#uneasy lies the chosen of Farore

[drsteggy]

Uneasy Lies the Chosen of Farore (Revised)

Chapter 21: Tossing and Turning

That’s how, a few days later, he finds himself back on the porch of the Lurelin barracks, sharing a stout with Mikal and watching the sun set.

“Traveling with the Queen. You have moved up in the world, Link.”

“I’ve moved somewhere, for sure.”

“Still feeling doubts about your sword?”

“Sometimes.”

“Celia had a little boy.”

“That’s nice. I’m happy for her.” He feels nothing, his voice flat. “Mikal, you’ve been here a long time. Have you ever heard of a place called Koholint Rock?”

“It’s hardly a place. It barely sticks out of the water in high tide.”

“But it is a named place?”

Read on AO3 (must be logged in)

[drsteggy]

I snorted so hard

[expanding-hyrule]

Story Spotlights Hub Post

Reference post for links and details on the Expanding Hyrule Story Spotlights community project.

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Original Post - Review Form - Reviews - Fic Archive - Art Archive

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Works In Need of Reviews

Looking to help support a creator in Expanding Hyrule? All of these works in our collection have yet to get enough reviews for a spotlight. Works need a minimum of 3 reviews to be featured, and will include up to 5 in their post, but you are welcome to submit more, the link to the responses is available on this post for creators to read the whole list.

You can find all these works linked in the archives listed above!

Short Projects (Concept boards, under 10 chapter fics, etc)

Stone Fate by @loz-untold-myths (2/3)

The Princess's Heart by @loz-untold-myths (2/3)

Divine Gemstones by @divine-gemstones/@twist-dg (1/3)

The Sea's Prophecy by @cherrysalsa (2/3)

Void's Grasp by @the--voided (2/3)

The King's Lament by @transmascgerudo (2/3)

Song of the City by @/ReBuggy

Break the Wheel by @randombutloved

Depths of the Darkness by @/Veelilu

In the Blood by @/Zeldas_Eyebrows

The Hero and the Princess by @mistresslrigtar

Too Old to Keep by @ladyhoneydee (1/3)

Day After Destiny by @amelias-zelda-calamity-quintet

Moderate Projects (Started comics, <50k fics, etc)

The Triforce Awakens by @sillylildude (2/3)

DadLink AU by @dadlink/@pluviatrix

Princess Link: Engaged to my sister's kidnapper??? by @sparkspsps

Guarding Zelda by @railtracer30

Restoration Age by @amelias-zelda-calamity-quintet

Cinders of Life by @amelias-zelda-calamity-quintet

Large Projects (Ongoing comics, <100k fics, etc)

All That Hurts Us by @karama9 (1/3)

Uneasy Lies the Chosen of Farore by @drsteggy (1/3)

The Curse of Demise by @thecurseofdemisecomic (1/3)

Fighting Fate by @/Allendra

Desert Blight by @/jclbs

Path of the Infinite by @shadow_djinni

Blooming in Adversity by @/botwriter

The Promise by @zeldaelmo (1/3)

Strings of Fate by @truffeart

Epic Projects (Long running comics, >100k fics, etc)

Hero by @karama9 (2/3)

The Hero of the Dunes by @webhead3345

The Golden Chain by @zeldadiarist (1/3)

Legacies & Bloodlines by @/nolansman

Unbroken by @deiliamedlini

A Crossing of Stars by @ixtaek

Fighting Gravity by @/CrazygurlMadness

The Wondrous Adventures of the Righteous Maximus by @/Split Infinitive

Bright as Night by @/Allendra

Make a Wish, Make it Count by @/LiliansMalice

Cloak and Dagger by @crownedcrusader

The Weekly Hyrule News by @/BatNeko

Reality by @/Leila Editer

The Hunt by @/andrhars

And the Clouds Parted by @/SkyLeaf

Goddess of Secrecy by @amelias-zelda-calamity-quintet (2/3)

Mark of a Hero by @amelias-zelda-calamity-quintet (1/3)

Already Spotlighted Projects

| Alternate Triforce | Captain Link Araki and the Harbinger of Destiny (post scheduled) | Cycle of the Stars (post scheduled) | A Link To The Stars (post drafted) | The Mage's Lantern | No More. Not One Single Time More (post scheduled) | On My Honor (post scheduled) | Remnants of the Past (post scheduled) | Triforce of Power |

[doomed-era]

Expanding Hyrule Bingo Card!

