#you really got me with the epona one

[kikker-oma]

I'm so bad at replying to ao3 comments so I figured I'd just come on here and say I appreciate your comments on my whumptobers so much 🥺💚 it's been so fun seeing your reactions, I appreciate you taking the time to comment so much thank youuuu <3333

(and sorry for the tears heeh)

-Sky Floor

Hehehe of course dear friend!!

I love your writing so much and am glad I've been slowly making in through your whumptober prompts for this year, they are FANTASTIC😈😈😈😈

I'll have to reblog your master list soon(haven't checked if you have one while writing this but I think you usually do) so that everyone can suffer happily with me haha

❤️

[answrs]

asdfhjkl looks like the Big Horse and the Royal White got busy in the castle stables sometime between the two games. :'D

side note, interesting to me that totk explicitly refers to this specifically as a stallion versus just the general label of 'horse'. i don't remember botw specifying either way for the special horses, and the models obviously aren't differentiated by any anatomical differences (size/color aside)

[curious-blupee]

I'm glad y'all are resonating with my horse choices! It was a lot of fun to decide who got what horse. I originally wanted to include the totk horses but decided otherwise so I could post it without spoiler warnings.

That's not a horse Wild...

Hello I totally did not forget to post this not at all rushed thing I did for the beach day prompt from the lu server last week.

I kinda sketched it really early on and then maybe perhaps forgot about it for a little bit, then may or may not finished it in 5ish hours.

[incorrectsmashbrosquotes]

Rating Non-Zelink and Non-BotW Link Ships in Legend of Zelda Games because they don't get enough love

Malink; Malon x Link: Adorable and somewhat canon depending on who you think TP Link's parents are and what timeline shenanigans you subscribe to. Link's first non-Kokiri friend turning into his soulmate is cute and finding peace after the craziness of OoT is beautiful. Also, Malon is cute as a button. 11/10, love you, funky Horsegirl.

Ilia x Link: Pretty good but feels too much like a reskin of Malink to be really fun. People give Ilia grief for freaking out about Epona but it really isn't fucking deserved. Girl get's done dirty by the narrative and the fandom and she deserves better. Also, memory loss and falling in love all over again is absolute peak. 9/10, you deserve better, baby.

Marin x Link: A child's first taste of tragic ending and hot girls being doomed by the narrative. Very child friendly "Calypso and Odysseus" feel to this one. Still, Marin is absolutely adorable and the idea of falling in love with a literal dream is heartbreaking. 10/10, would cry like a little kid again.

Link x Ruto: Okay, hear me out, this one isn't terrible. Ruto's chld-like crush on the guy who saved her life is pretty cute and being a haughty teenager about it is pretty funny. Also, she understands they can't be together, and sends him off with her love and good wishes, which is surprisingly mature of her. I'm just saying, Ruto isn't the weirdo people make her out to be. 7/10, it still feels like entrapment

Midlink; Midna x Link: TOP TIER! BEST OF THE BEST! ABSOLUTE PEAK ROMANCE! Romeo and Juliet style star-crossed lovers from literal opposing sides of reality. Allies of convenience to friends to soulmates?! PEAK! Adorable evil goblin design for most of the game and then complete knockout reveal at the end?! ROMANCE DOOMED BY THE NARRATIVE?! PEAK, I TELL YOU! PEAK! (Also I headcannon that because Midna looks like a Hylian she's considered ugly by Twili standards so Link finding her beautiful warms her heart). 20/10, best ship, best girl, best love story.

Ganlink; Ganondorf x Link: Objectively the funniest Legend of Zelda ship in existence and I will take no arguments on that. Destined enemies giving the middle finger to fate and falling in love instead? Amazing. Ganondorf hates every minute of it but he's also the happiest he's ever been with this stupid twink and he hates that too. 10/10, something something the Grinch's heart grew three sizes that day.

Link x Zant: Objectively hilarious as Link is seducing his enemies into submission yet again, like any self-respecting bard, but this one feels a little too Batman x Joker like for my liking. I really ship Zant x Therapy but Midna watching her rival give up his conquering ambitions for a twink is objectively hilarious. 8/10, not great but not bad.

Got others you want me to rate? Let me know! Or better yet, rate them yourself and I'll tell you if I agree or not.

[c0smoshit]

Winding down ࣪.⋆ ♡

⋆ ࣪. ℙ𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 ≫ Link/reader ⋆ ࣪. 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 ≫ fluffy stuff, nakedness and link being link // not proofread! ⋆ ࣪. ℙ𝕝𝕠𝕥 ≫ He comes back home a bit roughed up and you decide to make his day better :) ⋆ ࣪. 𝔸/ℕ ≫ I LOVE domestic Link sm😭 ⋆ ࣪. 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥 ≫ 2.012

"What's up?"

Your sweet and kind of nostalgic tone, even though he was only gone for a couple of hours, echoed inside his ears.

"Hmm?"

Your head peeked through the kitchen door, making his pained heart ache even more inside his chest. You were just too cute to look at.

His feet draged him through the door and it didn't matter how much they felt terrible inside his shoes at that moment, he would walk all the way into the kitchen to greet you instead of sitting down for once.

His clothes were somewhat roughed up and he swore he could already hear you inside his brain, scolding him for ruining up the clothes you had just spent your rupees in.

He felt your lips moving, however, his brain was too sloopy to make out the words, now finally standing in front of you.

"What's up-"

Your words finally entered through his ears but they were soon caught on your throat as your mouth was now pressed on the junction of his shoulder and neck.

After the brief moment he gave you to understant the sudden movement you hugged him back, arms wrapping soothingly around his torso as you caressed his back.

It wasn't much of a surprise, really, Link could be the most energetic and effervescent boy you had met but he also could have his down times, the ones in which he was the one who needed to be codled, to feel loved and secure.

And there he was now.

"I'm making dinner, wanna wait for me at the table?"

At the sound of the word "dinner" falling from your tongue, his ears perked up, he sure was hungry after all the errands he had to run today. Nevertheless, it had became a silent agreement that everytime he saw you preparing food, he would help you out the same way a kid would help out his mother slopily as she prepared the food. Carefully watching out for the child not to burn themselves.

. . .

Now, he was chopping some carrots the way you had told him to, as thin as his calloused hands could chop. But actually, in spite of the roughness of his palms, he's pretty good at slicing thanks to his sword abilities.

Oh lord his sword.

You had now recalled him quite sad as he glanced at his sword, but you hadn't asked him yet. Maybe it was because he got it somewhat wasted? had he broken it?

"Ow!"

Blue eyes quickly darted to you, finding your face first as he saw you biting your lip in pain and the he found your poor redenned finger. You had burned yourself while you were lost inside your mind, great.

And, of course, he practically ran to where you were standing.

"Let me see it"

His tone lowered a bit as he stepped closer into your personal space, something you thought he wasn't the type to but he really likes invading it, even without knowing what it would imply.

Sure, he was pretty reserved and quiet yet, he seemed to love getting inside your personal space. Putting his hands on top of yours as he corrected your posture with his sword whenever you wanted to learn how it felt to be him. His breath fanning over your neck as he watched closely while you were working on the table, his head resting on top of yours as his chest was flush to your back while you were riding Epona.

Why had god made someone so handsome yet so naive to notice?

It really got into your nerves sometimes too. The stares, comments and even the obvious filtratious behaviours many girls and even boys made yourself feel pretty miserable.

Couldn't he really notice whenever someone was flirting with him?

Of course not.

Still, he noticed the way you grew closer to him whenever someone got too close to him, grabbing his arm in a protective way. Dragging him away from unwanted sales and offers, the way your mood would swiftly change after that.

He could be naive with others, but he knew you too well.

"Does it still hurt?"

Huh?

Your eyes glanced into his own that where waiting patiently for your answer before lowering down and seeing a cute rosy band-aid wrapped around your finger.

"Wha- No, no, thanks"

You spat out, cheeks flustered as you realized you had dozed out thinking about stupid questions meanwhile he was taking care of your finger.

"Thank you Link"

You finally finished before taking your hand off his own and moving your head foward, lips crashing tenderly against his cheek. A gesture you had done over a dozen times now, yet he couldn't get used to.

"Wanna talk it out on a bath?"

You suggested as you picked up his plate, he was already standing up to offer you some help with the dishes but he seemed to have frozen a bit at your suggestion.

But he just nodded his head like a joyful puppy.

Taking him inside the bathroom with you, you opened the tap water, putting the perfect temperature you came to know was his.

"You look tired"

Your lips moved as a cloudy steamy fog started to linger freely inside the small room, taking his face on your hands you looked worriedly at his weary eyes.

Nothing a comfy bath couldn't fix, you thought.

And he did too, he loved taking baths, ever since he had to adapt to your strict routine of winding off at least once every two weeks.

He really didn't know your hands masaging his scalp would feel that good, yet he was laying on the bathtub with you on his lap once again.

It had nothing to do with sexual activities, absolutely not. He didn't care if you were both butt naked, wet and laying on each other, it didn't feel that way.

"Rough day today huh?"

Nodding, he had to contain his blush as he heard your sweet voice, quite embarrassed to be rambling on about his day, he just wanted to hear you, over and over again. He always did, not answering just, listening to you as if he wanted to have your voice recorded inside his brain forever.

Your left cheek resting on his right shoulder as now only your right hand was massaging his scalp with tender and slow strokes, his own arms were wrapped around your body as you both were melting inside the warm water and heat radiating from your bodies.

"I wanna stay like this forever"

You mumbled out, your hand finally giving up as now it rested on his chest, nestled comfortably on top of him you sighed dreamily.

"Not just here, everywhere. Being with you isn't enough"

He chuckled, making you sit up and crossing your hands over your chest.

"Oh so that's funny to you?"

Although it didn't seem as he was making fun of you, he was just in cloud 9 right now, just giggling and smiling around.

"Well, then I should leave you here so you can laugh all you want"

You said with a not-so-hidden soft smirk on your lips, your hands grabbing the side of the tub as you began to lift your hips up.

"That's it, I'm-"

Suddenly you were back down again, this time firmly secured by two calloused hands gripping your hips, not letting you go freely (god how you loved his strenght)

You tried to frown, but his hands coming dangerously closer to your sides made you giggle. Of course he knew you were ticklish.

So he smiled devishly, fingers drumming on your sides as you trashed helplessly on his lap, giggles falling from your lips as you begged him to please stop.

When water started to spill out of the bathtub his devilish tricks came to a stop, his eyes searching dearily for yours.

Looking up to see your teary eyed face he couldn't help himself but to feel like a teenager again, seeing your pretty face soaked up as you gained your breath made him fall harder for you.

"That's not fair"

You said as you slumped back down over his body, not caring if it was going to give you cramps everywhere the time you two decided to slip out.

Hands rubbing your naked back made you shut your eyes closed, his chin resting on the crown of your damp hair as you both breathed out.

He finally was himself once again.

[crazylittlejester]

Everyone is being brutal to you tonight. Um...

Whenever anyone needs a nap, they are forced to sleep by Sky. Works every time.

Once Twilight got drunk and spent an hour telling Warriors how soft his hair was. Time just sat back and drank his milk. He didn't help Warriors once despite his pleas.

