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Breath of the Sky Ch 15 (Skyward Sword meets BotW)
Summary: When Princess Zelda goes to the Spring of Courage to pray, accompanied by her appointed knight, a giant magical cog spitting out a goddess is the last thing she expects, but it is what she gets. Meanwhile, the Spirit Maiden Zelda is trying to figure out what the heck is happening and where her missing chosen hero is.
Skyward Sword meets Breath of the Wild pre-calamity, and it changes everything.
Chapter 15: The Champions
Zelda couldnât sleep.
She and Link had eventually made their way indoors for the night, getting lost for what felt like an eternity before royal guards escorted them back to their room. The bed had been a welcoming sight, and Link had immediately fallen asleep, but ZeldaâŚ
She just couldnât. It was like her first night on the Surface all over again. She was filled with so many thoughts and feelings, with the certainty of massive change on the horizon, with the dread of facing a horrific foe once more, with the excitement of an adventure. She recalled she hadnât slept her first night on the Surface, either.
Sighing, she eventually gave up. Link didnât notice as she slid out of bed. She hesitated as she moved towards the door. She didnât want the guards to see her, to question her. She just wanted to move without causing a gigantic fuss. She looked back towards the window, which was now boarded after Link had broken it a few nights ago, and she smiled.
It didnât take much to pry the wood away, and Link was a heavy enough sleeper that he didnât stir. Zelda grabbed her sailcloth and jumped.
The cool night air was a blessing, the openness a reprieve to her caged anxieties. Her bare feet touched down on soft grass, and she sighed as she walked through one of the castleâs many gardens. Crickets chirped alongside countless nighttime birds (and oh how she wished she could see them all â nights on Skyloft were far different than on the Surface), a gentle caress to her mind as she finally felt her muscles relax.
Zelda felt strangely alone all of a sudden. In the past, she used to pray when she was unsure. Now that⌠wellâŚ
Perhaps the Golden Three could still listen. Surely they would, right? Even if she was still a little mad, even if her memories did make her question them a bit (they hadnât helped they never helped me when I struggled against himâ).
Zelda remembered there were benches littered all over these gardens, and so she sought one out. Fireflies glimmered in the air, always just out of reach, making her smile as they illuminated her way. When one glowed near a dark silhouette, she paused, eyes widening a moment, and then crept a little closer from behind it.
The silhouette was very still, but she could see the person breathing, the strong shoulders belaying that it was a man, the smaller figure making her think maybe it was a young one. But his hair was familiar, his posture perfect⌠was it Champion? He looked a little bigger than him, though.
The man turned, hearing her despite how quiet she was trying to be, his blue eyes barely visible, though the sharp look they held was still apparent. It softened immediately in recognition, though, and the man stood, turned to face her fully, and genuflected.
Zelda initially felt frustrated at being noticed, but once she recognized him it wasnât nearly as awful. The man looked a little different, dressed down as he was in a simple black tunic and pants, and he wasnât wearing the hat the royal knights wore; his golden blonde hair was what made her notice him in the first place.
Wow, he really did look like Champion. Weird.
âHi,â she greeted a little awkwardly, her voice quiet.
âYour Grace,â he acknowledged.
Well⌠now what? Zelda sighed. âYou can get up. And sit on the bench if you want. I was going to sit down too.â
The knight rose, motioning towards the bench with his hand as he stepped back. âPlease make yourself comfortable, Your Grace.â
Zelda smiled, approaching and plopping down, patting the space beside her. âOnly if you join me.â
The knight watched her silently for a moment, face carefully neutral (just like Champion⌠she was beginning to notice a lot of similarities between the two), eyes alight with different thoughts, before obeying. He moved cautiously, hesitantly, as if he should spring to his feet and ready himself for a fight in an instant. There was no air of hostility, though â bemusement and anxiety were the better words, and Zelda almost laughed at it.
âI feel like itâs a little late for you to be out,â Zelda noted with a small smile. âDo you ever sleep? I swear youâre everywhere.â
âI am the captain of the royal guard, Your Grace. Itâs my duty to know everything and be everywhere.â He answered before shifting uncomfortably. âI⌠beg Your Graceâs forgiveness for being so underdressed. It is, as you said, admittedly late, and I am⌠not currently on duty.â
âItâs okay,â she reassured him. âIâm not dressed properly either.â
At least she was just in a nightgown and not wearing her dress backwards like with that other Impa. Good grief.
The knight remained pointedly quiet and neutral, eyes looking ahead. Zelda waved dismissively, remembering how horrified the princess had been at being caught in casual attire in her bedroom. âI donât care that youâre dressed down, or that I am. Really. I donât know what it means in this culture, but to my people itâs not really a big deal. I mean, I wouldnât go out like this but still. Itâs not, like⌠the end of the world or something.â
When she got no acknowledgement, she pressed on, âWhat are you doing out here, though?â
The knight sighed. âI was⌠checking on someone.â
âAre they okay?â
âHe is, Your Grace.â
Zelda tilted her head to the side, growing a little exasperated, but still enjoying the manâs company. Even though conversing was somewhat akin to pulling teeth, he still had a calming presence. She listened to the crickets for a while, looking out at nothing in particular before her eyes settled on the machines that the princess had talked about. They were deactivated right now, quietly resting up ahead.
âIs the person out here?â she asked.
âNo, Your Grace,â the captain answered. âHeâs asleep in the barracks. I just⌠check on him sometimes. And I come here to clear my mind. Itâs too quiet to spar now.â
âFunny,â Zelda said with a chuckle. âI came here to clear my mind too.â
The knight glanced at her, though despite the obvious curiosity in his eyes, he didnât question her. Zelda⌠appreciated it.
And, somehow, it opened the floodgates in her heart. âEveryone expects me to know everything, to have a solution to all the problems going on right now, and I just⌠donât. I came here blind, I just⌠wanted to find Link, IâŚâ
She trailed off, hugging herself and sighing heavily. âIâm going to help. I promise that. I want to help kill Demise, I want to protect everyone here. I just wish⌠there was a plan, you know? I mean, there is a plan, but the Triforce doesnât even factor into it, and that was how I killed him last time, and⌠do you know anything about the Triforce? You said it was your job to know everything.â
As she glanced at the knight once more, she found him staring at her. His eyebrows were a little raised, and just a smidge closer to each other, but those were the biggest signs of his reactions, tempered by his valiant effort to remain stoic.
Zelda huffed. âYou remind me of Champion.â
The captain grew even more confused, and she clarified, âLink. Your Hero of Hyrule.â
There was a pause, a moment where the captain simply continued to stare, before he let out a little exhale through his nose, a smile ghosting his lips, and he took a steadying breath and looking away.
âDo you know him well?â Zelda asked. âHeâs so quiet, itâs hard to get to know him. But heâs very sweet.â
âI know him fairly well, Your Grace,â the knight answered quietly before continuing, âAs for your question of the Triforce, Iâm afraid I will fail you on this matter. I beg your pardon, but I know very little of the item, aside from its symbolism.â
âWhat symbolism?â Zelda questioned, desperate for any scrap of information she could get.
âThe Triforce was some sort of powerful item used by the royal family,â the knight explained, eyes gazing towards his hands, which were clasped in his lap. âI donât know what it was used for, specifically, but only that it helped them protect Hyrule. But the power of the goddess also protects Hyrule. The Triforce just appears in art and architecture now. I donât even know specifically what it was used for in the past.â
âIt was used to defeat Demise,â Zelda immediately said. âLink used it. My Link, that is. He destroyed the calamity with it.â
The cricketsâ songs filled the air, and Zelda grew tired, not wanting to ponder the issue, emotions too raw from her fight with Link earlier in the day, from her revelation with the king, from all of it. âSo you came out here for some peace of mind? Iâm sorry I disturbed it.â
âI⌠please, donât apologize, Your Grace, you didnât disturb anything.â The knight stumbled over himself to appease her, stiffening a little as he looked at her once more.
âWhat were you doing, then?â
âI, umâI wasââ he cut himself off, shifting, eyes looking between her and anywhere else. Zelda grew genuinely curious now, tilting her head to the side, waiting for him to explain himself. âI was, uh, p-praying, Your Grace.â
Oh. That was why it was awkward. âUh⌠well, if itâs any consolation, I didnât hear it.â
Zelda realized how bad that sounded, remembered how poorly the king took that information, and she hastily added, âBut likeâI canât hear it, I mean Iâmâlook, Iâm not Hylia, I mean I was, but Iâm not now, andââ
This was getting worse the more she tried to explain it, but the knight at least didnât look outright horrified like the king had. Instead, he looked almost relieved. âYour Grace⌠forgive my curiosity, butâŚâ
âPlease,â Zelda encouraged him, facing him fully. âPlease just ask, itâs okay, I promise. Iâm a normal person, I swear.â
âYour Grace is⌠Hylia, but not?â the knight questioned, looking genuinely confused.
