in her mouth, “Who all is comin’ to this shindig?”

Zelda slumped forward and groaned. “The usual. Labrynnian delegates, the Holodrum royals, representatives from the major tribes of Hyrule—“

“Oh yeah, is the red-head coming?”

Zelda’s spine went rigid as her eyes widened. Rutara hadn’t meant to put her on edge with that question, but she had. “I… haven’t heard from him since his last letter, just before his coronation.”

“You didn’t go?” Rutara asked holding her arm up and inspecting her nails.

“Did you pay attention when we had to learn about the other Hyrulean cultures?” Zelda said with a hand on her hip, “Gerudo ceremonies are sacred and closed to outsiders.”

The Zora on her bed squinted and dropped her arm back to the bed. “Lame.”

Zelda sighed a bit, and turned back to her vanity. “Besides,” she spat bitterly, “I’m still not allowed to enter the desert. Even after Impa agreed to go with me, Father won’t let me go.”

Rutara hummed as she sat up and moved to get off the bed. She glanced towards Zelda’s balcony as she heard the telltale sound of hooves meeting the cobblestone of the road outside. “Fun topic time,” she said as she grabbed the tray of candy and then walked over to place a hand on Zelda’s shoulder. “Let’s watch the attendees come so we can make fun of their outfits while they can’t hear us.”

The Hylian princess allowed herself to relax as she laughed a bit, snatching one of the chocolates from the tray. “Deal.”

—

Ganondorf had honestly meant to write sooner, to tell his friend about everything that had happened since his coronation. However, there was a lot to cover, and he simply hadn’t had the time to devote to letters that he had in his youth. Suddenly being completely and utterly in charge of trade, guard schedules, diplomatic relations, training guidelines, and problem solving for his tribe had taken some getting used to, but he believed he was falling into stride. And, praise Din, the dark whispers from his childhood were less frequent when he threw himself into his work for his people.

Riding in his carriage, he held the formal invitation to Zelda’s party that was enclosed with her last letter. It had been about three months since she had written to him. Hopefully she would understand. Hopefully he wouldn’t cause too much of a stir at the party.

It had been ten years since he last set foot in Hyrule castle, and he and Aela hadn’t stayed long enough for Ganondorf to remember much of it. He and Aela both remembered being cold in the summer, so she had taken great lengths to have warmer clothing tailored for a winter celebration. He had been miserable when he first set out from the desert, but now he was thankful for the layers and furs his caretaker had procured. He would have to apologize for his whining later.

As he stepped out of the carriage, he marveled at the light dusting of snow in the courtyard. Everything glittered slightly in the light of the obscene number of torches lit throughout the castle grounds. He took a deep breath and did his best to look relaxed and non-threateneing. 

Still, the guards stiffened a bit as he approached. Ganondorf did his best to ignore the dark, indignant voice in the back of his mind as he showed his invitation.

—

“Oh! Oh! Ten o’clock!” Rutara exclaimed, elbowing Zelda, “Councilman Idris is wearing that dreadful hat from last year!”

The two girls descended into laughter as they gawked at the feathery monstrosity said councilman paraded around in. Zelda leaned forward a bit before pointing sharply at an approaching carriage. “Ten rupees says the Holodrum prince is wearing pink and green again,”

Rutela snorted. “He wore that at Rilan’s coming-of-age in summer,” she said, remembering her brother’s own party. “I say it’s purple and orange this time.”

As Zelda kept an eye on the Holodrum carriage, Rutara noticed another just entering the castle’s outer gate. As it rolled into the main grounds, She could just barely make out a seal she wasn’t as familiar with. She knew she had seen it before, and she mentally cycled through the tribes of Hyrule before it finally clicked in her mind.

“Called it!” Zelda exclaimed beside her, causing the Zora to jump. Indeed, the prince of Holodrum appeared to be in costume as a moldy wildberry, however Rutara had something else on her mind.

“C’mon!” Rutara said, grabbing Zelda’s wrist and half-dragging the Hylian princess off the balcony. Zelda stumbled as her friend pulled her, offering some— but not much—resistance.

“Where? Why—“ Zelda tried to form a proper question, but it was a bit hard with an energetic Zora weaving around her furniture and out to the hall.

“Trust me!”

—

The main hall of the castle was definitely the focal point of the party that night. The pillars, staircases, and railing of the balcony were bedecked in evergreen. Hundreds of lanterns had been strung throughout the space, and chandeliers blazed brightly. Everything was cast with a golden glow. This, coupled with a small group of court musicians playing cheery tunes, gave the hall a warm, comfortable atmosphere. Between two large staircases, space had been designated as a dance floor. The remainder of the space was filled with people, some sitting at tables and others walking around and mingling. Soft music from a string quartet filled the space above the idle chatter of guests.

Ganondorf tried to ignore the gawking stares as he made his way into the main hall. This was complicated by the fact that he was intently looking around for Zelda, despite having no idea how she had changed in the ten years since they last saw each other. A handful of the other guests would attempt to be friendly with the Gerudo king, however it was easy to see the fear in their eyes.

From the balcony above, Ganondorf just barely caught a flash of royal purple followed by blue and gold. He tried to focus on said flash, but it quickly wove through the crowds both on the upper floor and the staircase, so he made his way closer to where the flash was headed, hoping to see it better.

—

Rutara, it seemed, was as adept at swimming through crowds as she was through water. At least thrice, Zelda would’ve lost the Zora had either of them not maintained an iron grip on the other.

Despite some indignation at being dragged around like this at her own birthday ball, Zelda couldn’t help but smile as her friend led her through small breaks in the crowds. It almost seemed like a complicated dance as they read the movements of the people around them to find gaps in the throng.

As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, Rutara suddenly stopped. Once Zelda’s momentum carried her passed her friend, the Zora shoved her even farther forward. Zelda laughed and turned back towards her friend. “Ruta—!” she called in mock-indignation.

Rutara simply smirked, pointed ahead of where she had shoved Zelda, and dashed off again.

Oh.

—

Oh.

It had been about ten years since he had seen her. Whenever Ganondorf had pictured Zelda, she had started that sweet six-year-old. As they wrote to each other and grew, he started envisioning how he thought she looked. He pictured her closer to the height of his cousins, but maybe a bit more delicate. Still, how he thought of her still tended to skew younger. But the young woman in front of him?

She’s beautiful.

She was a picture of grace. A goddess given mortal form.

He heard a dark chuckle. You’re not entirely wrong. 

Just for tonight, the young king thought, let me be.

—

He had grown taller than she expected. His fiery red hair was pulled back by the traditional Gerudo headpiece. Even through the finery he wore, Zelda could see he had grown strong as well. However not everything had changed, his eyes were still that soft gold, even if they looked a bit harder than they had when they were children.

She had changed too. Ganondorf saw she held herself with a grace that hadn’t existed in their childhood. Delicate, but wise. She held a power different than his, but just as strong.

For a moment, they just stared at each other, content in seeing each other again. When the musicians struck up a new tune, the trance was broken, and Ganondorf and Zelda broke into wide smiles.

“Would you care to dance, Princess?” Ganondorf said softly.

“It would be my pleasure.

[obviouslyelementary]

If memories could speak

If memories could speak...

Mine would be saying...

I loved you.

