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aurathian · 16 days ago

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Blush

AO3 | This is my @zelinkcommunity Loftwing Letter for @flutefemme !! I was so excited when I found out I was gifting you so I hope you enjoy this short fic!!

Fandom: Tears of the Kingdom

Ship: Link/Zelda

Rating: G

Summary: And when she did as she told him to, he was blushing a bright red. She sighed and removed her hand, kneeling down to the ground to pick up the frog she had spotted. The slightest touches sent him into a spiral of embarrassment.

Read below or on AO3.

Link and Zelda were no strangers to being alone together. From being her personal knight to living together to venturing into the underworld practically hand-in-hand, it hardly raised concern or caused scandal as it may have one hundred years ago.

But for some reason, Link, the savior of Hyrule, slayer of monsters, and protector of the princess, could never quite bring himself to be comfortable with it. Zelda could rationalize it perfectly: one hundred years ago, the proximity was mandated by duty. Then it was mandated by memory, and perhaps he still felt a lingering obligation.

She stayed with him because she wanted to. Was he only here because his one-hundred year old habits die hard?

There was no proper Hyrule anymore, no monarchy and no archaic laws, all of it washed away with the passage of time. Link could do what he wanted. So why didn’t he?

“Link,” Zelda called, “you don’t have to stay so far behind me.”

His footsteps sped up to meet her.

Oh, was it frustrating! He spoke but not much, and even though they knew each other more than their mothers or fathers had known them, he was still a puzzle she could never find the last piece to.

She spotted something in the grass and clutched Link’s shoulder in excitement. “Look!”

And when she did as she told him to, he was blushing a bright red. She sighed and removed her hand, kneeling down to the ground to pick up the frog she had spotted. The slightest touches sent him into a spiral of embarrassment.

One day, she asked Purah about it. What should she do? How can she help? Does he even like her?

“All relationships get to this point, I think,” Purah told her. “It happened to me and Robbie. You just need to communicate.”

“R-relationship?” Zelda stammered. “We are not courting.”

Purah rolled her eyes. “Riiiiiight. And I never turned myself twenty years younger.”

Everyone she spoke to gave her similar advice about relationships, dating, courting, and every time she denied such allegations, they chuckled and rolled their eyes and then told her to just ask him, as if it were that simple.

But she didn’t need to.

One day, as Zelda was returning from teaching at the schoolhouse, she spotted Link talking to someone at their front door. It was a representative from Bolson Construction. Zelda hid behind a tree so she could listen.

“...someone to watch the area while we work,” she heard the representative say. “The remote areas are dangerous, and we could use someone like you. It has good pay and we’ll house you, too.”

“No.”

“But–”

“Sorry, no. I’m staying here.”

“Of course, Link… have a good day.” And the Bolson worker sulked away, too defeated to notice Zelda peering from around a tree trunk. When she heard the front door close, she emerged and went inside after Link.

“Welcome home,” he greeted her as though nothing had happened, but her heart was soaring and her body was jittery. “What should we eat tonight?”

She said nothing but gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek, which he did not pull away from or protest to (in fact, she felt him lean in), and she left him standing there, blushing bright red in the kitchen.

#loftwingletters25 #loftwing letters 2025 #zelink #link #zelda #purah #totk #botw #post totk #fluff #gift fic

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zelinkcommunity · 2 months ago

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For the loftwing letters can we cross post them to Ao3 as well? Sorry if this is a silly question I just wanted to double check

Yes! On February 14, everyone will post their works on any of the socials/sites that they want. Thanks for asking!

#anonymous #ask #loftwing letters 2025

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marimbles · 17 days ago

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Happy Valentine’s Day @mailrebel 🥰 I haven’t played ALBW yet but it was fun to draw this version of zelink so I hope you like it 🫶

For loftwing letters 2025 in @zelinkcommunity

#albw #a link between worlds #zelink #hildavio #albw ravio #albw hilda #loz #legend of zelda #mine #my art #loftwingletters25

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haste-waste · 16 days ago

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Loftwing Letters 2025 | Mistresslrigtar

"A diminutive Hylian bass guitarist standing behind him immediately began playing a fast-paced opening on a cleverly shaped guitar painted to look like an ancient Hylian shield. His head bobbed to the beat, but he kept it bowed, looking down at his black combat boots so his thick shoulder-length, hot-pink-streaked blond hair fluttered like curtains covering his face." - Mistresslrigtar, "I Belong to You"

Happy Valentine's day, @mistresslrigtar! ❤️ Here's your gift for Loftwing Letters 2025, an event run by @zelinkcommunity.

If you haven't read her rock star AU fic I Belong to You yet, what are you doing? GO GO GO!!!