I've been studying for an exam a lot recently, so I didn't think I'd be able to participate fully, until I realized. Hey. I've already read a bunch of these. Nifty.

A5 - I made an Original Legends work!

I, in fact, did make a work about this little guy.

he begins handing out scratch n sniff cards that say "this comic stinks!" in reference to the cult classic 1994 RPG Earthbound's failed marketing campaign

B5 - Subscribed to an Ongoing Work

Triforce of Power by @nayru-s-clay-tablet

I'm insane about this comic I'm crazy I'm crazy I'm crazy!!!!! I've been following it for around five years now and I'll never get enough of Link and Ganondorf just goofing off. On my hands and knees begging people to read this please it's so underrated. probably THE best characterization of Ganondorf I've seen in a long-running comic I'm dead serious he's great-- the perfect mix of pretty awful but has a begrudging respect for link (finally. after years...) The Beedle gags...Cia and Lana being silly lil sisters...

C5 - Multiple POVs

All That Hurts Us by @karama9

I started reading because I was interested in Link's personality and I haven't been disappointed. He's pretty cool! I like that he's already an experienced adventurer and honestly I'd read a bunch of chapters of him and Zelda just chilling because they're neat. I haven't read enough to fully understand the plot besides, well, spoilers, so there's plenty of mysteries to be solved still.

D5 - Picked Because of the Title

Uneasy Lies the Chosen of Farore by @drsteggy

I did genuinely pick this because of the title and because I liked the little chapter previews I kept seeing on the Expanding Hyrule blog. I love pretty descriptions. I have only read the first chapter thus far but honestly it seems neat!

E5 - Left a Review on EH's Story Spotlight (lmk if I got this mixed up)

Goddess of Secrecy by @amelias-zelda-calamity-quintet

Really like the vibes here, as I have said, and Endeavor, because who wouldn't. The adventure has been progressing at a nice pace and I'm enjoying the little bits of characterization I've been picking up on in the dungeons. They really do feel very nicely done, and seeing as dungeons are tricky to make interesting I think this is impressive.

[zeldadiarist]

For the Writer ask game! 2, 6, 17, and 22 for Pas de Deux xxx

Hello darling! Thank you for the asks!

2. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

Mostly music, some songs spark ideas or scenes! Also some irl situations or stories. Some people are truly inspiring 🤩

6. Post links to your 3 fav fics

I can't post just three, and in no particular order:

Crowd of Thousands and Quintessentially Him by you 🥰

Little shadow by @inlemoons

Uneasy Lies the Chosen of Farore by @drsteggy

Bonus, mostly because it's not Zelda: Soul & Serendipity by moffnat (art by @villtura AND I OWN A PHYSICAL COPY OF THIS GORGEOUSNESS)

17. What’s the last fic you read? Would you recommend it?

Soul & Serendipity and began A Link to the Stars!

22. What scene in [Fanfic Name] took the longest to write? What was difficult about it?

NGL Pas de deux was one of the smoothest writing processes ever along with Playgirl!

I'm having a massive pain with the current chapter of the Golden Chain AU. I was not content with the part I had written, so I restructured some parts and discarded some situations and dialogue. Teaser: Zelda has always questioned her role as princess/priestess/blood of hylia incarnate and all that jazz, but hasn't unpacked much about it. It's time for some generational trauma and emotional damage to delve into that!

[drsteggy]

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH Kip! This is great! I love it, thank you so much.

I commissioned this to go with my beloved long fic, Uneasy Lies the Chosen of Farore. It seems as though this fic is getting passed around of late, as it’s turned up in my kudos emails a lot the past few weeks and that always makes me happy. There’s definitely threads of Skyward Sword (and other games) woven into it, but I always hear the Ballad of the Goddess at particular points, which was the jump off for this.