âYeah,â Zelda answered. âLook, IâHylia died, long ago. She died fighting the calamity. Or, well, she was dying, andâDemiseâGanon mortally wounded meâI mean her, but she sealed him away. IâHylia decided to be reborn in mortal flesh, because I knew the seal wouldnât last, and sheâshe became me. But Iâm also just a normal girl, born and raised on Skyloft, training to be a knight. Make sense?â
âDoes Your Grace⌠remember being Hylia?â
âYeah, mostly,â Zelda answered, rising and hugging herself. âItâs a little⌠Iâm still sorting it out.â
âI suppose⌠you eventually will, Your Grace,â the captain said a little reassuringly. âYouâre remembered and revered to this day, after all.â
âTime travel sure is a funny thing,â Zelda noted with a weak laugh. âSorry to dump all that on you, but⌠thanks for listening.â
Goddesses, it felt amazing just to say that, to know somebody actually listened to her instead of assuming everything. She smiled genuinely, wanting to hug the man, and then remembered abruptly, âOh gosh, I donât even know your name! Iâm so sorry. Iâm Zeldaâwell, you already knew that, butâI mean youâre calling me byâitâs okay. Yeah.â
The captain watched her with obvious uncertainty before he tried to get himself together. Then he said, âMy name is Abel.â
âCaptain AbelâŚâ Zelda said carefully, trying to memorize the name. She was usually pretty good with names, though it was really hard to say one way or another considering she hardly ever met anyone new until her journey. But then she smiled, filled with energy and relief, and she dashed forward to hug him. âThanks for listening.â
XXX
The castle looked strangely⌠empty. Every time he looked outside one of the cavernous windows, he saw something different. Sometimes it was rivers of lava, their heat making the air swim in ways heâd never seen until going to the Surface. Sometimes, it was a field with strange four-legged animals grazing peacefully. Other times it was islands amidst endless water, like the Lanayru Sea before it had dried up.
He didnât know what to make of any of it.
The castle hallway he was in never seemed to end, though. But he could still hear familiar sounds in the air, a magical hum that he knew intimately, a growl from beneath him, light and dark swirling in strange arrays, like bits of cloud floating through the air.
When he finally reached where the hallway seemed to terminate, he realized it was simply a dead end. He was suddenly surrounded by stone walls, and he wanted nothing more than to claw his way out and see the open sky again.
But he wasnât alone.
His successor stood there at the end, holding a torch, watching him silently. His face was stony, eyes piercing, stance broad and strong. Fi was strapped securely to his back, humming.
Link took a hesitant step back, unsure what this meant, what to do.
The flames on the torch flickered and rippled as if blown by a breeze. Then the flames extinguished entirely, drowning Link in darkness. He felt his breath quicken, and he took a startled step away, but then suddenly the torch was lit again, andâ
Someone different was holding it. Another teenager, though this one was a dirty blonde, hair stained nearly brunette, shorter and messier. He wore clothes that looked like Linkâs own uniform, albeit with some modifications and in a darker shade of green. His own expression was more severe than the championâs, eyes discerning.
Link tried to ask who he was, but he found he couldnât speak. He clutched at his throat, and then his chest, trying to figure out why the words wouldnât come out. He started to panic.
Another figure stepped out from behind this new one. Another dressed in green, with lighter blonde hair, and then another, and thenâ
Was that Link?
Amidst the crowd, he saw himself walk to the front, looking worn thin, clothes tattered and oversized for his ragged frame.
Fi chimed again. Link backed up until he hit a wall. When had there been a wall behind him?!
Arms encircled him, and he balked, trying to push them off. They were strong, but they were gentle, a caress and hug rather than a choking hold. Feathers floated in the air, white and airy, promising the sky and freedom and home.
âItâll be okay, my dove,â a voice whispered in his ear.
Zelda?!
âLink. Link.â
Link twisted as best he could to find her. She sounded so far away all of a sudden.
âLink?â
Linkâs eyes snapped open with a gasp. He was in the castle room, the large bed nearly swallowing him whole, wrapped in multiple blankets. He glanced around to see Zelda sitting beside him, hovering over him.
âAre you okay?â she asked worriedly, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Link rubbed his face, trying to slow his heart rate. One weird dream was just a weird dream, but this was the second nightmare like this. Just likeâŚ
He had a bad feeling about this.
âIâm fine,â he lied.
Zelda watched him a moment longer, certainly not believing it, and sighed. âYouâre a terrible liar.â
Link huffed. âYou really are pushy when it comes to me, arenât you?â
Zelda poked him, and he yelped in protest. âBecause I love you, ding dong! Tell me whatâs wrong!â
Link groaned, collapsing back into the pillows and pulling the blanket over his head. The bed shifted, and Link distinctly felt Zelda crawl under the blankets to wiggle up to him and get in his face again. He laughed, unable to really be grumpy about it anymore, and she giggled too.
âIt was a nightmare,â he sighed, but waved it off dismissively, in good spirits. âBut Iâm okay.â
Zelda hummed a little, pushing the blankets off both of them and sitting up. Then she brightened. âWell, this might help get your mind off it â I asked Captain Abel to teach us how to ride a horse!â
Link blinked, confused. âWhoâs Captain Abel? Whatâs a horse? Itâs not even sunrise yet!â
âCaptain Abel is that royal guard we keep running into! He guided us out of Castle Town that night we were exploring,â Zelda explained. âAnd horses are big four-legged animals that people ride here, like we ride loftwings. Except they canât fly.â
âWhatâs the point, then?â Link asked, raising an eyebrow.
âTheyâre cute enough,â Zelda shrugged. âAnd since there arenât loftwings here, I guess they have to get around somehow.â
Link swallowed, feeling a little sad at the remark that there were no loftwings. He couldnât imagine life without this crimson companion. But he was certainly curious to see what a horse was, and he felt almost kind of eager to see that guard (at least now he knew his name⌠assuming he remembered it) â something about the man was reassuring in all this insanity. He'd certainly appreciated the guard's help earlier in the day.
Link smiled, following his beloved out of bed as the pair quickly dressed in their knight uniforms and ran outside.
XXX
Princess Zelda paced her room somewhat anxiously. Sheâd planned this trip meticulously, hoping everything would work out, sending letters to multiple locations in anticipation of their arrival. Sheâd arranged for all the provisions required for such a journey with the entourage they would be bringing, and she tried to be considerate of all the races and not offend anyone in her chosen destinations and guests. It was exhausting.
Worst of all, though⌠âOh, but what if somehow Her Grace is unhappy with it all?â
Her friend and advisor, Impa, huffed a little, staring out the window. âBelieve me, Her Grace is quite capable of acting like any other person. Sheâs not as haughty as you assume.â
âI mean, I have spoken with her, but still,â Zelda fretted. âThis is different!â
It was different, after all. So far, everything that had happened was out of Zeldaâs control. This trip was entirely on her, it had been her idea. Despite the information Hylia had relayed yesterdayâthat, somehow, she was but wasnât the goddessâit didnât change the fact that she was Hylia in some major capacity, that she would be Zeldaâs instructor, and that she had to make this work.
âZelda,â Impa interrupted her frantic worries. âSheâs here to help, isnât she? You canât be worried about offending her like this. Just talk to her and listen. Sheâs⌠I bet she isnât as intimidating as you think.â
The princess sighed, hugging herself and settling a little before smiling at her friend. Impa seemed so levelheaded on the matter â Zelda hoped one day she could have such faith and trust in matters like these. She was certainly grateful for her friend.
Taking a steadying breath, she reached for the Sheikah slate and clipped it on her belt. It was time to begin this journey.
XXX
Hyrule castle was buzzing with activity as the sun climbed into the sky. Attendants from all the corners of the kingdom were gathering in an entourage, ready to escort the royal company across the land. It had been agreed that each respective champion would remain in their territory once that Divine Beast was visited, as they would continue to work on preparing for the coming Calamity. The order in which they went, then, was up for some debate.
Revali was eager to show off his abilities and his Divine Beast first, and had said as much to the princess. However, Daruk was insistent that he get back to Death Mountain as soon as possible (he didnât have the heart to admit that he really needed to practice piloting his Divine Beast, having almost made it step on his city once or twice), so they would have to backtrack a little. Princess Zelda tried to plan out everything as best she could, determined to show the goddess and her hero the beauty of the land theyâd created and protected through the millennia.
Mipha shifted anxiously as the champions and princess awaited their divine guests. She glanced at Link, who was stoic as ever, and she tried to emulate his posture, hovering close to Daruk. Urbosa, meanwhile, stayed just behind the princess, while Revali nearly pushed himself to the front.
Honestly. Everyone acted so anxious. It wasnât as if Hylia had shown any indication of being upset with anyone. Revali wasnât nervous, for certain. He didnât have anything to prove. Not at all. He knew he was the best. Heâd worked for it. Hylia likely knew it too. She was a goddess after all.
What an honor this was! To go to the divine protector of Hyrule and be able to show her his prowess in battle. To go to the Hero of Myth, the man who had defeated the Calamity in ages past, and prove that he was the superior warrior to Link. Revali felt himself smile in anticipation, stomach definitely not in anxious knots like the others. He was certainly irate that he would not be the first to show his Divine Beast, but he would make the greatest impression. Let Darukâs be a warm up round before Revali showed what a true Champion could accomplish.
The sound of horses caught everyoneâs attention, and just around the bend came the goddess herself and her hero, both atop chestnut stallions. They sat up straight, wearing what seemed to be traditional attire of the Hero according to legends past (notably, Hylia wore her hair in a braid, which caught Revaliâs attention as those were common among the Rito), the picture of regal perfection, and for a brief moment Revali did feel his heart speed up a bit.
No matter, though. He would prove himself just fine. He would.