#loftwingletters25 #zelink #mistresslrigtar #This was a joy to make #my art

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fioreofthemarch · 16 days ago

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heart flow

This was written for @zelinkcommunity's Loftwing Letters 2025, and is for @hyylia! Words: 1640 Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom Characters: Link/Zelda

It’s a high moon tonight. The rising paths and nestled buildings of Hateno are drowned in its rays. Three days until the full moon, and the harvest festival to celebrate it.

It’s a welcome light. Link straddles the top of an unsteady ladder, glad to be able to see clearly so late into the evening. He’s been helping string lantern lights across the main thoroughfare of Hateno, but he’s done his bit, securing his end to the mossy roof of Cece’s shop. The string slackens and tightens as his counterparts at the general store struggle with their end. “We’ve nearly got it, Master Link”, one of them calls out. He’s content to wait.

Behind him, inside Cece’s shop, the women of the town have gathered. He can hear feet thumping lightly on the wooden floor, the beating of a drum, and a muffled shouting: and step, and step, one, two! For the festival, the men hang the lights, and the women do the dance. There are giggles, more shouts, more giggles. He wonders if he can pick Zelda’s laugh among them.

“I’m really not much of a dancer,” she had said, multiple times, but they wouldn’t have it. He pictures her in there now, golden hair tied into a plait, cheeks flushed, spinning and smiling.

Link frowns. The moon above is harsh, exacting: why not just tell her? He’s been wondering that for a year, since she returned into his life, into all their lives, and set about filling the land with her radiance.

Practice is over. The women stream out of the building towards their homes, Zelda among them. She is flanked by two others, chatting amicably as they approach.

He could do it now. He could descend the ladder and tell her plain and clear. Did you know that you are perfect? That I love every single thing about you?

Zelda passes by the ladder and waves up at him. Link... waves back. And sighs. To the north, where the horizon meets sea, the dragon Naydra floats through the sky.

---

“Finally autumn, after such a long summer!” Zelda says, looking up at the full moon.

“Indeed, and a dry winter to follow, from our observations,” says Symin beside her.

“Oh. Hopefully we get some rain.”

They stand together under the shade of an old tree, watching the townsfolk collect long timber beams from the construction site of the planned Hateno School, which is as yet unfinished. “These beams will be returned tomorrow, right?” Symin asks.

“Of course. They just need them for the festival tent.”

“I hope so. I won’t teach from a tent.”

Zelda smiles to herself. The only person in Hyrule more passionate about building the school than her is Symin. Well, except maybe–

“Master Link!” Symin calls out, rushing forward. He greets Link, who has slugged an entire beam over his shoulder with ease. “Please remind the others to be careful. This timber is pine, from Tabantha.”

“Sure,” Link answers, but still Symin cranes his neck towards the centre of town, sighing and fussing as he watches his priceless timber being carted away.

“Why don’t you remind them yourself?” Zelda offers.

“Indeed! I'd better!” Symin says, and kicking up a little dust he marches into town, leaving Link and Zelda to speak alone.

Only, Zelda never knows what to say to Link. What can she say, to the one who saved her life, saved all their lives? Her gratitude always feels cloying and sticky in her mouth.

“It’s going well?” she asks.

“Yes.” He lowers the beam to the ground. “Do you need anything?”

“No, I – are you looking forward to tonight?”

He pauses, seeming unsure. Maybe he dreads it as much as she does. “I am.”

“I’ll be dancing, you know."

“I know.”

“It’s so ridiculous.”

Link smiles, a look that makes her want to melt. “I don’t think so.”

For a moment they stare at one another, and everything Zelda has wanted to say nearly rushes out. That he should have his own life, that he doesn’t have to live where she lives. That he can have his house back and that it’s okay if he doesn’t feel anything for her, really. She is grateful just to be able to love him, because it means she is alive, and being alive was once a distant and fading dream–

“I better go.” Link says. “I’ll see you tonight?”

“Yes.”

No other words come. After he is gone, she spots the goddess Naydra rounding the mountains to the north. Lady of wisdom, lady of love, she prays. Oh, save me from myself!

---

A harsh wind descends upon the town as the festival starts, rattling the lantern lights. Link helps hang the last of them between the dye shop and a water tower further up the hill. When he’s done, he heads to the festival tent. It shudders under every gust, but the townsfolk are determined. Their ragtag band of drummers and pipers are loud enough to drown out the wind.

He keeps a low profile, sampling the food stalls one by one. It’s oppressively hot in the tent, the whole town crammed inside, but Zelda is nowhere to be seen. Maybe it’s for the better. Maybe the time to tell her what he feels has passed.