Thank you @sarcasticmudkip this was a pleasant surprise this afternoon!

Son of Farore | A Zelda Fansong Commission

Perhaps my biggest piece yet…started it all the way back in MAY OF 2022. So  yeah, enjoy the skyward sword vibes. (Best experienced with headphones plz i worked hard on that precussion…)

Thank you to @drsteggy for the opportunity and patience :3 I hope you all enjoy!

[amelias-zelda-calamity-quintet]

a few asks for end of year writing asks: 4, 12, 15, 19, 28

Thank you so much for the ask! I did already get 12 & 15, but I will get through the rest!

4. total number of words you wrote this year

Oh, this is hard math because I forgot to keep totals when I started and how much edits have added. So roughly:

GoS: 100k finishing it + ~20k so far in edits

MoaH: ~10k in editing the first 23 chapters + 800k new words written in the omnibus

For roughly 930k so far. I'm aiming for a million before the year's out. I got 150k last month with Nano, so I think I'll make it.

12. favorite character to write about this year

I lied, I wanna do this one again. Can we talk about MoaH Zelda because oh my god I love her! What a legend. She is amazing, I would never be able to meet her, she's terrifyingly intense.

15. something you learned this year

More life lessons? From me? Sure.

There is only one wrong way to create and that is to not create anything. A bad first draft is still better than nothing being made at all.

19. any new fics to start next year

Well, book 2 of MoaH will start releasing, but I'm on track to start writing book 4 pretty shortly into the year. And at current pace, probably hit 5, 6, & 7 next year too. Plus hopefully a GoS pause to get my other three imported over.

Reading wise, I've got a list as I'm working through the EH TBR. Adjustments as more works are added to EH, of course. That's a lot of links to grab, forgive me in directing folks to @expanding-hyrule's archives instead of linking them all again here.

Fics

ATHU

Stone Fate (both parts)

The Princess's Heart

Hero

CotS

The Mage's Lantern

No More

Good Morning

Remnants of the Past

The Triforce Awakens (Currently reading)

Void's Grasp

Uneasy Lies the Chosen of Farore

The Hero of the Dunes

Captain Link Araki & the Harbinger of Destiny

Princess Link

The Golden Chain

ALTTS

Unbroken

Legacies and Bloodlines (because of length, this one will probably remain my last read regardless)

Comics/Art Projects

Alternate Triforce

The Sea's Prophecy

Divine Gemstones

DadLink

Triforce of Power

The Curse of Demise

CotS

ALTTS

Untold Myths

28. longest fic you read this year

I think the longest fic I read this year was Hero by @karama9. I've been saving most of the longer fics on the EH TBR for later though, so my early next year is stacked with some heavy hitters and I'm super looking forward to it. Longest comic was yours, @alternate-triforce. Both works with high recommendations.

And thank you again for the ask @doomed-era!

[zeldaelmo]

Chapters: 38/38 Fandom: Legend of Zelda, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Impa & Link (Legend of Zelda), Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda) Characters: Link (Legend of Zelda), Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Original Characters, Impa (Legend of Zelda), Epona (Legend of Zelda) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, what timeline, Adulting sucks, really adult Link, imposter syndrome, Family Dynamics, Master Sword, It Gets Better, Eventual Fluff, Canon Typical Violence, Trauma, Found Family, Implied/Referenced Sex, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, I wrote this for me but y’all can read it I guess, Complete, Fanart Welcome, Podfic Welcome Summary:

Link is a 42 year old man, happily living a very ordinary life, when he unexpectedly draws the Master Sword, turning his world upside down and setting him on a path he feels unworthy of.

**Completed**

Forgot the reblog when I finished it last week! You’ve probably heard already from this very unique story and I’m joining the people who recommend to read it! 

