#i can see Hyrule getting competitive if he relaxes a little too

[luimagines]

Modern Dance (1800 Follower Raffle)

Our second place winner was @mickleloaf!!

They asked for a somewhat continuation of The Chain Hanging out in Modern! Reader's House, in which they find the music/Just Dance. Which you can read the "first part" right here.

You don't have to read it to get this one though.

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

“Alright boys.” You called their attention when the sun had already set and the movies had run their courses. After the Lion King, you had put on Pirates of the Caribbean and Kung Fu Panda- which probably wasn’t the best idea because now the boys were taking turns punching and kicking each other in an effort to replicate the movie. “We’re going to change the pace a bit.”

“By doing what?” Wind held a pillow threateningly over Sky’s head. The poor boy had fallen asleep a while ago and was dead to the world for all anyone knew. You had no idea how he managed to sleep through the chaos but everybody has a skill.

“We’re going to dance.” You grinned and turned on the video game console. “I’ve been meaning to introduce you to all our music, but there’s too many genres to choose from and you all have way too much energy for this time of night. We’re going to burn it all off.”

Many of the boys had settled down, watching in fascination as you turned on the systems and switched the controls. They all sat up a little straighter when the colors of the game turned on. It took a controlled effort to get them to step away form the screen instead of shoving their faces up to the characters.

You scrolled through aimlessly and picked an easy level to begin with.

“Rancher, Captain?” You asked sweetly. “Can you help move some of the furniture out of the way? I’m going to put multiplayer mode. We can have up to four at a time.”

“Meaning?” Wild chipped in, helping the other boys push the couch and the tables out of the way.

“Whoever dances the best or most like the person on the screen, wins.” You say gleefully. And maybe just a tad hint of evil.

These boys were competitive. You were to see them at each other's throats… metaphorically. …Mostly.

After giving a few more orders to clear the space, you stepped aside and  selected the song. With a gleam in your eyes, you pointed at Wind, Wild and Hyrule. “You three versus me. Come on.”

Wind jumped front and center without hesitation, Hyrule walking forward with a curious tilt to his head. Wild was the only one who was hesitant to step up to the “platform”, so to speak. It made you calm down a little bit and smile softly. “Relax. It’s not magic. Everything you see will stay there. Just like the stories I put on earlier.”

“Do we even get an example?” Hyrule tilts his head.

“What do you think you are?” You giggle and start the song.

At once the lights flashed and the music started. Having already played this song a number of times, you knew the beats by heart and continued the routine without missing a strike or a pause. The other boys… were less coordinated. …But that’s you being generous.

You think Wind might have smacked Warrior by accident at some point in the attempt to do the moves, but you blame the Captain. He shouldn’t have been that close then.

You win the round. Perfect score. 100%, unsurprisingly.

“I want to go again.” Wild growls. “That’s not fair. You didn’t explain what we were supposed to do properly.”

“I’m next.” Legend raised his hand. “I actually did a dance battle before.”

“No. That means you wait.” Four shoved him playfully. “Give the rest of us a chance to make a fool out of ourselves before you dominate.

You laugh and turn to Time. “Do you want to try, Old Man?”

He grins before shaking his head. “These old bones of mine aren’t as spry as they used to be. I’m content to watch.”

“If you say so.” You shrug, already thinking of ways to wear him down just so he could dance to at least one song.

You step out so that other boys can step in and have a turn. Warrior, Four, Wild and Twilight take the next round. You tried to find another easy song that they would be able to follow without much difficulty, but here is where their competitiveness came through.

Wild tried to trip up Warrior. Twilight pulled on Wild’s hair. Warrior ‘nudged’ Twilight straight into the couch and Four won the round by blaming the hits that he dealt straight onto the other boys.

In an effort to save your house from burning down prematurely, you switched them all out and danced the next round with Wind, Legend and Hyrule.

No one wanted to wake up Sky.

You picked a harder song, if only to trip up Legend. But you should have known better. Not only did he already admit to doing a dance battle before, he already had two rounds to watch and observe what not to do and what to do to get points.

He would have almost won if you didn’t know about the bonus points for hitting the striking pose on the right beat.

“WHAT!!” He screamed. “How did you get double the points!?!?”

“You have to hit it with enough passion.” You teased and kept dancing.

It was the needed points for you to win the round, but goodness, did he give you a run for your money.

Switching out again, you began to work and tease and wear down Time to get him to dance.

It didn’t work.

Within the hour the boys started to fall asleep one by one. The others with the energy to do so helped move them to a bed roll and away from the dance floor so they wouldn’t be trampled on once the wrestling started. Because wrestling would start. That was not an if, but a when.

Time actually went down after Twilight did. Between those two and Sky, the other boys were way more hyped and loaded with sugar that they still needed to work off.

You played for three hours.

The only one that lasted the longest was Four and even then, you were willing to bet he could have kept going if you weren’t ready to fall over and pass out yourself. You groaned and turned off your console. “I’m going to pay tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“I haven’t moved like that in a long time.” You steal the couch and throw your legs over Sky. You’d doubt he’d mind. “I moved muscles that hadn't been moved since I was last home… I can feel them yelling at me.”

Four chuckled and also got down to take the lounge chair. You envied him. He was small enough to sleep comfortably there. “You won most of the matches. I’ve never seen you swing your arms around with such reckless abandon.”

“This is my house.” You grumble. “I had to defend my title and my territory… Besides, you’re all just as, if not, more competitive than I am. There was no way any of you were going to go easy on me.”

“Fair enough.”

“Good night, Link.” You smile, allowing your guard to fall for the first time in months and finally get some needed rest.

“Good night.”

[love-toxin]

(cws: yandere link, minor totk spoilers, lil spice)

me, with a gun to my head: no, I'm definitely not thinking about TOTK Link becoming almost completely feral in the years since the fall of the calamity. I'm not thinking about him being separated from Zelda again and taking it much harder than he did before, causing his abandonment issues to skyrocket and his desire to keep his most beloved close even stronger. I'm super totally not thinking about Link becoming so possessive and paranoid because of how dangerous Hyrule is now, to the point that he essentially locks you up in his new house in Tarrey Town to keep you safe and away from all the monsters. and definitely not because it's also much further away from the villages so when you bring him in for some alone time, you can both be as loud and passionate as you want. certainly not that Link gets so aggressive in bed he nearly breaks your back, and his, and the bedframe....but it never hurts enough to make you want to stop. he's always grateful for that because in the event that he has to bring you around people, he can leave reminders of his ownership of you all over every exposed bit of skin they can see.

I'm most definitely not giving any thought to Link scaring away any competition either, no matter how close or distant your relationship is nor their supposed intentions--how can he trust anyone around you? you're perfect, they're just wolves that want to eat you up. if you're going to be with any wolf, it's going to be him. also I wouldn't even dare imagine that Link's ferocity extends to other areas too, like bathing. he won't take a bath unless you're there, thus it quickly becomes your responsibility to get him clean enough that you don't gag when he walks into the room. plus he doesn't trust anyone else to wash his hair, and it's so relaxing when you run your fingers through it that he actually becomes somewhat amicable....right up until the hot water gets to his head and he starts touching you back a little lower, then he might need a much-deserved splash of water in the face to cool off.

but when things are bad, and you're pissed at him for one reason or another, Link uses the fear that lurks inside you to his advantage. he would never put you in real danger, but there are ways to remind you that staying out of harm is a luxury in this world. he could let you slip and fall into a chasm and run around crying in the dark for a few minutes, or he could put monster parts in your food to keep you sick so you stay in bed, or maybe he'll say nothing when he spots a Lizalfos hiding in the snow when you're shield-surfing--all so he can watch you struggle and shriek in fear when it lunges for you, your first reaction always to run towards him rather than fight back on your own.

that's all he wanted. he just wants you to scream his name, reach for him, hide behind him out of instinct.....rely on him. keep him in your thoughts and remember that he's always been your hero, even when he's gone. because he would never truly leave you behind--wherever he goes, you can be certain he's taking you with him no matter how much it hurts.

[needs-to-stop-looking-at-yigas]

please give us some more kohga and sooga hc's???? I really like how you write them lol

Thank you, cookie, thank you?? Finally, a chance at the husbands.

Kohga HATES fish. Hates their smell, hates their taste, hates fishing. This is actually based off of an old superstition that it’s bad luck to bring bananas with you while fishing. So yeah, if it were up to Kohga, he’d blow up all the ponds in Hyrule. Fuck the fish.

Sooga however, LOVES fish. He finds fishing relaxing, and enjoys the taste of crispy salmon skin. Kohga lets him go fishing occasionally, but Sooga ends up giving his fish away to anyone interested. And he has to take a bath before even going NEAR Kohga.

