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mavda · 4 years ago

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When Wisdom sleeps

Ch.1 | Ch.2 |

Ch.3: The Festival

Colonel Auru Po'hra glanced at the document in front of him, nodded and signed it without a second thought. Link Arwyn, 18 years old, son of the late Colonel Arwyn and nephew of Captain Arwyn was a bright young soldier who had been climbing ranks like nothing. Most people were already taking notice of him and Major Auru Po'hra -who had the pleasure of having Link under his care- was beyond elated at his growth.

Po'hra raised his head, pushed the piece of paper towards Link and offered his quill. "Captain Arwyn," he greeted and Link saluted back.

"It is an honor, Colonel."

Not only was Link an extremely skilled individual, but he worked flawlessly with other people. His way with the sword and shield were unparalleled and Po'hra was sure not many knew that Link was also exceptional with every other type of weapon available.

"Guess you'll have to get promoted as soon as you can so people don't get you confused with your uncle, huh."

It was meant to be a joke, taking into account how young Link was and how unlikely it would be to receive another promotion so soon. But Link had looked at Auru with purpose and Auru's laugh died on his lips. He couldn't deny he rather liked people with goals. But even he wasn't expecting Link to say, "I would appreciate it if you were so kind as to direct to my company difficult missions."

Auru cocked and eyebrow, "You have yet to meet the rest of your new, company," Auru stressed. "Link, it's commendable to see you so eager to do good for the Kingdom, but there is a fine line between being eager and being reckless. You should keep that in mind."

"Sir."

Yet Link stood still and didn't leave the room, and Auru could feel a mix of annoyance and awe. "What good is gonna do you to have your company get injured?"

"I will do my best to prevent that from happening."

Auru looked to the side in displeasure and searched through his papers with irritation. "People more experienced than you have not been able to take on this one. Take into consideration that I am giving this one to you just because you asked and just because I know you, I still think you're being reckless and I am half wanting to see you lose because really," Auru frowned at him, "this attitude needs a little fixing."

Link remained stoic and only thanked Auru as he received his new instructions.

"Why do you want to garner so much attention anyway? You are already in the public eye, you're our youngest captain ever." Auru kept to himself all of the female attention Link had also gotten because of his looks. "I don't want you burning out because you somehow feel you need to climb ranks just because."

"I don't, sir. I just... I would like to do better for the Kingdom."

Auru rolled his eyes because he didn't buy it. Link was a great asset to his regiment and although Auru wouldn't bet his life on it, he was pretty sure Link only had the Kingdom's best interest in mind. "Fine, do what you want, just... don't die out there."

Link saluted and turned around. It had been a rumor at first, unbelievable and overexaggerated to most, how was one supposed to believe the people who came back from missions with Link telling that the man himself took care of the most ferocious beast, the most cunning of monsters all alone? Auru could only shake his head and snort in disbelief. But he was proven wrong, statement after statement, mission after mission, everyone said the same.

Link was unique. And although Auru couldn't understand what the boy was trying to do by putting himself out there, by gaining so much recognition but never using it, by shouldering so many things by himself, he could understand one thing. And that was that Link was good at what he did and that Auru was seeing the making of a legend.

Maybe Link had greater ambitions. Maybe his desperate need to find the Princess had been bound by greed -hard to believe, but possible- and seeing that that had ended in failure maybe he had decided to earn power in other ways. Link was not yet one of the most influential people in Hyrule, but boy, Auru could easily believe he would get there someday.

If Link really ended up at the top... Auru wouldn't mind. And Auru played with the quill in his hand as he pondered over that realization.

⁂

Link was neck deep in paperwork and while he signed papers he tried his best to wash away the nagging feeling in the back of his head that urged him to leave. It was already june and his work didn't seem to diminish. Which meant he was being sought after, which meant he was gaining recognition, which meant he had more power and a whole lot more responsibilities.

He was glad and annoyed and although he had checked time and time again with Ashei the answer was the same, "You are not free to go yet, sir." Both Ashei and Guile had been promoted by Link's request and although Link could have had asked for more people to work under him as lieutenants he had been hesitant to do so. He trusted his lieutenants completely and he didn't know whether such a bond could be formed with new people out of nowhere, he much rather have Ashei and Guile have close aides and even recommend people. This had put a heavy strain on his friends though, if Link's work had doubled then Ashei and Guile's had tripled. And although Link wanted nothing more than to leave and keep his promise with Zelda he didn't have it in him to leave his lieutenants -who had agreed with everything he had decided without a peep- and leave.

That, and Link was determined to deal with the mission Auru had begrudginly shown him this year. He decided to stretch his legs and take a stroll through the training grounds, fighting always calmed him somehow and showing his face usually helped keep the morale in his now regiment. Link decided to go and oversee the training of the new soldiers and as soon as people noticed him they started poking the sides of the ones beside them. Link bowed his head as greeting and received salutes in response.

