#for whatever that would do for him since even when he had zelda

[gerudospiriit]

[Dumb take of the day: Nabooru should have gotten the Triforce of Courage when the damn thing broke because it takes a lot more courage to stand up to the ruler of your people and commit treason against both him (who is also just very powerful in general and she knows it) and the people you love because it's the right thing to do than it does to blindly do what you're told and accept a destiny you don't understand from a tree meant to protect you and a total stranger. :3]

[aheathen-conceivably]

The early morning sunlight was streaming into their bedroom, the same way it had nearly every day since their arrival over four years before. The air was clear, whatever gauzy dream that had reigned over it in the moonlight now replaced by the warm light of day. Zelda rolled over onto her side, seeing the man beside her clearly. When she spoke it was almost hushed in awe. “You really are home.”

He laughed lightly, as though expecting her to say exactly that. He barely opened his eyes as he answered. “I told you I was. You just didn’t believe me.”

“I thought I was dreaming.”

Finally his eyes opened fully, although he made no attempt to rise from the bed. “I should be so honored if that is what you dream about when I’m gone.”

His body beside her was the realest thing she had felt in weeks, warming the whole room as the sunlight drove the nightly chill from the air. She leaned onto him, the simple word “dream” bringing back a torrent of vivid visions alongside words she had kept silent for too long. “I was dreaming. It was about a house. It - it was in England, I think. I’m not sure why. It was strange…” she trailed off into silence; only even without her voice, the room wasn’t quiet. It was filled with the sound of their breathing, keeping in rhythm with one another. “It was a library. Or at least it should have been. If that makes sense?”

“A library?”

She thought about the card that had been in her hand when she had fallen asleep. Where was it? Should she have tucked it under the bed? Could she still hide it there before he saw it? No. Goodness. What was wrong with her? That was foolish. Why would she hide it? Why would she even think it was something it wasn’t? Some sort of opportunity. Some sort of hope - 

“Zelda?”

She snapped back up to look at him. So warm and real and here, so much so that it seemed impossible he would ever be anywhere else ever again. “Yes, a - a library. I think it's because a couple of weeks ago there was this truck. A book truck, Lottie called it. It drives from place to place to loan out books. More books than even I have ever seen. It - it was driven by a librarian. A man named Barnes. He explained that he works out of the courthouse. He - he gave me his card. To talk. About the truck. If I was interested in knowing more about how it works. It must have been on my mind when I fell asleep. That’s all.”

“Have you gone?”

“What? No - I - I didn’t see much point. I’m sure he just thinks I’m a restless housewife. Besides, what good would it do? To get the information and little else. And Gio needs me here - to help with the crops, I mean.”

“But you said yourself the field wasn’t doing as well as last season, and the work barely necessitated both of you any longer…”

A torrent of nervous butterflies invaded her stomach, the same ones that she had been fighting every night he was away. “But the house. And the loan. The chores would pile up. And who would pick up Lottie from school? Who would keep the laundry clean and the chickens fed? Who would - “

“Zelda,” he stopped her, taking her chin in his hand to prohibit the torrent of speech that he knew would descend into an effort to talk herself out of what she really wanted. “You’re finding reasons not to go. What about why you should go? Like the fact that you’re so excited that you weren’t even fully awake before you told me all about it. Or that you’d make the best librarian this town has ever seen.”

“He never said there was a job or a library or anything really -“

“But he never said there wasn’t?”

“Well, no. But I didn’t ask.”

“And what if there is? Wouldn’t you like to know? Instead of pondering away like this, making yourself crazy over the thought?”

She bought her head close to his chest, trying to lose the last tendrils of the world as she attempted to get closer to him than was physically possible. “I missed you, you know that, don’t you?”

He pulled away to look into her eyes, and she could feel his hand brushing back her hair, already making her feel tired despite the fact that she had just woken. “So you’ll go?”

Only when she nodded in affirmation did he wrap his arms back around her, closing them so tightly that she couldn’t open her eyes again even if she wanted to. “I missed you too, my love. More than you know.”

Previous / Next

[maple-the-awesome]

He Becomes a Dad! || Part 1/2

PART 2

Pairing: Time, Four, Legend, Hyrule x Reader

Overview: Congratulations, you're new parents 🎉 Some of the Links are prepared. Others...might need a moment to gather themselves. But rest assured! At the end of the day, they're all going to get a handle on this whole dad thing. I'm a sucker for family tropes and there simply aren't enough out there for the Chain to quench my thirst, so here it is, I'm adding my contribution👍 Btw, there will be only two parts for this prompt since Wind will be excluded for obvious reasons. Baby making isn't a platonic activity🤷‍♀️

Zelda Masterlist 🩵Fandom Masterlist

You only brought the topic of children up to your husband once. It was at some point during the early half of your marriage and after a particularly lengthy day of enduring Malon’s well-meant pestering. Time, beside being caught slightly off guard, delivered a straightforward answer:

“It wouldn’t feel right bringing kids into this world, especially when I would hardly be home to help you rear them.”

Now, you can’t lie and say you weren’t at all disappointed by this answer, although you wouldn’t say you had the rug completely pulled from beneath you. You understood the true implications behind Time’s statement right away. It’s the same reason he took so long to let himself marry you. It’s not you nor a disgust towards children, but rather an unspoken fear of building a life where he’s too happy - one that could be ripped away from him at a moment’s notice as has seemed to be the case for his younger years.

Although his worries are needless, you never pushed against his boundaries because you could at least see the sense in his argument. Sure, the idea of having children did always appeal to you deep down, however between Time’s constant traveling and your hard work helping at Lon Lon Ranch, it would be difficult to squeeze a family into the schedule. There was no sense in forcing him into a commitment he wasn’t ready for nor one you weren’t in a  position to properly foster.

Twelve years of blissful marriage passed before your plans changed. The blame lies with those other heroes, too. One would think traveling alongside a group of unruly young boys would’ve made someone more certain of their decision to never again subject themselves to such a headache, yet it apparently had the opposite effect on your dear husband.

Discovering first hand how much pride he could feel towards a descendant was life-altering, to put it light. Twilight was living proof that somewhere along the line, Time does something right. Whatever kids he might have will grow up to have children of their own and so on…Not to mention Twilight isn’t a terrible outcome by any means. To raise someone with the possibility of them turning out like him and to do so with you of all people? Well, needless to say, it was settled rather quickly after that: Time wanted kids.

Call it baby-fever if you will, but he was suddenly rather eager about the concept he had once avoided like the plague. He brought it up through not-so-subtly hints at first, then when you outright asked him if he was being serious, he went on a slightly nervous spew about your home being too quiet and how he could officially retire from traveling to be home more and it’s really a shame that you have an extra bedroom just sitting around - You just had to kiss him to shut him up which eventually led to…other things. Let’s just say you both got started right away.

It took you twelve years to realize you did indeed want kids yet less than a year to actually be holding them for the first time. It turns out even the universe was impatiently waiting for you both to come to your senses, so once you finally had, it decided to award you with not one, but two beautiful girls whom you affectionately named Saria after Time’s old friend and Mallory, a mix between melody and Malon, their ever-so-excited godmother.  

It’s safe to say that the twins are pretty spoiled. Malon has been over almost everyday, bringing you plenty of baked goods as a bribe to let her spend more time with her favorite goddaughters and you have practically every baby related item that you could need, courtesy of the Queen of Hyrule herself, but of course, it’s their parents who love them the most.

Never in his wildest dreams did Time think it would be possible to feel so at peace with the life he’s built. For so many years, he feared true happiness was impossible - that every turn would result in the same cruel fate he had been subjected to during most of his existence - and yet for the last couple of nights, he’s held it in his arms. He’s watched the moon rise outside his window while playing soft lullabies on his ocarina, you cuddled by his side with your daughters shared between you both. You wear a small smile even in sleep and he swears the girls match it, too; he definitely does himself…This is a priceless treasure he’ll give his life to protect.

Four and you had already been married for a few years by the time you found out you’re pregnant. It’s not to say you were actively planning for it, although you also weren’t actively trying not to either. 

It had been agreed upon early in your relationship that kids would be nice should they come your way, therefore you were both equally excited that your wishes were finally being granted, so much so that the nursery was finished within the first month (courtesy of your handy husband). It’s painted in beautiful pastels that are easy on the eyes and decorated with many toys Four had hand-carved himself; a useful craft he’s now very appreciative towards Sky for teaching him.

Seeing as this was already a somewhat anticipated next step in your lives, Four’s pretty relaxed throughout the process despite its many challenges. For starters, pregnancy itself unfortunately isn't as much of a 'blessing' for you as some have made it sound. You’re rather sick from beginning to end. If it isn't your inability to keep food down (especially in the early stages) or your fluctuating blood pressure, then it’s the aching you constantly feel thanks to both your very heavy bump and extremely active baby who just loves to make sure you never forgot about their existence by kicking you as hard as possible day and night. 

Worry not. Four has made your struggles more bearable by being a darling husband through and through. He’s by your side during each doctor’s visit, does his own personal research on all things baby-related, and helps with every chore he can to give you at least some rest even if just for a quick nap, however most spectacularly, he does all of this without ever being too overbearing. 

Although certainly concerned for your health, Four can recognize your strength any day of the week, especially when you've been rolling with the punches like a warrior queen during such a draining pregnancy. Anxious, sure, but not afraid. Why would he be? He’s confident that you’re both prepared to face anything together! …That is, until you actually went into labor…

Yeah, remember that previously mentioned, relaxed and darling husband? Forget about him. Your water broke and so did Four's calm demeanor, but can he really be blamed? You went into labor early - and not just by a couple of days either. Oh no, we're talking a couple of weeks early. 

Regardless of his newfound fear, Four does his utmost best to still present himself as calm and collected in front of you, not wanting to freak you out any more than you’re already freaking out yourself. He first helped you lay down with plenty of pillows and cushions before running to get help. After that, he doesn’t leave your side, encouraging you throughout the process with a smile on his face, however don’t be fooled: the second you turn your head to the midwife’s voice or close your eyes to scream, your poor husband’s face reflects his inner thoughts as the situation fully begins to sink in. 'Scared shitless' - that's a good word to describe it; eyes wide in terror with a mouth that’s hung agape and slightly twisted in pain as your nails clawed into his hand.

As said, he never leaves your side - not even for a millisecond. You don’t have to worry about him being the type of guy to get grossed out by natural fluids or complain about your expressions of pain; none of that is remotely a concern of his. He’s just grateful to see you okay and even more so to hear his baby crying as they should.

A girl; small like her daddy, but healthy all things considered. Four couldn't wait to hold her, knowing damn well he was going to cry the second her soft skin touched his, but he isn’t ashamed of it in the slightest. Who wouldn’t cry holding something so precious?

Then you scream again. He thinks something must be wrong until the midwife announces that it isn’t over - that there are more squeezed in there waiting.

At the end of the day, you're just relieved to finally breathe easy without going through agonizing pain while Four, on the other hand, is left in shock staring at not one, not two, but three little babies, all healthy girls who wiggle and whimper in their parents' arms, but oh well. The nursery may have to be expanded, although there's plenty of love to go around. At least he can thank Hylia that it wasn’t quads (he's had enough of those).

Legend and you have been in a relationship for several years, although you had mutually agreed earlier on that neither of you were big fans of the whole 'marriage' thing. What difference would a ceremony and piece of paper make, anyway? You already act as any officially married couple would. You live together, go on dates, occasionally argue, and even share a bed which is exactly what resulted in a recent, unplanned detour in your lives: a baby.

When you first told Legend the news, he panicked, asking himself all those stupid questions like ‘what now’ and ‘how could this have happened’ even though he knew damn well how. Then he left. Giving some half-assed excuse about needing fresh air, he turned his back to you despite your pleas and didn’t return for hours. 

Now, rest assured, he did immediately regret having that reaction and apologized for it as soon as he came home. He didn’t mean to scare you with the thought of abandonment, but as he would quietly confess during his apology, the thought of being a parent had just been too overwhelming in the moment. Neither of you had ever talked about having kids, and while he could at least have some peace of mind knowing you’ll obviously be a great mom, he fears that the same won’t be applied to him.

You have always been the light in a dim room, as Legend would put it. You’re fun, sweet, and amazing with kids. Any child of yours, planned or not, will love you with all of their heart exactly as he does. Meanwhile he’s stubborn, cranky, and the last kid to cross his path literally started sobbing. Maybe it had to do with him being covered in monster blood after just having crawled out of a dungeon but he’s pretty sure he traumatized a kid nonetheless…The thought of being just as bad around any kid you share together scares the crap out of him.

Deep, deep down, Legend’s actually somewhat excited to be a father. Although he’s too stubborn to admit it to anyone other than you, he’ll sometimes daydream about how nice it would be to tell a little replica of you both about all his adventures or to teach them how to use some of the items he’s collected over the years like his trusty boomerang. Seeing the excitement in their eyes would definitely be worth listening to you scold him afterwards. If that’s all there was to being a father, Legend wouldn’t have a single concern, yet it’s his insecurities that always have a habit of souring things. Would his kid actually find his stories cool or would they just be tempted to throw the boomerang right at his head?

You’ve done your best to reassure him, often falling back on the argument that the baby will be a part of him. Like father, like son, right? Legend was almost ready to believe you, too, especially upon laying eyes on his child for the first time. As you passed the tiny bundle over to him, he thought that maybe being a dad wasn’t going to be that scary after all, and it might not be so bad to even have more someday either…However, his worries were quick to return when the baby started screaming two seconds after being set into his arms…

Baby screams if he holds him. Baby whimpers if he looks at him for too long. Sometimes, Legend swears the thing starts crying simply by hearing his voice in another room. It doesn’t happen with anyone else, though. The baby just adores you as predicted, but what Legend can’t stand is the fact that the baby seems to like Ravio, of all annoyances, over his own dad.

He’s forced to watch as the little brat happily lets Ravio cradle him, the sight filling him with bitter jealousy and sorrow. You’re convinced that he’s just overthinking everything - that he should give himself time to adjust to his new position as a father instead of holding himself to unrealistic standards, but how long is he exactly supposed to wait until it clicks? It’s been a whole month already and he still feels as confused as day one! Will he ever get the hang of this whole dad-thing or is he a lost cause…?