Kohga may hate fish, but he LOVES Mipha. To him, she’s precious. Mainly because accident prone Kohga demands Mipha to sort of hover over him a little bit.

Had Sooga joined the team, he’d get along best with Urbosa. She’s strong, fierce, and defends those she cares about. Second close would be Link, since they share the same occupation.

Kohga gets along with nearly everyone on the aoc team. Minus Ravali. Both think they’re hot shit, and they hate that the other won’t admit that THEY’RE the better fighter. Sooga has to carry Kohga away from fighting with him sometimes.

Sooga always stands watch over Kohga as he sleeps. Kohga tells him to knock it off, and to nap with him, but Sooga can’t help himself. Besides. Kohga is cute when he sleeps.

Dunno who needed to hear this, but Kohga is the top in the relationship. Sooga does anything he says, even if he thinks it's just an awful idea.

Sooga can cook, but barely. He at least knows how to make fruitcake with plenty of bananas for his Master.

Kohga is much better with food. He’s just fucking lazy. Dude makes a BOMB dirty banana cocktail too, even Sooga can’t fight his gluttony when he makes them (i got this from when he uses the ice rune, and he says 'on the rocks!').

Kohga is REALLY good at dancing. Unless he's being goofy, then he's like a drunken baby. Sooga loves it, and Kohga has even taught him a few moves. They can now both do the robot, and it's glorious.

Kohga has nicknames for pretty much everyone. Link is 'Goldilocks', Mipha is 'lil red', and Urbosa is 'scary'. 

Kohga is a full supporter of Mipha x Link. He makes Sooga help him in getting them alone together. This is also why Kohga keeps trying to set up Zelda with some of the swordsmasters, weed out the competition. The King hates the hell out of it.

Sooga loves to whittle. He's no master, but he likes making little decorations. He made Zelda a little wooden bird upon hearing Urbosa call her 'little bird'.

If Kohga gives Sooga ONE compliment, Sooga just. Melts. Once, he called Sooga 'studly' (he was bragging to Zelda that his bodyguard was better), and the SECOND Kohga was out of the room, Sooga had to hold onto a wall as he swooned.

Sooga is the one in charge of training most of the soldiers. If one shows promise, Kohga ends up training them. Many outside of the clan can't see it, but Kohga IS in fact, the strongest of the Yiga. Aka, Sooga has NEVER beat Kohga in a fight, and he doesn't hold back.

There has only been two people who have EVER seen Kohga without his mask. His mother, and Sooga. Sooga takes that honor to heart, really he does.

Sooga and Kohga touch each other, a lot. And not even in a sexual way, they just really feel comforted by the other’s contact.

And that’s all I got. The clean stuff anyway. Unless more specific questions come in of course.

[toastscraps]

A Kind of Symphony

An attempt at humor, but somehow got infected by angst. Inspired by @jojo56830​ ’s @linkeduniverse​. An answer to the Discord prompt, “Music.”

I also hit some of the bonuses, but not all.

- 3k+ words: Yes, I only doubled it this time.

- Sing, Sing, Sing!:  Sort of; I made up my own lyrics to a silly song, and one of the characters sings it.

- Tiptoe Through the Tulips: No.

- Lose Yourself to Dance: Not quite. I’ll just allude to it in a brief sentence. :)

Warnings: Magic, minor Bullying, gruesome masks?

Other Warnings: My take on River Zoras, a stupid made up song, made up magical item, two non-cannon invented song titles, lazy research, personal head cannons implied as fact for the sake of plot, side character OCs

Summary: Warriors isn’t like the others; but maybe that’s OK.

Characters owned by Nintendo, given life by JoJo, ruined by me.

               Hyrule’s land is one of peace and quiet, they have discovered. The big-bads have been vanquished and the Shadow has yet to taint the smaller ones. They fought some keese and zols earlier, but they were few in number and now that it is night they are lounging around the campfire enjoying themselves. Warriors is watching as Twilight and Wild play-wrestle, the others cheering on the two as one tries to knock the other out of the circle they’ve drawn in the dirt. Warriors believes Twilight will win, as he is the stronger of the two, but Legend’s money is on Wild. Why he thinks the smaller stands a chance, Warriors doesn’t know.

               “C’mon, Twilight! Push him out!” he cheers. Twilight is doing an admirable job at just that, Wild’s deer-skin boots digging small furrows in the ground as he fights to keep his position. Twilight himself is barefoot, not wanting an “unfair advantage”. Wild has yet to protest the arrangement, and Warriors suspects he is the kind to take any quarter. Wild is a survivalist, and if he can exploit a weakness, he will.

               But ultimately Twilight is stronger. Brute force and taking things down are what he is built for.

               In a move Warriors would never have calculated, Wild ducks under Twilight’s arm and twists behind him. Then with a shove he uses his mentor’s own momentum against him to push him toward the outside of the circle. The whole crowd gasps, Warriors included, but Twilight is able to stop his toes just before they leave the boundaries. Twilight gives a low, gravelly growl and whips around just as Wild moves forward to give him another push. He stands his ground, widening his stance and grabbing Wild around his waist, slinging him over his shoulder. Wild yelps and tries to find purchase anywhere where he can either free himself, or even better switch their positions. He ends up digging his fingers into Twilight’s sides. The elder Link releases him with a howl of laughter, but quickly recovers and blocks Wild’s attempt to ram him out of the ring.

               “It’s nice to see them in a friendly competition,” Four says quietly beside him, nearly scaring Warriors out of his skin. He’s never figured out how he can move so silently. “Things were getting a bit tense there for a while.”

               Twilight and Wild have been on the outs ever since Wild jumped in front of an arrow for him a week ago. Twilight has been upset that his protégé felt the need to protect him, and Wild has been miffed that Twilight was trying to make decisions for him, especially when it was his job to protect people.

               Sometime between then and arriving in Hyrule’s world they have come to an agreement, and are once again palling around like nothing has happened.

               “You’re telling me,” Legend snorts, watching on with folded arms. He is the most excited about Twilight’s almost-foul. “It’s about time those guys made up.”

               There is a sudden cheer as Twilight pins Wild to the ground, his shoulder landing outside their boundary. Warriors grins and holds his palm out to Legend, who grudgingly gives over the fifteen rupees they bet on. Warriors pockets the jewels and turns to see Twilight giving Wild a hand up. Everyone laughs and smiles and Wind jumps up on a boulder, his face glowing in the light of the fire.

               “Now I must sing a pirate cheer for the winner,” he crows.

                                 Ho! The champ has the glory,

                               Whose enemies he’s victor’d o’er,

                               Who’s beaten them sorely,

                               And scared them to the shore,

                               Who’s blown down their captain,

                               Thrown the skipper o’erboard,

                               Crimped all the crew an’

                               Then became their lord!

                 Everyone laughs and claps along with Wind’s song. Warriors joins in, being able to keep the beat as long as everyone else is, too. Wind spins around and raises his knees high, stomping and smiling the whole time. When he is done, the claps scatter and Twilight bumps shoulders with Wild teasingly. Wind sits down and Sky pulls out a lyre. That seems to be some sort of signal as Time and Legend both dig into their bags and pull out ocarinas.

               “Hyrule has a flute, too,” Four calls out. Hyrule sends him a mild glare.

               “It’s just a recorder. And Four has an ocarina,” Hyrule accuses. “Maybe he should play it.”

               “You don’t have to get out an instrument if you don’t want to,” Legend says smugly. “Just leave this to the professionals.”

               Warriors almost sighs. Now Hyrule has taken that as a challenge and is removing the not-flute from his shoulder bag. His fingers are awkward on the instrument, as if he is unfamiliar with the handling. Four still refuses to get his out.

               “No, you have fun,” he says. “I’ll listen.”

               “You guys know the Overworld March?” Time asks.

               “Ooh! I do!” Wind says, “But I don’t have my flute, so I’ll just sing!”

               “I don’t know it, but I can probably pick it out,” Sky admits. “Chords are pretty easy.”

               “I’ll sing with Wind,” Twilight offers. “And Wild can, too. He’ll help us keep a beat.”

               “I don’t…know the words,” Wild hesitates.

               “It’s not hard,” Four says quietly. “I can sing, too.”

               Their conversation continues, and Warriors relaxes and begins to drown it out. He instead concentrates on the light shining on their faces, and how happy they look to be with each other and to be making music together. He doesn’t realize Sky has been trying to get his attention until Legend nudges him.

               “What?”

               “Do you play anything?” Sky asks.

               “Oh, no. I never learned.” Warriors isn’t too sorry he’s never learned. He’s never had the time, and has always been more interested in tactics and fighting techniques. And appearances, of course.