The divine couple guided their steeds to join the group, towering over nearly everyone. King Rhoam led the crowd in genuflecting towards them as Hylia looked over the entourage.
As the massive group of people knelt before them, Zel glanced uncertainly at her husband. The pair had just been practicing riding the horses after the captain had dismissed himself. They hadnât really meant to find the entire castle waiting for them.
Do you remember how to get off these animals? Link seemed to ask with his eyes, motioning his head a little towards the ground.
Well. It seemed fairly straightforward. But the ground was a little far, and the saddle a little wobbly when Zelda tried to shift her weight to dismount. Loftwings were certainly different. And they didnât have these foot thingsâstirrups, right?âthat got in the way.
âWe wish you the safest of journeys,â King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule pronounced solemnly, rising. The others took this as an indication to do so as well.
Zelda and Link exchanged looks again, not entirely sure how to answer, so she simply said, âThank you.â
The group began to move, forming a protective wall of people all around them. Link shrugged at Zelda. At least they wouldnât have to try to dismount in front of everyone.
The loftwing-like person from the festival approached them, bowing deeply. âIt is an honor to be traveling with Your Grace and your spouse. I, Revali, Master of the Winds, will ensure your safe journey. We will be going to my domain shortly, where I can show you the true power of the Divine Beasts and assure you that Hyrule will be safe with my protection.â
Oh! Zelda remembered this man clearly! He was the one who had reminded her of Groose! At the time theyâd first met sheâd been exasperated, but now she was amused. She almost giggled, but instead she just smiled and nodded.
Linkâs smile was far more mischievous.
Zellie looked absolutely excited as she walked up to them, hands clasped in front of her heart. âI arranged a carriage for Your Grace if you wish. But in either case, Iâm very eager to show you Hyrule! Weâll be going to Death Mountain first, so weâll be heading northeast. We have plenty of provisions for the journey, and weâll be arriving at the Moor Garrison by the end of the day. After that it should be a little under a dayâs ride to get us to the Foothill Stable, and we can camp there and arrive at Goron City the next day. I figured after that you should see the Akkala Citadel, as it is the pride of Hyruleâs military, before we move on to our next destination.â
Zelda nodded along, growing equally excited to see all those places. Though⌠did they have to bring enough people to fill all of Skyloft?
âI donât know if you were ever actually properly introduced to all the Champions,â Zellie continued. âSo I wished to do that as we all will be traveling together and Your Grace will be seeing their Divine Beasts. Youâve, ah, met Revali, of course. This is Urbosa, Chief of the Gerudo, Champion of Divine Beast Vah Naboris.â
Zelda glanced at the tall woman, remembering her from the festival as well. Urbosa nodded respectfully.
âThen there is Daruk, pride of the Gorons. He is Champion of the Divine Beast Vah Rudania.â
Zelda recalled seeing some Gorons during her journey, and she knew their people fromâbefore. She smiled eagerly at Daruk, remembering the Goron peopleâs exuberance and passion for life, excited to get to know him a little more. Link seemed at ease with him as well. Daruk, for his part, waved casually, bringing both Skyloftians some relief â at least someone would act normally around them.
âLastly, Princess Mipha of the Zora, Champion of Divine Beast Vah Ruta and heir to the Zora throne.â
Heir? Princess? There was another kingdom? Princess Mipha looked very serious, stiffly bowing her head from where she stood on the ground below. Zelda tried to smile kindly, easily picking up on the stress the girl was radiating. Maybe it was a princess thing to be so anxious.
âItâs a pleasure to meet all of you,â she acknowledged. Link smiled at them as well, though he didnât bother speaking.
With the pleasantries aside, Zelda found herself starting to feel a little uncomfortable. They were surrounded by a veritable army, and though she was introduced to the notable people they would be traveling with, there were still⌠so many around them.
Link seemed equally uncomfortable with the group, glancing at all the soldiers. When Zellie and the other champions mounted horses or prepared to leave, the Skyloftians quietly followed along. Zelda caught sight of Captain Abel in the group of soldiers who were watching them depart, and she was a little sad he wasnât tagging along. She desperately needed him to remind her how to get off this horse, among other things.
As they passed through Castle Town, attracting the attention of literally everyone and making Zelda and Link want to disappear, Link started to goad his horse to move a little faster. He had to back down on the pace as there were too many people, but Zelda picked up on her husbandâs restlessness, and what he was planning.
She smiled and winked at him. As soon as they were outside the city walls, they both bolted.
The wind blew through her hair, somewhat reminding her of flying on her beloved loftwing, and Zelda laughed, nearly standing in her saddle, filled with energy. Link was giggling with the same exuberance, throwing his arms out and letting the wind carry him a little. They outran the entourage quickly as people yelped and moved out of the way, and before they knew it, they appeared to be alone out in this vast world.
Zelda looked around, enamored at the sight of the Surface, and then heard hooves stomping and wings flapping. She looked up first, excited at the sound of feathers tearing through air, and saw the one called Revali quickly catching up to them. A short distance away, Zellie, Champion, and two of the three other guests were following on horseback, and the Goron was rolling along to keep up.
âWell,â she looked over at Link. âAt least we outran the rest of them.â
Linkâs cheeks were flushed with adrenaline. He wanted to keep running. Zelda moved to continue the chase before the bouncing from the horse nearly knocked her off her saddle. Her husband gasped, leaping from his steed to get to her and knocking both of them to the ground by accident.
Well, that was one way to dismount, she supposed.
âYou okay?â Link asked just as the others caught up to them.
Zelda laughed in reply.
âYour Grace!â Zellie called, dismounting with ease as she ran up to them. âWhat happened? Did the horses get spooked? Youâre not hurt, are you?â
Just behind the princess, Zelda could see one of the stranger looking champions wobbling uncertainly in her saddle, and Champion reached out to steady her, making her pale cheeks flush as she spluttered. Link huffed overtop Zelda, rolling off and sighing.
âIâm fine,â Zelda answered, sitting up. âBut letâs keep moving before the rest of those people catch up!â
She felt herself filled with excitable energy, climbing atop the horse sheâd borrowed from Captain Abel, and Link scrambled to do the same. Zellie seemed bemused, but she followed along, glancing back at the entourage uncertainly.
âWeâre far less burdened this way, anyway,â Revali noted.
âWeâll attract less attention too,â Urbosa added. âThat would make traveling safer. Let the entourage follow behind and bring the crowds.â
Yes, please, let them deal with the crowds, Zelda thought gratefully.
âDonât worry about my Goron brothers, theyâll catch up to us at Death Mountain just fine!â Daruk added. âWe can move on without them if we want.â
Link didnât need any other impetus, goading his horse to run ahead, bouncing a little haphazardly in the saddle as he tried to remember what Captain Abel had taught them. It was⌠somewhat equivalent to riding a loftwing. But also completely not â there was no bond with this animal, not nearly in the same way that Zelda felt with her loftwing. This felt far more dangerous and wild, out of control and thrilling.
She did miss her loftwing, though.
Much to her relief, it seemed she and Link werenât the only ones struggling on saddles, though. Princess Mipha did not seem very comfortable riding a horse, either, given how she seemed ill fitted for the saddle anyway. Champion hovered close to her, sharp, watchful gaze shifting between the two princesses and the Skyloftians.
Zellie eventually got ahead of Link, leading the way as they all charged across the field. Zelda hardly had a chance to really admire the scenery, eager as she was to escape the confines of the castle and its countless attendants, but what she gathered as they went took her breath away. She still hadnât gotten over the beauty of the Surface, its vastness far beyond anything she could understand, even with her memories.
Eventually the group reached a bridge, and Zellie slowed their pace. Zelda noted with slight discomfort that it was midday, and her stomach was loudly reminding her (and Link) that they had skipped breakfast in lieu of riding lessons.
And wow was she sore from riding.
âWell, weâre making better time than I thought,â Zellie observed, looking at the sky. âI suppose it is a little easier at a faster clip, though the horses canât maintain it for much longer. Letâs go to Moor Garrison for a rest and then perhaps we can make it to the stable a little after nightfall if we try?â
âI agree,â Urbosa piped up, giving Zellie some confidence in her decision.
Now that they were going at a more reasonable pace, Zelda had time to catch her breath and observe the others a bit more. She wasnât entirely sure if it was worth striking up a conversation or not â there were so many of them now; she felt a little overwhelmed trying to establish a connection. Zellie seemed very focused on navigating, so she didnât bother her. Champion hovered between Zellie and Princess Mipha, while Daruk lumbered cheerily. Revali seemed to be taking a break from flying, walking alongside the group, while Urbosa nearly rode alongside Zellie â those two seemed to have a close connection.
Zelda sighed, guiding her horse to be beside Linkâs. The pair glanced at each other and smiled. It helped her feel a little more at ease.
Maybe part of the issue was that she had to reintroduce herself as someone to not be worshipped, that these were four new people who thought she was just Hylia.
âSo we were in Central Hyrule,â Zellie suddenly said, pulling out a map to show them. âWeâre going to be passing briefly through Lanayru before we get to the Akkala region.â
âItâs all very beautiful,â Zelda commented genuinely. âI⌠could have never imagined our settlement would grow into this.â
Zellie beamed. Linkâs eyes softened as he watched her, looking between the two young women. Then he asked, âYou keep mentioning them, and I know they helped defeat the demon king in the past, but⌠whatâs a Divine Beast?â
âOh! IâI didnât realize Iâd never explained,â Zellie gasped. âThey are ancient relics, mechanical beasts designed to help fight the Calamity.â
Oh. So they were machines too? Like the guardians, perhaps?