Once when Warriors was drunk, he spent the night braiding Epona's hair and calling her a noble steed. Twilight didn't laugh at him and refused to take the braids out.

Time sucks with gender, so he is confused by the differences between mom and dad. As such, he told Warriors once when he was Mask that if the Great Deku Tree was his dad, he GUESSED Warriors would be a good mom. He was horrified when Warriors started crying.

Warriors is either the prettiest cryer in the world or the worst. No between.

Hyrule can't remember his mom, so on quiet nights when everyone else is (or seems) asleep, he'll curl up against Warriors and ask for a song. Warriors always agrees.

Hope that helps?

- mom warriors anon

THESE ARE SO SWEET AND I LOVE THEM.

the one with Hyrule got me man, good lord. I really wanna write a small little scene for it 😭

[smilesrobotlover]

First| <-previous next-> (coming soon)

AO3

Chapter 7- The Meeting

The letter from Link has been haunting Zelda since she’s read it. She had planned to meet with the resistance in two days, and even moved her schedule around for it, but Link was demanding to meet with them now. It seemed that they would be here tonight, but Zelda was struggling to make time to meet them.

During the many meetings, it was all she could think about. How she was going to get to Telma’s bar, how she was going to disguise herself as Sheik, what she was going to say to Edmund and Amber. She was probably going to miss supper for this, but it was fine, this was more important than supper. She just wished that it hadn’t happened so last minute.

Goddesses, why couldn’t they wait two more days?

She didn’t pay attention to any of the meetings, anxious to get them done and to leave to get to the next one. She’d nearly fallen asleep countless times, and Edmund would discreetly wake her back up so she wouldn’t humiliate herself—which she was grateful for. She really wasn’t fit for any of this queen business at the moment, but there was so much to do, such little time.

As soon as the current meeting ended, Zelda found herself sitting in her chair, staring blankly at the wall instead of rushing to get to lunch. This was her only break, and she didn’t have the energy to move. Edmund didn’t move either, and he spoke to the nobles and representatives for Zelda as she stared. Soon the room was empty, and the two were left alone.

“Zelda,” Edmund started softly.

“It’s fine, Edmund. I just need a moment.”

Edmund stared at her. “You weren’t at breakfast.”

“No I was not.”

“You’ve missed breakfast these past few days.”

“I have.”

“And you’re about to miss lunch.”

“That’s fine.”

“And you look like death.”

Zelda gave Edmund an annoyed look and he leaned forward. “Zelda, you’re killing yourself. Why don’t you tell me everything that’s happening? Why don’t you let me help?”

Zelda continued to stare silently, not in the mood to argue.

“Look, I’m worried about you. I do… care about you. We were good friends as kids, and those memories I can’t forget. I want you to be taken care of, is that so wrong?”

Zelda stayed silent.

“You’re exhausted and you’re hungry,” Edmund continued when she said nothing, “I don’t want to think about how dehydrated you are. Just, come to lunch, take a break, and take care of yourself.”

“I can’t take a break whenever I want, I have too much to do—“

“Oh my Labryn, Zelda, the nobles can wait! They can wait for you! You need to take care of yourself first!”

Zelda sighed and stood up. “I’m not in the mood for this right now, Edmund.”

“When will you be in the mood? When you’re on your deathbed? I’m not wanting to wait until then!”

The queen didn’t respond and went to walk away. It was childish to not say anything, but she was too tired to argue. Too tired to think of something to say. She was just… so tired…

She reached the door and leaned against the wall, holding her aching head. She suddenly felt lightheaded and sick to her stomach. She heard footsteps approach her from behind and she gave Edmund a glare.

“Zelda?”

She huffed and reached for the door, but black dots appeared in her vision, and she felt herself begin to stagger.

“Zelda!”

Her stomach did somersaults as she began to fall, and soon she was surrounded by darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun was beginning to set as Rusl and Link arrived at castle town. They moved quickly through the field, and Link could tell Epona was enjoying the free movement. She had become just as stir-crazy as he did after his adventure, so when she had a chance to move around outside of Ordon, she clearly enjoyed herself. When they arrived, they quickly got off their horses and headed into the town, trying not to take up too much space with their large animals. Normally, Link would let Epona roam free in the field while he did his errands in town, but after what he’s found out, he decided against it. It took a while to get to the bar; surprisingly the town was busy despite the day coming to an end, and people were always blocking their way, causing the horses to grow upset with the small space. Rusl and Link finally were able to tie their horses to a post near Telma’s bar where less people were at, and they hopped down the stairs and entered it. The bar was relatively empty, save for a few patrons who were quietly drinking by themselves. As usual, the place was dark and was only lit up by torches and candles scattered throughout. In the back, Telma and Auru were chatting at the table they all normally sat at, and Telma’s face lit up when she saw the two men, quickly burying them both in a hug when they got close.

“Link! Rusl! It’s so good to see you two!” She exclaimed, giving their shoulders a firm pat when she pulled away. Link smiled politely and let her lead the two men to the back table, where Auru was smiling.

“I figured you’d both be here tonight,” Auru said, ruffling Rusl’s hair as he sat down. “So what’s going on?”

“I’ll explain everything after Ashei and Shad get here,” Rusl said simply, fixing his ruffled hair.

“Hm, we sure they’ll be here tonight? This was pretty last minute.” Auru asked, leaning forward to look at both Rusl and Link.

“I know, I know it’s inconvenient but… it’s important,” Rusl frowned as Telma set down a mug of ginger ale in front of him, which he began to pick at mindlessly. “Me and Link found what’s been causing these disappearances, there’s no need to waste time anymore.”

Auru raised his eyebrows and he nodded knowingly. “Well then, that is quite important.”

Link nodded, staring at the milk in front of him—neither him nor his father bothered to drink anything. It was silent for a moment until Rusl awkwardly cleared his throat, catching Link and Auru’s attention.

“Well, we’re lucky you’re here, we won’t have to wait for you. You’re a lot harder to get a hold of than the others,” Rusl stated with a smile, and Auru gave a hearty laugh.

“Oh, my boy, I haven’t left castle town in weeks.”

“Did Sheik send you a letter?”

“He did. He told me to ask around castle town to gather information. It’s the only thing I’m capable of doing now,” Auru leaned back in his chair and stretched slowly, a pained expression on his face. “I’m getting too old for all this action.”

Rusl frowned and went back to staring at his drink. Link studied his father’s face, but it remained blank. When he really wanted to be, he was a master at hiding his emotions. There was a moment of silence again, being interrupted by Telma coming by to bring food for the two men, and Link couldn’t help but cheer softly.

“Oh goddesses, thank you Telma,” he said, already digging in, “I’m starvin’.”

Telma laughed and patted his shoulder. “I figured you’d both be hungry from the journey!”

“Aw, you didn’t have to do that, Telma,” Rusl chuckled slightly, and Telma lightly punched his shoulder.

“Oh, you hush, it’s the least I can do for my friends! Now eat up while we wait for the lovebirds to arrive!”

Link stared at Telma as she walked away, and he turned to look at Auru. “Are Ashei and Shad—“

“Engaged.”

Link’s mouth dropped. “Engaged? When did this happen?”

“A couple of weeks ago.”

Rusl and Link both glanced at each other in shock. Link knew that there was something going on between them, but after ten years, he figured that it was nothing.

“How did you know about this?” Link asked.

“They announced it when they stopped by,” Auru explained, gesturing with his hands. “I hang around here most of the time so me and Telma got to hear about it.”

“It’s about time,” Rusl scoffed, a teasing smile on his lips. “Those two were drivin’ me crazy!”

“No kidding! It’s a little late though. I doubt Ashei would be able to have kids at her age.”

Rusl’s face scrunched up. “What are you talkin’ about? She’s barely thirty! And you’re a fool if you think that Ashei and Shad would even want kids.”

“Oh come now, they’re good with kids!”

Rusl gave Link a look and he snorted. They both knew that they were terrible with kids. They could keep them alive, but they couldn’t keep them from crying. Auru rolled his eyes and waved his hand away.

“I just think it’s a waste to get married and then not have kids.”

“That’s an old way of thinking, Auru,” Rusl said, finally taking a sip of his ginger ale. “Some people don’t need to have kids. It ain’t our business what they want to do anyways.”

Auru scoffed slightly, but he didn’t continue. Link continued to eat in silence, not realizing how sloppy he was being. He was ravenous. He felt Auru watching him and he looked up.

“What?”

“You’re eating like a growing teenage boy. When was the last time you ate?” Auru teased slightly, and Link scratched the back of his head.

“It’s… actually been less than two days,” he muttered, giving Rusl a look. Neither of them ate dinner before searching the woods. They spent the next day sleeping and then the whole day traveling. Auru’s eyes widened when Rusl and Link remained silent, both having guilty looks on their faces.

“Neither of you have eaten in two days?” He asked, shocked.

“Maybe a bit longer than that–” Link muttered, and Rusl jabbed at him lightly.

“It’s fine—“ Rusl quickly said, but Auru shook his head.

“Eat that food Telma gave you, boy!” He commanded in a stern tone. Rusl quickly turned to the food and started eating it, looking like a guilty kid. Link snorted slightly and his pa glared him down. Auru patted his back with a satisfied look and leaned back.

“Must’ve been a crazy few days. What did Sheik have you do?”

“He wanted us to investigate a missing woman and Goron from Kakariko,” Link answered since Rusl’s mouth was full of bread.

“Ah, so that’s how you found it.”

Link glanced at Rusl who went back to staring blankly at the food. Auru picked up on the mood change and frowned.

“What is it?”

“We’ll explain when Shad and Ashei get here,” Rusl said quietly. Auru looked between the two and frowned.

“Alright,” he said, a worried look on his face as he stared at Rusl. It grew silent at the table again and the old man glanced up, his face lighting up. “Speaking of…”

Link turned around and saw Ashei and Shad walking to the group. Ashei looked annoyed while Shad smiled at the group. Rusl turned as well and shot up from his seat, marching towards the two.

“Hey! You two jerks!” He shouted, pulling them both into a hug. “You can’t just get engaged and not tell me!”

“Well next time, be here when we visit!” Shad teased, hugging him back. Ashei smiled slightly and gave Link a nod as he walked up to the two.

“When’s the wedding?” Rusl asked, his hands on the two’s arms.

“Don’t know yet, we’re just playing it by ear,” Shad answered, looking at Ashei who nodded.

“We’re in no rush,” she added.

“Well, you better have me as your best man, alright?” Rusl said with a smirk.

“My dear Rusl, I wouldn’t have it any other way!” Shad laughed. He glanced at Link and walked towards him. “And how are you doing, old boy?”

Link chuckled and gave him a side hug. “I’m doin’ fine. I’m happy for y’all!”

“Oh thank you,” Shad glanced at Ashei who was chatting with Rusl, a happy expression on his face. “I wouldn’t have imagined being with her, but here we are.”

“Love is a fickle thing, isn’t it?”

“Indeed it is.”

Rusl and Ashei walked up to the two. “Let’s sit down and talk, yeah?” Ashei started, “I want to know why you both were so intent on meeting today.”

“We can’t, not without Sheik,” Rusl sighed, sitting down. “He’s not here yet.”

“This has been eating me up inside, and you’re saying I have to wait longer?” Shad said lightheartedly.