[drsteggy]

Uneasy Lies the Chosen of Farore (revised)

Chapter 3 The Triforce of Wisdom

Impa was waiting for her in her private dining room, a glass of wine ready. Zelda takes the glass and a generous swallow of the dry Necluda white, hefting a sigh.

“How’d it go?” asks Impa.

Zelda taps her fingers against her glass and turns away, sudden emotion churning as she considers the question. “I don’t know. It could have been better. I don’t. I don’t understand why. It might be better if it was him.” She hears her voice thicken and attempts to hide it with another sip of wine.

“It would not be better.” Impa sounds confident, at least. “The history you two had… It would be poison if you work together. Moot point, anyway.”

Zelda slowly shakes her head. “I do not think he has this in him. I would be better served with a sixteen year old hero.” Nayru, Din and Farore. Farore. What were you thinking?

“That’s younger than Marrin and Colin,” Impa names Zelda’s sons. “Would you really want a child in this role? I don’t think you would tolerate a teenager putting himself between you and whatever the end game is.”

Impa is probably right, Zelda reflects. Impa is often right. But couldn’t he have at least looked the part? Been taller or broader across his shoulder, or at least battle-tried?

Read on AO3 (must be logged in)

Art by @st-hedge (commissioned)

[drsteggy]

I mean this feels like time to offer up Uneasy Lies the Chosen of Farore (revised). It’s an original Link and Zelda on their own adventure, and they are in their 40s.

It’s entirely written and there’s a new chapter every Saturday. Enjoy!

Is it too hard to ask for a zelda fanfic that is not about any of the games, like an original story. I read one that was like this, but it impresses me how hard it is to find

[expanding-hyrule]

Expanding Hyrule Fic Archive

This is a collection of works and their links wherever they're uploaded. If you have a work you'd like to be added to the list, please reach out to the blog or reblog this post with the link to get it added!

For full archive lists on platform, check out our AO3 collection. This post is only archival, to keep the list from being too long, summaries are omitted for space.

Works by @abbyz-elda

A Link To The Stars (AO3) A Link To The Stars: Constellations (AO3)

Works by @/Allendra

Bright as Night (FFN)

Fighting Fate (FFN)

Works by @alternate-triforce

Good Morning (AO3)

Works by @amelias-zelda-calamity-quintet

Goddess of Secrecy (AO3)

Mark of a Hero - Part 1 (AO3)

Restoration Age (Wattpad)

Cinders of Life (Wattpad)

Day After Destiny (Wattpad)

Works by @/andrhars

The Hunt (AO3)

Works by @/batneko 

The Weekly Hyrule News (FFN)

Works by @/botwriter

Blooming in Adversity (AO3)

Works by @/CrazygurlMadness 

Fighting Gravity (FFN)

Works by @crownedcrusader

Cloak and Dagger (FFN)

Works by @daeyumi

Cycle of the Stars (AO3)

Works by @deiliamedlini

Unbroken (AO3)

Works by @drsteggy

Uneasy Lies the Chosen of Farore (AO3)

Works by @/jclbs 

Desert Blight (FFN)

Works by @justapixelthing

Remnants of the Past (AO3)

Works by @karama9

All That Hurts Us (AO3)

Hero (AO3)

No More. Not One Single Time More (AO3)

Works by @ixtaek

A Crossing of Stars (AO3)

Works by @ladyhoneydee

Too Old to Keep (AO3)

Works by @/LeilaEditer

Reality (FFN)

Works by @/LiliansMalice

Make a Wish, Make it Count (AO3)

Works by @loz-untold-myths

The Mage's Lantern (AO3)

Falling Into Place (Stone Fate Pre-Story) (AO3)

Stone Fate (AO3)

The Princess's Heart (AO3)

Works by @mistresslrigtar

Captain Link Araki and the Harbinger of Destiny (AO3)

The Hero and the Princess (AO3)

Works by @/nolandsman

Legacies and Bloodlines (AO3)

Works by @pelicanpig

On My Honor (AO3)

Works by @railtracer30

Guarding Zelda (AO3)

Works by @RandomButLoved

Break The Wheel (AO3)