 “Good luck sealing the darkness!”

Revali flapped his wings once more, using the whirlwind to his advantage to go all the way up Vah Medoh. Upon looking back one more time, he saw the Hero calmly staring back, and then slowly retrieving from his spot towards the village.

Revali let out a loud, deep sigh upon reaching the divine beast, landing on its left wing and watching from above everything surrounding the region, or more specifically, the village itself, with little to no detail on its habitants.

Why couldn’t he ever come to terms with himself?

“Bird boy?!”

Revali groaned and sighed again as he heard Daruk’s loud voice coming from the main pillar of Medoh. He flew over, touching the pedestal and closing his eyes.

“Do not call me bird boy” he growled to the goron. He was still very uncertain of how the divine beasts could communicate, even if they were several kilometers apart. “What do you want?”

“Apologizes, Revali” Daruk responded. “I was just wondering, since you were the first champion to connect with your divine beast, if you could give me some advice on my own! Rudania is very… unpredictable”

“Luckily for you and your own species that you are all made of rock” he said and chuckled at Daruk’s confused hum. “What did it break this time?”

“It broke part of the volcano, and it went flying all the way down to the northern mine” Daruk grumbled, and Revali hummed. “Anyway, can you help? If you are busy, because I have heard that the princess is around Rito village, I can just call Mipha or Urbosa”

“There is no need. I am not accompanying the princess or her… knight” he said, face showing a displeased frown. Not only his face seemed to be showing his unhappiness, since Daruk hummed on the other side.

“Hey Revali, I know you are the champion and all, such as I am, and it is pretty obvious that you do not like Link, but you need to give him a break” he said, firmly, and Revali furrowed his eyebrows.

“Why? Isn’t he the hero almighty? He should be able to deal with a few of my teasing if he wants to defeat the Calamity. At least that” he huffed. “Besides, he should really be battling all of us, so we could see his… true potential. If he cannot defeat the champions, he is not fit to seal the darkness”

“You Ritos may say our heads are as empty as our stomachs, but your hearts are as harsh and pointy as your beaks” Daruk said, clearly angry and disappointed. Revali’s eyes opened in surprise, before his hand curled up over the pedestal in anger.

“If you think that, go to those softies you call friends for help” he answered, his eyes still opened and connected to Medoh. Upon retrieving his hand from the pedestal, his accumulated anger made the beast rise in the sky, fast and far, and Revali’s own body fell to the ground at the strength of gravity as it moved up. With his hand still curled into a fist and his brain burning with anger, he didn’t let the situation with Medoh worry him.

He just stood once it stopped and walked towards the edge of the beast, now seeing nothing but clouds and the peak of Hebra’s mountain.

As he looked down, he knew under him and Medoh was Rito village, far under the clouds. He growled as he sat down, legs dangling outside as he crossed his wings over his chest, still thinking about the goron’s words. He did not mean to dwell on them, what good would it do? But they seemed… so familiar. So alike words he had heard before… words that… had surely being spoken to hurt.

He knew Daruk had a heart as warm as the Death Mountain itself. It wasn’t possible for him to… be so mean deliberately. He meant something beyond what he had said, but as usual to gorons, he wasn’t able to fully put his message across.

However in the back of Revali’s mind, those words kept repeating themselves with another voice, another tone, and not about the ritos as a species, but about himself… as an individual.

At the time he heard them for the first time, he was but a child. He had cried, alone, on the top of Rito village.

Now, however, he was older. Wiser. Stronger. And those words couldn’t defeat him so easily.

Just like his feelings couldn’t control him.

Even if they really wanted to.

  Upon seeing you in my memories…

Through my eyes…

You will know

 They were united once again, now because Daruk had had the wonderful idea of a gathering between champions.

Revali did not want to go. He didn’t wish to be there. He was tired from his constant training and usage of Medoh, and he didn’t even like the rest of the champions. However, there he was, sitting between Urbosa and Mipha, staring at the fire in front of them.

Had the gerudo chief not threatened to burn all his scarves, he wouldn’t have come. What choice did we have?

“How… long are you planning for this trip to be, Daruk?” The princess asked, her voice always soft and sweet. At least when she talked to the goron, that was. Daruk smiled, wide, and Revali held back the need to cringe.

“At least a week, little princess! Urbosa and I think it is important for all six of us to try and connect with each other before anything happens!” he said, always optimistic. Urbosa nodded.

“Indeed. We must know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and be at least a little in tune with each other’s ways of living, acting and culture. That is how I see it at least” she said, smiling at the princess. She smiled back, and nodded.

“Yes! And while together, we can also discuss about how the beasts are going, if there is anything wrong with them or any requests from your towns, as well as how this slate actually works” she said, happily, pulling out the Sheika Slate from her pocket. Revali huffed quietly and rolled his eyes, looking away onto the hills ahead, watching as the moon and the stars seemed to slowly move in relation to it.

“Well… then I suppose, we should tell each other a little about ourselves!” Mipha said, smiling, and all the rest agreed. Revali tried not to show his lack of interest, really not in the mood for unnecessary fights or disagreements that night, and as he moved his head to pretend to pay attention, his eyes drifted to Link.

Link, the hero, Hyrule’s mightiest knight. Who, unlike the rest, seemed just as interested in that gathering as Revali himself, staring down at the ground under his feet, scratching the surface as he leaned on one leg, the other lazily laid on the ground on a triangular formation.

If not bored, he seemed contemplative.

“Why doesn’t our favorite bird boy start?” Daruk offered, smile still big, and Revali felt his wings puffing up as he looked up at the goron.

“Don’t call me bird boy!” he said, loudly, slamming his wings on the ground. It made a slight wind effect, that made Mipha gasp and Zelda laugh.

Link, for the first time that night, looked up.

“Calm down there, hurricane” Urbosa teased. “Tell us a bit about yourself”

“I do not have anything to tell that you all don’t already know” he said, wiping his wings and relaxing before placing his right hand over his chest and lifting his face. “I am Revali, the champion of Rito village, the Rito’s mightiest warrior, master in the arch and bow and the first and only to be able to propel myself upwards with my own special technique! I am the most intelligent, strong and fierce r-”

“Okay okay” Zelda interrupted, and all the eyes went to her, even his own. She was smirking. “Whatever, mister all mighty. Now tell us what we want to hear. The juicy details”

Revali’s wing slowly came to rest on his crossed legs. Juicy… details?

“Yes! A champion such as yourself must have a lot of fun and interesting stories to tell!” Mipha agreed, smile always sweet. Too sweet. “Maybe about… about romances!”

“Or about failures” Zelda added, chuckling, and Revali could feel his cheek feathers puffing up.

“Maybe some stories your parents told you as a child? That inspired you to become what you are” Urbosa complimented, her smile serene as her figure.

“Or friends you may have made! People who were important for your growth!” Daruk continued along. The three champions and the princess were staring at him with quite some… anticipation in their eyes.

He turned to Link, waiting for some commentary by the Hero’s part.

Link just tilted his head.

It seemed like he was asking all those questions at once.

“Fine” he sighed and crossed his wings once again, face turning away from them all, eyes closing and then opening again to stare down at them. “Which one of those you… wish to know first?”

“Anything you are willing to tell” Urbosa said, nodding towards him. All their eyes were fixed on him as they waited. Even Link’s.