               “Maybe you can help keep a beat,” Hyrule suggests.

               “Oh, no. I’d probably mess you up,” Warriors smiles good-naturedly. “I’ll just listen.”

               “Come on, you can at least sing. If I have to keep the rhythm, you can at least help with the words.”

               “Nah, you don’t want me singing.”

               “Oh, come on.”

               “Coward.”

               “Really?”

               “Why not?” Wind whines.

               Warriors shrugs and jokes, “I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.”

               Everyone is silent; the atmosphere has become tense. All Hylians have a natural tendency to be good at music, and if not with an instrument, then at least they can all sing. There isn’t much more they can say to convince him to join in.

               “…But, no one can carry a tune in a bucket. That’s impossible…”

               “It’s an idiom, Sky.”

               “You don’t have to sing if you don’t want to.” Time cradles his ocarina. Everything has gotten quiet and awkward.

               “Guys! Go ahead and play!” Warriors says, exasperated. “I enjoy just listening.”

               The others look at each other, and then Time quietly blows a couple notes into his ocarina, Legend joining in with the harmony. Sky soon picks up on the cords and Wind and Twilight are starting in with lyrics. Hyrule is playing a few notes, struggling to keep up with Time, and wincing to himself whenever he misses a cue. Wild is singing, too, and hitting a couple of stout branches against the hollow log he’s sitting on. Soon a beat rises up, and those who don’t have a wind instrument are smiling and joining in.

               Warriors doesn’t mind. He likes to watch the glow of his friends’ faces, and even though he has trouble hearing what is making Legend wince as they play, he picks up a little on the melody and the tempo and taps his foot to Wild’s rhythm. It becomes its own kind of symphony. He is sure to make his humming as quiet as possible. He doesn’t want to mess anything up.

                 Warriors is a tiny little thing, standing a half a head shorter than the rest of his class, even as a first year student. As such, he tries to make up for his stature by being as loud and obnoxious as possible. The need to be seen, to be recognized, overrides his teacher’s exasperated commands to be “quiet or you’ll be sweeping the floor tonight.” Warriors has become quite adept at using a broom.

               He has “friends,” but they are mostly amused at him, and not really friends. He takes being the butt of their jokes in stride; he doesn’t mind as long as he gets some attention. He tends to get noticed by adults more than by other kids. He’s such a cute kid, and has such beautiful blue eyes. He’s such an annoying brat, always talking loud and being disruptive in class.

               It is springtime, and the king will be riding in with his daughter, Zelda, to inspect their town. Warriors is excited, because he has heard stories about the bravery of the king in battle from his father, and his mother has told him that Princess Zelda is his age. He can’t wait to meet her.

               As is customary, the students of the school have to learn “Saluting Zelda”, Hyrule’s national anthem. The choir is made up of all the children in the class, and each class has to sing a different part. Warriors is particularly excited. 

               Their teacher has them memorize the words line by line. Warriors sets to committing it to his mind as soon as he gets his copy, running home with it to his mother and using his evenings to pour over the lyrics. He knows them better than anyone in his class.

               One day his teacher brings out a strange instrument called an accordion. She starts off with the first couple notes, telling the children to wait until the intro finishes playing before they join in. Warriors starts too early, and all the kids laugh at him. The next time she starts, he’s sure to watch from his periphery for the intake of breath the other students take before they begin.

               But somehow that goes wrong, too. The teacher tells him to behave and sing properly, or he’s getting detention. Warriors tries, he really does. He has the words down, and he doesn’t think he’s singing wrong, but somehow he finds himself sitting in the classroom after school with his head on the table, waiting for his mother to come and pick him up. He’s never cried in school before, but he’s close to it today. He feels so humiliated. He would rather not be seen by everybody, now.

               His mother takes him home, and Warriors doesn’t tell her what’s wrong. He stays in his room through supper and bed time, only emerging the next morning to go back to school. He is quieter in school that day, and ends up just letting the other children talk and laugh around him. The end of the day draws close, and he dreads what is coming.

               His teacher begins to play again, and again he waits for the children to take a breath before he starts (though he is beginning to get the timing down, now). He can now hear the melody, the notes, and the cacophony of his own voice against them. He thinks maybe, if he can adjust his voice, he can sing properly.

               It doesn’t work, and the teacher gets after him particularly harshly. Warriors bursts into tears, and yells that he’s trying, he just can’t get it to match. His teacher takes him by the shoulders, looks him in the face, and sighs.

               “It’s too bad,” she says. “Such a pretty face. I still want you standing in the front, but don’t sing. Just mouth the words.”

               And so Warriors does. He spends the rest of the practices mouthing words he’s memorized by heart, and trying to hum quietly to the tune when the others are practicing a particular detail over and over and over again. He thinks maybe if he can get it right, he can sing. But he never does, so he doesn’t.

               The day comes shining bright and glorious, as is befitting a king and his daughter. Warriors is still in the front, but it is no longer just his class. They are lined up along their main roadway and Warriors panics when he realizes his teacher isn’t carrying her accordion. One of the older students informs him that they have to wait for the sound of trumpets to start. He calms when he sees the others beginning to heave in a breath. He does so as well. Just as in practice, he mouths the words.

               The crowd roars and Warriors jumps, not expecting the sudden noise. People cheer as the knights come in first on their stallions, waving to the crowd. Warriors beams when his father rides by, careful to keep his mouth moving. His dad gives him a wink, his blue eyes sparkling and bright smile flashing, and then is gone. People start going down on their knees, and Warriors just barely remembers to do so, too, keeping his lips moving the entire time. The king comes in on a great chestnut stallion. Warriors can’t see much of him except his boots and the bottom of his red beard. A chariot follows after, and he catches a glimpse of pointed ears and corn-yellow hair between drawn lace curtains, and then it too is gone.

               It is so fast, Warriors is almost shocked out of singing (mouthing). That’s it? He isn’t going to be able to hear the king give a speech, or ask Zelda what it’s like to live in a palace? He tries not to let his disappointment show.

               Masking his feelings becomes something that Warriors grows adept at.

                 Hyrule splashes Wild as they “fish” with their hands in a calm, shallow section of the river. Somehow it has turned into a war, the two scaring more fish than they are catching. Upstream, well away from their antics, Time, Legend, and Twilight fish with actual poles. Wind is tending a fire not far away, Sky helping him smoke their catch so far. Warriors is laying in the sun, working on his tan, and Four is dozing nearby. Warriors considers joining him in dreamland.

               Their day is progressing much the same way as their night before did. It’s actually- really nice. Warriors wouldn’t mind it being like this all the time. He closes his eyes and stretches his arms back, trying to get the soft white underside that he hardly ever exposes, because it’s too vulnerable of a position. He can see the red of the sunlight, even behind his eyelids, and revels in the warmth soaking through. Birds are singing their melodies to the noon sun, and laughs and conversations drift up from the banks of the river.

               Suddenly there is an explosion, interrupting the peaceful quiet. Warriors cracks an eye open and glances downstream, expecting to see dead fish raining from the sky and Wild and Hyrule somehow in the middle of it all. What he doesn’t expect is Wild and Hyrule thrown back on the ground, not far from where Four is now jumping to his feet. What he doesn’t expect are giant creatures with decapitated reptile heads covering their faces rising from the water. He definitely doesn’t expect a hag clothed in seaweed to rise as well and push out a wave of magic with a blue aura.

               He doesn’t expect to fall asleep without any warning.

                 There are excited voices when Warriors gains consciousness. Some of them sound familiar, and more upset than happy. He blinks a couple of times, watching as scaly giants with lizard head masks come toward their… well, box. Hyrule and… Legend? … are already up, the latter spewing foul language and the former trying to negotiate with their captors and jabbing Legend in the ribs with his elbow for instigating rather than helping. One of the creatures lifts a lithe tube up to its mask and blows on the end. Something small comes out as a blur and flies through the blue barrier, hitting Legend in the neck. He falls to his knees and begins to mumble the same curses, but more quietly.

               “That was uncalled for!” Hyrule shouts. Warriors groans. He did not want to wake up to this.

               Warriors pushes himself up onto his knees and shuffles over to where Legend has already pulled the dart out of his neck and is trying to fight sleep.

               “If you don’t calm down,” the monster says from within the gruesome mask, “you’re going to get one too.” Warriors finds himself somewhat surprised that it can even talk; by the sound of it, it is a “she”.

               “Enough, Mantah,” the hag says, her features obscured by a mask of green. “We want them all awake when the Queen arrives.” Warriors doesn’t know who this “queen” is, and he doesn’t particularly want to find out. If she’s as hideous as these creatures, there’s no way he will ever want to see her.