Works by @/ReBuggy 

The Legend of Zelda: Song of the City (AO3)

Works by @shadow_djinni

Path of the Infinite (AO3)

Works by @sillylildude

The Triforce Awakens (AO3)

Works by @/SkyLeaf

And the Clouds Parted (AO3)

Works by @sparkspsps

Princess Link: Engaged to my sister's kidnapper??? (AO3)

Works by @/Split Infinitive

The Wondrous Adventures of The Righteous Maximus (FFN)

Works by @transmascgerudo

The King's Lament (AO3)

Works by @/VeeLilu

Depths of the Darkness (AO3)

Works by @the--voided

Void's Grasp (AO3)

Works by @webhead3345

The Hero of the Dunes (AO3)

Works by @zeldadiarist

The Golden Chain (AO3)

Works by @zeldaelmo

The Promise (AO3)

Works by @/Zeldas_Eyebrows

In the Blood (AO3)

[altoinkblots]

To celebrate fic back Friday, here are some of my favorite fics that I’ve read within the last year in no particular order. This got really long, so the fics are under the cut

sew my lips closed (i’ll tear your heart) by The-Immortal-Moon (LunaKat)--a fluffy, funny fic where Ed comes out as bi to Winry while drunk off of his ass and it makes me laugh every time I read it. Go read it.

The House That Ed Built by ArtemisRae--Ed builds Winry a house while leading up to their wedding. It’s filled with fluff, healing, and there’s a pretty nice house at the end.

Galeotto was the book by luffywhatelse--a wonderful slice-of-life into Ed and Winry’s friendship as little kids. It actually reminds me of a friendship that I had when I was around their age, and it’s a good feel-good fic

Names (or Scar’s Worst Nightmare) (or, No, you can’t die for someone platonically) by GuestPlease--I have read this no less than five times and each time I read it I end up in peals of laughter. Royai wedding, Edwin shenanigans (mostly Ed’s fault), Mei and Scar, Scar and Miles, Scar and everyone. The ending is super sweet as well.

A Little Pinch by @wrongnote--I would be remiss if I left out one of my favorite Edwin fics. It’s an excellent insight into Ed and Winry’s character with an interesting twist on a soulmate au and how everything pans out is *chef’s kiss*

your dust from mine by @mithrilwren​--Teahaw was wonderful while it lasted (aroace Cad for the win tho), and this is a fairy tale au which is something that I don’t see too often. A friend and I actually read this at the same time, and we’d scream/text each other whenever it updated and our thoughts on the latest chapter. There is so much I could say, this one is definitely amazing.

Serendipity by wrongnote--Again, another favorite. I absolutely love the ambiguity of this one and that it leaves a lot of unanswered questions, but it’s written in such a way that the characters truly shine.

A Sanctuary, Safe and Strong by hufflepirate--PARENTAL. GROG.

Uneasy Lies the Chosen of Farore by @drsteggy--this one explores a reincarnation where Link is in his 40s and where pulling the Master Sword is a complete accident. I read this in about a day, and it’s just so real and relatable and good.

Breathe by @quirkle2--I’m just going to copy some of the tags here because they’re so good: i wrote this as sort of a challenge, to see if i could write an entire oneshot about Link being guilty, without ever using the word “guilt” once

Vanilla, Soft Touches, and Thick Blankets by hiya_zelda(hiya_girlie)--easily one of my favorite fics. The imagery is spot-on and it’s pure, shameless fluff, and I’ve read this multiple times.

Narcolepsy by Salt00--A Linked Universe fic that explores Sky’s (oft headcanoned) narcolepsy, written by someone who actually has it. This was a phenomenal read and Sky’s emotions and how he expresses them in the fic are wonderful.

Orenda by DaydreamingDuma--a Vox Machina post-campaign where the gods of Exandria talk to Grog, Keyleth, and Percy about their souls and the afterlife. I love this fic so much, I think I talked about it for an hour straight to a friend of mine as it was still updating because the themes and the conversations are so good... and the god who gets Percy was surprising, but almost expected at the same time. A happy ending, obviously. They deserve it.