It was weird, honestly, to hear of something spoken as ancient and know it was still in her future. She wondered how old Hyrule truly was at this point. She was certainly curious what theyâd look like â perhaps they had stemmed from the technology of Lanayruâs past? Or were they something completely different?
While Zelda spoke with the princess, Link found himself suddenly feeling something in his personal space. He glanced over to see the Champion Revali lazily flapping alongside him.
âIt is an honor to make your acquaintance,â the loftwing man said with a nod of his head. âSpeaking with a warrior of your caliber is a once in a lifetime opportunity, after all, and an honor for us both.â
Both? Link bit back a smile. This man really did remind him of Groose.
âI wanted to take this opportunity to speak to you about the princessâ plan for Calamity Ganon,â Revali continued, catching Linkâs attention fully. âI was hoping we could discuss the matter when we reach Moor Garrison.â
Link nodded, eyes focused, eager to hear his idea. Revali gave what seemed to be a smile and then flew ahead.
Meanwhile, Mipha was wiggling her feet in a desperate attempt to reach the stirrups for what felt like the eighteenth time that day. Sheâd nearly fallen off her horse when theyâd all gone to a full canter. She wished they designed saddles for Zora, but her people hardly rode these animals.
If only the path included a river in which I could swim, she lamented. At least Moor Garrison was close, and that was by water.
Honestly, this entire venture so far had been stressful and strange. Hylia and her Hero were quiet but almost endearing â she could sense anxious energy off them initially, reminded painfully of Link, but once theyâd rushed ahead of everyone they seemed far more cheerful.
It was strange. Sheâd never suspected a goddess would not like crowds. She wondered if Hylia didnât like her.
When the garrison came into view, Mipha finally gave up on the horse, wiggling off the saddle, letting Link help her to the ground as he hastily moved to keep her from falling. She smiled shyly in thanks, pointedly trying to ignore the way her heart fluttered, and walked in the back of the group as Link moved ahead to keep up with the princess.
Moor Garrison was a rather small place of respite, but it was pleasant enough. The soldiers had a grand welcome for them, standing in parade formation, and Princess Zelda had sent the court poet ahead of them, so he was there waiting to entertain the group with stories of old while they were served lunch. Mipha settled beside Daruk, who was chatting happily about how heâd share some rock roast with everyone upon their arrival to Death Mountain (Mipha was⌠not looking forward to the visit, but she had some elixirs at the ready), giving herself as much space from the esteemed guests as possible. On Darukâs other side was Link, then Chief Urbosa, Princess Zelda, Hylia, her sacred spouse, and Revali.
As everyone settled in for the meal, Revali started to bring up his topic of conversation once more, catching the Skyloftian knightâs attention. âAs I was saying on the road, I wished to discuss Princess Zeldaâs plan of attack with you, if you are willing to hear me.â
Link nodded, eyes wide with curiosity.
âAt the festival, I noticed your hesitancy in returning the sword that seals the darkness to Princess Zeldaâs knight,â Revali noted, and Link started to squirm uncomfortably, feeling immediate dread. What was this about? âI understand your concerns, of course. While he is a somewhat capable fighter, there are those who are far superior in ability. I cannot fathom why the sword might have chosen him, but due to that sacred relic, the entire kingdom is convinced he must be the one to face Ganon, despite my superior skills.â
Link bit the inside of his cheek. âArenât you all fighting Ganon?â
âThe Divine Beasts are meant as support,â Revali explained. âAnd the actual task of dealing the final blow to Calamity Ganon falls to that Hylian, while Princess Zelda must learn how to seal it away. I believe this is a mistake.â
Link nodded, eyebrows rising. âYou want to be the hero.â
âItâs not a matter of wanting, itâs simple logic,â Revali mildly argued. âIf I am the better warrior, then I should be the one on the front lines, not relegated to being a sidekick.â
Wow, this one really did remind him of Groose. He sighed a little, glancing at his goblet of water. âThe role of hero is not one that we choose, Iâm afraid. Are you asking that I suggest your plan instead?â
âI can suggest it myself, good Hero,â Revali huffed, seeming entertained at Linkâs question. âBut it might have some more⌠poignancy if you are in agreement.â
It was strange, listening to this. During his own journey, Groose had been little more than a thorn in his side until his classmate had gotten his act together, and then heâd been exceedingly helpful. But this Revali person seemed outright a threat, trying to undermine Fiâs new master. Link didnât particularly like it.
Not that he really liked any of this, but that was a moot point by now.
âIf the sword chose him, then it is the will of the goddess,â Link finally said. âI will not argue with that.â
Revaliâs feathers ruffled in the same way Crimsonâs would when annoyed. Link almost laughed, but he kept it together. For his part, the Rito warrior was at least polite, humming his annoyance away and picking at his food.
The court poet caught everyoneâs attention at this point, playing music and singing for their enjoyment. He spoke of a Great Calamity of ten thousand years ago (ten thousand?!), of a hero of old and how the guardians and divine beasts helped him defeat the Calamity before the sacred princess sealed it away. Link started to wonder exactly how many heroes there had been between his era and now, and the nightmare from that morning nagged at him. He put his fork down, losing his appetite a little.
At least Zel looked like she was having a good time. Link could be happy for that.
It wasnât that this journey wasnât interesting or anything, but⌠he didnât know. He felt restless and aimless, agitated to be here but wanting to help but not knowing how. What could he do to assist? Fi had chosen another, better master, Zel had to help Zellie, the champions all had their tasks⌠Link was just⌠there.
Was this better than being the one solely responsible for saving the world, or was it worse?
Whatever. He could support Zel. At least this time they werenât separated.
He wasnât exactly looking forward to this Death Mountain place, though. The name wasnât promising, and it wasnât as if he couldnât see Eldin Mountain in the distance. He wondered if they were the same thing.
He hated volcanoes. He hated everything about them. No good thing had happened in Eldin. Not a one.
At least that Daruk fellow seemed friendly. The Goron archaeologist, Gorko, had been kind and friendly too, so perhaps it was a Goron thing. The mogmas⌠well, they were hit or miss. He hoped none of them would need rescuing this time around.
âŚOh wait. Heâd not seen any mogmas at the festival. Were theyâŚ?
Link swallowed, heart aching, stomach twisting a little. He wasnât sure he liked this whole time traveling thing.
Farther down the table, the Hylian Champion listened to the retelling of the Great Calamity for what felt like the thousandth time. Heâd heard the tale so often he could probably sing it in his sleep at this point. It didnât make it any less awkward when it was sung around him, what with the implications of his own position.
Link did find that he was fairly grateful that theyâd outrun the entourage. He rarely traveled with such a large group, and to think that heâd be under such scrutiny for a trip across the entire kingdom had nearly made him nauseous when heâd seen the crowd gathering. He was eternally grateful that Hylia seemed equally unhappy with the prospect. Sheâd at least dismissed the idea in a seemingly unobtrusive way, so as not to offend the princess.
The princess was probably grateful for it too. Link knew sheâd organized it, but still. She liked traveling with little to no accompaniment.
He sighed, staring forlornly at his empty plate, wishing for another helping, half listening as Princess Zelda told Hylia of the Akkala region. The goddess seemed particularly interested in the hot springs. Link felt his heart warm at the thought of the hot springs too â they were quite nice. He should find some once they got there to make sure Mipha could be comfortable too.
More than anything, though, he wanted to go to Gut Check Rock. He really enjoyed hanging out with the Gorons there, and Daruk wouldnât pass up a chance at the challenge, either.
Perhaps⌠perhaps he could⌠glancing at the end of the table, he caught sight or Revali flapping his beak at the Hero of Myth and Legend. His mood soured a little at the sight of it, worry and annoyance fighting for dominance. He wasnât sure what Revali was yapping about, though he imagined speaking ill of him was part of it, but the last thing the Ancient Hero needed was a reason to feel more doubt in himself, and Revali was certainly good at stepping on others to make himself look taller.
Or maybe he just reserved that behavior for Link. Who knew.
Well, lunch would be over soon enough. Zelda seemed eager to get everyone to Death Mountain as quickly as possible. It would be interesting figuring out sleeping arrangements at the stable, though â would Zelda send word ahead for the goddess? Surely they would have a private area set apart for her, yes? A stable was far too public a place.
This journey was certainly going to be interesting.
Linkâs musings were interrupted when Hylia herself rose, walking around the table and tracing her hand across the mythical heroâs back invitingly. He smiled at her as she skipped down to the court poet and asked if he knew any songs for dancing. The bard eagerly replied that he did, only looking slightly nervous at having to entertain the goddess herself (or, well, her past self⌠Link was slowly trying to wrap his head around what heâd observed and what sheâd told them). As he played, the couple started to dance something foreign, mirroring each other and circling the room while laughing.
Their giggles were infectious, relieving the tension that had built up around the group, and Link felt himself relax as well.
âWell, itâs good to know that Hylia herself has a sense of fun!â Daruk whispered cheerily. âI was worried this trip might be a bit serious, you know?â
She certainly had a sense of adventure, that was for certain, but Link wouldnât admit that.