               As they wait, Warriors sits down next to Legend, who is holding his head groggily. Hyrule is trying to wake up the others, shaking them and earning sleepy mutters of “what?” and from Sky a “five more minutes.” Several of the giants that caught them are off to the side, conversing quietly and pointing at them as if gleeful of the novelty of it all. Warriors barely catches, “Hylians! Can you believe it?” They seem quite excited about their prey. The captives are locked in a magical energy field of some kind, down in an impression in the stone. There is what appears to be a large throne carved out of the rock, larger than any of the giants present. A set of stairs leads up to its dais, a path of tile spreading out from its base. They are in a large cavern, conversations and sounds echoing and amplifying in its rotunda.

               Suddenly all other sound is drowned out by a blast of strings. They are far louder than any natural stringed instruments Warriors has ever heard, and by the time the ringing dies down, he notices that all of the water creatures have dropped to their knees. There is a procession of a dozen or so guards, similar to the ones that captured them, and then there is a group of unarmed footmen carrying a giant litter with what appears to be an enormous… sea slug, with tiny arms and legs, and wearing flowing robes.

               The others are awake by now, Time and Hyrule up by the front of the cage, glaring out at the monsters. Warriors tries to drag Legend further back (he somehow hasn’t fallen asleep again), but even in his groggy state he is able to slap Warriors’s hand away and insists that he’s, “not gonna let some demon fish intimidate” him. Warriors huffs and readjusts his hold to pull him behind Sky, who is just now getting to his feet. He ignores Legend’s struggles and sits with him on the floor next to Wind, who is blinking sleepily. Wild is also groaning; his joints popping as he stretches and rises, Twilight hovering anxiously nearby.

               “They’ve taken our weapons,” Four informs quietly, his hands twitching as he looks anxiously at the pile of sharp metal and heavy armor on the stone not far from them. Warriors feels his stomach drop. They are in more trouble than he’d originally thought. The master sword glows angrily from where she has been thrust into the pile, her indignation nearly audible as a low buzz.

               The sound is drowned out by a crier, whose face is bare of a mask. Warriors starts in surprise as he realizes that the monsters are actually Zoras, just with horrific headpieces. These merpeople aren’t nearly as friendly as the one he met due to Cia’s meddling.

               “All hail the Ruler of the Zora, her Majesty Queen Scallopa. All hail the Queen!”

               “All hail!” A myriad of voices fills the room just as the litter bearers crest the top of the stairs, straining under the weight of their burden. Warriors realizes that this must be the Queen. He has to squint and turn his head to even recognize something Zoran about her.

               A small eternity seems to pass as she is maneuvered onto her throne, and Warriors (almost) feels bad for the poor Zoras now arranging themselves to stand at attention by her sides. There is absolute silence through the hall. Then, a sudden booming voice comes from the Queen. “What have you brought me, Kelpit?”

               “Oh Queen Scallopa, may you live evermore,” the hag bows, her seaweed-covered head tilting back to reveal the sharp nose and dark eyes characteristic of the Zora. “I have brought you these fine young Hylians, to sacrifice their voices and abilities for your harp.”

               “Ah yes; Hylia’s people, who have all inherited her talent for music,” the Queen’s face shifts slightly, and Warriors realizes she is trying to tilt her head. “Very well. You cannot go wrong with them. Bring out my greatest creation; bring out the Harp of Spirits!”

               “Kelpit” seems strangely pleased with this answer, and a low rumble can be heard as a large, ornate harp is pulled in on a wooden cart. It is at least as tall as the tallest Zora there, excepting the colossal Queen, and has a dark blue color, similar to Time’s ocarina. Intricate gold swirls decorate it, and even Warriors, unskilled as he is in the ways of magic, can practically smell the stench of it coming off of the instrument. Hyrule’s nose is wrinkled, and he’s looking at the thing in apprehension, palms pressed on the blue barrier.

               The plain hero yelps as the surface below his hands is lost. He falls forward rapidly, Time reaching out as if to grab him and keep him from face planting, but his hand is blocked by a blue shield replacing the one that was lost. Instead, Hyrule is left trapped in a bubble of the blue stuff, where he is brought closer to the hag. The harp is finally pulled to rest in front of their enclosure, more Zoras carefully lifting it from its rolling platform and setting it down into a groove cut in the floor. The bubble around Hyrule coalesces to form a set of cuffs at his wrists, forcing his arms behind his back and trapping them there. He is shoved to his knees before the harp, and the witch raises her hand.

               “He has a flute in his belongings,” Mantah says, and Warriors barely hears Hyrule correct her:

               “It’s a recorder.”

               The witch grabs Hyrule’s face and examines it closely. Warriors thinks he hears Wild growl to his left, but he can’t be certain. Mantah hands the witch the recorder at her request. She releases her grip on the teen’s face, and the wind instrument lights up with a blue glow, which connects via a faint string of light to Hyrule’s fingertips. Their light is even duller.

               “No, he is not skilled enough with it. I will not sully the harp with his greenness. His voice will have to do.”

               Hyrule’s mouth opens without his control, and the harp begins vibrating. His eyes widen and a scale of sound starting (somewhat) low and increasing in pitch is forced out. Warriors may not be able to hear melodies correctly until the fourth or fifth time around, but even he can tell that Hyrule’s voice is beautiful: not a crack, not a hesitation. The harp glows greedily, sucking in the sound and leaving Hyrule winded. The witch carelessly flicks her wrist and Hyrule is thrown back into the cage where he is left gasping for air. Sky helps him up and the younger hero tries to speak, but nothing comes out. Hyrule pales, his hand flying to his throat. The Queen seems pleased, and requests that the harp play. The strings move expertly, guided by invisible fingers, and a haunting melody pours out, the cries of several dozen voices that were taken from their bodies too early.

               Warriors shouts and abandons Legend on the ground as Wind is ripped from them next, struggling and pulling at the magic shackles as he’s lifted toward the harp. He swears, young voice cursing up a storm of words he must have learned from the pirates he was always telling stories about. The witch doesn’t even try to ask for any skill this time. “He’s too young,” she scratches out, “any skill he has is not fully developed. We can try again another time, after he’s been trained. His voice, though, will be sweet and tender; a beautiful addition to our collection.” She lifts her hand. Warriors rams his shoulder into the barrier in hopes of breaking it, and can feel Time and Twilight doing the same not far from him, but he can do nothing as Wind’s voice, high and beautiful without the depth of maturity to age it, is stolen from him and stored in the harp. Instead, he moves to catch his little brother as he’s tossed back in like a ragdoll. Wind’s eyes are wide and his body trembling. All Warriors can do is hold him closer as the monster takes her next victim.

                 Warriors’s mother finds him crying in his room. He is lying on his little bed, holding his pillow close to his face. “What’s wrong, my bairn?” The bed dips as she sits on it, her fingers resting on his scalp to comb through wavy gold locks.

               “I don’t know!” Warriors wails, burying his face deeper.

               “There’s always a reason,” his mother pauses. “Is this about the parade?” Warriors doesn’t answer. He feels shame rise in him. He’d been so excited, even after he was told not to sing. But now he was just tired.

               “Your papa was there,” she says. “Weren’t you happy to see him?” Warriors nods.

               “Yeah,” his voice comes out shaky, but his sniffles are dying down. “He winked at me.” He’d almost forgotten that, how his father had left decorum to show some warmth toward his son. Appearances are incredibly important to his dad.

               “That was something good, then,” she says. Warriors rolls over to look at her and she removes her hand. Her brown hair is tied up in a loose bun and she’s smiling at him tenderly. He sits up to scoot closer and be welcomed into her embrace. “Let me guess; the king and princess weren’t as amazing as you were hoping they’d be.”

               Warriors’s eyes widen. He has no idea how she knows. He voices it as a question.

               “It’s not that hard to figure out,” she laughs, the sound bubbling from her throat. “I’ve been to a couple of them myself.”              

               “We’ve been practicing every day for weeks,” he says. “I memorized every word; I still remember all of them.”

               “I know.”

               “It was over so fast! They just rode by, like it was nothing!”

               “I know.”

               He pouts, his arms crossed. “I didn’t get to sing. I just had to stand there and mouth the words and ‘look pretty’.” His mother’s arm stiffens and she bends to look him in the face.

               “So that’s why you’ve been so down the last couple a’ weeks.”

               He looks away from her, ashamed. “Everyone else sings,” he says sullenly.

               His mother sighs and pulls him onto her lap. “I’m afraid you’ve inherited your mother’s musical abilities,” she says.

               He sniffs and wipes his eyes. “What do you mean?”

