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oma-reblogs · 11 days ago

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Reunion (Imprisoning War)

As requested... Link and Hemisi reunite for the first time since Ganondorf stole the Triforce.

There was a difference between sparring and true war. There was a difference between the honor of defending one's own home, one’s people, and the horror of meeting someone equally determined.

Hemisi was discovering that she... didn't like war.

All the stories and songs heralded glory and honor, rising in station and living on in history like heroes. But all she’d seen so far was beasts and blood. At first the war hadn’t seemed real, so far away after a seemingly botched mission. All she knew of the war was her father’s frustration, her mother’s worries, and she and her brother were smuggled hastily back to Lagema as Hyrule came crashing at their border with the might of a sandstorm. Her mother had held them at bay, ordering the rest of the family to remain in the capital.

Her father hadn’t listened. He’d summoned some sort of magic, bringing monsters to heel and protecting their lands.

It had impressed Merovar. It had scared Hemisi.

But even so, the twins had been ordered to stay in the desert. They were to protect the border as Hyrule continued to try beating against their defenses, while their mother returned to ruling and their father moved to the front lines.

Time passed, and beasts were soon not enough. And then Hemisi had to protect her fellow Gerudo as their wounded were ferried back into the desert to be cared for, having been taken down on the front.

And suddenly the war didn’t feel so far away anymore.

The glory of fighting, her eagerness to protect her land, heightened tenfold as she saw her sisters bleeding on the cots being carried through their territory. And she’d wanted to do more.

Merovar had too, but he wouldn’t disobey their mother. Hemisi had no such qualms.

It didn’t matter that they were fifteen. She would be of age in a matter of months. She could enter the fray now. So she snuck out with the next squad of reinforcements, and she finally got a real taste of battle.

And she’d realized just how naïve she’d been.

She supposed it was a stupid sentiment to have. Given all the bloodshed she'd seen so far, it seemed reasonable to assume no one would like war. But then why did the minstrels always sing of their praises?

Perhaps not everyone viewed war the same as she. It seemed her father didn’t hold the same sentiment, but she couldn’t be certain.

How had it escalated to something so catastrophic? How had everything fallen apart so horribly? She didn't know how either of her parents did it, how they handled this war. The original plan had been a quick snatch and run, to steal the Triforce and run back to the desert. She figured it was foolish to assume Hyrule wouldn't go after them, but if it had gone correctly no one would've been the wiser, right? Once the dust had settled, she might have even been able to reach out to Link again.

Instead, the Sheikah warriors had noticed the bodies. Instead, the sacred relic had shattered as soon as her father had touched it. Instead, their mother had screamed that they should retreat when things fell apart. Instead, she'd had to run around her boyfriend's unconscious body and was unable to help him. Instead, Hyrule had a face and a name to call culpable and brought its full wrath down on the Gerudo.

And now, she was finally diving head first into the chaos.

Hemisi had fought before, but never to such an extreme, and never to the death. Yet here she was, covered in the blood of her enemies, staring at the bodies she'd just cut down.

She felt sick. She was sick. This was sick.

Is it really worth all this?

Did it even matter anymore? What was done was done. If she didn't fight, her people would suffer the consequences.

The scimitars fell out of her trembling hands as she stared at blood dripping off her fingers, down her torso, as she felt it on her face.

Hemisi started to hyperventilate, backing away from the carnage, her world spinning.

She wanted nothing more than to turn back time, to go to the days where she and Link were stargazing on the castle walls, where she was training with her father, laughing with her mother, annoying her brother.

But there was no going back. The empty, accusing Hylian eyes that watched her screamed it, cemented in her mind by the life-giving fluid that slid off her skin.

There was noise to her right, and she turned to see more enemies. She couldn’t fall apart now, she wouldn’t. She had chosen to be here, this was not a place for children and she refused to act like one.

So she picked up her blades, ignoring the blood on her arms and hands, and she gritted her teeth, marching forward.

The first Hylian fell easily to her, but the other one put up more of a fight. Adrenaline returned in full force, pushing all of her musings out of her mind as Hemisi parried his sword with one scimitar and dug the other one into his chest, hearing him gasp with pain and surprise. His breathing turned to gurgling, a wretched mix of air and blood bubbling from his wound and his mouth, and she pulled out the sword, swallowing bile, heart racing.

She heard a woman cry out, and quickly looked farther ahead to see a Gerudo warrior falling, and she prepared herself for another fight.

And froze.

That was… that warrior was…

He noticed her scrutiny, recognized a flash of red hair, saw the light glint off her bloodied blades, and then his red eyes met hers.

“Link…” she whispered, completely stunned, mind blank, heart hammering against her ribs.

Link stared at her, the whites of his eyes shining brightly against dirtied skin and matted hair, against a black mask that covered half his face but couldn’t hide the shock he felt upon seeing her.

Neither had seen each other since that fateful night seven months ago.

The world seemed to disappear around them, battle forgotten, dust kicked up from an earth that had been beaten senseless, smoke from magical blasts thickening in her lungs, stealing what little breath she had left away.

And then Link’s eyebrows came together, eyes narrowing, body stiffening as he slowly rose from where he’d been kneeling on the ground from a finishing blow. His grip on an unfamiliar sword tightened, and he slowly stalked towards her. Hemisi felt her blood freeze, and she took a hesitant step away, defenses still lowered.

He was going to fight her. He was going to fight her.

“Link…” she said again, a little stronger, a petition, a warning, a plea, a prayer.

He took another step. And another. Hemisi stepped farther away. The resolve in his eyes didn’t falter. She could see the hurt, the betrayal, the anger.

Link attacked.

Hemisi gasped a little, but she brought up her scimitars all the same, having to use both to hold the large bluish sword at bay. The force of the thrust was stronger than Link had used when they would spar – he’d gotten stronger since then.

She didn’t bother trying to talk to him again. She knew words were useless here, in this forsaken battlefield, where despite how close they were it felt like a chasm the size of the desert itself had formed between them.

They were enemies.

Hemisi grunted, tightened her stance and bracing harder into the ground as she pushed forward. As much as Link had grown, so had she – Gerudo were naturally stronger than Hylians and Sheikah alike, and she would use that to her advantage. Link stumbled back a hair, but she knew his preferred fighting style was quick and personal. As predicted, he pushed forward again, though he used the power of his swing to knock one of her blades out of her hand entirely, startling her. Link closed in, disregarding his sword entirely as he released it with one hand to draw a knife, aiming straight for her throat.

In a split second she realized that trying to cut him with her scimitar would not stop his attack, only diminish it, but a knife to the throat was a knife to the throat no matter the strength behind the thrust. So she dropped her other sword instead, grasping his wrist desperately with both her hands. She realized as soon as she’d done it how vulnerable she’d left herself as he still was armed in his right hand, but it was his nondominant, and she could muscle her way out of this. She kicked forward, hitting him in the gut and knocking the wind out of him, and she twisted his left arm harshly behind his back. Link yelled, kicking back desperately, but at his angle all he could hit was her greave, so it was a fruitless venture.

Link dropped his sword, bringing a hand to his chest, and Hemisi gasped as she lost her balance when her opponent completely disappeared from in front of her. She stumbled forward, and she heard rustling and magic behind her. Turning, she pushed Link’s hand aside as he tried again with a knife, finally knocking it from his grip entirely, and the two started trading blows with closed fists. Link caught Hemisi’s punch, fingers snaking around her wrist as his other hand moved to her armpit, and he dropped to the ground, throwing her over him with a kick to the chest. Hemisi couldn’t get enough breath to even cry out, grunting instead as she slid a ways, barely having time to get up and see him reaching for his sword. Her own scimitars were too close to him for her to try and grab right now, and so she resorted to blocking his next attack with her gauntlets. Her arms trembled as the sword’s blood soaked sharp edge was barely a breath away from her face, but she turned, guiding its momentum to the side as she finally managed to punch him directly in the face and run for her weapons.

She heard Link roar in defiance, heading back towards her just as she managed to reclaim her scimitars, and the two were parrying each other’s attacks once more. They moved fluidly, Link pushing forward, Hemisi meeting his strength with her own. They were forces of nature, trying to overpower the other; Link had grown in height and was no longer shorter than her, making his usual lighter maneuverability more difficult for him. But what he’d lost in flexibility he’d gained in muscle, and the weight of his blade was unfamiliar to her.

Still, she knew Link preferred closing space as much as possible. He typically overpowered an enemy quickly and quietly, relying on stealth and finesse. Most fighters preferred to keep distance in a battle, as it prevented vulnerability. Link bypassed it by ending the battle before it could start. But with Hemisi, that was impossible – she held her ground, keeping him at bay.

A fortress never fell to a storm. Hemisi refused to give up.

But the two had been so focused on each other that they’d lost track of their surroundings, moving farther from the main battlefield, reaching the edge of a large hill that descended into a gorge.

The world lurched as the earth turned to slick mud, and Hemisi gasped. She reached out blindly, snatching Link by his scarf between a few fingers, and they both tumbled together down the side of the cliff. Rock and root alike battered them as they went, and both combatants lost their blades in the tumble, partly from the impacts and partly so they didn’t stab themselves as they went.

As they fell, Hemisi felt sharp pains exploding in her right side as she slammed into a rock, knocking the wind out of her. By the time they reached the bottom she felt more akin to a ragdoll, panting for air with a chest that could hardly expand enough to suck it in. Link didn’t move after they finally slid to a stop, both teenagers desperately trying to get their bearings and blink through the pain.

Hemisi was not going to let her guard down, though. Link’s ferocity spoke for itself, even if it hurt her heart to be on the receiving end of it. No matter how angry he was, she could match it, could yell louder, hit harder, channel all her own frustrations into her moves.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried to stop this from happening! Yet here he was acting like it was her fault!

But as angry and hurt as she was, she had to speak to him too, she had to make sure he knew that.

“Link,” she groaned, shakily getting to her feet. “For heaven’s sake, just listen to me.”

Link grunted, teeth gritted in pain as he pushed himself off the ground. His dark mask was gone, having been shredded on the descent, revealing a dark, determined face with red eyes that screamed in more agony than her own ribs.

“Why should I?” he hissed, circling her as she did the same, both warriors automatically scanning the area for their weapons. “So you can lure me into a false sense of security again? So you can pretend to care about me just enough to stab me in the back once more?”

“I pushed you into a closet, you ass, I didn’t hurt you!” she snapped.

Link scoffed, “You think it’s that simple? You got to know me, learned everything about the guards and our routes, our shifts, our routines, everything so that Ganondorf could steal the Triforce! Our entire relationship was just a ruse, a lie! Saying you just pushed me into a closet, like the events of that night meant nothing, just proves that!”

“I did not fake our relationship!” Hemisi argued, growing desperate, feeling her eyes sting with tears of hurt and frustration. “Damn it, Link, this—I didn’t want this!”

“Then maybe you should have told me instead of betraying me,” Link growled, eyes shifting from her to somewhere in the distance. His posture grew stiffer. He’d found his sword, likely.

Hemisi felt anger bubble anew in her chest, and she stepped between him and his target. “Do you think I didn’t try? Do you think I didn’t consider talking my dad out of this—do you think I didn’t argue with him about it?! Do you really think I wanted this war? If you truly believe our relationship meant nothing, then maybe it truly did to you, but I loved you!”

“It meant everything to me!” Link yelled, and she finally saw the tears start to glisten in his eyes as well.

Their voices echoed across the small canyon they were in for a moment, the battle of the distant so far away they could hardly hear it. It was as if the world had stilled to listen to them, and a chill started to settle into Hemisi’s bones as clouds hid the sun from the sky.

Hemisi finally let the painful, awful truth come out of her like a whisper on the wind. “I had to choose, Link. I… I had to choose. You can’t… you can’t expect me not to protect my family. I didn’t… I didn’t know it would lead to this.”

Link’s posture shifted subtly, deflating a little, losing its edge. His lip trembled a moment, and his fists balled as he fought to control himself. Hemisi felt her own heart break at the sight of it, at the truth that had been screaming at her, that egged her on and betrayed her at the same time.

How could she not choose her family? But why did it have to lead to this? Link had become family too!

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, voice trembling so much she wasn’t even sure she could hear herself.

But Link did hear her words, did see her tears, and the fight finally drained out of him. But he kept his distance, despite her crying, when in the past he would have run to her and held her and said it would be okay.

“Our duties always come first,” Link finally said, sounding tired and resigned. “I suppose in the end it doesn’t matter if we loved each other or not.”

“Don’t say that,” Hemisi snapped, stepping towards him. “I still love you, that matters.”

“You’re killing my people!” Link yelled.

“And you’re killing mine!” Hemisi countered.

“What am I supposed to do? I thought you, of all people, understood me!” Link interjected, face growing stormy. “All my life, people have looked down on me, for either being some half-breed or a mistake, or recently from your father because I was too obedient, too demure—but I thought you knew, that you realized that I treasure my people and my country and my duty! Did you really think I’d just—just stand by and let your father steal our most sacred relic, one of the most powerful items in the world, putting everyone in danger?! Did you think I would be fine with you proving that the entire basis of our relationship was part of his plot to take it?! Did you think I would watch your people hurt and kill mine and I would just do nothing? And now, even now you’re still acting as if I’m the one at fault! You spoke to me so many times of stepping up, voicing my own opinions, not just following rules, yet you’re demanding I fall in line and just join you simply because you claim to love me!”

Hemisi shook her head, trying to get a word in, but his own words cut into her more than his blade ever could. And she hated him all the more for it, hated herself, because what was she supposed to say, what could she do, how could anyone fix this?!

Her father had forbade her from joining the war until she was of age. She’d thought he was just being stupidly protective. She’d claimed she was an adult, that she could handle this, that she’d trained for this.

She felt like a fool, like a child lost in the whirlwinds of the world and not knowing what to do. She hated that.

There was no fixing this.

“It’s as you said,” Link finally said flatly. “You chose your family. And I had to choose mine.”

“All this, for the Triforce? For a Sheikah who don’t even appreciate you? For a king who’s a fool and will give power to whoever kisses his ass the most?” Hemisi growled, starting to scan again for her weapons.

“All this, for the Triforce,” Link confirmed, and the two circled each other again. “For a land I love, a land where people are safe, where people don’t attack others for power plays, for my culture that I adore, for a throne that, despite its bad rulers, has protected this land for centuries. This king may be a fool, but the next leader may not. I defend Hyrule, not King Ozen. You make claims about serving a ruler who doesn’t deserve it – what do you think Ganondorf is doing that makes him worthy of being followed? Have you even asked what he wants with the Triforce, what his impetus was to steal it?”

Hemisi felt her own anger rise to the forefront. “You can’t possibly expect me to just lay down and let Hyrule trample my people, whether I agree with Dad’s actions or not. And don’t you dare talk about him like he’s some monster!”

Link swallowed, and both teenagers tensed as they each found their swords in varying places around them. “Then I suppose neither of us has a choice.”

And with that, he lunged forward, and Hemisi moved to stop him but she realized almost too late that he had kunai that he’d been hiding, not even bothering to go for his sword. Hemisi flinched, falling back as he swiped across her chest—is he aiming for my armor?—and gasping anyway as her ribs screamed in protest. She kept up with his attacks, grappling his wrist after another swipe moved across her, using the momentum as she turned and tried to roll and flip him onto the ground. Link slipped a leg between her ankles, jerking and knocking her off balance. She released him so she could catch her fall and then scurried back before he could attack while she was vulnerable.

Link did move elsewhere now, and Hemisi grabbed him by his scarf, making him cough and fall back. She kicked his kunai out of one hand, and he tried to stab the back of her calf with the other, forcing her back. She managed to reach her scimitars before he could get to his sword, as he was still trying to get to his feet, and she charged towards him with a yell.

Their year together was shoved harshly into the back of her mind. Gone were the nights of sneaking out to stargaze, to catch fireflies and laugh and tell stories, gone were the adventures exploring nearby forests and ancient temples, gone were the vulnerabilities shared, the worries and hopes and dreams, the laughter and comfort and hugs.

They weren’t children anymore. There was no more pretending that everything would be fine.

Happy endings were simply for fairytales.

Link whirled around to see her coming before he could defend himself, and he dropped to the ground to avoid a slash that likely would have taken his head. With each potential fatal blow, Hemisi felt her resolve weaken, her fear and love overpowering her determination and anger.

Anger was a strong emotion, but it was an exhausting one. It couldn’t last, it couldn’t keep fueling her, she couldn’t justify this.

But what could she do?!

Her blade finally cut across Link’s upper arm, hitting between the chainmail and the bracer on his forearm, and she watched the purple cloth stain darker as he bled. A piece of her heart bled with him, but she would not be the one to die today.

She had to protect her family and her people. She was the princess, after all, even if she’d never truly cared about what that meant until all of this.

Link crouched down to avoid another attack, and used his vantage point to pounce upward towards her, taking her down and making her drop her swords. She brought her hands up to claw at his face, snarling and crying, and the two rolled in the mud to try and get the upper hand. No matter how hard each teenager tried, though, they kept outmaneuvering the other, until they both slammed into a large rock and had nowhere else to go.

Hemisi’s ribs couldn’t bear the strain any longer, and she gasped for air, pausing her efforts. Link seemed to be bleeding too much, drained of energy as well, and the two were left laying beside each other panting desperately.

“This—is—stupid,” she ground out between breaths.

Link wheezed, a pathetic attempt at a laugh, escaping straining lungs as he trembled and tried to push himself up before collapsing.

“You’re stupid,” he mumbled from where he laid.

“You’re stupider,” Hemisi fired back.

Whatever comeback Link had, it was lost as he groaned when he tried to move again.

“Neither of us have a choice,” Hemisi said, echoing his earlier words, feeling her energy vanish, feeling her body tremble, the one little jab of familiarity from their bantering destroying her cold resolve.

She turned to look at him, to really look at the young man she’d fallen in love with. She saw the same caring eyes buried beneath the pain and anger, she saw the soft features that were steadily carving into stone, the white skin paint that was smeared that he would carefully, ritualistically put on his face every morning. She saw the lips that she’d tasted time and again, that would smile at her and laugh with her and love her, the calloused hands that would hold her own when she’d need comfort. She saw the blue scarf that was so precious to him, tattered and stained with dirt and blood.

“I love you,” she whispered, feeling the tears fall. “I’m… I’m sorry.”

“You’re not going to trick me with that again,” Link muttered, though his tone held less bite and more hurt than anything. “You always claimed to be in charge of your own life, and—”

He cut himself off, sighing heavily, exhausted. Hemisi didn’t have it in her to argue anymore. She knew she wasn’t going to convince him.

It should make her angry. Instead, it just made her cry more.

Link slowly crawled over to her, and she recognized the sound of a kunai scraping against stone. She knew what was coming. Fear gripped at her, mixed with anguish and hurt and betrayal, with pain so deep she couldn’t even put words to it, and all she wanted was to just be home with her family.

Link hovered over her, eyes dark in the shadows cast by what little light was left, and then he said softly, “I’m sorry too.”

Hemisi closed her eyes, waiting for the blow, biting back the quiet sobs. She would at least die like a warrior.

Instead, she felt his soft lips against hers, hot tears falling onto her face.

Hemisi could hardly return the gesture before Link was backing off, and she felt something slip into her hands. It was cool, a glass, a bottle—she looked down to see a red potion.

“You need to leave,” Link said, looking exhausted, the tear tracks still evident on his face, carving a path across dirt and blood.

She—he—

Hemisi swallowed, sitting up despite the way her chest screamed in protest. “Link…”

He pulled away from her, standing. “Hemisi. You need to leave before my people get here.”

She took a breath, trying to come up with something to say, but there were no words left between the two of them. There was nothing left that they could say.

Hemisi nodded, slowly rising. Link watched her as she started to walk away, as she grabbed her scimitars, as she found a path out of the place they’d fallen. She glanced back one last time to see him standing alone, looking small and exhausted but determined.

“Goodbye, Link,” she said finally.

Link swallowed, lips twitching a moment. Then he said in return, “Goodbye, Hemisi.”

And with that, the two parted ways as snow began to fall, the cold wind howling in their ears.

An hour later, Link was found by the Hyrulian forces, half collapsed against a tree, clutching the Master Sword tightly, his scarf tied around his arm to hold pressure. The soldiers whispered how the Hero was so quiet, wondering if perhaps it was shame or pain or exhaustion. No one saw the boy curl into himself that night, laying on the cold ground in the tent spared to him and others, crying quietly into his pillow.

A day later, Hemisi was nearly barreled over by her father when she returned to the Gerudo border. He interrogated her, lectured her, asked if she was hurt. She couldn’t say anything to him. She just cried, cried and let her father hold her for what felt like hours.

And the next day, Link rose to see the land glittering with snow, to see the Hyrule he loved glow golden like the sacred piece he carried with him. And he continued forward, love in his heart despite the pain. The next day, Hemisi looked over her people, watched her father plan their next attack, and she continued forward, love in her heart despite the pain.

And the war went on.

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oma-reblogs · 14 days ago

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More Beat the Heat! This prompt is a little different - a long time ago on a poll I put possible writing prompts up, and this one came in second place! I had promised a few people I would write it anyway, so here we finally are!

Prompt: Abel fights a corrupted Link.

At first it had simply been rumors, and ridiculous ones at that. Abel hardly listened to hearsay. But as word spread around that Link was not only no longer missing, but actually causing harm, he did start to worry.

Abel had been searching for his son for a month since the Upheaval. Queen Zelda was still missing, though rumors were beginning to arise about her as well, but she seemed to be appearing in separate places than his boy. He and Princess Mipha had split up to cover more ground, going to different areas of supposed sightings.

But when Link had returned to Zora’s Domain itself, attacking King Dorephan, Abel had known these were not rumors.

Something was wrong. Aside from the obvious in that Link would never do such a thing, the Zora also reported that before the young man had been repelled, they’d noticed that he looked like he himself was half covered in the same gloom that was poisoning the area. Some wondered if the one who attacked Dorephan was even Link at all, but rather just a monster made of dark magic.

