#not Vaati’s wrath anymore

[smilesrobotlover]

Some Vaati’s wrath doodles.

Vaati’s wrath is basically where Vio brings back Shadow and as a result, Vaati is brought back as well. I think I already explained this but yeah.

[raviotherabbit]

royal pain in the ass - chapter 7

Chapter 7: Era of Force Princess Zelda heads to the forge.

[first] - [previous] - [next] read it on ao3!

  △ ▲△

“Is the peppermint tea alright?” Zelda asked her companion sitting across from her on the picnic blanket. “I thought we’d try something a bit more herbal this time.”

“It’s lovely, thank you,” Hyrule smiled at her past his cup. “In fact, I’m tempted to start growing peppermint myself.”

Ever since she found out the Hero of Hyrule liked tea, Zelda had begun setting aside certain flavors for him to taste whenever he visited. Though he was older than the two of them, he reminded her a bit of Link just a year or so ago. A bit brash, always buzzing back and forth… they both needed to be reminded when to relax.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Zelda responded. She sips at her own tea, deeply sighing as its warmth settles in her stomach.

What a beautiful day…

“Excuse me, Princess Zelda?”

Looking up from her drink, Zelda was a bit surprised to see the Hero of Warriors. He stood above the two picnickers, ignoring how Hyrule’s gaze narrowed on him.

“Why, hello hero!” Zelda happily lifted her teapot to show to the captain. “Would you like to join us? Today’s choice is peppermint.”

“Maybe some other time,” Warriors waved the pot away. “I had some questions about the castle’s security.”

Subtly, Zelda met eyes with Hyrule. His lips were pressed together tightly, and his grip on his teacup seemed almost desperate. But the moment he saw her, she swore he forced himself to act natural.

“Go ahead, Princess,” he hesitantly nodded. He brushed himself off before he started to head towards the castle gate. “I need to stock up on potions in town, anyway. We can talk more later.”

“If you’re sure,” Zelda stood, taking Warriors’ nervous hand into her own. “Come with me, brave knight.”

Wordlessly, Warriors allowed himself to be guided into the castle. Zelda looked back towards the gate one last time. Despite his words, Hyrule was still there, leaning against the stone.

Then the door closed.

One step at a time, Zelda walked Warriors through the castle’s defenses. The armory, the barracks, even the throne room. But wherever they went, it seemed the hero grew even more nervous. He eyed the knights with suspicion as they passed by, and every time Zelda looked at him, he was even more fidgety than before.

But there was no reason to suspect Warriors of any ill intent. He’d been nice on all of the Links’ previous visits. Better than nice, really. Always courteous, opening doors ahead of her, even joining in with ribbing Four a bit. So if he was a bit nervous about her safety, Zelda would do anything to assuage those fears.

“You’re kind for your concern,” Zelda told Warriors, leading him into one of the empty banquet halls. “But we’re safe here. With Vaati sealed, there’s no longer any threat to Hyrule.”

“What about threats from within Hyrule?” Warriors asked the second they were alone.

Zelda couldn’t but gasp at the accusation. “Are you speaking of traitors?”

“Soldiers can be… easily manipulated,” Warriors explained warily. “It’s happened before, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, we… we did have an issue with mind control,” Zelda admitted with a frown. “But again, Vaati is gone for good. None of our soldiers will harm us.”

“What if… what if it wasn’t just any soldier?” There was a paranoid gleam to his eyes. “What if it was someone you know?”

Warriors was taller than Zelda, that was true. But the wrath of a princess is not feared just for her height. Zelda’s hands tightened into fists, and Warriors almost seemed to cower from her rage. “Just what are you suggesting, hero?”

His shock wore off, and Warriors righted himself again with the rigid composure of a knight. “If Four turned his blade against you, what would you do?”

“Stop!” Zelda commanded, silencing him with a single pointed finger. “Don’t speak of my four that way. He… none of them would ever do that!”

“But what if he did?!” Warriors suddenly grabbed onto her arm with a vice-like grip. “Can you honestly say that you would fight against him?!”

Zelda yanked against his hand. “Let go! Let go of me!”

“Stop it!”

There, silhouetted by the hallway’s light, was Hyrule. He rushed past the doorway, shoving Warriors away from the princess.

“Wars, you need to control yourself!” Hyrule shouted. “What’s wrong with you?! Why are you all acting like this!?!”

Warriors blinked is confusion, as if waking up from a dream. He spotted Zelda, helplessly clutching to her aching arm behind Hyrule.

“I didn’t mean…” he started, but his words drifted away.

“Just go,” Hyrule sighed as he dropped his head into his hands.

Stunned into silence, Warriors left before Zelda could stop him, scattering as quickly as he could and leaving the door open.

“I’m so sorry, Princess,” Hyrule turned to her. “I knew he was acting off, but I didn’t think… Anyway, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” she said breathlessly. The light spilling in from the door only twisted her stomach further. “I’m fine.”

  △ ▲△

With her head held high and her steps confident, Princess Zelda Lucille Hyrule passes through the town gates.

“Princess!” one of the guards shouts after her. “It’s dangerous to go alone! Let us come with you!”

“I’m just going to visit Smith!” Zelda calls back, keeping up her quick pace. “I’ll be back before you know it!”

The soldier says something, probably about her father or the minister. But to be honest, Zelda couldn’t care less. A little time out of the city could never hurt, after all, and someone has to check in on the old man.

Once she’s out of hearing range of the guards, Zelda takes in a deep breath. The morning air is still fresh, a bit of a chill hanging onto it. It’s the perfect day to spend out in the world, not cooped up in the castle.

The walk to Link and Smith’s house is rather short. Zelda lightly knocks on the door, pushing it open as she does so.

“Smith? Are you home?”

But when she peeks inside, Zelda’s surprised to find she’s not Smith’s only visitor today. There are five girls seated around the room, Smith delicately balancing glasses of water as he delivers them to his guests.