Ashei pulled Shad down in the seat next to hers and gave him a look. “Sheik may be busy, this was pretty last minute, yeah?”

“So I’ve been told,” Rusl grumbled. Auru patted him on the shoulder with a chuckle, and the group started to lightly poke fun at Rusl. Telma came by with food and drinks for the couple that arrived, and she closed the curtains to give them privacy.

“Tell me when you start talking about what happened,” she said, “I still have work to do, but I’ll be sure to kick everyone out.”

“Sure thing Telma,” Link said with a nod, and the curtains were fully closed, leaving the group isolated from the drunkards that came to the bar.

“So… what did Sheik have you two do?” Link asked the couple, and they glanced at each other.

“Sheik told us to help investigate the disappearances with a captain named Hoz,” Ashei answered. “We really weren’t finding anything of importance though.”

“Ah, did you come here with him?”

“No, he was quite intent on continuing the investigations,” Shad jumped in, pushing his glasses up his nose. “That was the most focused soldier of Hyrule I’ve ever met.”

“It’s good, Hyrule needs more men like him,” Ashei said, staring at her drink.

“Though he was sort of a pain to work with,” Shad mumbled.

Ashei snorted. “He was. Everything needed to go his way otherwise he would implode.”

“... Does Hyrule still need more men like him?” Auru asked cheekily, and Ashei glared at him.

“Yes.”

Shad laughed slightly and sat up straight. “Yes yes, he was still good to work with. I’m glad that some soldiers are still trying to do their jobs.”

Ashei gave a knowing nod and took a sip of her drink as the others mumbled in agreement. The group started to chat about mundane things, how they were doing, how the families were doing, and what they had planned afterwards. Link was constantly looking over his shoulder, expecting Sheik to suddenly appear (which he did every time they met up), yet there was no sign of him. Rusl was getting more anxious as the evening went on, constantly fidgeting with his hands or pacing the small room, pretending to be observing the wall. Soon it became too late–the bar was fully empty as Telma closed it down and kicked out angry drunks, and the only area lit up was the back room where the resistance sat. Yet no sign of Sheik, and Auru finally let out a loud sigh.

“I don’t think Sheik is coming.”

“We just need to be patient,” Ashei said, “she’s a busy person.”

Auru frowned. “‘She?’ You think Sheik’s a woman?”

Ashei’s eyes widened for a moment, but she quickly recovered. “W-well, Sheik is just a mysterious person, that’s all. I uh… say she could be a woman… or… something.”

The group stared at Ashei who stared hard at her drink.

“And what makes you think they’re a woman?” Auru pressed, a teasing smile on his lips.

“What makes you think they’re a man?” Ashei snapped back, getting angry. Auru raised his hands defensively.

“I’m just teasing you. You just never get flustered like that!”

Ashei glared at him and started cursing under her breath in frustration. Shad cleared his throat, wrapping an arm around her.

“Well, it doesn’t matter if Sheik is a man or a woman, what matters is that they’re not here right now.” He glanced up at Rusl who was still pacing back and forth near a corner. “We should start without them.”

Ashei sighed and nodded, a defeated look on her face. Auru nodded as well and stood up to drag Rusl back to the table. Link stared worriedly at his pa as he sat down, his face drained of all blood as he stared blankly at the table.

“Goddesses, are you alright?” Shad asked, and Rusl waved his concern away.

“‘M fine,” he mumbled. The group didn’t seem convinced by that answer, but they didn’t say anything else.

“Well, Link, Rusl,” Auru started, “tell us what happened. What is taking these missing people?”

Link glanced at Rusl who was still staring at the table, and he stood up, deciding to lead the conversation.

“Do you guys remember the shadow beasts?”

The group all froze, staring at Link with wide eyes.

“Shadow beasts? You mean those horrible black creatures that plagued all of Hyrule during the Twilight invasion?” Shad asked, and Link nodded.

“Yes, I… me and my pa found one in the woods… two nights ago,” Link frowned for a moment, that night feeling ages ago. He continued, “I think it’s a shadow beast that’s gotten stronger for the past ten years. It’s what’s been taking these people.”

“Oh… Labryn…” Ashei muttered under her breath.

“How do you know it’s the cause of all these disappearances?” Auru asked.

“We–uh—” Link glanced at Rusl who was still unmoving. “We sorta… found out the hard way…”

“Oh no… did someone–?” Shad started, but Link quickly stopped him.

“No, no it’s ok. I was able to stop the abduction but… I think it’s pretty obvious that this… mutated shadow beast is what’s causing all the disappearances.”

“Ok,” Ashei breathed out, “so it’s one of those shadow beasts, a little mutated, but we know what it is now. We should go out looking for it, yeah?”

Link pursed his lips. “Yes, but… be warned. I fought so many of those things by myself back then–”

“Yes you did! You were marvelous with the way you slashed them with your sword!” Shad exclaimed, swinging his arm around as if he had a weapon. Link smiled but it quickly went away.

“Yeah, well… I fought this one, and it didn’t die no matter what I did, so… I think we should be careful. We can’t underestimate this thing.”

The group nodded.

“Alright, well, thank you for telling us Link,” Auru said. “No one in Castle Town described anything like that.”

“No kidding,” Ashei replied and Link nodded glumly. This wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t let such a thing live, he couldn’t help but feel guilty over it.

“Well, it’s late, we can discuss plans tomorrow, but in the meantime, I think we should all get some rest,” Auru stared sternly at Rusl and Link, “you two especially. I can tell you need it.”

Link smiled slightly and Rusl got up quietly, leaving the room in an instant. The group stared in shock as he disappeared behind the curtain. Auru looked at Link and pointed at where Rusl left.

“Is he alright?”

“I… I don’t know…” Link looked down, debating on whether he should tell them the details of what happened, but he really didn’t want to, and he didn’t know if Rusl would want him to. “He’s probably just tired… the uh… the shadow beast was… aggressive to say the least. I’m gonna go talk to him real quick.”

He felt everyone’s eyes on him as he left, and he glanced at Telma who looked worried, but she forced a smile when she saw Link.

“Did you all start the conversation without me?”

“Oh— goddesses Telma I’m so sorry—“

Telma waved his apology away. “I’ll make the others tell me. Rusl went upstairs, sweet pea.”

Link nodded and slowly walked up the stairs, his entire body suddenly feeling heavy. He glanced around at the secret upstairs inn, trying to remember which one was normally reserved for him and Rusl. He poked his head in the first room, finding Rusl laying on one of the beds, his hands resting on his face. Rusl flinched when he sensed another person near him, but he quickly relaxed when it was Link.

“Spirits, Link,” he chuckled, lying back down. Link smiled and sat down on the other bed across from him.

“Pa… are you…?” He started, but he stopped when Rusl glanced at him. Rusl’s face didn’t hold any annoyance, but instead guilt. He sat up and sighed.

“I’m ok, Link. I’m… sorry for how I was acting down there… I just…” Rusl paused for a moment before sighing again, resting against the wall. Link tilted his head

“What?”

“Oh… it’s not your burden to bear.”

“Well… I kinda already know why you’re upset so… hiding it from me is a fruitless effort.”

Rusl grinned slightly. “I suppose so… I just…. Ever since that night I’ve been feeling so… terrified every waking moment—no—even when I’m trying to sleep I’m terrified, I just—“ he stopped himself and rubbed his face. “I don’t know.”

Link frowned. “I know the shadow beasts would turn people into other shadow beasts, maybe you’re still feeling the effects from that?”

Rusl shrugged, a disturbed look on his face.

“You… also were almost eaten,” Link chuckled darkly, “that would traumatize anyone.”

Rusl smirked slightly, but it quickly went away, so Link continued.

“I mean… I know I’ve nearly been eaten myself. So many times. By giant plants, and a giant eel, and wolfos trying to tear me to pieces, and spiders, and I guess smaller plants too, plus another giant spider, and possibly a lot of other things and—“

Rusl’s face had grown more concerned the longer Link rambled, and he quickly tried to recover.

“I-I mean, I turned out fine! Maybe? I mean maybe I haven’t turned out fine but—but it’s fine! I’ve kinda gotten used to it, everything trying to eat me. Heh, it makes me wonder if I taste good. I mean Midna will definitely say that I taste good but, you know—“

“Link, I don’t need to know this,” Rusl interrupted him, though he almost seemed amused. Link blushed slightly and scratched the back of his head.

“S-sorry, that kinda came out.”

Rusl chuckled slightly, which made Link feel a little better. He observed his father’s tired face and frowned.

“Pa… you should get some rest.”

Rusl raised an eyebrow. “Doting and worrying is supposed to be my job Link, not yours.”

“Well, who did I get it from?” Link rebutted, and Rusl laughed.

“Correction then: doting is a parent’s job.”

“But I am a parent.”

“Not my parent!”

Link snorted and Rusl joined him in his laughter. It felt good to laugh after these past few days. Link sniffed and sighed, staring at Rusl’s bed.

“You should get some rest though, Pa.”

“You should get some rest too, Link.”

Link pursed his lips and looked down, shifting uncomfortably.

“Not as much as you.”

Rusl raised an eyebrow. “How much sleep have you gotten in the past forty-eight hours?”

Link clamped his mouth shut. “I… um… like… four…. hours…?”

Rusl smirked and gestured for him to come over. Link sighed and trudged over to him, the lack of sleep catching up to him. He rested against Rusl’s side while he wrapped his arm around him, and Link finally relaxed. It always felt good to be held by one of his parents. Being an adult, it didn’t happen as often compared to when he was a kid. Rusl started playing with the tip of his ear and he lightly kissed his forehead.

“I’m proud of you, Link,” he said softly.

“For what?”

“For becoming the man you are today. You’re a good person, determined, and kind. And I’m proud of you for it.”

Link smiled slightly. “But you and ma raised me to be that way.”

“Oh, we were only trying to nudge you kids in the right direction. Ultimately, it was you who chose to become a good person. Give yourself more credit.”

Link sighed and drowsiness began to get the better of him.

“Thanks. I love you pa.”

Sleep began to take over him as he heard his pa say one last thing.

“I love you too, my son.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zelda awoke with a jolt. She was in her bed, her heavy dress was replaced with a lighter one, and her daughter was reading a book by her side. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, startling Amber.

“Mother! You’re awake!” She exclaimed, closing her book. “We were so worried!”

Zelda looked around the room, confused. How long has she been out?

“Father came to me and asked me to stay by your side! I hadn’t left once!” Amber continued. “I’ve just been reading this book about birds, I’m hoping to find one to match the birds Hylians used to ride, but so far none of them have been big enough…”

“Amber,” Zelda rubbed her eyes, still feeling exhausted. “Where’s your father?”

“He’s in meetings right now, he said he’ll come by to see if you’re awake!”

Zelda groaned and rubbed her face. What had been happening while she was out? She hated not being in control of everything.

“I hope you’re alright,” Amber added quietly, and Zelda glanced over at her. She had a worried look on her face, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m fine, thank you for watching over me,” Zelda said with a smile, and Amber beamed at the praise.

“I’m so glad mother! Do you want me to fetch you some supper? It’s a little late but—“

“Wait, how long have I been asleep?”

“Oh! Um… a few hours.”

