alicewritingstories

[alicewritingstories]

if anyone feels bad that their fic might contain medical inaccuracies, be comforted to know that whatever creative liberties you take with your medical scenes can never be worse than the one I just read. where one character tries to stop the bleeding on their friend's head wound by putting a tourniquet around their neck

[alicewritingstories]

WHUMPTOBER 2025: PROMPTS LIST

Welcome to Whumptober 2025 — The Eighth Year!

WHUMPTOBER is a month-long, prompt-based creation CHALLENGE (think: Inktober, but whumpier). There are four prompts for each day of the month, giving 124 for you to play with! There is also a list of 18 alternative prompts that can be subbed in for any day to give participants as much creative freedom as possible.

All prompts are meant to serve as inspiration without being taken literally (e.g. you don’t have to include the exact wording of prompts into your work). Feel free to run rampant on interpretation. For example, if the prompt is “flame", you could create something with reference to a candle/campfire, your character could have suffered a burn, or the flame could be a reference to an ‘old flame’ - an old relationship. It’s truly down to you!

You can produce work in any media you choose, including but not limited to: writing, visual artwork, photo/video/audio edits, paper crafts and elaborate recommendation lists (not just a list of links). You can participate as much or as little as you want (i.e. you don’t have to do ALL the prompts if you don’t want to) and prompts can be used in any order. They are also free to use even after the event ends.

Please make sure to read the Event Info and FAQ carefully, as most of your questions will be answered there already. For everything else, you are welcome to come to our ask box or ask questions in our Discord server here.

Information on how to TAG is here.

This year’s AO3 Collection can be found here.

This year’s playlist can be found here.

The ‘Anatomy of a Whumptober Prompt’ post can be found here.

And our 'Resources for Writing Sensitive Topics’ post is here.

We’re very excited to see the community come together for yet another year of Whumptober! Go ham with the prompts, and support your fellow creators - we wish you all the best of luck, but most importantly: HAVE FUN!

Happy whumping,

Mods Vanne, Yenn, Kitty and Surro

Text versions of the prompts, including a google doc format, are posted below the cut!

A Google Doc of the prompts can be found here for easy copy-and-pasting!

Whumptober 2025 Prompt List

No. 1: “Please don’t cry” Lamb to Slaughter | Ceremony | Beg for Forgiveness

No. 2:  “You’ve got a lot of nerve to dredge up all my fears.” Prophecy | Sewer | Taking Accountability

No. 3: “I look in people’s windows, transfixed by rose golden glows.” Isolation | Candlelight | Found Family

No. 4: “Don’t be scared, I’ve done this before.” Non-Human Whumper | Iron Rod | Loss of Powers

No. 5: “My panic’s at the ceiling, but I’m face down on the carpet.” Quivering | Dream Journal | Phobia

No. 6: “No grave can hold my body down.” Caught in a Net | Medical Restraints | Pinned to the Wall

No. 7: “Tell me that you’re okay, and I’m fine.” Trapped with the Enemy | Elevator | Pushed Beyond Breaking Point

No. 8: “Oh horror, oh horror, what did you see?” Self-Inflicted Injury | Held at Gunpoint | Dissociation

No. 9: “We’ll make it alright to come undone.” Touch | Flashbacks | Scalding

No. 10: “There’s nothing you can ever say, nothing you can ever do.” Without Consent | Secrets | Lips Sewn Shut

No. 11: “Can you get through all the pain inside you?” Hidden Injury | Laceration | Forced Reveal

No. 12: “It’ll be for nothing.” Cardiac Arrest | Sacred Place | Withholding Medical Treatment

No. 13: “How dull is it to pause, to make an end, to rust unburnished.” Never Enough | Insignia | Forced Retirement

No. 14: “In the end, it’s worthwhile.” Ignoring an Illness | Body Bag | Wounded Caretaker

No. 15: “You can take a break, if you just tell me that it hurts.” Failed Rescue Attempt | Body Part in the Mail | Live-Streamed Torture

No. 16: “I’ve had the rug pulled beneath my feet.” Repressed Trauma | Permanent Marker | Disorientation

No. 17: “Tell me there’s a hope for me.” Internal Bleeding | Coma | Redemption

No. 18: “As the world caves in.” Dystopia | Ruins | Environmental Whump

No. 19: “You’re on your own, lost in the wild.” Dehumanisation | Living Weapon | On Patrol

No. 20: "That's New." Symptomatic | Fancy Event | Resignation

No. 21: “Sold my soul, broke my bones.” Kneeling | Makeshift Splint | Brainwashed

No. 22: “All the battles I want to win, nothing matters but giving in.” Self-Sacrifice | Collar | Hunted for Sport

No. 23: “How’d I get to this place?” Intubation | ICU | Choking

No. 24: “I must confess that I feel like a monster.” Came Back Wrong | Painful Transformation | Amnesia

No. 25: “Have you earned your stripes?” Lost Faith | Collision Course | Left to Die

No. 26: “Nothing like a relapse to rehash the kid who was scared.” Relapse | Drawn Curtains | Power Cut

No. 27: “Would you even want me, looking like a zombie?” Surgical Scars | X-Ray | Bedside Vigil

No. 28: “I could always see straight through you.” Backstabbing | Constellation | Creative Restraints

No. 29: “I hope you see the sun someday in the darkness.” Fainting | Broken Dishes | Last one Standing

No. 30:  “I’m putting my trust in an entire half-empty glass.” Burn it Down | Mirror | Confrontation

No. 31: “Even with the smallest cuts. You can still lose so much blood.” Bleeding Out | Gunshot Wound | Rescued by the Enemy

Alternatives List:

"A smile so bright, he’s the devil in disguise.”