“Well… as most of you can probably expect, I did not have that many friends” he said, and Zelda chuckled.

“I wonder why” she said and he glared at her.

“Do you wish to tell my story for me, princess?” he asked, rudely, and she waved her hand.

“No no, of course not. Keep going” she encouraged and he sighed before returning his eyes to the skies and his attention to the stories.

“As I was saying… I did not have many friends” he said, again, and this time no one interrupted. “And unlike what you may think, it was because I was… extremely shy”

“Shy?” Urbosa asked, and Mipha’s eyes widened a bit.

“I cannot imagine how a shy Revali would be like” she giggled and he looked over at her.

“Perhaps more or less like you” he smirked and she blushed ever so lightly. “Anyway. Yes. I was shy. Shy and quiet, specially for a rito. I know it is more common for us ritos to be loud and obnoxious, as we are told by basically every single other species, but… in my case, I was collected, shy, did not sing as much as the other children in the village, or adults. I found more pleasure in staying inside my shack and reading old text books about the olden days. From the evolution from zoras to ritos and how our communities grew apart and came to be as a whole”

“So you know at least a bit of zoras culture” Mipha said, smiling, and he nodded.

“Yes, of course. Our cultures don’t diverge that much, no matter how many thousands of years have set us apart” he said, smiling a bit at the zora. Then, he returned his attention to the rest of the group. “I grew, because of my ways, a bit far away from the others. I did not mind it one bit, but my parents were sociable and they complained quite often about my lack of interest for the present and fascination for the past. We grew apart as a family, and the entire village knew about it. Those weren’t very fun times for me, I must say, but I overcame them easily. For the rest, I had a normal youth. I started to train to become a warrior very early in age, after my father suffered many injuries after a battle with the Yiga clan. I became an expert with the bow and sooner than later, I was the best warrior the village had ever had. I mastered the wind and the sky and by my own training, I was able to create what I now call Revali’s Gale, the whirlwind. Now I can fly up as much as I want, without any help” he smiled, proudly, and Zelda hummed.

“Interesting story. What about girlfriends? Boyfriends?” she asked, bluntly, and he felt his cheek wings puffing again.

“What?”

“Relationships. Romances. Courtships. Those things. Don’t you ritos have rituals or something?” she asked, and Mipha beamed.

“Yes! In zora culture, we ladies make an armor to our possible husband, to ask them to marry us!” she said, happily, and Revali raised his eyebrow slowly.

“We have rituals but I have never participated in one. I used all my time to practice to be a warrior and never had time to court anyone. And in rito culture, if you are older than 12, you certainly do not have any chances for courtship. So I never truly even tried. Despite of not having anyone I wanted to try it with” he shrugged, and Urbosa chuckled.

“I see your struggle. When I told the rest of my clan I did not wish to marry any hylian or anyone by that sort, they did not comprehend. Now they have accepted it, but they still think it is absurd that I don’t have at least an heir to the throne, despite the fact that I have already chosen my successor.” She chuckled and Daruk laughed.

“You would find yourself quite comfortable in Goron city then, Urbosa! We do not marry nor have any mating rituals! Any new integrant of our species is born from a rock of our own choice! Any and all gorons have the ability to give life to rocks, and from there, our species continues!” he said, happily, and Zelda hummed in interest.

“Have you ever been with anyone, princess?” Mipha asked, shyly, fiddling with her tail, and Zelda blushed ever so slightly before shrugging.

“Oh no. Give us the details now” Urbosa said, poking her, and Daruk nodded.

“You made Revali speak, now let it out, little princess!”

“Ugh fine!” she said and scratched the back of her head. “I may have had a few… datemates here and there… but not many! And most innocent!” she said, and regretted it immediately.

“Most?” Revali asked, smirking, and she blushed even more, making all the rest laugh. All the rest but Link. He caught Mipha’s quick glance to the hero and hummed. “What about you, Mipha?”

“M-me?” she squeaked out, and he nodded. “O-oh well I…”

“Come on, Mipha!” Zelda said, quickly, wanting to stay out of the conversation again. Mipha blushed more and looked down at her hand nervously.

“I…”

She gasped when Link placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded. She smiled and took a deep breath,  and for some reason, the simple gesture made Revali’s blood boil.

Not until that moment he had felt anger towards Link. Now he was, and for unknown reasons.

“I have… I have courted some… someone before, but I don’t think he… he ever noticed” Mipha said, shyly, and Revali rolled his eyes.

“Well then you should tell him!” Daruk said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Revali looked at the sky again, annoyed. They were all so… innocent and stupid.

It was so obvious. Didn’t they know?

“Will you make him an armor?” Urbosa asked, curiously, and Mipha nodded quickly.

“It is… already being made” she smiled and Zelda clapped her hands.

“Very good! Someone with courage around here!” she said, and Mipha giggled in a thankful manner.

“What about you, Link?”

Revali slowly turned his gaze to the hero at Urbosa’s question. All eyes were focused on Link as he stared at the gerudo chief.

He shook his head, and she chuckled.

“A man of few words” she said, and Link shrugged.

“Come on little guy, open up a bit more” Daruk pushed, smiling, and Link looked at him before lifting his hands.

‘Had no time. Lessons and sword training together with knight practice and endurance tests didn’t let me think about those things’ he signed.

Somehow… Revali’s chest squeezed with a sad familiarity.

“You weren’t like that as a child though” Mipha said, and Link looked at her. His eyes seemed to smile, but his mouth did not move.

‘Yes. I was a happy, excited child. Sometimes, I miss those days, but not usually. I like my job’.

Revali’s side glance caught the princess holding her hand over her heart, and her eyes avert to the ground, in a gesture that he was unsure if it was guilt or rage.

In each case, it didn’t matter. The feeling was mutual all around the fire.

  My feelings fled with the winds…

And yet do you even remember…

What we went through?

 “You again?”

Revali raised his eyebrow as he saw Link once more in the platform, staring at nothing as he probably waited. He sighed when the hero turned to face him, raising an eyebrow of his own.

‘The princess is looking for you’.

“And?”

‘If you want me away from the village, you should go talk to her’.

“As much as I want you as far away from me as possible, I would rather have you for an entire week than talking to her” Revali said, crossing his arms and staring to the mountains beyond their view. Link moved away from the edge, closer to Revali himself.

‘She told me you are having problems with Medoh. That is why she came’

“I am having no problems with the beast, thank her very much. Now if you would just find her and leave, that would be a pleasure on my part” he said, looking at Link, or rather down at him, his beak high. Link just stared back for a few seconds.

‘You know it is not the end of the world if Medoh isn’t working right, right? You know it isn’t necessarily your fault’ he signed, and Revali felt his blood boiling again.

“I know that very well!” he said, loudly, wings puffing up slightly. Link tilted his head. “And I also know that Medoh and I are doing just fine!”

“I am glad to hear it, but that is a lie” he heard Zelda saying, and Revali took a deep breath before slowly turning around to face her, a smirk appearing on his beak. “I have been talking to the elder, and he agrees that something is wrong. Could you stop being so full of yourself and just show us what is wrong so perhaps we can fix it?”

Revali held back a sigh of frustration and bowed, oh so sarcastically.