Zelda tried to hide her frustration, and she turned away as she groaned. She didn’t have time for this. She still needed to meet with the resistance! If she didn’t leave now…

Amber gasped as Zelda started to get out of bed, ignoring the vertigo that assaulted her.

“Um… mother? Father told me to make sure you stayed in bed a-and—“

“I’ll be fine, Amber,” Zelda grumbled, but she knew she wouldn’t be. It didn’t matter though, she needed to be somewhere.

“But… father said…” Amber’s voice trailed off, and Zelda heard another person enter the room.

“Zelda,” Edmund’s voice called out, and she sighed. Great.

“Father!” Amber hopped up and ran to him. “Mother’s awake! Do you want me to get a meal for her?”

“No, I already sent a maid to do that, my dear. You go get yourself to bed.”

Amber nodded and looked back at Zelda. “Goodnight mother.”

Zelda smiled slightly. “Goodnight Amber.”

She lingered for a moment, her mouth agape, but she finally turned away and left the room. Edmund and Zelda remained silent, both staring intensely at each other. Finally, Edmund let out a huff and started to walk forward.

“I’m glad you’re awake,” he said, “I brought you something.”

Zelda frowned. “What is it?”

Edmund sat down on the bed with her and handed her a little box. She carefully opened it to reveal a chocolate orange. She blinked several times, wondering if the lack of sleep had finally caught up to her and that she was hallucinating it. But the smell hit her nostrils, and she lightly traced the chocolatey edges.

“I remember you loved these things as a kid,” Edmund muttered, a nostalgic smile on his face. “I always hated them, but I did enjoy eating one slice with you whenever you had them.”

Zelda couldn’t help but smile as she grabbed a slice of the chocolate. She glanced at Edmund and her smile dropped slightly.

“How do you know I still love these?” She asked, and Edmund took in a quiet, deep breath.

“Do you?”

Zelda looked down and put one in her mouth. The chocolate instantly melted as it hit her tongue, the sweet flavor mixing with the tanginess of the orange rewarding her taste buds, and she couldn’t help but close her eyes in satisfaction. She hasn’t had one of these in years.

“It seems you still like it,” Edmund chuckled. Zelda opened her eyes and turned away, embarrassed.

“Yes,” she mumbled. Edmund hummed and leaned back, resting on his hands.

“I’m glad.”

Zelda turned to look at him, his mustache lifted up with his smile. “Why’d you bring this to me?” She asked.

“Oh, I figured you’d need an energy boost. Chocolate does wonders for that,” Edmund reached for a slice. “May I?”

Zelda nodded and offered one to him. He took a slice and bit into half of it. His face scrunched up in disgust and he covered his mouth. “Eugh, I still don’t like it.”

Zelda smiled and almost let out a giggle. “That’s quite a shame, they’re so delightful.”

Edmund grinned and stared at the uneaten slice. “I probably should’ve put the full thing in my mouth, now what will I do with this?”

Zelda stared at it for a moment, and before she could even think, she plucked it out of his hand.

“Can’t let it go to waste,” she said before putting the rest of the slice in her mouth. Edmund looked surprised but his expression softened into a pleasant smile. Zelda looked away, her face flushing slightly, and she picked at the remaining chocolates. “Thank you for this Edmund, that was very thoughtful of you.”

Edmund nodded. “Of course. I… I just want to help out.”

It grew silent between the two—any feeling of contentment was gone in an instant. Edmund picked up on Zelda’s discomfort and he let out a sigh.

“Why won’t you accept my help?”

Zelda glanced up at him. Where an accusatory and bitter tone normally was, this time, there was just curiosity. He was trying, it was only fair that Zelda tried as well.

But could she trust him?

It was kind of him to try to help her, but was he trying to manipulate her into trusting him? She remembered her father always showering her mother with gifts whenever he did something to upset her. It was always a way to regain her trust. Was Edmund trying to do the same?

“Listen, becoming the king of Hyrule hasn’t been an easy transition for me,” Edmund started, his back turned to Zelda, “Labrynna gives its power to the king, but here in Hyrule, all of the power goes to the queen.” He let out a breath while Zelda remained silent. He’s never told her this before. “I admit I’ve felt…. Emasculated as a result, and I’ve been acting childish because of it. For that I am sorry.” He glanced back at Zelda, an almost worried expression on his face, but Zelda stayed quiet. “But, I feel useless. I feel like I’m being used for my connection to my family, and that I’m nothing more than an object to your people and… I suppose that’s why I’ve been… frustrated about you keeping things to yourself. But… looking at you now, I’ve grown more worried than upset. You’ve overworked yourself so much to the point that you collapsed. That’s not a good thing. I suppose I… I just want to know why you’re so intent on doing everything yourself, when I’m here to… help you.”

Zelda stared at him for a moment, his emerald green eyes never leaving hers. For once, Zelda couldn’t find her words. She knew she should try to communicate with him—he was being so open with her, but why? Was he trying to worm his way into her life? Or was he being genuine? He’s never taken the time to sit down and talk to her about things, but then again, Zelda never gave him the chance. Did he deserve her to try to be open as well? She turned away, emotions running rampant. She couldn’t cry, it wasn’t queenly to do so, but she was so tired. She took a deep breath to control herself.

“I… I don’t know if I can trust you,” she finally said softly. She felt Edmund shift beside her.

“Why?”

“I–I’ve watched my father strip my mother of all her power. He took everything away from her, ruled Hyrule as a tyrant, and took control of every aspect of my life. It doesn’t matter if Hyrule gives the power to the queen, the king can take over and I can’t let that happen again. It’s happened to me twice now and… I just… I–” She hiccuped slightly and she rubbed her exhausted eyes. It was quiet as she once again tried to take control of her emotions, and she glanced up at Edmund, who looked horrified.

“I had no idea,” he finally said. “I always– I know we didn’t see each other a lot but… I didn’t know…”

Zelda sniffed and sat up straight. “My father did a good job at hiding it. And he made sure I hid it as well.”

Edmund gave her a sad look. “I’m so sorry. I…” He grew silent for a moment. “... thank you for telling me. I’ll leave you be. A maid should come by with food for you.”

“I-I can’t stay I need to–”

“Zelda.” Edmund gave her a firm look. “I…I ask that you give yourself rest and proper nourishment, please.”

Zelda stared for a moment, remembering the resistance. “I can’t. I still need to meet up with—“ she stopped herself and Edmund raised an eyebrow.

“With… your friends that are taking care of the disappearances?”

Zelda pursed her lips. “Yes.”

“Perhaps I can meet with them in your stead.”

She shook her head quickly. “No I—“ they didn’t know that she was the queen; if Edmund came instead, they would figure it out, even if one already knew about it. And she certainly couldn’t tell Edmund about Sheik. Frustration was apparent on Edmund’s face, and he sucked in a sharp breath and stood up.

“So are you just going to keep pushing yourself until you die? Sure, you may not trust me, I understand that. But you have representatives, diplomats, nobles, even guards that could go in your stead! Why can’t you utilize them?”

“Edmund. I. Can’t. A-at least…” Zelda looked down, her eyes going back and forth between the chocolate orange, the bed, and Edmund. He did have a point; she couldn’t keep going on like this. She really could end up dying from her neglect, which would be an awful thing for Amber and for the resistance. But she knew no one could help the resistance with the disappearances. She had to take care of that herself. But… perhaps with everything else…. Goddesses, she hoped she wasn’t making a mistake. “Could you… just take care of the meetings tomorrow? I must deal with these disappearances on my own.”

Edmund’s expression softened and he nodded. “I’ll take care of them.”

Zelda smiled. “Thank you.”

“Will you… visit Amber before you leave anywhere?”

Her lips parted and she nodded. Edmund nodded back, and for the first time in years, there was a mutual understanding between them. Edmund hesitated for a moment before finally turning to leave. Zelda was left alone, and she contemplated everything that had just happened.

She collapsed after a meeting and slept through the entire day. Her daughter stayed by her side while Edmund took care of the rest of the day. He brought her chocolates and they had a conversation that didn’t result in them fighting. They opened up to each other… and now…

She sighed. She needed to meet with the resistance, that was her first priority. Hopefully it wasn’t too late.

She wasted no time to get into her disguise, despite her exhausted body and rumbling stomach. Just as she was about to sneak out, she remembered what Edmund asked of her.

“Will you… visit Amber before you leave anywhere?”

She sighed. She’s been a terrible mother to her own daughter, not spending any time with her despite Amber desperately wanting to. If the resistance needing to meet up tonight hadn’t been about the missing people, she probably would have been tempted to stay. Maybe spend time with her family, her daughter, and try to be the mother Amber deserved. But she knew this was important; it had better be important. She needed to take care of this, and she needed to find the missing people so that Hyrule would be safe for Amber. If the resistance found out important information about the disappearances—like where the missing people were—she would personally go to rescue them herself and eradicate any threat that came in her way. This threat would come to an end, Zelda would make sure of it.

But it meant she would be gone for a while. So she didn’t know when she would see Amber again.

Zelda quietly snuck into Amber’s room, her daughter curled up in her bed, clutching a bird stuffed animal to her chest. She brought her mask down and walked up to her daughter, emotions going through her once again. Her sweet little Amber, growing up before her very eyes, and she was missing all of it.

Her hand brushed against Amber’s temple and she began to stir. She looked up at her mother and furrowed her brow.

“Mother?”

Zelda’s breath hitched and she helped Amber sit up.

“Amber,” she started, “I know… I know I haven’t been the best mother, but I want you to know that I love you with every fiber of my being.” Zelda pulled Amber close and hugged her. “I love you so much.”

She rocked her back and forth, Amber clinging to her tightly. Despite her dry eyes, Zelda found tears forming, and she had to choke back a sob. Amber however wasn’t hiding her crying, and she felt her tears soaking into her clothes. She finally pulled back, wiping away a tear on Amber’s cheek and rested her forehead against hers.

“I promise I’ll try to be better,” Zelda whispered, pecking her on the forehead, and she stood up, walking towards the door.

“M-mother?” Amber called out.

“I’ll be back,” Zelda promised. “Just stay here with your father and focus on your studies. I… I love you.”

“I love you too…”

Zelda’s heart hurt more than her aching body as she turned away. How many times has she turned her own daughter away? How many times has she brushed her off when Amber reached out? She ran out, her frustrations over herself giving her the energy she needed to escape the castle. How will Amber view her when she grew older? Would she resent her the same way Zelda resented her father? Would she feel unloved by her own mother? She stopped as she reached the entrance to the courtyard, looking back at the castle. She was panting heavily, sad and angry tears finally pouring down her face.

It didn’t matter what her father tried to do to her, Zelda never felt worthy of being queen. She didn’t feel worthy of anything in her life. Especially her own daughter.

Amber deserved a better mother.

For a moment as she stared at her castle, she thought she saw Edmund watching her, but his supposed silhouette went away in an instant. She turned away, her head hanging, and finally marched to Telma’s bar.