Eventually, the cheer from the coupleâs dancing spurred more to accompany them. Daruk was so eager, feet tapping away happily under the table, that he grabbed Urbosa and rushed out to the dance floor with her. The Gerudo chief seemed fairly amused with it, and she motioned to the princess with her head. As soon as Zelda joined the fray, Hylia and her Hero (Cloud, he remembered now that they'd decided to nickname him Cloud) dragged her into a dance, giggling the entire time. Seeing the princessâ exuberant smile actually brought some relief to Link â she never had this much fun usually.
Curious, Link looked to his left again to see Revali scowling a little, and he almost laughed. He wondered if the sourpuss even knew how to dance. He kind of wanted to join in, but this was far too public a setting for such a thing. Mipha, on the other hand, was covering her mouth to hide a smile as she enjoyed the spectacle, eyes darting between Link and the dance floor.
âOh come on, you three!â Daruk bellowed in his deep voice. âDonât leave us hanginâ like this! We all gotta have some fun!â
Revali rolled his eyes, grumbling and crossing his arms. Link shifted a little awkwardly, while Mipha grew nervous.
Hylia took notice of the matter, and she nearly galloped over to them, skipping in time. She reached for Link first, much to his alarm and horror, dragging him down to the dance floor and then standing across from him with a beaming smile. She clapped in rhythm to the music, and Link shakily followed suit, unable to really hide the absolute terror from his face, but it only seemed to bring her all the more amusement.
âI suppose none of you would know our dances,â she commented as she took him by the wrists. âWeâll have to improvise!â
With that, she started to spin, dragging Link along with her until the two nearly crashed into everyone else on the dance floor. Hylia laughed, giddy and dizzy, and the two stumbled until Link rammed into Darukâs belly while Hylia found her husband and leaned against him, breathless with delight. Then she took off for the table again, finding another victim. She honed in on Revali next, and Link really did nearly lose his composure at the Ritoâs alarmed expression. He couldnât exactly say no to the goddess herself, but it was very clear heâd rather die than be in this situation.
Link almost felt bad for him. Almost.
That left Mipha, who Cloud singled out with an inviting hand and a gentle, happy smile. The Zora princess shyly took his hand, not quite sure what to do but not as completely humiliated as Revali seemed to be.
Mipha tried to follow along with the dance moves that the Sacred Hero was doing. The Zora princess watched his feet intently, and Link found himself smiling at her intense focus paired with her wide, anxious eyes.
Goddess, she was really cute sometimes.
He got distracted when Princess Zelda nearly slammed into him, laughing breathlessly as Daruk and she had been spinning around the room. Link stumbled backwards to avoid an outright collision and backpedaled directly into Urbosaâs abs. Blushing profusely, he scurried to the corner of the dance floor, trying to disappear into the shadows while Hylia continued to play with (torment) Revali, Daruk and Zelda started bouncing around each other, Urbosa gracefully moved to a different corner to watch, and Cloud and Mipha matched steps in beat with the music.
Eventually, the spectacle came to an end. With lunch finished and everyone thoroughly winded, they headed outside the building to catch their breath and prepare to continue their journey. The soldiers escorted them to Thims Bridge, where they crossed into the Lanayru Region to make their way towards the base of the mountain.
The beach glistened, and Mipha took a delighted, yearning look towards the water as they went. Link moved his steed a bit closer to hers, catching her attention. He glanced between the water and her as well, a silent invitation, and she needed no further impetus. Smiling in delight, she leapt off the horse and into the water, swimming with speed that nearly surpassed any canter Link could reach with his mare. It caught Hylia and Cloudâs attention as well, and they watched her with awe as she moved gracefully.
âIt seems Princess Mipha wishes to lead the way for a bit,â Urbosa commented, amused. âWe should keep moving if we want to get there by nightfall.â
âYes, right,â Princess Zelda agreed, goading her horse to move forward once more. Linkâs mare fell in step behind her, eyes alert.
Revali flew overhead, having seemingly given up on any socializing after the dance. Link found he couldnât complain about the matter. Hylia and Cloud often looked up at him with a strange, distant expression, though. He wasnât sure what to make of it.
âOur provisions!â Zelda gasped, realizing only now that with the entourage left in the dust, a bulk of their supplies were missing.
âDonât worry, princess!â Daruk piped up. âIâll roll ahead and get some fireproof elixirs for everyone!â
Cloud glanced over at him, waving him off. âIâll be alright.â
âThe temperatures on Death Mountain are not to be trifled with, Hero,â Urbosa warned mildly. âNone but Gorons can tolerate it.â
âI can,â Cloud insisted, playing with his red earrings. âThese will protect me.â
âHeâs right,â Hylia agreed, smiling at him gently. âThose are blessed by Din herself. The heat wonât harm him.â
âMaybe we should share them,â Cloud suggested, glancing at Hylia.
âTheyâre my gift to you,â Hylia replied waving her hand. âIâll try the elixir.â
Her gift? A gift that held the blessing of one of the goddesses of old?
Link swallowed, remembering just how otherworldly these two were.
Daruk settled on the matter, moving ahead, and the realization that the Hylian Champion was fighting with seemed to settle with the others as well, making the group grow quiet. The beauty of Hyrule didnât escape Linkâs notice, though, as they moved through forests to head to their destination. Akkala Citadel towered in the distance, catching Hyliaâs attention, and Princess Zelda explained briefly for her, informing her they would go there after Death Mountain.
At this point, Mipha had long abandoned the river, but had also abandoned any notion of trying to ride the horse provided to her. Link felt a little guilty watching her walk alongside the group, but she seemed much happier on the matter, even if her shorter legs had to work harder to keep up.
The Foothill Stable came into view just as the sky grew almost too dark to see the path ahead. The lamplight of the stable was a welcome sight, and everyone picked up their pace. It seemed the stable personnel had erected some kind of separate addition to their large tent, allowing for a private place for Hylia and her immortal spouse to rest, and the area had been cleared of other visitors so the princess and the champions could inhabit the main tent.
Link watched as Princess Zelda chatted excitedly with Urbosa about the next day, and he relaxed a little. She was safe here, and the first day of this strange journey was over without any major issue. He glanced at Mipha, who had huddled on a corner bed, rubbing her feet a little, looking exhausted. He approached her, settling beside her, wishing he himself had healing magic to make her less sore than she likely was. Perhaps he could find a way to help her ride her horse tomorrow.
Across the way, the Skyloftians stood outside, staring at the foreboding mountain ahead.
âI hate volcanoes,â Link sighed.
Zel bit her lip uncertainly. He knew she wasnât a fan of them either, honestly. It made him feel crushing guilt just seeing the expression on her face, reliving a moment that could have been avoided if heâd just moved. Her eyes softened, though, as she said, âIâve heard thereâs a redeeming quality to them, though. Zellie said that there are hot springs nearby, and theyâre supposed to be quite nice. Want to see? There should be some close by from what I heard.â
Link shrugged. Honestly, he just wanted to sleep â after their fun at that garrison, heâd been growing steadily more uncomfortable riding the horse, aches and pains that he was still trying to become familiar with calling for attention. Heâd collected so many injuries during his journey, but theyâd mostly healed by now. Long days just⌠tended to remind him of them. Nevertheless, he was willing to play along. Zelda smiled excitedly at him as she led him away from the stable and the scrutiny of the others.
It was in fact a very brief walk to find some hot springs, based on how theyâd been described to her. The water was steamy, looking akin to a bath, but far brighter blue than he was used to.
âIs this it?â Link scrunched his nose in confusion. âItâs like a bath?â
âSort of,â Zelda giggled. âThey said itâs like a little lake, but itâs heated by the volcano.â
Link winced. âVolcano heat is bad, Zelda, itâs too hot. You canât go in there.â
âThey said this is comfortable, silly,â Zelda reassured him, slipping a gentle hand into his and leading him away from where they were standing.
âWhy do you want to try it so badly?â Link asked.
Zelda shrugged. âI just want to try it.â
Link was an airhead, it was true. But he was observant when he needed to be. Zelda had an ulterior motive; he just wasnât sure what it was. He was already in too much pain to argue, though, so he stayed silent for the rest of the trek. His mind started buzzing more than his scars, and next thing he knew he was back in the Earth Temple, fighting for his life, his lungs burning, trying to catch up to Zelda only to be too late. He was so caught up in the image of her standing beside Impa, her ankle distinctly red and angry and painful, blisters appearing from the heat of the shackle that had held her, the words too late burning in his mind more than any magma could, that he barely registered his clothes being removed until he gasped a little as his shirt was tugged.
âArms up, Link.â Zelda prompted gently, her eyes searching his. âAre you okay?â
He was too dazed, too disoriented, too dizzy, too hotâ
Link flinched away from Zelda, squeezing his eyes shut. He felt Zeldaâs small hands touch his elbows in a gesture to pull him close to her. He pushed her away. He wasnât in the mood, not here, he was tired, he was in pain.
âLink⌠Dove, open your eyes.â
The loving, soft tone made his breath hitch, and he obeyed. Zelda was watching him with concern, and he wanted to kick himself for worrying her so much.