The training grounds bustled and the sound of wooden swords striking each other reverberated around Link. He searched around and walked towards the tallest readhead around. "Loran," he greeted.

Loran turned and gave a lazy greeting, "Sir." She was Guile's aide and although her attitude was lacking to many, Link found it incredibly entertaining. It was refreshing to see someone not care about anything, specially when people with high positions came in here to flaunt their power. "Need a sparring partner, sir?"

Link pondered for a second, and although he did want to stretch and fight a little he wasn't sure it was the best idea to do so now. "Maybe later."

Loran rolled her eyes, "You'll give the new ones a show and you'll help me get done with this day sooner. I am begging."

Link had to control his face so as to not smile, and then gave the slightest of nods, half wanting Loran to let it slide, but she was smirking the next second and walking to the ground while taking her coat off. She didn't say a word, but the people around her made space and someone brought her a wooden sword without her asking.

Link followed behind and although someone offered to take his coat away Link declined them as politely as possible. He could feel the blood rushing through and as soon as the sword was in his hand he spinned it a couple of times and caught a couple of newbies opening their mouths in surprise. Link smiled.

"Whenever you're ready!" Loran taunted. Link now couldn't help the snort that overcame him and he gave a step forward. And Loran walked towards him with stomps.

Loran's fighting style was aggressive and relied on her build. Taking into account that she was taller and bulkier than most people Link could understand why she had taken that approach. He parried a couple of attacks and dodged the rest. He did this not only because confronting her head on was not a wise strategy but because this usually made Loran get angry pretty quickly and that meant she would start putting more strenght behind her attacks, making them heavier, tougher, and wider.

They moved around in a wide circle, making people retreat farther and farther away, and it looked like Loran was controlling the situation. Link crouched, jumped backwards and parried strikes that otherwise seemed to be sure hits. Loran took advantage of a wide dodge Link did and decided to twist her whole body to do a broad sweep. Link, instead of jumping backwards got closer to Loran and crouched under her sword and then stood to his full height, put strenght on his legs and hit her side with a diagonal swing with all the momentum of his body. Loran howled as she brought her hand to her ribs.

"Fuck that!"

Link laughed, "I've told you already that you can't just rely on your strenght."

Loran grumbled, "Oh, shut up."

The people around them started to buzz and a clear voice interrupted, "All right, all right, move, everyone, time to keep on training!" Guile's black head moved through the sea of people with little head bows and soft words, and walked towards Link and Loran with his hands on his hips. "I told you to train them, Loran!"

"I did," she growled, "but then sir boss here graced me with a fight, and I couldn't refuse."

Guile looked at Link with a face full of fake hurt, "Sir boss," he admonished. Link raised his hands in defeat and then Guile shook his head, "If you have free time you can help us oversee training, sir."

Link spinned his sword and hit his heels with it, "Count me in."

"We can always spar again and use that as teaching material," Loran tried, but Guile gave her the stinky eye and she looked away immediately, "or not. Whatever."

⁂

At the end of August, by the time the new recruits were stationed on their own teams and things had started to calm down for Link's company, Shad entered into the office with a stack of papers related to Auru's mission.

Shad was a man who would rather have a fight with wits than with swords, soft-spoken but hardheaded, with gelled down brown hair but always with one strand resting on his forehead that Link always wondered how it got there, and circular glasses that he usually fixed when nervous, Ashei's right hand man and terribly uncomfortable with Loran. Shad bowed to Link and let his papers fall in Link's desk.

"We have everything ready to depart whenever you're ready, sir."

It had been a surprise for Link to see Ashei drag from the ranks this one man who seemed so opposite to her, but Shad had always been thankful to her and his work always excelled when it came to planning. Ashei had been giving him more and more work and Shad had taken the challenge head on.

"The scout team arrived, then?"

"Yes, sir, no casualties. There were two with slight injuries but they went directly to get them treated, as you instructed."

"Good. What do we know then?"

Shad hurried to find the paper he needed and then moved it towards Link as he started to share the scouts' information. They had discovered the hiding place of the monster, its usual routine and movements, and there were even some sketches done with charcoal. Link squinted his eyes at it. "Ah."

Shad stopped talking and waited for Link to talk, but he never did. "Sir?"

"Nothing, go on."

Shad continued but Link's attention was elsewhere. Captain Link was a strange man, he was unexpectedly young for a man with his experience and attitude, and Shad couldn't help but wonder whether the Goddesses had bestowed upon Link some kind of wisdom and strength they had denied the others. It was the only explanation he could come up with as to how Link seemed to know things that should be beyond his understanding and seemed to act in a way beyond his years. Shad finished his explanation but as he had come to expect, Link nodded and didn't ask questions, as if he had seen this situation before.

"Well, time for me to go then."

"It's... almost night, sir, wouldn't it be better to leave tomorrow?"