“Princess!” Smith grins when he sees her at the door. All eyes turn towards Zelda, embarrassingly enough. “Come in! You’re right on time.”

“Uh, who are all these people?” Zelda asks, slowly stepping into the humble home.

“Friends of Link! They just stopped by asking about him, so I thought I’d offer the poor things some hospitality,” Smith moves behind her, guiding her to one of the chairs by her shoulders. “How’s your arm feeling, by the way?”

“I’m fine, not even sore anymore!” Zelda waves her arm up and down to demonstrate. She eyes the two ladies across from her, one in a simple pink dress and the other in a long black cloak. “So, you all know Link.”

“Well, we know the Links!” one of the girls sitting against the wall, wearing bright blue, amends, putting emphasis on the ‘s’.

“Plural,” her short friend with the bandana clarifies.

“And you,” the cloaked one leans forward, folding her hands on the table. “You’re Princess Zelda.”

“Yes, I am,” Zelda’s eyes narrow at the strangers around her. This has got to be the most suspicious way she’s ever been approached by potential crooks, that’s for sure.

“Well then,” the tallest one, wearing light pink, pushes herself up from the floor. “Welcome to the club.”

  △ ▲△

Of course, once they explain the situation to Dot, she sweetens right up. Her suspicious glares and crossed arms melt away, and by the time they’ve stayed their welcome at Smith’s home, she’s walking in tandem with Tetra along that path back to town, all while Flora takes notes in her journal.

“So, you and your Link have known each other for quite a while,” Flora remarks as Dot finishes a story about the time Four lost his first tooth. He’d cried so hard that day, the whole town was complaining. But in hindsight, it’s incredibly funny.

“We’ve been friends since we were kids,” Dot explains, a fond smile on her face. “His grandfather is friends with my father, and his dad is one of the kingdom’s best knight’s. We’ve always known each other.”

“That must be nice,” Flora comments, speaking as she writes. “I didn’t meet Wild until we were twelve, and it was a bit of a rough start.”

“Yeah, well, Wind I met two years ago,” Tetra chimes in. “But unlike Four, I don’t think he grew up out of his crybaby phase.” She snickers to herself. “Still my best friend, though.”

“Oh, same here,” Flora twirls her pen.

Dot giggles. “Ditto.”

“When was the last time you saw them?” Dusk suddenly asks from the back of the group.

When Dot turns back, Dusk has stopped in her tracks. There’s something about the way she looks at her, desperation mixed with something else. Regret? Guilt?

“It’s been about two months,” Dot reveals. She looks to the one of them standing next to Dusk, Artemis, concern clear on her face. “Your hero is Warriors, right?”

Artemis startles, perhaps a bit shocked by the shift of conversation. “Y-yes,” she confirms.

“Well, he was-” Dot suddenly glances down, fidgeting with her hands. “He- Did you see him after me? Because he seemed very upset, so I was wondering if-”

“Woah, hold on,” Artemis interrupts. “He was upset?”

“Paranoid, more like,” she amends. “He wanted to know about the castle’s security, he was convinced that… that Four would turn on me.”

Artemis gasps, covering her mouth with a hand. “His paranoia came back?”

Flora gently closes her book, moving to place a hand on her fellow queen’s shoulder. “Artemis, are you alright?”

But before Artemis can respond, someone else speaks.

“Sky was also acting strange, when I saw him,” Tetra says.

Suddenly, all of the group’s attention is focused squarely on the pirate, particularly Sun, whose eyes are wide.

“What?” Sun questions. “Something’s wrong with my Link?”

Tetra snaps suddenly. “Oh, he’s yours! I’m not the best at keeping track of all these guys.”

“Tetra, now isn’t the time,” Flora reminds her.

“Right, right,” Tetra leans back on her left foot. “Well, I found him all alone, and he asked me about the flooding… About who died when it happened.” She sighs. “Called it the legacy he’d left the world, shamed the faith the people had in the Goddesses.”

“He… what?” Sun brings a hand to her forehead. “He said that?”

“Twilight was also angry, when I last saw him,” Dusk reveals abruptly. “He… he snapped at me, said that protecting Hyrule had always fallen to him when I should have… But we-we’ve talked about it before, I don’t know why he…”

A deafening silence hangs over all of them. After so long, so much work to get close to normal again, Warriors was somehow convinced once again that there was a traitor around every corner. Sky, always so brave, so dedicated, now believed that faith in the Goddesses could only bring sorrow. And Twilight, the loyal farmer, who’d always listened to his friends, used words spoken in confidence against Dusk.

What had happened to their boys?

  △ ▲△

After so long on the road, being welcomed to Hyrule Castle feels like a dream. Nice soft beds, clean clothes, and the first bath Flora’s had in a week at this point. The grime of seawater and city filth washed away like nothing. Afterwards, she sat on her bed in one of the castle’s guest rooms. It’s much smaller than she expected, in fact, she and Artemis would be sharing a room. It reminds her a bit of their first night together, back in the Era of the Sky.

Idly, Flora doodles in her journal. Silent Princesses have always been her favorite, and their curled leaves and five petals are practically engrained in her mind with how much she draws them. One hundred years ago, whenever she was stressed, it was always these small sketches that helped calm her.

Flora’s stomach twists, the deep dread from before their arrival to the castle returning. So far, none of them had mentioned Wild, but if something had happened to her dear hero again…

So she writes it in her journal. Everything she knows, from what Dusk, Tetra, and Dot have shared. She may not know what’s wrong, but for Hylia’s sake, she’s a researcher. If anyone’s equipped for putting mysteries together, it’s her.

Luckily, just as she finishes her writing, the door creaks open. Artemis steps in, her hair damp from her own bath. She’s wearing a robe the castle staff so nicely provided.

“Artemis,” Flora smiles. “Thank goodness you’re here. I’m going to figure this out.”

“Oh, are you?” Artemis quips, though she’s missing some of her spark.

“I’ve just finished writing my own account of the last time I saw the Links,” she taps her journal. “And we know that you saw them next. So-” she pats the spot on the bed next to her. “Tell me everything that happened. Leave out no details.”