She stroked his cheek gently, giving a small smile. âItâs okay, Link. This is just a bath in some nice, warm water. I just⌠I just wanted you to try it. Zellie said itâs good for easing tension and pain out of the body, and I know youâve been hurting since lunch.â
Link cursed himself again. He usually was so good at reading Zelda, he should have known she was insisting because of him, because he couldnât keep up, because pain, injury, slow, useless was written all over his face. He didnât have an argument for it, either, and that made him even more frustrated. Relenting, he pulled his shirt off, and then his trousers. Zelda watched his face carefully, and the hunger in her eyes from a few days ago when theyâd last been in this position was completely missing. Instead, it felt⌠comfortable. Familiar. She slowly pulled her uniform off and walked with him into the water.
The instant the heat touched him he flinched despite knowing it couldnât hurt him. However, then the warmth trickled into his skin, easing his tense muscles, and relaxing him to the bone. He sank into the water with a heavy, relieved sigh, and his head automatically rested on Zeldaâs shoulder. He felt her wrap an arm around his waist as the two sat on some rock formation that served as a bench under the water. The bubbling hot spring reached their collarbones, immersing them in a pleasant massage that Link had never felt before. And yet⌠something about this situation felt familiar, but distantly so, like from a dream.
âBetter?â Zelda whispered into his hair.
Link hummed in reply, closing his eyes. He floated in warm bliss until he heard Zelda hiss a little. His eyes snapped open in an instant. âWhatâs wrong?â
Zelda held his right hand and pulled his arm out of the water. He followed her gaze, his eyes briefly glossing over the feather like patterns of lightning scars tracing their way from his hand to his shoulder like ivy growing along a tree. Then he watched her trace the patterns with her hand.
âI didnât realize they traveled all the way up,â she whispered.
Link blinked. Wait, had she neverâŚ? Oh. No, he supposed she hadnât seen them in their entirety. They were a bit⌠preoccupied the last time he was shirtless. He skipped answering and went straight to comforting, partly because he could clearly see how much it bothered her to look at it and partly because it bothered him to think about it. âTheyâre old, itâs fine.â
Zeldaâs eyes transitioned from his arm to his shoulder, to the scars on his chest and abdomen, old reminders of his hasty, frantic, and reckless attempts through so many temples to get to her. Then she looked him in the eye, her eyebrows scrunching in that familiar determined and worried expression. âBut theyâre whatâs hurting you, arenât they?â
Link swallowed and looked away, unable to answer. He heard Zelda sigh.
âIâm sorry,â she muttered, her voice thick with emotion.
Link snapped his attention back to his wife. âDonât even, Zel. Weâve already talked about this.â
Zelda bit her trembling lip, eyes filled with tears. âYou⌠you almost died, Link. When it was all over you almost died. And you⌠you didnât say anything was wrong, you just fell, I almostâŚâ
This wasnât about their current predicament. This was about⌠about what had happened to them, personally. Link pulled her gaze to him with a guiding hand to her chin. They locked eyes. âI would do it again, Zelda. I would do it a thousand times for you. I chose to do it.â
âYou chose because I made the connection, because I chose you.â Zelda argued, growing agitated.
An uncomfortable feeling crept into Linkâs skin. Heâd comforted her time and again about this, how, despite everything Hylia had done, Zelda was still Zelda and she hadnât remembered andâŚ
Despite telling her time and again that it was fine, Link himself hadnât really reconciled with the matter. He hadnât addressed it. Even during his outburst yesterday, it had been less of you manipulated me from the very beginning and more you knew everything yet were still wrong.
Had he thought about how Zelda claimed that as Hylia she had used him? How she had singled him out before he was even born, and ensured that she was reborn in his time so that they would be attached to each other? Not really⌠once, heâd tried to consider it, but heâd banished the thought process from his mind entirely after a few moments â Zelda never wanted to hurt him, would never intentionally do so, and even if what she claimed was true, sheâd punished herself by sealing herself away for thousands of years. She'd been suffering from that for the past ten months, and that was what he had always tried to address.
But sometimes⌠sometimes it did scare him. Sometimes it did make him insecure. Because⌠because if she had planned that⌠thenâŚ
How could he know if she truly loved him, if she inherently had a deep-seated desire to protect him because he was just⌠her chosen hero? Had Hylia fallen in love with him in the past, simply through observation, and thenâŚ
Link shook his head. âYou said you were my Zelda, just as Iâm your Hero. Weâre here for each other, Zel.â
Zeldaâs eyes softened once more, and she sighed, relenting with a small smile. Link pulled her to him in a tight embrace, and the two drew strength and warmth from each other far more than what the water could offer.
Tomorrow would promise their first sight of a Divine Beast, their first glimpse at how exactly this land intended to defeat Demise. It would certainly be interesting.
#writing#breath of the sky#breath of the wild link#botw link#breath of the wild zelda#botw zelda#skyward sword link#ss link#skyward sword zelda#ss zelda#legend of zelda#mipha#daruk#urbosa#revali#goodbye Abel my beloved T-T#the lovebirds continue to cause chaos and I am here for it#I wonder when Zellie will have her frog moment#poor Mipha's feet
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So I drew Zelly to try to grt better at art idk if i did well LOl
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a couple drawings of my main fursona, rain :}
#furry#fursona#sfw furry#bird furry#crow furry#anthro#yew art#rain#i change sonas often but this guy has stuck around as my main for a while now#longest of any of my sonas#well they still stick around but after a while they stop feeling like Me#also this is old art but i still like it#and thats my actual irl cat in the second drawing.. my beloved zelda my zelly my zellybelly my smellda my stinky my honey#i love her so much
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OMG I GOT SO EXCITED WHEN I SAW THIS U DON EVEN KNOWW. THIS MOVIE HAS A GRIP ON ME UNFORTUNATELYISH.. âšď¸âšď¸
Alrightt now reead my fic đż /hj NO RUSH OFC đđ
GLASSHEARTT!! I am indeed gnna make 100 million art of them đ (im also delulu..) and i completely agree it was a really rushed, but like the movie was soo... for likeof abetter word: CHARMINg. Cz like, somethn abt old cringy disney movies GETS ME. Nd idk i loveddd it đđ
and o my goshh, i love Uma i wish there was more of herr ughh đ
Im also so sorry about that, at least you get to see her though rightt? But if you ever need a friendly person to talk to im right here for you!
Jaladdin.... we couldve gotten TIANA. AND RAPUNZEL. BUT INSTEAD WE GOT JALADDIN??? AND YES, THAT WAS IN THE DELETED SCENES. WE COULDVE GOTTEN TIANA AND RAPUNZELLL WHYYY??? (ALSO WE COULDVE GOTTEN GAY CHLOE GRRRR. but it ws originally gna be chloe x teen!rapunzel/zellie which is really weird... cz she would be 30-40 in chloes timeline đ¤Ž.... but still, i want gay chloe man...)
i watched the rise of red :D
it was actually really good i liked it!! like a lot- expect art soon, if my motivation stays.đ i love glassheart omggsgsgegh the way they kept looking at each other like PLEASE KISS. PLEASE. I AM ON MY KNEES. I have another ship to add to my delulu list. *opens ao3*
i kinda feel like it was rushed because it all got solved like in a span of 10 minutes- but it was still rlly good. After watching TheOnlyCB3 (Charles Brockman) I cringed at some things but i liked it still đđ
I totally havenât been in love with Uma since she was first introduced so I totally wonât draw her. totally! I just love China McClain smđŤśđŤś
and Cinderellaâs actor was the same as the 1997 Cinderella movie and it made me so happyđ
also Iâm feeling a little better because my sister will be coming back from college on most weekends. I wonât admit it but I was in a bad place without her around. If you lived with me youâd see the difference, throughout the week i kept to myself quietly but the moment i saw her we were screaming and bouncing off the wallsđ
I get that itâs a part of life but it still.. really hurts. Maybe itâs the âstubborn taurusâ in me, but, i hate change. Especially now, everything is changing but Iâll get better at it sooner or later. If my motivation completely flops again, donât be surprised, but rn im in a drawing mood after what, 2 weeks, so weâll see what i come up withđ
IM YAPPING AGAIN BYE!
And NO. I will NOT CALL YOU JALADDIN. PLEASE GET OUT OF MY HOUSE.
#LESBIAN CHLOE MY BELOVED HEADCANON THAT COULDVE BEEN CANON. YOU WILL BE MISSED.#ZELLIE X CHLOE WS SCRAPPED BECAYSE GLASSHEART IS BETTER. I SWEAR GUYS. ITS GNNA BE CANON IM LITERALLY DISNEY.#decendants#rise of red#get out of ao3 u freakk đ¤¨
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More Pony Zelda AU
So Iâve actually been loving this au so ima bug yâall with more!! These messy as hell drawings display how Zelly turned into a pony so hereâs the backstory!! Remember that Zelda doesnât get her wings until much later when she unlocks her powers!