If there’s any comfort Legend can have, it’s that even Ravio doesn’t know what to do with the baby once he starts crying, so at least he’s not alone in that aspect. The only problem is you’re busy making lunch and stubbornly refuse to pause your efforts. Instead, you shove a bottle over to Legend, insisting that he be the one to feed his son since it should be a ‘good bonding exercise’ for them. You won’t take ‘no’ for an answer and judging on your glare when he tries to protest, you probably wouldn’t be happy if he tries passing the task onto Ravio either.

Thus, Legend is left to awkwardly sit down and take the baby into his arms. He already knows it’s obvious he has no idea what he’s doing, Ravio doesn’t have to point it out, but luckily after some swift around, he manages to hold his son more securely against his chest before shoving the bottle in his face. The baby continues to fuss while turning his head away from the bottle, and Legend’s almost tempted to call for you in defeat until at last, the room falls silent.

Looking down, he watches in quiet awe as his son accepts his meal eagerly. His little hands quickly rise up, gripping onto Legend’s which holds the bottle in place. They’re so tiny; barely able to wrap around a single finger - Oh, and his eyes as well! They’re wide as he stares up at his dad with unbroken eye contact. It’s like a wordless conversation - one more valuable than any he’s heard before.

You return, offering to take your son now that your work is done, but Legend is quick to shake his head. Why don’t you take a well-deserved break while he handles this little troublemaker? It would be a shame to bother him when he looks so comfortable in daddy’s arms.

You've been dating Hyrule for longer than either of you can really remember, however you aren’t in any big rush to get married, figuring that it would make no real difference in your commitment to each other. You love Hyrule and he loves you. What more is there to say? For a while there, you were both perfectly satisfied with simply taking things slow and letting fate decide your course, although more recently you’ve had to switch up that method to something more stable for the baby. Yes, a baby.

You wouldn’t necessarily call it a surprise, but you also can’t truthfully say it was planned either. You had agreed that kids might be nice if the goddesses ever blessed you with any in the future, however you weren’t exactly trying for them…You just weren’t being very careful…

Hyrule must admit he was rather nervous at the start. The only prior experience he really had around kids was with Wind, but there’s a pretty big difference between a young teen and newborn. Pair that with his not so ‘kid-friendly’ world and there’s plenty to worry over. Anything could happen, but Hyrule’s determined to be the best dad and partner he can.

First thing was first, of course: you needed a place to stay. Traveling is fun and you both enjoy being on the move, but that’s no life for a baby. Hyrule and you had actually already considered the idea of settling down someplace before, so you didn’t think of it as a massive loss to take off your adventure boots for a while. If anything, it was a welcomed change once you remembered how lovely it is to be able to kick your feet up for a rest or be surrounded by warmth during a terrible rainstorm.

Again, Hyrule takes his job as your partner very seriously which wasn’t ever a surprise to you. He found a small house for you both to rent in one of the safer villages around; a perfect place for raising a child. While he might not have a talent for decorating or making a place feel ‘homey’, he does thrive when it comes to making sure you’re comfortable, his spare rupees definitely going to fluffy wool blankets and a rickety rocking chair that he saw at a market.

Early on in the pregnancy, you noticed that your boyfriend also began showing a new found determination for cooking which did scare you a bit at first - Okay, so maybe a lot. Hyrule began taking cooking lessons from some kind elderly ladies in town who must have an endless pool of patience because while you can’t say every dish is a masterpiece (or even editable for that matter), you are happy to say Hyrule can now make things like toast and tomato soup successfully. It’s progress.

There aren’t a ton of doctors in your time and none in your village, so you have to take a lot of notes from local women regarding the process. Hearing all their stories and the possible ‘what if’s for what could go wrong made you anxious, especially once you finally go into labor, but it doesn’t faze Hyrule - not on the outside, anyway. He does an excellent job of swallowing his own fears for your peace of mind, talking you through each painful contraction and doing his best to distract you from it all until it comes time to start pushing.

Some people may get squeamish at the thought of childbirth, however Hyrule isn’t one of them. He’s fought through some terrifying dungeons and has bore witness to more than a few gory injuries over the years, so bodily fluids don’t bother him one bit. He’s kneeled down right in front of you without a second’s hesitation, multitasking between mentally reviewing what he’s been told to do and reassuring you even though he’s sure you don’t hear a word of it over your own screams.

One minute Hyrule’s encouraging you to keep pushing, the next he’s holding a small, crying baby in his arms. His movements after that feel almost automatic as he carefully cleans her off and just admires the fact that this baby - this tiny, precious gift of life is his. She’s yours and his and she’s beautiful despite having come into existence within such a broken world filled with more hardships than he could count…

Your tired voice brings him back to reality - asking if the baby you hear crying is okay. You clearly feel the same thing Hyrule does upon seeing your daughter for the first time, the two of you sitting side-by-side as you soak in this wonderful emotion. Hope...That’s what she represents. Hope for a brighter future...

[ganondoodle]

no but, im kinda mad at how well that villain rauru idea is working, even together with most of the work i already did do for the first rewrite, like the thing with the shiekah using ganondorfs strong spirit to power their tech STILL WORKS, its just not the focus anymore, and its not just ganondorfs spirit, but raurus as well, rauru did this to contain gan bc rauru couldnt defeat him at that point- and he planned to return to rebuild his dreamland fantasy kingdom of light later

gan tried to break free from it using whatever means he had (miasma/malice- clamgan) taking over the guardians etc in botw (still out of revenge for being used as a power source by the ancient shiekah but not ONLY) being a way to bring attention to it, maybe to find out where the stones were held, to rebuild himself outside of his prison by any means necessary bc he knew if they both woke up fully rauru would begin his plan- it doesnt have to be that gan is goody two shoes good guy tm now, but he resistet rauru back then and is gonna do it again- and if he loses whatever was left of his body, yet his spirit remains, why wouldnt he team up with link and zelda- he cant do much as a spirit anymore but like thats gonna stop him from from fighting agaisnt his enemy

it would mean you arent one and doen in each region, but the mid point of the game flisp it around so much you have a reason to return to them again, i know backtracking isnt seen as something good all the time but ..... this would be so cool right?? and the yiga being at first an enemy and you get your fight against koga, but then after the turn you have them as allies??? and you get a cool fight against gan at the mid point too!! it can be a full fight at the end of which the reveal happens when zelda tries to intervene since she was with gan the whole time and knew what was going on and bc she has the stone still with her and then both gan and zelda are in the same room rauru goes for it since with zelda there who link trusts telling him the truth raurus gonna lose his tool (link) now anyway

the abilities i have to brainstorm again- but it could be that you get similar ones from rauru at first like i had in my first rewrite (like the hookshot or the energy infusion) like in a more sonau magicky way and after the turn point purah zelda with the help of gan rebuild it in shiekah tech, so you dont lose those abilities forever (just for that mid point reveal rauru fight you cant win) but get them back in a different way, maybe even upgradable now

the only thing that it gets fully rid of is the sages thing (they stil give you abilities in some way but not through the stones), the dragon stuff (which is a little sad but it would also keep the dragons from being something anyone can just be turned into- keeping their mystery alive) and the whole time travel stuff (GOOD i hate time travel)

POLL TIME

[yourlocaltreesimp]

A Hero’s guide on how to heal pt. 2

pushing my chubby sky propaganda again. @biblicallyinaccuratespoons come get your food. This is a part 2, but you do not need to read part 1 to understand what is going on.

CW: Senstitive topics, proceeded with caution

Part 1 is non x reader

Part 2 (you are here) is an x reader because i’m a simp

☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★

Truly, Sky was proud of how far he’d come. He was content to not be in what the people thought as ‘his prime’ anymore, especially since he knew what it really entailed. The life of a hero is appealing until you become familiar with being so hungry you can feel the emptiness carving at your sternum, and so tired you hallucinate.

Being a hero sounds glamorous until that’s all you ever get to be.

It’s all you let yourself be — perfection. And nothing else.

Truely, he never much cared for the term anyway.

That sentiment only becomes truer once he looks past the beginning of his journey.

When he was allowed to simply just be himself.

He was scrawny and awkward. He fumbled his way through life and confrontations, doing whatever he felt was right. He slept through his classes and would sneak into the kitchen at night to steal food.

He didn’t need top marks like Zelda, or a group of yes men like Groose.

He only cared to be content with himself.

Of course, this all fell apart come the time when he’d attach his self worth to his performance as hero.

Once his thoughts began to shift, thinking that not only did he have to save Skyloft and kill demise, but that he needed to live up to this tall tale of what he was supposed to be. That this heroism, ingrained in his very soul, was the marker of his being. This is why he lived.

So he began to build his life around it.

His schedule did not revolve around fulfilling his own life as much as it did saving others.

Perhaps, then, it’s no surprise the people in Hyrules following make him out to be something he isn’t. A vague, shifting figure amidst a surprisingly rigid history. In the act of changing and melding himself to every point of view, every requirement and request, he tucked the truth of himself further away from the eyes of history.

Truthfully, and perhaps slightly shamefully, Sky admits that he would’ve done anything to live up to those expectations. More than he already had.

If someone had told him, at his most vulnerable, that he had to die a martyr, he wouldn’t have even dug a grave.

That thought was a comfort back then. That maybe he’d be asked to just give up. That he’d be relieved of his service. That he’d be perfect in the eyes of history. That despite the fact he was hungry, and tired, and sick, and aching, he’d done what he needed to do.

If death cleansed his soul and finally made him good enough, life was no longer worth living.

Now, he wishes he could go back.

To tell that younger version of himself that it’s ok.

That he’s not perfect and never will be. But it feels so much better when you’re loved for who you are rather than who you wish you’d be.

Admittedly, though, he couldn’t have learned that on his own. All of Skyloft knew him from before and would love him regardless of how much he’d seek to harm himself.

He would’ve never fixed himself if he stayed stagnant.

He needed change.

He needed the change to crack and to break him before he could be remolded and refused.

In the end, he didn’t save himself. Even if he was The Hero.

It was the chain, their brotherhood and support that showed him there were people that understood. People who actually wish for you to be better (as in actually wanting you to be healthy rather than stronger or faster). People who’ve been through the same struggles and problems. People who know what he needs and how to support him.

All at once, he wasn’t alone anyone.

There was so much of himself in each of them. It was impossible to be alone.

Beyond that was you. His lover. That showed him constantly how love should make you giddy and proud of what you are instead of hungering to be more, even if it was ‘to your advantage’ (but you never did care about how he benefited you, did you? he was always more to you than his abilities). You didn’t care for some hero and their acts of service to the goddesses.

You cared about an awkward dork who couldn’t even think about you without his lovesick heart fluttering.

But perhaps most ironically of all; he achieves more now than he did back when he thought suffering meant efficiency.

He can strategize for more enemies and more complex group dynamics when he’s fully slept. He can work his muscles for longer and at higher intensity than when he was skin and bone. He doesn’t feel that aching sense of emptiness, the nausea of hunger looming over him.

He’s comfortable, the chill no longer nipping at his bones when there’s layers of healthy fat to insulate him.

He’s comfortable, You’re able to curl up onto his chest without crushing him.

He’s comfortable. He finally feels right in his skin. That this is where he’s supposed to be, and exactly who he’s supposed to be. Regardless of what people expect of him, regardless of what people judge of him.

[cafecourage]

Sky ran his hand over his soulmate stone for the umpteenth time that evening. It was, as usual, quietly muttering. He loved your voice, even when they were complaining about how it should be illegal for someone to be as distractingly pretty as he is. He listened to you, oscillating back and forth between protests against being so infatuated with him and sheepish admissions of how important he is to you, a smile slowly splitting across his face. Something about it made his heart feel all warm and fuzzy. He was sure he was grinning like an idiot, not that he cared.

Years ago, he’d carved a small casing for the stone out of some of the wood recovered when his childhood home was demolished. The promise of his future protected by the sturdy wood that had sheltered him through his youth. Somehow, it seemed right. Settling his handmade necklace back under his shirt, beside his heart where it belongs, he pulled out his harp and began plucking at the strings, making up notes as he went. The sound drew the attention of his fellow Links, and the lovesick smile on his face won him a few teasing laughs. Sky ignored them, choosing to focus on the sense of warmth and completion he gets even from just the sound of their voice.

He remembered the day he’d gotten his soulmate stone as if it were yesterday. He’d literally choked on air when he saw the face of his beloved for the first time. His heart ached at the reminder that he hasn’t seen you since. It’s been five years and he worries, sometimes, in the quiet of the night that he might never meet you. He’s been all over the surface, met so many people. His era isn’t particularly populated, and you don’t look like you belong with any of the groups other than the Skyloftians of his era. He’d lost too many nights of sleep to those worries. The only thing that soothes them is clutching his soulmate stone tightly to his chest, as if you might somehow feel the weight of his love -- and his hug -- through the action alone.

He shook his head abruptly, clearing away those thoughts before the tears could start. He plays his harp with a little more intensity. This journey, he’s decided, has given him some hope. He can go to so many more places now, and he’s met groups and towns he never could have imagined before. Maybe, by some ironic twist of fate, you hadn’t been born in his era. But that didn’t mean he’d never find you. He would find you. He had to, for his own sake. If he couldn’t convince you to go back to Skyloft with him, well… he shook his head again. Best not to dwell on painful thoughts. He would do whatever it took to have you in his life, even if he had to follow you to the ends of reality. He would give up everything to be with you. He’d never met you, but he knew.

He felt it in his soul before he realized what he was doing. It was a prayer he’d made, silent and aloud, time and again throughout his life. Please let today be the day. It had never been answered, even when he asked Zelda directly. He felt his wish echo through his soul, his body, his harp, and even Fi from where she shat in her sheath beside him. The music, his hope, flowed through the very air around him until it began to pulsate with an ancient energy. Sky’s playing stopped abruptly, but the crackling energy around him did not. Fi buzzed with a warning.

It took a few seconds of panic for him to realize he had not done this. Not directly, anyway. Sky doesn’t have magic of his own. This can’t be his own doing. The magic started to swirl. It created a vortex that sucked up everything in the camp. The next thing Sky knew, he was in a different Hyrule. The others were here, too. It seemed like all their bags had been switched, though. Wild ended up with Sky’s things. Sky had Time’s stuff, somehow.