Link grabbed a satchel from under his desk and grabbed a cloak, "Nah, see ya. Tell Ashei I already left." Link squeezed Shad's shoulder as a goodbye and closed the door behind him.

When Shad walked back to his room Ashei ran up to him and knew before she could even ask that Link had left. "That man, can't believe he left already."

"Needed something from him, ma'am?"

"Nah, just wanted to let him know Guile and I had everything checked for him to leave."

Ashei sighed to the sky and Shad shifted in place, "Are you ever worried he won't make it?"

Link Arwyn had the bad habit of doing major missions alone or with as little people as possible. It had proven useful when he had been part of a team or when his subordinates could be counted with his fingers, but even after leading a hundred people, he kept at it. Ashei and Guile were used to it and mainly helped by keeping things in order when he left. Shad had seen Link overcome grueling tasks like nothing and although dirty and bloodied and tired, he always came back alive, but as he had started to take on more difficult missions he couldn't help but worry...

"Nah, he's good. He's a one man army, Shad, you don't have to worry. Let's go grab dinner, yeah?"

...but if Ashei, one of Link's closest aides trusted him this much, his worries were surely unfounded.

⁂

Whenever they sent a party to scout a monster Link always made sure that one person was good at drawing. Sometimes information was hard to come by and even with a few days of scouting there wasn't much to gather, but they could always see the monster and make a sketch. And with a sketch and only with that Link could know what they were facing. His memories were riddled with monsters and how to fight and defeat them, and although at first he had hated them because it sure wasn't fun to have so many nightmares back when he was a child, now it had become one of his biggest assets. Ashei and Guile had learned not to ask questions and by extension no one else had done so, Link was glad because he was sure trying to explain himself would only make him look more sketchy.

Link always asked for a full report and read them, but since a while ago he only scanned the documents because nothing had changed from his memories. And as with his enemies, the way to defeat them was also the same. Back when he had been younger and had travelled all around the Kingdom looking for Princess Zelda he had come across every little weapon or item he would ever need and he had made sure to write their locations down. He had though about taking them with him, but he had nowhere to hide them and he wasn't even sure he would need all of them, so whenever need arose he would go and fetch them, most of the time no one noticed and Link would put them back without trouble.

Link walked to the stables and glanced again at the sketch -the only paper he had taken with him- and grimaced. A black hand hovered over the ground without anything attached to it and Link could only remember the dark dripping caves that he had had to meander in order to find that monster. Bongo Bongo, they called him, and Link wasn't thrilled to fight him again. It was a monster with an invisible body that could only be seen with the Lens of Truth and Link had to control the shiver that ran down his spine. The monster's hands were detached from the main body and its weak point was its head... which was its neck, or what was left of it, it was a nightmarish monster somehow worse than the others that, as if that weren't enough, liked to hit the ground at a rythm that made it difficult to maintain one's balance.

"Fun."

The Lens had been forgotten a long while ago and Link found it in a town four days away from Bongo Bongo. It rested in a chest in a hidden room in a run-down temple that was filled with spiderwebs and dust and everything that screamed abandoned. The Lens of Truth was intact and Link brought it to his eye. Nothing changed here and Link put it inside his satchel. He usually took his time when dealing with monsters alone, mainly because it was already suspicious for him to beat these monsters on his own and he didn't need the added notion that he was somehow unusually strong. Those rumors where already making their rounds but Link tried his hardest not to fuel them too much.

Bongo Bongo hid inside a cave at the end of a decently sized village. Link would rather keep his profile low but since this was a pretty notorious mission he went directly to the chief. Before leaving Link had told Guile to give a notice to Auru regarding Link's departure, but the chief's knowing look was enough for Link to know that Auru had given them information beforehand.

The chief was accomodating and told Link that anything he needed he would arrange. Bongo Bongo seemed to have affected the village hard enough for the chief and the people to look haggard. The chief explained the sudden deaths, disappareances and the fear that had installed itself in the people's hearts. And thinking about how Bongo Bongo looked like a nightmare Link only nodded in agreement.

Link usually took his time, as long as the monster could be kept under control and no one would come in harm's way. But since this case did not fall into that category Link just went straight to work. The cave was -just as he remembered- moist and wet and dark and cold and Link's senses screamed for him to leave. It wasn't only that the monster was gross and the place was uncomfortable that made this fight annoying, it was the fact that Link had to use the Lens of Truth to actually see what he was fighting before actually hitting. Link very much preferred monsters he could see, thank you very much.

The cave was filled with lesser monsters like babas, keese and bokoblins. As he walked through the dark cave he had to scan every little crevice and every little tight corner, babas hid in the most inconspicuous of places and only emerged from their holes when prey was right beside them, their gnarly teeth would try to grab whatever they could but thankfully Link had muscle memory down to a t and his sword found either the carnivorous plant's head or their stem rather quickly. Babas, although annoying, at least could be avoided if Link could pinpoint their location, they took root in place and couldn't move afterwards and although they would try their best to stretch themselves towards Link, he could just keep on with his business.