Then there are three sharp beats of a drum, and the festival goers turn their attention to the centre of the tent. The women of the town gather, with Zelda at the front in a red dress and black leggings. They join hands, forming two long lines, and to the beat of the drum they dance, spinning and clapping. Link blushes as he watches, realising in his gloom he had forgotten the reason he came to the festival at all. When they are done, the women bow to whoops and cheers from the crowd, and in the chaos that follows as they disperse, Zelda appears in front of him with a hand outstretched.

“There’s another dance. Join me?” she says. There’s a sort of giddiness to her, almost drunken. Is that what dancing feels like? He takes her hand, and wordlessly they step into the dancer’s circle. Maybe this is how he tells her. Maybe he simply sweeps her off her feet.

Just as the world around them begins to fall away, a terrible crack rips through the air. It’s deafening. The ground shakes. Then another; thunder, beastlike and hungry, accompanied by flashes of lightning. Never letting go of his hand, Zelda hurries them outside, and they see the sky has darkened, clouds churning like the sea. There is shouting all around – everyone inside, quickly! It’s a storm!

Another flash, as an arc of lightning strikes the general store. Then another hits the grass in front of them, the light blinding. Crack! When Link opens his eyes he is met with a wall of fire. The lightning has set the grass of the main thoroughfare alight, and the wind is blowing the flames towards the festival tent.

“There's no rain,” Link says, drawing back.

“A dry winter…” Zelda murmurs. “We have to do something!”

In the sky, just below the clouds, Link spots the dragon Naydra, seemingly undisturbed by the weather. “Can she help? Can you, I don’t know, call her–?”

“No. How would I even– I mean I could try but –”

He takes her other hand, holding both between his. “Okay, it’s okay,” he says, waiting for her to calm. “We save ourselves.”

Zelda nods, and they turn their attention back to the fire. Across the thoroughfare, Zelda seems to spot something. He follows her gaze, eyes drawn to the lantern lights, which are now mostly gone out. “The water tower?” he asks. Zelda answers by taking his hand and leading him away from the tent.

They rush to a nearby stable shed, where Zelda finds two axes, placing one in Link's hands. Then she points to the water tower. It sits on three poorly made struts and is already shaking in the wind, water spilling over the edge of its wide metal tank. Link understands immediately, and can't help but laugh. Alright, Princess, let’s go destroy some public property.

They run to the tower and begin chopping - one strut each. “We need them to come down at the same time!” Link says.

“Then follow my lead!”

She chants as they chop. And swing. And swing. One, two! Lightning flashes around them, and the fire rages towards the festival tent. One, two! One, two! Then there is a creak and a groan - the sound of snapping wood. Link drops his axe and dives toward Zelda as the whole structure collapses, unleashing a flood of water down the hill.

They roll and tumble, caught in the wave, and come to a rest beside the festival tent, arms around each other on the muddy grass. Bewildered, the townsfolk stumble towards this spectacle; where there was once a fire, a wall of water has consumed it down to the embers. Seeing this, Link and Zelda hold each other close, and laugh and laugh.

There is nothing else to be said. Zelda rests her head back on the grass, smiling up at Link. Now, he thinks, and catches that perfect smile with a kiss - a lingering, apologetic, long awaited kind, and though it tastes a little of earth and grass, it’s intoxicating. As more townsfolk gather, Link and Zelda pick themselves up and hurry out of sight -- to continue with this new means of communication they have discovered.

Inside the festival tent, the music starts again. Above, Naydra makes her rounds – where she flies the dark clouds split, and the full moon shines through bright and clear.

#my writing #tloz #legend of zelda #zelink #link #zelda #fluff and angst #tloz fanfiction #in which link and zelda are silly and in love but it takes AN EVENT for them to realise #loftwingletters25

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rainoverthewindow · 16 days ago

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Happy Valentines Day!

This was part of Loftwing Letters 2025 - it is for @6foottallladybug .

#the legend of zelda #tloz #tloz fanart #tloz totk #tears of the kingdom #tloz tears of the kingdom #totk fanart #totk zelda #totk link #zelink

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citrinediamondeyes · 16 days ago

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Loftwing Letters 2025

Hi y'all! I participated in the @zelinkcommunity Loftwing Letters event for the first time, and I got @liv-andletdie as my recipient! I hope you enjoy!

Title: Deception

Fandom: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Rating: T (suggestive content)

Summary: Zelda and Link are in a secret relationship! ... that isn't so secret.

Feel free to read here or below the cut!

Currently, Link was pressing her up against the wall in her private study, and they were trying to stay quiet. They had been in a secret relationship for a little over five months now. After Midna had returned to the Twilight Realm, the two realized they alone understood the weight of what they both had carried during the Invasion. That understanding had turned into a quick friendship and, eventually, a deep sense of love and respect.