It was late, she didn’t know how late it was, but it was late enough for no one to be out in the streets save for a few guards. Sheik’s stomach was cramping terribly, and her throat and tongue felt like sandpaper. She almost wished she stayed behind to eat the food Edmund got for her, but she knew she couldn’t let the resistance down. She leaned against a wall catching her breath, her hand rubbing against a box in her pouch. She didn’t know why she grabbed the chocolate orange Edmund gave her; she supposed she couldn’t leave it behind. She continued onward to Telma’s bar, feeling that it was a much longer walk than what she remembered. She normally went through the dungeons to reach Telma’s bar, but from how she was feeling, she didn’t have the strength to go that way. As if to prove her right, her knees nearly buckled as she went down the stairs, causing her to stumble into the door. She pulled back and blinked harshly trying to clear her head. She took a deep breath to calm herself and she went inside. The bell rang loudly through the empty bar, announcing her presence.

“Sorry, we’re closed right now,” she heard Telma call out from the back. The barmaid poked her head from the curtains and her face lit up. “Sheik! Well, it’s about time you got here, honey!”

Sheik awkwardly shuffled forward, allowing herself to be hugged by Telma.

“S-sorry I’m late,” she mumbled, not caring if Telma heard her or not.

“Oh… it’s not me you should apologize to. The others have already gone to bed, save for Ashei and Shad— well… actually it’s just Ashei,” Telma laughed slightly. Sheik was disappointed that the others had already gone to sleep, it was much later than what she hoped for, but she was slightly relieved that Ashei was the only one awake save for Telma. Though Sheik had tried to keep her Royal identity a secret, Ashei had found out about it. She had to admit, it was nice not having to hide everything from one person. She could at least confide in her with everything that has been happening.

“My, you look terrible,” Telma continued, eyeing Sheik worriedly. “Here, let me whip you up something real quick—“

“Oh, no you don’t have to do that—“ a loud grumble from her stomach interrupted her and Telma raised an eyebrow. Sheik looked down, embarrassed. “Apologies.”

“You’re alright sweetheart, just head to the back and I’ll get you some soup.”

Sheik nodded and walked to the back where she saw Ashei and Shad sitting next to each other. Shad was asleep, his head against Ashei’s shoulder, while Ashei had her arm wrapped around him. She had a pleasant smile on her lips as she watched him, until she looked up, spotting Sheik.

“Are you going to sit down, or are you going to keep watching us like a creep?” She asked, and Sheik straightened.

“A-apologies… I didn’t mean to stare.”

“Don’t worry about it, yeah?” Ashei glanced at Shad, then back at her. “I wanted to stay up to wait for you. I knew you’d get here eventually. He was intent on staying up with me, but I guess he couldn’t do it.”

Sheik smiled despite Ashei not being able to see it. “I’m sorry I came so late.”

“You’re fine, but what happened? Why did it take so long for you to get here?”

“I…” Sheik didn’t want to talk about her fainting today, nor about her lack of sleep, food, and water. “I’ve just been very busy.”

Ashei studied her for a moment. “Are you alright?”

Sheik looked up at her, and simply shook her head. “I’ve been very busy,” she repeated.

“Labryn… Zel—Sheik, you can leave this to the rest of us. You don’t have to help us every second, yeah?”

“I know, but I’m tired of sitting here not knowing what’s going on. Not actively trying to better my kingdom.”

Ashei shook her head. “You can’t do everything by yourself. That’s why the resistance is here, to help Hyrule.”

“I know… I know… I just…” Sheik sighed. Goddesses she was exhausted. The two grew silent until Telma came in with a bowl.

“I could only make some broth, I hope that’s ok, sweet pea.”

Sheik felt herself beginning to drool and she gratefully took the bowl. “This is wonderful, thank you, Telma,” she said. Telma gave her a soft smile.

“Of course honey! That’s why I’m here, to take care of my friends.”

The word “friends” stuck with Sheik, and she looked down at the bowl, her emotions running rampant once again, though her eyes were finally too dry to cry again.

“Now, if you two will excuse me, I’m going to head to bed myself.” Telma turned to Ashei with a teasing smile. “Unless you need me to carry him to bed of course.”

Ashei gave her an annoyed smirk. “I can do that myself. Thank you though.”

The barmaid gave a hearty laugh. “Alright, good night you too. And Sheik? I have some water on the table for you. Take care.”

Sheik glanced at the cup on the table, her thirst becoming unbearable.

“Thank you,” she said again, and Telma turned away, leaving the two women alone. Sheik glanced around, eyeing Shad cautiously, and Ashei caught on.

“Don’t worry, he’s out like a light.”

“But what if he wakes up and sees me without my mask?”

“Then I’ll knock him back out, yeah?”

Sheik chuckled softly and pulled her mask down. Though it wasn’t filling, the broth was amazing, and the water made her feel much better than before. She sighed as she drank the broth, feeling relief run through her body as she finally got nutrients in her body. She glanced at Ashei who watched her worriedly, and she looked down.

“How was Hoz?” Sheik asked.

“Oh, he was fine. Quite determined to find the missing people. He’s a good man.”

Sheik smiled slightly. “Indeed, he is. What did Link and Rusl need?”

Ashei’s breath hitched. “They found what’s been causing these disappearances.”

Sheik gasped and nearly dropped her bowl. Though it was exactly what she had hoped for, she was still surprised that it actually happened. “What is it? What’s causing it?”

“Link thinks it’s a shadow beast.”

Dread instantly filled Sheik’s body. Memories of the beasts breaking through her castle and slaughtering the guards came in at once, and she clenched her fists. How…?

“We hope to make a plan to hunt and kill it, but according to Link, it’s gotten powerful over the past ten years, and it won’t die so easily.”

Sheik swallowed hard and nodded. “I see… any… any news on the people?”

Ashei shook her head sadly. “No, they only mentioned the beast I’m afraid.”

Sheik slumped slightly. If it was a shadow beast taking these people then… they probably weren’t alive anymore. She remembered watching Zant turn her guards into shadow beasts before her eyes, even those who weren’t personally cursed turned when beside them. Even her own parents turned into creatures of darkness…

Were the people dead? Or had they turned into shadow beasts, doomed to be mindless monsters until they’re put out of their misery? Sheik didn’t know. But if that were the case, wouldn’t they have known about the resurgence of shadow beasts? Either way, Sheik was having a hard time being hopeful about the fate of the missing people.

“We’re going to be doing a lot of planning tomorrow,” Ashei continued, “I don’t know when we’ll head out, but if you’re wanting to come with us, I suggest you get some rest, yeah?”

Sheik looked up at Ashei who had a firm expression on her face. Sheik had grown tired of everyone telling her to rest, but with the food and water in her system, she couldn’t fight back the sleepiness.

“Alright,” she mumbled before standing up, staring at her empty bowl confused.

“I can take care of that,” Ashei said, and Sheik set it down awkwardly. “We can talk more tomorrow, yeah?”

Sheik nodded and dragged herself up the stairs where several rooms were hidden. Her eyes were barely open as she tried to find a room to go in. She typically took the first room, so she opened the door and threw her head cover and mask off, closing the door behind her which left the room in total darkness. She stumbled over to the bed closest to her and fell asleep before her head could even hit the pillow.

[waffletheorist]

So, in Part 2 of Masks, if you translate the Sheikah text from the Slate, it says "Someone will die." So, what does this mean? If we go by loophole logic or what I sometimes call PJO logic for prophecies, it has been fulfilled by Twilight's experience, or can be fulfilled by someone dying, and then being revived by other means, such as a doll, fairy, Mipha's Grace, or a different revival method.

The problem arises when we consider that we don't know on which logic this prophecy runs on. Can it be escaped by a loophole? Or is it infallible? Does the death have to be permanent?

If the death does have to be permanent, then it's most likely to be a side character, because, most of the chain has some reason to survive. The issue with prophecies like this is you never know when they've been fulfilled.

Time: Twilight is living proof he lives for a bit longer after this.

Hyrule: According to the guidebook, he has the "gift of tongues", and is destined to be a great king. So, he could potentially die of the guidebook isn't considered canon. It would also add the blood curse plot point.

Wild: TotK.

Legend: If we go by game logic, there are actually two Legends, and one is the descendant of the other, although they've been combined into one character for the sake of the comic. There's also the possibility Hyrule is his descendant. So, overall, like Hyrule, he has a reason to live, but it depends on what Jojo considers canon.

Sky: The whole royal bloodline.

Four: Temple of the Four Sword in ALttP. It's a sad ending, and although it could potentially occur on this adventure, it's highly unlikely.

Wind: Founding of the second Kingdom of Hyrule with Tetra, and it's doubtful that out of all of them, the kid will die, one of the adults is more likely.

Twilight: I saw somebody consider that the wolf in Hyrule Warriors ridden by Midna is an older Twilight, although it's not canon, if it was it would provide reason for him to live. For actual reasons though, there's also the "Wild is Twilight's descendant" theory, and he's already got the near-death trauma, so it's unlikely for him to be killed off again after he just survived this.

Warriors: I haven't played much of Hyrule Warriors, so I can't say much about him, so anyone more knowledgable than me can help with this one. I'd say that with him and Legend's sort of rivalry though, it is likely that he may have a near-death experience so that they get a moment, and make up after that, and then he tells Legend about Marin, because she appears in his game, which would be nice in my opinion.

So, all of them have reasons to survive (although some are less credible than others, and I haven't found Warriors yet). So, who could die, if not any of them? Dink. What if Dink was the one prophesied to die? If they defeat him, he'll probably die, and the Sheikah Slate just says "someone", not someone in the group. (Loophole logic). What if the whole thing was a red herring to scare us, and it's just letting us know the big bad will die in the end?

Although, that could potentially be anticlimactic, and a bit boring. So, let's say it isn't Dink. We don't really have anyone else except the postman, and Epona. And Epona better not die. The postman doesn't really seem like a likely candidate for death either. So, I'd say Dink will die, there'll be a temporary death and then a revival, or another character will be introduced and killed off.

[legendofmorons]

The chronic pain do be paining. It has caused me to wonder how the idiots™️ would respond to reader having a flare up.

Side note: please get your pain checked out if you get hurt! Don’t be me! Life isn’t meant to hurt.

-VS

I'm sorry to hear about your pain, I am familiar with the issue. But you are very right. Pain is not something to ignore.

Four

He may not understand personally but he goes out of his way to make sure you have whatever helps you most

He tries to make something to help. If the pain is in your joints he tries to make braces to help you.

If he can't make something to help he offers to take over your chores/ duties to give you a break

Will go asking Wild about ideas on how to help

Hyrule

The concept confuses him at first. You hurt- all the time? And that's- normal?

He grew up in a forest with faeries - pain was fleeting

He asks about it, gathering details, potential triggers, and what helps.

Hyrule tries to use his powers to help you, but I don't know if this would help actually.

If his powers help he's ready to use them in an instant

If they don't, he'll try to make sure you get rest and will ask for help getting you what you need if he can't do it himself.

Legend

He's a grump- but he makes sure to he less of a grump when he knows you're having a flare up.

Legend tries to see if any of his magic objects can help- they don't but he really does try.

Starts carrying an extra blanket so you have something to rest on if you need it. He tries not to make a deal of it, just quietly offering it to you when needed.