This Hyrule was strange. The streets were made of a single piece of stone that was painted down the middle. The nearest building had a sign on it that said “Cafe Courage.” He could have sworn he had heard you talking about a cafe by that name before. Speaking of, soulmate stone was quiet, for the first time since he’d obtained it. His heart dropped to his stomach, up to his throat, and back again as he realized the implications. You were nearby. You had to be. Otherwise his stone would still be vibrating with your constant chatter. His necklace weighed heavily against his chest.

He barely had seconds to process this before the demon’s portals started opening. They were surrounded by monsters: too many monsters. The Links were easily outnumbered ten to one. Sky grabbed Time’s Biggorn sword, but the blood of the first monster he slashed came back black. Swearing, he cast a quick glance around the battlefield. Everyone else appeared to be fighting black blooded monsters, too. His chest tightened as he realized all these monsters were infected. Then, he saw something that made his heart stop.

You. You were on the battlefield somehow. From the looks of it, you had been walking in the general vicinity when you got swept up in this fight. You’d gotten a frying pan from somewhere and were brandishing it with an admirable amount of courage for someone clearly unused to combat. He hated seeing you there, but he also couldn’t suppress the overwhelming urge to hug you. As worried as he was, for a couple seconds his face was split by his second lovestruck grin of the afternoon.

The moment was shattered when one of the monsters landed a hit on you. You went flying and Sky was seeing red. He screamed with a primal rage he hasn’t felt in his whole life. He was angrier even than he had been when Zelda was tortured in front of him. He wanted to catch you, to protect you, but he couldn’t. He was surrounded by infected monsters, as were all of his brothers-at-arms.

He wracked his brain, searching for a solution. He couldn’t use his whip — he didn’t have his bag. He had Time’s bag instead. Hold on a second. Time’s bag! Sky remembered him telling stories of the Fierce Deity mask. He didn’t have any better ideas. He dug desperately through Time’s bag as you hit the ground with a panic-inducing crash. Another monster stood over you, ready to kill you while you were down. He slammed the mask onto his face with a furious howl.

He was suddenly much taller. He felt funny, but more powerful than he had ever been. The chatter of thoughts in his head suddenly went quiet. His focus was absolute as he tore through the crush of monsters to get to you. He grabbed the bokoblin that was advancing on you by the scruff of its neck and tossed it over his shoulder like it was nothing. He knelt down before you and reached to cup your cheek. He was surprised, momentarily, that his heart rate didn’t increase.

All his emotions seemed muted. He was struggling a little to even remember how he behaved normally. He looked into your pretty eyes, and you didn’t seem afraid of him. Your eyes were wide with recognition and morbid curiosity. You knew who he was, and — somehow — you knew what he’d done when he put the mask on. The only thought in his head that seemed truly his at the moment was that this was not how he wanted your first impression of him to go.

He scooped you up, careful not to harm you. The odd beast in this mask gave a small, contented purr when he cradled you to his chest. The Deity seemed fond of you, but Sky chose not to dwell on that. He had to save his brothers, and he had to make sure the cafe you had worked so hard for remained unharmed. Using Time’s biggoron sword, he fought one-handed as he held you in his other arm.

He makes quick work of the rest of the monsters. He sets you down gently on the sidewalk in front of the cafe, worry evident in his eyes. He set about trying to tend to everybody, but most especially you, while in an 11 foot tall body. It… didn’t work very well.

“Link, you’ve gotta take that off if you wanna help. Your hands are too big to handle potions like this, let alone bandages.” You remind him.

Sky considers this, frowning. You goad him a little more, and Legend and Warriors inform him he’s behaving strangely. Time levels Sky with a knowing look and tells him he has to return the mask. Sky looks over at you, still worried. You sigh.

“Link, please. You… haven’t said a word to me this whole time.” You look away, unable to meet his gaze. “My stone’s shut up, too. I… miss your stupid voice.”

Sky’s face splits with a grin, then he starts to giggle. He’s just so delighted. You want him to talk to you! He takes off the mask and reverts back to his normal size. You’d looked up to watch him shrink down but you had to look away again as soon as the light faded. He was looking right a you, his expression impossibly soft. His eyes were practically overflowing with love, relief, and concern.

“C’mon, now, Beloved.” His voice is soft, gentle. It’s as if he wasn’t a godslayer. Like he hadn’t been an 11’4” god of war less than a minute ago. Like he was just a big, cuddly, adorable sweetheart with nothing better to do than look after you. Actually, that’s exactly what he was because that’s all he wanted to be.

“Face this way and take this potion. It’ll make you feel better, I promise.” When you comply, he’s still looking at you like you’re the center of his universe. You groan from how flustered you are but you take the potion nonetheless. You try to turn away quickly, but Sky catches you. He gently cups your face in his hands after you finish drinking. He presses a soft kiss to your forehead.

You punch him in the face. He lets you. He’s just too delighted to have finally found you. He’s so adorably happy that you go to punch him again. He catches your hand easily and kisses the back of it before pulling you into a hug, resting his head on top of yours. You squirm.

“Shhh… don’t fight it. Soulmate stones reveal inner thoughts. I know you want this deep down.”

- glitter ✨

GLITTER FREAKING SPARKLE I AM GOING TO SCREAM, YOU LET ME ACTUALLY PUNCH HIM?! I DONT KNOW WHAT TO THINK ABOUT FIRST. THE FACT YOU HAD THE CAFE, FD SKY, AND SOUL MATE AU IN ONE THING?!

IM SCREAMING. HOW DARE YOU!

[justpoliteconversations]

Glory Bound [Chain + Mercenary!Reader]

They'd tried to hire you as a guide. That's not what you're paid to do.

Another round of nonsense for the trash heap.

Masterlist

TW: Choosing not to disclose. Be warned.

Disclaimer: Don't own The Legend of Zelda franchise. Linked Universe is the fan creation of jojo56830.

---

Perhaps the majority of your brethren would have been content to play guide for a few days. Travel around the (admittedly more dangerous) parts of the map, point out a few potential monster nests, sit back while your employers did their hunting (their duty, they'd said) and then go spend the rupees that had been all but handed to you.

Easy. The easiest job you've ever been offered. Except it was a goddess-damned joke because that was not what you had trained until your damned eyes bled to do. You were a warrior, a mercenary, a born and raised killer, not a guide to a bunch of ignorant castle knights seeking a good time in the countryside (because you weren't damned stupid, you recognized the symbol of arms on the posh one).

The scarred and tattooed ones seemed promising at least, though the pink haired one had a look in his eyes that made you reluctant to turn you back to him. It's the brows, perhaps. Suspicious looking motherfucker. Lobster kid was cute though, if a little young to be slugging it out with monsters. But who are you to judge. A babe could put an arrow between your eyes if it ever got the mind to (and if you were stupid, but that was besides the point).

When the eldest (big fucker, dressed down in armor heavy enough to make a man's bones creak) had approached you with a job you'd expected there'd be fighting and you'd been more then willing to take that challenge. You hadn't expected to be told to stay out of the way (man had more tack than that, but you called it for what it was) and just point them in the right direction.

You'd flat refused to his face, and took a certain measure of glee from his shocked expression. Because who the fuck did they think you were? This damned expensive armor you'd scraped and saved for was not for show. It was your badge of honor and how dare anyone take that from you.

The boss had talked you into it though, even cut a deal with the knights in your place since you weren't always good with words. You'd guide them on their merry way across the goddess forsaken places of this land you call home, and in exchange, they'd stay behind you.

"Your duty is to get rid of these unusual monsters, correct?" Boss man had said, so damned personable but you knew the old bastard could put a dozen men in the ground if he wanted. "Then so long as you witness their demise, it doesn't matter who swings the sword." Reluctantly, they had to agree the point. The fact that you were the only mercenary who knew the area outside of the trade routes well meant they didn't have much of a choice regardless. And so, you took the job, gave them the rundown on how they would stay behind you unless death came for your sorry hide and then off you went.

And thus you were here now, staring down a monster nest with mounting anticipation. Beside and behind you, you could feel their anticipation too, buzzing off their skin like an agitated bee's nest. The scarred one looked especially ready to bolt forward, stopped only by the pelted one's firm grip.

You cast a glance at the leader, and with an amused glance he called back his boys. Most gave unhappy frowns at the order, but a few looked interested in what you'd do. The smallest one (not a child) was the most open with his interest and a curly haired man in green was not far behind. The white caped one just looked concerned, but you paid him no mind.

The kid though? You couldn't decide if you trusted him not to run out into the battlefield (in your way) the moment things got exciting. He had that aura about him that spoke of bullheaded brashness. Though not as much as the scarred one, but as before pelt man seemed to have a good arm on him.

Whatever. It didn't really matter. You had a job to do, and so you got to it.

Walked right into the monster camp with your sword drawn. You could hear the disbelieving sounds behind you, but you paid them no mind. If they wanted a bowman they should have gotten a hunter. You intended to put this damned expensive armor to use.

The monsters were tougher than usual, you'll admit. Faster and stronger and a great deal smarter than you were used to around these parts. But, at the end of the day they were still just juiced up monsters. Same weaknesses, same strengths, same ugly mugs twisted in pain and death.

A few new faces, but not much different from anything else you've ever fought. And you'd fought a lot. So much you'd forgotten where you began and your sword ended. You'd forgotten what it felt like to feel the breeze of a chill night's wind on your skin. You'd forgotten what it meant to be human, what it meant to be mortal when it was just you and the thrill and an enemy in your face.

It was exhilarating to taste the sting of adrenaline on your tongue again, the strain of muscles against the force of such powerful blows.

No. Not just that. It was the first time in a damned long while you could say you were enjoying yourself. Not since the day you looked back and realized none of your peers had followed you up that damned mountain called Glory. The moment you realized you were alone in this pursuit. The moment you realized, standing above a vast, empty graveyard of black mist, that you had finally reached the top. And that you were alone.

You had reached the end of your journey, and yet you had hungered for more, more, more. Bigger. Stronger. Faster. Smarter. Better.

And now. After so long of nothing. After so damned long of soul draining stagnation.

Rapturous, wonderful glory.

It was a bloodbath. And you had bled. But they had bled more.

They'd been on you the moment you'd stepped foot into their camp. Three lizalfos-like creatures, a dozen or so bokoblines and a tall armored creature you hadn't encountered before. You welcomed them all.

The first to reach you were the lizalfos lookalikes, running full speed at you while the bokoblines played support as archers. The armored one stayed back at first, and you hoped it was as powerful as it thought itself to be.

The first lizard reached you, spear at the ready with a thrust. But you simply sidestepped, ramming your sword into it's throat as it glanced by. The spray of warm blood hit your face but you paid it no mind, swirling on your heel and ripping the spear from the now slack claws with the added momentum.

Another had come from your other side, but you rounded on it with the spear in hand, and using the momentum from the previous lizard's speed threw it with deadly force into the creature's chest. There was no time to stop and admire it's final pained snarls though, dodging down at the last moment just as another spear made for your head.

Still swirling, you lashed out your sword and got its legs, sending it down to its knees. Or it would have, if you hadn't grabbed it's tail last moment and used it as a counterweight to fling yourself out of range of an arrow. Unbalanced and reeling from the blow, it was helpless as you finally finished the twist to use it as a living shield against the other two arrows that had followed the first.

It died with a final jab to the jugular, disappearing into a fine mist of black. All in all, it had taken ten, maybe fifteen seconds. But that's just the nature of battles. They never lasted long.

And neither did the bokoblins. You had slashed them down before the big one had even made it to your location, one of them hadn't even the time to draw its sword before meeting yours.

And then, the armored one was on you. And you knew nothing then but the cold and hot and tingling pain of rapture.

It was big, it was strong, it was powerful in a way nothing you'd ever fought before had even come close. It was glorious.

Blows rained down on you with enough force to crush a man, swipes of its sword so quick and precise they were nearly impossible to counter. It beared down on you with the ferocity of a creature that knew no fear nor pain nor equal. A creature just like you.

You had one thing it didn't though. And that was a goddess-damned itch that needed scratching after too many damned years to recall with adrenaline flowing freely through your blood. Something to prove a monster like this could never understand.

You refused to yield a single, fucking inch.

You kept close, refusing it the leisure of range advantage. You stayed quick on your feet, faster than it even weighed down by armor. You let it bump and hit and attempt to bully you into proper fighting range, and you let it because you were going to get some use from this expensive damned armor even if it cost you an arm.

One direct strike, and you'd be dead. One glancing blow to an unguarded limb and you'd be maimed in an instant. But none of that mattered, because despite it all you still knew what this was.

This was an endurance battle, and knew the score. And you were going to drag this feast out for as long as you damn well could because you had a goddess-damned itch that needed scratching and this monster was doing it for you.

One minute. Two. Five. Ten. And then-

An arrow was suddenly in the slit of its helm, and it was disintigrating before your very eyes, and it was just fucking dead and you weren't the one who did it.

Slowly, you turned.

And there he was, the pink fucker with the fucking brows. Bow in hand and looking just as pissed as you felt.

"Oh, my fucking bad! You just looked like you were enjoying yourself so fucking much, I just thought I'd join the fun." He snarked, and you felt your anger manifest in a snarl.

You knew there was a reason you didn't like the look of him. Suspicious fucker.

But before you could open your mouth. "It's night, you overzealous fucker. Camp's already set up and we lost a whole day of travel because of you!" He snapped, and you held you tongue. You looked around.

Yup. Night. And a fire was glowing a little ways off, eight pairs of eyes watching from around the pit with open interest at the little drama unfolding before them. The youngest looked about salivating at the mouth as he pinned you with puppy eager eyes, and you knew sleep would not be granted easily this night. The scarfed, posh one too looked about ready to crack open your head and rummage around the insides for whatever secrets he thought you might be storing.

Ah. "Opps. My bad, man."

"Motherfucker! That's it?" Pinky harped with a truly thunderous frown, but you could hear outright laughter from the others not far off. The white caped one even seemed to be carving some sort of wooden figurine, so they mustn't be too upset, right?

"Yeah. Guess I got a little too excited about having a decent fight after so long." You admitted, because yeah, that was on you.

Pinky began cursing under his breath, stomping back to the camp with you not far behind. When you stepped into the firelight, the eldest one waved you over with an amused, but serious expression.