--::--

Zelda had been many things she never imagined herself having to be: the secret friend of a girl cloaked in Twilight, the princess that surrendered, a refugee in her own castle, Ganondorf’s puppet, and now… she was sneaky.

After the demise of Ganondorf, she had initially assumed that he would go back to Ordon to resume his humble life as a goat farmer; that she would never see him again unless Hyrule was once again in a state of peril; that she would be repairing and rejuvenating Hyrule brick by brick alone. Never had she been so happy to admit she was wrong.

Hyrule loved Link, the newest addition to her Royal Guard and a genuine friend to most of the kingdom’s residents, and Link loved Hyrule. Her advisors probably would’ve approved a courtship… but they wanted to keep this burgeoning relationship to themselves a little while longer.

Zelda took the mantle of being discrete quite seriously, but not as much as Link. Today’s ruse was that there was an angry goat loose in the throne room, and Zelda had to be whisked away by her most devoted knight “for her safety.”

“How did you manage to sneak the goat inside?” she whispered, chuckling as he traced the line of her neck with his lips.

“A secret passage,” he drawled quietly, nipping at her pulse point. Her sharp intake of breath made him smile against her skin, and he gave the spot a gentle kiss before continuing upwards. “I’ll have Ashei look into securin’ it later.” His mouth met hers sweetly.

His kisses made her breathless, and when they paused for air, she threaded her fingers in his hair and looked at him through lidded eyes. “We should probably get back. They’ll wonder where we are.”

“When can I see you again?” he asked, his arms tightening around her as he nuzzled her jaw.

“Tonight,” Zelda said, having anticipated the question he asked at every rendezvous. It thrilled her that he still wanted to be in her company as keenly as she did his. “I have arranged for us to have dinner together so we can discuss security protocols for the upcoming fundraiser.”

Link smiled, pressing a kiss to her cheek adoringly. “You always think of better excuses than me.”

Zelda cupped his face with her hand, stroking his cheekbone with her thumb. “I can request your presence whenever I want, within reason. It’s much harder for you. Your creativity is noted and approved of,” she smirked, internally lighting up at the way his eyes crinkled with mirth. She gave him another passionate kiss for good measure. “I’ll see you tonight.”

—::—

The rest of the day had been torturous, with Zelda trying to get the memory of Link’s hands on her body out of her mind so she could run the kingdom effectively.

“Your Highness, forgive me for asking, but… are you alright?” One of her maids, Alana, asked as she helped Zelda into a more casual gown for dinner.

Zelda barely stopped herself from furrowing her brow. It wouldn’t do to show worry in front of her constituents. “Yes, I’m fine, Marta. Why do you ask?”

The maid flushed in embarrassment, stuttering. “Uh, well, you see, that is…”

Her other maid, Talmie, was more brazen, which Zelda secretly admired. “You’ve been smiling all day, Your Highness.”

Zelda blinked, surprised. “Oh.” Was she really that obvious with her staff today? She had always been taught that too much emotion made for a sloppy leader…

Talmie continued as she brushed Zelda’s long, dark hair. “We like to see you happy, Miss, but you haven’t been like this since you were a child. You’re usually more… reserved.” She gently detangled with her fingers in a soothing manner.

Zelda hummed in acknowledgment, but said little else until it was time for dinner.

—::—

“You look beautiful,” were Link’s first words as the doors closed behind the serving staff. Link and Zelda were in her private dining room, where she hoped they wouldn’t be disturbed. He kissed her hand from across the table.

“Thank you,” she said, blushing. “You like Hyrule Bass, right? I asked the cook to make it for you.”

Link’s smile made her chest feel warm. “Yeah. Thanks, darlin’.”

As they ate, they discussed the reconstruction efforts and Epona.

“She’s really gettin’ good exercise from me trainin’ the new knights on cavalry,” Link explained as he pushed back from the table, his plate empty. Zelda had already finished eating a few minutes earlier and had watched with blatant amusement as he went for a third serving.

“I know of s-something else that is good exercise,” she said, blushing from embarrassment yet proud of herself for getting the words out. He was better at flirting than she was, but she was slowly getting the hang of it.

Link smiled widely. “Oh yeah? Why don’t you come over here and show me?”

She was in his lap within seconds, and he caught her lips with his in a magnificent, toe-curling kiss, his hands climbing underneath her skirts. As his fingers slid up her thighs, Zelda wished absentmindedly that she could show her affection for him all the time.

Suddenly, the door flew open, and Zelda let out a squeak of alarm. Link’s eyes were wide as she slid off his lap.

Auru swiftly entered the room, his reading glasses on as he reviewed some papers in his hand. Link hurriedly sat up straight and rearranged his trousers. Her Advisor glanced up at Zelda and Link, who were both very red and breathing heavily.