Mipha was understandably distraught, staying at her father’s side to help him heal, worrying about the safety of her brother and son. Abel had sworn to the Zora royal family that he would find his son, just as he’d done to Rhoam.

There was a lot more heaviness in his words now as he spoke them, though.

But as he traced his son’s steps more, he realized that this wasn’t just a monster, it was his child. Link still had mannerisms that tipped the knight off, based on the paths he took, the trinkets he picked up, the bits of food from recipes that he knew that were left behind where he would camp. Not to mention the latest story of a sighting of the young man claimed he stopped himself mid attack.

Abel’s heart was filled with dread as he came up to his next destination. Based on the path Link was taking, he was likely heading for the Gorons next. Abel had taken a shortcut.

Please, Hylia, he prayed, he begged. Please help him fight this. And… and help me fight it too.

He knew what he had to do. This wasn’t just a straightforward rescue operation. That malice would make Link attack him.

He’d have to fight his son.

They had a plan in place. Abel would find and defeat Link, bringing him to Mipha. She would heal what she could, but the Champions would all help escort Link to the Shrine of Light… once they found it. The Zonai Team indicated that it existed, and that it could purge dark magic, but the scripts implied that it was in the sky.

Revali was searching the islands at this very moment. Urbosa was gathering warriors as best she could while also dealing with the unpredictable, grueling weather plaguing the desert. Daruk was planning on trying to meet up with Abel to help fight Link, or at the very least supply bonds strong enough to keep the young man imprisoned while he was corrupted. All the Champions were sacrificing time and efforts that they’d poured into helping their own people during all the crises developing across Hyrule.

Abel took a steadying breath as he slowly crept up a hill to peer over into the road below. Link was indeed there, slowly moving along. The boy was pale, one eye black with a yellow iris, with purplish red stained across his cheek and chin like veins filled with poisoned blood. His right arm was a similar color, mottled and near necrotic looking, despite functioning seemingly normally. His Champion shirt looked like it had been burnt, singed edges barely covering his torso on the side of his affected arm. His hair was disheveled, bags under his eyes, the boy had probably barely rested while under control. Abel felt his heart clench at the sight of his child.

He offered one more prayer before grabbing his sword and shield, silently making his way to the path.

Link froze as his father blocked the road ahead of him. Abel searched desperately for any kind of recognition in his son, saying, “Link… this needs to stop. I know… I know you’re fighting it. Let me help you.”

The young man in front of him didn’t move for what felt like an eternity, but there was no worry, no anguish, no concern in his eyes. His left one looked far more watery than his right, though as he started to glare, and Abel knew there was no way to end this peacefully.

As a tear fell out of Link’s left eye, though, Abel knew his boy was indeed still there, trapped, and he was going to free him.

Drawing his blade, Abel said firmly, “I’m sorry, son. This… isn’t going to be pleasant for either of us. But I will free you.”

Whatever hesitation had been holding Link hostage burned away as he snarled, grabbing his own weapon (not the Master Sword, though, Abel noted) and charged ahead. Abel blocked the attack easily, but his rebuttal was dodged by his son with nearly as little effort. These two had sparred so many times over the years they knew each other’s fighting style like it was their own. Abel had wondered if perhaps the demonic control over his child would make his fighting different, more erratic or aggressive or something, but it seemed Link still defaulted to his own way, making this both easier and so much harder.

Link flipped back to avoid a swipe, and Abel knew the rush of attacks that were coming next, bringing his shield up just in time to avoid getting cut multiple times over. His heart was ramming against his chest, anxiety and anger mixing in equal parts, a desperation to save his child while also a ferocious desire to kill whatever was doing this to him. He pushed all of it aside, focusing on fighting instead, knowing he had to find an opening. Link had only improved his abilities over the years, and considering his son was a near prodigy, that left Abel sorely lacking.

Nevertheless, what Abel lacked in raw talent he made up for in conviction and experience.

He also had a few tricks up his sleeve.

Bringing out some dazzle fruit, he tossed it out around the shield, hiding his head behind the battered defense and closing his eyes as he heard it explode in a bright burst of light. Link gasped, stumbling a bit, and Abel pushed forward harshly with his shield, knocking the boy clear over. Abel moved to thrust downward, but Link rolled just in time to avoid the brunt of the hit, though it at least sliced his right arm. He cried out, and for a second Abel froze before shaking the feeling, ignoring watching his boy bleed, demanding to himself that he keep going.

This was the only way he could save him.

Abel could hear the growing frustration in Link’s voice as he used his momentum from rolling to push up to his feet. He did a long slash horizontally to keep Abel at bay, teeth bared and eyes fierce, but Abel could hear the difference in the swing, the way the wind didn’t quite whistle as it usually would. The cut had at least done some damage, then.

Remaining as calm as he could, Abel moved to circle around the younger knight, who matched his pace as they sized each other up for another round. He noticed Link didn’t bother going for an elixir or anything, and he wondered if the boy had even bothered making any. The control over him chipped away at his personality, at his eagerness to search and explore that he inherited from his mother. This thing was making Link a shell of himself, and Abel tightened his grip on his sword, charging ahead.

Link was ready for him this time, pulling his bow out instead, and Abel hastily threw his shield in front of him so his son wouldn’t skewer him. He heard small feet rushing his way, and Link came into view in his peripheral vision as the young man dashed around the shield to get a clear opening. Abel balked, trying to get back in time but Link’s sword still managed to smack against the thick leather around his waist, knocking the wind out of him. He resorted to throwing his shield instead as he fell, and it smacked the boy right in the face, giving him enough time to catch his breath. He didn’t bother retrieving it quite yet, instead bringing his sword upward, trying again to hit his target.

The blade sank into Link’s right shoulder, and he screamed.

Every fiber of Abel’s being cried out in response, but he followed through with the move keeping one hand on his blade and using his right to slam into Link’s chest, tackling him to the ground and pinning him in place. Link desperately clawed at him with his uninjured arm, kicking and yelling, but Abel didn’t move, trying to keep his breathing even as he let the boy wear himself out.

Eventually, Link’s protests and movements lessened, his breathing more labored, and Abel felt himself start to shake. He violently pushed aside the emotions trying to spill out as his boy’s behavior shifted from enemy desperately trying to get out of a bind to scared and in pain.

He knew better than to let go, to ease up as if Link were suddenly his ally again. So instead of pulling the sword out of the young man’s shoulder, he pulled a bottle out of his pouch. He tried the gentle way first, in case it actually, by some miracle, worked. “Drink this and I’ll let go.”

Any reasonable person would say no, of course, and a mind controlled minion of Calamity Ganon would definitely refuse. Nevertheless, Link shakily reached for the bottle, and Abel hoped for a moment that it might be that easy.

But the boy tried to swat at the bottle instead to spill its contents as he let out another yell of pain and frustration. Abel knew Link would half choke on the contents, but he had been told it was potent enough that a few sips would do the trick. He shoved the bottle against the boy’s mouth, and Link coughed as he tried to fight any liquid going down, but some inevitably made it, and his son’s protests grew weaker.

Abel stayed strong, keeping Link pinned in place until he grew still altogether, breaths finally settling into sleep.

And then he let out a breath as heavy as a Divine Beast, sliding off Link and shaking violently. Link didn’t move, still staked into the ground with Abel’s sword, shoulder oozing blood around the blade, skin pale and sweaty. The fight was over, and he couldn’t—he couldn’t stand to let this continue any longer. He quickly pulled out a bottle with a fairy in it, hands shaking so much he nearly dropped the thing multiple times, before he finally ripped the sword out of his child.

Link screamed, sharply dragged into alertness long enough for the pain to sear through him, but the fairy’s magic soothed the agony into a dull ache, and the sleeping potion kicked back into effect.

Abel collapsed to his hands and knees, holding his child, trembling and trying desperately not to cry, trying to maintain enough composure to finish this mission. He couldn’t stop now, he had to get the boy to the Domain, they had to find a way to take him to the Shrine of Light and fix this.

I’m sorry, Link, he whispered in his mind, too afraid to say it aloud lest it make him fall apart entirely. And then he gently picked his child up, weakly making his way up the path where Daruk was to meet him at the stable. Link was heavy in his arms, having grown from the little boy he knew into a strong young man, and Abel was already faltering as it was, but he gritted his teeth and fought it as he walked uphill.

He heard a booming voice in the distance, and glanced up in time to nearly yelp and rush out of the path as Daruk barreled down the road.

“You got him!” Daruk said, small black eyes opened wide as he moved quickly towards the pair. “Don’t worry, Sir Abel, I got it from here.”

Abel almost didn’t want to let go of his son, but he knew he couldn’t feasibly carry him to their destination. He didn’t say a word, letting the boy slip from his arms into the stronger Goron’s hold, watching as Daruk bound Link’s wrists and ankles with heavy iron to keep him from causing trouble if he awoke along the way.

Daruk sighed. “I don’t get it. How did the little guy end up like this? I can’t believe the rumors were actually true. But gosh, look at that arm! What did the malice do to him?”

Despite the multitude of questions, Abel didn’t bother responding. He was over this day. He couldn’t take his eyes off Link, and Daruk seemed to understand, sighing heavily and saying, “Well, let’s go. The sooner we can get to Mipha, the sooner we can fix this.”

Abel nodded, and the two began the long walk back to the Domain. Daruk’s resolve helped strengthen his own, but he couldn’t help feeling his heart break as he watched his boy, as he heard Link’s screams in his mind, as he looked down and saw Link’s blood on his hands.

He felt like he was going to be sick. But it was worth it, it had to be.

They would heal his boy. And then Abel himself would tear Ganon apart, destiny be damned.

25 notes · View notes

oma-reblogs · 16 days ago

Note

Beat the Heat-athon Prompt Request!!

Lofty. Lofty, my love.

Can you please write something to continue Malice's Stain? It doesn't have to be the whole thing, even a snippet would be lovely hehehe

(otherwise HC au anything is lovely cus you know I'm a whore for that au as well haha🤣)

Buckle up, friend >:)

Part 1 // Part 2 (you're here) // Part 3

The hallways of Hyrule Castle were silent, save for the gentle whispers echoing from two women who flanked someone in the center. One of the soldiers who guarded the corridor noticed their passing, recognizing the Sheikah chief, the queen, and the king consort. Queen Zelda and Chief Impa were nearly carrying the king between the two, who was pale and looked stricken.

“Your Majesty, should I call a healer?” The soldier asked quickly.

“Yes,” Lady Impa replied immediately as the three continued to head towards the king’s quarters.

As the guard rushed off, the group finally made it to their destination, easing Link into a chair in front of the fire, which Impa rekindled quickly with some magic. Meanwhile, Zelda worked carefully, removing the earrings that were still dangling on Link’s ears—he hadn’t undressed at all for bed, and at this point, he was just a trembling mess, staring at the floor.

Impa returned to the couple, sitting on the young man’s other side, eyes scrutinizing him and quickly noticing a little dollop of blood sitting on the corner of the scar on his cheek. She reached for it gently, wiping it away, even more worried – Link hadn’t hurt himself since…

How had it gotten so bad again? What had Impa missed? Link had been seemingly fine the last few weeks. It was Zelda whose sleep had been disturbed for a week, Zelda who claimed she was having nightmares about something coming, Zelda who had been frantically trying to review every single person, situation, area, anything she could figure to find the source of her premonitions.

When no other than the princess, Sonia, had mentioned that Daddy looks tired, it had sent both the queen and Impa on alert. Although Zelda did not fathom just how bad Link’s low moods could get, she had started to notice that something wasn’t quite right with her husband sometimes. It had been a gradual observation over the last few years, but not one that she could credibly add much to since they didn’t spend much time around each other. Impa, on the other hand, watched him like a hawk as soon as she’d been alerted, mentally berating herself for missing it.

Goddesses, tonight had nearly been a disaster.

Sighing, the chief of the Sheikah gently worked on letting Link’s hair out of the bun that usually held some of it in place. Link instinctively leaned into the touch, clearly anxious, but she saw him try to catch himself. Zelda looked over his head to make eye contact with the Sheikah, who bit her lip as she tried to reel in her own worries. She ran a hand through his hair, straightening little knots, giving the young man an excuse to bask in the comforting touch.

Impa wanted to ask him what was wrong, why he hadn’t slept, if it was just the usual or if something else was making it so much worse, but she wouldn’t do so tonight. Link had been nearly hysterical when they’d found him in the sanctum, and it was completely out of character for him, even when he’d been at his lowest point. Link was a quiet individual who almost always internalized his issues; for him to be seeing things that weren’t there and trying to flag down Zelda desperately and indicate that the seal was breaking…

No. Link needed to sleep. She wouldn’t ask him anything. Instead, she helped Zelda bundle him in blankets after he’d been stripped down to his under tunic and guided him to bed. Link didn’t speak, didn’t protest. Impa took a cloth and dampened it with a bowl of warm water, gently wiping away the red skin paint on his face, noticing it was old, caked into dry skin, a sign that it had been there for days.

The healer arrived shortly after, providing a sedative, and, to everyone’s relief, Link’s eyes finally closed, face relaxing.

Zelda’s expression was grim as she watched her husband. Neither woman dared to speak, though, afraid they’d wake him. Impa sat by his side, anxiously watching him rest, before sighing and telling herself she needed to step out. Zelda followed her into the antechamber just outside the bedroom, hugging herself.

Impa blew on an ember from the fire floating lazily in the air, sighing and pinching her nose.

“This is my fault,” Zelda said quietly.

The Sheikah chief glanced at her queen. “Zelda, this isn’t—”

“I’ve been having dreams for almost a week,” Zelda argued. “And I couldn’t parse them out! The last time I had something so visceral, Ganondorf stole the Triforce! The kingdom could have fallen, Link could have died, and it took my eight-year-old child to tell me something was amiss!”

“I didn’t notice either,” Impa tried to reason. “And I usually spend far more time with him than you.”

Zelda grew still, frantic and frustrated energy cooling into something icy. She sighed heavily. “Yes. I… we really don’t spend much time together.”

That was an entirely different problem. “What’s important now is that Link rests.”

The queen’s mood thawed into worry, and she looked at Impa. “You think he’s going to be okay? He’s never… I’ve never seen him like that before.

To be perfectly honest, even Impa hadn’t seen Link that absolutely frantic before. But he’d been in far worse situations. “He’ll be fine, Zelda. He always pulls through. Go be with him, and get some rest as well. I know you haven’t been sleeping well.”

Zelda sighed, nodding and returning to the bedroom as Impa departed. Link was soundly asleep, thank Hylia. She still couldn’t shake the absolute terror in his eyes, in his quivering voice, his raspy breaths as he nearly hyperventilated, thinking that something terrible was happening.

The queen didn’t know what to make of any of it. Had her visions truly been about him? What had led him to this if that were the case? There had to be more to it – it didn’t correlate with what she’d seen!

She washed her hands of the matter for tonight, barely able to keep her thoughts straight anymore. She kissed Link on the temple and carefully fell asleep on the other side of the bed.

The next day, Zelda scoured over reports and security briefings. Link was still sleeping heavily, the sedative having finally knocked him into getting the rest he needed, but it left the children uneasy. Sonia lingered by Zelda’s side while Orik stayed with his father.

“Will Daddy be okay?” Sonia asked quietly, trying to appear calm and failing to do so.

Zelda swallowed, putting the prototype Sheikah slate on the table. “He needs to sleep. I’m glad you said something, Sonia.”

Her daughter nodded, clasping her hands worriedly, and Zelda decided they should both visit him. It was getting close to dinnertime – if he still wasn’t awake, she should get him up to at least drink something.

Orik was sitting on the bed reading when they arrived, and he shyly looked at his mother.

“Has he woken up at all?” Zelda asked as Impa also entered.

Orik shook his head.

“Were you reading to him?” Sonia asked, and her little brother nodded. She huffed, “Well that might be why, bedtime stories always make me sleep.”

Zelda held back a chuckle. “What were you reading him?”

Orik hesitantly turned the book around, and Zelda recognized the book she used to read often as a child. A Tale of Hyrule’s Legends.

She smiled with nostalgia before turning her attention to her husband. Impa, meanwhile, commented, “That’s a great book. I bet he loved hearing you read it.”

“Did you and Daddy beat the demon king?” Orik asked quietly. “Because he’s in this a lot.”

Zelda paused from putting her hand on Link’s chest, and she looked between Impa and her son. Slowly, she nodded. “He’s in Hyrule’s history a lot. But not anymore. We… we made sure of that.”

They did, right? The Triforce’s magic couldn’t be broken, right?

Ganondorf’s soul had been ripped apart, but only one piece’s location was known for certain. Despite how many Sheikah had scoured Hyrule, they’d never found the rest.

The seal was intact. It was fine. That couldn’t be the issue, though Link seemed to think otherwise. But Link had been hysterical, claiming that the Master Sword was failing when it was perfectly fine.

No, that wasn’t it. It couldn’t be.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Orik muttered, looking at the book in his lap.

Sonia stepped forward, hands clasped in front of her and a knowing look on her face. “It’s easy, Orik. The demon king tried to destroy the world, and Hylia stopped him with her Sacred Hero. Together, they made Hyrule, but the demon king followed them. Hylia entrusted her bloodline to protect Hyrule so that whenever evil comes back, we can stop it. Right, Mother?”

Zelda nodded, lost in nostalgia, in endless nights of her childhood spent daydreaming saving Hyrule and being the best queen she could be.

“But the stories make him different every time,” Orik argued.

“That’s because he isn’t the people,” Sonia explained. “After Hylia beat him, he could only poison people. But once he poisons them his curse is in them and they turn into him. But it only lasts if they’re still alive, so then he goes and finds somebody else once he gets strong again.”

If they’re still alive. Once he gets strong again.

Zelda felt her blood freeze. Wait, no, that wasn’t… but Ganondorf had bound himself to the demonic energy, that horrific disfiguring transformation at his final siege indicated it. They’d sealed the demon king away because Ganondorf had become the demon king.

Then why had she been so on edge the entire week?

“But Daddy beat the demon king!” Sonia excitedly finished. “Everyone says that Mother and Daddy put the demon king away into lots of prisons so he can never get strong enough to return like that again.”

“That’s not in the book, though,” Orik pointed out.

Lady Impa smiled. “That’s a book of legends. What your parents did is history. While legends may be based in history, we don’t have solid proof.”

Zelda finally snapped back to reality, pushing her worries aside to rouse Link. It only took a couple shakes before he flinched, and Zelda took a small step away, pulling Orik with her in case her husband was a little too jumpy waking up. He tended to startle easily while sleeping, and it sometimes made him… frighteningly reactive.

Thankfully, the sedative made him still sluggish enough that he didn’t jump into action upon being jostled. Instead, he groggily opened his eyes, squinting around him, trying to take in the sight of his family in the dull candlelight.

“You two need to get some dinner,” Zelda advised. “I’ll take care of your father.”

Sonia and Orik watched Link a little while longer, both looking a little disappointed. Zelda allowed them to give him a hug, which he dazedly returned, before they departed.

“Where…?” he slurred.

“We’re in your room, Link,” Lady Impa answered. “We brought you back here after you went to the sanctum, remember?”

Link swallowed, eyes opening more fully as the memories returned to him.

“You need to eat and drink something,” Zelda advised. “I can have the servants bring something to you, but you need to be awake for a little while.”

She needed to know what had happened, after all. But she was anxious to broach the subject. She… she just wanted him to be okay. Zelda glanced at the Sheikah chief and then smiled back at Link before going to talk to a servant. Everything would be fine. She’d get him fed and ensure he was comfortable and clean and then maybe they could discuss what had happened.

XXX

Link settled into the warm water, feeling his muscles slowly relax. He’d left straight for the wash room after everyone had gone, giving himself some privacy and time to think. He breathed in the moist air, letting the water sprinkle over him from the small waterfall that was filling the large bath. When he heard the door to the wash room open and close, he glanced over to see Zelda walking towards him. She looked a little more disheveled than usual, as if she’d been busy all day and hadn’t necessarily slept well. Link swallowed, feeling guilt and anxiety and dread gnaw at his stomach, any peace from the bath forgotten.

“How are you feeling?” She asked.

He wasn’t honestly sure how to answer that question. He was still trying to accept the fact that he’d nearly broken the seal protecting Hyrule out of sheer sleep deprivation. It still didn’t make sense, and it terrified him.

“Better,” he answered truthfully. It was about as good a response as he could give. He knew better than to tell her he was tired – that was essentially his baseline, anyway, some days, and she never liked to hear it.

But there were issues that had to be addressed, matters that were nagging him. “You… last… how long ago was…?”

“We found you last night,” Zelda answered for him. “Link, what happened?”

“I don’t know,” he replied honestly, hugging himself in the water. “I don’t know. I just… I…”

It felt wrong to admit that he’d hallucinated. He didn’t feel comfortable admitting such a horrifying weakness. But she had to know – he’d nearly caused infinitely more damage than he thought possible, and he would not make that mistake again.

This wasn’t the first time he’d almost gotten those around him hurt, and he was beginning to wonder if he really was a threat to Hyrule.

“I swear I saw… that dark magic. The one that consumed Ganondorf,” Link explained slowly, shivering despite the warmth. “But it… it clearly wasn’t there. I don’t know, Zelda. I know I haven’t been sleeping, and I know that’s been contributing to my issues, but… it’s… I don’t know.”

Shaking his head, he redirected the subject, looking at her. “You said you’d been having dreams?”

Zelda shook her head. “They’re vague. There’s a cell—”

Link looked away. “I should be in a cell if I—”

“No, Link. I’m the one in the cell.”

Link glanced back at Zelda, worry mixing with confusion.

The queen continued, “There’s blood, it’s coming from someone just out of reach and I can’t tell who it is. But I’ve had some kind of variation of that dream for a week now, and… Link, what if you’re the one bleeding?”

“But the cell,” Link pushed, ignoring her concern. “Why are you in a cell?”

“Does it matter? What if somehow you were being targeted?” Zelda questioned. “I just… I can’t make sense of it. I’ve checked all the noble houses, the sages, Lady Impa has run security reports and scenarios. Nothing is adding up.”

But she was in a cell in her dreams?