While visiting the two available springs in hopes to gain her powers, Zelda decided to visit Lurelin Village to check up on it and to get away from the castle for longer. She is accompanied by at least two guards at all times as this was before Link was assigned to her. On her way back to Kakariko Village for a pit stop, Zelda and her guards were ambushed by the Yiga Clan, and she was separated from her attendants. Zelda tried to run as far away from the Yiga as she could, and accidentally ended up setting foot on Mount Lanayru in attempt to loose them in the ice and snow. Zelda was eventually cornered by the clan, and just as they aimed to strike her, a low, power growl shook the mountain. Naydra, the Guardian of the Spring of Wisdom flew down from above them, roaring loudly. Everyone was frozen with fear as the dragon came to a stop, floating above them. Naydra made one final roar, directed at the Yiga clan, her magic freezing the foot soldiers in ice, and shattered only a second layer from the mighty roar. Naydra then came down straight towards Zelda, and she could only watch in fear as she was engulfed by the dragons mouth. The next thing Zelda could remember, was the slight breeze flowing around her, and a wonder ours amount of pain flowing through her body. She was found by Sheikah soldiers who heard the commotion, only to find dead Yiga and royal guards, and a light blue unicorn sitting on top of the Princesses clothes. To the shock of the kingdom, theyâre beloved princess had somehow been turned into a unicorn, and there was no way to turn her back. The priests called it a curse, a punishment or setting foot on the sacred mountain before her 17th birthday. Her father forbade her from leaving the castle until further notice, and Zelda isolated herself from everyone. It wasnât until 8 months later, when her father decided it was time for her leave the castle yet again, out of need for his daughter to still seek the sacred springs, and out of the hurt of how his daughter has been handling her new form. In order to keep her safe from attack, he decided to assign a new guard to her, the young solider, and hero of the land, Link.
This au was heavily inspired by a fic Iâve read, I believe itâs called Dragon Knight, thatâs probably wrong but I will update it if I find it again lol; where Link is turned into dragon, and Zelda is stuck with a little Sky Noodle as her companion. Itâs awesome and completed and I highly recommend it! But instead this is if Zelda was turned into a pastel horse and Link is the only one he doesnât think itâs a curse. Please enjoy my fast and bad art and my rambling on what I think the backstory is lol
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could you do a little team canada primer? i want to know the narratives!
let's start with the ships!
bo and dylan: once upon a time kirby dach broke his wrist and dylan cozens and bowen byram were consequently elevated from As to co-captains of the 2021 world juniors team. team canada lost to trevor zegras's insufferable americans in the gold medal game, and bo spent the medal ceremony weeping uncontrollably, and dylan tenderly cradled his head and comforted him. then bo went to visit dylan in the yukon, which is exactly where you'd expect a reclusive vampire and a sensitive werewolf to fall in love.
bedsy and zelly: they were roommates at world juniors and here is a video where bedsy says, âheâs got one of the best bodies iâve ever seen." catfish mouth olen zellweger my beloved.
other fun items of note!
adam fantilli revenge tour: adam's one and only wjc appearance was marred by the canadian media and even his own teammates unfairly blaming him for the entire team's failings. he and bedsy both tried lacrosse goals but the media only got mad at adam. he was demoted to the fourth line and his teammates chirped him about being a fake canadian. (recall the canadian shitstorm ignited by 14yo adam's decision to go play prep school/ushl/ncaa hockey instead of being a good little OHL soldier.) it was rough enough that he came back to umich with a chip on his shoulder about it for the second half of the season (per naur.) i did not include all the links in this paragraph but feel free to peruse my blog starting on boxing day 2022, where i lost my mind about this topic. the point is that team canada and adam have had kind of a fraught relationship and it's always interesting to see how he's treated and how he performs when he's got a maple leaf on his chest.
unhaunted nolan patrick: celebrini, another canadian who went the ncaa route, does not seem to inflame canadian emotions the way that adam does, probably because he (a) never played in canada in the first place, and (b) is not from the greater toronto area. i look forward to getting some glimpses of personality from this tournament.
spicy dyl: once upon a time when the thunderbirds played the oil kings, reid schaefer memorably chirped dylan guenther by calling him spicy dyl (which some girl had apparently tweeted at him). a year later dylan got traded to the t-birds and i became the world's only reid schaefer/dylan guenther shipper. spicy dyl was once asked for his thoughts on lacrosse goals and said, "if you tried that in the western, you'd get your teeth knocked in." he's my favorite antagonist.
owen power: the biggest pup in the litter is back! it seems like guys who sign on for men's worlds are either players who've had a disappointing season and are looking for some redemption (note all the kraken on this roster) or younger guys who want an opportunity to get on the radar. owen probably falls in the former bucket, and that's going to make him interesting to watch. it will also be interesting to see which defenseman on this roster is the scratch.
#anonymarshmallow#i saw a rumor today that mac t might get added to this roster and let me assure you i will lose my goddamned mind if that happens
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can you tell us more about your bird(s)? I'd love to see them
yes always!!! my birds/babies are Zelly and Cloud and they're both pigeons!! they have a very silly size difference.
Zelly (short for "Arbuzelis") (which I believe means "little watermelon" in Lithuanian) (we didn't name him but we thought Arbuzelis fit him so well we kept it) is a Lahore pigeon, which means he's a huge bastard and has fluffy feet which are officially called "muffs". I have also never met a creature who is simultaneously so incredibly intelligent and so incredibly stupid at the same time. I love him so much.
Cloud's breed is unknown but she's likely a homing pigeon and a victim of the wedding release industry. I literally scooped her out of the mouth of a dog where she was actively being eaten alive, dropped ÂŁ100 on her at the vets, then told her if she died I'd personally bring her back from the dead because ÂŁ100!!!!! expensive bloody bird!!!! and she has hated me ever since â¤ď¸
Cloud's hobbies include hitting me in the head with her wing to give me dain bramage and trying to get Zelly to sleep with her. unfortunately my son is both stupid and gay (literally) and doesn't realise he has a wife. Cloud continues to suffer.
you may be going "um Cloud's a dove right?" and you would be WRONG. I'm not going into the scientific spiel about how doves and pigeons are basically the same animal and most fall under Columbidae BUT notice how Cloud has visible nostril bumps (called ceres)? doves don't have those*. they just have weird flat snoots.
*generally**
**you know city pigeons (pictured below)? those are actually doves. rock doves. they have ceres!
so next time you see someone look at a rock dove and be like "ew pigeons are gross" you can be like "ACTUALLY THAT IS A DOVE AND THEY ARE DOMESTICATED BIRDS THAT WE SPENT THOUSANDS OF YEARS BREEDING TO BE OUR BELOVED COMPANIONS AND THEN WE THREW THEM OUT IN THE COLD AND DECRIED THEM AS VERMIN EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE INCREDIBLY CLEAN BIRDS. I'M NOT SAYING YOU SHOULD GO AROUND KISSING RANDOM BIRDS BUT DID YOU KNOW A HEALTHY PIGEON'S POOP DOESN'T SMELL? ALSO GIVE ME YOUR WALLET."
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Get attacked!! â¤ď¸â¨đSEND THIS TO OTHER BLOGGERS YOU THINK ARE WONDERFUL. KEEP THE GAME GOINGđâ¨â¤ď¸
zelly my beloved 𼚠right back at you <3
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I redrew my avatar as beloved Zellie Zel Zel! I chose Four Swords Zelda as inspiration, but kept some of the things from my avatar such as the eyebrow dots and the scarf. Reason why is, that my avatar represents me so I like using some aspects of that, combining myself with Zelda.
I made this as new Twitter Profile Pic. My Twitter is not... doing well but you can follow me there too if you like: https://twitter.com/JustAPixelThing
Everyone tells me I joined at the worst time possible :'D
#pixel art#princess zelda#zelda#pixel artist#loz zelda#zelda fanart#tloz#four swords#four swords zelda#loz fsa#fsa zelda
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How do each of your blorbos hug their s/o? And how different is it compared to them hugging like a friend or family member?
AAAAAH I love this question, thank you for sending it đ
This question is particularly interesting, because there DEFINITELY is is a distinction--and it varies between my characters.
(P.S.: these answers are based off of the assumption that they are in their traditional dynamic--Freyja is a Giant + Alice is a Human; Zelly is a Human + Rowan is a Borrower. In some AUs these answers may have some degree of variance, but these are my general answers<3)
OKAY SO
Fun-fact all my blorbos are touched-starved. Surprise! that's just the flavor here, I did the Love Language test for the four of them and Physical Touch was number one for Freyja and number two for Alice, Zelly, and Rowan. BUT with who they're physically affectionate with is a bit different.
Freyja: She is a HUGGER. Big girl thrives off hugs--believes it's the best way she can show her love and support. She loves hugging Giants and Humans alike--and always will ask if she's not sure if someone wants a hug. But if she gets the go ahead, she will absolutely wrap her arms around them and hug them tight. (the only person she isn't really a hugger with is her sister, Bryn. They're not on great terms right now). Now, with Alice she loves being able to hug him and keep him close--it's her love language, after all--and while they've definitely had plenty of talks where Alice has given his consent to being randomly snatched up into hugs, she still tries to be aware of how he's feeling in a given moment so she isn't too suffocating or anything when Alice might need some space.
Alice: Like Frey, Alice is very liberal with his hugs. And, despite not being a very strong or big Human, he gives VERY tight hugs--operating on the philosophy that he wants his friends to feel his love for them through his hugs (also because he really wants his Giant friends to be able to feel the hug to begin with too). Alice absolutely tries to hug the stuffing out of Freyja when he can (or rather, he ATTEMPTS to do so)--sometimes that's the only thing that helps him feel grounded with his anxiety; however, he does struggle with feeling too "clingy" and might be the first to let go if he feels like he's hugging her for too long (which he isn't).