Keese, on the other hand, were small, flying creatures that resembled bats and who followed wherever one went. Unrelentless and loud, they would squeak till Link either lost them or struck them. They were as weak as a baba, but they usually moved in groups and Link could feel his patience waning every time he had to face them. Link didn't even waste arrows on them, he always had his slingshot with him and the keese would go down with a well-placed rock in their one, yellow, big and gross eye.

Darkness was annoying though, and Link had to let the keese get close enough to let his lantern's light wash over them before letting go of the rock. The odd bokoblin came at him, but they were loud, barely got to his hip, and weren't particularly smart so Link slayed them without much thought.

The more into the cave he ventured, the tougher his enemies got, bokoblins were now accompanied by lizalfos who would keep their distance and jump with their reptile legs away from harm whenever Link got too close. They would wear rudimentary shields and grab the bokoblin's weapons if Link disarmed them. They would quack at him and although it took longer, Link could either overpower or outsmart them, he usually went with the latter, making a feint and hitting at their unguarded side.

The fact that Link did not encounter any other type of monster was welcome, but knowing that he had Bongo Bongo at the end of the tunnel made him uncomfortable anyways. The water dripping all around him and the way his lantern played with the shadows gave him a sense of deja vú so strong he had to stop for a second and catch his breath. This had ocurred heavily in his younger years, memories and feelings so overwhelming he had at one point doubted his own sense of self.

He called it deja vú now, but they were memories, real memories he could conjure with crystal clear clarity if he tried hard enough. He didn't. He would remember, he would accept it, but he would not dwell more than necessary on them. He had doubted himself far beyond what he should have and now he feared what would happen if he remembered too much.

He was too mature and too smart and too brave and too nice and too much many things he didn't know if he would have been without these moments in his head. Link shook his head, calmed his breathing and kept on walking. What good would do him to overanalyze something he could do nothing about.

The shadows around him grew thicker and more menacing in a way that only he -with battle senses honed beyond normal- could sense and as soon as the ground beneath him started to rumble Link exhaled one short breath and brought the Lens of Truth to his eyes. Bongo Bongo's neck oozed a thick, yellow liquid and Link knew where to hit.

"Who knew I'd end up happy to see you, huh."

Bongo Bongo slapped the ground and Link crouched in an attempt to keep his balance, the ground shook and the walls grumbled and Link ran towards the monster.

⁂

Zelda had to stiffle a yawn as she walked back to her house. It was the middle of December and Mira was a bundle of excitement over the Summer Festival next village that was to come. Mira had been down about Link not making it in time for them to go to the Winter Festival, but her optimism about them going to this one was contagious and Zelda didn't have it in her to say otherwise.

Zelda believed in Link, but she also knew he was busy and probably had more than their promise to care about and although she wondered about what he was doing and where he was going and who he was hanging out with, it was too embarrasing to share and she barely talked about him to her dad or Mira. Hopefully she got to see him this year. It was pretty unlikely, taking into consideration they were already entering the latter half of December, but maybe he did care about their promise and maybe he would come. Maybe he would come right after new year's. In the end, Zelda had to come clean and accept that she just wanted to see him.

The implications of that she would rather not dwell on too much.

She stepped into the clearing to her house and immediately her eyes glued to the horse that was grazing around. "Epona." Her chest tightened and her legs rushed to her house and she felt excitement tingling all over her body.

The door opened with strength and both Ganondorf and Link turned around from the dinner table and looked at Zelda. Link's brows had gone up by the surprise but seeing Zelda made him smile and crinkle his eyes.

"Link!" Zelda wasn't sure what she wanted to do, she wasn't thinking much, to be honest. She just ran to him, and Link -almost by instinct- rose from his chair and caught her body. It took her half a second to realize how suspicious her actions must look so Zelda pushed her hands on his shoulders immediately after and tried her best to control her smile. "When did you get here?" She worried her voice was too high-pitched due to her excitement, and that maybe flinging herself towards Link wasn't the best course of action, but her father -thanks the Goddesses- promptly interrupted her line of thought.

"He got here like an hour ago, child, let him go and come give your father," Ganondorf stressed, "a hug, and with the same amount of excitement, you hear me?"

Zelda's laughed filled the room and Link made fists of his hands. Ganondorf was as smooth as ever, thank Hylia. Zelda clung to her father and Ganondorf crushed her body with love. "He's staying with us for a while, don't make me get jealous."