If anyone gives you shot about it he will fight them

Sky

He'll make you any mobility aids that might help (may inlist Four if they need wheels)

Sky isn't super familiar with chronic pain but he knows it's a thing people have. He also asks about how to help

Sky will let you use him as a pillow when you rest, he wants you to be comfortable

He tries to keep your favorite snacks and drinks on hand. He believes in treating yourself kindly especially when in discomfort

Time

He'll start pestering you about staying hydrated and fed during your flare-ups because he knows that sometimes people will stop eating/ drinking enough when they hurt

Offers you the oild they use on horse joints for pain (this can help depending on the issue)

Time will carry you at the drop of a hat, all you have to do is ask

He dosen’t necessarily understand the cause, but he does try to help any way he can

Twilight

He is quick to bring you hot packs or ice packs. If those don't help he'll try something else

Another one to carry you if you like

When you have a particularly bad flare-up he will come see you as Wolfie

You have free right to use Epona as a mode of transport (unless stated makes it worse, please don't hurt yourself)

Twi will tell you stories while you rest to try to distract you

Warriors

He also is familiar with the issue that chronic pain presents, wether from personal experience or from army experience is up to you

He's got a no nonsense approach to it: as in if you give any indication you're having a flarup or other issues caused by chronic pain He's having you rest

He will not let you push yourself past your limits unless you are in a life or death battle and even then he does his damndest to keep you from passing them.

If it helps he's happy to give you a massage, if not he will respect that

Warriors keeps emergencies medication, heat packs, ice packs, and snacks on him at all times. He'll happily share.

Wild

I figure he has chronic pain/ frequent issues because he was blown up and you don't just walk away without issues

He may not have the same pain but he is familiar with the concept and the way a body will often choose to punish you if you ignore the little things

Wild will find out what causes your flare-ups and try to help minimize that stimuli

Probably knows some plant medicine, and will try to use that to help you.

If the pain is in your joints or walking makes it worse he'll insist on more frequent breaks. (If you can stand be carried or riding Epona he'll implement that.)

Wild tries to help you find stretches to relieve the pain (fully understands that this is not foolproof and can make things worse)

Wind

He just starts doing for you what he does for his grandmother and those on his pirate crew.

He'll keep an eye on you and offer to help you try unconventional remedies

Has at least 4 home remedies- they may or may not work but he certainly tries

Will demand you go take a break if you try to push through a flare up (if you refuse he gets Warriors and Time to help him)

[adrift-in-thyme]

Whumptober Day 28: “We might not make it to the morning; so go on and tell me now”

Read it on Ao3

- Time/Malon

- Summary: an injured Link shows up at Lon Lon Ranch

CW for blood and injury, mentions of death and broken bones

——————————

Malon’s hands never shake.

She can’t afford for them to. Sure, there are times when they are a bit unsteady from exhaustion or stress. Sure, there are things that scare her enough to make them trembling a possibility. But in her world, when things get hairy there is only action and no time for anything else.

Now is no different. At least, that’s what she keeps telling herself. Her hands don’t tremble, even as blood oozes over them. Her thoughts don’t falter. No tears fall.

But they want to. Oh, they want to. Because this time feels so very different. She has dealt with wounded animals before and even wounded people (she will never forget the time Ingo got kicked in the leg by Epona; satisfying though it may have been after the man’s behavior, setting that bone wasn’t exactly what she would call enjoyable). Never before, however, has she held the broken body of someone she cares for quite so much.

“You’re an idiot, fairy boy,” she breathes as she presses another cloth to the gash running across her friend’s middle.

“‘m your idiot, though,” he mumbles back. Even now there is characteristic mischief peeking out from behind the exhaustion and pain straining his tone.

Malon rolls her eyes.

Link has been bleeding all over her nice, clean floors and furniture for at least five minutes now. And that’s after he rode in, slumped over Epona’s back, one hand pressed to his stomach, the other clutching the horse’s reins like a lifeline.

He had come because he had nowhere else to go, he had said when she had stepped out onto the porch, eyes wide and heart in her throat. Because he could think of nowhere else that would be safe. Where he would be accepted without hesitation.

And as she had helped him down from the saddle, as he had practically collapsed onto her arms, he had apologized. Assured her he would take care of the wound himself, if only she would provide him a place to stay. As though he were a stranger in her home and not her best friend.

“Oh, shush,” she had scolded, ushering him into the house and lowering him onto the nearest chair. “I’ll take care of everything. You just sit down.”

And meekly, he had obeyed.

Now, he watches her with a slightly dazed look, as she tries to save his life.

For that is what she is doing, really. If she doesn’t get this wound to stop bleeding soon, he’ll bleed out.

As it is, she’s afraid he won’t last the night.

She worries her bottom lip and reaches behind her for the bandages lying on the table.

“Care to tell me how this happened?” The sharp bite of fear is in her tone despite her attempts to restrain it.

And really, who cares at this point, anyway? Her fairy boy is hurt, badly. She’s allowed to be a little worried.

Link drags in an unsteady breath.

“Monster fight.”

“The usual, then.” She shakes her head, sighing. “What I wanna know is what kinda monster fight was it that got you this hurt? I don’t think you’ve ever come around looking like this before.”

Link blinks, long and slow. The blue of his eyes seems unnaturally bright. Maybe because of the light, maybe because of pain. Malon thinks it’s likely both. But it almost reminds her of that little fairy that used to follow him around.

“Did you go into a dungeon or somethin’?”

Her gaze is back on her work, now, as she ties the bandages as tightly as possible. But when he speaks she can hear something almost like guilt in his voice.

“I—” A sharp hiss, fingers fisting in the fabric of his tunic. Malon murmurs an apology, trying to ignore the way the sound is like a dagger to her heart. “I was looking for…for something.”

“Lookin’ for something huh?”

She ties off the gauzy strips of fabric now practically holding the man together and takes a moment to survey her work.

That should hold.

Now, to get that bleeding firmly under control before he passes out…or worse. She grasps the bottle of potion that she had snatched from the cupboard earlier. It’s always handy, she has found, for times when the healing power of Lon Lon milk isn’t quite up to par. Times like now.

“That had better have been one important treasure. Did you get it at least?”

A small smile lifts Link’s lips. Somehow, it doesn’t make him look any more alive. He’s too pale, too ashen. There’s too much blood, coating his tunic, coating his hands and dribbling down from his mouth and nose.

But at least he has the strength to smile. Malon is willing to appreciate small miracles.

“Yeah, I got it.”

Something in the way he says it makes her slightly suspicious. But she hardly has time to figure out why. She wipes her hands on a nearby cloth, quickly so as not to take in just how stark the crimson looks against the white. Then, she uncorks the potion bottle and gets to her feet.

Link moves trembling, crimson drenched fingers toward the bottle. But she shakes her head.

“Uh-uh. You’re weak. Let me.”

With one careful hand, she tips his chin up and holds the bottle to his lips with the other. He swallows its contents obediently.

“That should help,” she says, once he’s finished. She turns away, setting the bottle back on the table. “At the very least you won’t be bleeding everywhere anymore.”

“Thanks,” he murmurs. He sounds a bit stronger already, she thinks. But maybe she’s just fooling herself to distract from the worry currently chewing a hole in her gut.

“Anytime, fairy boy.”

Malon inspects the wound one more time, reassuring herself that it’s no longer in danger of bleeding through the bandages. Thankfully, the potion already seems to be doing its job. The bandages remain a clean, cottony white.

“Looks like you’re out of the danger zone,” she says with a sigh of relief. “But you’re gonna need some rest and a new set of clothes.”

She looks over him once more, frowning. He raises an eyebrow.

“What?”

“I’m gonna have to tend to those other wounds of yours too. I swear, you look like you let the horses trample you.”

There is a distinct twinkle in his eye now. Already, he is beginning to look a little more like himself.

“Ah, it’s a…a good look then. A seasoned adventurer kind of look.”

Her lips quirk up even as she glares at him.

“No. It’s not a good look. I thought that much was implied. And it’s the kind that gives me a heart attack.”

He grins. But it quickly turns into a grimace as she sets about cleaning a cut along his neck. Gently, she tilts her head to get a better look at it.

“Stay still, now, and let me work.”

He mumbles a tired-sounding reply. His eyes are beginning to drift closed, despite his efforts to keep them open. And as she tackles each injury, he grows closer and closer toward losing his grip on consciousness completely. But the time he is cleaned up and she has managed to help him fumble into one of Talon’s spare tunics he is practically asleep.

“There,” she murmurs, setting aside the bowl of water and multiple cloths that she had used. They tinge the water pink. “Feelin a little better now?”

She knows that she is. The terror of earlier has abated somewhat, every steady breath, every beat of his heart convincing her that the danger is gone. At least, for now.

For now, her fairy boy is safe. For now, her hands don’t shake.

He hums, sleepily. His gaze is trained on the fireplace now, seemingly mesmerized by the flames dancing there. But when she drapes a blanket over him he drags his gaze up to meet hers.

“Hey, Mal.”

“Yeah?”

“I…I think I’m in love with you.” He frowns, thought obviously a difficult task at the moment. “No…know I am.”

Malon stops short, edges of the blanket still clutched in her suddenly shaky hands. A short bark of laughter escapes, a bit louder than she means it to be.

“I think you’ve lost a little bit too much blood.”

“‘m fine,” he retorts, scowling. “Malon ‘m serious. I love you.”

Shaking her head, she tucks the blanket up around his chin and presses a quick kiss to his cheek.

“Alright, fairy boy. It’s time for you to get some sleep. We can pick up this conversation in the morning.”

His scowl becomes decidedly pouty, though he has little choice but to comply. His eyes slip closed, breath beginning to even out.

By the time, Malon has cleaned up the gory mess (she never wants to see this much blood again, especially not from him), and put away her tools, he is long gone. She allows herself a moment to gaze at him, slumbering peacefully, face illuminated by the flickering flames. He is less pale now and with the blood gone he looks more human. Younger, more like himself.

Reaching out, she rubs her thumb on his cheek, a smile playing on her lips.

“I love you too, Link.”

[batrogers]

Don't Touch My Brother

Fanfic written for @queering-the-chain, alternate prompt "standing up to hate."

Rated T for moderate violence and harassment, approx. 1000 words.

Also on AO3

IIII

They were in Wild’s Hyrule, which was at least extremely distinct: the stables were a bit surprised to see a group like theirs, but it was workable and the area was usually more than safe enough for them to camp outside. They had a whole area near the river to use, which put Link’s teeth on edge: he was still getting used to how much everyone trusted water. Back home, it was at best contaminated and liable to make you sick. At worst, something would sneak out and eat you.

‘Something’, Link thought, and laughed under his breath. That ‘something’ was Zora, which seemed to be a game of chance, which of them thought of them as people and which hostile animals. He’d never quite figured out if they were mixing up species or not yet....

Still, the stable seemed confident in the river’s stability and Link set his jaw and walked off to find Wild again. If they were going to keep winding up by river’s like this, he really did need to learn how to swim.

Wild wasn’t that far. He’d settled down by the communal cookpot again, but apparently he’d gotten cornered while he did so. Link didn’t want to cause them any problems, but still – he meant it, about asking, and the others had gotten distracted by the dozen little chores of settling in: Twilight, with Epona, Time and Warriors talking to the other travellers, Sky and Legend with laundry, and Four and Wind with whatever teenagers did to stay calm.

Well. Normal teenagers.

For his part, Link pulled out some of his own work: doing his best to repair his last doll, destroyed in the Dollmaker’s courtyard a little over a week ago now. So recently? He thought, and considered what other scraps he could use to patch the hole in the side. He had options from old damaged tunics, and he flipped through the bag in his lap.