“You believing the seal is broken… me being imprisoned… but the seal is intact,” Zelda insisted, lost in thought, worry etched in her face.

Link shuddered, recalling the whisper on the wind he’d heard last night.

He… he should keep that to himself until he could figure out more. Zelda was worried enough. Maybe he would tell Lady Impa. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard voices, after all, and he recalled that sleep deprivation to such an extreme degree could cause such issues.

But he’d spoken to hallucinations yesterday. That voice had been different.

He wanted to rush back to the sanctum and check again, but he didn’t dare. Not when he’d almost broken the seal last night. So he just tried to lean back in the bath, closing his eyes.

Zelda sighed. “I’ll figure it out. But there’s food for you in your bedchamber when you’re ready.”

Link looked at her a moment, worry clenching his heart, and then he asked, “Will you wait in there for me?”

Zelda’s expression softened a little in surprise. Then she gave a small smile. “I just need to check something and get the children to bed, but yes. I’ll wait after that.”

Link nodded, watching her go, and then he sighed. His solitude didn’t last long as Lady Impa entered next, examining his face carefully.

He knew better than to hide anything from his chief. She was very clearly rattled by what had happened, and he felt all the guiltier for it. He’d put her through enough over the years.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered automatically.

“Link, remember years ago, when I told you to come to me whenever something was wrong?” Impa questioned, her tone holding a strange lilt to it, like a firm scolding intertwining with gentle reassurance.

Link sank into the steamy, soapy water a little further. “I don’t know what’s wrong. How can I talk about what’s wrong if I don’t know what it is?”

Before his chief could continue, there was a knock at the door, a request for Impa’s presence from another Sheikah. Impa and Link locked eyes for a moment, a silent apology between the two, tenderness in his chief’s expression, and Link tried to give her a thankful smile and nod. Impa sighed, walking over to him, resting a hand on his head.

“We’ll figure it out together,” she said gently but resolutely, letting her hand stay there briefly before she headed outside. “You’re going to be okay.”

Link took a breath, trying to settle. Yes. They could figure it out together. He would tell Zelda everything when he finished, and he would talk to Lady Impa as well. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes and taking slow, steadying breaths. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but Lady Impa reminded him that he wasn’t alone in this.

After a few moments, he heard the door open once more, but he waited a moment to open his eyes and speak to Lady Impa. He was finally getting comfortable, feeling safe with the chief nearby, with the promise of deliberating the matter, even if he did dread—

A hand smacked into his head, shoving him under the water. He automatically gasped, inhaling a bit as he struggled against the pressure holding him down. His chest burned in response, and he threw his arms up to frantically get rid of whoever had their hands on him, but the grip had shifted from his head to his neck, tightening quickly.

Get out he had to get out get out—

Channeling magic, Link teleported from the bath to just outside it, coughing and gagging as he breathed in as much air as he could. Someone was standing by the bathtub, a person he didn’t know—

There was a second one, heading his way quickly. He grabbed a towel, wrapping it around the person’s head and kicking them away so he could get to the other attacker, who was quickly approaching. He looked around frantically, catching sight of shaving supplies on the counter, and he ducked around the assailant to grab the blade he used to shave. He barely caught sight of the attacker behind him in the fogged up mirror, and he once again used his magic to teleport behind them, reaching around their neck and cutting quickly. The other attacker was coming at him, but he shoved the one into the second assailant. It would have given him enough time to get an opening, but the amount of magic he’d used in such a short time, in conjunction with inhaling a bunch of water, was leaving him too addled to strike.

He took a step back to create some space, slipping a little on the water on the floor, but he regained his footing in time to throw the knife at the attacker as they rushed him. He stepped aside as they stumbled and slid on the same puddle, their head slamming into the wall.

It was sloppy, but it would at least incapacitate them for now. Link grabbed his clothes quickly, haphazardly throwing on some trousers before rushing outside. How had they even—

Impa. Lady Impa was on the ground bleeding she was bleeding—

“Impa!” he cried, rushing to her. She’d just been left there, as if attacking her was just an afterthought—

She was still breathing when he got to her, falling to his knees and frantically looking her over. The wound was from her chest, and he felt his own panic heighten.

She needed magic or she was going to die.

Link scrambled desperately into his room, knowing he had a potion available, praying he could get it to her in time. There was no point dragging her into the room with him – it would waste time, it was clear whoever the culprits were no longer viewed her as a threat as they’d just left her there to die.

Anger boiled his blood, only tempered by his extreme worry, but it gave him just enough focus to move faster, grabbing the bottle and rushing back to the corridor. Impa was gasping at this point, but she was still arousable enough to sit up and force the potion down her throat.

“L-Link—” she gasped after getting a few sips down. Link saw the bleeding lessen, but he shook his head, insisting she get the rest down before trying to talk to him.

Impa choked down the last of it, gasping and holding her chest as Link helped support her, arm protectively wrapped around her back and shoulders. His mind was racing now that she was out of imminent danger, and she immediately voiced what he was worrying about. “Link—Zelda, the children—”

“I’ll find them,” he quickly assured. “But we have to get you out of here, we—”

They had to figure out what the hell was even happening. Who were the people who had attacked them?? Was it…

Goddesses. Was it… were Link’s fears and hallucinations actually…

“I’ll be fine,” Lady Impa insisted, pushing against the ground to get herself standing. “You have to—”

She grunted, in pain and stumbling a little, and Link caught her before she could fall. He bit his lip, looking around the corridor anxiously. His mind and heart were screaming for him to find his children, but he couldn’t just leave Impa in this situation, either.

“Your Majesty!”

Link turned and saw a Sheikah warrior, and he tensed up. He’d been in such a hurry to get the potion he hadn’t thought to grab any of the multitude of weapons he kept in his bedchamber, and he was sorely regretting it. He could fight hand to hand well enough, though, or steal the potential enemy’s weapon, or—

“Sire, there’s—there was another attack in the next wing, Lord Mika was just attacked. We held them off, but Simek said there are reports from all over the castle—”

Link heard all he needed to as new questions and worries twisted in his gut. This Sheikah was not part of the issue—honestly he didn’t think the others who had assaulted him were Sheikah traitors, but he didn’t know who they were. “Lady Impa is hurt, get her out of here.”

With that, he was gone, grabbing multiple weapons from his room before rushing off towards the children’s quarters, mind spinning, heart pounding.

There hadn’t been an attack within the castle’s walls for a long time, probably since the nobles had attempted their foolhardy assassination plot against the queen when she was pregnant with Sonia. Link had ensured no one would be stupid enough to try that again. So if this wasn’t another power play from Zelda’s political enemies, then—

It has to be him.

But it couldn’t be him! Was the Triforce’s sacred power not enough to stop him?! Link had defeated Ganodorf himself, and Zelda’s plans with the Triforce had ensured that curse would never return!

Link nearly crashed into the wall as he turned sharply and was overcome with a coughing fit, lungs still partially filled with water from earlier. He blinked tears out of his eyes as he continued, turning down paths he knew like the back of his hand until he reached the door leading to his children’s bedroom.

It was open, with two masked men armed and flanking the entrance while he could clearly see one of the royal nannies shielding the children, glaring at the soldiers. Link immediately threw kunai at them, piercing one enemy in the chest while the other was only grazed across the back. Both turned to face him, though the first was severely incapacitated, foolishly pulling the kunai out as it tore into him with each movement. Link continued his charge, not slowing down for a second, closing the gap between himself and the pair and punching the first one in the wound he’d just made. The man collapsed quickly, and Link got close enough to the other, who was stumbling around his comrade, to knock him over and stab his throat with a knife.

He finished the first opponent off quickly before turning his attention to the occupants in the room. He rushed to his children, falling to his knees as they ran into his open arms. He hushed them gently as they both cried for him, and he could feel them trembling in his arms.

Hylia above. That had been too close. Link felt himself trembling, lungs burning, heart racing. He kissed their precious heads, holding them so close he could hardly breathe, never wanting to let go, but he knew it wasn’t safe to stay here. Too soon for his liking, he released Sonia and Orik and nearly pounced on the nanny to give her a hug of gratitude. “Thank you, Medla.”

“O-of course,” she replied shakily. “But what’s happening? Who were those people?”

“I don’t know,” Link answered.

“Daddy, Daddy they took Mother!” Sonia cried, eyes puffy from her tears as she held her little brother.

What? His attention snapped to the nanny. “Where is she? Where did they take her?”

“I—I don’t know, Your Majesty, I got here as they were trying to take the kids,” Medla shook her head frantically. “I only showed up because I heard screaming, I was getting ready to go home!”

“Is she going to be okay, Daddy?” Orik asked quietly, clutching his sister.

Link looked around the room, frantically trying to catch his breath and figure out what to even do next. He had no sense of the scale of this attack, no idea where his enemies and allies were, the guards were either dead or in league with the enemy because he hadn’t seen a single one, where the hell were the Sheikah—

“We need—we need to get out of here,” He finally said. Without knowing anything else, he had to ensure his children’s safety first, as much as he hated the mere thought of leaving without knowing anything about Zelda’s location. He had to escort Medla and the children to the nearest Sheikah he could find, get them and Impa out safely while he searched the castle.

“But Daddy—”

“Do not argue with me,” he ordered before kneeling to be at eye level with them, putting his hands on their little shoulders. “This is dangerous. I need you to trust me, we don’t have time for any arguing. You will listen to everything I say. I’ll keep you safe, okay?”

The children nodded, terrified. He felt just as scared as them.

“We need to move quickly,” he explained, looking at Medla. “Can you carry Orik?”

Medla nodded, motioning for the little prince to come to her. She quickly picked him up, and Link scooped Sonia into his arms. He looked out into the corridor, eyes and ears alert for any sign of trouble, before guiding the group towards one of the secret passageways that led out of the castle.

It was almost absurd how empty the halls were, but spattering of blood and knocked over furniture started to paint a picture that he did not like.

This was a larger scale assault than he’d first assumed.

He recalled his clansman noting that one of the nobles had been attacked, a member of House Mabe. If the enemy was targeting all high priority personnel… who in the world could it be?

Link slowed as they reached a corner, and he peered around, hearing fighting in the distance. Sonia buried her face in his shoulder, trying to keep quiet, while Orik whimpered a little. He heard a familiar voice barking orders, and he felt his breathing quicken with some hope.

Simek. Lady Impa’s second-in-command.

Link gently lowered his daughter to the ground, whispering, “Stay here with Medla and your brother. I’ll be right back.”

As Sonia moved to hug Medla, Link rushed ahead, readying more kunai as he moved. He vaguely noticed that he had blood on his hands and arms, that he was bleeding from a cut on his bare chest, but he focused instead on the fight as he rounded another corner to see Simek and another Sheikah fighting five soldiers of some sort. He moved quickly, taking one out from behind before pulling out his knife and magically teleporting closer to startle the others and get in range.

Link fell back into these moves with practiced ease, like an elder leading a traditional dance again for the first time in years. Battles had been his expertise years ago, and sparring had done enough to keep him in shape to reenter this dance with a clear mind and fluid motions. The warm, life giving liquid on him tried to nag at him, but adrenaline and a haze that he reentered from the war helped him forget it, numbing everything out and letting him be the soldier that Hyrule had always needed him to be.

One by one, the soldiers fell to his blade, until only Simek and an injured Sheikah warrior stood alongside him.

“What’s happening?” Link demanded.

“All I know is we’re getting reports from all over the castle,” Simek explained breathlessly. “They took the royal lab and are preventing the patrol guardians from activating.”

“Sire, the Temple, the sanctum—” the Sheikah stammered, obviously anxious.

“The guardians posted there are independent of any controllers,” Link explained quickly. “They’ve been there for years. Nothing in the royal lab will stop them. But the patrols—”

“We’re on our own,” Simek shook his head. “And it seems they have enough people and traitors to take out the guards. I’ve got reports that Lord Mika is injured, I’ve got people escorting him to the escape point. We were heading for the nursery—”

“I have the children,” Link immediately interrupted. “I was taking them to the escape junction too. Can you escort them there? Another guard is taking Lady Impa there as well.”

“What about the queen?”

“I don’t know, have you heard anything?” Link countered. “Sonia said she was taken.”

Simek swore harshly under his breath. “We don’t even know who these people are, where the hell could they have taken her?”

Link was about to reply when a memory nagged at him, and he froze.

“No, Link. I’m the one in the cell.”

There were only two places they could reasonably take the queen to imprison her in the area. Were they smuggling her somewhere else?

But why would they smuggle her anywhere? They were taking over the entire castle!

They were taking over the castle.

Link knew where to go.

“Get the children and Lady Impa to safety! I’ll meet you at the bunker!” He ordered, rushing ahead.

XXX

Zelda shivered as she glared between the bars. In a normal hostage situation she would probably be far more terrified, but instead all she could feel was absolute, utter betrayal.

She knew she had a reason to be disappointed in herself for missing the hints, to be anxious that she was getting such vivid dreams. And here she was, living in her nightmares, and the culprit…

“It’s about time the roles were reversed, isn’t it, Zelda?”

She wasn’t sure if disgust was the first emotion she should be feeling, but it certainly was prominent. She was hurt and angry beyond words, but she still had to find them, had to hurt him as much as he was hurting her.

But there was a small part of her that wondered if she had really done this to herself.

“I’ve languished down here for years,” her father, the former king, growled, pacing in front of her cell. “You left me here to rot after you took my throne. I think for that level of betrayal you’re even worse than any demon king that you claimed was destroying the land. What sort of daughter does such a thing to her father?”

“You have no right to speak,” Zelda snapped, hating that her voice was shaking. “Take whatever revenge you want on me, you pathetic man, but leave my children alone.”

“You know, I’m still surprised you managed to survive having multiple children,” Ozen huffed. “I recall your poor mother dying trying to birth your sister.”

The words stung, as if he’d rather she had died in childbirth, and Zelda wanted to smack him. She’d never felt such anger in her life. There was no fear left in her heart, only the outrage that was continuing to grow at such a maneuver.

“People are dying because of your idiocy,” she snapped. Just like back in the war!

“People are dying to bring back my rule,” Ozen amended. “I call that an honorable sacrifice.”

Zelda charged forward, hands glowing as she grabbed the bars. Her father took a startled step back as she hissed, “Nothing about you is honorable. Your death wouldn’t even worth mourning.”

“Silence!” he immediately snapped, taking an aggressive stance, and somehow, it made Zelda flinch. Her father had never hit her, but she’d used to look up to him, and she’d never seen him outright angry except the night she’d overthrown him. For an instant, she was a teenager again, terrified but resolute, wanting nothing more than to fix things and just be supported by her father rather than used by him. “You don’t get to speak to me like that, you insolent brat! After everything you’ve put me through, you should be thanking me that I asked Serenne to capture you!”

Serenne?! “House Serenne is behind this?!”

Ozen shrugged. “They serve me. I am behind this.”

“You’re too stupid to plan this,” Zelda spat, the fire returning.

“Watch your mouth, daughter,” Ozen growled. “I am the one in control right now. Your fate is in my hands.”

Zelda bit her lip, knowing she shouldn’t push her luck but wishing with all her might that she could. She had to find a way out of this, she had to stop House Serenne – she knew that her father had always just been a puppet for the greedy nobility, it was why Hyrule had been such a disaster when she’d inherited the throne. He’d given pieces of the kingdom away, handing out power like raindrops pouring from the sky above, infinite in its amount and expecting it to return. He did anything and everything to stay on the throne, even if the throne meant nothing.

House Serenne, on the other hand… they were a true threat. They were the largest house, and the second most powerful martially. They held the greatest clout, residing over the sacred lands to the northwest, including the land of the sages. The Sage of Light was a member of House Serenne.

Goddesses. All they had to do was say an accident happened, blame literally any house or even Ozen himself, and they would have everything.

The queen stepped away from the bars, green eyes searching anxiously for a way out. Link, where are you?

Was he okay? Were the children okay? What was happening in the rest of the castle?!

She could hardly use her magic to escape. Zelda could banish away dark magic, and she could shield herself or provide weapons, but she hardly knew how to fight. Link had taught her how to use a bow and arrow, but…

Wait.

Eyes widening a little, Zelda stepped back towards the wall, creating more distance between her and her father.

“I see you understand your position now,” Ozen purred with satisfaction as Zelda focused her energy. “But don’t worry, I’ll glean far more satisfaction from leaving you to rot here like you did to me. Unlike you, however, I might even come visit. Perhaps. You’re not really worth it, I suppose, given everything you’ve done to me.”

“You really believe I left you here to rot because I didn’t care about you?” Zelda said quietly, feeling her magic warm her arms and the air in front of her. “You, who insulted me at every turn, who refused to listen or support me as I tried to tell you of what I was doing as queen?”

“Why would I wish to hear of your traitorous exploits?” Ozen fired back, waving a hand viciously as if to cut through the air. “When Lord Faal came to me and spoke of Sage Ophea’s vision in the sanctum, how I was destined to rule by Divine Light itself, it only proved my point!”

Vision in the sanctum? Who in the world let the Sage of Light into the inner sanctum where the Master Sword was?

Goddesses, just how bad was this? Was… had the sage been…

Zelda exhaled sharply, feeling light magic converge, condensing in the air until it materialized in a brilliant golden splendor, arching in a semicircle as her fingers wrapped around a handle. A bow appeared in front of her, arrow glowing in her right hand, warm and powerful.

“Remember to have a straight, neutral position. Always anchor in the same place. To make it simple, anchor in the corner of your mouth. Put pressure with your palm, not in the pivot point. And always follow through with the release.”

Link’s words rang in her mind as she nocked an arrow, as her father’s eyes widened, as time slowed, giving her the moment to draw, to anchor, to release.

The arrow whistled through the air, between the bars, cutting across Ozen’s shoulder. Zelda felt her heart ramming against her ribs as she readied another arrow, trying to aim for the lock on the door.

“You think you can just play with the magic my blood gave you?” Ozen snarled, grabbing the keys to open the door and get to her. Zelda stood in place, motionless, heart and mind at war with each other as to what her next move should be as he tried to enter the cell.

If he moved in far enough, she could use her magic to create a barrier and trap him in here, but he had magic too. Had he been practicing it? She knew his was weak – it was part of his insecurity, after all. But whether she could trap him or not, she’d seen the near army of guards locking the dungeon down.

Ozen flung the door open, eyes enraged, and Zelda took a nervous step back, still pointing an arrow at him. Her magic dissolved with her resolve, startling her, but before her father could reach her, there was a cry out in the hallway.

Zelda recognized one of the voices, the distinctive battle cry from her husband, and she cried out, “Link!!”

Her yell made her father jump a little and then freeze, whirling around as the sounds of fighting grew ever closer. A soldier ran across the entrance to the cell to get to the action only to be cut down by a small blade flying through the air, embedding itself in his eye. Zelda looked away, trying to ignore the man’s screaming. She felt a hand snake around her upper arm, fingers tightening painfully just as she looked back to see her father holding her desperately while Link barreled into view, red eyes murderous.

“Get back,” Ozen warned, pulling Zelda closer. Then he huffed, taking in the sight. “A little worse for wear, aren’t you, Hero?”

Zelda felt her heart drop at the sight of her husband. Link was bleeding and shaking, cheeks flushed, panting for air. But he’d also just eliminated a hallway full of guards, and he looked ready to take out another army if he had to.

Link spared little time in dashing into the cell, knowing Ozen was useless and couldn’t hurt Zelda without a weapon, and he kicked the former king between the legs, making the man crumple immediately. Zelda got dragged down a little before her father let go, and Link grabbed her wrist immediately, pulling her out of there and slamming the cell door shut.

“There are more coming, we have to leave,” he advised quickly.

Zelda glanced back at her father a moment, chest hot with pain and fury, and she locked eyes with the man.

She smiled. “That place really does suit you.”

Before Ozen could snarl any kind of reply, Link ran ahead, dragging her along, and she finally pushed the awful encounter out of her head, turning to other matters. “Link, the children—”

“They’re safe,” he quickly advised. “We’re going to rendezvous with them.”

“But where will we go? Has the castle fallen?”

Her husband didn’t reply as they ran. Zelda felt her heart sink.

“Link, I—I’m sorry, you were right,” she gasped, feeling herself get completely overwhelmed. “The—the sanctum—”

Link stopped dead in his tracks, whirling to face her. “What?”

“It’s—the Sage of Light went there, said she had a vision, it sparked all of this,” Zelda said breathlessly. “But—but we—the seal is intact—”

Her worries were interrupted when the echoes of armor clanked down the hall, indicating more soldiers heading their way. Link swallowed, looking around worriedly, before pulling her along once more.

The dungeons were a labyrinth, and Zelda knew that Link’s energy was quickly failing him. Based on the damage the poor man had already taken, she was surprised he’d even gotten to her – he was bleeding from multiple places, she could see bruises developing, and she heard him wheezing.

She didn’t even know how to feel, she couldn’t feel anything but dread and panic as they ran. But they climbed the stairs, both getting steadily more short of breath, before it opened up to a larger room that split in several directions.

The place was filled with soldiers.

Zelda gasped, nearly crashing into Link as he froze, muscles tight, eyes taking in the scene to try and find a way out of this mess. She could tell by the way he pushed her behind him, the way he progressively grew more tense, that he wasn’t finding one he liked.

She tried to gather her magic once more, far more hesitant and terrified now, unwilling to really inflict actual harm on these people who she did not know, not even sure she was capable of such a thing. But she had to help somehow – perhaps she could put up a barrier, could try to help them get around the soldiers, but they were too close, she wouldn’t be able to move the borders so easily or quickly to keep everyone out as they ran.

They were cornered.

“Kill the king,” one of the soldiers ordered. “Then take the queen back to the dungeons.”

Zelda felt icy fear grip her, making her completely lose her breath, but Link only braced for another fight, knives at the ready.

And then Zelda didn’t really know what happened. One moment they were preparing for an impossible situation, and the next, something brown whirled through, and soldiers went flying in different directions as it barreled them over.

Recognition slammed into her as the brown object unfurled to reveal a Goron, red medallion hanging around his neck. “Darumet!!”