Artemis’s smile is weak, maybe even a bit forced. But she sits down by Flora’s side anyway.

“Alright,” she says. “Their portal appeared in the courtyard, early in the morning…”

  △ ▲△

By dinnertime, Flora has managed to collect a statement from everyone she has available.

Flora (me) -Last saw the Links 3 months ago. -The Links spent an afternoon at Hyrule Castle. -Four and Legend were allowed to investigate the library, but to be careful. -Wild and Wind took a trip into town. -Twilight was concerned Wild would get into trouble, but I told him they’d be fine. I got some drinks for us, and I asked him about his time period (refer to prior notes). Same questions were asked of Warriors later. -I’m not sure where Time, Sky, and Hyrule were. -Everyone left before the evening. Wild said goodbye, promised to let me know as soon as he returned.

Artemis (Era of Warriors) -Last saw the Links 2.5 months ago. -Heroes went through a portal right into the castle courtyard. Artemis let them know they were welcome to explore Hyrule Castle and the town. -Wild wandered off with Sky and Legend, though Artemis noted he was leading that pack. -Warriors brought Wind to visit some of his fellow soldiers he hadn’t seen in a while. -Time came to her with concerns about group morale, so she suggested spending time with some of their loved ones (including the Zeldas! This bodes well for future statements). -They left the next morning. Other than Time, nothing seemed off. -Artemis wants it known that their army has had troubles with traitors in the past. This caused much paranoia for Warriors for quite some time, but she was sure he’d worked past it by the time he began travelling with the heroes.

Sun (Era of the Skies) -Last saw the Links a little more than 2 months ago. -Arrived at the Sealed Temple late in the day. Sun and others helped make them feel comfortable (classic Skyloft hospitality), they let most of them sleep in the temple that night. Sky slept in Sun’s tent. -They were all very tired from traveling, so she didn’t see a lot of them. -Sun found Legend staring up at the Goddess Statue. He was wondering what the point was of defeating evil if it always rose again. Sun told him a story about the First Hero (reminder: ask for THAT later), which seemed to calm his nerves. (Is this strange for him?)

Dusk (Era of Twilight) -Last saw the Links less than 2 months ago. -Four told her at some point before arriving, Legend said something rude and Twilight had to tackle Wild to stop him from pouncing on his fellow hero. -At the castle, Four made a comment about the armaments available to the guards. Something about this made Twilight explode, saying how they couldn’t even protect the castle. He turned on Dusk, asking why she couldn’t have stopped the Twili invasion on her own. She tried to reason with him, but he stormed off. -Dusk took Four to the armory to try and calm him down. He noted that all of them seemed to be tense. -The next day, Time went to Ordon Village (Twilight’s hometown) to look for him. The rest of the Links followed in the afternoon.

Tetra (Era of the Great Sea) -Last saw the Links 1.5 months ago. -They were staying on Outset Island (Wind’s hometown), so Tetra decided to drop anchor and spend some time with Wind. They were there for several days. -Wind was excited to see Tetra. He babbled on and on about his adventures with the heroes. She asked if he’s done any exploring, and he said he had in Wild’s time. Got very quiet. -One the second morning, she found Sky alone in the woods of the island. He asked her about the flooding that created the Great Sea and wanted to know how many lives were lost. He was dismayed by the “legacy [he] left the world”, wondering what faith brought the people.

Dot (Era of Force) -Last saw the Links about a month ago. -They were only passing through the area. Four and some of the others had stayed back at his house to talk to Smith. -Over time, Dot has made friends with Hyrule. Apparently they both like tea a lot. -While she and Hyrule were having a picnic, Warriors approached with questions about the castle’s security. Hyrule said he’d go get supplies and catch up with her later. -After Dot showed how secure the castle was, Warriors began questioning the procedures for traitors (see Artemis’s statement). He then asked what she would do if Four betrayed her. -This part, Dot has asked me not to share with Artemis: Warriors grabbed onto her arm with enough force to hurt her. The bruise lasted for quite some time. -Hyrule suddenly appeared and stopped Warriors, asking what was wrong with him. Dot thinks he implied there was something wrong with the others, too. Warriors left, seeming confused. -Four came to visit with Wind, later, to say goodbye. She didn’t mention the incident to him.

Several red flags stand out to Flora. The first being Time noticing tension amongst the group. If their issues started small and built their way up, then perhaps what he saw were the beginnings of whatever happened to him. He’s not specific, though, about where their problems were originating from, much to Flora’s dismay, but whatever happened must have been not long after they left her castle.

Sky was definitely acting strangely, but truthfully, Flora has no idea if Legend’s actions were out of character. She can only hope they’ll make it to his time soon, so she can ask his Zelda herself.

By the time they visited Dusk, though, there was clearly something wrong. Wild apparently almost physically attacked Legend at some point, which Flora can barely believe. Wild would never hurt his fellow Hylian, let alone another hero. And Twilight’s respect for his queen apparently going out the window? What was up with that?

If what Artemis says is to be believed, though, Warriors has regressed. He’s lost a lot of the progress he made towards himself after the War Across the Ages. If he’s so out of line, Flora can only imagine what’s happening to the rest of them.

Flora’s stomach grumbles loudly. Right, dinner is soon. A full stomach will definitely help her thinking, and Dot already made the rounds to let everyone know her father will be attending. Whether he knows anything or not, she has about a million questions to ask him anyway.

Closing her book, Flora carries it with her to the dining hall.

  △ ▲△

The whole world, all of it, is coated in shadows. They hang from the sky like drapes, and never before has Zelda felt more alone.

“Link?” she calls out to the darkness, raising her torch just a bit higher. “Link, are you there?”

WIth her limited light, she almost runs right into a small statue. It comes up to Zelda’s hip, depicting a bird with its wings outstretched. But the top of its head is caved in, revealing a pile of kindling.

Right, it’s a torch.