“Auru,” she started, trying to regain her composure. “I…” She cleared her throat. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Sorry to interrupt, Your Highness, but I have a worrisome report that I think you need to see.” He acted like nothing was amiss. At her look of astonishment, he added peevishly, “I did knock. Perhaps as your Advisor, I can recommend to limit your romantic excursions with Sir Link to more private areas of the castle.”

Link and Zelda shared a shocked look. Auru was taking this quite well…

Auru laughed, his eyes amused. “No need to look so surprised, Your Highness. The whole of Castle Town knows about you two.” His expression turned more serious. “Now, can we get back to this report?”

Zelda blinked, before schooling her face. “Yes, let’s go to my office.”

Auru nodded at Link, who had stood up to take his leave. “You should come too, Sir Link. This also concerns you.”

Her face was still flushed as the three of them quickly traversed the castle. Link held open the door to the office for them. Auru entered, and as Zelda went to follow, Link caught her fingers with his and squeezed. His cheeks were pink, but he gave her a steady nod and a reassuring smile that immediately put her at ease.

“I think we can stop sneakin’ around, now,” Link murmured.

She smiled. “I’m glad. There are only so many goats this castle can handle.”

His grin stole her breath. She squeezed his hand back before they closed the door to the office behind them.

Zelda was a lot of things, but now, instead of sneaky, she could just be Link’s. She really liked the sound of that.

#zelink community discord server #loftwingletters25 #zelink #tloz #twilight princess #tloz tp #romance #humor #secret relationship

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mailrebel · 16 days ago

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Hands Off the Princess - ST Zelink Fanfic

Happy Valentine's Day @maitaitiu ❤️ Here's a silly, fluffy, platonic Spirit Tracks Zelink fic for you 😌 Link is informed that under no circumstances is he allowed to make physical contact with the princess. The poor boy struggles with this 😂

For the Loftwing Letters 2025 event by @zelinkcommunity

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63060853

#st zelink #zelink #spirit tracks #fanfic #loftwingletters25 #platonic #very stupid and silly #I love them so much though lol

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scribbled-out · 17 days ago

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the wind is not strong enough

for @onewingedsparrow, part of @zelinkcommunity's wonderful Loftwing Letters 2025.

Hiii Sparrow, happy Valentine's Day!! I had so much fun getting to write you this fic this year - I love the OoT/MM games but don't often write anything for them, and this was such an awesome opportunity to do that. I really hope you enjoy it, and have a great day otherwise!

rated G / post-mm / 1.8k (word ceilings aren't really real)

His fingers, clammy and numb, find a grip on the mask's rim. In the end, Link pulls it to his face like it’s the only thing that can let him breathe.

read below the cut or on ao3 here

△

Link hauls his lids apart just to open his eyes. He’d dreamed about Majora again, the mask beating inside his chest, laughing with his mouth. It’s a relief to find the gray sky quiet beyond the trees. A rain is coming down.

Weeping dark specks onto the pack containing all of his masks and supplies. He jolts upright and yanks it to his side in a panic. He’s been having this nagging anxiety, locked away in a new familiar part of himself that feels more comfortable in a taller and leaner frame.

Water won’t do anything to it, but he just has to make sure.

Inside, the deity’s mask is perfectly fine but its eyes are white like a sputtering torch. Link touches it without thinking and his ears start to hurt first, before he even hears the voice, like his body is preparing him for the pain.

DANGER APPROACHES. USE ME, BOY.

Link clutches his head with one hand and wrenches the other off of the mask, even though it hurts like pulling teeth. Once the pressure on his skull abates enough, he groans and rubs his eyes. “It’s so early but okay, okay! Where?”

There’s no response. Grimacing, Link prods it again. No better way to do it. He swears to himself that he won’t use it this time, just ask questions. Where? he thinks.

ABOVE.

He looks up and sees nothing but a rain-clouded sky.

A chill and a cackle infiltrate his left ear, and he whips his head around just in time to see a purple glow, twin yellow pits under a tattered cloak and hood. Suddenly he remembers those eyes, back when his arms were longer and stronger.

Link shouts and trips backward over his bag. He swings out with his sword but she’s gone as soon as the blade makes contact —

Another cackle around him and something pushes him to his knees like a bucket of ice-cold water.

TAKE THE MASK, BOY.

“I don’t—”

Something electric races up his arm to tug him forward — in a crawl because he’s still on the ground. As he moves, head splitting, he feels another attack burn across his shoulders. It’s not really a decision at all when he makes it. It’s too easy.