“I hear you’re alive, how disappointing.”

“If all my days are numbered, why do I keep counting?” 

Concussion

Viral

Suicide

Immortality

Jealousy

Organ Theft

Ziptie

Deal with the Devil

Yearning

Innocent Bystander

Unreality

Soulless

“Hold my hand.”

“Oh. Oh.”

“I hate this job.”

[alicewritingstories]

ocarina jam session

[alicewritingstories]

Random headcanon that's probably not original but I feel like Warriors has a notebook with notes about the other Links, including stuff like their sleeping habits, their tells and what they mean, favourite foods, ways to cheer them up, and things to avoid depending on their mood.

Like, in case someone's acting suspicious or there's a doppelganger, he could tell. If someone's having a bad day, he could tell and know how to help depending on the bad day.

Stuff like if Wild is having a rough time with memory issues, he'd ask gentle, easy questions to get him talking about things and keep the memory alive. If anyone (because I think feeling uncomfortable with nothing to do is a Link trait) is injured and feeling restless without being able to help, he'd feign his burn scar acting up and ask for their help brushing his hair or something because it's such a simple task but it'd help them not feel useless. If Sky's feeling bad about being a bit slower, he'd assign him to make sure Hyrule doesn't get lost, which winds up with them being slightly behind, sure, but Hyrule can explore a bit while not getting horrendously lost, and Sky can take breaks or walk slower to just keep an eye on him. A win-win situation.

If Wind's homesick, he discreetly asks Wild if he can make recipes from his hyrule and gets Wind to share stories from home.

He also makes sure the chain is stocked up on a variety of pain medication or sleep aids because several Links have chronic pain and sleep issues, just so they're prepared when someone's in a flare-up.

This dude is paranoid and needs a therapist but he is also a great brother and probably fears being redundant or the chain suffering in a way he could've circumvented.

[alicewritingstories]

WIP Wednesday!

Wild looked around the group carefully, looking guilty.

"Hey, none of that," said Twilight, shuffling closer and reaching out to ruffle his hair. Luckily, this time he caught himself just before he made contact.

Wild glanced at his hand, then nodded and sighed slightly as Twilight finally laid a hand on his head. The hesitation had robbed something from the gesture, but Twilight was too glad to not see Wild flinch to really care.

[alicewritingstories]

Right now I'm thinking about Caretaker sitting bedside vigil to a Whumpee who's in such excruciating pain, the ragged breath, soaked in sweat, eyes clenched, can barely move or think type of pain. They have no painkillers, so Caretaker offers their hand, their wrist, their upper arm and tells Whumpee "squeeze". Whumpee takes the offer, and Caretaker can feel the slight tremble as Whumpee holds onto them for dear life, desperate to focus on anything else besides the agony. Caretaker wincing as Whumpee squeezes harder and harder, but refusing to pull away or complain. Whumpee feeling guilty the next day when the worst of it is over and they can see the the dark finger-shaped bruises they pressed into Caretaker. Caretaker reassuring them, Caretaker offered after all, and they're just glad Whumpee is doing better. Do you see my vision

[alicewritingstories]

Oh the dynamic that is Wild being insecure and thinking he's a failure/less than the other heroes, while the rest of the chain think Wild is one of the coolest people ever

In Wild's description in the about page '-insecure, as the only one to have failed his role as hero'. Then an ask about the other links says they are proud of him for persevering. That the chain would want to help him sort it out in his head.

Maybe it is a tragedy, that Wild thinks so little of himself. Yet... I think it's great that he is with the chain, with other heros who get it.

More screenshots of him bonding with the chain bc they make me happy-

I love these little guys <3 art by @/linkeduniverse btw

:)

[alicewritingstories]

Me: Hey, brain, trade offer. Me: *slides Brothers' Blood Chapter 18 draft onto the table * Me: I receive you not putting out stress juice constantly and being able to focus on editing this, among other things. Me: You receive the satisfaction of achievement when I post it. Me: Whaddya say?

Brain: But we've got a lot on! This summer has been a lot and I'm keeping us focused! Me: Yeah, I get that, but we've done everything we can for now and we just have to let some stuff play out for a bit.

Me: So... Me: Do we have a deal?

Brain:

[alicewritingstories]

I kinda don't want to find out Malon's pregnant because that'll make it possible to kill Time without causing a paradox. TToTT

I think the note about the Stones and Malon is referring to the Gossip Stones in OoT. One of the rumors is that Malon was waiting for a knight in “shining armor” to come sweep her off her feet. Since this is the post for Time’s armor I think it fits.