Zelda lights the bird torch, which does nothing but provide a little more light. Perhaps on a whim, she decides to follow its directions, walking where its beak points.

“Link?” she shouts again. “Please, answer me!”

Again, Zelda comes upon another bird torch. And another, and another. Each time she finds one, she lights it, and she changes her path to follow its point. In the back of her mind, she remembers an old fairytale about finding your way back home.

As she travels more and more through this darkness, Zelda can see other things as well. Just on the edges of her torchlight, there are ruins. Buildings, torn apart or decayed, suffocated by the pervasive shadows. But she can’t stray from her path, not now.

Then, her light finds someone.

“Link?” Zelda asks. “Link, is that you?”

When he turns to her, Zelda is relieved. It’s Link, it really is! They can go home now, together, and-

The torch’s light gleams against the Master Sword. Blood drips from its hilt.

“Link, what did you do?” Zelda demands.

He says nothing, just takes a step closer. In fear and betrayal, Zelda steps back.

“Stop it,” Zelda says shakily. “Link, I’m warning you.”

Link still doesn’t respond. He darts towards her, raising the sword in a swift motion, and Zelda-

And Artemis wakes up in bed, gasping for air.

  △ ▲△

There’s one last thing Dot wants to do before she leaves with her fellow queens and princesses. A job that’s all hers, as Princess of Hyrule, and one she wants to make sure is done before she’s away for who knows how long.

“You’ve all met my Link,” Dot explains to the group as they make their way through the woods. Her pack is already full, “And you’ve seen his sword, the Four Sword.”

“It’s a remarkable blade,” Dusk comments. “From the legends I’ve heard, it could give the Master Sword a run for its money.”

Sun humphs at that, crossing her arms and sticking her chin up.

“Not as you’ve seen it,” Dot reveals. Just then, they come across an old stone sanctuary, with pillars standing proud. Everything is covered in moss and vines, except for one item. At the center of it all is a sword, its hilt gleaming a pure white.

“The Four Sword that my Four carries is a fake,” Dot continues. “A recreation, with the power Four needed after his journey. This is the real Four Sword.”

“Oh, wow!” Flora marvels at the blade. “I can’t believe it! To see such a historical artifact up close like this…”

Dot tugs on her cloak, stopping her from running. “I’m only here to check on the seal,” she states with exasperation. “We don’t want to disturb Vaati, now, do we?”

“Oh, don’t we?”

As the Zeldas were distracted, none of them noticed the shadows behind the Four Sword twisting and gaining shape. The being behind the sword was a perfect facsimile of Link, but with pure red eyes and darkness all over his body.

“Shadow?” Dot can’t help herself but reach out. “Is that-?”

Tetra suddenly grabs onto her shoulder, pulling her back. “Whoever you think that is, Princess, you’re mistaken. He’s no friend.”

Of course, Tetra’s right. Shadow never had such malice in his eyes, and he would certainly never hover over Vaati’s seal like that.

“I’m hurt, Princess,” Dark Link fakes a pout. “I’ve always been a friend to her grace.”

He turns to Sun, a wicked grin suddenly on his face.

“Isn’t that right, Hylia?”

All eyes turn to Sun. The progenitor of their bloodline, the founder of their kingdom. The first Queen of Hyrule.

The… Goddess Hylia?

Flora is finally the first one to speak. “What?”

[pactavo]

Huh. Well if he's this petty, spends his time pestering you in a video game, and insists Hyrule is full of evil, and you two have some sort of pact going on, then I suppose persuading you to see ill in all who exist is the most he can do to influence the world outside of the mindscape. He must've been really used to more freedom before this.... Which is actually quite interesting. Say, Vaati, what did you like doing before the pact was a thing? Like before it was something you considered.

“Nothing could stand up to my wrath. I was invincible, unstoppable- until a little boy wielding the Four Sword defeated me. Right before I was sealed, I chose to end my own life instead of being trapped in that accursed sword for yet another millennia.”

“The time I’ve spent in Octavo’s mind has dulled my memory, so I cannot tell you what I ‘liked’ doing before this. But if I had a life before being released from the Four Sword... it doesn’t exist anymore.”

[ombraventi]

Why have you returned here, ghost of my demise? [Challenge p6]

Words: 1897 Rating: T Warnings: violence, eye injury, mild body horror, blood tw

previous part || next part

He knew right away when Octavo moved to enter- his eyes were everywhere in the castle, watching everything that happened. Naturally, the halls were flooded with monsters- darknuts and stalfos were everywhere, but none were immune to the conductor’s curse. It was a shame, really- if only Octavo hadn’t betrayed him. They really did work so well together…

The person he’d once called a friend moved rather quickly to the throne room, though Vaati was certain to put an end to his little tricks once he moved inside. His baton would be yet again nothing more than a simple baton… if he wanted to fight, he’d have to use that stupid lute of his.

“Well well, you really want to die that badly? I must say, I’m impressed! So bold of you!”

“I won’t lose to the likes of you! I am the one who is going to save this city!”

“Oh, can it with your dramatics, ‘Tavo. You’re nothing more than a two-bit villain, who uses self-righteous justification to excuse taking over Hyrule. We’re no different.”

“Me, the same as you? Don’t make me laugh. I’m nothing like some horrid wind demon.”

“Demon, god… what’s really the difference? It’s only the light that people wish to paint me with… but I hardly care about anyone’s opinions on me.”

“You’re nothing more than a fool!”

“As are you, for standing against what I could give you. I could give you power, give you status, give you everything. And yet you stand here, like this.”

“I think you’ve misunderstood me then, if you think that’s what I care about!”

“I know far more about you than you’d ever think, ‘Tavo. I know about your powers, and I know who you are. And I know what you did- you honestly think that justifying your actions with ‘it was to stop Ganon’ will really excuse you? History sees you as a villain, my friend. A usurper, not a hero.”

“Tch- and you’re any different?”

“Yes- I embrace what I am. Perhaps I’m a monster, but at least I admit it! This world is my toy- I can do whatever I want to it!”