Zelda snickered back and soon turned her attention to Link again. And the three of them got up to date. Link had basically worked himself to the bone. Zelda looked worried at the amount of sleep he would get and the monsters he would fight, and Link did his best to downplay everything he talked about. Her father squeezed every detail out of Link and Zelda could only snicker at the seriousness on his face regarding Link's achievements. After a while, Link's face tightened, he didn't look tired, he looked even more focused, and Zelda knew that he was putting a front, so she pushed Link out of his chair and onto his bedroom to prepare himself and told her father he could keep on questioning Link the next day.

Ganondorf had laughed aloud and had shrugged his shoulders, and as soon as Zelda heard the bathroom door close, she turned to her father, "Dad," Ganondorf had hmmed as an answer and Zelda asked, "Is Link famous?"

Ganondorf's eyes shone and he sat straight, "Is he isn't famous yet just give him a couple of years."

And Zelda was kept awake that night imagining Link traversing the world and defeating monsters and helping people.

Her father always looked more relaxed whenever Link was with them. Zelda had wondered about this and had thought that maybe she had made it up. But third time's the charm and her father was now looking refreshed and calm and she loved seeing him like this. Her father talked in a hushed voice and served her eggs with bread, "Let's Link sleep till he wakes on his own, 'kay?"

Zelda nodded and sat at her chair. Maybe today Link could share more of his adventures with her, maybe Zelda could ask him more in depth questions about how he defeated the monsters, rather than his father's fixation with how Link was being promoted. Maybe she could share with Link the new books she had been reading, maybe tell him about the time Mira had almost started a fire in the village. Zelda washed her plate and grabbed a book to read on the carpet. Maybe Zelda would ask Link what he wanted to do, he worked so hard, she wouldn't mind doing whatever he wanted and let him unwind. Maybe he just wanted to rest. The could take a nap out in the garden, they would have to take cover since the sun shone brightly, maybe they could do a picnic of some sort.

The bedroom door opened and Zelda turned her head to see a disheveled Link coming out. His smile was lazy and he bowed his head at her, and her book was left on the floor as she started following him again. Her father served Link breakfast and sat on the couch. And Zelda couldn't help but feel gratitude towards Link and his presence. She had wondered whether to bring up the issue regarding the festival, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt it didn't really matter to her. If her father was happy, if Link was happy, who cared if Link forgot.

"It's good I made it in time for this festival, huh."

Ganondorf slapped his thigh, "Right! You had talked about it!"

Zelda kept quiet but looked at them in turns. Link frowned, "You remember that promise I made you, right?"

Zelda had to control her feelings and she nodded, "Yes! I remember."

"Is Mira going too?"

"Yes."

"Excited?"

Link chowed on his food and looked at her with a familiarity that made Zelda smile. Her father looked at her with glee and Zelda knew he had kept quiet out of consideration and not because he had ever forgotten, and Zelda nodded and started talking about Mira's plan regarding the festival. Mira and her family had been going to both the Winter and Summer festival for a while now, and Mira at this point was only eager to go because it would be Zelda's first time. Mira had not only made a schedule for their activities but she was also doing her best to persuade Zelda to match their clothings.

Link's eyes brightened and he was so happy he had thought of buying gifts to them. After finishing breakfast he went to his room and brought a couple of parcels to Zelda, she opened them and as Link told her that one of her dresses matched with Mira's, Zelda squealed and started laughing uncontrollably. Ganondorf towered over Link and stretched his hand with a sugestive look. Link scoffed and went back to his room to bring Ganondorf's presents.

Zelda pressed her fingers against the hard covers of books Link had brought her, she eyed her dresses and her father's crinkled eyes as he shook a vial in front of him. Link crossed his arms over his chest and scrunched his face trying to remember something regarding the vial her father had asked.

"When's your birthday, Link?"

Link looked at her and squinted his eyes. "You don't have to give me anything."

Zelda's eyes remained unmoving and when Link glanced back at Ganondorf for help, Ganondorf could only shrug his shoulders. "December 3rd," Link relented, "but, really, you don't have to get me anything."

Link could sense immediately Zelda's burden as she realized his birthday had been only a couple of weeks back. "Did you celebrate?"

Link grimaced as he tried to remember, "Loran did get me a cake, and they did sing me a happy birthday, but we went straight back to work after."

Zelda's face was somber and Link hurried to add, "I had a great time, though."

Zelda gave another look to the gifts that surrounded her and looked back at him, "Thank you for the gifts."

"You're welcome."

⁂

It had taken them a couple of days to get everything they needed in order for Link's belated birthday party, but Mira's unmmeasurable love for Link made her use every favor she had garnered over the last few months and she had not only covered every ingredient Zelda had asked for, but she had also secured a couple of small fireworks she was sure at least uncle Gan would appreciate. Lloyd had joined on the plan the moment Zelda had asked but he had kept a serious face whenever possible. Mira teased him that the easiest way to get along better with Zelda was for him to get chummy with Link but Lloyd had blinked at her as slowly as possible and Mira had laughed out loud before leaving.