The Sage of Fire she had appointed years ago smiled at the pair, approaching them. “Are you two alright? You don’t look so good.”

“We’re fine,” Link dismissed. “Thank you for your help. Were… were you or anyone else able to secure the castle?”

“I don’t even know what’s going on!” Darumet replied, throwing his hands in the air worriedly. “I’ll happily fight, though.”

“No,” Link hastily said, holding a hand out. “You’ll get hurt. We can’t take them on by ourselves, we have to figure out what’s going on first. There are too many of them.”

Darumet looked around a little worriedly. “Well… I’ll escort you out, okay?”

“Thank you,” Zelda said sincerely, feeling her eyes sting with tears, so incredibly relieved.

It was… it was so nice to actually have help. To not be trying to handle all of this alone.

Darumet smiled and nodded, eyes softening, before he turned to lead the way. Link glanced at Zelda, red eyes concerned, looking her over, a quiet check in to make sure she was fine. Zelda nodded in return, recognizing the expression, the body language, better knowing her husband’s silent language, and he sighed in relief, following the Goron sage.

The world still felt like it was falling apart as they ran, but Zelda gleaned some hope from the fact that she no longer felt like she was handling this all by herself. Link had always been there in times of physical danger, but for him to be faltering had nearly made her think it was over for them.

Despite her relief, though, this was not remotely handled. What would happen once they fled? What if House Serenne released the seal on the Master Sword, what if—

So many horrible things were happening all at once, and Zelda felt sick, but she couldn’t stop now.

They ran into a fair amount of resistance as they went, with Zelda getting flung to one side of a hallway or another, thrown behind furniture to hide while Link and Darumet took on the enemies. She saw her husband’s strength fading quickly as the Goron sage picked up the slack, and as they moved towards the tapestry that hid the entrance to the maze of secret passageways, Zelda found herself grabbing his hand instead, trying to help support him. His blood dripped down her arm as she helped him, and she tried not to fret too much about it, stomach tying in knots.

Their world fell apart around them as Link shakily moved the tapestry, as Darumet let them sneak in first, covering their escape, as they stumbled down the stairs, as the sound of soldiers’ footsteps filled the corridor, as their enemy looked for them and took control of the heart of Hyrule.

Zelda started to tremble as they descended farther, as they slipped in the dampness of the passageways. The darkness felt like it was licking at her, her father’s words and furious eyes haunting her mind, her nightmares coming to fruition.

She finally fell apart when she saw Lady Impa.

The woman’s chest was blood stained, face paler than it had any right to be. She looked exhausted but trying to be alert, guarding Sonia and Orik and a handful of others. Zelda hiccupped, sobbed, fell to her knees.

Link slowly slid to the ground beside her, holding her.

The room was silent a moment before Sonia and Orik ran to their parents, but Zelda’s cries filled the air more than anything, a lament echoing into the heavens as Hyrule’s queen mourned its fall.

Eventually they started to move again, tears continuing but voices quieting, the party retreating the overtaken castle. The darkness of the night swallowed them hole, light from nearby torches unable to reach them, orange sparks intertwining with purplish ones as they rose into the sky.

Link leaned close to Zelda, arms warm around her, voice quiet in her ear. “We’ll come back, Zelda. I promise.”

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oma-reblogs · 18 days ago

Text

I asked some of the blorbos how they do self care, and the responses are… variable

#will forever die at legend and wilds faces🤣🤣🤣🤣#oh Hemisi you little party girl you🤣 y'know what tho #fair🤪#you're whole family is dead your fiance left you for another woman and you're left to pick up the pieces of your kingdom #gave a shot on me girl #beat the heat event

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oma-reblogs · 19 days ago

Note

you only posted the writing thing like. two minutes ago, but perhaps you could do something with time and wild in linked universe and the very very big red horse in botw? i’ve seen theories that it’s the same kind of horse ganondorf had in oot, and you can tame it in botw…

if i misunderstood anything about timing or rules for this writing thing then i’m very sorry :’)

As they explore their cook’s Hyrule, Time marvels that it truly is an untamed land. The kingdom is barely recovering after a hundred years of being leaderless and still recovering from a disaster. The Champion is proud of his land, of its people and their resilience, and he finds solace in its wildness, and it explains much of his behavior.

This Hyrule also boasts a booming wild horse population, and Time smiles as he watches a herd go across a distant field. Wild is fiddling with his rupees as he pays the stableman for beds for the group, although there really isn’t anywhere big enough to accommodate all of them. (Twilight already said he’d sleep outside with the stable dog, with whom he is currently playing and giggling)

“How’s Midnight?” Wild asks the stableman as he hands the money over.

“Ah, she’s been doing fine! A little restless, such a large horse has a lot of energy, you know,” the man replies, chuckling. “Would you like to see her?”

“I’ll take her for a ride,” Wild replies with a smile, hands resting idly on his belt as his thumbs loop around it.

Time follows Wild and the stableman, if nothing else to check up on Epona as she interacts with the other stable horses, and he freezes.

Midnight is immediately apparent, towering over the other steeds, even Epona, nickering a little with her ears perked forward as she sees Wild. Her fiery red mane sparks images that are burned into Time’s memory, and for an instant he’s a little boy again on the ground in the pouring rain, lightning blinding him as a man on an enormous black horse with red hair laughs at him.

It's strange, eerily surreal to see such a horse again, after all these years. Despite Malon being a lover of horses, she’s never owned one like this. Time has never really asked about the breed, as it was never exactly a huge priority or concern, but seeing it now…

“Is that a Gerudo horse?” he asks.

The stableman pauses, glancing at him. “A Gerudo horse? The Gerudo don’t use horses.”

“They don’t?” Time questions, baffled. He recalls very distinctly that horseback archery was a fun game for the women of the desert.

Wild looks at him, eyes bright with excitement. “No, they use sand seals. If we get a chance, we have to go out to the desert to surf with them, it’s so fun!”

Sand seals? He doesn’t even know what those are, can’t even conjure an image to try and figure that out.

In the distance, there’s a gasp, and Time turns a little to see Twilight nearly dashing over. “Is that your horse, Champion?”

Wild chuckles. “I figured you’d want to meet her. This is Midnight. Want to take her for a ride with me? She’s big enough, I think she can carry two just fine.”

Twilight is practically giddy, completely overwhelmed with all the animals he’s been able to interact with, and Time finally breaks a smile as the two mount the massive steed. It’s strange, watching them atop it, like juxtaposing two different scenes together as all he can associate such a horse with is that memory from so many years ago.

From a time long past… one that doesn’t even exist anymore.

Or, well, he supposes as he looks at Wind, perhaps it does. Which still blows his mind, makes his heart ache and worry because how many other timelines have I made when using that ocarina?

Time stews on the matter, walking a distance from the stable to keep an eye on Wild and Twilight as they ride around the prairie and laugh, letting Midnight get her pent up energy out. The horse is fast, faster than Time’s ever seen a horse be able to canter, and he again marvels at how such a breed exists in this Hyrule if it isn’t Gerudo.

Perhaps, long ago, it once was. Perhaps this is all that remains.

Time feels strange now, a connection to a horse that is tied to an era that no longer exists. Midnight seems happy, oblivious and free.

Oh, to be so fortunate… Time chuckles a little, despite his brooding. Perhaps he could learn a thing or two from this horse, to embrace now instead of being stuck in the past.

But it is in his nature to think of such matters, and it still hurts his heart how things turned out. But that was so long ago… this horse is only opening a scab on the wound, long healed over.

He wonders what sand seals are, instead, wonders what it might be like riding one. Wild seems to think it’s fun. But that boy’s definition of fun doesn’t always match everyone else’s.

“Now that’s a mount!” Sky awes as he walks up beside Time, marveling at the large horse. “The others seem so small. It’s too bad it can’t fly, though.”

Time imagines a horse with wings, and he chuckles. “It would certainly be something.”

“Can you imagine our little guy on that animal?” Sky asks, giggling at the thought.

Time finds himself huffing in amusement, heart warming at the sound of the teenager’s laughs and mirth bubbling at the thought of their smallest member on such a steed.

And then he actually laughs as he watches Midnight charge around the area, as he wonders if Ganondorf is somewhere rolling in his grave (or imprisonment or banishment or wherever he is) at the mere thought of a Hero riding his steed.

There’s something poetic in it, he concludes, how time makes old things new, refreshing them into good, cleansing the darkness away. This Hyrule embodies that, a land that survived despite the Calamity that befell it.

Time takes hope in it, hope that he too can be renewed and rejuvenated. He knows it to be true, his time with Malon proves that, but sometimes the dark thoughts still linger. He can at least take comfort in this.

So he sits on a log, and he watches as Twilight and Wild whoop and yell and laugh as the large horse from Time’s memories carries the heroes of the future across fields of fresh green.

#aww this is so precious hehe #ok now I really want to see Four riding the giant horse🤣#Time you're so angsty lol #but also yeah #those are some wierd images clashing for him! thinking about Ganon but seeing this horse free in front of him #im glad wild and twilight bcan have some fun hehe #linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu time #lu wild #lu twilight #lu sky #beat the heat event

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oma-reblogs · 19 days ago

Note

for writing prompts can we get more of your OC links with the chain?

Blood. He saw blood, he felt it, dripping down his hands, warm and thick, staining into the cracks between his skin, leaving grotesque fingerprints, etching into his soul.

He gasped, holding pressure, feeling his heart race, terrified as he watched light fade, as he heard Fi’s song grow rapid and frantic, as Hylia cried, as—

He heard a shuddering breath, and the world grew still.

Sky’s eyes snapped open. His breath came in quick rasps, mostly quiet save for the way it sucked in through his nose, the way his chest heaved as he pushed himself to sit up on his elbows.

His movements didn’t go unnoticed. Red eyes glanced at him, making him freeze a moment before he remembered that not everyone in their party had the familiar blue anymore.

One of the newer Links rose from his spot by the fire, approaching Sky slowly. He sank to his knees with care, keeping a safe distance from the older teenager. “Are you okay?”

Sky sighed, rubbing sweat from his forehead. “Y-yes, I…”

The blood sank into his skin, through the cracks, screaming and pleading and demanding to be noticed—

“…Just a dream,” he muttered.

The newer, younger Hero watched him silently, face analyzing. It reminded Sky strikingly of Warriors, particularly in the beginning. The captain had softened a bit to the team over the weeks, but this new one seemed fairly distant before finally sighing. Sympathy became evident, a kind of quiet understanding, and he reached into his pouch to pull out a flask. When he popped open the top, the familiar strong scent of alcohol slammed into Sky’s senses.

“Here,” he offered. “A few sips ought to help.”

Sky stared at him, bewildered. “Do you usually carry that around?”

“I found it in the loot at the monster camp,” the light blonde teenager replied calmly. “I know it can help with sleep. Just a small dose, it’ll settle your nerves.”

He really did remind Sky of Warriors. Unnervingly so.

Still, the older knight hesitantly took the flask, taking a swig and coughing a little. Warm liquid made its way down his throat, spreading throughout his body like water filling a container, and he tried to push the images of the blood away. The Hero watched him, brow slightly furrowed, dark circles dancing under his eyes, and Sky wondered if those were shadows from the fire or if he really needed just as much sleep as the knight did.

Sky swallowed. “Are you okay?”

The Hero blinked, confused, and flinched back. “Yes?”

Sky immediately regretted asking, feeling like he’d made a mistake, and he sighed tiredly, laying back down. “Thank you.”

He saw the Hero nod in his periphery before rising and returning to the fire. Sky buried his face into his pillow, trying to forget the dream, praying that it was just a nightmare and not a premonition.

He didn’t even know who it had been. Who had been bleeding?

He hardly remembered the dream in the morning as Legend nudged him with his foot, trying to wake him up and get him motivated. Sky groaned, rolling to lay prone and completely hide himself from the world. When he felt someone approach, he sighed heavily, knowing he couldn’t stay here any longer. He rose, grumpy about it, not having slept great, and didn’t bother speaking to anyone as he dragged his feet to wash his face. Everyone else went about their business, steering clear especially of Legend as he was the least morning person of the bunch.

It had been about a week since the newest group of heroes had joined the team. They had slowly been adapting to everyone else’s morning routine and earning their own nicknames. The dark haired excitable one who loved to cook shared Wind’s passion for sailing and others’ for fishing, and eventually earned himself the nickname Fisherman. He was helping Wild cook breakfast, asking their designated chef all kinds of questions and making him laugh. The quietest and oldest member of the new heroes stayed to the edge of camp as usual, letting his dog interact with them more than he himself did. He pulled his weight, but oftentimes it was his canine companion that kept him in line. The others weren’t quite sure what to make of him, nor really how to approach him, but he’d been helpful when they’d needed assistance. In either case, his nickname ranged from Broody (from Legend, of course) to Quiet One. The brown skinned one was the jumpiest of the group, but he tried to also be friendly and helpful, doing any task he could find and even offering massages to ease everyone’s aches and pains. He constantly admitted he wasn’t much of a fighter, but he found ways to contribute either way. Everyone was growing fond of him and their fisherman. Sky quite liked them both, and he loved the dog and even tried to be kind to the quiet one.

That left the fourth.

The teenager was not nearly as silent as their brooding newest member, but he did rank up there. He was always polite, spoke in a soft tone, and kept to himself while also watching everyone else. He held an anxiety to him, not the same jittery energy as their masseur, but a different unease that made Sky watch him far more than he usually would watch anyone.

And he wasn’t alone.

Warriors wandered over to Sky, eyes trained on the red eyed Hero before he finally sighed and looked Sky over. “You okay? You look more disheveled than usual.”

Sky trilled his lips as he splashed water on his face. “Didn’t sleep great.”

“You usually sleep like a rock,” the captain huffed, though the amusement didn’t quite reach his eyes. Sky wasn’t sure if it was a jab or worry hidden in a joke; sometimes he wasn’t sure what footing he was on with the captain, but he usually tried not to let it bother him.

He didn’t let most things bother him. But some things still got under his skin. Legend’s teasing reminded him of Groose and meant nothing; he knew his friend was all bark and no bite. Warriors’ remarks, on the other hand, were too close to Impa’s sometimes.

But the captain joked too. He was lighthearted, he laughed and played around. But he hid knives in the softness of his smile, and although Sky trusted him with his life, sometimes the parallels were too obvious.

He tried not to let it bother him. It wasn’t Warriors’ problem that he had his own issues. The captain dealt with enough. Everyone had their own idiosyncrasies.

But it was hard to hide things from the captain, and that sometimes was annoying. Sky wasn’t sure if whatever dream he could hardly remember now was of consequence or not, and he didn’t need an interrogation this morning.

“It’s okay, our Sheikah friend helped,” Sky dismissed before remembering what had caught his attention last night. “He gave me some alcohol, actually. Did he swipe it from you?”

Warriors’ face grew slightly sour. “Just because someone has alcohol doesn’t mean they got it from me. Honestly, everyone’s concern for my drinking is excessive.”

“You’re drinkin’ again?” Twilight asked as he approached.

“Wha—no,” Warriors replied, rolling his eyes. “For Farore’s sake, I got drunk twice in the time we’ve known each other. And you were drunk for one of those times!”

“I still don’t drink as much as you,” Twilight noted, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms. “But who were you talking about?”

“Our Sheikah,” Warriors said, subtly jerking his head towards the teenager. “He’s the one who gave Sky some alcohol.”

“Wait, is Sky even of age?”

“I am!” Sky protested, feeling his cheeks flush.

“Not the point,” the captain noted dully.

“He said he got it from the monster camp,” Sky noted, brow furrowing as he thought about the statement. “I’ve… never seen monsters drink alcohol?”

“It’s possible they just looted it from somewhere else,” Warriors suggested, though his face darkened. “I’ll talk to him about it.”

“No, I’ll talk to him,” Twilight interjected. “You don’t need any more, I saw your stash.”

The captain bristled, and Sky quickly moved to smooth everyone’s ruffled feathers, trying not to be exasperated at having to do this first thing in the morning. “The captain is welcome to drink as he pleases, he does so responsibly, Rancher. Besides, I haven’t seen him drink in a while. We’re all just tired. Why don’t you go talk to the Sheikah?”

Twilight and Warriors both glanced at Sky before sighing. The Ordonian nodded, walking ahead, while Warriors said, “Thank you.”

Sky shrugged. “I suppose the wolf form is accurate.”

Warriors snickered. “I have so many jokes lined up for him.”

“I thought you promised not to do that?”

“Depends on how stupid he’s being.”

The pair watched Twilight for a moment, and the rancher made his way towards their newest Hero, mind buzzing with worried thoughts. It had only been a few days since the new group’s arrival, and this teenager in particular was still making him uneasy. He recalled their first day, when they’d run into a monster horde and the boy had gone straight for the camp by himself to root out the issue. Twilight and Warriors had tracked him down, finding the eldest of the new heroes keeping an eye on the teenager.

It had been raining. The boy had looked so… defeated. He’d won and he’d looked defeated.

Twilight hadn’t liked it. He also hadn’t liked that the kid had gone off on his own, and had tried to patiently tell him not to do that. Warriors had been a bit more direct about it, but still patient.

The boy had listened. That was what Twilight had noticed. He always listened. And he was always watching.

Such as noticing Twilight’s approach – the teenager had picked up on it quickly, shifting uncomfortably where he sat. His pale blonde hair was a little disheveled this morning, held haphazardly in place as he took a deep breath and tried to sit a little taller.

“Good morning,” Twilight greeted gently, trying not to be confrontational. The boy’s seeming discomfort and perhaps even timidity suddenly reminded him of Colin. He slowly sat down to be at eye level with him. “How was watch?”

“Uneventful,” the Sheikah answered evenly, face calm as his body relaxed a little.

“I heard Sky had a nightmare,” Twilight noted.

The Hero blinked, red gaze flicking over to look at Sky before returning to Twilight’s own eyes. He said nothing.

Twilight smiled a little. “It’s okay, he’s the one who told me. It’s not a secret or anything.”

The teenager remained silent, apparently waiting for the Ordonian to get to the point.

“He said you gave him some alcohol?” Twilight continued. “Where did you get it?”

The Hero’s brow furrowed a little, though Twilight wasn’t sure if it was confusion or defensiveness. “The monster camp. Is that an issue? He seemed taken aback as well. Does no one drink here?”

Twilight shrugged. “We do. I just don’t think anybody expected one of the younger ones to have it, that’s all. Just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

The boy’s eyes glanced around the camp, taking everyone in, and he tilted his head to the side. “I… don’t believe I’m one of the younger ones. I’ve had mead before. I’m okay. If you’re concerned it’ll interfere with my ability to work, don’t be.”

Twilight considered him a moment, wondering if it was a battle worth fighting, and decided against it. Out of curiosity, though, he did ask, “How old are you?”

“Seventeen,” the boy answered easily. “I’m of age, have been for a while… at least where I’m from. Based on the others, I doubt I’m anywhere near the youngest.”

“You’re certainly not the youngest,” Twilight agreed with a sigh. “Just… if something’s wrong, let us know, okay?”

It felt like a strange thing to say at random. It felt like an overreaction. But something about the boy was off, and they’d all started picking up on it, some more so than others. Twilight just wished he knew what. They all were allowed their secrets, but this was… he didn’t know. He just didn’t like it.

“Yes, sir,” the boy acknowledged with a small nod. Twilight took some reassurance from it and smiled, patting the kid on the shoulder before rising.

Thankfully, after that interaction, the rest of the morning was fairly uneventful. Wild and Hyrule managed to get lost when they’d stopped for lunch, though, and their new fisherman offered to look alongside Four and Legend.

When the group came back with nothing nearly an hour later, they divided into more teams, growing worried. Twilight said he would get Wolfie, not yet comfortable enough with these new heroes to tell them about his ability. Time and Wind teamed up with the masseur, while their brooding newest member said he would go alone with Friend (and maybe work with Wolfie). Sky, Warriors, and the Sheikah Hero were the final group.

Warriors sighed heavily. “We need to stop letting those two wander off together, it’s downright irresponsible at this point.”

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Sky said with a shrug. “It’s not great that they keep getting lost, but we all know they can handle themselves.”

Warriors bit his tongue, annoyed. Of course they could handle themselves, but everyone seemed to forget they were in a team. The amount of times Wild just disregarded the group and the plan was becoming problematic. He had yet to address the matter, and he really needed to. Sky didn’t seem to comprehend that, which was frustrating – the older teenager seemed too lax to be a knight, yet somehow he was. Warriors could appreciate Sky’s abilities, but he wished the boy would recognize the gravity of the situation more sometimes. At least the other teenager with him wasn’t going to question his orders or slack off.

The Sheikah didn’t voice an opinion on the matter, simply falling in step behind Warriors and Sky, eyes alert. The trio walked in silence for a time before Warriors himself felt the need to fill the quiet. He was certainly the chattiest of the three – while Sky was casually pleasant and friendly, the boy was actually one of the quieter Links, hardly ever starting a conversation, mostly piping up to reassure others or add an opinion.

The peacemaker of the group. Warriors sighed, trying to take it easier on the kid. Sky had certainly stepped up when Twilight had been down. He shouldn’t be annoyed at him.

“Well, I’m grateful for you two,” he said, still keeping an eye out for the mischievous pair. “At least I know you won’t cause such trouble.”

Both boys glanced at him, Sky looking genuinely surprised while the Hero of Power’s expression was more muted. Sky was about to speak when Power hissed, hand coming up to his cheek. Warriors turned to look the Sheikah over and see what was wrong, and he saw blood trickling down the boy’s face.

Before he could speak, Power had his sword and shield out in an instant, items glowing with blue energy, and the knights went on high alert.

And then were immediately surrounded as the ground rumbled and stals pulled themselves out of the earth just as an entire field of babas came to life.

Warriors immediately pulled out his fire rod. “Get behind me!”

Sky and Power both immediately fell in line, though Sky sent a sword beam out to ward off the stalfos as they were unnervingly close, giving the captain enough time to burn the field of babas. He could only cover part of the area, though, otherwise he’d surround the group in flames, leaving them just as trapped. Power took the opening the captain had created, rushing ahead and slashing at the enemies, his glowing energized blade easily cutting through the plantlike creatures, though the stals started to regenerate themselves, glowing with dark magic.