“It will be my pleasure” he said and looked up at her before spreading his wings and making a whirlwind upwards. He flew off and she gasped as he went right to Medoh.

“Revali! Wait!” she screamed out before she growled. “Oh my Hylia! He is so petulant and so annoying!”

Revali smirked from up there, laughing to himself as he landed on Vah Medoh and stared down to them. There was no one any one of them could get to Medoh now. They would have to wait for his own good will to stop it at the top of the village, and then they would have to climb, because he wouldn’t bring anyone aboard.

After laughing for a while longer, he left to the Flight Range, leaving Medoh in the air. There, he trained for long hours, only stopping sometimes to eat and rest. One of those times, he sat down, gathering his ingredients to make a delicious berry pie, and it wasn’t until he was halfway done when he started to hear the sound of wood breaking.

Curious and suspicious, he stood and moved to the edge of the shack, letting out a revolted and angry gasp as he saw no one other than the knight himself using his stupid paraglider to fly around the range, shooting the targets with a lesser bow.

“What are you doing?!” he asked, angrily, barely screaming. Link shoot the last target before using his glider to glide all the way towards the shack. “Who told you you could come here?! Why haven’t you left already?!”

Link dropped from the paraglider and out it next to himself, taking the snow off his clothes and then looking at Revali with his same old neutral expression.

‘The princess hasn’t left. She is asleep by now, or writing her journal. She is waiting for you to show her Medoh. As to me, I was not tired enough to sleep, and the elder recommended this place’

Sometimes… no, he wanted to kill that old owl all the time.

“Well, you can’t. Now go back to the village, I am training here” he said, coldly, and Link stared at him, before raising his eyebrow.

‘I thought here would be a great place to settle our rivalry’ he signed, and a hit of a smile curled up on his mouth. Revali was… astonished by it, but made no comments.

“W-what? Why?” he asked, confused and suspicious, eyes narrowing, but Link simply shrugged.

‘Didn’t you say you wanted to settle this? One on one? See who is the best warrior? Why not today? This way, we can finally be done with it’

“Aren’t you afraid of losing?” he asked, and Link actually smiled.

His smile provoked the most weird sensations inside Revali’s chest.

‘Why would I? If I lose this battle, I could finally win a friend’ he signed, the smile never leaving his face.

It was so sweet… it fit his face so much…

“A… friend...?”

‘You’

“There you are!” Zelda’s voice came as an avalanche to Revali’s years, making him turn around quickly and frown as she climbed upstairs. Link was quick to rush towards her, but she just pointed her finger at him. “You shouldn’t be here! You should be in bed!”

“Calm down, princess. I called him here” Revali caught himself lying, and Link looked ta him surprised as she turned to face him, eyes narrowed, angry.

“Oh. I see. So you ignore me and my pleas to go see Medoh but you call Link at the darkness of night to have a little brawl?” she asked, and then chuckled. “I should have expected as such. Fine. But if tomorrow you don’t show me Medoh, I will talk to my father about your behavior!”

“Fine. It is not like I own your father any answers to my actions” Revali said, easily, and she frowned.

“He is your king!”

“He is your king. He is my nothing” he said and grabbed his bow. “Now if you two excuse me, I need to practice”

Without any more words, Revali flew off, grabbing the bow with his claws and flying away towards the night sky. He flew as high as he could, stopping at the top of the mountain close to the flight range, watching the beacon of light that Zelda’s torch emitted in the darkness.

He curled up on the peak, wrapping his wings around his legs and staring as they walked all the way back to the village.

For some reason, the thought of the two alone together made him extremely angry.

In the next day, he would show Zelda the problems Medoh was having.

That way, they could leave all the sooner.

   There were others like me…

Who saw you smile…

But do you remember?

 “Where is Link?” Mipha asked as, once again, the champions and the princess were united around a fire to have their bonding moments.

“My father said he is grieving” the princess said, poking the fire with a stick. All guardians frowned, Revali included.

“What for?” Daruk asked, and Zelda sighed.

“His father… is diseased” she mumbled, seeming way too upset. That was not very usual of her. Urbosa slowly caressed her hair, and Mipha gasped.

“Oh no… should we go comfort him?” she asked, worriedly, and Zelda shook her head.

“I don’t think we could, even if we should. He left this morning after the nurses were certain. We haven’t seen him since” she mumbled, and Revali frowned deeply.

“What do you mean? The hero hasn’t been seen for an entire day and no one is after him?” he asked, with a bit more concern than he had anticipated. Zelda lifted her head and furrowed her eyebrows.

“Do you think we haven’t looked?” she asked, almost angry, and Revali stared right at her. “You think we would just let him go and not do anything about it? There were several guards sent to look, but no one was able to find him. He is an expert in stealth and Hyrule is enormous. But if you think we are making such a poor job, you might as well go and look for him yourself!” she said, loud now, and crossed her arms, looking away from him. Revali frowned and stood up.

“Fine. I will” he said, and before anyone could tell him no, he was already flying away.

Worry was settling on his stomach, and he did not feel good. At all.

The winds guided him around the plains they were camping. He flew up in the sky and looked around, as far as he could see, before heading towards Hyrule castle.

His intentions were good, but he had no idea how to find the hero of Hyrule. Where he could be. He knew nothing of the boy.

He flew around the regions surrounding Castle Town for the entire night. He did not return to the camp, and didn’t make any attempts of contacting the others.

It was already hard enough to find Link on his own, imagine with the other’s help.

At some point, he found himself heading to Zora’s domain, and stopped once he arrived, looking around at the empty bridges. He frowned, but kept walking, slowly, towards the king’s  room.

The king, as usual, was there, despite of apparently all his guards were missing.

“Revali, the Rito Champion” he said, and Revali bowed slowly.

“Sir. I am looking for Link, the hero. Have you seen him anywhere? Has he been through the surroundings of your domain?” he asked, politely, and the king shook his head.

“Unfortunately, no. All my guards are after him as well, by my daughter’s demand. However, since I have known that boy, he has always been fond of forest areas. If I were you, I would look around them”

Revali hummed and nodded, bowing and saying goodbye. As he walked away, however, he saw by the corner of his eyes an open room. Upon coming closer and checking inside, he found an almost perfect zora armor.

Mipha had been wanting to ask someone to marry her… she had been waiting to ask Link to marry her…

Revali had never though she was actually serious about it. However, there he was, seeing the concrete proof.

And there it was, the burning in his veins, again.

The reason becoming clearer and clearer in his mind.

  People did not stay between us, however…

I stayed between us…

Forgive me

 The threat was closer and closer from erupting. Chaos ruled  the land of Hyrule, together with fear and hope.

The princess still had one fountain to visit. She was about to, in a few weeks, on the day of her birth. Before that, however, she was spending some time with the divine beasts and their champions, just to make sure everything was in order.

“You do not need to worry, little princess” Daruk informed as she ran around Rudania, checking every single plug or screw. “This beast will be ready to destroy Ganon, at your command!”

“I-I know” she said, sighing, and all the champions watched her as she sat down by a door, holding her own hands. “I know… But… this makes me more comfortable.”

“You shouldn’t be overthinking it. Your father is making you mad” Urbosa said, clearly angry, but Zelda shook her head. She seemed terrified.