Although Zelda had tried very hard to remain unconspicuous, Link had realized soon after that she was preparing some sort of party for him. Ganondorf had sworn secrecy, but he also sucked at it. It had fallen on Link's shoulders to make as if he didn't realize what was happening in that house. Ganondorf would ask Link to help him with a bunch of uneventful activities and Zelda would practice in the kitchen to make a cake.

As much as the reason for their escapades was built in letting Zelda alone, it had proven really useful for Link and Ganondorf to catch up on anything that they would rather hide from Zelda's ears.

It mainly entailed Link's work in the Castle and any and all information regarding the Kingdom. Zelda's survival was still a mistery and the princess' existence was still a faded memory. Link's name was doing its rounds across the Kingdom and as soon as he went back he was to make a trip to Death Mountain and help the Gorons with a nasty pest of lizalfos. Link talked about his fights and adventures and Ganondorf's attitude was enough for Link to realize that his friend was envious of him. Well, freedom was something one took for granted.

In one of their outings, out of nowhere, as they were foraging for mushrooms, Ganondorf talked as if talking about today's dinner, with the nonchalance of certainty. "I started having the dreams."

And Link's hairs stood on end, his breathing quickened and he was sure his face looked horrified, "Are you-?"

"Fine, yes. For now. For a while, I guess. I've had dreams that are memories, bad dreams, but when I wake up, I know they're dreams. No fuzzyness, no confusion, no anger, I just wake with a start and remember my daughter and get on with my day."

"How many?"

"A few. More than 3, less than 10? Maybe. I'm sure I've forgotten some, it's like as if when I wake I know I dreamt about them but can't remember any details at all."

For a while they remained silent and Link concentrated on counting the mushrooms he picked up. "It's different." Different than last time, different than most times.

"Yup."

There wasn't much else to say. Both remembered lives in which Ganondorf lost himself in these memories, grieved with his memories as if they had happened yesterday, howled in pain and anger and lashed out at anything that had ever wronged him. Sometimes it was very easy for him to fall back and let his anger take control, sometimes he just gave in with the slightest of pushes, seldom he tried to fight it, and although his fight would make a difference, before long, by divine providence, he would lose his sense of self. Whatever made him, him, whatever separated him from the beast that resided inside him dissappeared and in turn chaos would take over. And Link and Zelda would try to take it down.

"I would like to think that this, somehow, means whatever pushes me to seek destruction is weakening. That I, somehow, have won this battle over my mind, but," how is one supposed to believe that a mere mortal can win over providence? How is one supposed to believe than somehow, this one time, one was free to do what one wanted? How is one supposed to believe..., "I just don't think it's gonna happen."

"How long do you think-?"

Before leaving the forest, at the edge of the clearing, Ganondorf turned. His dark skin glowed against the sun, his red hair billowed behind his back and Link had to blink and remember that this was a time different than many others. No swords involved, no broken bones and bloodied skin and stinging wounds. A father.

A father... a father that had somehow killed the King and Queen of the Kingdom and had kidnapped and hidden the princess and heir to the throne, a man that had thrown into chaos a Kingdom and-

"Dad!"

Both Link and Ganondorf startled and Link recognized the disdain and the loathing in Ganondorf's eyes, and he knew his face must have reflected the same type of feelings towards Ganondorf, because what Link saw next was pain.

"I think," Ganondorf whispered, "the clock has started to tick."

Zelda trotted towards them and both Ganondorf and Link shook their feelings away immediately, buried them with the certainty of knowing they both had inflicted pain to the other in almost equal amounts, with the knowledge that this time they were not enemies, with the hope that they could spare Zelda of this.

"Are you done with the mushrooms?"

Ganondorf raised his basket, "We sure are!" he then turned to Link, "Come on, let's go back."

They didn't talk about that episode after reaching the house. And although in the following days they talked about Ganondorf's situation, they didn't touch upon that split second in time when they saw each other as enemies. They were ashamed of it, scared of it, they feared thinking about it, talking about it would give it power. Link also understood that such feelings were unfounded, as time and time again they had been reminded that whatever happened with them and their memories was mostly out of their control. He would like to be able to talk to the Goddesses and ask some questions, gather some truths. But he also knew no words would be able to leave his mouth if given the chance.

"Link?" Zelda looked at him and Link realized she had been calling for him for a while. He immediately straightened and focused on her. "Yeah?"

"Dad is calling for you."

Link left the book he had been looking at on the shelves near the chimney and went on another scavenging hunt with Ganondorf, who was waiting for him fishing rod in hand. "Thought we could spice things up with this."

Link frowned, "Were did you get one?"

"Bought it with your money, buddy, I'm still not good at it though. Thought now was a good time to get some classes from a pro."

Link hadn't had the time to indulge in many of his hobbies. And with an expertise he never learned in this lifetime, he took the rod and could feel his hands itching to move. It was unsettling whenever something he never had tried had such a response from him. He didn't ponder on it too much.