Of course they were.

Just as Warriors redrew his sword, Sky stepped in, cutting through the stals’ defenses and shattering the bones. Some still tried to regenerate while others were too damaged, but the environment changed abruptly when Warriors felt the heat at his back disappear abruptly with a shake of the earth. The three heroes whirled around to see a giant four legged lizard, horns spiked from its elbows and its head as it roared a searing hot breath towards them.

“What is that!” Sky yelled as the three dodged.

“A dragon??” Power questioned, looking at Warriors for guidance.

Warriors shook his head. “Not quite. It’s a dodongo!”

“Dragons are nice, what are you talking about?” Sky threw back, bewildered as they readied for a fight.

“What?!” Power’s head snapped towards the Skyloftian. “No, they’re not!”

“Not now!” Warriors cut in as the dodongo blew fire at them.

The heroes scattered once more to avoid the attack. Warriors gritted his teeth, taking in the sight of the battlefield. The babas were all gone, but some of the stalfos remained, at least half a dozen, alongside the massive beast that was now stomping through the burnt field as it readied for another attack.

“It’s slow,” Power remarked from beside him. “We could take advantage of that.”

He was right, its lack of speed was certainly on their side. But it made up for it in its strength. When it opened its mouth once more, though, Sky threw a bomb into its gaping maw, and Warriors pushed down on Power so they both hit the ground as the bomb detonated, shaking the ground. The dodongo yelled before shaking its head and recentering itself.

Usually it took longer for that thing to recover. Warriors huffed out a breath. “We’re going to need more bombs.”

“We need more bombs!” Sky called from where he was.

“I know!” Warriors yelled back. “Sky, we’ll have to coordinate—”

The captain was cut off as Power lunged forward to cut a stalfos into four pieces before it could get a hit in on the older hero. Warriors scrambled back a hair, nodding in thanks to the teenager before motioning for Sky to come to them. The younger knight rushed over, dodging a stalfo as he went.

“All right, this is what we’re going to do,” Warriors said as Sky reached them. “Sky, you and I have the bombs, so we’ll focus on the dodongo. Sheikah, you keep the stalfos away from us while we do that, okay? Everyone look out for—”

“Fire!” Sky yelped, and the three dove out of the way of another blast from the beast.

“For that,” Warriors finished, exasperated. “All right, let’s go!”

Sky and Warriors immediately pulled out their bombs, anticipating the next attack from the dodongo as Power shot ahead, pushing the stalfos back with quick, precise jabs. He bashed away an attack from one of the stalfos, leaving it open to get beheaded. The teenager then cut off its limbs, leaving it quivering in the ground as he moved to press the attack on another opponent. Dodongo opened its mouth once more, and Sky and Warriors both tossed a couple bombs each into its mouth. The ensuing explosion finally sent the beast falling, dazed and open to attack.

Warriors pushed forward first, Sky falling behind a little as they ran, and movement caught his attention. He glanced up in time to gasp, but not in time to fall back as a handful of lizalfos leapt off the dodongo’s back, one landing a direct hit on his arm, just below the where the chainmail ended.

Pain seared through his arm, and it warmed quickly as blood came out in bright red spurts from the crook of his arm. Warriors hissed, stumbling back as Sky shot ahead to ward off the beasts. Power was there an instant later, dragging him closer to the tree line. The teenager quickly removed his own belt, wrapping it around Warriors’ arm and tying a knot with the leather. He grabbed a stick that was laying on the ground, tying another knot of the belt over the stick to create a lever for him to turn as he progressively tightened it. The pain in Warriors’ arm increased, and his fingers started to tingle as he gasped and gritted his teeth, but the bleeding slowed to a halt. Power’s fingers pressed against his wrist, eyes glaring in focus.

“Thanks,” the captain said breathlessly, surprised the kid knew field medicine so well.

But it also meant the boy probably didn’t have any potions or fairies to spare. Warriors couldn’t afford another blow like that. With his right arm down, he could hardly use a shield, or a bow, but he could still try to fight.

Power nodded, saying curtly, “Stay here.”

The captain didn’t argue, though the order did surprise him. I’d prefer a different way to learn about the kid, goddesses.

He just really needed his arm to stop being in agony. Groaning, he rolled over to sit up and assess the situation. The dodongo was back on its feet again, and Warriors rose to challenge it. If he drew its attention, he could still throw bombs at it; he was down one arm, but he could still maneuver.

With the lizalfos now on the battlefield, Sky was starting to grow a little overwhelmed. He was fending off two by himself, leaving another two for Power to attack. Only one or two stalfos remained, but between them and the dodongo the pair was going to be overwhelmed.

Warriors had to do something.

Pulling out his power gauntlets, he tried just using one arm to swing the large ball-and-chain that had helped him in the past. It was far more unwieldy, but he could make quick work of the stalfos with it.

This isn’t a good idea. You can barely use this thing with one arm. You’re going to hurt yourself.

They other two were going to die if he didn’t. There was no other option.

The captain widened his stance, swinging the ball, feeling his shoulder click in protest, but he managed to toss it well enough, sweeping across the battlefield and crushing the remaining two stalfos.

The dodongo opened its mouth once more,

“LOOK OUT!” Warriors yelled, trying to grab a bomb in time.

Sky and Power both jumped, looking at the beast, and Sky pulled out a claw shot to move as quickly as possible. He reached for the younger Hero, grappling him as he fired his item at a tree; the pair was far too close to its gaping maw to jump out of the way without getting singed.

Warriors, however, was still farther down the line of fire. He leapt as best he could, hoping it was far enough. In his periphery, he saw something happen, heard Sky scream. He looked up to see Sky’s arms empty of the teenager he’d grabbed, and the boy in question was in the dodongo’s mouth.

Power deposited one of Sky’s bombs there just as he stabbed his sword into the beast’s throat, and then he disappeared in a puff of reddish magic, reappearing a short distance away.

This finally seemed to be one bomb too many, and the dodongo collapsed, eyes closed.

Warriors let his head drop to the ground once more, relieved, before he heard quick movements towards him. He gasped, flipping from laying prone to being on his back just in time to see a lizalfos aiming for his heart. He rolled instead, managing to avoid being stabbed, by the lizalfos stomped heavily on his leg, and he felt something pop, making him scream.

A whip wrapped around the beast’s neck, jerking it away as Sky came into view, eyes furious. Warriors tried to move, and he felt his right arm sear with pain once more, the stick holding the tourniquet tight moving slightly. Blood started to trickle out of his wound once more, and he desperately clasped at the tourniquet, trying to tighten it once more.

This wasn’t good.

Sky struggled as the other lizalfos started to gather around the captain, crowding the Skyloftian. He turned to deflect one just in time to dodge another, and he started to worry that he wasn’t going to be able to keep up when Power appeared, kicking one off the knight to give him some space to maneuver. They paired up, taking two lizalfos each, which made the burden far easier, even though the blasted beasts were still too fast. These had to be from Sky’s own world, the others were clunkier than this.

Sky managed to nick one of the beast’s tails, making it hiss and step back, giving the other a chance to charge forward. Sky blocked the blow easily with his shield, and he heard another lizalfos moving behind him. He turned to see that one of Power’s had decided to migrate over to him instead, and both heroes realized it was about to become too much.

Power clapped his hands together just as Sky turned to see a lizalfos getting around his shield, ready to slice him open at the belly, but Power materialized immediately in front of him, taking the hit as the sword lodged partly into his side.

Sky screamed at the same time as the younger teenager, but Power braced his stance, using the closed space created to stab the lizalfos directly in the throat, killing it. The beast fell, leaving the sword partly dangling in the Hero, who gasped and tried to hold it in place as Sky used the break in the fight to kill another lizalfos that was holding back to avoid striking its ally.

With two lizalfos left, Sky tried to take them both on himself, though one still went for Power. The young Sheikah was covering whimpers for snarls with each movement, trying to reel in the lizalfos while also trying to ensure the sword in his side didn’t fall and make the bleeding worse. Sky felt his heart ramming against his chest in terror as he tried to get control of the situation, tried to comprehend what had just happened.

The lizalfos slipped out of Sky’s reach, trying to regroup with its partner, and Power finally collapsed, losing his grip on the blade as it came out of his side, blood pouring with it. Sky fell to his knees and slamming his hand onto the Hero’s side to hold pressure, knowing they had no time for this but desperately trying to help. The blood dripped down his hands, warm and thick, staining into the cracks between his skin, the worn lines in the leather of his gauntlets.

He pulled out a potion, but just as he tipped it towards his companion’s mouth, the teenager gripped his wrist with surprising strength.

“How many?” He rasped.

“I only have this,” Sky said shakily, worriedly, knowing that half a bottle of potion might not be enough.

“Give—it—give it t-to the—the captain,” Power ordered, squeezing his eyes shut.

“What?! You’re going to die!” Sky snapped. “This isn’t the time to argue, those lizalfos are coming back!”

Despite Sky’s words, Power argued anyway. “He’s m-more important. He’ll b-bleed to death if—if that tourniquet—”

“Are you out of your mind?!” Warriors yelled from where he lay. “I’ve got the bleeding under control, you are about to die!”

“It’s okay,” Power whispered, a peaceful look crossing his face, eyelids fluttering as he was about to lose consciousness. “That’s okay… just… h-help him…”

The lizalfos hissed as they charged once more, and Sky rose to his feet, mind in a million places, angry and scared and quickly losing hope.

A wolf howled, and an arrow sang through the air, slamming into Sky’s opponent’s back.

Sky turned to see Wolfie rushing out of the woods alongside the chocolate colored dog that accompanied one of the newer heroes, and the man himself emerged next. Wild and Hyrule came behind them, Wild already nocking another set of arrows as Wolfie tackled the lizalfos that was about to get near Power.

Sky immediately returned his attention to the younger Hero, ready to force feed him the potion if he had to, when he noticed the teenager was unresponsive.

Shit shit shit—

“Help!” He called out to the others, desperate for a fairy.

Hyrule was there in an instant, hands glowing over the Sheikah’s side, and Power stirred and moaned, tears starting to trail into his hair as he grimaced. The traveler spoke softly to him, eyes scanning for further injury. Sky exhaled heavily, collapsing on his hands and knees, shaking from the entire ordeal.

“Potion,” he gasped. “Captain needs a—”

“Broody’s on it,” Wild noted, voice shaking a little, and Sky looked to see the other newer Hero handing the captain a full bottle of red potion. The Hero’s pet companion came up to Sky, licking his face and whining a little. Sky hugged her in response, letting his tears get hidden in her fur as he tried to reconcile the fact that one of them had almost died.

That had been far too close. And was it Sky’s fault? Power had been blocking a blow that would have hurt him.

But him saying… and…

The dog, Friend, licked Sky’s ear, finally eliciting a relieved huff out of the Hero, and she wagged her tail, moving towards Power as Twilight knelt beside the two.

“What happened?!” He asked frantically, hand quickly swiping away Power's tears as he looked him over.

“Ambush,” Sky explained breathlessly.

Power bit his lip, turning his face slightly away from the others as Friend sniffed him. Wild looked around the group, eyes guilty. “I’m… I’m sorry. We had found a lead, a trail to what we thought might be a monster camp. It had been abandoned, though. We were trying to find our way back to you guys to report about it.”

“The others?” Sky asked, glancing up at Twilight.

“They’re fine,” the Ordonian said gently, putting a hand on Sky’s shoulder as he also assessed Power. Friend’s attention finally made the teenager giggle as she started to tickle him, licking his neck. He winced with each laugh, but he pet her all the same.

“Come on,” Twilight said, voice soft, as he picked the Sheikah up, carrying him carefully. Wild offered a hand to Sky, who gratefully accepted it and let Wild and Hyrule help him walk, as his legs felt like lead. Friend’s Hero helped Warriors, though it quickly became apparent he’d need more assistance than Sky, and Hyrule moved to help him.

“I’m really sorry, Sky,” Wild muttered.

“This wasn’t your fault,” Sky noted tiredly, drained from the ordeal. “You had no way of knowing about the monsters.”

The walk back to the others didn’t take terribly long, but it felt like years to the Skyloftian. He was shaking from head to foot by the time they got there, and Legend fussed over him, making him lay down and get some rest and have a potion. They tried not to use too much of their stock, rationing one bottle between the three, but Power had fallen asleep and Warriors refused to drink unless the Sheikah got some first. The captain didn’t take his eyes off the teenager.

Sky fell into an uneasy sleep, clutching his sailcloth desperately, and Twilight and Time slowly settled beside the captain.

“Everyone’s safe now, cap,” Twilight assured him. “You can let your guard down, I’ll keep watch.”

“What actually happened out there?” Time asked quietly. “Something’s still wrong.”

“He was going to let himself die,” Warriors said darkly.

Twilight and Time stared at him a moment before looking at the Sheikah. “What?”

“He told Sky to give me the potion,” the captain explained. “Even though he was going to die far faster than me. Said I was more important.”

Neither Hero knew how to respond to that, glancing at each other uneasily. Eventually, Twilight muttered, “These kids are so damn self sacrificing. We need to make sure he realizes we can all handle ourselves, that we should work together and will look out for each other.”

Time remained quiet, eye meeting Warriors’ and a silent understanding fell between them, a recognition that this was probably more than just heroics and a scared teenager who overreacted.

“We need to watch him,” Warriors said quietly.

Time nodded. “We will. But you need to rest, captain. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“So will Wolfie,” Twilight added, and the captain huffed.

“Just as long as Wolfie doesn’t get his fur on my scarf. You know for being a wolf, you shed like a cat,” he grumbled, trying to lighten the mood since he’d made his point. He was exhausted, anyway.

“Your scarf will be fine,” Twilight huffed mildly before grabbing his pendant. Time handed Warriors his flask, letting him take a few sips to settle his nerves and dull the ache from his injuries that their rationed potions hadn’t entirely healed.

Peace washed over the camp as the blue eyed wolf slowly made his rounds on the heroes, stopping beside the Sheikah, who stirred a little, eyes fluttering open. He saw a wet nose and smiled, reaching up to pet the wolf, unaware of who it truly was.

The wolf laid down, letting the boy curl up against it, and the Sheikah mumbled something before falling back asleep.

And, a few sleeping bags over, Sky gasped awake once more as images of blood filled his head, as Fi cried in his dreams, as his mind felt life fade between his fingers, as someone greeted death far too eagerly, filled with terror and pain and regret.

Sky glanced at Power, shivering, and turned away, trying to tell himself it was just a nightmare from the events of the day.

37 notes · View notes

oma-reblogs · 21 days ago

Note

For the beat hte heat writing can we see more forsaken au stuff?

The woods were filled with gentle birdsong all throughout, except in one place. It stood around in the center, a silent monastery, long abandoned by its tenants, forgotten to time, overrun with the magic of the forest. Sunlight spilled through a broken canopy, casting parts of the building aglow.

The stillness was disturbed when a dog trotted in happily, sniffing around the area and barking in excitement when a little chu appeared. The brown dog pounced on it easily, making it explode, and it gave her so much excitement she went in search of more. A cloaked figure entered next, watching the dog run around with enough energy to tear the ground beneath her, tail tucked and back legs nearly driving her faster than her front ones.

Link smiled.

He hadn’t really intended to venture this far into the Lost Woods, but his sweet companion had wanted to sniff to her heart’s content. He also knew she loved antagonizing chus, and this was the best place to do it.

When his faithful companion nearly crashed into him, though, he jumped up onto the broken entrance stairs, chuckling and chiding her a little. “Easy, Friend.”

The chocolate chonk paid little heed to the man’s words, panting and running around ecstatically as she found another chu. Link chuckled again, settling for sitting on the stairs and watching the pup.

And then he heard screaming.

“EEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!”

Friend and Link both jumped, startled, and the cloaked man looked towards the entrance to the dungeon. What idiots were foolish enough to venture this deep into the Lost Woods and then go into the most dangerous part of it?!

“WHY ARE YOU SHOVING ME FORWARD I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO???”

“WELL DO SOMETHING!!!”

“YOU’RE THE ONE WITH SACRED POWERS???”

“IT’S A SKELETON!!!”

Link stiffened. Sacred powers?

Friend’s hair stood on edge slowly walking towards the stairs, ears peeled back, and Link leaned against the entrance, eyes looking down at the floor to see a few forest monsters slowly fading into dust. There was no sign of weapon damage to them, so clearly whoever had done this had used magic.

Sacred powers…

Good goddesses above. No. No.

Link twirled around in an instant, heading back for the exit, when he heard the girl scream again, alongside the boy’s voice. Friend barked. Link sighed.

“Fine,” he grumbled, twirling on his heel yet again and drawing his sword.

It had been a while since he’d actually entered this dungeon. It had murals and icons still lining the walls, half faded or burned in whatever had turned this sacred place into a desolate death trap. Friend sniffed happily at the dusty stone floors, but perked up when a partially broken chandelier swung loudly in the breeze. Link drew his sword – he wasn’t sure if there were any beasts left in this area, but he knew it wouldn’t be hard to find the pair in need of rescuing.

“OH MY GOSH LINK DO SOMETHING!!”

Link?

The quiet cloaked man paused, confused. Did… there was no way they knew he was here, was there?

Once again, he looked towards the exit, and he sighed heavily. She sounded too young and was acting far too ridiculous to be the Zelda he knew. But how was she calling for him?

This had bad news written all over it. He should leave.

Friend barked and rushed ahead instead.

“Friend, wait!” He hissed before groaning and moving quickly to keep up. The hallway the two rushed into was colorful, and he saw broken stained glass along his left. He fretted even more, successfully catching up to Friend and scooping her up before she could dash her paw against any shattered glass. She was far too excited to be carried initially, butt wiggling as she wagged her tail and squirmed, but once he held her more securely she started to lick his face, and his worries melted into laughter.

Another squeal made both of them jump, and Link quickly moved ahead, letting Friend practically leap to the ground once they were out of the hallway. The corridor turned sharply, and he heard gasping and frantic movements, alongside an unnatural growl.

Putting his hood back on, Link moved ahead of Friend, sword ready. As soon as he entered the next room, he found the source of the ruckus.

It was two teenagers, facing off against a stalfos.

Link scowled. He hated stalfos.

He quickly took in the scene, stiffening. One teenager, the boy, was very tall and broad, wore a tan sleeveless shirt with a burgundy sleeveless tunic overtop. His clothes were filthy and torn in some places, a clear sign that they had been struggling through the woods and the dungeon, but he was still easy to spot in the dull room by his gold jewelry that adorned his ears, neck, and upper arms, and his bright red hair pulled back into a braid. The girl was hiding behind him, hands clinging to his tunic as she squealed. She was dressed far less humbly, with dark brown form fitting trousers hidden beneath a long light blue dress with a split skirt, a pink sleeveless vest with silk trim, and now torn arm length silky blue gloves. Her tan skinned fingers had traces of something on them, a wisp of gold and dust, soot and silver—magic.

Link felt the bottom drop out of his stomach, but he pushed beyond the two in order to face the cursed skeleton advancing on them. He saw traces of dark magic curling off it in waves, like a body that had just been burned and was giving off the last vestiges of smoke. But something curled with the burgundy fumes, aquamarine and even thinner in consistency, choked out by the dark magic.

A spirit. He knew it.

Stals came in many shapes and forms, but one thing was true of all of them. They were cursed remains of what was once living, and though it wasn’t as big of a deal for stals of beasts, when they resembled people…

Link took a steadying breath, letting his magic curl around his sword and warm it slowly. He thought he’d purged the world of stalfos, how was there one here?

The cursed fallen Hylian lashed out, and Link quickly batted the incoming sword away. He dodged another attack, tripping up the poor creature’s footing. It hissed, jaw opening maliciously, and he focused his gaze on its empty eyes.

No, not there… where is it?

He parried another attack, pushing back against the sword with his own to throw the creature off balance, and as it stumbled, he saw a swirling cloud in its chest, just under its sternum.

There you are.

Link focused his magic until his sword was nearly glowing, and he went down on a knee to take a shot from beneath the rib cage. His sword sank into the Poe, hearing it squeal, and then the bones collapsed. Aquamarine wisps continued to waft into the air until they converged into the form of a Hylian soldier. Link locked eyes with the man, and though the man’s lips moved he could hardly hear his voice.

He understood the gratitude all the same. Nodding his head, he watched the spirit rise into the sky, disappearing through the ceiling.

He heard someone exhale loudly, and he remembered he wasn’t alone in the room. He also hastily moved forward to stop Friend from retrieving any of the bones, calling her back sharply. Her ears peeled back a little and she moved towards him, and he guided her out of the room and back into the corridor.

“Hey, wait!”

Link ignored the girl’s call, continuing on his way, but he did say, “You two should leave.”

“Well, uh, thank you,” the boy said shakily.

“Let go,” the girl hissed.

“He said we need to leave, so that’s what we should do.”

“We are leaving, but—hey! Wait!”

Link moved faster, picking up his companion once more so she wouldn’t step on glass.

“Hey! I’m talking to you! Gosh, don’t you have any manners?!”

Friend wagged her tail. Link just wanted to run. But it was silly to flee from a couple dumb teenagers. So he waited until he entered the main hall and put his sweet cupcake down before turning around. Crossing his arms, he addressed the boy first. “You’re welcome.”

The teenager paused from his little fight with the girl, and he awkwardly nodded.

The girl, on the other hand, finally wiggled her hand out of her companion’s wrist and shot forward. “Who are you?”

“No one,” Link answered dully. “You two need to leave. The exit’s that way.”

“We can’t leave until we’ve found who we’re looking for,” the girl insisted. “My name is Zelda, Princess of Hyrule. This is my faithful friend, Link. We’re on a quest, bidden by destiny itself to save Hyrule, and—”

“That’s lovely,” Link quipped, twisting around and walking towards the exit. “I can escort you out of these woods. If you don’t wish to leave, then that’s on you. Goodbye.”

Princess Zelda bit her cheek, face flushed with annoyance, while her companion knelt to receive kisses from Friend. “Will you at least tell me your name?”