“And that’s why I’ll stop you! We don’t need a god like you!”

Vaati found himself laughing, but there wasn’t any joy to it. It was a sad, desperate sound- it only betrayed how far he was falling, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. His friends hated him, they didn’t even know him- why should it matter? Why should any of it matter?

“This entire world… is worthless. I’m going to… I’m going to destroy it, ‘Tavo. All of it. I’ll destroy it, then make a better one- don’t worry. Don’t worry at all. I promise, the next one will be better.”

His laughs echoed through the throne room as he threw out his hands, magic sparking from his fingertips and launching towards Octavo. There was no time to dodge, and yet the gust of wind never connected- Vaati just squinted in confusion, uncertain what was going on.

“The locket…”

Another gust of wind magic, intended to cut right through him like a blade- and yet again, it didn’t connect. In his anger, Vaati just screamed- he threw out a wave of lightning, which yet again refused to connect.

“What the hell?!”

“I see… so even against you, it protects me…”

“Wipe that damned smile off your face!”

He wanted nothing to do with Octavo’s quiet smugness, this time lashing out with a blaze of fire. That was enough to get the bard to dodge, singeing a bit of his hair- finally, something that worked. It was hardly his most preferred element, but… well, he’d make it work.

Fireball after fireball was launched at his former friend, the sound of Vaati’s laughter only met with the sound of music from Octavo’s golden lute. He’d wasted no time in beginning to strum as he danced about the battlefield, face darkening with concentration.

“What, do you think some stupid lute will stop me?”

“I think you’ll find this is no ordinary instrument. You may be surprised, Vaati.”

A chord on the lute seemed to send out a shockwave, knocking Vaati back. He gasped, more from shock than pain- how? How had he managed to make such a stupid little toy so effective?

“Behold the power of the fates, and the triforce of power!”

“Stupid… so stupid! Your damned rhythms are nothing to me!”

“Shout all you want, it won’t change things! I won’t lose, demon!”

“You… you… it doesn’t matter! None of it matters! Nothing you do can defeat me!”

The throne room quickly became a battlefield, vaati throwing his magic at Octavo only for it to be deflected back. Finally, he grew tired- he called forth a blade with his magic, shadows and madness taking form in his hand.

“You! You worthless traitor!! You, who pretended to be my friend!!! Of course it was a lie! Everything’s a lie!! Because there’s NO SUCH THING AS FRIENDS!!! Humans only exist to USE each other!!!”

“As if I would ever befriend the likes of you… I don’t even know what you’re talking about!”

“It doesn’t matter- none of it matters! NONE OF IT MATTERS!”

“You’re insane!”

“I DON’T CARE!”

Words were meaningless, and both of them knew it. Vaati didn’t bother continuing to talk, though his heart was aching with words unsaid. His magic continued to fly, the sound of his sword scraping against the marble floors echoing throughout the grand hall- but finally, Vaati was knocked to the ground, staring up into the utterly cold look on Octavo’s face.

“You lose, demon.”

“No… No, I can’t lose. I won’t lose. I don’t care what it costs… I won’t lose.”

What he looked like didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. This world had no point, no purpose, no anything- he didn’t care.

And so, the last of what made him finally broke.

His body started to warp, his darkness and madness completely overwhelming him. He was hate, he was hurt, he was loneliness. His body and mind were his suffering, his pain, it was all that he was anymore. Vaati was gone.

All he was now, was Wrath.

The demon let out a horrid scream when his form finally came solid once more, giant eye staring down at Octavo. He was hate. He was anger. He was wrath. He was emotion made physical, logic and reason had no more meaning- he just wanted these horrid painful feelings of his to go away.

« E V E R Y T H I N G  C A N   D I S A P P E A R »

“How vile- you truly are a demon! To think… one such as you could truly exist…”

Octavo reeled back in disgust, but Wrath found that he couldn’t be upset about it. Everything already hurt too much- taking offense from one particular thing was beyond him now. It wasn’t possible.

« T H I S  W O R L D  I S  M I N E »

He didn’t know if Octavo could understand him. He was emotion, not logic- it didn’t matter. All that mattered was destroying him, destroying everything. He needed to end it. He needed to make a better world. A world where none of this had happened. A world where things would be better. His perfect world, where he could really have everything he wanted.

A world that would never exist.

« J U S T   D I S A P P E A R   A L R E A D Y »

He was taking hits. He didn’t know how, or why, but he was. Wrath would scream in pain with each one, though he had no mouth- it was a sound like a horrible roar, that came from deep within himself. It was a horrid noise, a deafening sound- and it kept happening.

Over.

And over.

And over again.

Was he going to die?

No, because he wasn’t allowed.

His eye hurt. Octavo kept hitting it, tearing it to pieces with his lute’s magic- did he know? Did he know that it hurt?

“Stop, please… please, ‘Tavo… it hurts… my eye… I can’t… it hurts so much…”

His voice couldn’t be heard- he didn’t even know if he could hear it. Was he even speaking? No- he had no mouth. It was just thoughts, words that would never leave.

“P-Please… I’m sorry… it hurts… it hurts so much… I know I made a mistake…”

Was this him? Was this even him? He didn’t know anymore. He wasn’t sure he could know anymore. It felt like him, but it didn’t- perhaps it was him in the past? He didn’t think he could feel guilt anymore, he doubted he had room in his heart for regret. And did it matter? He was pain. He was hate. He was sadness. He was anger. He was fear. He was Wrath.

“W-Will I… ever be able to see from it…?”

“Maybe, Vaati… I can’t say for certain, but your eye wasn’t damaged beyond saving. So there’s still a chance.”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“It was just a mistake… we learn from them.”