If he had been alone, Link was sure he would have had at least some trouble realizing Mira's and Lloyd's arrival. But he was with Ganondorf, and the man stiffened whenever a new presence arrived at the clearing. Ganondorf's body was taut and although Link acted as if nothing had happened and kept on explaining to Ganondorf how to use the fishing rod and where to put one's hands, the obvious troubled attitude Ganondorf was giving made Link silent.

"Will you be okay?"

Ganondorf blinked and pressed his hand to his face, "Yeah, don't mind me, it's just... It puts me on edge and then I remember why it puts me on edge and I just spiral into shit I don't want to remember."

"Zelda will be happy with your presence, you don't need to force yourself to like... mingle."

"'Kay."

"I would think it a victory if you just stood brooding from afar and let them have their party."

"Your party," Ganondorf corrected.

"I mean, yeah, mine."

"I can't help but wonder if she could be better, happier, somewhere else... with someone else."

Link patted Ganondorf to let him know he was ready to throw the fishing line and the bigger man moved his arms with mechanical movements. The bait fell sad a few meters away from them but Link congratulated Ganondorf anyways, giving him advice in between.

"Don't you think about it?" Ganondorf pressed.

And Link had to breath in deep, "Of course I do, but nothing I can say will make you feel better."

"I actually want to feel bad, so give it."

"Listen, we are about to celebrate my birthday, Zelda is doing this to make us happy," Ganondorf opened his mouth to stress that the party was for Link, but Link raised his hand and gave him a look, "yes, even you, you dumbass. You are her father, stop acting like you're some kind of monster," Link had to power through that word, "let's just have a good time, all right?"

"I love her, I really do, which is why the more time passes the more I realize what I took from her."

"Stop it."

"Sometimes I lay awake at night hoping I had just left her there, or to have been struck before entering that damned room-"

"Ganondorf."

"- other times I just wish you had found me sooner, without memories, a clean death and a hero going back to the Castle with the Princess in tow."

Link grabbed Ganondorf's arm and turned him to face him, "Listen. Grieve, repent, feel bad, I will listen and shut up, but now, please, let's fake it. I need you to fake it today, please."

Ganondorf blinked hard, realized where they were, "You've always been better at this."

"Ganondorf..."

"No, you're right. Thanks."

Both men turned as Zelda came walking towards them. Link sucked in a breath, but Ganondorf patted him in the back as he walked before him, "I got this."

Link's birthday party went without a hitch. Zelda made a cake everyone loved, Mira filled the air with laughter and Lloyd was a silent presence that remained polite. Ganondorf stood a little away, kept to himself, but nodded to Zelda whenever she looked at him and congratulated her on a job well done. Link received a paperweight made of wood with the form of a horse's head. Zelda looked nervous and Mira looked anxious, and Link said, from the bottom of his heart, "Thank you."

As everyone left and Ganondorf retired mumbling under his breath about being tired because of having Hylian interaction, Zelda looked at Link and clasped her hands together, "Did you have fun?"

Link gave her the sweetest smile, "Yes. I appreciate the effort you guys made for me, thank you."

Zelda felt her anxiousness fading and filled with the day's exhilaration she blurted, "I'll learn how to bake better cakes, bigger cakes."

Link chuckled and cocked his head, "You really don't have to."

And Zelda had to gulp down her nervousness, "I want to, I will. I'll celebrate your next birthday, too."

And Link couldn't help but remember Ganondorf's words and how their decisions had taken away from this girl. They could feel bad all they wanted but if she remained this full of life, full of love, who cared about them? If Link could protect her innocence for as long as he could, if celebrating a birthday made her this happy. "I'll be looking forward to it, then."

⁂

The Summer Festival was celebrated in between the last 3 days of the year and the first 3 after new year. It wasn't unusual for people to spend all those days at the Festival, but most people gathered just before new year and the days after.

"By then it sucks, because there are too many people," Mira complained. And as Zelda had no way of knowing whether it was true or not she just nodded along.

Mira's family usually went together and celebrated the whole stretch, "but then we go around the village, not at the heart of the festival," she then pointed to the crude map she had drawn before, "there is a forest here that has a beautiful lake, and then there's a huge cliff over here," she moved her finger around, "over here there's a ginourmous botanical garden -you'll love it-, over here there's a river and here," Mira stopped and added suspense, "the biggest library you have ever seen!"

Zelda's eyes opened like saucers and both girls looked at Link, who was unsure of what to do and looked surprised for a moment before nodding along and furrowed his eyebrows to appear certain, "I bet," he added.

Mira nodded, happy with his interjection and then proceeded to repeat the tour she wanted Zelda to make. Zelda's excitement was palpable, and Link and Ganondorf did their best to keep it that way. Mira's family was taking Zelda along to this year's Festival and Pattrick had already come to talk with Ganondorf regarding their plans as to where they were staying, how many days they were going and what was the overall schedule for their trip.