“Fred.”

“No, it isn’t!”

“Well, if you know my name, then why are you asking for it?” Link snapped irritably. “Stop trying my patience, girl.”

“That’s princess to you, Sir Edgy!”

Link halted, baffled. “Sir—what?”

“If you’re going act all mysterious and angry, then you should get an appropriate nickname,” the princess huffed, watching him as he looked at her. “I sensed your magic, it’s extremely powerful and well controlled. You’re not just some random guy, I can tell.”

“You’re not in some random forest, either,” Link countered. “You have to know magic to survive here. And that’s what I do. I live here. I’m not some destiny chasing child like you. This place is not for the Princess of Hyrule or her Hero or whatever you are.”

“I’m a masseur, actually,” the other Link said, a mild annoyance in his monotone.

Link stared, even more bemused. But Friend barked, snapping him out of it, and he headed outside without another word, already growing frustrated and afraid at what was being thrown into his lap.

The princess of Hyrule is looking for a Hero, stalfos are returning—

No. Everything was fine. Some wayward cursed Hylian souls was not anything to worry about.

But what about that sword—

No. It was fine. Everything was fine.

“Ugh, oh my gosh, why is he being so difficult,” Princess Zelda grumbled under her breath.

“Well, he clearly doesn’t want to be bothered, Zelda, maybe you should actually take the hint this time,” the boy argued. “He’s offering to escort us out, let’s just take it. He clearly knows his way around these woods.”

The princess was silent as Link and Friend reached the bottom of the stairs, walking into the clearing. There were no more chus for Friend to find, so Link moved quickly to leave all this behind him.

“Wait.”

Link paused at the calmer command, voiced in a tone that was more of a request than anything. He turned halfway, glancing at the pair in profile.

Princess Zelda was far less worked up, face a little placid, brow furrowed only slightly. She stepped forward, standing tall at the top of the stairs. “I accept your offer of protection.”

In that moment Link was hit with such nostalgia, not seeing the princess but her mother, that he forgot to breathe for a second. Friend licked his hand, and he snapped back to reality.

“Well. Good.” He stammered, keeping his voice even. “Let’s—”

“If you tell me your name!” The princess continued with a smile.

“No,” Link immediately replied, exasperated and walking away.

“Hey, wait, you can’t just leave us!” The princess protested as she and her companion rushed to follow him.

Link sighed heavily. It wasn’t too long a walk to the edge of the woods, so hopefully it would be fine. Friend kept them busy in the meantime, continuously running between their legs and tripping them up.

The boy giggled a little, petting her, and asked, “What’s your dog’s name?”

“She’s Friend.”

The teenagers glanced at each other. ��Uh. I mean, yeah, she is your friend, but, what’s her name?”

“Friend.”

“No, we know she’s your friend,” the princess said slowly. “We’re asking what your friend’s name is.”

Link bit his lip, almost getting annoyed, but he just rolled with it. So he replied just as slowly, “Friend.”

“I just said—!” The princess tried to grumble, but her friend interrupted her.

“You named her Friend?” He asked, judgment dripping from his tone.

Link bristled a little, and then he remembered he was arguing with a teenager. “I don’t care about names, and I’m not good at them. If you prefer, you can call her Cupcake.”

“I like Miss Chonk, actually,” Zelda noted.

“You can’t call her that.”

“Why not? It’s better than Friend!”

“How did you two even end up here?” Link asked, changing the subject.

“I told you,” Princess Zelda replied exasperatedly. “We’re here because of destiny! We’re searching for the Hero.”

The girl walked faster to be in line with the man, leaning forward a little with a suspicious gaze. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you? It’s said that the Master Sword used to reside here, in that very monastery.”

This girl knew perfectly well that the Master Sword now resided in the Temple of Time where it had been placed. She was trying to trip him up.

Link shrugged. “I don’t even know what a Master Sword is.”

“Oh, come on!” Princess Zelda groaned. “You can’t be that oblivious!”

“I live in the woods.”

“He does have a point, Zelda.”

“Not you too!”

The teenagers got into a mild bickering match, exciting Friend, who barked and ran around, diffusing the situation as Link smiled. They’d be at the edge of the forest soon, and then the princess would not be his problem anymore.

At least that was what he told himself as they entered a clearing, as the darkness of the canopy bled away into an open field with sunshine and a gentle breeze, as he turned to the two teenagers. “This is where our paths split, Princess. You and your royal masseur need to leave.”

“Royal masseur?” The boy repeated. “Huh, wait, if I can use that as a title I could charge more for my massages.”

“Good luck,” Link bade as he moved back towards the forest.

“Now listen here, I’m not leaving until I get answers!” Princess Zelda protested, stepping in his way. “You know I’ll just follow you back into the woods if you don’t talk. Tell me what your name is.”

This girl was annoyingly persistent. Link swallowed, biting back a sharp remark. She was a child, eager to see what destiny had in store for her, having never seen what it truly meant to fight darkness. He wanted to yell at her, honestly, tell her that she should be more serious over such a venture…

He didn’t care that much, though. Also, that would definitely make her latch on to him.

“I told you. It’s Fred.” He answered.

“That can’t be your name!”

“Then call me whatever you like, I’m still leaving.”

The princess puffed up to protest more, but her friend pulled her aside. “Come on, Zelda, he said he was going to leave, we can’t make him stay.”

“No, but we can follow him!”

“I don’t want to go back into that place, it’s terrifying.”

Zelda rolled her eyes, ready to argue more, when she noticed that her friend was being serious. She sighed, the fight draining out of her. “Come on, you know my magic can keep you safe.”

The boy’s fear morphed into exasperation. “Oh, like when that skeleton thing attacked us?”

“IT WAS A GIANT SKELETON!” Zelda noted, throwing her hands in the air. “I don’t do skeletons, that was scary!”

“That’s what I mean!” Her friend argued.

Link slinked into the woods while the two yelled at each other, taking Friend with him. He hadn’t gotten far when his chest clenched a little at the thought of the girl dragging her friend back into the woods, at the thought of something worse happening and him not being there to help.

Friend wagged her tail, panting a little as she watched him with her big brown eyes and happy smile.

“You just want more friends to play with,” he grumbled, sighing heavily.

He wasn’t going to travel with them. He refused. But perhaps he could tire the girl out and convince her to go back to the capital where she belonged. He could lead her on a merry little chase. Maybe even have some fun with it.

Well, probably not fun, honestly. He hated all of this. But if she was going to be adamant about following him until he gave her what she wanted… he wasn’t going to give her what she wanted. But he would make sure he was places that, if she did manage to find him, she wouldn’t get herself or her friend killed.

Her friend was certainly an interesting character. He seemed fairly reluctant. Link wondered if he’d been dragged into this just as she was trying to drag himself into it.

Probably. Poor kid.

Well, if there were places he could try to lose her that were less dangerous, he would need to start thinking of them now. He could exit the forest a little ways down and find a wild horse to ride. Friend would love the opportunity to run.

Formulating a plan, he made his way through the trees, listening to the forest spirits giggle as he snuck around, and he winked at one of them as he went.

He would lose the girl, and the kids would be safe. It was a win all around. It would be fine.

Everything was fine.

#YEESS HAHAHAHA THEY MEET!!#gosh Friend is SO silly❤️❤️#i love her #AAY SIR EDGY MY BELOVED #i love him #give me 10 of him right now #oh sir youve already sealed your fate muahaha #you shanty be escaping a second adventure😈😈#also LOVE gerudo link so much #hea so tired #he and edgy link can comiserate together lol #beat the heat event #forsaken au #mystery link #gerudo link #forsaken zelda

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oma-reblogs · 25 days ago

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Hey look Ma, I made it

(Inspired by Panic! At the Disco song “Hey Look Ma I Made it”)

Lyrics

Friends are happy for me or they're honeysuckle phonies, Some are loyal soldiers while them other thorns are rosy, And if you never know who you can trust, then trust me you'll be lonely.

Are you ready for the sequel? You ready for the latest?

In the garden of evil, I'm gonna be the greatest, In a golden cathedral, I'll be praying of the faithless, And if you lose, boo hoo.

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oma-reblogs · 25 days ago

Note

More Hero of Shadow please! For writing prompt :)

Link knew better.

When he’d recovered all the dragon tears, he’d seen what had happened in the distant past, how Zelda had managed to repair the Master Sword. He’d retrieved it, prepared to strike back at Ganondorf, wanting to rip his heart out himself, and he’d gone to the castle.

So when he’d seen visions of Zelda around the castle, he should have known better.

Really, he caught on fairly quickly. When she would mysteriously lead him to hoards of monsters, it became fairly obvious she probably did not have good intentions, particularly since the others had seen visions of her before disaster. But Link had still assumed that perhaps they were echoes of her, since she’d enhanced her time magic, and that they might lead to more clues on how to help her.

Instead, they’d led to an ambush, and Ganondorf had been using her visage as a ruse the entire time.

It had been more than infuriating, it had been downright insulting, sickening. Link had shown his rage to the phantom forms of the demon king, eliminating them with the help of his allies.

But he probably should not have immediately rushed into the chasm below.

It didn’t matter now. He was here, and he would press forward. He had enough supplies for it to be feasible. And so he’d continued, fighting beast after beast, feeling his strength get sapped out of him with each blow. Eventually he reached an area where he could take a breather, and he downed some light infused food to restore his energy.

He wasn’t going to stop. This had to be where that demon was hiding. He had to stop him. For Hyrule, for his friends, for Zelda.

He refused to let her sacrifice be in vain. After everything she’d been through…

As Link continued, he felt a chill blow through the area, and he sensed movement behind him. Turning, he saw the ghostly visages of his allies disappear back into the rings on his fingers.

He… he hadn’t dismissed them.

Link tried to use the magic of the sages to bring their doppelgangers back, but to no avail. The air grew thick and stale, and he felt his chest clench.

They can’t reach me here.

Fear gripped at him, but resolve burned brighter. Clenching his fist, he slowly lowered his arm back to his side, pressing onward. He still felt dread filling him to his core, a panicked whisper that he was missing something, but he—

He was so close. He couldn’t stop, not now, not after everything.

His country had waited one hundred years for him to be ready last time. He wasn’t going to delay this any longer. Fifth sage be damned.

He heard something up ahead, a lapping sound, he could taste water in the air. Moving more quickly, he entered a large room, and saw murals on the walls.

Goddess. The murals that Zelda had gotten excited about, had taken pictures of. That felt like a lifetime ago. Link looked around the room, feeling emptiness pull at his heart, but he shook his head in determination.

Her sacrifice will not be in vain.

There was something new in the room, though. Something that he didn’t even notice initially until his eyes traced over it again, and he felt his blood freeze.

There was a person standing there, dead silent and motionless and staring at him.

Link stiffened, eyes wide, breath trapped in a tight chest. Who was that?!

It looked like a shadowy version of a person, skin greyish, eyes as red as the blood moon, pale, pale blonde hair disheveled as if it had crawled out of a grave in the depths themselves. Its clothes, strangely enough, were immaculate, matching a familiar style.

Ganondorf. Those look like his clothes from Zelda’s memories.

Link drew his sword, and the blade glowed blue just as he saw the most horrific thing about this creature.

It had a malicious eye on its forehead. This… this thing that imitated a person was some form of a Gloom Spawn! It had to be!

But why hadn’t it attacked?

Link tried walking slowly around it, but its gaze never left him. As he side stepped towards the exit, it matched his pace.

There was no sense avoiding this thing. There was no high ground to get around it like he could with other gloom spawn. This new phantom beast didn’t quite look like Ganondorf either. It was different.

It watched him a moment longer, and Link couldn’t help realizing that it looked so young. Who was this beast imitating?

The phantom drew a blade, and Link braced himself as it charged.

The first attack was a test. He could immediately tell. He was baffled, wondering what was happening – no monster ever tested its opponent, they always just attacked blindly. They weren’t really known for their intelligence, after all. Their attacks were random or repetitive, but usually sloppy either way.

The phantom darted back and tested him again from a different angle.

It was analyzing him.

Then it stood in wait, giving him an opening, and Link only hesitated for a moment before taking it. The beast parried the blow, trying to counterattack, and Link blocked it with his shield. The battle began anew, with the phantom finding different angles to sneak in, letting out attacks in quick jabs, getting so up close and personal Link could smell its breath (bananas? Did he smell bananas? He didn’t know the phantoms could actually eat).

They danced for a while, the little one dashing in with a knife before resorting to a longer sword. Link felt a little tired, having fought a plethora of beasts just to get here, but the food he’d eaten had helped, and he held his own well enough.

But then the phantom feigned a blow, cutting horizontally with a longsword only to drop the blade as Link raised his shield, dropping to its knees and cutting across his shins with a dagger.

Link hissed, stumbling back as the blade hit just above his leather boots, tearing easily through his trousers. It was a cursed weapon as well, and his energy left him just as quickly as his blood. He steadied himself as the phantom shifted its weight to its toes, giving it momentum to jump towards him, barreling into his shield as he had enough time to put it in front of him but not enough to brace for such an impact. The phantom tried to put a knife to his neck next, and Link desperately fought it off him as it crushed him beneath its own weight and his shield.

Baring his teeth, Link managed to kick his feet beneath his shield so he could vault the beast off him, rolling over to get up, wincing as dirt entered the cuts just under his knees. He looked at his opponent just in time to see it switching tactics, throwing kunai his way. Gasping, he held the shield up to block them from piercing into his eyes, and he started moving erratically to make himself harder to hit.

This thing was relentless.

Reaching for his adventure pouch, he pulled out a few Zonai bombs, hoping they could deter the creature, tossing them and watching the beast fall back. It gave him enough time to catch his breath and reorient.

This… wasn’t a normal beast. Or even a phantom.

What was this thing?

Pulling out an arrow, he fused dazzle fruit to it and fired, letting it hit just in front of the shadow. It hissed, hands going to its forehead rather than its eyes, and Link saw—

It looked like malice was seeping off the creature like smoke, just as it bled off Link when he got a blessing of light from a shrine.

He didn’t have time to fathom what that meant. The beast was enraged now, and gloom spawn appeared on either side of him.

This was a problem.

The phantom clapped its hands together and it vanished, reappearing just behind Link. He gasped, caught off guard, leaping ahead to roll away as it swiped where his back would have been. The gloom spawn started to slowly crawl towards him, hands reaching.

Link pulled out another Zonai device, sending two homing tanks after the spawn so he could focus on his main opponent. It would at least give him some time.

Not much, though, as the phantom charged, dashing left and right to make its approach harder to predict. Link narrowed his focus in, dodging at the last second and finally giving him an opening. Just as the beast sliced at where his neck had been, Link charged forward, sword aimed for its gut. He made contact, but not nearly as much as he needed to end this. The beast hissed and backed off, folding in on itself a little before snarling, glaring at him.

The beast was relentless, stiffening its posture and ready for another attack just as Link was catching his breath. It was moving slower now, clearly in pain, and Link again had to marvel at just what this phantom was.

He reached into his pouch for a potion to try and help himself out, but the creature charged with a yell, unwilling to let him get the advantage, and they were at it again, bobbing and weaving, swords meeting shields or thin air, dodging and slicing. Every time Link stepped back to create some distance the beast stepped into his space, seeming to prefer close quarters. Link far preferred range, favoring the length of the Master Sword and sniping with arrows, and he felt like a caged animal as the phantom continued to close in.

Eventually, its knife hit him, but it only sliced at leather, stopping the attack and leaving the beast stuttering, so Link grabbed its wrist, ready to finish the job. The beast vanished in an instant, reappearing a few paces away in a puff of magic like the Yiga.

What was this thing? Was it… there was no way it was actually a person, was it?!

The shadow warrior jerked its arm quickly, and Link realized too late that it had thrown kunai at him. He tried to block it as best he could with his shield, but the delayed reaction left him wide open, and the beast charged, tackling him and crushing him under his own shield. It held a knife to his face, and Link barely bucked it off, though it still cut across his forehead, making him yell in pain.

He couldn’t sustain this. The Zonai devices had already been defeated. He had to retreat, he knew that.

The rage from earlier was still in his gut, but it was quickly being tempered by logic. He would not fall here, he refused to fall in battle before the battle was over. Not again.

Link bit his tongue, swallowed his pride, and reached for his slate.

But it was kicked out of his hand by the beast, leaving Link gasping and kicking desperately. A gloom spawn started to move his way, and Link fired a bomb arrow point blank, knowing it would hurt both of them but having no other way to push the shadow away. The phantom flinched, trying to dodge but still getting hit peripherally, and the small blast tossed it across the room as Link used the blast to throw himself towards the discarded Purah Pad.

His hand slammed onto the nearest shrine just as the phantom charged again, but its blade met stone as Link disappeared to the world above.

Gasping, Link collapsed into the ground, mind reeling at the fact that he’d truly almost died down there, and he dragged himself towards the shrine to be somewhere safe and recover his strength.

He had to find the fifth sage. And he had to prepare himself for another fight against… whatever that thing was.

Link sighed, leaning against the wall of the temple, hands trembling, before he bit his tongue and steeled his resolve.

This wasn’t over.

#vibrating #MUAHAHAHA WHAT A MEETING #JOKES ON YOU LOSERS #YOURE GONNA BE BROTHERS SOON😈#aahhh the fight scene!!#ok it got me teeense #of course they would get hits on each other #but each time Link got cut I was like :O #AT LEAST HES SMART AND RETREATED #ouch dirt in his cuts #i know he's got worse injuries but eeee #that sucks #LOVELY FIC LOFTY #LOVE YOU #hero of shadow #tears of the kingdom #tears of the kingdom link

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oma-reblogs · 28 days ago

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Welcome to Beat the Heat! My random writing event :3

Prompt 1 is from @butter-and-too-much-bread, requesting LU + escape and ropes. Sorry this took so long to write, my brain is fickle with what it chooses to focus on.

Warriors spat out blood, ignoring the missing tooth and how his gums throbbed. He tried to rise once more only to get smacked down again and again as his captor laughed at his expense.

”You brought this on yourself, Hero,” the man snarled. “Abandoning your post, letting Hyrule fall prey to such demonic beasts as these—the queen is dead because of you!”

The captain grunted as he punched again, body slamming into the wall, heart beating against his chest. The intel had to be false, it had to be false—

“When we’re done with you, you’ll have wished you died in the war,” the man hissed, pulling out a whip. “This is for Zelda.”

Warriors barely felt the sting in comparison to the pain in his heart, the way his mind was screaming just as he let out a yell of agony as rope met flesh and tore it apart. He could hardly do anything to fight back with his hands bound tightly by a thick rope, and he eventually collapsed forward, face covered in dust and dirt. His own screams faded, only remaining as a haunting echo, perpetuating his pain in the ears of his captors.

It didn’t matter. She couldn’t—she couldn’t be—

He deserved this.

No you don’t, a voice argued firmly in his mind, but he could hardly believe it. He could also hardly believe the news, though, and that spark of hope was what kept him conscious as he felt another lash on his back.

The whip stung, and it shredded his clothes. His captor wielded it with enough strength to tear fabric apart. And his hands were bound in front of him.

Warriors formulated a plan quickly, holding his breath and waiting for the person to raise the whip for another round. When he heard the movement, the stretch, the sound of the whip lazily drag across the floor as his captor prepared another lash, he whirled, rising ot his feet and raising his hands in time for the whip to come bearing down. It split his lip and part of his tunic, and he felt the sting tear into his face, but it hit the ropes on his wrists as well, loosening them enough.

The Hylian in front of him blinked, surprised a moment, and it gave Warriors the opening he needed. Charging forward, he tackled the man, putting his entire body weight on him and choking him out. Although his hands were still bound, they had loosened enough to give him the ability to rotate his hands and grapple the man’s throat, and his knees pinned the man’s arms. The captor flailed for a little bit before he stopped moving.

The captain knew he had little time. The guards would’ve heard the commotion. But it gave him enough time to search frantically for some kind of blade to get rid of his ties.

Just as he found one, the door was flung open, and he saw two Hylians already armed and ready to fight him. He gritted his teeth, reaching for the whip, but before he could do anything, the Hylians fell with yells, and he saw arrows in their backs.

A wolf rushed into the room, followed by the young champion, and Warriors nearly collapsed in relief.

“Captain!” Wild exclaimed, rushing forward just as the wolf reformed itself into Twilight. The rancher’s eyes were fierce, and he quickly pulled out a knife, cutting the half shredded remains of Warriors’ bonds.

“What the hell is going on?” Twilight asked, voice dark. “The entire castle is on high alert.”

“I don’t know,” Warriors answered truthfully, hating how his voice trembled. “They’re saying—it doesn’t matter. We can’t believe anything. I have to—to confirm.”

“Let’s get out of here for starters,” Wild said quickly, pulling a sword out of his adventure pouch and handing it to Warriors. “Stay behind us. We’ll get you out of here, okay?”

Warriors hardly needed an escort, so long as he had a weapon, but his body was trembling, and his mind was still screaming. He shut the emotions down quickly. He had to focus. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Twilight took point, turning back into a wolf and sniffing the way back out as they moved quickly. Warriors recognized the gallows, knowing them fairly well and feeling like his world had flipped upside down. He shook his head again, focusing on the sting of his injuries, on the sound of the wolf panting and sniffing, on the champion’s fierce look of determination, on the sound of more footsteps approaching.

Wolfie paused, tensing, but his fur inevitably relaxed, a sign that whoever was approaching was safe.

Time came into view alongside Sky, and Warriors finally started to breathe again. He refused to let his guard down, but his mind so desperately wanted to rely on the others, to not believe what he’d been told for the last twelve hours, to just curl into a ball and let everything reset in his head until the world made sense again.

He refused to do so. He couldn’t rely on anyone like that. He had to stay in control of the situation as best he could. This was his Hyrule, and he had to figure this out.

“This place is a maze,” Sky mumbled. “Might as well be a temple in its own right.”

“It is a dungeon,” Warriors noted with a sardonic smile, trying to play calm and collected as usual. “But lucky for you, I know multiple exits.”