“It hurts…”

It hurt…. It hurt so much…

« I T  H U R T S . . . »

With one final slash, Wrath fell. The scream that flooded the room was horrid- it was inhuman and pained, an awful noise that bubbled up from his very soul. But finally he was defeated, he was done- Vaati lay on the ground in his small, hylian self- he was clutching desperately at his right eye, trying to feel anything besides the horrible pain from it, trying to stop the awful bleeding that was coming from the socket. Did he even have an eye there anymore? He didn’t know, and it hurt too much to check.

“Hah… I see then. So that’s your true self… what you really look like.”

Vaati looked up at Octavo, unable to tear his eye from the complete and utter coldness on Octavo’s face.

“Fine then… I lose. Just… make it quick… I can’t… I can’t keep doing this…”

It hurt. It hurt to see the hate on his friend’s face. It hurt to know that he’d done this of his own free will, and he’d do it again and again and again, because that was the sort of person he was. He was the sort who’d ruin his own life a million times over, all for that chance- that chance to be something that he knew deep down he would never have.

Too stubborn to accept what he was. What he’d done.

Someday, he’d diminish to nothing.

He’d always be nothing more than a rat, whose greatest sin was daring to dream above his station.

“You… you’re pathetic.”

“Hah… I guess so…”

Octavo’s eyes just narrowed, shaking his head and stepping back.

“I’m not giving you that. You can live with how pathetic you are, knowing that you’ll never win. Not even immortality can help you. Your true legacy will be your shame.”

“’Tavo… please… please, don’t, I…” he didn’t care that his voice shook, he didn’t care how weak he looked or sounded. “I-I…. I can’t be alone… not like that… please, ‘Tavo… don’t just leave…”

“If you wanted friends, you should’ve thought of that sooner.”

“N-No… please… please, don’t…”

But his words had no effect- Octavo turned and left the throne room, leaving Vaati completely and utterly alone.

[space--cadet-glow]

Theory: The Irony of Vaati, Part One: Cardinal Directions

Welcome to the first part of an impossibly long theory series, which mainly comprises of Epileptic Trees. Let's start things off with symbolism, shall we? And that would be the symbolism of cardinal directions: North, East, South, and West; and how they apply to "The Minish Cap", "Four Swords", "Four Swords Adventures", and Vaati in particular. (But mostly for areas in "MC", since I know that game like the back of my hand.)

In the Four Sword Sanctuary in both "FS" and "FSA", there's a carved mural of sorts behind the titular sword, and it's a representation of Vaati's giant, flying, eyeball form's lone eye. Because Vaati's pupil points northwards... The direction of North is associated with power, knowledge, patience, potential... And thankfulness. As in, the unlimited power that Vaati wanted (the Light Force), unlimited knowledge (to be like a God), patience (which Vaati has proven he technically has), and potential (as in, he may have thought he didn't have enough potential and wanted to use the Light Force to bring it out. Alternatively, this could be his Master, Ezlo, seeing/not seeing the potential in his apprentice). But thankfulness? How does THAT fit? It's quite a double-whammy if you think about it. First, it could be the fact that Vaati could have seen Ezlo as a hindrance and not a helper. Thus, not appreciating his Master's guidance. OR, this also applies to Ezlo. As in, he never mentions in-game about Vaati's skills as a Minish; he just glosses it over and tells about how he was turned into a hat and how Vaati stole the Magic Hat. And Ezlo was getting old, and finally had an apprentice that could have taken over his work when he died, but after Vaati went rogue, he wasn't that thankful for it anymore. Quite sad, to be honest. Just what happened between them (other than the Magic Hat fiasco) that split them apart and ruined their relationship? But that's for a later Part in this theory series.

For "The Minish Cap", there's two good options we could go with for a location of North on the map: Hyrule Castle or... The Cloud Tops. Because "up" counts as North, right? Well, Hyrule Castle is home to King Daltus, who counts as power. "Knowledge" would count as Princess Zelda (assuming that she also had the Triforce of Wisdom somewhere in her in addition to the Light Force). Patience... Well, at the beginning of the game that DOES take place at Hyrule Castle, after Vaati turns Zelda to stone and discovers that the Bound Chest is empty, he calmly says, "Well, I know the force I'm after is somewhere out there. I'm in no hurry. I can take my time searching for it.", so I guess Vaati (ironically) counts for patience. Also, Vaati counts for potential, since he flat-out ignores the potential possibility that Zelda actually had the Light Force. He basically just shrugs and goes, "Huh. A Princess with Light-based powers... I'm searching for a Light-based power. No correlation!". And finally, who is thankfulness? ...Zelda and Link are. Link, thankful that he gets to go on an adventure to save his best friend, and Zelda, thankful for Link to save her.

Now, we just need one of the Four Elements that corresponds to this area. In-game, the Cloud Tops (and Palace of Winds) have the Wind Element. Typically, the direction of North is associated with Earth, which is actually found South in-game. Earth is for nature, nurture, growth, protection, possessions, and... Hiding. The Minish, who are nowhere near North in-game, count for nature: their Village has a front gate made of FOUR-LEAF CLOVERS, after all! And bedspreads made of leaves... Nurture, for Ezlo taking care of Vaati as a child and until he went rogue. Growth, for Vaati and Link: with Vaati starting off as a thumb-sized Minish, becoming a human that is anywhere from four-to-five-and-a-half feet tall depending on most headcanons I've seen (and have myself), and becoming even taller as Vaati Reborn, and gigantic as the monstrous Wrath. For Link, it would be more along the lines of maturing: starting off barely knowing anything, getting guided by Ezlo along the way, and then maturing enough to properly rescue Zelda and defeat Vaati. Protection is tricky, but the closest I can think of is the seal that Zelda had on the Light Force to prevent it from being stolen all willy-nilly. Possessions in two ways: items that belong to people and body-possessions. Link has his grandfather's sword and all the other weapons he picks up (ex: the Cane of Pacci), Zelda has the Light Force, Ezlo had the Magic Hat before Vaati stole it, and Vaati... Has the Magic Hat. (For body-possession, you can argue that Vaati being able to possess a statue in "Four Swords" counts.) Finally, hiding... The Light Force hiding away in Princess Zelda.