               His mother smiles ruefully. “Hylians are all able to sing. They are naturally musically inclined. They can pick apart the inconsistencies in tone and pitch, and can quickly adjust accordingly. A lot of humans can, too, though not to the skill level of Hylians. But some humans have a harder time with music. It’s a genetic thing, and sometimes it can be trained out with a lot of hard work. You have to ask yourself, though, if it is worth it.”

               “What do you mean?”

               “What’s important to you? If you want to teach yourself to sing or play an instrument when it’s incredibly difficult for you, then great, you can do that. But so can every Hylian that lives in Hyrule, and to them it comes naturally. But you aren’t everyone else; you’re your own individual. It might seem like a good idea to be like everyone else, especially when they prize something you don’t have, but in the end it just steals your life from you. You work hard for something that may never measure up to their standards, and your hard work doesn’t end up paying off. You become miserable rather than liked. And you end up disliking yourself.

               “What’s important to you, Link? What do you want to spend your time doing?”

               Warriors smiles. That’s easy. “I want to spend time with you!” he exclaims. His mother laughs. Warriors loves his mother’s laugh. Her brown eyes smile.

               “You are quite the wee flatterer, aren’t you? C’mon, help me get dinner ready for your papa. He’ll be hungrier than a bear when he gets home tonight.”

                 Warriors is the only one left by the time the witch gets to him. All the others are silent, their voices having been taken, and in certain cases their skills as well. Wind has (mostly) recovered, and is sitting tensely nearby. Legend is extremely pale, like the harp took out an enormous chunk of his soul. He’s shuddering and glaring at the others in an obvious, “stay away” fashion, but Sky has somehow been able to break through his barrier and is resting a hand on his shoulder. The others appear dour as well, though Wild doesn’t look nearly as heartbroken. He’s signing something to Time. Warriors has no idea what, though.

               Four is thrown back in, landing with a thump on the floor. Wind goes forward to console him, (though he looks fairly well put together) and Warriors feels the tug of energy on his body. He is yanked forward, and the Queen is sitting in complete bliss as she listens to the harp hum with the lost voices of his friends. To him, it doesn’t sound beautiful: it just sounds like they are in pain.

               “Last one,” Kelpit murmurs, and his hands are locked behind his back. “No instrument, Mantah?” she asks. Mantah replies to the negative, and the hag looks at him curiously. “Odd. I would have thought that by now one as old as you would have at least tried something. Very well. He is a Hylian; I suppose his voice will have to do.”

               “I can’t sing,” Warriors says quickly. There is a moment of complete silence, and then the entire court erupts in laughter. The hag’s shoulders shake, too, a twisted grin showing broken teeth.

               “I have to admit, I haven’t heard that one before. You’re funny. Perhaps, if I had let you keep your voice, you would have made an excellent jester. But we’ll never know.” Warriors feels the tug of magic on his vocal chords, and he suddenly understands why the others were so distraught. Sounds begin to leave his throat, and even he can tell that something’s not right. The harp, rather than humming in pleasure, is trembling as if withstanding an awful gale that is shaking its very foundation.

               “Stop!” the Queen commands. “Stop it this instant!”

               “I’m trying,” Kelpit is weaving her hands through the air frantically as if there is an elusive fairy she has to catch.

               There is a loud crack which echoes through the room. Strings break and snap under the weight of Warriors’s sound. He can’t stop it, and at this point he doesn’t want to. Something like pleased retribution rises in his gut as the Queen’s greatest achievement becomes nothing more than a frame with broken wires and splintered wood. There is the briefest moment of silence as Warriors’s dissonance tapers off and the harp still stands, albeit decrepitly. The whole room seems to hold its breath. Suddenly there is an explosion of blue light and a hundred screams louder than the crashing of many thunders. Warriors turns his face to the side and covers his eyes as it blasts throughout the room, its boom making little rumbles in his chest. When the dust clears, the hag has been knocked on her back and Warriors has been freed. He glances over his shoulder at the others who have left the enclosure and are now going to their weapons.

               The Queen seems particularly distraught. “My harp! My glorious harp!”

               “I did warn you,” Warriors says, pleased to have his voice back.

               “You!” she seethes, turning toward him. “You’ve ruined everything with that awful thing you call a voice. I’m going to rip out your vocal chords and feed them to the Dodongos!”

               “No, you won’t.” Time moves forward with his sword in his hand. Without their witch, the others are able to take down the Zoras easily. The guards aren’t prepared to shoot darts out, and many of them are lying stunned on the ground from the harp’s explosion. The litter-bearers aren’t warriors, and scattered the moment the heroes got their hands on their weapons.

               The Queen screams in frustration, commanding her guards to wake up and recapture their prisoners, but it’s too late. Time and Hyrule are grinning as they hold their swords to her fat chin. Legend has finished off his foes and is stomping on the remains of the harp, as if rendering it to dust will somehow sate his rage.

               “You pathetic rodents, how could you? You destroyed a masterpiece of art! A legacy that would have been passed down to generations of Royalty!”

               “I’d be quiet if I were you,” Sky says from where he’s tying up stunned guards.

               The monster’s pale grey eyes turn to him, and Warriors feels the weight of her stare. Oh well. He’s used to stares. “It’s impossible! How - I don’t understand! You’re Hylian! How could you be so horrible!??”

               “I’m half human, you giant ugly sea-slug,” Warriors gloats. “Some of us have notoriously bad voices. Your time on the stage is over; I think it’s time for you to take a bow.”

               Four comes up beside Warriors and puts a hand on his arm. “As much as I’d love to dethrone this tyrant, we have to be mindful of the power gap that may be left behind. Zoras have a strict line of succession, and –” he is cut off as the Regent’s eyes widen and her blob-like form tips forward. She screeches as she rolls down the steps, leaving behind Wild and Legend, who high-five.

               “How’s that for a dethroning?” Legend trumpets.

               “Help me! Help me up!” She’s relied so long on the servitude of the smaller Zoras that she no longer can raise herself.

               “Help yourself,” Hyrule mutters, and sheaths his sword. They are done.

                 Warriors is walking with the others back to their camp, which had been left in disarray. Twilight quietly pads beside him and watches the others run and laugh as they approach the clearing where their fish had been left to dry in the sun. Warriors feels warm and light. Being with the others is something he will never take for granted.

               “You can sing with us, you know,” Twilight says suddenly to his right. Warriors looks at him from the corner of his eye. “None of us care how you sound.”

               Warriors can feel the surprise on his face. “You heard me; you heard how horrible I was!”

               Twilight shrugs. “Not really. I’ve heard worse. I grew up in a village of humans, I know horrible singing.” He grins and turns to Warriors. “Though, you are pretty bad…”

               Warriors gasps and holds a hand to his chest dramatically. “How dare you!”

               “I wouldn’t lie to you,” Twilight grins. Warriors shoves at him with his shoulder. The sturdy farmhand isn’t fazed a bit, and Warriors ends up bouncing back the way he came. Twilight’s laugh is low and gravelly, and Warriors is surprised to find it isn’t much different from his singing.

               “But seriously,” he continues after his chuckles have died off, “you don’t need to be ashamed of your voice. Don’t ever feel that way. Everyone should be able to enjoy singing, whether or not they are the best at it.”

               “I’m not sure the others will feel that way,” Warriors says dryly. “Legend seems a bit persnickety when it comes to music.”

               “He’ll get over it. If he doesn’t, I’ll wrestle him into the ground.” Twilight smiles, but Warriors gets the feeling he’s serious.

               “Thanks,” because no Hylian but his father has ever given him quarter when it comes to his pipes.

               “Now,” Twilight claps his hands, “let’s get back to the others. I overheard Wild talking about a fish daikon stew, and I can’t wait to try it!”

               As Twilight jogs to catch up, Warriors smiles. He has a hard time with melody, it’s true. Today has only cemented that fact more firmly in his mind. But he isn’t deaf to beauty. His friends laughing, talking with and enjoying one another, that is music to his ears. As he hurries to catch up to their group he chuckles to himself. He is more than ready for that kind of symphony.

[odogaronfang]

Your shitposting is great my guy, that’s fun. Tell us some random non plot related bs about the BoTW au?

sorry for not getting to this sooner!! when i get asks like this i like to take a couple of days to gather my thoughts so i can give you a better answer!!

- out of the six of them, i think zelda is the most overall mature. i mean, sure, she’s still a kid like the rest of them, and she has her fun, but when it really comes down to it she’s the most responsible and the best at getting done what needs to get done. it comes as a bit of a surprise to people that don’t know them so well, because most of the time they look at serious boring old vio and think that he’s probably the tired and jaded supervisor but. not so.