Zelly: While she is incredibly touchy and affectionate with her best friend Nikol, she typically doesn't show physical affection to other friends of hers--not that she won't take a hug when she's given one, she's just more prone to do a fist bump instead. With Rowan...honestly, I'm not sure đ we'll come back to it, lmao. She does love hugging Rowan<3 but honestly, Zelly was the hardest one to figure out in this list and I'm still not quite sure.
Rowan: He won't typically initiate hugs with others, namely because he didn't grow up with hugging. And while he's somewhat warmed up to it, thanks to his fellow Borrower friend Ser Stone, his hugs typically are brief and a bit shy with other Smallfolk--and he's still working up to trying to give hugs to Humans other than Zelly. Now, with his beloved Zelly he is quite gentle in how he hugs her--despite having no need to be. And a lot of that is just the process of learning for Ro. Hugging a Borrower is still new to him, imagine how it feels trying to learn how to hug someone sixteen times your own size. But with Zelly, he feels that yearning for closeness and safety when he's around her.
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my beloved zelly
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Me, rubbing my forehead exasperatedly: There's no plot. Zellie: Well, I am trying to plan out the trip? Zel: I'm getting lessons, we could focus on that. Me: NO. Everyone wants to see the road trip. We have to get the plot moving. Cloud: Uhhh, what is the plot? Me: I DON'T KNOW THAT'S THE PROBLEM Revali: We all know it'll be better once I get involved, anyway. Me: Yeah, and??? Am I supposed to just... write about you guys walking down the road together?? I NEED A PLOT. Mipha: Well, isn't the road trip itself the plot, though? The adventure of everyone interacting together while seeing the land of Hyrule? Me: I don't want to write about all the scenery of Hyrule! I can't write road trips! Daruk: Um, didn't you write yourself into this, though? Me: YES. I KNOW. THANKS DARUK. I can't even take my beloved emotional support blorbo because he managed to weasel his way out of it!! >:( *glares at Abel* Abel: THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME IN BLOOD OF THE HERO
...Did I happen to mention that writing Breath of the Sky is a struggle
#breath of the sky#like I come up with fun scenes but an overall plot?#just#someone end me#good grief#Me: road trip!#me:... now what#ensemble casts my beloathed#come on brain we can figure this out#honestly Abel's been helping the plot move forward so the fact that he's STAYING BEHIND is RUDE#sigh
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Your Majesty...
My most ambitious art piece so far and I think it was worth it.
I really love Zelda's short hair so I drew that even if she's in her Royal Dress. Meanwhile, the Prince is actually my OC, Hugo Fiore (Who I may or may not ship with princess Zelda HWHDJDLSLAL)
Hope ya'll enjoy it!
#legend of zelda#the legend of zelda#breath of the wild#tears of the kingdom#botw#totk#princess zelda#zelly my beloved <3#oc#self insert#hugo fiore#totally not canon x oc shipping#totally not Zelgo#royal dress#my art#ulm art
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Hyrule is a (redacted) au, sons of courage, still good. And Sandwich my beloved if you want.
Hyrule is a [redacted] AU is all about Hyrule being [redacted]! :D
Something I can say is that it revolves around a lot of Zelink. I actually have something published from this AU đ see if you can find it *wiggles eyebrows*
A snippet for you:
Legend had made the mistake of deciding he could multitask.
Or, to put it more clearly, Legend was impatient and, after running into the mailman early in the day while traveling, the veteran decided he didnât want to wait any longer before reading his letter. So, he simply decided to read it while he walked.
This, as previously stated, was a mistake. He felt as if he was moving through a fog. A fog filled with several choice echoing phrases from Zeldaâs letter, with one phrase in particular being the most prominent.
Sons of Courage!
The first chapter in the series of this AU is already published, in a fic titled 'Blood of Courage'! The basic premise is that Farore reincarnates as Link's mother every time.
âWait, Legend didnât raise his hand. What was his motherâs name?â Sky asked.
There was a beat of silence. Farona turned and looked at Legend, before shifting into another self and placing her hands on her hips.
âLink Faron Gustaf Daphnes the III!â
Legend flinched and turned red.
Everyone elseâs mouth dropped open.
There was a moment of utter quiet, in which Warriors could be seen silently mouthing âLink Faron Gustaf Daphnes the IIIâ with an ever-increasing grin.
Legend shot Farona a look of betrayal. It was completely ineffective, as he had betrayed her first.
âI take it that means his mother was a Farona, too.â Time said dryly.
âQuite.â Farona said haughtily. âOne would think I would get a little more recognition after being in labor for sixty-three hours with him.â Legend blanched. Several of the other men went pale. Sky looked faintly green.
Still Good is my collection of interconnected oneshots from This is My Family, which is about the little family of Warriors, Artemis (as Sheik), Mask and Wind during the War of Ages
Still, in the amount of time it took Linkle to find her way to the war, certain⌠things had developed. Things which took Linkle very little time at all to pick up on.
In fact, it took her precisely one day, the precise time being breakfast the morning after she arrived. She sauntered up to Linkâs cookfire in order to laugh at his helplessness in a leaf-callling-the-grass-green manner, before going to the cooks to beg for edible food for herself.
Instead, she came upon the scene of Link busily repairing a pile of torn and battered clothes, while Mask and Wind were crowded around Shiek at the stewpot, where the sheikah was very patiently trying to teach them to feed themselves.
Linkle took one look, grinned, and plopped down besides Link. Link knew that look; heâd lay down a purple that Linkle was Up To No Good and about to embark on antics aimed in his direction.
And a little snippety of Sandwich the beloved!
âNow,â Time said, drawing everyoneâs attention back to him, where he sat enthroned upon his favorite armchair, âMay I see this baby?â
âPause my timer, guys,â Four muttered, and reluctantly stood up, shifting Zelly so she lay against his shoulder for easy carrying. It took a bit of time to get across the room, picking his way carefully through the scattered forms of college boys strew across the floor, but then he was passing the baby into Timeâs experienced hands. In a twinkling, Time was holding Zelly up in front of him, eying her thoughtfully.
All the boys (and Artemis) held their breath.
Zelly blinked back at Time, and then broke into a wide smile, giggling and reaching tiny little fingers out towards the funny man with the colorful face.
Time grinned back, the look in his eyes softening, and bounced her up and down, prompting Zelly to burst into a series of happy squeals. âWell, itâs certainly nice to make your acquaintance, Miss Sandwich.â
Twilight smacked his forehead. âDad, why.â
#nancy my beloved#you ask tellie answers#thank you so much for the ask <3#tellie writes stuff#tellie talks writing stuff#my fanfics#wip ask game#linked universe
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zelli - love burns
lil angst bc I saw a video of zelli speaking Swiss German and needed to write it. (518 words) (translations listed at the end)
I open the door and drop my keys in the bowl by the door. I look up and see the entire place is a mess. the pillows on the couch are thrown all across the room, the coffee table is flipped and everything on it is strewn across the floor.
I hear distant sobs from our shared bedroom. I drop everything I have and run to the door. I swing the door open and see Zelli sitting on the floor under the window, crying so hard it looks like he can't breathe.
our room is a mess too, with picture frames on the floor, papers whisked off of my desk, and laundry baskets knocked over. he looks at me, almost looks through me. he stands silently, hesitantly taking a step towards me.
I rush towards him, wrapping my arms around him. he holds me like he's afraid I'll vanish. he pushed his face into the space between my neck and shoulder, breathing me in like he'll never get the chance to again.
his fist ball up around my shirt, and he shakes as he cries into my shoulder. I can hear his shakey breathing as he tries to speak, but fails to get the words out.
"Ich dachte, ich hätte dich fßr immer verloren" he chokes out with a trembling voice. It takes me a moment to translate what he said. We both usually speak English with each other. I have to translate in my head before responding.
"was hat dich glauben lassen, dass du mich verloren hast?" I ask, letting go of the hug and leaning back to look at his face. his eyes are red and puffy, tear streaks stain his cheeks, and the crying twists his features into a deep, heavy, frown.
I gently wipe his cheek with my thumb, cradling his face in my hand. he puts his hand over mine, leaning into it and gently kissing my palm. he stares at me with tears in his eyes.
"Das Haus war leer und es war Blut im Badezimmer und auf deinem Schreibtisch." he says softly, melting into my hand. he holds onto my waist, anchoring me to the earth, to him. "there was so much and I could not find you." he says.
I had a heavy nosebleed this morning but thought I had cleaned it up. I had to rush out the door early because of a meeting and hadn't even thought about it.
"mir geht es gut, es war nur eine Nasenblutung." i tell him, trying to comfort him in the language he grew up speaking. "Mir geht es gut, mein Geliebter, ich verspreche, mir ist nichts Schlimmes passiert."
He leans into me, resting his head on my shoulder, nearly collapsing into me. I lead him to the bed, laying down next to him. he wraps his arms around me, with his ear pressed to my chest, listening to my heartbeat.
We stay like this until he falls asleep in my arms, holding me tightly, even in his sleep. I nod off, we can worry about putting the house back together tomorrow.
translations:
"I thought I had lost you forever" "What made you think that you lost me?" "The house was empty and there was blood in the bathroom and on your desk" "I'm fine, it was just a nosebleed" "I'm fine, my beloved, I promise, nothing bad has happened to me."
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