You went easily because this was your employer, you were in the wrong and because lobster boy look about ready to jump you the moment you got to his height. And, without an enemy to take your mind off the discomfort, you could tell you had definitely pushed yourself too far this time. You ached everywhere.

Worth it though.

You sat and the man put a companionable hand on your shoulder (you were about to be chastised, you could just feel it. fuck). "Next time we encounter enemies, you have ten minutes. If you're not finished by then, we join to clean up the rest." He smiled with his one eye, and you just bowed your head. Because yeah, your bad.

"Got it. Sorry Boss." You accepted easily, shame-faced.

He patted where his hand had been resting. "Good. Now, I'm sure the boys are eager to talk to you, Mr. Hero." He was being an asshole somehow, you could tell (there was an inside joke in there too, but you weren't privy to it). Sacrificing you to the wolves (you side-eyed lobster boy), and looking so damned harmless while doing it.

Damned ruthless, this one. You wanted to meet him on the battlefield, if things like that absolute unit of a beast are what these bastards fought for a living. They must be a whole new breed of monster and you were just rearing to meet them. Properly, with swords in hand and blood rushing wildly through your veins.

Suddenly, the top didn't look so lonely anymore. The clouds had finally parted and the world lay before you in all its splendor. So much bigger than it had ever been before.

And you were so ready to conquer it all.

For Glory. And the goddess-damned thrill.

---

Back to the shadows to rest.

[ickaimp]

[BotW] Excuse Me While I Kiss this Guy (discontinued)

My SidLink fic, ‘Excuse Me While I Kiss this Guy’, has been getting a lot of attention on Ao3. It’s two parts, and I tried to write a part three from Link’s POV. That was back in 2018, and I’ve since moved five times. Needless to say, it never got past the WiP stage and the HTTYD fic, ‘Coming Down is the Hardest Thing‘ ate our brain instead. But in honour of Tears of the Kingdom, figured I’d put everything in roughly a chronological shape and post what got written. It’s not complete, prolly never will be, but hopefully it’ll give a couple chuckles. 2900 words. There is also now a bonus scene at the end of Excuse Me While I Kiss this Guy on Ao3.

+++ He didn’t mean to return to the Zora Domain.

Death Mountain lived up to its name, Vah Rudania had been freed from Ganon’s touch, and all Link wanted to do was go somewhere cooler where he could relax and recoup from climbing over a moving metal structure that was standing over gigantic pools of lava. So his duty done to the Gorons, he’d pulled out the Sheikah slate and hit the first shrine that looked near water.  Finding himself facing a handful of angry armed Zora guards had been a bit of a shock, but he’d honestly been too tired to care. Getting the helmet off and breathing the cool humid air of the Zora domain helped, more so when Sidon arrived. The shock on the prince’s face was comical. Even more so when he told his guards to stand down and offered Link a bath. +++ The kiss to the top of his head was unexpected, and made his chest feel light and fluffy. The gesture was as unexpected as it was confusing, but not in a bad way. Sidon’s explanation, his offer of kisses, just made it funnier. +++ Kisses. Link reminded himself as he struggled and fought his way through the shrine. Sidon believed in him, and when Link finished, he could see Sidon again. And get another kiss. +++ He didn’t know how to pay back Sidon for the encouragement. For the kisses. And he wanted to. He wanted to show Sidon how much it meant to Link. How much Sidon himself meant to Link. Armour was important to Zora. Milpha had made him armour. He was pretty sure there were books in the library that explained how to make armour. And armour would keep Sidon safe when Link wasn’t around. He could do that. He had gems and supplies from his travels all over Hyrule. He could make armour. +++ He couldn’t make armour. He could, but not armour for Sidon, who was much larger than Link, or the average anyone. The armour came out the same every time he tried, just the right size for him to fit in to. This was a problem. +++ “You’re making something entirely new.” Rhondson said, shaking her head over Link’s confusion. “You and your magic have seen jewellery and many kinds of armour and know what shapes to make things it has seen before. But to make something new, you’re going to have to do it the hard way.” Link looked down at his hands. Well, it wasn’t as if he didn’t have the time to learn something new. 

+++ Zora made their armour from scales, but Link didn’t have scales. Which meant that he needed to get scales somehow. What had scales? Fish, of course. Zora, but he couldn’t ask them for scales, not for this. Dragons. He had a small collection of their scales and horns. Not enough for armour. Which meant that he’d have to get more. 

“I’m gonna go fight a dragon.” Link declared, anticipation singing through his body. 

“Link? Is everything okay?” Zelda looked worried as she peered into his face. “You’ve kind of got your crazy eyes on.”

He just grinned at her. 

“Okay then.” Zelda sighed and shook her head. He knew that he worried her, that before the Calamity he’d been raised to be a knight, with all the genteel manners and stuff, but he didn’t remember any of that. 

And really, it sounded completely boring and dull. He liked who he was now, he couldn’t go back to whatever he’d been before. Zelda had accepted that, but she still fussed at him. It was kind of... nice, in a strange way. 

She kissed him on the cheek. “Go do your thing. Try not to come back all bloody.” 

He appreciated the fact that she never referred to the castle as his home. It was hers, certainly. And while he didn’t mind staying here, it didn’t feel like home to him. 

His heart called him elsewhere. 

‘No promises.’ He agreed, kissing her cheek as well. Her kisses weren’t like Sidon’s. Still sweet, in a different way. Softer, for one thing. And not as varied, she liked to kiss and be kissed mostly on the cheek.

He liked Sidon’s kisses better. The feeling of rough scales on skin was more welcoming to him than that of soft Hylian skin. Kissing Zelda didn’t leave his heart fluttering and skin tingling and wanting more. +++ The dragon scales were too large and unwieldy to just make into armour. Especially for someone who was as streamlined as Sidon. Cutting them down with normal tools didn’t work, they shattered swords and shears alike. The only thing that seemed to be able to cut dragon scale was dragon scale itself. Link growled to himself, realising that this meant he needed to get more scales, some for the armour, some to use as tools. Which meant more time away from Sidon. He sighed. He could do it. +++ ‘Think it’ll work?’ Link signed, as Bazz looked contemplative, looking over the scales Link had harvested and started to cut into shapes based off the books and patterns he’d found. 

“It should.” He agreed. “My biggest concern is what are you going to attach it to? You’re going for shock resistance, so metal is out, which means some sort of really heavy duty hide or cloth. If you use leather, you could boil it, making it harder and shape it, but I don’t know what would be thick enough.”

That was a problem. Monster hide might work, but he’d killed most of those. 

And he wanted something for the shock resistance too. It was kind of worrisome that Zora couldn’t even touch shock arrows, leading Link having to collect them from the Lynel....

Link paused, looking up towards the tip of Shatterback Point. ‘Be right back.’ He signed, and took off running. 

“Wait! No!” Bazz hissed. “Link! He’ll kill me if you come back dead!” 

Link laughed as he jumped off a balcony, his hang-glider snapping open and catching the ocean breeze. The breeze wasn’t strong enough to get him all the way to the top, but it’d get him part way there. 

+++

A few hours later, Link pulled the fresh Lynel hide out of his pack and set it in front of Bazz. ‘Think it’ll work?’

Bazz made a sound like he couldn’t decide if he was laughing or crying. “You’re certifiably nuts.” He said, shaking his head. “The two of you deserve each other. Yeah, I think that’ll work.” 

Link tilted his head to the side, wondering what Bazz meant by that. 

“We’ll have to sit down sometime with a pint or two and I’ll tell you some of the things our Prince has gotten up to in the past.” Bazz grinned, his sharp teeth glinting. “You heard about him being eaten by the Octorok and going up against Vah Ruta on his own? That’s nothing.” 

Link grinned. He knew he liked Sidon for a reason. +++

“Link, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about your new habit of carving dragon scales during meetings.” Zelda’s lips pressed together in a disapproving line. “It’s scaring some of the Council.”

Link grimaced. It was about the only time that he sat still long enough to get any carving done, he was constantly interrupted otherwise. ‘You want me to stop?’ He offered. He’d just have to figure something else out. 

“Oh good heavens, no!” She beamed at him. “Could you please sit next to Councillor Tyrol? We might be able to get some work done if he stops sharing his ‘hunting’ stories. He’s quite terrified of you, you know.”

+++ Zelda glanced around before tugging on Link’s arm and pulling him closer. She had a mischievous curve to her lips and he leaned in so no one else could overhear what she was saying. “Some of the Council thinks you’re dating a Gerudo woman.” She whispered, then covered her mouth with a hand to contain her laughter. 

It made a certain amount of sense, he was in Gerudo town a lot. … He also wore the clothing a lot while coming back. Did they think that he was dating himself? Or someone else? He paused, eyes narrowing as he remembered the inquires to the Gerudo Chieftain's health. “Riju’s twelve.” He deadpanned. She may have been the steadfast leader of the fierce Gerudo, but she was also a kid who loved soft plushies, especially those of Sand Seals. 

Zelda nodded with barely repressed glee. “I know that and you know that, but how many people here do you think have meet a real Gerudo in their lives? Much less know who the Gerudo chief is?” 

That was a good point. They should probably fix that, get more of all the various tribes together more often. ‘Should I start mentioning Isha more?’ He offered. 

She thought about it, then giggled. “You should invite her to the castle as a merchant.” Zelda grinned. “Plus, I’d like to meet her.”

+++ ‘You need a break.’ Link signed with a frown as he looked Zelda over. She looked kind of like she wanted to punch something then take a nap. “I can’t.” Zelda closed her eyes, looking frustrated. “There’s no where in the castle I can go that someone won’t find me with some sort of emergency. I feel like all I’m doing is putting out fires.” 

Link pulled out a bomb and offered it to her. She stared at it for a moment, which he was starting to think was the default reaction to being offered a bomb. Although it wasn’t like he offered them to just anyone, but Sidon always looked so surprised and confused by the bombs. 

Zelda looked like she was contemplating using it. 

“No.” She shook her head, pushing the bomb away. “Thank you, but no. That’d just undo all the hard work we just finished constructing.” Which was a pretty good point. With a shrug, he put it away again. A thought hit, and he looked her up and down, silently measuring her with his eyes, a smirk growing.

“Link.” Zelda crossed her arms, turning her body away, looking uncomfortable ‘We’re almost the same height and size.’ Link grinned at her. He was a little broader in the shoulder, she a bit broader in the hip, but still about the same proportions. Well, given his lack of height.

“And?” Link bounced a little on the balls of his feet, feeling pleased with himself. ‘That means you should fit my clothes.’ He explained. ‘And I should fit yours.’ She stared at him for a moment, her mouth agape. “There’s no way it’d work. I mean, you don’t talk, that’s easy for me to mimic, but the ruse would be over as soon as you opened your mouth.” 

That was easy enough too. He held up a finger, silently motioning for patience, then rubbed his nose vigorously, until it was red, then coughed a couple of times. “I’m sick.” He rasped, trying to pitch his voice slightly higher. “I need to stay in bed.” 

Then he fluttered his eyelashes at her and grinned. 

Zelda gaped at him. “No.” She said, then immediately wavered. “I mean. No. It couldn’t possibly work.” He shrugged. ‘I need to finish carving some scales, I could do that while you go on a ride, get some fresh air. Wear the champion tunic, everything'll run as soon as they see you coming.’

Link could see her visibly waver. “Oh.” She glared at him, stamping her foot in irritation. “This is a horrible idea. Give me your tunic.” Link grinned and tapped the Sheikah Slate, switching clothing until he was wearing the Champion’s Tunic, pulling it off over his head and tossed it to her. Zelda wrinkled her nose, holding it away from her face.  “When was the last time you washed this?” He gave her a puzzled look back. He never washed any of his clothes, any rips, tears, burns, or other assorted damage were gone whenever he dismissed them and put them back on. “Nevermind.” She shook her head, pulling the tunic on. It was a little big on her in the shoulders, but nothing too obvious. He pulled off his pants and handed them to her as well, before wandering over to her wardrobe and sorting through it before finding a long nightgown, pulling that over his head. This method of getting dressed was such a hassle, it was so much easier to get dressed via the Sheikah Slate. Less fabric to get tangled up in. “You’re hopeless.” Zelda informed him sounding amused and fond as he felt hands tug the fabric down over him. He gestured his thanks, smiling a bit to see her in his clothing. It was kind of strange, seeing her dressed like this. He reached up, undoing the pins in her hair, fingers quickly undoing the braids and messing up her sleek smooth strands. He could never get his hair nearly as soft and nice. The thought of if Sidon liked his hair, so different than the Zora’s scaled flickered through his mind, then he dismissed it. He was pretty sure that Sidon liked him, scales or no scales. Pretty sure. “Gah.” Zelda batted his hands away, stepping backwards out of reach before moving towards her vanity, checking her hair in the mirror. She made a face at seeing it so disordered, then grabbed a tie, pulling it back in a messy pony tail, then teasing the hair out on the sides of her face a bit. “What do you think?” She asked, looking up at him. Link walked over so they could see each other in the mirror. They looked disturbingly alike. They could almost be siblings, possibly even twins. He nodded, and she echoed the movement. “Okay.” She agreed. “This’ll work.” He gave her a thumbs up. +++ A knock on the door interrupted Link’s concentration and he growled in annoyance. He stood up, detouring long enough to grab a blanket from Zelda’s bed and tossed it over his head, wrapping it around himself like a cocoon before opening the door. “What?” He snapped, his voice low and rough. “n-Never mind.” Councillor Tyrol scurried off. Link huffed, shutting the door with a slam and went back to making smaller scales out of larger scales for armour. +++ “Got any clothing in red?” Bazz inquired, idly twirling his trident in one hand. It immediately put Link on edge, because there was something a little too casual sounding to the warrior’s tone. 

‘No.’ Link signed, confused. Almost all of his clothing was blue, unless he took the time to dye it. ‘Why?’ “Could you get some?” Bazz asked. Link shrugged. He didn’t have any at hand, but it’d be easy enough to swing by the Hateno Village and talk to Sayge at the Kochi Dye Shop. He could spare five rupees for payment, and a few extra apples or spicy peppers he could use for red dye. ‘Yeah. Why?’ 

“The next time you come to see the Prince, you should wear something red.” 

This was starting to sound really suspicious. ‘Anything specific I should wear?’ 

“Doesn’t matter. Just something bright red.” Bazz shook his head. “As a favour to me?” He asked, attempting to look as sweet and innocent as a kitten. It didn’t quite work.