- adding onto that last thing- people tend to assume that vio is the very dignified one. emotionally detached, won’t let silly little things like feelings and morality get in the way of a job that needs to be done, reserved and calm and all that superficial stereotype stuff. they half expect the trope of the sort of english-gentry type personality. and they could not be further from the truth. that’s how he is superficially, but, like, get close to him and spend some more time with him and you’ll see. he kind of swings between following his stereotype and being just as irritable and generally frustrated as blue and shadow get, and honestly it’s a roll of the dice as to what he is. also? he does curse a lot. he doesn’t always go around shouting fuck at everyone he sees, but if something’s really getting on his nerves for whatever reason, he can out-curse shadow. and usually it’s more under his breath, but that doesn’t mean he really makes much of an effort to hide it.

- vio and blue have a sort of legolas/gimli fighting dynamic going on when they get into the thick of it. “bet i can kill more of these bokoblins than you” “bet i can take down a moblin in less hits than you” “bet i’ll be the one to kill this talus” type stuff. honestly, if they had an encampment to clear and no one was feeling particularly up to the job, they’d just off-handedly mention the results of the last competition and that would almost guarantee another face-off between the two, and everyone else could just sit back and watch the two of them go at it. in these kinds of situations they both know they’re basically being used but neither of them care much. one of vio’s favorite things to do when this happens is to let blue think she’s racking up the points, and then the moment she’s about to strike the killing blow on something, he’ll take it out with an arrow. and he does it repeatedly.

- shadow is extremely lazy and will use his magic for the most mundane of things, once he gets comfortable using it around them. he won’t feel like getting off the couch to get the plate red’s offering him so he just magics it over. he doesn’t want to pack his things so he just uses magic to shove things in his bag. he doesn’t feel like climbing an eight foot hill so he floats himself up. and all the while everyone, and especially blue, is indignant. “if this magic is so important to your survival why are you wasting it lacing up your boots” “because what if i trip??? i could get HURT and i can’t risk it coming undone” (and then he probably gets swatted on the head with something)

- green is intimately familiar with gerudo religion and customs. in theory he’s a follower of hylia according to the hylians’ belief system, because it was mostly his dad who raised him and that was what his dad practiced, but he’s far more interested and in tune with the gerudo religion, despite spending a lot less time with his mom throughout his life. the breakdown of all that is here, but his favorite heroines are nailuk and imura, and even though technically he hasn’t been formally confirmed into their religion, he still follows it all as though he has. and it isn’t a closed religion, so technically he could go and request passage through the rites like any other devotee, but he’s an anxious child and always shies away from completing the devotional trials. of course, every time the subject comes up with his mother, she affectionately makes fun of him for it, and especially so once she learns of their quest- “oh, so you’re fine running around the continent trying to save the world, but one little molduga and you’re tucking tail?” (he does, eventually, gather up his courage and finally go through with it. he chooses nailuk as his patron heroine and gets a very nice devotional tattoo of a pink lotus on his arm. his mother is very proud of him, and they do make a special one-day exception to the No Men rule to celebrate his official integration into their religion.)

- unless my brain decides to take an unplanned detour through some weird plot point, you will never get to meet vio’s mother, even though she’s alive. this is because, to put it lightly, they are not fond of one another. it was already kind of rough on vio in his early years, because his dad, as a sheikah, lived in kakariko, and she, as a hylian, was forbidden from living there and so lived in tabantha. it led to a very odd and uncoordinated shared-custody situation, where he’d be living with his mother for a year and then out of the blue his dad would drop by and be like come on son we’re going on an adventure. and then he’d go live in kakariko for months with his dad. and it resulted in a confusing flip-flopping of cultures, and it also resulted in a lot of resentment on her part, towards his father. but because his father didn’t live with her (for a complicated number of reasons, one of which involving a pretty serious falling-out concerning the matter of vio’s mixed heritage) she was unable to express it towards who she actually really hated, and so ended up taking it out on vio most of the time, and it came to be that vio really just couldn’t wait for his dad to come back so he could go be in kakariko, which he liked infinitely better than tabantha. at some point she got REALLY nasty and bordered on actually dangerous, so vio finally put his tiny eight-year-old foot down and decided that he would take matters into his own hands, and hopped on his faithful and much beloved horse and just left. and one day he arrived in kakariko and went to his dad’s house and he just kinda walked in like hey old man how’s it been. after some mild concern and fear for his safety, they sat down and vio explained the situation and ended up living in kakariko from then on. after his dad died, he stayed for about another year and a half, because quite frankly he needed people to keep an eye on him, and after that he took to traveling, took up the trade of a merchant as a kind of excuse, and when he was about sixteen or so, used the money he’d saved to get himself a place in hateno, far far away from his mother but still close to the village he considered family. this one got kinda ramble-y but that’s the rundown on the situation, and anyone with any kind of sense won’t bring up the subject with him, because he’ll either get very withdrawn and avoidant or he will get very angry. you don’t want either of those things.

- it takes some time to get past the initial awkwardness of things, for a few reasons, and there will always be some bumps in the road, but out of everyone, shadow trusts vio the most with personal matters. some of it is because they share at least some heritage, and shadow knows that vio will understand his sheikah-bred tendencies a lot more than any of the others. but he also knows that vio will in no way be taking his shit- but he will constructively not take any of his shit. he thinks that red and green will be generally too lenient with whatever is going on with him, and blue will be far too harsh, and zelda lacks a few certain points of experience with his background that would otherwise make her fine to deal with. so if he actually decides to confide in someone or go to someone looking for advice or help, he will usually go to vio, because vio is certainly not going to excuse anything that he’s done wrong, and he will be very up-front about what he’s screwed up, but he’s also better at providing solutions or advice rather than just flat criticism and nothing else. and as much as shadow would like to be coddled and told that he is Perfect The Way He Is, he knows in his heart that that couldn’t be further from the truth, and he knows all too well that vio has no reservations when it comes to calling him out.

-this is a secret that shadow will take to the grave, but there were a few little parts of the yiga that shadow enjoyed and, at times, kind of misses a little bit. even though there were quite a few people in there that he held no love for, there were still others that were welcoming to him, and kind of took him under their wing, especially when he was just coming in as a young kid. he sometimes wishes he could see them again, just to see how things are, but he knows that if he ever does meet them again, it’ll probably be on opposite sides of the battle. and, even more secretly, he did kind of revel in the power that being in the yiga gave him. even as one of the lower-ranked members, he still had more power at his disposal than some of the highest of the high among the non-yiga. he liked knowing that the upper hand was always his and the situations were always his to control, and while some of that stemmed from being so thoroughly trapped under the thumb of his overseers, it was also, in some little dark part of his brain, just part of him as a person.

-blue’s favorite people in all of hyrule (aside from her village, of course) are the gorons. she just loves the atmosphere there. she describes it as an entire town full of bros, and even the most distant of them still share this sort of familial bond that she has yet to see matched among anyone else. the rough-and-tumble attitudes and general relaxed air and casually determined personalities just kinda resonate with her, and by the end of it she kind of ends up as an honorary goron. she also really likes their spice. so does zelda. their food becomes a little dangerous after trips to goron city.

-green’s dad actually used to be in the princess’s personal detail of guards. it was only for about two years, while they were in the process of searching for suitable champions, but it happened, and even through the calamity, he managed to preserve the uniform and the sword he was given. when green was little, he used to steal the clothes all the time and dress up in them and walk around acting like a guard. he’d stand in front of the door to the kitchen with his little wooden sparring sword in his hands and demand to know his dad’s name and business before he’d allow him to enter. and even though the hat was far too big for him, even when they went out to practice with their swords or tend their garden or go hunting, green would insist upon wearing it, and even though it fell in front of his eyes every ten seconds he refused to ever leave it at home. even still it’s an inside joke between them to ask name and business before letting the other go anywhere.

[wandering-chronicler-blog]

The Wolf of Farore - Chapter 36

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

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

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CHAPTER 36:  OUTSIDE HELP

An hour had passed since they’d signed the contract and Link was in one of the small guest rooms connected to the commons room, tending to his wounds. It had a single round window near the ceiling that let in the dying sunlight in as he sat on the simple and very low bed. He was no doctor, but was able to at least wrap some of the damage to his body in bandages and a red potion made his body repair any broken bones. As it worked, he buckled over, realizing that the blast of magic that had landed in his chest had cracked a couple ribs. Scabbed wounds healed over in minutes. He was thankful at least that he didn’t need the entire vial and corked it. In his head, he thought about how he was going to approach talking with his sister. How he was going to tell her he was no longer an agent of The Crown. One thing he knew though was there was no way he could tell anyone who Tetra was. He forced a huffed laugh and shook his head. If they managed to have a civil conversation, the first thing he was going to tell her was her disguise needed work.