“He is right. I need… I must be able to awaken my powers before… before…”

Link walked forward through them and placed his hands on her shoulders. She looked up with a soft gasp, and then looked at him, tears in her bright green eyes. He smiled at her, and gently wiped her tears away with his thumb.

He did not need to speak, or sign, to make himself be understood.

“He is right. You shouldn’t worry” Urbosa said, and Link nodded as Zelda sniffled and a small smile curled up on her face.

“Why are you so good to me, when all I did was be rude to you?” she asked, softly, and looked at his face again. Link simply smiled. He seemed so… calm. They were all terrified. But Link… Link seemed to know what would happen. Only someone with a clear vision of the future could be so calm at times like those.

That night, they all slept by the stable close to the mountain. They did not sleep at the stable, but outside, around some type of forest in the area. Zelda was the first to fall asleep, followed by Daruk and then Urbosa. Revali pretended to sleep, but was unable to. Mipha and Link stayed awake for quite a while.

“Are you sure you are okay?” he heard Mipha ask at some point. Upon her sigh, he figured he had nodded. “You… you know you can count on me to help you with anything you need, right?”

More silence. This time, she didn’t answer either. Both of them stayed silent.

Then, he heard steps moving away from the camp. He opened his eyes and saw Link walking away. Away from the stable, and away from the group.

Revali checked to see if Mipha was still awake, and waited. Once she had fallen silent, he stood, and made his way towards where Link had left to.

Not many minutes later, he found the hero by one of the goron’s warm lakes. He was staring at the warm water, only his feet inside of it, sword placed comfortably next to him.

“Mind some company?” he asked, and Link looked at him, before he smiled and shook his head. Slowly, he headed towards him, sitting down with his legs crossed, away from the water. “What are you doing out here, so late?”

Revali did not expect an answer.

“Thinking. How about you?”

He took a moment to answer. His ears collected the sound of Link’s voice as it entered them, making almost all the feathers in his body move. He had never heard something so sweet… calm… kind… He could describe the voice for ages, if allowed.

“Couldn’t sleep” he said, and Link hummed, nodding. “What are you thinking about? Ganon?”

“No” he answered, his voice a bit raspy for not using it for a while. “I am thinking about all the foods I did not get to eat”

Revali chuckled quietly as he stared at the water in front of them. Typical.

“You still have time. And it is not like these are the last weeks of our lives” he said. He was trying to stay positive. That was not his forte, he realized. Link just chuckled.

“If I go to your village in one of these last weeks, will you make me some food?” he asked, turning his gaze, and Revali met it.

“Sure. Anything you desire”

“Revali… are we friends?”

He stopped, and looked at Link, a sad sile growing on his face.

“We don’t have time for that”

Link looked at him and then hummed, nodding and looking away again.

He did not speak again.

  She knew, she knew, they all knew…

They all, but not you…

Forgive me

 “Tell him”

Revali looked at the princess as she grabbed him by his scarf. He stared down at her, offended.

“Excuse me?”

“Tell him, Revali” she repeated. “Tell Link how you feel”

He stared at her and then chuckled loudly.

“Really? I don’t know what all the pressure is doing to you, but you are crazy, your h-”

“Don’t do this right now” she said firmly, and pulled him closer until they were nose to beak. “Tell him. Before it’s too late” she said and then pushed him away, making him almost fall.

Then, she walked away, and left Revali all alone.

Perhaps… perhaps she was right.

  I’m sorry…

I’m sorry…

Forgive me…

 “I should have told him”

“I should have told him”

“I should have…”

Another hurricane passed by his hiding spot, making him gasp and recoil some more.

He could see those little machines surrounding the area, trying to locate him.

Revali closed his eyes and took at deep breath. The world was doomed. He couldn’t even defeat part of Ganon. How had he dared say he could be the hero?

It didn’t matter. Not now.

As he closed his eyes, all he could do was wish Link good luck.

And then, it was all gone.

  I’m sorry…

Forgive me…

Remember me…

 “The princess has been waiting an awfully long time…” he said, to the sky, as Link became a spot of light and left Vah Medoh forever.

Revali watched as the light went down to the peak of the Rito village, and kept looking as Link made use of his gift for the first time and flew off with no second glance, no hesitation, ready for a new adventure after one hundred years of deep, deep slumber.

He turned towards the castle and pet Medoh gently.

“You were right, princess… I should have told him. But now, it is too late. Hang on tight. He is coming to save you…”

  “I... I am sorry, Mipha”

The princess of the zora stared at Link as she held out to him the armor of courtship. Her eyes filled up with tears, and she pulled it away.

“You… you love someone else, don’t you?” she whispered, looking down, and he sighed.

“Yes… forgive me…”

“It is… it is okay… I knew as much” she whispered and looked up, smiling weakly. “I hope Revali loves you all the same”

Link smiled weakly.

“He doesn’t know just yet”

[wandering-chronicler-blog]

The Wolf of Farore - Chapter 26

An Ongoing Zelda/Witcher Fusion Fic - Updates Wednesdays/Thursdays

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AUTHOR NOTE:  11-1-2017:  So here it is, the end of the first season!  I want to give a HUGE thank you to everyone who has left likes or reblooged in the weeks I’ve been posting.  It’s been a helluva an adventure and I am thankful to everyone who has enjoyed it. 

Special thanks to @mittensmcedgelord and @ladykuro for their support and @rapididous for their repeated likes of the series.

We’re not finished though!  I’ll be doing a Q&A for the next couple weeks and taking a few requests for writing related to the setting!  So if there’s something you want to learn more about or an idea you want to see, now’s your chance!  The ask box is open and though I can’t promise I’ll do ALL the requests I get or answer ALL the questions, I’ll do my very best to get the big ones.

And without further ado, the end of the first season of The Wolf of Farore...

Summary:

War has come to The Kingdom of Hyrule.  The people cry for a savior as monsters and spirits stalk the once green fields of the provinces.  Famine grips the populace as the Gerudo Tribes and their blin allies strike along the borders.  Hope for peace begins to drown in the blood spilled in No Man’s Land.  But Hyrule doesn’t need another hero.  It needs a professional.

The Story So Far:

Vaati proved cagey as always, but gave Link and Midna the vital piece of information they needed to get The Ocarina of Time and break the curse.  Getting out however proved more problematic, but not impossible...

CHAPTER 26:  SEE YOU LATER

Getting out was simpler than he had thought. It was something he wasn’t sure he was happy about, but thankful at least it hadn’t been as chaotic as he had expected it to be. The guards hadn’t heard what had happened and by the time they likely did, he’d already put a great deal of distance between himself and the castle. The illusion Midna had put around him had been released as soon as they were a mile from the castle. They did slow, but didn’t stop until the moon had started to rise and the clouds started to open with rain. Link was thankful his companion hadn’t insisted they stop so they could get her spellwork prepared so she could go home. He was afraid that if they had, it would give their pursuers a chance to catch up.

Their camp was in a dried riverbed with an old stone bridge across it, concealing them from most possible attacks. Epona grazed nearby as Link set a fire. His eyelids were heavy and he kept going through his head the events of the day. It had been long and he knew he’d have to continue on the run again once this was done. A plan had already started to form in his head, but he would need to make sure Epona was safe. He inspected some of the supplies he had along with a couple rabbits he’d caught and skinned that were now over a spit on a fire. He heard a yawn from his shadow then and glanced in its direction. Against the wall under the bridge Midna sat, huddled a bit as a cloak formed around her. She pulled it around herself and rubbed an eye once done.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” she said, sounding exhausted still. “Promise me you’re not gonna need me to do that much magic again anytime soon.”