Across the fire, he could hear Wild and the other man talk – well. More the other man was talking, and Wild was listening. Perhaps better phrased, he was ignoring him.

“You showed up here with a group, didn’t you? They looked like nothing much,” the man said. “Are they making you cook for them?”

Link suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. The man wasn’t paying much attention if he didn’t realize one of that group had joined them.

“C’mon, you’re a good cook. I’ll bet they don’t even care about your skill, just shovel it down. Treat it like its worthless. Why do you bother?”

Link watched Wild’s mouth tighten, but he kept silent still, eyes fixed on the pot in front of him and stirring quietly. He was upset; Link could see that much, but he wasn’t sure why he hadn’t yet told the man to back off. He might’ve just been being polite, and if that was the case...

Did Wild even realize Link had joined him? He was so tense.

But was he keeping silent on purpose?

“Does that really need that much attention?” the guy continued. He got up, then, and reached out—

Link’s hand was on his sword at about the same moment Wild whirled and cracked the spoon in his hand into the man’s arm.

“Don’t touch me,” Wild snarled. “For fuck’s sake!”

Link saw the moment the man realized he’d made a mistake, but he didn’t quite realize which one until he’d lashed out and punched Wild in the face.

“What the fuck do you go dressed like a girl for?” the man snarled. “You fucking tricked me—”

He shut up when Link’s hand hit his throat. Link stopped, braced with his nails dug into his skin for several long seconds until he let go and let the man drop to the ground, wheezing for breath and – Link knew – dizzy.

Dizzy because he’d been about three seconds from holding on long enough he didn’t get back up.

“Don’t fucking touch me or my brother again,” Link hissed. “I don’t care what mistakes you made; that’s on you, not him. Maybe if you didn’t chat up anyone pretty and silent you wouldn’t feel this humiliated when they turned you down.”

The man scrambled back to his feet, several steps further back from where he’d hit the ground and spat at Link’s feet.

“Keep your whore,” he snarled. “Fucking—”

“If you finish that statement, I’ll cut out your tongue,” Link said, loudly, hearing Time and Warrior’s footsteps move from wood to sand.

“What happened?” Warriors snapped.

The man tried to start walking back, skirting them at the fire as it to go towards the stable, and Warriors unsheathed his sword without another word. He pointed it at the man’s chest.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“My things are inside.”

“Then you can come get them later tonight,” Warriors said. “Get lost.”

Link watched the man throw another small fit before he walked off, then turned and smiled tiredly at Warriors. “Thanks.”

“What happened?”

“He got mad when he realized Wild was a guy.”

Warriors spun, still furious, and Link went to check on the food, because as much as Wild was protesting to Time he was fine, it was just a bruise... Link could see he was shaking. He swallowed hard, and wished he’s stepped in sooner but. He hadn’t known. He waited until Time let Wild sit down again before he asked,

“How many times has that happened?”

Wild shot him a dirty look and sat back in place. He didn’t answer, and that was answer enough for Link. He sighed, but – there was no point arguing. He looked up, and Time and Warriors seemed to realize it, too. Without asking, they took seats around the fire, and Link forced a smile.

“I came over to ask if you’d teach me to swim, after we eat,” he said, and the tension slowly faded from Wild’s shoulders. “If you’d like?”

“...Alright,” Wild agreed, but he gained a little more confidence – a little more sure that they meant it, and the matter was done. “I can do that, sure.”

“I should probably learn too,” Warriors said, and the last of the unease faded away.

It was over, for now, and Link hoped it didn’t have to come up again.

[luimagines]

You Steal his Clothes Part 2

Masterlist

Part 1

Part two will include Wind, Four and Hyrule.

Content under the cut!

Wind

Wind didn’t notice anything wrong for the longest time. With his bag being carried by Epona now, he didn’t even realize when it had gotten light. Maybe he had just gotten stronger with all the training the other boys had been giving him?

He flexes at the thought of it. Aryll would be so proud of him! His grandma too. He’ll be able to help out more with fixing the house if he can get even stronger.

Wind straps his sword to his back and proudly continues his march with the rest of the group.

He doesn’t think there’s anything wrong until he can hear you giggle suspiciously behind him. Maybe you’re talking to one of the guys and they’re messing with you or telling jokes and dumb stories. They always liked to makes sure you’re in high spirits. Something about you makes them all protective.

Even if Wind is aware he does something similar to the older boys, it’s suddenly ok and encouraged even, when you’re the recipient instead.

Curious to see what’s got you so giggly, Wind turns around, ready to comment on the laughter when he stops. His ankle is pinned at a weird angle and it crumbles under his weight. 

He falls over.

You see him and skip over to where he is. You adjust the very familiar green hat on your head and the green tunic over your body. “You ok, Wind?”

You’re grinning like the cat that caught the canary. Wind knows that look. And Wind knows that outfit! It’s his!

“I didn’t think it would fit you.” Wind blurts instead, feeling a slight blush spread over his nose and across his cheeks. It’s the hero’s outfit. the one his grandma made for him when he came of age. The one he had his first adventure in. Frankly, he’s just out grown it. That’s why he isn’t wearing it anymore.

Not to mention it’s not the most comfortable thing to wear but you don’t seem bothered by it.

“I didn’t either.” You spread your arms out and do a little twirl. Wind gulps and pushes himself up. Cute. You look cute. “It’s a good thing you have the belt too!”

“....Wait, were you looking through my bag?” Wind raises an eyebrow as he gets back to his feet.

You seem to stall at this. You shrink back and smile nervously. “Not exactly. I was looking for the fairies you said to get for Time, remember? I found it then. And well... It fits me. I didn’t think it would.”

“I forgot I had it.” Wind reaches forward to tug at the sleeve of the under shirt and the tunic itself. It fits you well. It fits you really well actually.

“What do you think?” You wink and strike a pose. “Am I a hero yet?”

Wind snorts. “You don’t need an outfit to be a hero.”

“Link says otherwise.” You cross your arms and pout. Wind has to fight the urge to poke your cheek. Your words however, strike something in him.

“Which Link?” He frowns, and turns to track down the majority of the group. “I’ll get him to shut up. You’re a hero too.”

You blink, not expecting his fierce attitude. “...All of them.” You tilt your head innocently. “Haven’t you realized that you all some sort of uniform? Wild says he was the only one who didn’t go through his trials with this kind of outfit... But then he got one later on after going through a lot of shrines... whatever that means.”

Wind pauses, only a split second from walking off in a rage. He looks back to you. “Really?...What’s a shrine?”

“I don’t know.” You shrug. “But he says they were some that were easier than others to complete. something about them made him stronger. After going through all them he got his own green tunic...with shorts.”

Wind groans. “Shorts would have been awesome to have when I was home.” He points to his tunic. “Humidity and those pants do not mix.”

You laugh. Wind thinks that maybe you can wear it for a little longer then. It’s not like he’s using it.

Four

Four thought he was about to go crazy. Granted it wasn’t the biggest problem in the world, especially when put into comparison with what the group is currently dealing with. But it was annoying.

And yet- of course this happened to him. The one thing he needed for the sake of convenience and it’s gone. Great. Fantastic. It’s just like him to lose it. It was only a matter of time.

His headband was missing. Now he was going to have to deal with his hair in his face until he could either salvage some cloth from some unsuspecting sap that left their clothes for ruin- or he could buy a ribbon the next they went into town.

To be completely honest, he’s not entirely fond of the latter.

He has a few ribbons for formal purposes but for everyday use? Where he’s sweating and working and fighting? It ends being grosser and more trouble than it’s worth.

He groans and end up shoving his stuff into his bag again after taking everything out with more force than necessary. Every other item is paired with Four forcibly moving his hair back, only for it to gradually fall back in front of his face.

Four won’t voice it (with words, he plans on groaning and griping until he can get a decent replacement) but this probably the worst thing to happen to him. He’d take being stabbed over having his hair all over the place.

He throws open the door, flips his hair and makes his way through the inn towards the others.

He huff and tosses his bag over his shoulder and tries to come up with a solution. He bumps into you and curses.

You jump and look at him. “Oh! Good morning!”

Four rubs his head where it got hit the worst and huffs again. “Hello.”

“Bad morning?”

“Something like that. I’m missing my-” Four looks up and pauses. The cogs in his brain take a little while to process what he’s seeing. You’re sleeves are rolled up and you’re wearing an apron. There’s flour on it. There’s also flour on your face. Your hair is held back by-

Four points to it. “...That’s mine.”

You flush and shrink back. “Sorry. I just saw it laying around. I knew it looked familiar. But I couldn’t figure it out where I saw it. Um... ”

You look down at your hands, which are covered in more flour and a bit of dough from what Four can see. As much as he wants it back he doesn’t want you to get dough of all things in your hair just to get it back. He sighs. “Why are you covered in flour?”

You brighten a little bit. “Wild was going to show me how to make bread. It’s why I needed my hair back.”

“Hair in bread isn’t good.” He agrees.

You bite your lip. “Do you mind if I hold onto it a little bit more? And then I’ll give it right back, I promise!”

Four raises an eyebrow and looks you up and down again. You look cute if he’s being honest with himself. And the headband isn’t lost and he trust you to keep your word. Besides, it’s not like it’s going to take forever.

He nods. “Aright. Have fun. Don’t get too messy.”

“I think it’s a bit late for that.” You admit with a small grimace.

Four snorts and walks away. Maybe he’ll stop by town to get a few new ribbons anyway. You should have your hair back more often, he thinks. And why not have it be with something nice for a change? Besides, it’ll stop you from stealing his headband. Which his main reason. Nothing else.

Hyrule

Hyrule was searching though the basket that Twilight has just brought back from the cleaning rack. He knew he had given his under shirt for him to wash and well... he’d like to have it back very much.

He continues to search without much look and he groans loud enough to catch the Captain’s attention. Warrior looks over and snatches his own shirt from the pile before they succumb to the wrinkles Hyrule no doubt gave them. “Didn’t find what you’re looking for?”

Hyrule turns and leans backwards, falling onto his butt and putting his hands behind him. “I lost my shirt.”

Warrior snorts. “I think Twilight lost your shirt. Just ask him where he put it if it’s not in the basket.”

“Good idea!” Hyrule throws himself to his feet and dashes through the camp, leaving the rumpled clothes behind for Warrior to fix before someone notices.

Hyrule looks high and low for the Rancher, finding him by the edge of the camp. He makes himself run faster and “taps” the other boy on the shoulder. It’s closer to a punch but Hyrule is more than a little frazzled to notice. “Twilight I’m looking for-”

He sees you.

You’re sitting with your legs crossed on the log in front of them, having been talking to Twilight before he interrupted you both. Hyrule knew he was on the skinny side. His shirt was a bit baggy on him but it was fine and it played it’s part well.

On you on the other hand. Well you filled it out better than he ever would have been able to. It accentuated your body perfectly. Hyrule could feel his jaw drop at the sight of you. It looks like you had just come back from a bath. Your hair was wet.

Twilight taps Hyrule on the shoulder to get his attention again. “Traveler? You were looking for something?”

“That.” Hyrule points to you. “Is my shirt.”