He pulled at the wolf charm around his neck to look at it a little. Midna had said that it could be used to communicate with people only if he wanted to as opposed to his old charm which was open to anyone at The Tower. He was about to try it to see if he could talk to her if she had any advice on their current situation when there was a banging on the door. He let go of it and it landed against his chest once more. “Just a sec!” he said. With a little effort, he forced himself to his tired feet and pulled his shirt on over his head. He pulled the door open. Aryll stood there, arms folded and a piece of paper in her hand.

“You have time to talk?” she asked. Her face was in a state of surprise.

“Yeah.” He moved aside so she could enter. Instead, she handed him the paper. Link looked at it. He saw a drawing of his face on it. It was identical to the one that Linebeck had shown him earlier with a 15,000 rupee reward for his capture. “Well… This is what I did want to talk to you about…”

“That my brother, a hero of The Crown is now the most wanted man in all of Hyrule?” she growled.

Link took a deep breath. “It’s a long story and involves a lot of state secrets.” He folded the wanted poster back up. “But you remember some of the letters I sent? How you said sometimes it looked like pieces didn’t line up right? Or were missing pages?”

She nodded. “Especially after that whole mess with the monsters last year.”

“There are things that can’t be told to the public. Things that if they knew, it’d cause a panic. Like The Conjunction.”

“The what?’

“The monsters that fell out of the sky in some places.” He mentally kicked himself for referring to the incident by name. “I was directly involved in stopping it. And if the towns and villages all over Hyrule knew a lot of the details I do, there’d be chaos. One or two people is one thing. But a mob?”

“…I see your point.” She let out a sigh. “There was enough worry at the ranch when those shrieking dark beasts started killing livestock.” Aryll looked back up. “Still, you left The Crown? Was it all those secrets or something else?”

“There was a massacre. Refugees fleeing the desert. One that could’ve been prevented if we’d looked at our information a bit closer.” He folded his arms and leaned in the doorway. “With everything else and feeling like I was just being used to keep the people in power and not actually helping the people who needed it, I couldn’t keep working for them.” He motioned slightly to her. “I’m sure you’d have seen some of it as well if you went to town. Especially before or during the early parts of the war.”

She nodded a little after a moment and looking away. “We took some cattle up to Castle town around the time a lot of the raids started near Lake Hylia. A lot of people were wanting to string some people up, calling them traitors and spies for The Tribes. And I saw some of the guards egging the crowd on even rather than trying to keep the peace.”

“I was there. Me and a couple other Chosen helped get some people out before the rioting started.” He looked down at the floor for a moment. “It’s become such a mess. But I’m still working. Trying to find a way to end this war.”

“By yourself?”

Link shook his head. “I’ve got help. But it’s an uphill battle I’m seeing.” He looked at the folded wanted poster in his hand. “They’re afraid I’m going to give state secrets to The Tribes I think. Among other things.”

Aryll looked like she had begun to relax a little. “Like with Medli.”

“Once I solve the missing courier problem.”

“Like when you two worked in the seas then?”

He nodded. “Yep.” Link looked back at her then and smiled a little. “I’m still trying to be that hero. But there’s people who need my help other than just The Crown.”

“Why I came here. Heard from Quill that they were missing several couriers. So I volunteered to come help however I could.” She yawned. “Besides, it was getting a little boring on Outset.”

“Glad you got there safe.”

“The letter you sent me said to get out before The Tribes reached the region. So I did just that. But only after we made arrangements with Talon to help keep the cattle safe.” She smiled. “It was good to see Malon again.”

“Saw her recently too.”

“You did?”

He nodded. “Had to make sure Epona was safe somewhere. Helped them out with a problem with their goats too.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. It was a sort of vampire going after the goats. Didn’t kill any of them.”

“You killed it?”

“No, actually… He was cursed. So I tried to break it. Doesn’t look like it worked, but it bought us time to try and find another way.” Link rubbed his eyes then, closing them for a moment. “I have someone I can talk to about this sort of thing too. Maybe they’ll have some ideas on how to break it.”

“Aaah.”

Link glanced down at the crossbows on her hips. “Where’d you learn to shoot?”

“Would you believe Gorman’s Traveling Carnival?”

He shook his head. “No. The bows used in their shooting galleries have a lot less draw on them than repeaters like what you have.”

“Well I learned to aim at least whenever they came through.” She smiled a bit. “Did so well, was able to get entered in a couple competitions. Came in really helpful when we had to watch the cattle and there were blin raiders or monsters though.”

Link smiled a little back, seeing how proud she was of her skills, but felt a little sad hearing the news. He remembered the scared five year old girl hiding behind him in a torn blue dress with pink flowers on it as they struggled to find shelter and food with the flood of other refugees fleeing the war in the islands. Or the cold nights in the alleys of Aboda and stealing food. “I’d hoped you’d never have to pick up a weapon, Aryll.”

“I know.” The smile became a little said. “But with everything going on around us, it may have been inevitable.”

“Yeah.” He shifted his weight slightly to be a little more comfortable against the door frame. “We’ll be leaving tomorrow. Guessing you’re going to stay here?”

“No, actually.” She looked to the left for a moment. “I talked to Miss Tetra. And because I’m technically not part of her crew, I’m free to leave.”

It fit a bit with some of what he actually knew about her. At the same time, he was surprised she’d agreed to let his sister go. Link instantly wondered if she knew the relation or if the other pirates had brought it up while waiting for Tetra’s arrival earlier. “So, back to Outset or stay here and help out the mail service?”

“I was actually going to go with you.”

He moved off the doorframe and instantly was standing at attention. “What? Aryll, you heard everything they talked about in there and-”

“I know,” she interrupted. “But you’re going to need all the help you can get. And you even said in some of your letters when you were getting frustrated with some of the rough days that you wished more people would stand up and actually try and emulate the Hero of Legend.” Aryll waved her right hand outward. “What does it say about me if I’m given a chance and I don’t take it? And that my brother is one of those people that has spent his entire life working to live up to The Hero’s Ideal?” Her hand dropped to her side. Link spotted Aveil emerge from her room nearby in her new suit of armor, inspecting the fins on the forearms before he glanced back to Aryll. “There’s plenty of things I could do that doesn’t put me in the fight too if that’s what you’re worried about. I can handle charts, a steamship like Linebeck’s is going to need to have coal fed to the boilers, lots of other things too. Could use a cook too I’m sure.”

Link let out a long sigh and shook his head for a moment. “Aryll, I’ve done all this-”

“I got that. I know. But you also kept saying how important it was in those letters to help people who needed it. And… And we’re the only family we have. I know we’ve not actually grown up together, but we did send lots of letters. And there were a couple times we did see one another in those early years.”

“Yeah.” He did smile a little at it. In the face of the turmoil in his home and what they were going to face, he was torn. On one hand, she had proven herself capable. On the other though, he still saw her as the little sister he’d vowed to keep safe. And Tetra’s crew wasn’t going to get directly involved if what he reasoned she was doing came to pass. Even if her actions might have ultimately stopped the creature. He glanced down the hall again for a moment. Aveil was there talking with Linebeck then. The smuggler had a box in his hands with supplies. She took it from him. “Linebeck!”

“What?” he asked.

“When you’re done with that, go back to Zauz’s and tell him we need more silver bolts.” He looked Aryll over then. “Aveil, can you take my sister and get her some better armor?”

“She’s coming with us?” she asked.

“In a noncombat role, but I’d rather be sure she’s safe.” Aryll’s face broke into a wide grin and she threw her arms around him. He laughed a little and hugged her back. “Just promise me you’ll not actively try and get in a fight.”

“I promise,” she said, letting go.

“Alright.” He let go as well. “Go get anything else you might’ve left with the pirates too.”

“Right. I’ll do that right now!”

“Meet Aveil after though! You’re going to need armor.”

“Will do!” She waved as she ran down the ramp. Soon as she was gone, the gerudo and smuggler approached him. The smuggler put the box down.

“This a smart idea?” Linebeck asked.

“I’d welcome an extra hand honestly,” Aveil started, “she was damn good with those bows. Long as she stays directly out of a fight and plays support with those bows if we are in one, I think we’ll be okay.”

“I’m hoping that’s the case,” Link said. “I saw her perform an impressive grouping on a geozard’s heart. If she’d been using silver bolts she’d have killed it in a single shot.” He looked at Linebeck then. “What’re you worried about?”

“Well, Medli did say they could’ve been Hyrulean Privateers…” Aveil added.