“Shouldn’t. But we missed our window for you to go home.” He pulled some rations from one of Epona’s saddlebags and walked back to the fire.

“Always the morning. I need to set up my circle to warp me back anyways.” She rolled her head on her shoulders a little before getting to her feet. “What’s for dinner?”

“Rabbits and some apples I found. We have some water too.”

“Well, really know what a girl likes.” She flicked a hand and with a snap of her fingers one of the dark crystals appeared. It floated down into the dirt and began to draw an intricate pattern on the ground. Teal light flickered from it as did so.

“Heh.” He glanced over for a minute to watch her work before tending to the rabbits and skewering the apples he’d found on a couple sticks. “How’re you feeling?”

“Exhausted, but glad to be myself again.” While the crystal did its work she reformed the mask they’d gained from the curse. “Glad that song worked. Wonder if it’d break other ones too.”

He nodded a little as he sat and watched the flickering flames. “We got lucky.”

“You’re telling me…” She made the mask turn so she could face it. “Ugh, we should throw this on the fire. The curse is contained in this thing now.”

“So if someone were to put it on again…”

“They’d turn into an imp.” Her eyes sparkled for a moment. Link regretted his question when he caught it. “Although… This did have its uses. And if it’s contained in a mask, it should be safe to use and the wearer would just have to take their face off again to return to normal…”

He sighed as he shook his head and turned back to the fire and the other end of the bridge. “Mid…”

She snapped her fingers and the mask vanished. “I’m not gonna be putting it on any time soon if that’s what you’re worried about.” There was a smirk on her lips. “I spent way too much time stuck like that. I can still sense the magic in there. Dark but contained. I’ll take it back to look at closer with the book you want translated. And if it’s really as dangerous as the magic that made it, I’ll destroy it myself.”

“Okay.” He inspected one of the rabbits and carefully removed it before cutting the meat off it into a small bowl with a fork. He offered it to her then. “So, looking forward to going home?”

She sat down next to him and took the bowl. “Yeah. My own bed. Not having to hear long-winded gorons on sky tribes… But then there’s the politics and some days I feel like I’m just banging my damn head against a wall with some of the nobles and other clans.” Midna shook her head as he offered the ration. She snatched it quickly. “Like this entire mess with Majora’s Mask. We could’ve handled it if we were working together. And I’m already thinking of the aftermath of this.”

“Not going to go over well?”

“Probably not…” She took a bite of her meal. “First it’s going to be who let that bastard get the mask out of there in the first place. Then it’s going to boil into a debate about if we should even be keeping these sort of things or just destroy them. Then there’s going to be talk about if he was right to act against the Light World or we should have intervened anyways to keep him from doing something to give your people a reason to try and attack us…” Midna let out a groan. “And then there’s gonna be talk about why the king’s only daughter hasn’t been married off to some sorcerer prince yet to keep her from doing something ‘dangerous and reckless’ like this all over again…”

Link grabbed a bowl for himself and stripped the meat off the other rabbit into it. “I’m getting a distinct feeling of repeating the aftermath of The Conjunction.” He picked a piece out and slipped it in his mouth.

“At least there it was all just a natural disaster. No one party causing the problems so once all the evidence came to light the finger pointing stopped.” She shook her head. “Not gonna happen this time though.” She took another bite and swallowed quickly. It was quiet for a minute then. The sounds of rain pattering and crackle of firewood the only things they heard. “There’s going to…”

“MId.”

She looked over as she stopped to finish her meal.

He looked her in the eye, resting his arms on his knees. “Do you really want to spend the next couple hours before we start taking turns on watch talking about politics?”

The twili let out a sigh. “No. Not really…” She looked back to the fire. “I live for my people, you know that. But I’m just so sick of putting up with some of the crap that goes on. And wearing that stupid mask. The whole regal ruler one and… And it makes me want to scream sometimes. You’ve probably seen a lot of that here. When you were working for The Crown anyways.”

He interrupted her. It earned him an annoyed glare, but it vanished when he’d finished talking. “Then we’re changing topics.” Link moved slightly on the ground to get a little more comfortable.

The wood crackled on the fire. “Got one?”

He nodded. “When you showed me the sign. The snare. I saw others in there. Was that you learning how to do it?”

“Yeah. It was. You saw exactly what it took me months to learn in a few seconds.” She finished her dinner then and licked her fingers. “Really glad you picked it up as quick as you did too. Must be that hylian blood in you. A regular human would have a harder time.”

“Could be the mutations too,” he said while chewing. “I’ve had them since I was ten.”

She looked at him with surprise then. He glanced up to see her mouth open. “Ten years old?”

“Mmhmm.” He swallowed. “You didn’t know?”

“I thought you were a little older at least. Still a child, but…”

He grabbed his canteen from his belt and took the top off. “Nope. They needed it done earlier on. Before puberty so my body could properly adapt to the potions I use and increase the other physical aspects.” He began to hear the screams and the feelings of The Change in his muscles and lungs. There had also been the pain as the tower mages worked their magic to ensure he survived the process. Link winced a little and looked at the canteen in his hand. He took a swig from it and offered it to her. “I… I didn’t know you danced.”

Her lips curled into a smirk as she made the canteen float into her right hand. “Yep. Everyone needs a hobby. My wolves just are something that works with my magic too.” Midna moved to have her arms around her legs and huddled a little closer to the fire. Dark magic flowed out of her fingers and in moments one of her wolves appeared. It stalked out of the darkness, illuminated by the teal markings and glowing eyes. It came over and nudged her with its nose. She began to pet it as it lay down. “I’ll have them watch as I’m exhausted. Besides, they don’t’ need sleep.”

“Clever.”

“They’ve done it before too.” She took a sip of water from the canteen.

“I know.”

She scratched the twilit wolf behind one of its ears and passed the canteen back to him. “Well, I didn’t know you had any musical talent.”

“My ocarina got taken when Hilda’s guards locked me and Ravio in the dungeon you found us in.” He took another drink from his canteen. “One of them dropped it with my other belongings and it shattered. I’m a bit out of practice with it though.” He began to chuckle.

The wolf looked up at him. One ear lowered itself slightly while the other remained upright. Midna began to scratch behind its lowered ear and the wolf began to cock its head to that side. “What?” she asked.

“Vaati.” He laughed a little more. “Vaati is in the room I was in before I got thrown in the cell you found me in. He probably has the replacement I got when I got my payment for The Conjunction.” The humor left his face with a groan. “He probably has my sketchbook too…”

“Actually…” She held up her hand. Small black squares formed around it and a worn green leather book. The pages were yellowing and had gotten wet a couple times, but it was otherwise intact. He got up the second he saw it finish forming and took it out of her palm. On the cover of it was a circular design. Twelve runic symbols arranged around it like a clock. Inside the circle was an ornate pattern of three circles, each bearing one of the marks of the Goddess and in their place. At the center was the Triforce. He ran his fingers over it. Once the entire pattern had been inlaid with gold, but that had been several years ago. Only the triangles at the center remained. “He was using it as a coaster.”