You blink and flush deliciously. ”Oh... Well my clothes still have to be washed. I thought they would have been done by the time I had finished but-”

“And someone didn’t tell me to do theirs first so these things could be avoided.” Twilight shifts the blame away from him.

You huff and shift your legs down. Hyrule realizes that you’re not wearing your pants either. Just his under shirt to cover yourself.

You say something to Twilight to defend yourself but Hyrule finds himself looking down your legs anyway. It’s not even subtle.

“KeEp iT!” Hyrule forces himself to look away before you notice. And he’s very happy and lucky that neither you or Twilight call him out on his very manly voice crack. “I can wait. I think it’s looks better- I mean I think it works better in for favor this way. It’s not like it’s going to take forever.”

You stand, making it harder for Hyrule to keep his eyes where they belong. “Really? It���s not like I asked you, Hyrule. I could... I should just give this back.”

Hyrule shakes his head frantically and takes a step back. “It’s fine. You’re fine. You’re very fine, actually. I’m just... I’m going... to wait. Over there.”

Hyrule turns on his heel and pointedly looks away from you. His shirt rides a bit shorter on you than on him. that’s not something he wants to entertain right now. With his face bright red and his imagination running wild, he makes his way back into the middle of the camp.

Maybe he should do what you did and head into the nearby creek. Dunking his head in cold water might fix his emotional state right now. 

He can hear you snickering.

Part 3

[layraket]

If every member of the chain got a tattoo, what do you think they all would have?

alr after like 15 min of thinking here are the ones that i personally believe that would be the chain's tattoos

First we got Wind, cuz i love him and cuz is the one that gave me most troubles lol. I feel like he would want something that reminds him of the sea, like waves (like the tattoos that i have seen in a lot of different designs) but also something that reminds him of his captain. Maybe something similar to a crown/his horns around his arm would be the most interesting thing that i can think

Now we have Four, one of my top 3 favorites! He definetly would have something that reminds of the four elements or even his four parts. Each element symbol would be on his arm with their respective color, and when he splits each color has their element on their arm. Something related to the minish could also be possible, like a trevol or something writen in minish

Dear Hyrule, definetly something related to the fae. Small fairy? possible, but also lines around his arms, like if magic was flowing around it

smth like this i dont have my tablet at hand

Legend instead of any fancy thing he would be a simple man, choosing an apple design or even a bunny (althought the apple one seems more possible) Seagulls or a hibiscus would be also interesting options

Wild would choose some kind of flower design, idk he has the vibes. Silent princesses could be the first thought, but maybe a Blue Nightshade could be more fitting, if Flora also got a tattoo she getting the silent princess and Wild the Blue Nightshade will be really fitting with what each one of these flowers mean to each other

Sky will be definetly a loftwing. Have you seen these tattoos that are people's pets? That's him. He will carry that bird even on his skin. The same with Sun, i bet that if he has enough rupees gets a tattoo of each one in both arms/legs

Twilight would choose two things, maybe even both. First off, the Ordonian symbol, and second, Twili marks. He wants a way to remember the people that raised and teached him how to be the person that he was now, and the Twili marks (think about the ones that we see on the twili people and Midna) to not forget his connection to this magic, how he walked on it and how it changed him forever, even if he was in his true form there will always be a mark. BUT this post is abt tattoos so we will jump into the next Link

Warriors could be like Legend, but a little fancy than him at least. The crest of the Knights of Hyrule would be on his arm to show his loyalty to his kingdom. Funny option is that he lost a bet with Linkle and has to get a tattoo of a cucco, idk i found it funny

And lastly, we have Time! The same as Hyrule he would get a small blue fairy, but also a horseshoe referencing Epona or even the ranch with Malon. If we go with a modern context he definetly would have something related to the Fierce Deity, but. well. in canon these are already there.

I had fun thinking on these!

[majorproblems77]

Sacred Realm updated! :D

New chapter new ramble here I am!

Sacred realm has returned with Chapter 4, named The hearald and the gorons, (Considering we start by climbing death mountain this brings me joy.

I'll get the important stuff done, This is done with permission from @zelda-the-sacred-realm, and all art from the comics belongs to the comic artist.

The link to the comic can be found here! Go give it some love it's expertly done! :D

Now, grab some popcorn and a drink, sit down someplace comfortable and have fun!

Lets go!

It absolutely must be said the backgrounds of this comic never cease to amaze me at how detailed they are. I low key almost feel as cold as it looks there. It's damn incredible.

Oh man i love him so much he's so sweet

He's just a curious little bab

Time really do be >:(

Name drop! :D Huzzah!

Link you innocent bean

Is that who i think it is?

checks notes

IT IS

Okay okay okay Time to do my research. I'll go into it more when we get through the panels with him in.

This is so sweet, Interesting that he knew Twi when he was alive. (Note the lack of fun yellow glow that the other spirits have)

Calling him master. Considering what we know from twilight princess and the hero of time and the hero of twilight this makes a bunch of sense.

Oh he's so pretty

So from my understanding of Twilight's lore, He sees time as a mentor (Hence calling him master.) Twilight seems to be alive here, so i would say that this is either during his actual adventure or just after it, meaning that the area we see around them must be Twilight's time.

(Also Epona beloved)

OH MY GOD HE DID IT THE HERO

WE GOT A TIME BOOP IN COMIC IT IS CANON NOW

link will 100% do it again, maybe even Twilight will get involved.

Trying to decipher what Sky was saying here was fun, also Sky being protective of Link gives me life okay

Sky truly is the best

God these enemies are so cool!

The cinnamon roll needs assistance, is that why he's in orange? Cause he's a little cinnamon roll?

(New headcanon you can't stop me)

Save him

SKYYYYYY

Protective Sky is the best Sky alright

He's so cool!

But the lines I assume are from the spirit barrier from before. Like he's fighting the barrier to be here? Is this gonna hurt Sky to do this? It looks like he's struggling.

I'm going to assume he can't keep this up forever and this is a last resort move.

And Time knowing Sky?! Hello? Makes me wonder if the spirits have been in contact like this.

But I've got a theory about this

I think Time may have not been the only one to aid Twilight. Hence why he knows Sky.

I dont have much to base this on right now but I'm hoping we will see more about this in the next chapter so I can elaborate on this further.

Also look at Link grabbing Time's scarf like he's a toddler, the little question marks are just so adorable and I love this man okay.

Okay, I think thats everything! Thank you so much for hanging out with me as I go through this comic and yell about my faves and the cinnamon roll that is this iteration of link.

And thanks again to the artist for letting me do this!

Hope you have a wonderful day! :D

[ofcowardiceandkings]

Hi! I really enjoyed the LoZ Pokémon <3

If Link's Lycanroc is a shiny, did you think about shiny colors for the other Pokémon too? Can we see? :D

:'> ahh thanku so much 💙💙

i did for some of them because it kind of helped my thought process but i hadn't done the recolours yet 👀

WHY NOT i'll do it now

while i was there i went n did the vanilla rowlet & whimsicott because they have good colours too and it finished the sheet ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Skiddo's ordon goat / straw palette have gone back to meadow green with white goat colours; Marshtomp is no longer "hot-footed" but ... the sticky frog which are very aesthetic imo; Minun & Plusle's OG shinies are barely noticeable so i went Lorule with this, dark purple instead of cream; Lycanroc as seen in Link's team! this one based on Wolf Link's palette matched really well with the other Lycanroc shinies; Rapidash got stormy rather than misty for this one, subtle but i think it works thematically!

Link's Fakemon shinies!

the base Shaowing line were coloured after the crimson loftwing so i went with the blue/purples of Zelda's for the shiny - and the "belts" have been shifted a colour over. not much esle to say it was part of the Choice I Made at the beginning lmao

I didn't REALLY think about the Epona pokemon's alternative colours ngl but honestly a good pale buckskin never hurt anyone lol, maybe leaning a little more into the fairy typing ?? i did think a bit about basing it on one of the other repeating game horses like a white royal or a spooky ganon horse but honestly this is a vibe, and the other Lon Lon Horses are a more saturated version of this

aaand for Zelda's fakemon !

i had also always planned on the Ryunai shinies being Light Dragon adjacent, but getting the prevolutions to look alright and make logical sense gave me a HEADACHE, i think she looks good though ;3;

and the other one i didnt plan for lol ... it took me a loooot of aimless recolouring to land here but it makes sense i think; if the original Accipion line are coloured to look like the Champions' clothing of bright blue / gold / red, then the shiny can be Royal Guard inspired !! uuuh i actually really like these ngl lmfao it took a while but yessss (.... these should be the normal really huh ... maybe the champion colours are the shiny ........ makes u thonk)

i hope you enjoyed and they lived up to expectations !! 💙💙

original post here 💙

[skyloftian-nutcase]

I know this isn't part of the prompts thing technically, but I was wondering about your opinion on this:

Ordonian Folktales: The Tale of the Stáblad & the Twisted Capaill

It's just a folktale I thought up to try & flesh out the culture of Ordon a bit is all.

I'd really like to see something on Twilight telling the story to the other Links, but again I understand if you don't. Perhaps with Twilight as the blorbo & horseshoes as the item if you're willing to stretch the prompt a bit?

If all I can get is your opinion/critique on it or even just a polite, "sorry, not doing it." Then, I'm more than okay with that.

So, yeah. If you're not feeling up for it, that's fine.

Twilight watched Warriors take an all too eager swig from his flask. He ignored it once, twice, thrice as he scraped some caked in mud out of his Epona's horseshoes. Then he noted, "You know, there's a tale in Ordon about a stable boy who liked to drink too much."

Warriors glanced at him in profile, eyes simultaneously teasing and curious. "Oh? Are you going to impart some country wisdom on me?"

Sky burst out laughing, his cheeks far too flushed. "But you two only got Courage from the Triforce!"

Twilight gingerly reached over and plucked the bottle out of Sky's hands. "That's definitely enough for you."

Time sipped his own flask slowly. "Go on, rancher."

Watching Warriors in particular, Twilight explained, "A stable boy used to steal moonshine from his boss. Never owned up to it, always enjoying getting drunk and having fun. One day he had to hide the stash from his boss, and he panicked, dunking it into the water trough. The boss' prized horse drank it and started to dance."

"Dancing horses is fun!" Wind piped in.

"Yeah, but she fell and broke her legs. They had to put her down to end her suffering." Twilight continued.

Wild's head shot up. "I don't like this story."

Warriors sighed. "Yes, yes, slovenly drunkenness is bad. We all can see the lesson here."

"The stable boy didn't own up to it, though," Twilight continued. "So the horse god punished him by turning him into a horse."

Sky hummed, eyes wide with wonder. "I want to turn into a loftwing."

Twilight laughed, reaching over and pulling the younger hero to him in a side hug. "You're a mess."

"Stuck as a horse forever, huh," Legend yawned, laying on his back and stargazing. "Kind of a nice amount of freedom to that."

"Oh, no, it doesn't end there," Twilight continued. "The next stable boy had the same vice and made the same mistake. When the first boy drank out of the trough, he danced and broke his legs as well. But he confessed his crimes before they could put him down, and for that he was transformed back."

Warriors finished off his drink, leaning against a rock. "Well. For starters. I wouldn't steal alcohol. I can just buy it."

Hyrule barked out a laugh. Twilight rolled his eyes.