His mind briefly flicked to the idea that there could be other prisoners of value down here, and worry pinched at his heart, but they couldn’t linger here. But they might not have another chance. But—

“Captain,” Time interrupted his musings, noticing that he was spiraling. “We’ll figure this out. But you have to tell us the way out. We can’t stay right now, there are too many guards.”

But what if they increase security after we escape?

But there was no way he could search for anyone else, he had no intel!

The captain took a shaky breath, nodding and leading the way. Sky took point with him, alongside Wolfie, both protective of the captain and refusing to let him be the first to take damage if more guards arrived. Wild and Time brought up the rear, covering his flank.

“Where are the others?” Warriors asked.

“Worry about that later,” Time ordered. “Guide us out of here first.”

He wasn’t sure he liked that answer, but he acquiesced to Time’s lead. No sense questioning orders at the moment. He could use the mental break of trying to understand everything at once. He could trust Time. He knew that.

Right now he felt like he couldn’t trust anyone.

“This way,” he muttered, pointing shakily down one corridor. It led the sewage system, so it was least likely to be heavily guarded in comparison to the other exits.

Wolfie stiffened and then sneezed as they got closer. Sky stiffened, holding the Master Sword tightly, but no guards approached. They did hear yelling from behind, though, and Wild hastily eliminated the threat with practiced ease of his arrows. He grimaced a little, unhappy to be attacking Hylians instead of monsters, and Warriors felt all the guiltier for it.

None of the others should have to feel like they spilled Hylian blood like him.

He moved faster, and eventually Twilight transformed into his Hylian form. “Ordona, that stinks. Where are you leading us? Smells like the barn before it gets cleaned.”

“Well, then you should feel at home,” Warriors quipped easily, not feeling any of the cheer he was trying to project. “It’s the sewage.”

“Your wounds can’t get filthy like that,” Sky protested.

“We don’t have another option,” Warriors argued. “This is the safest way out.”

“I wish the traveler was here,” Twilight lamented. “His raft would come in handy.”

“It’s not too deep in most places,” Warriors assured them. “It’ll be fine. But we have to move.”

The captain guided them to the waterway, and the stench nearly made him nauseous. He was somewhat used to it, having lived in Castle Town – the streets could get pretty filthy sometimes. But, with as rattled as he was, with the way he was bleeding, the way his hands trembled, the way the world spun…

Warriors doubled over, dry heaving, and Sky gently supported him.

Twilight straight up manhandled him, pulling him onto his back. Warriors spluttered weakly before being summarily hushed by the entire time.

“Safest way, fastest way,” Twilight argued. “Now be quiet.”

The captain didn’t have it in him to argue, resting his head tiredly on Twilight’s shoulder.

Sky traipsed in first to test the water’s depth, and Twilight followed. Warriors felt his consciousness start to fade as he was supported, and he tried desperately to fight it.

“And I thought the moat smelled bad,” Time muttered from behind him. The soft rumble of his voice was reassuring, and Warriors felt his world start to fade to black. He stiffened, fighting it, but the farther they moved, the more he burrowed his face into Twilight’s fur pelt, pushing the smell and the horrible day out of his mind.

Zelda… please… please be okay.

He had to figure this out. He would.

But for now… for now he’d trust his brothers-in-arms, and he’d… he’d rest. As much as he hated it.

Warriors finally closed his eyes, consciousness fading, and he told himself this was just so he could recuperate his strength more quickly, ignoring the desperate hope for comfort and assurance.

This was a nightmare, but he would wake up, and he would fix this.

That resolution shone brightly in his mind, just as brightly as the sunlight when they managed to escape the castle perimeter, and Warriors finally relaxed as the promise of safety descended upon them all.

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oma-reblogs · 29 days ago

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I finally bring you the fourth and final part of the hdw au poison fic :) It’s funny when I remember this was originally going to only be two parts, it turned out so long... lol. I’m sure none of you all are complaining. Enjoy!

Warning for past injuries and such, but this is honestly like the calmest one.

First | previous

————————————————————

He’s cold.

But... not as cold as he has been.

The frozen abyss he’d been dragged towards with icy fingers was finally releasing him, frigid veins that crept through his blood draining away. The cold fog that had enveloped him is receding, and he gets flickers of lucidity, liquid tilted down his throat, warm hands pressing at his forehead, quiet pleas in his ear. But it’s only ever snatches, and they’re gone before he can fully register them.

Until... he can.

Something changes. A corner gets turned. He doesn’t know what it is, but the flickers grow brighter, the pictures more clear, and he is more actively aware of himself. At some point it reaches the level where he actually feels... awake. Sort of.

And now that Link is sort of awake, he wants to know what’s going on.

It takes some effort, but Link manages to flutter his eyes open, that cold ache still weighing him down. The sight of a blurry roof of some kind meets him, and he drifts his gaze around, not really taking in what he’s seeing, but aware that he’s seeing, which is notable.

There’s a headache throbbing at his eyes, pounding in his head. Link does his best to ignore it, but it’s difficult, and the odd sense of deja-vu he gets as he tries to figure out where he is and what happened doesn’t help.

He feels awful.

Two blue smears suddenly appear in his vision, and Link stiffens. Something pale is visible above them, and Link finds his gaze drawn to the smears, the shade of blue familiar. They slowly sort themselves into eyes, then more concrete shapes surrounding them, a nose, fuzzy chin, hair.

It’s a face. Someone he knows.

Who?

“Link?” the face says, voice muffled in Link’s ears. He slowly blinks as the word registers in his head, and the voice and facial features finally click together in his bleary mind.

“...Vol...ga?” he croaks, the words taking more effort than they should.

There’s a nod, and watching the movement makes Link feel dizzy. He has to close his eyes again for a second, but stubbornly reopens them, focusing past the nauseous feeling. He feels terrible. In fact...

“‘M... uh. Not dead?” he gets out.

And startles as Volga lets out an abrupt snort of laughter, loud with relief.

“No, no you’re not. You made a valiant effort towards it though,” he finally replies as he catches his breath, crossing his arms. “Gave your mother and princess quite the scare.”

Link hums, not sure what to think. He briefly wonders if it would’ve been better if he had just died— he’s cold and achy, exhausted, and there’s a deeply uneasy feeling lurking in him, like he’s still in danger, like something’s waiting just out of sight to get him.

There’s details he’s missing. A lot of them. But he doesn’t have time to dwell on it, because Volga suddenly places the back of his hand on his cheek that doesn’t hurt, carefully feeling the skin.

Link stills at the feel of it, not quite sure how to react. His hand is warm though, chasing away the unwelcome cold in his bones, and he has just enough time to think it’s sort of nice before Volga pulls back.

“You’re warmer. That’s good,” Volga says with a sigh.

His face is relieved, which Link is a little surprised at. The last thing he remembers is just... cold. Pain. Anger, not his own, but directed at him by... someone. Volga had been there, but... he doesn’t remember why. Or how.

But...

Warm arms, cradling him, shouts of anger and fear, a bruising hold on his chin, something glinting close to his eye and a prick in his arm—

“How... long?” Link rasps, then swallows, blinking again. “Has it been?”

Fortunately Volga understands he means how long he’s been out, and he hums.

“A few days. Most of which you’ve spent sleeping after being ravaged by poison, so I suggest not trying to sit up,” Volga says with a pointed look, and Link stills where he’d been shifting himself. He’d only wanted to sit up a little.

—Wait.

“I don’t remember... poison?” Link asks uncertainly.

“You were kidnapped, and poisoned at some point while captured. You came very close to not making it,” Volga murmurs, tapping a finger on his arm. Link can’t quite read the expression on his face, but his voice sounds... concerned? “Impa said you stopped breathing several times.”

Link swallows. “Oh.”

That would explain some things.

He doesn’t ask more questions for the moment, and silently lets Volga help him sit up enough to drink some water. It has something sweet in it, which makes it taste a little odd, but not in a totally bad way. Link eagerly drinks it all, not even noticing Volga’s hand resting steady on his back at first.

He thinks back to his spotty memories as he sips, flashes of fire, a knife at his cheek. They swirl around like leaves in a gust of wind, sweeping out of his hands when he tries to catch them. He manages to hold onto a few though, and they’re enough to piece together the memory of Volga saving him.

Link stills.

Volga. His father, the dragon knight, whom Link still flinches at sometimes when he’s caught off-guard due to the fact that they’ve both nearly killed each other more than once... rescued him.

And now he’s helping Link sit up after nearly dying, making sure he doesn’t drink too fast with an expression on his face Link still can’t read.

...Out of all the people that could be in here, why is he at Link’s bedside?

“That’s probably enough,” Volga says, even though Link feels like he could drink quite a bit more, and takes the cup back. “You’ve been vomiting a lot, and your mother would have my head if I was the reason you did again.”

Link sighs to himself, too tired to argue. Or ponder Volga. So he doesn’t try to, and lets his father ease him back down, looking at his hand as he does. He’d noticed it while drinking, but he studies his arm closer now, dark veins in his skin, stretching across his skin like cracks in a mirror.

“I remember... these,” Link says quietly, a memory forming as he slowly turns his arm. “I... woke up and... saw them. I think we were... flying?”

“I didn’t know you were aware for any of that,” Volga says, looking surprised.

“Not... much of it,” Link admits in a soft rasp, dropping his arm with a small wince when it aches. “Pieces.”

Pieces he’s still trying to fit together.

“Well you’re correct about the flying, I carried you here after getting you out,” Volga hums, tapping his fingers on his arm. “Do you remember much else?”

Link hesitates, then lightly shrugs. “Only pieces.”

Volga raises an eyebrow at him, but Link isn’t sure if he wants to continue. He’s been recalling more of what happened the longer he’s awake, and one snippet of conversation is crystal-clear in his mind. But it’s not... a light topic. And not one he’s sure his fuzzy brain is up for.

He’s madly curious though. And a part of him has the feeling he won’t have the nerve to ask about it when he’s clearheaded again.

“What pieces?” Volga presses, giving him an inquisitive look, and Link finally gives in.

“I remember... you. Saying... you lost someone else... to this,” Link finally says, keeping his tone careful and soft. “The poison. Who... was it?”

Volga stills.

His face goes curiously blank, and Link watches as he leans back, feeling suddenly nervous as he stares at the tent wall. Should he not have asked? Volga had wanted to know. But maybe he shouldn’t have anyway. Maybe it’s rude to ask dragons about stuff like that.

Link’s headache throbs.

Volga keeps staring at the wall for an uncomfortably long time, and the silence stretches between them, yawning like the maw of a deep cavern. Link is afraid of it getting deeper, and he shifts in place.

“...Volga?” he asks finally, and Volga breathes out, then closes his eyes.

“My father,” he says in a tight voice. “I was only a hatchling.”

Link goes quiet, and Volga breathes in, and out.

“Hunters came to our domain, searching for dragons to slay and sell parts of,” he begins in a low, low voice. “Dishonorable men. Only looking for profit. Somehow they knew of night safflina and its uses. My father fought them off easily, they were no match for a dragon of his skill, but he was cut with a blade coated in safflina right at the end. He was dead within the hour.”

Link is stunned into silence for a moment, his brain not quite up to thinking about the ramifications of the story, no less a grandfather right now.

So he just says the first thing that comes to mind.

“I’m sorry,” he finally whispers, and Volga repeats his deep breath in, then out.

“It was a long time ago. My vengeance was had. I’ve made my peace with it,” he murmurs. “But I swore that day never to let safflina harm another, and I failed that. Failed you.”

Link can’t help but be surprised at that. “You didn’t fail me,” he rasps, meeting Volga’s eyes and trying to make sure he sounds grateful through his exhaustion. “If it wasn’t for you... I would be dead. I have no doubts about... that. You saved me.”

Volga huffs. “The antidote saved you. I merely retrieved it.”

“You got me away from those soldiers,” Link says in a quieter rasp. “That I remember. I... would be a lot worse off if you hadn’t... come when you did. You saved my life.”

And I’m so grateful to you, and yet I’m still scared of you, I’m terrified I’ll turn my back and you’ll hurt me but I remember you cradling me in your arms and I felt safe—

“Thank you father.”

Volga’s eyebrows both shoot up in surprise, and Link gulps, quickly looking back at the ceiling as his ears warm.

There’s a long, awkward pause.

Link can feel Volga staring at him, but he keeps his gaze away, feeling oddly afraid. Why did he say that? The poison must have done more to his head than he thought. Volga may be his father, but it’s not like Link... wants that connection.

...Does he?

“I know how to lead troops,” Volga says finally, and Link looks at him again. Volga doesn’t return it, and instead looks at his hands, rough and gloved. “I know how to fight, to direct armies, protect my domain. Hunt. Kill. But I... I do not know how to be a father,” he admits in a voice so quiet it’s barely legible.

Link blinks, taken aback at his almost nervous tone.

Then he scrounges up a hesitant smile.

“Well... I don’t really know how to be a son, so... you’re in good company.”

They meet eyes, but then the noise of the tent flap rippling sounds out, and they stop their conversation.

Which is fortunate, because Link had no idea what he was going to say next.

A moment goes by, and Impa appears in the square of greyish light in the tent opening, looking haggard. Her face lights up when she sees Link though, and she hurries forward to join his bedside, relief softening her eyes.

“Link,” she breathes, and sets a hand on his shoulder. “You’re awake.”

“Supposedly,” he rasps with a tired smile.

Impa smiles back, and she clasps Link’s arm, Link weakly doing it in turn. Things still aren’t perfect between them, but they’ve been better lately, much better, and he doesn’t protest the small embrace she gives him.

“How are you feeling?” she asks as she pulls back, and Link hums. He’s not exactly sure, to be honest. He still feels... jumbled.

“Better... I think. I don’t remember much after Volga... came to get me,” he admits with a weak huff of amusement. “Lot of... cold.”

“That’s probably for the best,” Impa sighs, feeling at his face in the same way Volga did. Link leans into it just a little. “Things were bad. You certainly look better now, you’ve been pale as the ghosts guarding the Master Sword.”

Volga blinks from behind her. “The what?”

Impa ignores him. “Have you had anything to eat?”

Link shakes his head, and Impa moves to the table that’s laden with various supplies he hadn’t noticed until now.

It takes her a minute of rummaging, but she finally pulls out a clementine, which she begins peeling. Link’s mouth waters at the citrusy smell that hits his nose, even though his stomach does a protesting flip. He obviously hasn’t eaten much lately, and his stomach isn’t happy with him about it. He’ll have to go slow.

“You said you would get me when he woke up,” Impa directs at Volga as she peels the fruit, and Link checks back in as Volga runs an absent hand through his hair. Impa looks rather annoyed. Though she usually looks annoyed when Volga is around, so that’s not saying much.

“I was waiting for a good opportunity, I didn’t want him to be alone. A kitten could probably fight him and win right now,” Volga points out, and Link blushes as Impa reluctantly agrees. Did he really have to point that out?

Volga’s right though, as loathe as Link is to admit it. A kitten probably could beat him right now.

Those men certainly did.

Shame goes over him, and he doesn’t meet Impa’s eyes when she hands him a few pieces of fruit. Some hero he is. Hyrule is already a mess, and he just had to go and get himself kidnapped on top of it.

“Is something wrong, Link?” Impa asks, worry in her voice. “Are you in pain?”

Link hesitates. Well, yes, he is actually, and he feels a little like throwing up, but that’s not the problem he’s thinking about right now.

“I... I’m sorry I couldn’t... stop them,” he mumbles as he nibbles the fruit he was given. At Impa’s look, he clarifies. “The turncoats. They... caught me off-guard. I should’ve been more alert... I—”

“From the state your tent was in, it looks like you gave them quite the fight,” Impa chides, finishing with separating the slices. “This was hardly your fault, Link. You were outnumbered with no allies, and somewhere that should have been safe.”

She hands him another piece of fruit as he finally finishes the first, and Link thinks he might see guilt in her eyes.

“They should have been caught long before they reached you. I’m sorry you had to fight them alone.”

Link blinks, mouth pausing halfway through a bite, and then he resumes his chewing, feeling a little awkward. He hadn’t expected an apology of all things. It’s his own fault for being dumb enough to get captured. Certainly he’d fought the traitors best as he could, but it hadn’t been enough. They’d cracked him on the head when his back was turned, and then while he was reeling, pressed a sweet-smelling cloth to his face.

He remembers little after.

“Still. I’m the hero. It’s... kind of my job to be able to handle... things like that,” he says quietly, and Impa sighs as he eats more of the clementine. Somehow he feels like he’s said something wrong.

“You could hardly help being caught off-guard,” Volga speaks up, arms crossed as he watches the two. “Your own men shouldn’t turn on you. The loyalty in your army is... dismal.”

His lip curls with displeasure, and Impa sighs. “Dark magic had a hand in that, I’m afraid,” she says grimly, and sets aside the fruit’s peel, brushing off her hands. “We’re still working on it.”

“Hopefully as a higher priority now,” Volga snorts, and Impa gives him a look.

Link knows that look. It’s the “we’re about to argue about this for the next half hour”, look.

Normally he’d be exasperated, but he can’t really find it in himself to care this time, oddly enough. His mind is getting fuzzier again, like when he first woke up, exhaustion pressing in on him. His stomach is protesting the few slices of fruit he ate, and he feels... nauseous. And dizzy. And sleepy.

He yawns in spite of himself, and Impa and Volga both look over at him, Impa closing her mouth instead of saying whatever it was she was going to say.

They stare, and Link finds his face warming.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, rubbing a shaky hand over his eyes.

“No need for that,” Impa chides. “You were badly hurt, Link. It’ll be a bit before you’re back on your feet.”

Her expression briefly cracks, fear crossing her face, but it’s gone just as soon.

“We’re just glad you’re alive, and on the mend now,” she says more quietly. “Your job right now is to heal. Which means you should get some more rest.”

Link gives her a tired nod, his eyes drooping in spite of himself. Impa gives him a small smile, and takes the half-eaten piece of fruit he’d forgotten about out of his hand before he can drop it.

Then her hand rests on his cheek a moment, thumb gently brushing his skin as her eyes scan across his face.

And then she sighs, and gives his shoulder an affectionate squeeze before she stands back up.

“I’m going to let the medics know you were up,” she says, brushing a bit of clementine peel off her clothes. “I’ll be right back. Sleep, Link.”

She strides out of the tent, and Link feels another wave of exhaustion go over him, deep and overpowering.

He weakly struggles against it as it presses in on him, nearly overwhelming. Despite how weary he is, he doesn’t really want to go back to sleep, not already— he can’t help but fight it, not wanting to fall back into darkness and vulnerability just yet.

And... maybe a little afraid that the cold he can still feel in his blood will grow and drown him again.

“Hero.”

Link is pulled from his thoughts, and he sees Volga watching him, an odd look in his eye. Link swallows, feeling shaky and ill and terribly weak, and Volga hesitates, his jaw working.

Then he steps forward, and sets a hand on top of Link’s head.

Link goes still.

Volga’s hand is warm, just like it was earlier, and it feels... nice. The lingering fractals of ice in his veins shy away from such a bright source of heat, and Link finds himself relaxing, the warmth and light pressure soothing. The sickness and pain and weariness don’t go away, but they’re pushed to the background with the touch.

Link leans into it with a sleepy noise, so tired he’s barely aware of what he’s doing, and a smile appears on Volga’s face.

“Rest, Link. Recover your strength,” he says softly, and Link nods, fully relaxing back into his bed.

His eyes fall closed, and it’s probably because he’s so exhausted and sick-feeling that a purr rumbles from him as he starts to drift off. There’s a distant amused noise, and he faintly feels the blanket atop him get adjusted, and the hand in his hair give it a light ruffle.

The last thing Link is aware of before fully drifting off is a deeper, answering purr to his own, one that assures him he is undoubtedly safe.

...

Impa comes back to find Volga’s hand resting on Link’s head, their son fast asleep, and a softer look on Volga’s face then she’s seen in a long, long time.

#SOBBING #BONDING #FATHER SON BONDING #AND YOU HAVE A VOLGA POV???!#peggy #dearest love #do you feel like sharing it🥺🥺#i love this au #ive been binging it over the past 2 days #hdw au #legend of zelda #hyrule warriors #legend of zelda au

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oma-reblogs · 30 days ago

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Meow meow meow meow why do cats akways meow early in the mornibg

#FRRRR #Maybe that's why I'm always so tired #they keep waking me up at all hours of the night dangit #one of my cats finally found his voice after 4 months of having him #and while he's so cute and I love him so much #im NOT impressed #i want to go back to sleep dangit

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oma-reblogs · 30 days ago

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Flying (falling?)

A Hyrule dragon warriors au fic I’ve been working on for a while and wrote like 70% of today somehow. It takes place a bit after the whole poison plotline, but you don’t have to have read it to understand this.

And please forgive me if there’s erroneous typos I’m sick 👍 despite that I hope y’all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it :3

Masterlist

————————————————————

The sun is warm on Link’s skin as he watches Volga turn dizzying spins in the air above him, his fiery mane flickering brightly in the morning light.

He does a particularly impressive corkscrew, and Link chuckles as Proxi makes a little ooh noise where she’s sitting on his chest.

Link and Volga had been sparring, Link determined to regain the strength he’d lost after being poisoned. It’s taken him so long to even be able to get out of bed and walk around, it’s embarrassing how weakened he’s become. He needs to rebuild the muscle he lost if they’re to have any chance of winning this war, and sparring is a good way to do that.

He’d had another goal in mind, that of trying to overcome his instinct to flinch away whenever Volga holds a weapon by him, but that’s obviously going to take more than one spar to fully banish.

They’re finished now anyway, Link worn out after only a few rounds. Volga on the other hand, had been energized by the fights, and had claimed he’d wanted to stretch his wings. So Link is watching, lying sweaty in the grass, as Volga does endless twists and turns above him.

There’s a weird sense of longing as Link watches him, a pull in his chest as Volga twists through the air. It’s a more intense version of the feeling he gets sometimes when he watches Proxi flitter around, and a thought suddenly occurs to him, a rather intense one.

Can I do that?

Volga finally turns back towards him, and Link sits up, watching as he folds in his wings and lands on the grass.