“Damn him…” Link sat back down again. He saw the wolf was now resting its head on Midna’s leg, looking far more like a content pet than a fearsome beast of war.

“So, what’s your history with him?”

“Was responsible for a mess in the South Seas. Ended up destroying one of the navy’s freighters with how he had put together some work to direct the winds. I was dispatched to investigate and eventually it lead me to him...” He shook his head.

“And you let him live, clearly…”

“It was complicated.” Link looked into the fire and closed his eyes. “A noble of Hyrule was involved as was a Labrynnan nationalist who was the head of a mercenary company.” He looked back at Midna then. “He gave them things as part of some twisted experiment. It could’ve sparked a war between Hyrule and Labrynna again. Zelda sent me to investigate what had happened to a freighter that had gone missing and was carrying some old relics.”

“Guessing Vaati was responsible.”

“He was the one who set it all in motion. And his magic had blown the freighter off course, right into a pack of gerudo pirates.” He shook his head and watched as the wolf nudged Midna as she stopped petting it. “The relics were actually containers for hexer mutagens when I tracked down the pirates who had sunk the freighter. And the Labrynnan was using them to turn volunteers into… Into these monsters. Me, Medli and Linebeck found dozens of bodies like what we saw in the well.”

“Ugh, great. Now I have that to bring up back home… So, Ateren was making hexers.”

He shook his head. “It looked more like he was trying to create the false darknuts I’d run into during that assignment and from time to time. Big brutes. They aren’t even completely mentally sound either. Just hulking masses of muscle with no reason in their eyes. Tough to face in combat too. But a bit slow. Can break my Nayru’s Love in a couple hits with ease.”

“All the more reason to find a way to end this war then.” She gave him a grin. “Get him out of your room!”

He did have to chuckle a little at that, even if in the back of his mind he wasn’t sure if he’d be allowed back. Link smiled a little and waved a hand at her to give him the canteen back. “Yeah. Any sort of a bed is a luxury for me. While I was on the front. In the Castor Wilds, it was dreadful. We lost a lot of people to disease.” He took a sip from the canteen when she handed it to him. “Some people would sink into the bog while they slept. Always had to find a good rock or something to use because that was on solid enough ground I was lucky if I even got a blanket. Least I had a tent most of the time because I was a Chosen. Pillows were another thing.” He capped the canteen. “Speaking of which, did you happen to see where my hat went?”

“Yes?”

“Did you pick it up?”

Her hand slowed as it stroked the wolf’s head. The giant dark beast had its eyes closed. “…Yes.”

“Can I have it back?”

“You’re not gonna swaddle me in it again are you?”

“I thought we agreed to not bring that up.”

She chuckled a little then. “Well, it should probably get a good cleaning before you use it again though. I’ll get it back to you.”

He smiled a little in return. “Alright.” There was a minute of quiet then as they watched the fires. Midna’s wolf got to his feet and sauntered away, out from under their bridge. Link closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the sounds of the light rain and crackling fire.

“They still haven't figured out the ways between worlds aren't completely sealed?” Midna asked. “Have they?”

He shook his head. “Nope,” he replied. “Only ones who'd go looking are The Sheikah and The Tower. Don't know about the former but soon as I got back to the tower from The Conjunction, nearly every day we spent preparing for the war we all hoped wouldn't come.”

“Can only imagine what kind of mess will happen when they realize the doors aren't closed...” She let out a long yawn then and stretched her arms out.

“I did say in my report though that we had closed all the ways we could safely we could find to the best of my knowledge, like we discussed.” Link sighed then as he looked down at his feet. “I hated doing that. Felt like lying though it was wording it in a vague enough way it answered their fears but prevented further questioning...”

“Did they suspect anything?”

“Of course they did.” He looked to her then. She was sitting slightly on her side, using a hand to help keep herself balanced. “No one had encountered an interloper in three hundred years. They ran me through a lot of tests when I got back to the tower. Thought I could've been possessed or you'd have put some spell on me.” As he recalled the testing he chuckled a little at something Lana had said. “Or that I'd brought some twilit disease back with me that could have wiped out all the chickens...”

“Hah!”

“What?”

“My brothers and cadre did kinda the same thing!”

His brows raised. To hear someone in her position was treated as such was a little bit of a surprise to him. “Really?”

“Yep. Imren was really worried that some light world hexer had turned me against my people... That the doors hadn't been closed.”

“That why you started looking? When you got back and found me and Epona on my way back to civilization?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I wanted to get ahead of it. Find out more of the why before someone else did. Sols only know what would've happened if someone like Zant found out before the royal family did.”

“You never did give me a straight answer about how you found out.”

There was that familiar smirk on her lips and a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. “It was... deceptively simple actually.”

“Oh?”

“Flow of magic in the world.”

He began to smile, recalling their adventures during that trying time. “Like how you found the portals.”

“Exactly. And also why closing them would be disastrous.”

“So you got really lucky.”

Midna shook her head as she looked back to the fire for a moment. “You have no idea.”

“Mmm?”

“Lady Veran found out about three days after I got back from letting Hilda and Ravio know the ways between worlds weren't quite as closed as we thought.”

“Who?”

“One of the sorceresses who wanted us to pretty much return to the light world and, get exact words if I recall were ‘completely cleanse their filth from our history.’“

He cringed a little hearing it. “...charming.”

“Well, you know, before we met...” She looked away from him, into the dark, Link catching her expression change to a remorseful look. She shook her head a little before slowly looking back to him as she spoke. “I kinda agreed with her. But, getting out there, here,” she continued, a small smile appearing on her lips, “seeing the world every day and how alike we all are? Learning just how covered in blood everyone's hands were during The Inquisition?” She shook her head. “There's no point. All it'd do is continue a cycle of hatred that serves no purpose other than to perpetuate itself.”

“Yeah...” He chuckled a little. “A lot of my beliefs were challenged during that whole thing.”

“Me too. But none more than natural selection!”

Link groaned and shook his head as he looked back at her, fighting a smile. “Oh, bringing up the twilit lynel again, Mid?”

She began counting on her fingers. “And the griffin. And the Ikanans, and the witch who you just had to jump in front of even though I could have just flicked my fingers and had her get hit by that curse!”

“You're missing the basilisk.”

Midna shook her head and pointed a finger at him. “That one doesn't count. I had it completely under control before you and Ravio came rushing in. You especially.”

“Heh. Okay. But I had good reason to believe that witch had you. You were on the ground after your barriers collapsed.”

“Just needed her to drop her defenses just for an instant. And I had a shadow I could get to if it failed.'

“Don't recall seeing it. “

“Yes, but by your own admission one time, light worlders don't think about their shadows too often.”

“Yeah. Alright.”

“Heh.” She shook her head and moved a little closer to him. “You gave me a heart attack doing that. Just took the hit and then seeing your body get broken and reshaped.” Midna slowly looked back to the fire then. “Lucky it only reshaped your body and not your mind...”

“Yeah...”

She was smirking again. “And that the counter curse didn't leave you with a tail and wolf ears!”

“Maybe because I was a mutant to begin with?”

“Maybe!”

His eyes went wide a little in mock annoyance. “Maybe?!”