His fingers, clammy and numb, find a grip on the mask’s rim. In the end, Link pulls it to his face like it’s the only thing that can let him breathe. He hates it, but not enough. As soon as its face fits over his face, he can only feel the double helix sword in two hands that are too large for him.

He looks out through blank eyes for something to break. The part of him that’s still Link registers the poe sister — he doesn’t know how she came to be free of the temple where he found her, seven years into a future that no longer exists — falling silent, the yellow tears in her face narrowing to slits.

He takes a step forward and raises his hands and then his sword is tearing through her like paper. Her flame is scattered to the winds. Her wail —

The mask comes off. When the world spins back to normal, Link can feel himself clutching it tightly in his sword hand. He can’t count the number of times he’s fallen back to this anymore, and it makes him almost ashamed to inhabit his own skin.

He steels himself. He’s done this time, no going back.

You have to stop. I’m not doing this anymore! I’m not letting you consume me like this.

SHE ATTACKED YOU.

I can handle myself in a fight. I’ve been doing it since I was nine years old.

STILL A BOY EVEN NOW. YOU ARE BRAVE, BUT YOU WILL NEVER HAVE THE POWER THIS MASK OFFERS YOU.

I’ve told you, I don’t need it!

YOU DO.

That’s not — I’ve gotten this far. This poe collector, I fought her before and defeated her, how is this different?

BECAUSE YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO IT ALONE.

Link clenches one hand into a fist. This isn’t fighting together, this is you taking over my body. You don’t want to let me face anything on my own, but sometimes I have to do that.

WHY?

His whole life he’s been doing that. Because I need to know who I am! I’m — I’m brave, I was a hero — I mean, I am —

The entity in the mask responds in a tone that comes incredibly close to utter indifference. Link hears a strain of humanity in it, and it feels like a scar.

WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT? WHO YOU ARE IS PAIN.

Link whitens his knuckles on the mask’s edge. He thinks about a girl in a dress, eyes wide, music falling from her lips, rushing forward and staying behind. Stop. Be quiet.

YOU DO NOT NEED

I said stop!

The mask goes quiet. His heart thudding against his ribcage, Link flings it into a bush. He’s cut something out of himself that had always been there, and he knows he’ll stitch it back into his blood or his bones or wherever it was born, but for now he really wants to just let it go and pretend that it’s easy.

“I just woke up,” he says plaintively, aloud. Maybe Meg’s lantern released some lonely spirits who will listen to him. “I just woke up.”

△

He retrieves the mask a couple of hours later, wearing a pair of gauntlets and depositing it as deep into his bag as he can manage. It’s not worth his tantrum to leave it out in the woods where anyone might find it. So Link, twelve years old now, shoulders a weapon of a deity inside his pack and keeps making his way through the woods, going nowhere.

Sometimes he’ll feel a jolt in his spine and the edges of his vision will go white, after which he always knows to draw his sword and hope. It usually doesn’t, but sometimes he comes close.

BOY. CHILD.

When he tries to reach for it, Link kicks the mask into a river instead. He still dives in after an hour. It came to him through some twisted knot of fate in Termina and he’s old enough to know that once fate has left that to him, he’s not allowed to let it go.

Epona is spooked in the evening, after sunset, two days into their new fragile no-man’s-land of an agreement. She rears up beneath him and even tugging frantically on her mane, soothing her with gentle words, she won’t calm down.

Link takes out his ocarina with a sweaty hand and plays her song, but he misses a note. Then she throws him clean off her back and gallops off. A strange blue light is in her eyes; he doesn’t think she’s herself.

YOU ARE NOT S

Shut up shut up shut up. Link gathers his things from the grass, biting his lip in pain — the last time this happened was just before he was thrown into Termina — and follows her into the trees, whistling her song hopefully. The right notes this time.

The white of the mask swipes over his eyes.

THERE ARE MONSTERS ALL AROUND YOU. YOU ARE NOT SAFE. KILL THEM NOW.

Link grips the mask without meaning to. I just want to find Epona, he thinks fiercely at it before releasing his grip.

The response feels muffled. ARE YOU NOT TIRED OF BEING AFRAID?

He ignores it.

A skulltula catches him at unawares from a tree and lances a fine line of blood across his arm. Link bats it away with his sword, hissing, and shouts. “Epona!”

She neighs off into the dark, he thinks, and he walks faster and faster until he’s running in the direction of the sound. He calls her name again, louder.

△

When he finds Epona, he sings her song until the ghost flees from her bones. He’s feeding her carrots beside the fire before he goes to sleep.

The next day, Link sits down and prods the mask across from himself with a respectably long tree branch. It asked to talk first. The idea of it asking questions of him — much less wanting to have any kind of conversation — was so novel that he couldn’t help but agree. It’s been two

It sounds tentative. IN YOUR MIND.