“How do you do it? Switch forms?” Link asks as Volga slips out of his dragon form, tail and wings shrinking away, scales rippling off of his skin. Volga shakes himself as he settles back into human shape, then raises an eyebrow at Link.

“Have you never done it?” he asks in turn, and Link hesitates. That’s a loaded question. But he’s certainly never done it fully like Volga, and he settles for the first lame reply he can come up with.

“Not... really.”

“Hm. That’s worrying for a hatchling your age,” Volga murmurs, then moves to stand beside Link. “I assumed you merely preferred this form, not that you couldn’t access the other. It should be instinctive at this point.”

“Well he’s not a full dragon, that’s probably why,” Proxi says for Link as he messes with the grass by his hands.

Great, another thing that’s messed up about him.

“Hm. Or perhaps you just haven’t had a teacher. I’ll instruct you,” Volga says in a matter-of-fact way, and it’s Link’s turn to raise an eyebrow.

“Really? It... might not be possible,” he says hesitantly, and Volga shrugs, then smirks.

“We’ll find out. It can’t hurt to try.”

...Link isn’t so sure about that.

But he does want to at least attempt it, so they start that very afternoon, after Link’s rested a bit and accomplished some of his duties he’s supposed to get done. He and Volga stand opposite each other in the same wide field where they’d been sparring, just barely in view of camp, and Volga paces slowly around him, grass swishing where he walks. Link tries not to be nervous.

“You say you’ve truly never transformed?” Volga asks again, and Link shakes his head.

“Not fully, like you,” he says. “It’s... possible I’ve done it partially.” There have been a few incidents that he’s been suspicious of— nothing for certain, but there have been multiple times he’s wondered about.

Volga nods. “That’s good. If you’ve had some experience, it shouldn’t be too hard. It should just take some practice.”

He steps back and studies Link again, Proxi flittering above the grass nearby. Link waits in silence, tapping his fingers on his hip.

“So... how do you do it?” he asks finally, and Volga hums.

“Hrm. How to explain... it’s like flipping a switch,” Volga says, putting a hand over his heart. “You are both your forms, and they are both you. The only difference for you is that your human shape is more instinctive than your dragon, far more so then it would normally be for our kind. You’ll have to learn to overcome that.”

“Wow, you make it sound easy,” Link says dryly, and Volga smirks.

“I have faith that you can succeed. You’ve already shown yourself to be quite capable.”

“If you say so,” Link sighs, and Proxi settles herself on his shoulder. She gives him an encouraging chime, and he smiles briefly at her. “How do I begin?”

Volga nods and moves forward until he’s standing directly in front of Link, and meets his eyes.

“You must feel it in you, in the core of your magic, your power,” Volga instructs, tapping a finger to Link’s chest. “Draw on it. Let it sweep through you, but retain control. Flip the switch.”

Link frowns, but tries to do as Volga says, closing his eyes to better focus.

He can feel the usual quiet pulse of magic in his middle, what he draws on to power his fire rod, and do some other attacks in battle. He tries pulling on it like he normally would if he were going to use a weapon, and feels Volga tap his chest again.

“Deeper than that. Seek the very core of your magic, and let it spread.”

Link huffs, but gives it a try, digging deeper into the well of magic, trying to push it out. He’s used to having something to channel it through, a weapon, a rod... even his sword when he performs a focus rush. But there’s nowhere for the magic to go now, nowhere but around inside of him, and Link’s skin prickles with energy.

“That’s it,” Volga says, his voice holding a hint of excitement. “Now let it spread through you, pull you towards your scales, make the switch.”

Link has no idea what he’s talking about, but he tries anyway, pushing his magic to try and get it to spread. It doesn’t seem to want to though, and something in Link aches, a burn like a muscle he hasn’t used enough.

Link grits his teeth and tries to push past it, but then his magic sputters, and suddenly he’s on his back in the grass, panting for breath as his head spins.

Volga’s head appears above the grass, and peers down at him with a frown. “You did not let it spread.”

“I was trying to,” Link replies once he has his breath back enough to speak. Despite the fact that all he did was stand still and concentrate for a few minutes, he feels like he just ran for a few hours.

“Are you all right, Link?” Proxi asks worriedly, and he nods despite his shaky limbs and spinning head. Maybe he isn’t quite as over the poison as he thought he was. “You used up a lot of magic there.”

Volga sighs as Link pushes himself up. “It shouldn’t use up a lot of magic. You’re merely shifting it to something new, not expending it. It’s like changing the course of a river, it doesn’t stop flowing, it merely shifts direction. You’ll use some, but it largely stays in your body.”

“Yeah, well obviously not,” Link huffs, then stands, feeling more clear-headed now. “I’m going to try again.”

Volga considers. “You feel well enough to?”

Link nods determinedly.

Volga smiles.

Link tries the rest of the afternoon to get his magic to do what he wants, with... very little progress. He tries to do what Volga says, but he just can’t seem to get his magic and body to work together the way Volga thinks they should.

Volga isn’t much help either, giving increasingly confusing suggestions, and further explanations that are pretty much useless. He keeps talking about a switch, a change, a fire to tug on, but Link can’t find it no matter how hard he tries.

Eventually they quit for the day, the sun getting low, Link nearly passing out after the last failed attempt.

Impa notices how tired he looks when they trudge back to camp, and suggests he try taking it easy the next day, but Link still gets up early the next morning and tries again, pushing with his magic, trying to find the switch in his gut.

He makes no progress that day, or the next.

Zelda and Lana watch him worriedly one afternoon as he repeatedly tries, and they offer some suggestions, but nothing seems to help. Several days go by without Link getting anywhere with the endeavor, no progress to be seen, and he wonders if there’s something wrong with him. He’s only half dragon after all. And he still gets shaky if he does anything for too long.

Maybe that poison broke something in him, something that can’t be fixed.

But Volga insists it should be possible for him to transform. Poison or Sheikah or whatever, he says it’s part of Link’s birthright, and he can do it.

Link isn’t so sure.

But even though he’s made absolutely zero progress, Volga doesn’t give up on him.

(...)

The breeze is hot as Volga leads Link towards the location he’s chosen, his son’s feet plodding despondently behind him.

It’s been more than a week without any progress, and Volga is admittedly a little worried Link hasn’t figured it out yet— he’s well beyond the normal age to learn this, and having only half of the necessary genes probably isn’t helping. Most hatchlings figure it out in their first few years alive with little to no trouble, but Link hasn’t gotten anywhere.

Volga has a plan now though, one that will surely help.

They emerge from the trees onto a flatter area, the very top of a large cliff. A long canyon with a thin stream of water lurks below them, and Link’s fairy that follows him around flitters around near the edge with a concerned chime.

“What are we doing way out here?” Link asks, glancing over the edge with a suspicious look, and Volga casually steps behind him.

“This!”

Volga shoves him off the edge.

“Link!” the fairy shrieks as Link screams and plunges downward, and Volga waves a hand at her, not concerned in the slightest.

“Relax, fairy. His instincts will take over, and he’ll transform and be fine,” he explains simply.

“But— but—” she splutters, and Volga leans over the edge, watching Link flail.

“It’s the best way to learn. Trial by fire,” he says confidently, Link spinning around wildly. “Many dragons do this when the fledglings refuse to learn to fly. They struggle a while, then instinct takes over.”

“It’s not taking over for Link,” the fairy says worriedly, and Volga keeps watching Link tumble closer and closer to the bottom. He keeps waiting for that telltale flicker of magic, that burst of flame, a roar of triumph.

Yet... nothing.

And something really should’ve happened by now.

There’s no spark. No light. No sudden cry of success as Link succeeds, and spreads out wings. He just keeps falling, nearing the stream more by the second.

Volga suddenly knows it’s been too long.

He leaps off the cliff himself, changing as he goes. His wings are already pressed tight to his body as he dives towards Link, and wills himself to go faster as Link rapidly approaches the ground below.

Volga snatches him up mere moments before Link would have hit the shallow water, and Link clings to him as he swoops around and flies back up. Volga can hear his son’s heart pounding, and his fingers scrabble to hold onto his scales.

Volga holds onto him a little tighter.

When he finally flies back up and sets Link down, his son scrambles away from the cliffside, then collapses, gasping for breath.

“Link!” his fairy squeaks, and she darts frantically around his head, blue sparkles going everywhere. “Link are you okay?!”

Link gives her a shaking thumbs up, and Volga falls back into his human form, moving to stand beside Link. He appears... rather shaken.

Volga sighs. That had not been his goal. It’s a good thing nobody else is around at least to see what had happened. In fact...

“Let’s maybe not tell your mother about this,” he says with a wince, and Link gives his father a rather scathing look as he continues to gasp for breath.

“You could’ve warned me!” he complains, voice shaking.

“It works better if it’s a surprise, I was only trying to help,” Volga huffs. Then he looks back at the gorge. “Maybe if we found a taller cliff...”

“No. No more cliffs,” Link wheezes, and closes his eyes. “I didn’t feel anything when I was falling. It’s not going to help.”

“Fine. No cliffs,” Volga reluctantly agrees.

Link is still wheezing a bit frantically, and Volga plops down on the grass beside him, looking his son up and down. His mind briefly flickers back to when Link was poisoned, and gasping for breath in a similar way, but he tosses the image away quickly. Link was just startled, that’s all. He’s not dying.

He’s been out of danger for quite a while now, in fact.

Volga huffs and focuses on the present Link, not the sickly one in his mind. His son looks more like Impa in the afternoon sunshine, his hair nearly white where the sun hits it. Volga’s thoughts wander towards her, and he thinks of her innate magic, and how she channels it and uses it, how it differs from his, and how it’s similar.

Hmm...

“I have an idea,” he says, and Link gives him something of a glare. ”...It doesn’t involve cliffs.”

“What is it?” Link’s fairy asks, and Volga shrugs.

“We ask Impa, of course.”

(...)

“You’re trying to do what?”

Link winces at Impa’s incredulous tone, but Volga doesn’t seem to care. They’re in Impa’s tent, and she’s giving them both quite the look, but Volga plows on.

“Help him unlock his other form,” he says simply.

Impa rubs the bridge of her nose. “That would explain why you two keep going off alone. And why Link keeps coming back looking like he’s about to fall over, what exactly have you been doing to try and help him?”

Link keeps his mouth shut.

Volga waves a hand. “Nothing that’s worked. He hasn’t gotten anywhere, so I thought maybe your side had something to do with it,” he further explains. Link thinks Impa’s eye twitches.

“Why would my side affect a possible dragon form? He gets all of that from you,” she points out, and Volga shakes his head.

“Yes and no. Transforming is tied to a dragon’s innate magic. Link’s magic differs from my own, and differs from yours as well, but I’m guessing there’s elements of both. I thought you might have some advice for him,” Volga finishes, and Impa pauses in her paperwork, and considers for a minute.

“Well... I can hardly help with any transformations I’m afraid,” she says, then looks at Link. “But... perhaps I can help you be more aware of your magic. Have you ever meditated before, Link?”

He hasn’t.

A little while later Impa takes him to a quiet hillside, under a tree with spreading branches. Volga had been banned from the lesson, Impa citing he’d be too much of a distraction, and Link has to muffle a laugh as Volga huffs and stomps away, his pride obviously wounded. He’ll get over it.

Link and Impa sit opposite each other below the tree, legs crossed, and she begins to walk him through it.

“Don’t focus on your magic, or anything else yet,” she explains as she closes her eyes. “Simply breathe. Be still. Listen.”

Link closes his eyes, and does as she says.

He breathes in, listening to the soft rustle of leaves above him, a bird chirping in the distance. He breathes out, feeling the wind gently caress his hair, ripple the grass around him, bugs humming softly.

In... and out.

Proxi’s quiet wings. Impa’s nearly silent breath beside him.

In... and out.

Sunshine. Cool breeze.

In... and out.

Peace.

“Good,” Impa says, her voice soft. “Now reach for your magic. Don’t force it, just let it come.”

Link does what he’s been doing since this started, and draws on his magic, though he tries to do it like Impa says. Just let it come on its own terms. Don’t force it.

Maybe it’s his calm state, but it does come faster than normal, and easier.

“I can’t help you here, but whatever Volga’s been trying to get you to do... give it a try,” she says, and Link tries to go deeper, let his magic spread like Volga’s been saying.

It still doesn’t work.

Frustration bubbles up in Link’s chest, and Impa must be able to tell, because she speaks again.

“Patience, Link. Don’t force it,” she says, and Link sighs, wrestling the emotion down. “It’ll happen when it happens. Patience.”

Link hesitates a moment, then goes back to his magic, and instead of pressing it or digging into it, he just... sits with it. Feels it. Tries to understand what’s unique about it.

Lana had explained to him once that magic had elements it typically aligned itself with. It was difficult to truly categorize, but there were six that people commonly recognized, and usually one or two that they tended to be most skilled with. Zelda, for example, was most brilliantly light, but she had skill with those of lightning as well. Impa tended towards water, but fire also came easily to her, as well as the skill with shadow all Sheikah possess.

Volga is pure fire of course, but Link... isn’t sure what he is. He’d asked Lana when they’d had that conversation, and she’d hesitated, studying him for a moment.

“Predominantly light,” she’d said finally, then smiled at him. “Probably a secondary in fire, but... also pretty much everything else. You’re unique, Link.”

Link breathes out again. He’s different from his mother and father. Similar, but different. And maybe with both of their methods, he’ll finally get somewhere.

Link continues to sit and feel his magic. He feels it ebb and flow with the beat of his heart, watches it where it sits in his chest, nestled by his heart. He feels it, sits with it, just... listens.

Nothing changes.

But also... something does.

A hand taps his knee then, and Link opens his eyes, shocked to see it’s dark. It hadn’t felt long at all, but hours must have gone by, as the sky is a pale purple, and the noises around him have turned mostly to crickets. Impa is smiling at him, and she stands as he stretches his legs. He’s a bit sore.

“You’re a natural, Link,” Impa says with a smile, her red eyes warm. “That was a Sheikah technique, and you executed it like someone who’s done it for years.”

Link blushes a little, and feels something warm in his heart at the praise. “Thank you.”

“Now the real question... did it help?” Impa asks as she offers him a hand up, and Link considers, then takes it.

“Yeah. I think it did.”

(...)

They’re in the middle of the desert when Link finally gets it.

They’ve just beaten the majority of Ganondorf’s forces in the desert, Ghirahim and Zant struck down. Lana had been forced to call back their allies from across time at one point during the battle, but Link is ecstatic to see them all again, Tune and Mask especially.

There’s so much to tell them, even though it’s only been a few months, and the second the battle is over, Tune and Mask knock him over into a hug.

Link gets to explaining the situation, Volga’s presence included, and while the two of them laugh when he tells them what he’s been up to, especially the tale of Volga tossing him off a cliff, Tune eyeballs the faint purple scar on Link’s arm that wasn’t there when they left. Link avoids that subject, not wanting to sour the reunion, but he’s sure the two will drag the story of his kidnapping and near-death out of him eventually.

For now, he’ll just enjoy the thrill of having them back again.

Things aren’t a lot better, but they’re certainly looking up now. Ganondorf is as serious of a matter as always, and while it’s only one victory against his army, and there’s still some stragglers they’re taking out, Link is feeling hopeful again. They have more allies and a victory under their belts, and it raises everyone’s spirits.

And apparently that’s just the push he needed.

Link and Volga are standing up on a rocky plateau away from camp, Tune and Mask dozing in the shade nearby. It’s a scorching afternoon, but Link doesn’t mind it much, the heat comforting in a strange way. Volga doesn’t appear to mind it either, and he watches idly as Link pushes on his magic with focus as sharp as one of Sheik’s daggers.

He’s been feeling more and more in tune with his magic as the days have gone by, Impa helping his focus, Volga pushing him when he gets frustrated. Link’s magic flickers brightly in his chest, and he pulls at it with the same practiced motions, still feeling for that switch that Volga keeps mentioning.

Volga suggests something after several minutes, but Link is so focused he doesn’t hear the words, pushing deeper into the core of his magic. Something flickers in there, something he feels like he can touch, and a prickle goes up his spine. Suddenly Link understands.

He takes hold of it. He changes the flow, turning his magic in a different way. He feels that fire Volga had been talking about.

And finally he does it.

His magic suddenly rushes over him, like a ripple of water spreading out in a pond, like fire licking through a dry bough. His limbs tingle and Link yelps as he feels his body abruptly stretch, fingernails lengthening, face changing shape, two spots on his back and another on his lower spine growing right on the verge of unbearably warm.

He grunts and falls to all fours, trying not to panic as the magic continues to rush through him, bringing with it a measure of pain. It’s intense, and unnatural, and weird, but it also feels right.

“There you go!” Volga shouts, actual excitement in his voice, but Link barely hears him, focused as he is on what’s happening to himself.

The spots on his spine grow even hotter, something in his neck shifts. His head pounds, skin prickling, and warmth sweeps through him. Something twists, something else burns, his whole body aches and his magic sings and it’s suddenly over so fast Link almost doesn’t realize at first.

Everything goes still.

Link breathes in, and out, his heart thudding in his ears. He slowly cracks his eyes open, not sure when he’d closed them, and stares.

The scenery in front of him seems brighter than normal, distant objects clearer, extra color to the world. He takes a deeper breath than before, and catches countless scents in the air, the wind carrying things from so far away Link can’t even identify them. It’s almost dizzying.

A bright light suddenly enters his vision, and Link takes a moment to recognize it as Proxi, currently the very definition of excitement.

“Link! Link you did it!” Proxi squeals, dancing around his nose. His snout? “You’re a dragon!”

Link stares at her, almost unable to believe it, then twists his strangely long neck to get a good look at himself.

A thrill goes over him as he studies the ridges that trail down his back, leading to strong-looking wings, a long, elegant tail. He’s a bit more... noodley than Volga is, a longer neck, more slender body, but the resemblance is still strong, even with Link’s more blue scales. Orange and red ones are scattered here and there though, making him look like the very middle of a fire.

Link hesitantly shifts his new appendages, the feeling of moving his wings and tail completely alien. That strange right feeling is still there though, and Link grins, feeling fangs and a long tongue in his mouth.

He did it.

He did it!

He raises his head to look around more, amazed at how well he can see camp below, the detail on the rocks around them. Tune and Mask have woken up, and Link can see every inch of their shocked stares, their mouths stuck open, eyes huge.

A few paces away, Volga watches him, a proud smile on his face.

“I knew you could do it,” he says as he steps closer, looking over Link’s dragon form with an almost giddy expression. “And look at those scales! Your wings! We’ll have to work on flying of course, but it shouldn’t take—”

“How did you do that?!” Mask suddenly yells, and nearly trips as he scrambles over to Link. “That’s so cool!”

“I told you I was working on it,” Link says pointedly, and Mask tilts his head.

“I don’t know what “growl growl” means,” he says, and Link blinks.

“You can’t understand me?” His voice sounds exactly the same to him.

“Most Hylians can’t,” Volga explains with a flat look at Mask’s interruption, and Tune wanders over with a smirk.

“I can,” he grins. “But I’ve talked to a dragon before, kind of. That might be why.”

“What?! That’s so unfair,” Mask groans, but gets over his disappointment quickly. He studies Link, pointing out various cool features, and Tune joins him, looking at Link with a more subtle awe.

“Your scales are beautiful Captain,” he says with a smile, and he carefully takes Link’s wing so he can look at it better. “I can’t believe you actually did it, this is so cool.”

Link grins again, still feeling heady from the rush of success and thrill of being a dragon. “Thanks.“

Suddenly there’s a weight on his back, and Link wobbles at the sudden shift. Finding his balance is apparently too advanced for him right now, and he falls over, Mask yelping as he falls with him. Tune laughs, and Volga shakes his head, snatching Mask off of Link’s back by the back of his tunic.

“Ask permission before you climb on a dragon,” he says flatly, Mask protesting and squirming in his hold. “Link, try walking around, you’ll need to get used to your limbs.”

Link nods, smiling as Mask fights his way loose, and slowly stands up, adjusting to the way his legs bend and support his body. His tail helps with balancing himself he finds, and once Link is upright, he awkwardly flails his wings, unsure of where to put them.

“Try folding them at your sides,” Tune suggests, and after a moment of struggling, Link manages to do so.

That helps quite a bit, and once that’s settled, he attempts to walk. His legs stumble and wobble under him like that of a newborn foal, but he manages not to completely trip, and does a careful walk around the area, tail swishing behind him.

Figuring out how to walk on four legs and move three extra limbs isn’t easy, even if his wings sort of feel like an extra set of arms. His tail is the most bizarre, as he’s able to move it, but not with the dexterity of an arm or leg. It’s a bit like a toe, in that he can wiggle it and control it fairly well, but he wouldn’t be able to hold anything with it. Probably.

He finishes a lap, then does another when he feels he’s starting to get the hang of it. Volga nods in approval, still looking exceptionally pleased, and he moves to stand beside him. Link notes that he’s only about as tall as Volga like this. Maybe I’ll grow?

“Excellent. We’ll have you flying and fighting in this form in no time,” he says, that bright smile still on his face. Link has only seen him smile like that a handful of times.

It makes him look softer. Less like a ferocious enemy, less like the warrior who’s nearly killed Link multiple times.

Volga bends his knees a little and quickly transforms into a dragon himself, tossing his fiery mane once he’s fully there. He looks down at Link, Link shorter than him again, and lightly nuzzles his head against his.

“I told you you could do it,” he chuffs, that pride still in his voice and eyes, practically exuding from his very scales. “Wait until your mother sees.”

Link feels warm from his horns all the way down to his tail.

...Right up until the moment Mask opens his mouth.

“So, can you change back?”

#i was so invested in this #aaahhh Peggy I love this series!#im so behind on it but it's just so lovely hehe #and YEAAAH HE GOT IT!!#i didn't think he would actually get it honestly!#i thought maybe he'd get a partial transformation at best when the cliff thing didn't work #which LOL the cliff thing🤣#i would also have done it Volga haha #hdw au #hyrule warriors #legend of zelda au #loz volga #volga hyrule warriors

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