[drsteggy]

THANK YOU ALL FOR 300 FOLLOWERS!

Ok, I love October and I like this list. For the next few weeks- let’s call it the month of November- I’ll take prompts for short fic and I’ll publish them here and in an AO3 collection.

Give me a prompt and a character or two. I am most familiar with Breath of the Wild, Age of Calamity, Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time, but I’m happy to work in my Mature!Link AU as well. I’ll consider other AUs as well.

I’m looking to keep these about 300 words or so. I will do NSFW, too, because it’s fun.

October Prompts 🎃

Word prompts to use for doodling or writing

ruffled hair

apple scent

full of colors

walks in the forest

autumnal

falling leaves

chestnuts

umbrellas

ravens

Oktoberfest

pumpkin spice

cornfields

black cat

spooky

first wine

flying kites

whispers

picking apples

ghosts

sweater weather

acorns

pile of leaves

harvest

fog

Jack-o-lanterns

campfire

witches

samhain

stormy days

seance

trick-or-treat

[drsteggy]

Uneasy Lies the Chosen of Farore (revised)

Chapter 18: Song of Storms

He is up at first light the next day. There’s a knock on his door as he is buttoning his trousers. “It's open,” he calls, irritated. Of course it's Impa.

“Up to debriefing today, or should we go fight first? I got up early so it's still cool out.”

He digs his fingers into his left shoulder. It is still sore from that final ride with the hookshot, but it's not his sword arm at least. “Let’s go.” He grabs the sword in the blue and gold scabbard and heads out the door with Impa trailing behind.

"Cool" is relative in Gerudo. They find a shady spot but by the time they are done, he’s stripped off his shirt and they are both sweating. “You’re definitely stronger than when we first started,” she says, then gestures at the new scar on his abdomen. “What happened?”

He grabs his shirt and pulls it over his head “Redead.”

“A what?”

“It was something called a redead.”

“No, I’ve heard of them, but I thought…”

“They were stories? Nothing is stories.” He humphed. “Someday, we will just be stories, too.”

They both take a moment to wipe sand and dust off their respective weapons and sheath them. Link turns to Impa.

“Don’t you wonder how much control you have here? Does exactly what we do really matter at all here? Like, does it have to be me on this sword?”

Read on AO3 (must be logged in)

[st-hedge]

Compilation of flash commissions! Thank u everyone this has been a lot of fun!

they belong as follows: older grumpy Link for @drsteggy from their AU Uneasy Lies the Chosen of Farore, Yiga clan OCs for @rosecolouredheart, hot rehydrated Ganondorf in royal guard uniform for @homosax, and the triforce trio from the AU Adopting the Enemy. Thank u for lettin me celebrate the follower milestone with these comms 💕

[expanding-hyrule]

Not tagging this, but I'm actively going through the Expanding Hyrule TBR right now and reading the archive. I'm not reading crazy fast, I am also working on my own fics, but I leave comments. You will know when I show up. I'm starting with the least read fics in the collection and going up the list to support some of our smaller creators. I also will update the bookmark to rec with a note for the collection when I've read it, or, if it's not my speed, something positive mentioned by our community.

This also doesn't include my process for reading through the comics we have on here. I'm going through those and queuing them out on my Zelda alt, @amelias-zelda-calamity-quintet, when I read them, but I have not be able to binge through as many as I would have liked. If you start getting a bunch of likes from @amelias-hart, that's me and I'm queuing as I'm reading too. New chapters will get reblogged here too, I just don't want to flood feeds.

But yeah, I keep an updated list of my TBR progress on the EH Discord, but here's the current list so y'all can know when to expect me to turn up.

ATHU

Stone Fate (both parts)

The Princess's Heart

Hero

Cycle of the Stars

The Mage's Lantern

No More (Currently reading)

Good Morning

The Triforce Awakens

Uneasy Lies the Chosen of Farore

The Hero of the Dunes

Captain Link Araki & the Harbinger of Destiny

Princess Link

The Golden Chain

ALTTS