Link did kind of owe Bazz for his help in making the armour, making sure it’d fit the prince and keeping it a secret from Sidon. “Okay.” He agreed. It was easy enough. 

“Thanks.” Bazz gave him a bright grin, full of razor sharp teeth and Link wondered just what he’d gotten himself into. 

++++

“Link! My Dear!” Link had just enough warning to brace himself before he was picked up and pressed against Sidon’s ginormous chest. “It is such a pleasure to see you!”

“Sidon!” Link wrapped his arms around Sidon, pressing as close as he could. Sidon smelled like he usually did, water and musk, something always made Link relax. 

It meant safety, comfort, and laughter.

He kissed the nearest part of Sidon he could reach, his jaw just below the fin that framed his face and felt a small shiver run down Sidon’s frame. 

Sidon eased his grip slightly, pulling back so he could look Link over. “It’s so good to see you healthy. No new scars?” 

Link smiled and shook his head. Sidon beamed in delight, taking Link’s hand and kissing the palm. “I’m glad.” 

Seriously, Sidon was the only person who worried if Link could take care of himself. Well, maybe other than Zelda, but she was more likely to laugh at him for it. 

“Is this new?” Sidon asked, peering at Link’s shirt. It was just a basic tunic, but he’d dyed it the bright red of fresh chillies, as Bazz had requested. 

Link shrugged. Honestly, he couldn’t remember where he’d picked the shirt up from. 

“I like it!” Sidon beamed at him, and Link wondered how he could contain such joy in his face. “We match!” 

… They did. He looked at the shirt against Sidon’s scales and realised that they did, the dye almost the same colour as Sidon. Anyone seeing them together would probably assume they were a matched set. 

He didn’t know whether to be grateful or to strangle Bazz for his meddling, when Sidon barely set him down for the remainder of the day, almost always keeping in contact with Link. He also made a note to wear more red, if this was Sidon’s reaction. 

-fin- -And that’s all folks.

[lightningbreath]

I HATE ganlink and ganzel, but, mostly, I HATE Ganondorf.

I swear, how can there be people who ship a demon who always seeks to FUCK WITH THE LIVES OF THE KINGDOM AND THE PROTAGONISTS and say that "" oh, but he's a victim "", "" oh, it's Hylia's fault""" , "" ain, but look carefully """.

Look, nothing!!! I swear, every time I see fanarts or fanfics or the number of people who support this with the shitty excuse of """ oh, Link/Zelda will show what's good about him"" (that's when it's not a romanticization of rape or abusive relationship). And you know what's the worst, it's the fact that Nintendo's shit makes him ""physically attractive"" since it seems like if you're physically attractive you can do whatever the fuck you want and people not only will forgive you, as he will glorify you.

My God, Ganondorf isn't even a gray villain, with layers, NO!!! He's just the typical shit villain who wants to dominate and kill just because he likes (and no, neither do I). come with Ganondorf from WW, because that was ridiculous, "" oh, I just wanted a better place, I just wanted the wind"" and then he tries to invade a Kingdom that isn't his and condemns the gerudo and Hyrule, he he's just a selfish spoiled brat who tried to play the victim).

And I'm not even going to talk about Ghirahim's ship with Link here because it's ridiculous and disgusting, ""haha, let's ship Link with the guys who screwed up his life for active and passive because GAY SEX, haha""". I hate sidlink and malink, but at least the stories and fanarts are cute, the relationships are healthy and, most importantly, MALON AND SÍDON NEVER TRIED TO FUCK LINK'S LIFE!!!!

I like fanarts that place Ganondorf, Zelda and Link as "unlikely friends" or with Zelda and Link destroying or mocking Ganondorf but that's it, if you want to do a story where he finds the Light, do it. BUT DON'T INVOLVE LINK AND ZELDA IN THIS, THEY HAVE NO RESPONSIBILITY OR DUTY IN """RESCUING GANONDORF"""!!!

All games say that Ganondorf is only king because he is the ''''chosen one''''. If there's anyone who enjoys the '''divine monarchy''' it's this son of a bitch. Another thing, seriously, just because there is a conflict in Gaza (it seems to ignore what Hamas does to its own people) and because he is dark-skinned, he cannot be a villain? Please, it would be a problem if all Gerudos were portrayed as villains.

It makes me sick to see how a part of the fandom always wants to find a way to make Ganondorf a '''gray villain''' when they aren't crying and kicking because Nintendo doesn't justify all his actions as a '''poor thing and as Hyrule is the great hidden evil'''.

And the stupidest thing is why these people ask this, since it seems like they can't ask for more '''complexity''' from Ganondorf without talking about his shitty race, I'll bet my house that if Ganondorf were a white man, clearly heterosexual, no one would say anything about him being a cartoonish villain.

The mistakes of the royal family of Hyrule have never been hidden, some even come to light (the history of the Yiga, the Civil War in Oot), but it seems that these people would only keep quiet if Ganondorf decimated all the Hylians. , because Hylians are evil and how dare you insinuate that a dark-skinned man from the Middle East is a shitty person and a tyrant who uses his people as instruments and blah, blah, blah.

''''Ain, but Ganondorf from Wind Waker'''', the truth is that little happened to him. That little speech of his is the same one in which Hitler told the Jews in the concentration camps that ''''Germany was destroyed by the First War and the Treaty of Versailles was destroying his people and that he only had the noble reason to empower the Germans. and that he only wanted the good of his people.'

Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? Well, that's basically Ganondorf's speech.

And finally: Zelda has imperialist propaganda. Well, what's the problem? It's incredible how foreigners deify the Republic because of course, the only shit is the monarchy.

The monarchy in Latin countries was going well, with its ups and downs like every system of government and then BOOM, France, USA and England start to interfere in the politics of other countries to plunge them into wars and make it '''' democratic republics'''' completely dependent on them, a great plan, and now, the Latinos want to exchange American imperialism for Chinese, remaining slaves but changing owners. I would love imperialism like Zelda's, the races have a lot of autonomy of their own and even in the cruelest moment of the Hylian monarchy, they still managed to be self-sustainable. Ganondorf has always been a tyrant, who put his people in misery to use them as justification for his actions.

You complain about Rauru and the Hylian monarchy, but Ganondorf never wanted what was best for the Gerudo, he never wanted to live in peace with other races, he wanted to INVADE lands that weren't his (it was always implied that Hylians existed before). the Gerudo) if you have someone who is an imperialist who takes advantage of the "divine right of monarchy" that being is Ganondorf. I am very happy when I see the Gerudo prosper without the thorn in the side that is Ganondorf, I am completely in favor of that the '''gerudo men''' no longer exist and they are the incredible Amazonian tribe that they always were.

That's it, I've had this installed in my heart since I joined this fandom and finally, I'm at peace.

[izunias-meme-hole]

Okay, I keep hearing about the stuff about “TOTK is Pro-Imperialism” and I want to share my thougths.

TOTK isn’t Pro-Imperialism, but it isn’t Anti-Imperialism either

This debate has been surrounding The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom for quite a bit, so I’m just here to state my thoughts on it based off of stuff from previous games, and stuff from in-game to try my best to form the clearest possible explanation to all of this. I apologize if this sounds like ramblings, I’m just trying my damnedest to condesce my thoughts on this matter into one post.

Point 1: Rauru is flawed, but not a monster

A fair amount of people think Rauru was the real evil, primarily due to the imperialism, but the reality is not exactly that. Rauru genuinely is a good man, and doesn’t exactly match the image of a conqueror or malevolent being in the end, but he does fall into an archetype the series likes presenting; The Questionable Hylian King. King Rhoam and Daphnes both fall into this category by both being men who would do whatever they can to preserve the Kingdom of Hyrule, but they aren’t exactly great people. Rauru however is a unique case, because despite having a good heart, he is still questionable because of how he was planning to build his kingdom, the stash of Zonai Secret Stones that were just kept in the castle at the time, and based off of how he planned to handle Ganondorf before the bastard became the Demon King, he didn’t consider the potential problems. 

As for the Imperialism, based off the scraps of info we have on the Zonai, and the fact that Rauru even considered on having that be the base for the system that Ancient Hyrule would function on once, it leads me to believe that the Zonai Civilization was most likely an empire that lived in the skies that mostly kept to itself and was around since Skyward Sword. Still, empires are destined to fall, and as a result, only 2 young Zonai were left, Rauru and Mineru. I think that when Rauru was founding Hyrule with Sonia, he was most likely thinking about the Zonai Civilization, and what aspects of that he could carry over into this new kingdom. Still, it’s clear that when building Hyrule, the one thing he DID consider was that he wanted a kingdom and land that would bring peaceful and orderly, and he might’ve flirted with the idea of a United Hyrule after finding out about the other races and civilizations.

Rauru if anything, wanted order. He wanted Hyrule to be a land that wasn’t sullied by evil, and he had good intentions and a good heart, but his methods were flawed at best and just garbage at worst. If anything, Zelda and Link are meant to basically are meant to look at him and learn what NOT to do when rebuilding Hyrule. Order may be something that’s usually associated as something good, but it just depends on who’s trying to establish it.

Point 2: Ganondorf has a motive and it’s one that brings only chaos

I hear talks about how Ganondorf has no motive in this game, but that isn’t the case here. This is mostly denied with some lines of his english dub and his motive is explained clearly in the Japanese dub. He, much like his other incarnations, is one of those antagonists who follow “The Mandate To Heaven,” which is basically a “the strong thrive while the weak perish” mentality that was used by a lot of real life emperors and conquerors, however there’s also another element to his character that seperates him from other incarnations of the character. He’s an embodiment of chaos and is aware of it.

Look at Ganondorf’s Demon King design, and his personality in this game and tell me that he isn’t chaos incarnate. Ganon has ranged from being a classic villian, a tragic villain, and magnificent bastard as a human, to a generic doomsday villain in his beastial forms. But here? He’s aware of his capacity for causing chaos and uses it to his advantage to ruin Rauru’s attempt at establishing order. Not only that, but he believes that hard times make people strong, and that anyone who desires peace is a coward. He and the Gerudo have thrived in a chaotic environment, The Desert, however while the rest of the Gerudo wish to just be left the hell alone, Ganondorf wished to extend his reach across the land, and after becoming the Demon King, his first act was to revive dead monsters, reintroducing chaos into the world as a result. He abandoned the Gerudo for the sake of his goal to dismantle the young Kingdom of Hyrule and turn the land into a hellscape where only the strong can thrive, a hellscape ruled by him, a king who MUST crush any opposition and rule.

This is a similar, yet different take on Ganondorf that not only remains true to his kingly mentality, but carries a chaotic and destructive energy that helps cement him as a true enemy to order as a concept, and not a king who’s selfish heart caused him to go power mad (OOT, TP & WW) or a genuinely good leader who still carries a monstrous and power hungry side to him (HW). This Ganondorf is not just evil, nor is he just a conqueror. He’s the enemy to peace and order, no matter who’s trying to establish it, all because peace and order doesn’t align with his worldview.

Point 3: Zelda is not a monster, but she does carry an impact

This one should be obvious, especially since Hyrule was still realing from The Calamity, but apparently it isn’t. Zelda is the last Hylian Royal in the present, but not just that. She’s been helping people recover, alongside the Shiekah too. She’s probably kept in touch with the Gorons, Rito, Zora, and Gerudo during that time and helped them too, and considering that she was friends with their champions, it gives her even more reasons to help, despite the fact that she would’ve tried to help anyway. Zelda in all of her appearances, especially in BOTW and TOTK is a genuinely good person, but unlike Rauru, she’s only concerned with peace and is careful with her steps. Remember, she DID question Rauru’s plan to keep an eye on Ganondorf. Sure it’s her duty to ensure order, as The Princess, but she genuinely believes that peace should be the objective of any royal. Zelda is willing to do whatever she can for peace, but she knows that there are certain paths that she cannot tread, unless she desires to abuse her power, and this is why she values wisdom, and this is why people trust her as much as they do.

Ganondorf’s puppet copy of Zelda did some heinous shit with her face, but even then, it still managed to fool some people. The puppet was designed to take advantage of that trust, and put people in distraught. In other words, when the REAL Zelda came back, you bet your ass that shit was set stright.

Point 4: The imperialism is just… existing in ancient hyrule, and is never glorified or demonized

Yeah, imperialism is implied, but it’s not glorified or demonized. It was just there for Ancient Hyrule before Ganondorf threw the land into chaos. Aside from that, based off of everything we know about BOTW and TOTK, whatever imperialism was in going to be in Ancient Hyrule, it didn’t see the light of day BECAUSE of the chaos created by Demon King Ganondorf. If anything it was just known as a thing exclusive to that era, and I explained Rauru’s deal. It’s almost like the imperialism was just a thing of the past and nothing more, a failed byproduct of a founder who was flawed as a King.

Before anyone brings it up, yes, the Gerudo of the past (TOTK Memories and OOT) are different from the ones in the present, and they even fought Rauru, but juding by how their leader revived a bunch of long dead monsters and tried to turn the world into his “only the strong survive” dreamland, it makes sense why they ditched him, it’s the same reason why the Gerudo centuries after OOT are allies of Hyrule in the BOTW timeline. They may have their problems with the hylians and men, but they’d rather work with them than pave the way for Ganondorf to bring them to ruin.

Conclusion: ToTK is not propaganda, it’s just a simple game with a piece of lore that has imperialism

As I said in point 4, the game isn’t pro imperialism, but it isn’t anti imperialism either, it just brings it up for the flashbacks as the implied system of government Rauru probably wanted to set up (Which I theorize was due to the Zonai Civilization being something akin to an empire that kept to itself before inevitably falling) for the purpose of genuinely wanting peace and order, and when the war against Ganondorf begins, that idea falls apart because chaos is sweeping the land and Rauru basically sacrifices himself to stop it, and Zelda at the end of her journey learns from the founders mistakes.

Hope this helps, but it probably won’t ☠️☠️☠️☠️

[bokettochild]

You know, I love the idea of Legend and Fable being siblings because…

…It could actually make sense. and it could have a reason to exist.

Like it wasn't a coincidence.

It was planned by Hylia.

Time died in this timeline, whatever it was a timeline where he didn't have the seven years gap in this timeline and get killed as a child, either he failed during his final fight as adult. The thing is that he died, and it's worse than Wild since he's really dead.