Uh-huh, you… you look in there sometimes.

THE GIRL YOU REMEMBER FONDLY. WHO IS SHE?

Her name is Zelda. She’s a princess back in Hyrule. She’s my age, very young. And very wise.

YOU LEFT HER.

No, I couldn’t stay, it’s different.

I SEE.

Why are you asking me about her? You don’t know her. I mean, you barely know me, or anything.

I WOULD LIKE TO.

An odd guilt spikes through him. He was mean, and the mask entity doesn’t even seem to register it. We’re, um, very far apart right now. I don’t know if you can really get to know her. But I can tell you about her. It’s really weird, but in some ways I know more about her than she does.

It responds only after a long silence. I DREAM LIKE YOU DO. AND I SEE HER IN THE SKY, LIKE YOU DID WHEN SHE REMADE YOU INTO A CHILD. SHE WEEPS THE SAME WAY, BUT SHE IS MORE GOLDEN.

Link doesn’t know what to say to that, so he lets it be. He likes how he’s told it something and it’s told him something, similar but not the same. The mask sits quietly across from him. For the first time, he sees himself in its diamond-white eyes.

I THINK I UNDERSTAND YOU BETTER. YOU ARE AN ADMIRABLE CHILD WITH MUCH COURAGE. I… AM SORRY. I WILL NOT SPEAK TO YOU.

No, no, I — Link cuts himself off first, trying to decide if he shouldn’t accept it. He should want this, but…

The mask thing sounds sorry. Zelda would tell him, she would tell him…

She’d beam at him and say, do what your heart tells you to do! And she’d say he should always give someone a second chance. She would smile at him, she would be older and smiling at him with watery eyes, bringing the ocarina to her lips in an endless blue sky.

I… It — he? — sounds so hesitant, so human, and feeling that, Link throws all his caution to the wind.

I don’t mind having you with me. As long as we can make an agreement, like you don’t take my body if I don’t want you to, you don’t have to go away.

WE CAN.

Link smiles even though the mask won’t see him. It comes easier than he expected. He breathes out. Air gliding over his face, he starts to laugh.

#loftwingletters25 #link #young link #fierce deity #zelink #i swear on my life it is SO important and i'll tell you about it #majora's mask #ocarina of time #ft. epona!#my fic #<3

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hyylia · 16 days ago

Text

No Matter What

kafei/anju | rated G | 1385 words

As children playing in the streets of Clock Town, Kafei and Anju make a promise. For @zelinkcommunity's Loftwing Letters 2025.

Surprise @rainoverthewindow ! Here's your Loftwing Letter. You said Kafei/Anju was your favorite ship, so I wrote my take on their childhood marriage proposal. I've never written for this ship before so I hope you like it!

Read below the cut or on AO3.

Dusk fell slowly over Clock Town. Early stars began to wink into existence, pricking the colorful sky with their subtle radiance. The torches lining the streets offered just enough flickering light for the children to continue uninterrupted. Still, they knew that their families would be calling them in for supper soon. They'd have to part for the night.

But until that time came, Anju and Kafei would do what they did every afternoon. They'd play.

"One… Two… Three…"

Kafei didn't hesitate. As Anju began to count, he ran through the maze of Clock Town alleyways and streets, his feet kicking up a cloud of dust behind him. There were many hiding spots he could use, and in fact, many he passed as he ran, but Anju had grown to remember them all. He needed somewhere new. Somewhere she wouldn't expect to find him.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a lot of time to consider new hiding places. If she hadn't already counted to thirty, she would be getting there soon. Then she'd come running after him. He couldn't be caught standing in the middle of the street. He'd have to grab the first place he could find.

There—behind a plant growing in the corner where two walls met. He hid behind the tall, leafy thing and crouched low to the ground. Anju would (hopefully) never find him here. He held his breath and waited.

It wasn't long before the sound of her panting met his ears. Her sandals slapped against the bottom of her feet as she ran frantically down the street. She paused to catch her breath, leaning over herself with her hands on her thighs.

"Kafei…!" She gasped his name between pants. "I'm… coming…!"

Kafei pressed a palm against his mouth to keep from giggling. Didn't she know he was right there in the corner? He could see her clear as day from his hiding spot. The blue skirt of her dress was stained with dirt, and her short, red hair burned in the torchlight. Yet she paid no attention to him. He was pleased to realize that, actually, she wasn't aware of him at all. The indigo of his hair and clothes must have helped to blend him into the shadows.

At that, an idea suddenly struck him. The game was forgotten as quickly as it had started.

"Boo!" He jumped out from behind the plant, arms raised high over his head. Anju shrieked and hid her face in her hands. She froze in place, trembling where she stood.

"Anju," he said, staring at her. "It's just me. Kafei."