The older man gave Aveil a look at her feigned ignorance. “They are. Seen plenty of other privateers in my days. Real pirates wouldn’t be negotiating like they are with the chieftain. They’d ask for the entire treasury and their ship repaired before going off. They might not’ve been so keen on your sister joining us too. And on the other hand, they could have been planning something.” He glanced down at the poster in Link’s hand. “They clearly know who you are. And it’s probably only because of their captain not wanting to piss off the mailmen that they’re not trying anything.”

“Just another reason to get her away from them,” Link said. He was going to have another conversation with her later. He’d already decided it, but was going to have to make sure one of the topics was Tetra. Link looked back at Linebeck then. “Will we be ready in the morning to go?”

“Not a problem. Just need to get a couple more things now that we’ll have another. Medli said she’d be getting you two some of your drinks too.”

“Drinks?” Aveil asked.

“Our potions,” Link said. He looked at her for a moment. “I saw you get ones that’d kill someone if a normal person drank them back on Windfall.”

“If we’re going after something like Bellum, we need every advantage we can get,” she said.

“Agreed.”

Once the details were set, Link returned to his room with a yawn. He reached behind with his hand to rub the back of his neck and stretched a little before sitting back down on the bed. Given what they were up against, they were going to need every advantage they could get. Link looked out the window again, seeing the twilight peering through. He lifted the wolf charm around his neck to look into its emerald eyes before squeezing his fingers around it.

“Hello?” he asked through his mind and focusing magic into the charm. “Are you there?” He heard no response. “Midna?”

“Just a sec,” he heard her say.

“Okay.” He leaned back on the bed then and closed his eyes in time to see a flicker of light and shadow. It formed into a tall figure standing before him wrapped in silk robes while shadow wrapped around her arms, chest and right leg. The markings on her arms glowed brightly as her crystal floated over her shoulder. Her hair was up in a style he’d only seen once before, along with an elegant long hairpin in the back. Resting on her forehead was a spiral piece of jewelry with a precious stone in the middle of its top. He didn’t realize it, but his jaw had fallen open.

“Alright. Just got out of a meeting,” the Twilight Princess said, glancing through a parchment that floated next to her. “Been in them almost constantly with other clan diplomats since getting back and...” That familiar smirk of hers played on her lips as her eyes went to him. “Still speechless I see.”

He’d only seen her dressed as such once before and mentally kicked himself for repeating the same reaction. “Uh, y-Yeah,” he managed to say. Her grin only grew wider. “Sorry. I... you look good.”

She laughed for a moment as the parchment vanished into magic. “Well, I am a princess. Even if I don't look the part when running all over with you!”

“Fair. Fair enough.” Link smiled sheepishly.

“Mmm.”

He took a deep breath, composing himself. “You doing alright since,.. everything?”

“Yeah. I am,” Midna replied with a nod. The smirk faded from her painted lips. “There's… there's been a lot of stress though since I got back. Clans discussing The Light World all over again and what should be done.”

“Anyone ask the question you don't want to hear yet?”

She rolled her eyes. “Was one of the first damn questions today.” Midna shook her head and sighed as she moved to a reclining position. He wouldn’t be surprised if she was using her magic to float wherever she was. “Thankfully was shot down fast as not being a productive area of discussion.”

Given what they were up against, the possibility of having a sorceress with them was too great to not pass up. “Any chance that-”

“No. My father has made it very clear. Travel to other worlds is forbidden for the foreseeable future.”

“Oh.”

She smirked at him, even though her eyes looked a little more apologetic than the rest of her features, if even only for a moment. “Don't worry. I'll still get you your book.” She reached up and gently removed the hairpin and pulled her hood back. “He's worried that what happened could cause someone to come looking. Hell, when you and Ravio were with me in The Twilight, first thoughts were you two were the vanguard to an invasion.“

“Yeah.”

“I think too I can convince him that having someone who can communicate with some people in Hyrule and Lorule would be in our best interests. So the ban may end up just for people who aren't cleared.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Do you guys go back and forth often?”

“No. You've seen me set up the spellwork for moving between worlds post-conjunction. Takes a lot of training, time and magic to do it. Unless you have a damn good reason for it, a twili isn't going to hop between worlds. And since The Conjunction we've been watching the fabric of our realm for breaches. So if someone does try it, we'll know.”

“Smart.”

Midna chuckled a little then. “I doubt you called me up just to discuss transdimensional magic. And I know you didn't to talk politics. Soooo...”

“I need your help with some research,” Link said plainly. “And for better or worse, you’re the only person I know right now with access to a massive library of magical and mythological information.”

“Pfft. Well, let me get right on that like your girls in The Tower! I'll head right down to the library and get back to you in ten minutes with a complete history on whatever you’re looking for! Do you want it abridged or complete versions with cross references to the Ikanan Magic Codices? ”

“Mid...” he groaned.

The smirk was back on her lips. “Heh. Had to. If only for the look on your face. Y'know. I really can't spend hours doing that though like they could’ve.”

Link nodded a little. “I know. But with what happened out here earlier today, we need all the help we can get.”

She noticed the change in his tone and how his shoulders slumped. How there was a flash of worry in his eyes even and she grew serious. “Gods, Link. What's going on over there?”

“Got some help from Medli getting out of the country,” he explained. “But the Dragon Roost rito are in a little trouble. Their couriers are going missing. And we were just today attacked by monsters. But these things were heavily altered by magic. Turned to smoke and ash when killed. Not twili magic though. Don't know of any of your ancestors ever turned a sperm whale into a flying monster.”

“That sounds like some insanely powerful magic. Like the sorts even one piece of The Fused Shadows could be capable of.”

“According to one of the rito elders, it was an old demon god by the name of Bellum.”

“Bellum?” she asked, brows rising.

“Sound familiar?”

“Vaguely from a class on deities predating The Golden Goddesses.”

“Lines up a little with what we were talking about earlier.”

“Oh?” The parchment appeared again and her crystal darted down from her shoulder. He could see teal light flickering through it as it worked, taking notes.

“Sky spirit and ocean king buried Bellum under an entire continent. Sounded like Din, Farore and Nayru were nowhere to be seen.”

“I see.”

“We're heading off to find someone who may know something about all this first thing in the morning. But we have so few facts to begin with.”

“How long you think it'll take you to get there?”

“Three? Four days if Linebeck doesn't run the engine into the ground?”

The sorceress nodded to him as she casually waved a hand towards the parchment. It vanished once more. “Okay,” she said, looking him in the eye.

“Okay?”

“Yeah. I'll do some digging here and there while I fight your book. It's proving an issue. But I'm down there anyways.”

Link smiled softly. “Thank you.”

“Yep.”

“I'll let you know when we're there and what's going on. See if we can get to the bottom of it. And hope it's not as bad as it sounded like.”

Midna let out a small laugh as she shook her head. “What, Bellum breaking out of having a continent dropped on top of him?”

“Exactly.”

“Well,” she began, reclining back and slipping her hands behind her head. “We've both had instances of opening our big mouths before about stuff like this...”

“...Damnit, you're right,”

“Why yes I am.”

“Heh.”

Her expression changed and she looked over her shoulder. “Hang on.” The twili vanished from his vision then. He was left alone with his thoughts, though still squeezing the wolf charm.

“Yeah?” The minutes passed. He began to wonder what was going on. “Mid?”

She reappeared to him then, eyes narrowed and a frown on her lips. It reminded him of the expression she usually had worn their very first weeks together. “Damnit,” she muttered.

“What?'

Her eyes looked up at him. “Sorry. I have to cut this short.”

“Everything okay?”

“Zant's here,” she said bluntly and without any sense of humor.

He didn’t know all the details, but knew at least that she did not get on well with one of the most powerful clan lords of The Twilight. A million different theories had been in his head as to what had happened, but suspected many of them had to do with The Conjunction. “Oh.”

She sighed as she pulled her hood back up and slipped the hairpin back in place. She adjusted the sleeves of her robe carefully to make sure they looked straight before reaching up and making sure her jewelry was in place. “And I was having such a lovely morning.”

“So much for your sunny disposition,” he snarked, offering her a small grin.

The annoyance on her face left for a few moments as she snickered slightly. “Yeah, laugh it up, wolf-boy,”

“You already used that one, trough bather.”

“You used that one too earlier,” she said, pointing a finger at him.

“Darunia interrupted us before I could finish.”

“Alright fair.” Midna sighed and shook her head. “Well, time to go deal with the self-serving idiot.”

“Aren't you so happy I'm a noble one?”

“Heh. Yeah.”

He smiled back at her then, thankful for at least getting some additional help on the upcoming mission. “So, see you later?”

“Yeah. See you later.” She waved a hand to him before her image vanished from his mind. Link opened his eyes then and was left alone in the small room once more.