“Curses are funny things. Even after they're broken, there's little pieces of it left. Done right it's not even noticeable. Sometimes it's a tick or a physical change. Or even a mentality.”

“Huh.”

She repositioned a little and looked to him. “What? You didn't know that?”

He nodded. “I did. Uncle Alfonzo told me about how he and Impa had to break the curse on a striga one time and the poor girl after. Or one time Eagus and Swiftblade broke one on a nobleman and the only side effect he got was occasionally forgetting he was corporeal again and walking into walls.”

“Hah!”

“Yeah. I met him once actually. Man was quite the character even before getting cursed apparently.” He glanced back to the fire then for a moment and grabbed one of the roasted apples before offering it to her. She took it and blew on it before taking a small bite. “But I guess I just don't know what part of MY curse stuck with me.”

“Aaah...”

He took a bite of his own apple then, savoring the taste. Epona had moved to the other side of the bridge and settled down, looking ready to sleep. As he took another bite, he felt the wolf charm on its chain rattle slightly and heard the hum of magic. A teal and orange glow floated near his face, causing him to back away a little. Midna merely moved her hand a little closer. “...hey, what are you doing?”

“Trying something.”

“I get nervous when you start doing magic so close to my head.”

The glow changed to pure teal then. “Relax. Not like this is an offensive spell. This is more like dowsing. Finding the tiny traces of foreign magic in your body...”

“Heh... easy for you to say.” He started to control his breathing, the instincts his mutations had enhanced readying him to strike or flee, even though every other part of him knew she wouldn’t do anything to hurt him intentionally.

“What? Don't-”

“I trust you Mid. Just get nervous still,” he admitted.

“Heh.” She ran it slowly down to the back of his head and stopped. With a flick of her fingers the magic vanished. “Well... I wonder...”

“Wonder what?” The only response she gave him was an impish grin. “Midna, what are you plot-“ he started, but found his eyes close as he felt her fingers rub behind his ear. It was a light touch but enough to provoke a reaction. As she continued a little more, he found his head cocking in that direction, just like the wolf had earlier.

She began to laugh and removed her hand. Her eyes were wide and she was smiling. “Oh gods. Seriously?!”

“...what was…” He righted his head and reached up behind his ear.

“Eeheheeheehee. Are you gonna fail over again if you tilt your head anymore?”

“...probably.”

“Well look on the plus side, wolf boy! Least your leg doesn't twitch when you get scratched!” Any humor vanished from his face, even though he was sure he had a bit of a red hue on his cheeks from the embarrassment. “Aww, don't be like that.”

“Heh.”

“Mmm, probably for the best though that it's just that. I mean, you could've gotten the tail and ears.”

“Yeah, that’d have been hard to explain away when I got back to The Tower.” He stifled a small laugh at the absurdity of the situation and yawned.

He heard a growling as the sun began to peek over the horizon. His eyes slowly opened as he heard it grow a little closer. The sun was peeking through the clouds, creating an orange glow that bathed the fields of Hyrule. He was sure some of it was smoke from the fighting further west. Here though, it didn’t look like there had been much fighting and he hoped it stayed that way.

The growling grew louder and link looked to his right, seeing Midna’s largest wolf. He was glaring right at him and standing about five feet away. The wolf was almost as big as Epona and had a thick black mane, while he had similar teal markings along his legs and a disc-like object above his eyes and a harness. He remembered seeing how they had gotten the massive scar over their right eye during The Conjunction. There were several more grey hairs too than he’d last seen them. His glowing teal eyes were focused right on him and growled again.

He heard grumbling to his left then in twilise and then realized why the wolf might’ve been upset with him. With her head on his chest was Midna. Her eyes were still closed and she had a hand across him. She began to sit up when he growled again. “Fenris,” she said clearly as she looked at the wolf. The growling stopped in an instant and moved to a sitting position.

“Morning,” he mumbled as she sat up. He felt his arm fall off her side and into the dirt as he realized what must’ve happened.

“Morning to you too,” she yawned. Midna moved to a sitting position next to him.

“Got time for breakfast?”

She glanced over at the circle she’d prepared the previous night. “Probably not… Should get back soon as I can. Or else we risk some people coming looking for me.”

“Mm.” Link began to sit up then as well.

“Besides, I think Fenris didn’t like that I put him on guard duty last night.”

“Heh.” He ran a hand over his face and slowly got to his feet. “You were cold I’m guessing too.”

“Yeah, a little.” She took his hand when he offered it and was pulled to her feet. “So, where are you off to?”

“Lon Lon Ranch. Get Epona boarded and a safe place in case something happens. Then to Dragon Roost. Probably will have to go through Aboda which is gonna be risky but I have no other option. Only place the ferry goes to Windfall and what I can afford.”

“Missing that Royal Treasury, huh?”

He chuckled a little. “Yeah, a little.” Link sighed as he looked at the great twilit wolf. It had moved to behind his master and gently pushed his nose against her arm, eyes still focused clearly on him. “I don’t think Fenris liked us huddling for warmth last night.”

“He’s just jealous.” She looked at the wolf with a grin. “Aren’t you?” Midna glanced back at Link for a moment before with a snap of her fingers the massive wolf dissolved into shadows and squares. Each particle of magic flew into her hand and vanished. “Well, know how I hate long goodbyes.”

“All too well.” He smiled a little recalling the very first time they’d went their separate ways. “Hope it’s not gonna be too bad when you get back home.”

“Yeah, well, hope springs eternal…” She sighed and looked to the circle before walking towards it.

“Mid?”

She turned on her heel to look to him. “Yeah?”

He glanced to his left and down for a moment before looking back to her. “Thanks for the help. It was good to work together again.”

“It really was.” She smirked at him. “You need something, you have that charm I gave you now. Dawn or dusk we can talk. Can’t promise I’ll be available all the time but if it’s really pressing I’m sure I could manage.”

“Thanks.”

“Well, time to get going for both of us. Unless you’re gonna get breakfast first.”

“Probably shouldn’t. Put a little more distance between me and any possible pursuers. Just gotta wake Epona up and saddle her.”

“Alright.” Midna opened her palms as she stepped into the center of the circle. Energies began to crackle between her fingers and teal light flickered in her palms. “Don’t get yourself killed out there. Or captured again.”

He had to chuckle a little. “No promises, but I’ll try.”

She laughed. “Well then!”

“Yep.” He took a deep breath that turned into a yawn. “See you later?”

Across her lips was that familiar smirk. The one that gave him such comfort and caused him such worry at the same time during The Conjunction. The lines of the circle began to glow, revealing a angular pattern on the ground. “See you later,” she said.

A moment later, her form turned to shadow and broke into squares. They rose skyward and out from under the bridge. Link stepped out to the side in time to see a portal in the sky, comprised of similar design to the circle she’d been standing. A moment later it vanished and he stood there with Epona under the bridge. He looked to the mare as she grazed at some of the grass near the dried riverbed and then at the saddle and blanket he’d removed the night before. “Just you and me now girl,” he said as he grabbed them and went to attach them. As he slipped it on, he felt the wolf on its chain shake a little. He didn’t need to know what it meant as he finished and mounted Epona, but smiled feeling it.

“C’mon, girl,” he said, gently directing her to the other side of the bridge. “We’ve got a lot still to do.”