At the sound of his soft voice, she removed her hands from her face. Her lower lip jutted out. "Kafei! That's not fair! I thought you were a monster!"

He laughed and shook his head. "Nope. Just me."

Anju crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, then I found you!" After a breath, she added, "And it's about time you lost a game! I've been chasing you all night." Her lip trembled.

Kafei didn't try to argue that he hadn't been playing when he'd leapt out from behind the plant. That had been part of an entirely different game—one all to himself. Instead, he walked up to Anju and reached for her hand. She relinquished, slowly dropping her arms to her side.

Her palm was hot and sweaty in his, slightly sticky. Grease and grime from playing in the streets clung to their hands and created friction. Kafei didn't mind. The feeling was as familiar to him as Clock Town's streets. Anju's tiny frown slowly relaxed into a smile.

He broke the silence, holding her hand tightly, "Yep. I'll be seeker when we play tomorrow, okay? Even if I find you."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Okay," she said. Then, "Don't forget."

Slowly, before he knew it, they fell into their nightly routine. Side by side, hand in hand, they walked leisurely through Clock Town. Not towards home—they wouldn't go home until Anju's mother and his father called out for them. No, they just relished in the quiet childhood they shared together.

Would they have this forever? He wondered, in some rare instance of a child's wisdom, if there would be a day when their games came to an end. They would both live separate lives—adult lives—where they wouldn't be able to shirk their duties for even a moment of play. He squeezed Anju's hand.

She seemed to be having similar thoughts. After a beat of silence, she asked abruptly, "Kafei… Do you think we'll get married one day?"

"What?"

"Mother and Granny were talking about it last night. I heard them. Granny said, 'You better watch those kids!' and Mother said maybe it wouldn't be so bad for our family if we got married 'cause you're the mayor's son and all." She paused. "Would you want to marry me, Kafei?"

"Yeah," he said easily. "You're pretty and I like playing games with you. Besides, it's what adults do when they're friends, and we're friends. Of course we'll get married."

"If we got married, we could play games all the time. And never have to go home unless we wanted to. No mother or father or granny to listen to."

"And we could have a fun wedding."

"Yes!" Anju nodded excitedly, her brown eyes wide with joy. "You could wear a suit and I could wear a pretty white dress, and—"

"We could make masks to wear!"

"Yes!" Anju nodded excitedly. "And I could cook us all a big feast."

Kafei's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Do you know how to cook?"

"Well…" Her excitement waned. She chewed her lip. "No. But I'll learn by then. Mother will teach me and I'll be the best. All adults know how to cook."

He relaxed. There was the solution to their problem, all laid out and ready for them. It was so simple. Kafei would marry Anju, they'd have a big wedding and play everyday. Endless fun—together. The future seemed so perfect. And so far away.

"I wish we were adults now," he blurted out.

"Me too."

They fell into a companionable silence, swinging their arms as they walked. The sky was a dark blue above them. The moon was almost in full view now, the sun nearly completely beneath the horizon. Time was running out.

"Your mother will be calling for you soon," he said. "Do you want me to walk you home?"

Something in Anju deflated at his question. That had become part of their nightly routine too. Inevitably, when their afternoon of fun came to a close, Anju grew quiet and sad. Kafei knew she didn't like being holed up in the inn, forced to endure another whole day of chores until they could play again. In that moment, he made a secret vow to himself. When they married, he'd give her a better life.

"Yeah… Let's go."

They walked down the set of stairs and turned the corner to the Stock Pot Inn. He could already hear Anju's mother sweeping the floors inside, and the drawling, raspy voice of her grandmother, too. He paused, tugging on her hand to stop her before she could leave him too soon.

"Anju?" She turned to face him. He hesitated, rocking up on his tiptoes and then back down again. "I really will marry you."

Her sad face blossomed into a beautiful smile. Her eyes were crinkled at the corners when they met Kafei's. He felt warm inside. "I'll marry you too."

At that, Anju's mother peeped her head out of the front door.

"Anju?" She called. "Is that you out there? Come on in. We've been waiting for you!"

Kafei squeezed her hand tightly. "Don't forget it," he said hurriedly. "We just have to be apart for now. But one day we'll get married and play forever. Nobody will stop us."

She squeezed his hand. "Goodnight, Kafei."

"Goodnight, Anju."

He watched her rush into the inn, the smile still plastered on her face. He heard an excited, muffled conversation between her and her mother behind the door. Then he walked away, towards his own home. His hand still felt warm and clammy from where it had been intertwined with Anju's. His heart felt happy.

One day, when they were both adults, they'd get married. No matter what.

#my writing #loftwingletters25 #kafei/anju #majora's mask #zelink community

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