So, which element fits better for MC's North? Wind or Earth? How many of the events of symbolism involving Earth actually happened in the North areas? ...3 out of 6. So... ...Obviously, WIND despite all the symbolism of Earth, since it IS the Palace of WINDS, and Vaati, the Mage of WINDS, sets up Dark Hyrule Castle on-land here, and don't forget that Veil Falls (which LEADS to the Cloud Tops) is also North in-game. North is Wind in this version.

SO, NEXT: EAST. Lake Hylia (and possibly Minish Woods) counts as the East, as it is in the east on the in-game map. The direction of East is associated with quests, journeys, goals, imagination... And redemption. As for quests, that's clearly Link's. Goals could be for practically any character: Link to save Zelda and Hyrule, Ezlo to get his true form back and stop his rogue apprentice, and Vaati to become perfect/a God. Same applies for journeys; you have to travel in order to accomplish the quests. But imagination? That could apply to Vaati and his ability to wish anything into existence with the Magic Hat. Finally, the redemption part applies solely to our dear Vaati: willing to turn hundreds of people to stone and kill an innocent little girl just in order to get what he wants. That leaves him as a practically-irredeemable, human-disguised Minish, alright!

East has the Water Element (in the Temple of Droplets in Lake Hylia), but East is typically associated with... Wind. But here's the twist: a special member of the Minish hails from this direction (albeit, more South than East, but it can be argued like if Mount Crenel counts as North or West)... Vaati. When listing off the Four Elements, you typically list Wind first, which would make the East the START OF VAATI. If you count Minish Woods as East, then the Minish leading the in-game prologue would make since: it all starts at the East. Wind is represented by feathers and flowing garments: the robes and feather tails of the Minish are a perfect match! (But, then again, the Wind Tribe's robes and their bird, Zeffa, also count; but they're North). East is for communication, which would explain why the Minish have the Jabber Nut! ...But Minish Woods has the Earth Element because it more counts as South, which still doesn't match (traditionally-speaking).

Wind is for freedom, choices, confidence, free-will, elusiveness... And wisdom. So many things here! Freedom, for Vaati, to break free of the Minish Realm and anything that reminded him of being puny and small. Choices, for literally any character: does Link want to go to LonLon Ranch or Castor Wilds next? Who knows! Does Ezlo team up with this kid or find somebody else? Does Vaati double-cross Ezlo and make a jail-break or stay and study magic for the rest of his life? Confidence, for the lack of confidence that Minish Vaati had that got gained upon his transformation into Hylian Vaati. For free-will... Again, Vaati counts. He could make his mind up to steal the Magic Hat because he WANTED to. He back-stabbed Ezlo because he WANTED to. He became evil because he WANTED to. Elusiveness counts for two things: Vaati and the Light Force. Vaati, for being able to teleport away. And the Light Force for being so hard for poor Vaati to find. Finally, wisdom. Vaati wanted to be omnipotent. And Ezlo was a knowledgeable Sage.

So, which suits MC's East? Water or Wind? How many of the events of symbolism involving Wind actually happened in the East areas? ...4 out of 6. So... Despite the entirety of Lake Hylia, the Water Element, and the Temple of Droplets, this section of the map could have easily housed the Wind Element. Makes me wonder if the game developers ever considered putting the Wind Element here, hmm... East is Water in this version, but could have easily been Wind.

SO NEXT: SOUTH. Now, HERE's where you can truly count Minish Woods! Minish Woods is the South in-game. South is for strength, health, adventure, passion... And loyalty. Strength, for Link's journey begins here, where he must first build his strength against the Big Green Chuchu. Health, for a rather bizzare reason... People have argued that the reason that Vaati looked so different from the other Minish was because he was albino (he has the pale skin, red eyes, and an atypical hair colour for a Minish; it works the best out of any theory, that is), but what if he was just really sickly? Perhaps that's why he became Ezlo's apprentice: to build up his health through magic? I don't know... Adventure, for everybody! Link, obviously, Ezlo to find Link, and Vaati to find the Light Force. Passion? Link's undying passion to save Zelda and restore Ezlo's Minish form. Vaati's vehemence to get his hands on the Light Force. Finally, loyalty... Link's loyalty to Zelda, but... Also, young Vaati's once-loyalty to Ezlo.

Okay, so "MC" is just messing with me. It's like they deliberately made it so that the Elements wouldn't match up. But that's not stopping my over-analysis, though! South has the Earth Element in-game, but South is typically associated with... Fire. Fire represents power, bravery, drive... And transformation. Power, for everybody: Link's sword skills, Ezlo's magic, Zelda's Light Force, and Vaati's demonic forms. Bravery, for Link, obviously. And, technically, Ezlo leaving the Minish Realm and coming to Hyrule to find/stop Vaati only to be attacked by some octorocks also counts. Oh, and Vaati had to be brave enough to steal the Magic Hat in the first place (but didn't he describe his Minish self as a "meek, miniscule nothing"?!). Drive... Being the driving force that pushes everyone in the direction of their goals. The risk of Zelda dying pushes Link, the risk of Vaati hurting anybody pushes Ezlo, and the risk of getting caught and stopped pushes Vaati. Finally, transformation... Or rather, transfiguration. Vaati, for sure. Changing his form from that of a Minish to a Hylian, then to a mighty sorcerer, then a poisonous mass, and finally, the demonic eyeball with wings.

So, which suits MC's South? Earth or Fire? How many of the events of symbolism involving Fire actually happened in the South areas? ...2 out of 4. So... The elements that were chosen for the in-game locations seem to work better, even through my symbolism. It's Earth, alright. Minish Woods, the Earth Element, and South Hyrule Field are all here. Whatever. South is Earth in this version.