(ok he's still alive in two other imelines, but it's like the Age of Calamity Timeline where all the champions are alive, Calamity Ganon is gone, and Wild didn't lose his memories, wasn't almost killed, and didn't take a 100 years nap, all that while the botw/totk timeline still exist)

Whatever how Time died, he died. Hylia's hero failed, because he was too young, not enough experimented, ect…

Lullaby/Zelda barely managed to do something after Time's death, to stop Ganon, but the situation was really REALLY not great. For years, for even centuries, it has been terrible.

It was the start of the Downfall Timeline.

Years and years after the death of the poor little young one, Hylia realized that Ganon was going to return and mess with humans AGAIN. And that she had to trigger the two reincarnations, Zelda and Link, to stop him. Or it would be the end of the world.

But she didn't want to make the same mistake two times. Link wouldn't be a nobody or a helpless child. He would have more power. So he would be more armed to face the menace, more prepared, he would be trained.

He would have the blood of Sky, her second hero, he would have the blood of Four, who married his Zelda at his Era. And he would have her sacred blood. The kid would be powerful. So he wouldn't face a tragic end.

And so Legend and Fable were twins.

What Hylia didn't plan was the reaction toward a little prince. Good thing, the mother of the twins refused to let her baby die and asked to her most faithful personnal knight to take the baby and to protect him. He accepted, thinking that killing inocent baby was a horrible thing, whatever a prince was a monster ONE time, this baby didn't do anything.

The twins didn't grow together, of course. Legend was a energic kid, and he was very smart for his age. He was able to speak to animals and to trees. At first his uncle didn't believe him but was forced to do it when faced the truth. Legend was a sensitive kid who loved animals and who always wanted to help people (yep it was a good kid). He didn't want to become a knight but he liked the sword traning.

Sadely, the events of Link to the Past happened a lot sooner than Hylia had planned. Legend was ...eight. (Hylia has really failed her tactic to kill Ganon with a prepared adult, yeah ^^")

He had some training with a sword, but wasn't a soldier. He survived to all the trials until finding Fi. Because he was talented, smart, lucky. He escaped the danger more that he won against it. Until he found Fi, it was pure luck + his training.

Fi was…not in a good state. Nobody hads taken care of her since the death of the previous hero. She had still his blood on her, she was used by time, by the wind, by the rain. She was forgotten. And then this tiny child take her in his little hands and she recognize her master's blood, he hears her voice. She sees how much he was young, fragile, still innocent and decided that no, this one wasn't going to die.

So Legend, without knowing it, has learned some of Sky's fighting style thank to Fi.

He has reforged her with his tiny hand, treating her as the most precious thing in the world.

He was always holding her when sleeping because he had a lot of nightmares for obvious reasons.

And Fi corrected his movements in a fight.

He could hear her because of Hylia's blood and because of Sky's blood in his veins.

She could warm him if danger was near of him.

Fi has raised him in some ways.

And so the idea of Hylia, after the death of the previous hero, deciding to reincarne her hero as Sky's descendant, as her descendant to give him more powers, more capacities to survive….is very interesting. and could be logical. She didn't need to do it in the other timelines because Time won.

And imagine, during the events of Linked Universe, Sky being like "you have almost the same fighting style than me?"

"The master sword teached me!"

"She SPOKE to you *o*?"

Yes! Yes!

I definitely agree. The Downfall timeline is the worst Hyrule has seen, and ever will, so Hylia needed the strongest hero there would ever be to protect it. There is a reason Nayru named him 'the greatest of all the Hylian Heroes' , a reason why the Master Sword speaks to him when she was silent before.

I wouldn't say Hylia gave him every advantage, but she certainly tried by choosing to bring him out of her bloodline and that of the heroes past, by activating his triforce piece when he was still too young to actually need it, and by ending Fi's slumber. Honestly, now that I think about it, she probably elected to wake Fi again so that the sword spirit would act as guide and care-taker to her little hero, a nanny almost sicne she couldn't actively e beside him herself.

This in mind though, it really highlights a point I've held for a while, although privately. In my opinion, Legend has no reason to truly hate Hylia. I never knew why people added that to his character? Not only is she never mentioned in his games, but if, based on the above, he was actually brought up by Fi, he'd probably have come to have a warm regard for the goddess who was actively looking out for him. Maybe a slightly complicated view of her, since she lets bad stuff happen too, but she always gets him through it as well, and gives him her blessings and tools and servants to help him along.

All this to say, I now want to write a Good Mom Hylia fic, although it would definitely come across as Hylia playing favorites LOL

[pseudoartistpostsstuff]

Hello, not to sound forceful or anything, but could you write a part two for this post of yours?

https://at.tumblr.com/lilacsareinbloomagain/i-know-i-almost-died-but-like-its-really-not/93kyq8kcm2u6

Thank you!

Not forceful at all! In fact, I'm glad you liked it enough to want a part two :] Thanks for the request!

Notes: This is the part 2 of this fic.

I hope this will be to your liking.

I don't know why I made it seem like the reader does not know who Wolfie is in the first part of this, but I just went with it, so in this fic, reader did not previously play any Legend of Zelda game.

TWs: Yanderism, a bit of gore, beginning of stockholm syndrome?

The Chain X Reader

I almost died, of boredom this time.

Legend almost went into a state of shock due to the way Wild woke him up, the poor man was not expecting to hear about you being severely hurt in the same sentence as "It's your shift now". It took him a few seconds to pull himself together and not rush towards you to check how you were. He quietly thanked the Goddesses you were alright now, and also that Wild was too tired to notice the pure panic in his eyes, that blonde gremlin would spread the news to the others like a wildfire.

He couldn't let that happen, not when he would be teased forever about it, and what if you thought less of him because of that?! No way he'd let that happen. He had to keep this front, for now, at least until he was sure you loved him just as much as he loved you.

At least until you were living your life alongside him and only him.

Just as expected, he had to spend the rest of the night watching over you. If he didn’t he wouldn’t be able to live with himself, what if something happened to you in the meantime he was guarding the whole camp? Even if Hyrule had already treated your wounds, something could still happen, so he wasn’t really fond of the idea of possibly endangering your life.

That's why it's a good thing Time and Twilight were enraged at the forest during that time, slicing and stabbing through monsters and really whatever crossed their paths. Any of these monsters could have been the reason you were hurt, therefore, they were compelled to kill any and every monster in that forest and close proximities. They had to avenge the blood you lost, after all.

If they weren't doing that, the camp would be as good as unguarded, since Legend was only looking your way and not paying any attention to his surroundings.

What a funny thing. Normally, when someone stared at you while you were asleep, you’d wake up, since our brain has this little instinctual sense of danger.

Seems like you don't have that, maybe that’s why the shadow could watch you so easily through the nights.

Even more this one and the ones you spent at the forest, since no one was paying attention to the glowing red eyes in the dark not too far from you.

The annoying thing was how quick you were to wake up. One tug at your leg and you'd be bolting, adrenaline coursing through your veins at the possibility of who could be trying to kidnap you.

Who were you scared of? Him, or the Links? It seems like your trust in them was beginning to waver, was it not?

Maybe he could try to have a chat with you soon. All it took was one opening, five seconds were more than enough for him to grab you and take you with him, would you even put up a fight?

He could try any day, just not today, not when The hero of the Legend was watching you so closely.

He hopes the day will come soon. Or he could just arrange a distraction, he was never that patient anyway, not when it came to you, not when you were just at arms reach.

For now, he'd wait, like he has been waiting ever since he first set his eyes on you.

Some time passed before Time and Twilight finally came back.

By that time it was already morning, the others had already woken up, and already surrounded you in a frenzy, terrified but stern, just not as stern as Time could be.

You had to calm each of them down, trying to avoid more lectures from each of them, even from Hyrule, since when he cured you he was too sleepy and worried to scold you. Now he was well rested, having spent most hours of his night cuddling you.

Wild managed to make them disperse, just enough so you wouldn’t suffocate. With his cooking, there was no way they would be able to ignore their hunger any longer, you weren't different, you missed Wild's cooking, even if you weren't gone for that long, even if it was as simple as scrambled eggs and bacon. It gave off a homey feeling you missed since you were dragged into this world.

While you guys were eating, the duo came striding from the trees. Both looked, well... Disgusting, gore painting their clothes with death, in a way you could barely recognize the original colors. The shine of Time's armor dulled by blood and bits of internal organs and guts, the once fluffy pelt wrapped around Twilight's shoulders now was dripping with a dark liquid you couldn't tell if it was blood or it's black, evil counterpart.

There was still an unforgiving rage burning in their gaze, but it seemed like there were no more monsters left to satiate their bloodlust. Only they were aware of the dead silence they left the now empty forest in.

Just now did you notice that the amount of blood on their clothes was also due to the piles of dead animals they were carrying, innocents caught in the crossfire.

Maybe that's what chilled you to the bone, leaving you with a feeling of dread.

What exactly made you any better than those animals? Just how long would it take for them to get angry at you, just how long would it take for you to be another one of the rotting, mangled corpses left to decay at the forest?

Or maybe they wouldn't let you die, you'd suffer as a punishment while Hyrule would heal you just enough to keep you from dying. Even if hurting you hurt them.

The Links weren't afraid of being hurt after all, if hurting you was what it took to keep you with them, they weren't scared to hurt you for the sake of the "greater good".

After all, in their eyes the greater good was keeping you with them.

You were forced out of your little thinking bubble when you heard the two throw the bodies of the animals by Wild's side, the man jumped a bit from the sudden movement, but didn't say anything. Four made a face at the bodies before giving you a look, like he was saying "You're doomed" without actually saying anything out loud.

Normally, Warriors or Legend would have already said something by now, be it a quip or a joke. This time, the silence was deafening, it seemed like everyone was aware of the heavy tension between Time, Twilight and you.

Time called out to Wind before pointing to the bodies. "Help him clean. I want all of those clean and salted before evening." His tone sounded cold, almost as if he was daring Wind to react and get him angrier than he already was. Guess Wind was still being picked on for accidentally freeing you that night, you frowned at that, feeling guilty. The boy merely nodded, crossing his arms, clearly annoyed yet aware Time was on edge and anything could set him off.

"It isn't his fault, you know? I was the one who tricked him."

Your quiet words easily traveled through the silent camp, reaching not only Time and Twilight but also everyone else.

Time shook his head, but didn't say anything in response, choosing to speak to Twilight. "I'll be back before noon. Don't let her out of your sight." The man hissed to Twilight before walking away in the direction of the empty forest once again, the rancher sighed.

Once he was out of sight, everyone seemed to be able to breathe again, going back to eating normally, Wild offered Twilight breakfast which he accepted with a curt nod before settling down by your side, almost leaning on you, tired because of the hours of sleep lost. If you asked, he would say he was just doing what Time asked of him.

"Silent treatment, such a healthy way to deal with conflict." You scoffed, glancing in the direction Time ventured off to. Twilight nudged you with his elbow, giving you a look.

"Can't say you didn't aggravate him, sugar."

You gave him an annoyed look in response, of course he was going to defend Time. "Whatever."

Twilight seemed dejected as he finished his breakfast, seeing how you finished yours in a very… "Spiteful" way, using your spoon like you were stabbing your plate, not like you had a choice, you weren't really allowed knives or forks since the last incident.

Sky leaned over before Twilight was able to say anything, he made a signal for him to keep quiet. He had the feeling what Twilight was saying wasn't really improving the situation in any way, you felt like he was siding with Time and not understanding your side. Not like any of them did, but you didn't need to know that.

"Hey, sweetheart." Sky scooted closer to you, patting your knee to bring your attention to him, the gentle expression on his face never failed to make it easier for you to listen to him, neither did it fail to bring an annoyed eye roll out of the rest of the Chain. He held back an amused smirk at that, the other Links unable to say anything, since he was, after all, the only one who was able to get to you in such a way.

"Yeah, Sky?" You still had your eyebrows furrowed out of frustration, holding your plate tightly, if your almost white knuckles were to say anything.

Before saying what he had to say, he put his hands on top of yours gently, lowering your plate to the floor before pulling your hands closer to him, so that he could calm you down better by making little circles over the back of your hands with his thumb, it always worked.

"We want you to be safe. That's all" He gave you a small smile, barely lifting the corner of his lips. "Let us care for you."

"That's right, Hyrule is dangerous." Legend butted into the conversation, making Sky chew the inside of his cheek anxiously. You were still on edge, any wrong words and it would only push you away, and Legend of all people trying to convince you? It was a recipe for disaster. "You must have noticed that by now." He nodded his head towards your stomach, where you used to be wounded, his face serious. You couldn’t really deny the truth in that.

Sky brought your attention back to him, giving your hands a gentle squeeze. "I understand you may be confused and scared, so are we. But it is in our spirit to take care of you, an innocent person brought into danger by the shadow." The others, who were paying close attention to his sugar coated words, nodded along. "You may die if we don't keep an eye on you." There was silence after that, and finally, you nodded, albeit slowly.

Sky smiled and squeezed your hands one last time before releasing them and grabbing your plate, getting up to put it away. Not before pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

Twilight got up next, nodding to Wild and Wind as they went to the closest river to prepare the bodies of the animals, the latter huffing and puffing as he went, cursing about Time in a low voice which gained him a slap on the back of the head. After last night, you guys would be able to travel without hunting for a long while.

He patted your head affectionately. "Don't be mad at the old man, he was worried sick about you when you ran." That made you feel a bit guilty. With Time's hard exterior, it was difficult to see him actually caring about you, but you knew he probably meant well, even if it was pretty much unbelievable.

"He's the one who's mad at me." You grumbled.

"He thinks you acted recklessly, and you can't say he's wrong." Twilight squatted down to be eye to eye with you, just to give you a pointed look. "I'm sure that if you apologize he won't be mad anymore. Deep inside, he has a soft heart." He chuckled before getting back up.

You doubted the truthfulness in that, but still, you nodded, not looking at him.

"Think about it, he won't be back until noon, so you'll have the rest of the day to mull it over." Before going to do whatever he had to do for the day, he said one last thing, sounding stern without having to even turn to look you in the eyes. "And don't even think about stepping a foot outside of this camp."