Ganondorf had looked forlorn at one point in time and Link had elbowed him immediately. "It's just a week." But Link somehow understood that Ganondorf was worrying about other things, so aside from preventing Ganondorf from showing obvious signs of sadness he left him alone.

The day Zelda was to leave, she hugged her father hard and told him she would bring him a souvenir. Ganondorf had snorted and replied that the best gift she could give him was to come back happy and unharmed. Link took Epona with them and left Zelda in Mira's house, the family was busy moving their bags from their house to their horses and Link took advantage of this and slipped a bag full of rupees to Zelda.

Zelda took notice immediately of Link and squinted her eyes at him, "Dad already gave me money."

Link gave her an innocent smile and ruffled her hair, "Have fun, all right?"

Mira called Zelda over and Zelda breathed out a shaky breath, "Just... take care of dad."

"Count on it."

Zelda stared back at Link and pursed her lips. Link bent his knees slightly to get to her level and patted her arm, "Don't worry about anything but having fun out there, all right? I'll take care of everything over here."

As the horses left and Link waved his hand goodbye, he noticed Zelda turned back several times before getting lost in the distance.

⁂

Zelda wasn't used to people. And the amount of people she saw now was enough to make her dizzy.

"This isn't even much!" Mira laughed, and Zelda couldn't fathom more people around her. Although Zelda had promised herself that she would have fun and she would not think too much about her father or Link, this new environment, this amount of people, this amount of buzz made her miss her house immediately.

Mira took Zelda's hand and gave a squeeze, "Don't worry, I'll be right next to you." Zelda squeezed back and tried to enjoy being surrounded by so much movement. Uncle Pattrick and Aunt Lenora were talking with the innkeeper, trying to find their reservations and Mira had taken Zelda out to the street to let her see what was going on outside. "If it ever becomes too much we can always come back to the inn," she shared, "if you don't enjoy the festival we can always go to the library," she then remembered she didn't like reading very much, "or the garden!"

Zelda laughed at Mira's attempt at making her feel at ease and that was enough to make her feel more comfortable with her surroundings. Mira's hand didn't let go of her and Zelda remembered that she should also try to enjoy herself for her friend's sake.

After leaving their bags in their rooms and leaving the horses to the innkeeper, they walked to the village's square and had a look at this year's stalls. Mira, Uncle Pattrick and Aunt Lenora talked about which stalls they remembered, which had changed and which they would rather not visit again, Mira pointed towards a vending stall and wrinkled her nose, "Daddy ate there once and it was not pretty, I tell ya." Zelda lost herself in between the talk Mira had with her parents, the people coming and going all around her, the colours and the singing and dancing and the sellers shouting and the children shrieking and-

Mira squeezed her hand and when Zelda looked at her, Mira pointed up towards the sky, "Look! Isnt' it pretty!?"

Zelda raised her face and looked at a wooden statue of the three Goddesses gracefully posing to hold a golden Triforce. The statue was big and looked intrincate and hard to carve, the Goddesses wore satin looking clothes that billowed behind them and the Triforce -although obviously painted- somehow gave off an awe-inspiring feeling.

"Some people say it's the real Triforce," Mira shared and both giggled because it was obviously made of wood. "At night it's even more beautiful, just you wait."

Their walk back was even more packed and Zelda could still not believe more people were to come. After eating dinner at the inn Zelda though they would go to sleep, but Mira talked something with her mother and after receiving a nod she hastily took Zelda and walked outside. "Let's go explore."

Zelda frowned but ended up walking right behind Mira. They circled the inn and then circled the roads near the inn, although they were some ways away from the square the number of sellers was still quite large and Zelda couldn't help but buy some of the sweets they were offering. At some point Mira grabbed Zelda's arm and pointed to a group of children playing on the road, it was enough for Mira to look at Zelda to know what she wanted. Although nervous, although anxious, although restless, Zelda couldn't deny she felt excited, so she nodded back.

Mira did most of the talking. And they were accepted immediately into the group, as most of the children were also from neighboring villages and were eager to make more friends. As they presented themselves to the group, one kid opened his eyes like saucers when Zelda told them her name. The child stepped forwards, did an exaggerated motion with his hand and then bowed deeply.

"Princess!" he exclaimed, and there was a second of silence before a couple of other kids did the same, one girl giggled as she curtsied and Mira had to stiffle the laugh that overcame her.

Everyone else followed suit and after a while, Zelda joined in too. She remembered, Zelda was also the name of the lost princess of the Kingdom.

That was funny.

#the legend of zelda #zelink #linkxzelda #fanfic #fanfiction #link #zelda #ganondorf #when wisdom sleeps #ch.3 #Onwards we go!!

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