AND FINALLY: WEST. Here, you can count Mount Crenel and Castor Wilds. West is for confidence, persistence, emotion... And enlightenment. Confidence for the "meek, miniscule nothing" Minish Vaati becoming confident enough to steal from and curse Ezlo; and Link for gaining enough confidence to defeat Vaati. Persistence, for everybody again! Link, to keep trying to succeed in rescuing Zelda, Ezlo to stop Vaati, and Vaati to obtain the ultimate power he sought. Emotion? Link and his determination, Zelda for happiness, Ezlo for uhh... Something choleric. And Vaati for... Pessimism? Up until he got his hands on the hat, he didn't think very fondly of himself... Finally, enlightenment. Knowledge is power, after all: Link, Ezlo, and Vaati for realising that Zelda had the Light Force all along. Link for Ezlo telling him about Vaati's apprenticeship. And Vaati... For dooming himself to spend an eternity in the Four Sword.

Mount Crenel has the Fire Element! Gee, I wonder what element is left for symbolism... Water. Okay. Water represents compassion, purification, expression... And devotion. Compassion, as in, Vaati's willingness and obsession enough to double-cross Ezlo and steal the Magic Hat, and then show that nothing would stand in his way of his goals. Purification, for Vaati is sealed in the completed Four Sword in the remains of Dark Hyrule Castle. Expression, for if you think of Vaati as being a moody teenager (which is more obvious in the German Translation), then his ideas can essentially amount to "It's not a phase, MASTER!". Expression for being something more than a "meek, miniscule nothing" of a Minish, then something more than a disguised-human... Then, devotion? ...Young Vaati probably cared a great deal about Ezlo. After all, Ezlo states that "Vaati was only a boy when I took him on as my apprentice". That means that Vaati has known Ezlo for most of his life, and since Vaati's parents are never mentioned even once, we can assume that Ezlo was acting as the missing parental-figure that Vaati needed as well as being his Master for magic lessons. Which makes Vaati breaking that devotion all the more jarring: the "evil in the hearts of men" incident is what got Vaati interested in evil, so what exactly did he see that messed him up so greatly that he was willing to curse his father figure like that?

So, which suits MC's West? Fire or Water? How many of the events of symbolism involving Water actually happened in the West areas? ...0 out of 4. So... Fire, of course! Why else would Mount Crenel have the Fire Element?! And Castor Wilds once housed the Wind Element, but it got carted off when the Wind Tribe decided to leave! West is Fire in this version.

So, to wrap it up... North has the Wind Element, but could have been Earth. East has the Water Element, but could have been Wind. South has the Earth Element, but could have been Fire. West has the Fire Element, but could have been Water. And I still have fifty-six parts to go.

[smilesrobotlover]

Been thinking about my FSA sequel au and I’m changing it a lot. Some things I’m wanting to explore is Tetra, since she is technically in the fsa game, and was teased a bit in the manga.

Not many people (mostly children) know about this story since it’s not something people would bring up, but when Zelda was born, her younger twin sister was born as well. The king and queen had twin girls that they loved dearly, with the oldest being given the name Zelda and the Triforce of wisdom. A group, however, wanted to overthrow the kingdom, and hoped to take Zelda to groom her into their weapon against her own kingdom. On the twin’s first birthday, they went to kidnap the crown princess, but they grabbed the wrong one.

The king and queen sent out searches parties in desperation to find their daughter, but she was never found, leaving Zelda without her twin. Though many in the group found the twin they stole to be useless, many found her power to be useful. Her power was not as strong as Zelda’s, but she still had divine power and the goddess’s blood in her veins. So many believe that if raised right and nurtured, her powers may grow.

Zelda knows about her missing twin and is sometimes saddened to know that she has a sister she’ll supposedly never meet, but Tetra doesn’t know that she is the lost second princess. All she knows is that she’s destined to destroy Hyrule when her power gets strong enough. Or at least that’s what she’s told.

[smilesrobotlover]

Am I too late to keep you company

What are some ideas you about what happens to the Links/everyone after their games, whether it’s canon or in relation to your AUs?

Nooooooo I’m struggling to get this day finished so by all means keep me company XD

And oh boy do I have so many ideas

I wish I could explore an idea for skord and even for wind waker, but I got no ideas on what is happening. All I can think of is Sky and Cloud building a home on the surface and raising a family, which slowly turns into Hyrule. With WW it’s kind of the same thing, with Windy and Tetra stumbling upon new Hyrule, meeting the Lokomos, and maybe some tragedy befalling them fun stuff. But ye idk.

Idk what Minish would be up to. I think he’s just doing his own thing with metal, maybe settle down if he can find someone. But I haven’t thought that far into it.

Time is chilling with his family, and tho he struggles to show his love, he does adore them. Unfortunately bad stuff happens that leads to him being the Hero’s Shade. He has regrets not teaching his children the ways of the sword as well as he could’ve. He didn’t want them to suffer the same way he did. But his son was killed by monsters, which broke him. He disappeared to the lost woods and turned into a stalfos, never to be seen again.

I got nothin for Legend and Totem, but I do want to explore my au “Crimson Hero” which is Hyrule’s story after AOL where Ganon is resurrected and he wields the master sword and finds his parents and stuff :) no idea how to go about it tho unfortunately.

Obviously I have SO many plans for twilight. With Love at Twilight but also with what happens after. Let’s just say I have plans for him to meet his birth parents ;)c

I also wanna do something with Vaati’s Wrath, which is my four sword sequel story. But idk, I don’t vibe with Vaati anymore which means changing the entire thing and changing the name so…. Yeaaah. But I wanna play with my worldbuilding a politics I added to that world. It would be a lotta fun. Zelda has a twin sister the boys didn’t know about :0

And yeah I think it’d be fun to do something with spirit tracks where Spirit and Phantom do stuff. But idk what lol.

And ofc I got kotg for Age. And honestly just exploring his life after everything is fun and I wanna go deeper into it. But I won’t go into detail for spoiler reasons hehe.

And I got Wars’s kid au. He’s just kinda… existing I suppose

Idk if that’s how you wanted me to answer cuz my brain is fried like shrimp fried rice but I have a lot of plans for a lot of the boys! I want to get to them soooo bad