You looked around you, noticing Sky, Four, Legend and Hyrule were still paying close attention to you, even if Warriors and Twilight were about to go somewhere else.

You sighed. "Fine..."

This will be a long day…

[aheathen-conceivably]

Warm air settled over Strangerville as Antoine spent his weeks at home. For days he did little but enjoy the quiet rhythm of life, helping Zelda with work or waiting for Violette to return home from school. All he wanted was to spend every moment that he could with them, storing away memories for the sleepless nights he knew awaited him in the near future. Only there was still one thing he had to do before he went back on the road, so one day in Spring he made the long trek up the hill to Hines Ranch.

Violette was by his side, mostly because she had hardly ever left it since he returned, but also because she never missed an opportunity to visit Hines Ranch now that her days there were few and far between. The whole walk she vacillated between chattiness and moody sighs, trying to make her displeasure about his imminent departure known while still wanting to talk to him. 

Every time she did, his resolve crumbled. Whatever other difficulties he faced leaving again paled next to this: disappointing her over and over again each time her childish joy turned to loneliness right before his eyes. It was all he could do to give her every bit of attention she wanted while he was here, so that there was never any request too big or misbehavior worth reprimanding.

Because deep down, he felt like she was right to treat him this way. He had seen how much her hair had grown and how desperately she needed new dresses. Even if he knew that leaving meant he could give her that and more, it was at the expense of missing so much.

The farmyard was quiet as they approached, the pens where Antoine had learned to wrangle horses empty and the man he sought nowhere to be seen. He took Violette by the hand and walked toward the barn, betting that Abe and his horses were in the cool shade of the afternoon. As soon as they drew near a small voice sang out from the darkness beyond. “Lottie!”

She hesitated briefly, pulling at Antoine’s hand as Will appeared at the stall doors. “I should have known you were near. Silver didn’t seem nearly as angry this feeding. Wanna come and see her?”

Immediately, Violette let go of Antoine’s hand and ran toward Will; but as she reached him she seemed to remember that if she turned her back, her father might disappear. So she kept her face turned even as Will guided her to the horses. Antoine’s heart ached as he looked at her. “Go on, little Princess. I’m right behind you.”

She ran directly into the enclosure without an ounce of fear. Silver neighed happily before looking up toward Antoine; then she brought her ears forward and turned her attention to Violette. As he looked at them, it seemed almost foolish to think of how many weeks he had spent calmy and hesitantly winning the horse over when his daughter's intense energy and loud laugher had immediately done the same.

He wondered what exactly it was that Silver sensed in her that made her so calm. Maybe it was her fearlessness that he himself had come to admire, or the unabashed way her emotions came to her without thought or filter, like a storm in the desert sending clouds of dust through the sky.

Antoine’s thoughts were interrupted by heavy footfall that he would have recognized anywhere. He turned toward the sound while the two children stayed preoccupied. “Judging by that new tie, I take it you’re not here to get back to work, are ya?” 

Forgetting why he had come for a moment, Antoine allowed himself a smile before he took his friend’s outstretched hand. Then he glanced back at Violette, trying to ensure that she wasn’t listening. He knew that any mention of the next tour was guaranteed to send her sulking, but she had already begun to whisper conspiratorial plans to Will while she pointed at the caged horses.

“I’m afraid not.” Antoine cleared his throat nervously, guilt washing over him that he had come here to quit a job that had been given to him in good faith. Before the first tour he had told Abe that it was only temporary, and maybe he had hoped it was. But there was no denying the opportunity anymore. “Jo’s booked up two more tours. I hope I’m not putting you out too terribly by leaving with so little notice."

A bright smile overtook Abe's face, one that Antoine immediately recognized as genuine pride. "Nonsense! I believe congrats are in order. Will's old enough to help now anyhow, and if need be there’s still no shortage of men after a job. No replacing you with them horses though, so might as well give it a go on my own for a while.”

Guilt settled deeper in Antoine’s stomach as he realized what he had already suspected: Abe had never needed his work. He had done it to help him when he had been at his lowest. The bright smile stayed on his face. “Want to come inside for a cup of coffee? Day’s mostly done anyway. Besides, I would like to hear where that guitar has been. Will?” His gaze went over Antoine’s shoulder, snapping Will’s eyes to immediate attention even while Violette’s continued to wander the stalls, “No leaving the farmyard, you know the rules.”

Settled inside the cool wooden walls of the farmhouse, Abe set down a tray of coffee still steaming from the stove. He poured a steady stream of coffee into each mug as he spoke. “So how was it out there?”

Antoine reached out for his cup, letting the scent wash over him like he would after a long day’s work. “It had its moments.”

Abe looked into his cup the same that way Antoine was, his voice taking on a sort of melancholy tone that sounded just as rooted in the past as it was the present. “I reckon alot of folk will act like it should be easier. Making your living playing music rather than working somewhere like here. But it has its own pains. I know.”

Their conversation seemed to flow easier after that, discussing how the mountains grew taller as the road led further from New Mexico, or how this year’s cattle drive just didn’t seem to be getting any better. Eventually their rusted pot stopped steaming and the seemingly endless stream of coffee ran dry, but their shared laughter felt just as warm.

Only the sun beams angling through the Western windows told them how much time had really passed, and Abe looked down at his empty cup one final time. "Come on, I'll walk you out. Lord knows we'll have to go looking for Lottie and Will." Antoine rose to his feet behind him, a good natured laugh leaving his lips as his chair scaped against the floor.

By the time they emerged from the house, the early afternoon sun was shining on the sand and the heat had begun to abate. In the distance, children’s laughter could be heard, most certainly from beyond the farmyard. A small smile played on Abe’s face as he looked out toward the distant voices. “You know he only breaks that rule when your girl is here?”

“I’ll talk to her first thing when we get home…”

Abe waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t. It’s good for them to feel a bit independent 'round this age. Besides,” his eyes narrowed ever so slightly as his voice grew quiet, “I worry he follows my rules to a fault sometimes. Life will hit him hard one day.”

Quiet fell between them as the laughter came closer and footsteps rang out across the mesa. Antoine shuffled his feet, conscious of the lingering words he wanted to say. “‘Suppose they heard our voices, didn’t they? Bet they’ll claim they were only just over the fence.”

Abe looked in their direction, letting the sun hit his eyes. “Sure will. And we’ll pretend like it’s the truth.” He brought his hand up to his face, ostentatiously to shield it from the sun, but also to ensure that it wasn’t visible as he spoke. “Just don’t be a stranger, will you? No need for work if you want to bring your girl by.”

Antoine cleared his throat, the words he had really come here to say finally bubbling to the surface. "Of course. And, Abe - thank - thank you. For the work I mean - for - for everything since we’ve been here. Zelda and I - we appreciate it.”

The quiet that fell between them was one of understanding, and from the corner of his eye Antoine saw Abe give a quick nod of his head. Then, right on cue, their children rounded the fence, their hands interlocked and their faces full of joy.

Previous / Next

[maple-the-awesome]

Twilight's Calling ||

Pairing: Twilight x GN! Reader

Words: 2,544

Requested by anonymous: Heeey. First of I love your writing style! It’s just amazing! Cause twilight is my fav. could you maybe write something like xreader with him, for example they’re in a battle or smth? Only if it’s okay ofc! Thanks a lot and have a good day and week! best wishes :) Twilight may or may not be my favorite Link, too (TP was the first game I finished, so I'm a little bias, okay?). I've had this draft lying around unfinished for awhile, so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to finish it. Here you go, hun 💜

Zelda Masterlist 🤎Fandom Masterlist

It's getting pretty late. 'Late' as in the sun has long set and the last time you saw any of the boys was about an hour ago when Time finally managed to herd the remaining stragglers out of the room, although he was being a bit hypocritical seeing as he still lingered in the doorway for a good minute himself afterwards (not that you dared comment on it).

Since their heavy footsteps had faded into silence - and aside from the innkeeper sometimes shuffling down the hall or a sudden 'pop' of the bedside candle - you've been left entirely alone with your thoughts as they dance on the very edge of sleep, but you refuse to lose balance. It's your shift. You promised to be a good lookout and it took a lot of convincing to even get the position, so you can't disappoint no matter how heavy the weight upon your eyelids or heart is.

You've always been well aware of the risks that would come with this mission and from traveling alongside nine heroes of legend; troublesome young men and boys who can definitely handle themselves in battle, however none immune to making possible mistakes. You expected one to occur at some point, yet never wanted the aftermath to be anything too serious.

Wild getting a decent scar on his forehead was a scare when it initially happened, but he was back on his feet within the hour - less than that actually, because if you remember correctly, his quick recovery had been controversial and resulted in quite a bit of bickering. The bottom line is that Wild bounced back with little to no trouble thanks in part to his thick skull. This is different. Twilight has yet to follow his protege's example and it's been hours.

You must admit you underestimated the situation at first due to a lack of context. It's not to say you didn't care about Wolfie when he got struck, however there's a notable difference between a wild 'pet' that occasionally trails your group and the very man you've grown to secretly admire over the months you've spent traveling together. If you had known then that they are one of the same, you would've likely shared a similar level of panic as the Champion, but instead you were left in the dark until Four finally explained Twilight's secret to you.

Even at that moment, although more worried, you figured everything would be okay. Wolfie or Twilight, a fairy should be able to do the trick to heal the worst of injuries, so one can imagine your heartbreak once learning that, for some odd reason, the state of his wounds haven't changed even under a fairy's sacred touch. That's when you truly became fearful, but you refused to show it outwardly - no more than whatever made itself present on your face, anyway.

Making a fuss won't aid Twilight's condition nor will it calm the concerns of your friends, so instead you had mostly stayed out of the way until Time announced everyone should get some rest. At that point, you made your presence known, quick to shoot your hand into the air while volunteering to take the first shift for watching over Twilight. Champion was the only one to fight you for it and honestly, you still aren't certain how you won the argument, but here you are, sitting quietly at Twilight's bedside while trying desperately to keep yourself from descending into madness as you fret over his well-being.

He's doing somewhat better after Hyrule's magic managed to stop most of the bleeding, however his wound remains deep without any further healing progress and his skin is drained into a pale, sickly color clear even through the dim glow of candle light. He looks like shit and you'd guess he feels like it, too, seeing as his face curls into a pained expression every now and again, a whispered groan leaving him whenever he slightly shifts his body (not that he moves that much).

It's gotten a bit chilly tonight, however all blankets in the room have been laid over him and you refuse to swoop as low as to steal comfort from a dying man, so you simply keep huddled to yourself, half praying the next shift will come sooner and half praying it won't because a stubbornness inside you is somehow convinced that the simple act of you being here will keep himsafe from death's hands.

You don't pay much attention to the quiet groan that comes from the bed, having already bitterly accepted that there's nothing that can ease whatever pain haunts Twilight during his nightmares, although you do lift your head when a hand shakes its way into view, barely able to carry itself to the edge of the covers where it collapses with a broken echo from its owner, "W...What time is it?"

You almost cry simply by the sight of Twilight's dull eyes staring up at you, half-lidded and only appearing bright if compared to the dark bags hiding underneath them, but you manage to hold back the tears for the sake of not scaring him.

"I-I'm not sure. After sunset," You answer slowly as to prevent any wobbling to your voice.

"And the others? Is every - everyone else okay?" Hylia, he sounds awful, his once handsome, accent-laced voice butchered by a hollow croak.

"Yeah...Yeah, we're all okay - and don't worry about the shadow. Wild managed to take it down - thanks to you tiring it out, I'd say. You sure gave that thing a run for its money there," You attempt to joke lamely. Although your laugh doesn't carry much life to it, Twilight's expression does soften a tad after the sound.

"...Good..." Is all he says before closing his eyes with a sigh through his nose. Meanwhile you fidget nervously, debating with yourself on whether you should let the conversation die off so that he can continue getting rest or keep him talking while he's able to. You sure do love hearing his voice, after all, no matter how broken it may be; it reminds you that someone as great as him is actually real and, after recent events, still alive.

In the midst of your depressed thoughts, you notice Twilight reach his hand out towards you again - or at least it looks like he's trying to. Really, he only has the strength to lift it palm-up slightly off the covers, yet you understand this movement's wordless request. Ever so gently, as if he's made of glass, you take his hand and sandwich it between both of yours. He's a bit too cold for your liking, a sharp contrast to his normally warm touch, not that you draw attention to that worrying detail.

"...Is there anything I can get you?"

He tries to shake his head, but loses will halfway through the action and instead chooses to simply let his head lull to the side towards you. From there he stares for a bit longer than he means to, his dazed brain struggling to process his thoughts at its usual speed.

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Someone has to keep an eye on you," You allow a small smile, slowly reaching forward to help move his bangs away from his face, "We're all taking shifts throughout the night. I was just lucky enough to get the first."

Twilight hums, closing his eyes for a brief second when your fingers brush his forehead, "How'd you manage that?"

"Barely. For a second there, I thought I was gonna have to duel the Champion for it - had my hand on my sword and everything before he finally caved," Twilight makes a sound between a scoff and a laugh which makes your smile more genuine even if he does flinch in pain immediately afterwards, "The real question is how I won against Time...Actually, I wouldn't be that surprised if he's secretly standing outside the door as we speak."

A creak of old floorboards in the hallway makes your eyes dart to the door, almost expecting the man in question to walk in and call you out for your jokes, yet you calm that doesn't happen. Twilight brings your attention back to him by moving his thumb against your hand, "Don't tell 'em, but I'm glad it's you here. I like having ya' here with me..."

You press your lips, hoping it'll help you ignore the heat against your cheeks. That must be the first time Twilight has ever openly said he 'likes' anything related to you; you're certain you'd remember any other instances of such a milestone. It might not be the exact sentence you'd want him to use the word in, but it's a step in the right direction, so you'll take it.

"I like having you here with me, too, Twi...which is why I've officially decided that I'm too selfish to let you die on any of us. I don't care if I have to fist-fight Hylia for it; I'm not letting you get out of this journey so easily."

"That right?"

"I swear it on my life."

He chuckles weakly, although the sound is taken over by a fit of coughing. Promptly you pour a small glass of water using the pitcher kept on the bedside table before gently helping him sit up to take a careful sip.

It's insane for you to think that only a few weeks ago, you had been secretly watching him move hay bales at Time's place effortlessly. Now he lies here in bed struggling to hold a conversation, his muscles shaking horribly by the simply action of prompting himself up even slightly. Seeing him like this makes you feel awful, but you also consider yourself blessed to be the one taking care of him during a low point like this, ensuring that he's properly cared for and tended to almost like a spouse would.

"Seems like I'm starting to lose you, farm boy. You should relax and get some more sleep," He makes a face and seems prepared to argue, however he must not have been able to think of anything convincing to say - that or the aching in his bones has become too hard to ignore. Either way, instead of saying a word, Twilight nods droopily before inching his way back down against his soft pillow while you fix the blankets over him again.

"Look on the bright side: make it through this and you'll probably get special treatment from here on out. Get your bags carried for you, have whatever meals you're craving be made each night...If you hobble around a little I'm sure you could even get Time to fuss over you -"

" - And what about you?" Twilight quizzes and you can't tell if he's being serious or just teasing. It feels like the latter, yet the way he watches you while awaiting your reply makes you feel another way; soft and warm, but a tad anxious at the same time, "What can I get from you?"

You pretend to think, although in truth, you already know there wouldn't be any limitations for what you're willing to give. If he asked for the world right now, you'd figure out some way to gift wrap it for him...but that's too embarrassing to admit aloud, "...Depends on what you're thinking and if you can swing it the right way."

He hums, once again staring at you just long enough to make that anxious feeling really prominent. Is there something on your face that no one told you about earlier? Is he judging your messy hairdo that you had no time to fix since the battle? Did you sound too flirtatious in your answer? Maybe his injury has given him the ability to read minds, so now he knows just how desperate you are to earn his affections!

"...If I asked you to stay with me, would you?" Twilight whispers so quietly that you barely hear, yet you do. 

"I, uh...Time will be here in an hour or so for his shift, but I won't go anywhere until then, okay?" Not even your poor excuse at smiling can save your stumbled words, yet you pray he doesn't look beyond either. He's loopy from such a stressful day, so it makes sense that he's have trouble properly wording questions. It also makes sense for him to be scared to be left alone - anyone would be in such a state. He doesn't have to worry, though; between you and the boys, someone will always be by his side throughout the night. You'd expect that knowledge to be a relief for him, however Twilight only frowns and looks away with a surprisingly depressed look in his eyes. 

Fiddling nervously with your hands upon your lap, you ask carefully, "...Unless you're wanting me to watch over your for the whole night? In that case, I wouldn't mind staying if it would make you feel better. I'm sure the others would be fine with it if they could just check in here and there."

Twilight presses his lips, refusing to look directly at you. If you didn't know any better, you'd say that based on his continued reaction, you're still somehow missing the point of his question, yet no matter how much you rack your brain, you can't think of what else he would've possibly meant.

You were tempted to ask for more clarity, but Twilight speaks before you can, "...I'd like that."

"Yeah?"

He nods bashfully which melts your heart in a way you're sure would be shamefully clear if he were only looking in your direction.

"...Well, since you took one for the team -" Scooting your chair closer to the bed allows you to cross your arms over the mattress and rest your head on top of them. Desperately you try to ignore your nerves and the cute way Twilight curiously looks over at you, "- I'll stay for the night if you promise me one thing."

"Hmm?"

"Stay with me, too? Without you, I might just loose my mind. Don't tell anyone else, but you don't drive me nearly as insane as some of the other boys do," not in the same way at least.

The corner of Twilight's lips turn upwards, his hand taking it's time to move over yours. The second it makes contact, you take the chance to hold onto it, "...Sounds like a deal..."

You match his smile easily, "Get some sleep, Twi. I'll be right here when you wake up, so just focus on getting better for me, alright?"

He hums one last time, drifting off to sleep as commanded where he seems to be far more peaceful than earlier. As promised, you remain by his side until morning, eventually falling victim to quick naps yourself only disrupted whenever someone else sneaks into the room to see how things are going. You're certain you'll be tired tomorrow with an aching back after spending an entire night hunched over, but that's a small price to pay for someone like Twilight. It'll all be worth it to see him recover, granting you even more time to spend by his side through thick and thin.

[ganondoodle]

so, after this phase of depression, i am back at too many ideas at once and getting overwhelmed by all of it bc i cant do it all and dont know how to decide which one to focus on or which ones actually good and not just a brainfart

(so, some more botw2/totk rewritten ideas-

mostly text but i am unsure what to actually work on and draw or if its even any good, so id be very happy to hear your opinion on some of this qoq)

-was thinking about designing the sonau even though they might not show up physically, to keep their mystery alive, but i am playing with the idea of a dead one preserved in crystal in a larger cave, perhaps their last stronghold, i like the thought of them being rather small monkey like creatures with long tails that end in a light fern looking thing

--been also thinking more about the ancient queen zeldas and ganondorfs relationship bc i feel its compelling for them to have had a much more personal grudge agaisnt each other than i previously planned, gives more weight to everything-

though it is mostly background stuff that is not directly shown in the game, except for environmental storytelling -which botw was pretty good at- and diary entries you can discover (perhaps finding it and then telling riju and a gerudo researcher about it since it would be in ancient script zelda hadnt encountered before?), current thought was to have there be a secret lair that one of ganondorfs daughters used to live in after the sealing disaster sent both kingdoms into conflict, and with their mother dying in battle the eldest daughter would surrender and agree to whatever the princess of hyrule demanded, while the younger one would not bow down and those that followed her split off to live in the gerudo highlands, like another reoccuring theme with this being the prescursor to what happens with the shiekah and yiga later- of those are none left by this time (or should there?) and the diary of the younger daughter talks about her fathers secret hideout having being sealed shut as a sign of respect- it is inaccessible due to the structures beign damaged, but its serving as a hint there will be more; it will be made accessible after the mid game fight with ganondorf, in which you see the scene of the sealing, and he changes his position from hyrule castle that fell into the underground to the innards of the plateau- that being the final dungeon- in his room, might also be a part of his diary, at least from his younger days, and a bracelet of obviously hyrulian origin, which is meant to imply-

that the ancient queen zelda and him were in love once when they were both younger, though neither really acted on it (noble families pressures and conflictions yippie) until it was decided she would be married to a young knight of a noble hyrulian family, as it had been per tradition, after which they would not be able to visit each other anymore in the way they sued to as her father wanted her to prepare to take the throne and was way more strict than before, with one last meeting in that secret chamber and her leaving a bracelet there as a gift-

now heres the problem i ran into, that they had feelings for each other and used to be very close, as well as both having their own families later on is pretty solid and i want to keep all that but i also randomly thought about weaving the drama further (in that noble families kind of way especially, though again this would only be mentioned in his diary entry from the secret room you unlock, and since his younger daughter doesnt mention anything at all save for makign a point about not rummaging through her late fathers things out of her deep respect for him, its pretty clear she didnt know and neither did anyone else except for ganondorf himself and perhaps his mothers, this is all meant to make all of these characters have more depth even with getting little to literal no screentime, not to be a big focus)- so there was the stray idea of the ancient queen having a daughter 'just' after being married to that hyrulian knight.. and it being obviously not his, but gerudo, as gerudo traits are rather dominant(i think?) and the knight and ganondorf look nothing alike, so to avoid any sort of royal disaster that daughter would be secretly given to ganondorf to raise instead (which he would gladly do), and the official story being it was stillborn (the whole thing being worked out by a few maids sworn loyally to their queen .. im torn about the queen herself knowing or not tbh or if that even matters in the grand scheme of things (though i do like the idea of her knowing but acting like it is nothing to live up to being a wise and proud queen now thats shes under that pressure, she would change alot during her time of reign, going from that more typical unsure of herself but trying her best princess to a self confident cold and calculating queen, maybe he could even make a short remark about it), again this is still just vaguely implied background details most wouldnt even find out about, i just .. like to think about the background of things that make sense and give more weight to it all but arent what it revolves around and its neither essential to know, might as well be one of those things people would likely hear about in youtube videos)

i didnt find or dont know if theres any rule that princess zelda cant have siblings (i think she had a brother once but idk that may be different about sisters is the question) bc ganondorfs older daughter then not awakening any special (zelda reserved) powers could be simply bc she wasnt trained to do so (perhaps she would be able to hear things like zeldas often do but that too being only mentioned offhand) and him just not putting any focus on royal hyrulian traditions, it could be a secret rite too and honestly .. why would he try to train her to be the traditional princess of hyrule, awakening powers that are reserved for the hyrulian royals would make everything go haywire in terms of the secret about her mother, though im worried it would seem like her being gerudo is seen as 'tainted' instead, like she isnt a 'real' or 'pure' zelda and that being the reason, which somethign i do not like at all

either way that second part is purely an idea that i am 50/50 about using since its really not a big deal in the end and ultimately doesnt change much except make their relationship a bit more messier

---ahem, anyway, i also decided i wanted to model most sky islands after this one photo in my collection since it looks cool and would make sense to have these island be worn down by constant winds

---- i also want to flood the tabantha canyon with the forgotten temple and considered actually breaking of some pieces of landmass, like it is now a giant island, imagine akkala a kilometer away from the mainland for example, it wouldnt inherently change much about the structure but it would make it feel alot more different and provide good ground for different kinds of interactions since the people there would need to adjust to that, you can melt ice around the riot region easier than you can reattach a broken off giant piece of land after all

[link-eats-rocks]

After rescuing Zelda from the Yiga, she's suddenly treating him differently...

Link was still winded from his battle with the Yiga. It hadn't been physically tiring; running them off had taken all of ten seconds. But he couldn't slow his heartbeat after the sight of Princess Zelda with a blade aimed at her throat.

It probably made her mad to have him staring. And she was probably mad that he'd followed her, even if it had meant her life.

She must be pretty shaken too, though, since she was walking close to him at his side instead of her usual five paces ahead.

Often, when he turned to check on her, she was already looking at him. That made it all the more impossible to calm down. He clinched his fists and fixed his eyes ahead across the sprawling nothingness of the desert.

"It will be getting cold soon," The Princess said quietly.

He nodded.

"How far do you think we are from the stable?"

The Shiekah Slate didn't work this deep into the Gerudo Desert. But they'd been walking for miles. "We shouldn't be long, Princess. We'll arrive before sundown."

She sighed. "That's a relief. Y-You deserve some rest."

It took awhile to register what she'd just said. Was he hallucinating or had she just said something kind to him?

They trudged on in silence while Link’s mind spun wildly in confusion. He felt uneasy. Was she trying a new approach to run away? Would she try running away again tonight? He was about to fall over. How could she possibly have the energy to plan another escape?

Link sat down at the fire and let his aching head sink to his hands. For just a moment while The Princess was inside the inn, he could indulge his exhaustion, shutting his eyes and enjoying the heat of the fire against his hands and face.

One minute. Just a second and he'd start on dinner...

"Link?"

He snapped to position, straightening his back and looking up at The Princess.

She smiled. She was holding a wooden tray with two mugs and bowls on it.

"I bought dinner. It's been a long day. No need to cook."

He blinked, dumbstruck, as she sat down on the stool beside his, tray on her lap, and handed him a bowl of soup and a large mug of water. He should've thanked her but instead he just dug in.

He heard her spoon clink against her bowl and she laughed, genuine, melodic. He looked over slowly.

She was grinning at him. There was no malice in her eyes but he still braced himself for a jab. "You eat fast."

His eyes darted to the right. He didn't know what to make of that so he resumed eating. His headache ebbed with every bite.

By the time he'd finished his bowl and his water, he felt like collapsing into his cot.

"I got you something," The Princess said just as he was about to suggest they turn in. "When I bought dinner, I also bought us both beds for the night."

He couldn't deny it anymore. Somehow, she wasn't angry anymore.

Her cheeks were getting rosier. "The deluxe extra comfy beds."

Link bit his bottom lip, knowing he'd have to reply. "You bought...two beds?"

"Yes. As a "thank you"."

"Princess?"

"For saving me today," she elaborated.

"I—You didn't have to. It isn't worth—."

"It's my life," she interrupted. "No one has ever done such a thing for me. You put yourself in front of me. You could've died."

He dropped his head, his throat tight. "Oh. Well, of course your life is most valuable. That's why there's no sense in thanking me. There's not even a thought as to what must be done."

He was met with harsh silence.

It took awhile for him to screw up the courage to look at her. When he did, the air was knocked from his lungs.

Her eyes were filled with tears and fixed on him.

"Im sorry, Princess!"

She shook her head. "Whatever for? I am the one who ought to apologize, Link."

"No."

"Link."

Link rubbed the back of his neck, scrubbing at his hair.

"Link, I've made your life as difficult as I could. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I am sorry." Her voice rose unexpectedly and she looked away, wiping her face. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I've felt sorry since I did it, actually. You'd done nothing wrong."

"I'm sorry for always upsetting you, Princess." His voice was choked too.

They faced away from each other and sniffled.

"You didn't, Link. It's not your fault I'm upset."

With those words, a weight was lifted from his shoulders. Months of wondering where he'd gone wrong, and he finally had an answer. If she was taking out anger on him, that was easy to accept. He wish he could've understood that to begin with.

"Let's go to bed," Zelda said after a few minutes of sitting in silence, both trying not to cry, and not looking at each other.

Link nodded and stood. Out of habit, he held out his hand to help her up. It was how he'd been trained. She never let him help her, though.

As soon as he'd done it, his fingers flinched to pull away. Before he could, Zelda's soft, warm hand was in his. Electricity ran through him and he blushed.

She stood up but didn't let go, instead meeting his eyes, standing close, just a hair taller than him. Her gaze was gentle. "Friends?"

Link raised his brows. He wasn't through the shock of her hand in his or her face this close, so it was hard to process that she was speaking to him. "Of course, Princess." The words came out in a whisper.

She let go of his hand and clasped hers in front of her. "Zelda, then. Call me Zelda." She smiled shyly.

"Are you sure?" He was so nervous he was shaking. He prayed she didn't notice.

"Mm."

This time, the silence between them was even more awkward since they were standing so close. She should know by now that he was useless at conversation. Nothing would happen at this rate; he'd continue staring at his shoes until sunrise if she kept looking at him.

"Thank you again, Link." She stepped away, smiling at him brightly. "Let's get some sleep, alright?"

"Yes, Princess."

"Hm?"

He couldn't help but grin as he realized his mistake even as heat rushed to his face. "Okay, Zelda."