But boy we are all waiting for that “Malon’s pregnant” announcement like we’re waiting to hear an announcement of the birth of the heir to the throne aren’t we lol

Yeah that was my other thought (and is probably more likely XD), but the pregnancy one... man I want the pregnancy announcement aaaaaaaa. You’re so right about the heir to the throne thing LOL

[alicewritingstories]

I DEVOURED THIS

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.”

[alicewritingstories]

<3

a tiny rant

As someone who's played every mainline Zelda game (and most non-canon ones), I think it’s completely unfair for anyone in the LU fandom to expect that of others. Playing every Zelda game takes a huge amount of time, energy, and money. No one should be judged by how many games they’ve played, how skilled they are, or how much free time they have. Every fan who’s fallen in love with LU is just as important and valid as anyone else. The LU comic itself is a fan-created spin-off from the official Zelda series—it’s built on love for the characters, not a checklist of experience. So if you’ve never touched a Zelda game, have only read the comic, read fanfics, or played just one title—you are a treasured part of this fandom. I’m so happy you’re here, and I can’t wait to see the ideas, art, and stories you bring to life.

[alicewritingstories]

Whumperless Whump Event: Dungeon Crawl

@whumperless-whump-event

Fandom: Linked Universe

Characters: Wild and Warriors

[Prev] << Chapter 6 >> [Next]

[AO3]

Prompts for this chapter:

2. PUBLIC MISINFORMATION: Presumed dead / Search party / “There's a hand, I can see them!”

7. AHOY THERE MATEYS: Motion sickness / Washed ashore / “I hate the ocean.”

6. DOOMED BY THE NARRATIVE: Scheduled execution / Near death experience / “That was too close.”

CW: Near drowning

***

As Wild sprinted down the corridor towards the room where he'd left Warriors, he could feel the heat blazing out of the open door. His step faltered instinctively, but he forced himself on. Warriors was in there. Warriors was in there and Wild had to go in and get him out.

He had to believe that there was still someone to bring out.

Not again.

I can't fail another friend.

Gasping, sweat already soaking into his shirt, he ran through the door. There was still a narrow passage down the middle of the room, from one door to the other, with flames on either side.

Warriors was sprawled in the centre of the room where Wild had left him. His hair was starting to curl and crisp in the heat and his clothes were starting to smoke. He wasn't even trying to move.

Wild swore, sprinting down the steps. He grabbed Warriors and turned him over. His face was flushed, his eyes closed, his mouth slackly open.

Wild's heart seemed to stutter in his chest. Warriors wasn't dead. He couldn't be dead.

"Warriors!" he cried, then coughed as the hot air burned his throat.

He snatched out his Slate, intending to pull out the helmet from his Flamebreaker set so he could put it on Warriors, but then another click echoed through the room.

He looked up, his heart in his mouth as there was a grinding noise of stone on stone.The fire hadn't moved, but a chunk of each side wall as wide as the flat area of the floor was rising to reveal large holes, on the other side of the flames.

Wild didn't know what was happening, but he doubted it was good. He grabbed Warriors under the arms and started dragging him towards the door by which they'd entered originally. The captain's head lolled bonelessly against his shoulder. Wild couldn't feel him breathing.

He had to be alive. He had to be.

Click.

Then he heard a roaring rushing noise from somewhere nearby. Almost in the moment he consciously noticed it, he thought of a waterfall. But there couldn't be a waterfall -

His eyes fell again on the huge open hole in the right-hand wall. The direction the sound came from.

With a cry of panic, he tried to scramble faster up the steps. Warriors was a dead weight, too hard to drag, especially up stairs. Could he carry -

Water gushed out of the hole in a foaming torrent.

Wild just had time to snatch a breath and clamp a hand over Warriors' mouth and nose to stop him inhaling any water before they were swept up.

In an instant they were tumbling through dark, cold water. Wild kept hold of Warriors, holding his mouth and nose as tightly as he could, his other arm across his chest to keep him from being wrenched away in the current. Hold his breath, keep hold of Warriors, stop him from breathing in any water. That was what mattered right now.

The tunnel bent suddenly and Wild was hurled against the wall hard enough to force out a cry, with it a bubble of air. He doubled his grip on Warriors, his chest starting to burn. Keep hold of Warriors. Hold his breath. That was what mattered.

In his arms, Warriors was still a limp weight, his chain mail dragging them both down. But Wild kept hold of him, holding him so tightly his arm muscles spasmed. He had to keep hold of him. Keep hold of him, hold his breath.

The darkness was complete. He couldn't tell which way was up. But he kept hold of Warriors, praying that soon they would be out of the tunnel and he would at least be able to see a light.

Then he once again struck the wall, but this time instead of bouncing off he was dragged along a sloping shelf.

For a moment he felt his shoulder break the surface of the water.

With a quick thrash, he managed to roll, bring his head out of the water, and gasp in some air before he was tumbled a little further by the current. But he stayed on the shelf, so he had something to get purchase on now. He kicked at the ground, dragging himself and Warriors a little further up the slope. His head broke the surface again and he gasped as he struggled clear, dragging Warriors to lie in shallower water, finally releasing his mouth to let him breathe.

Please, Hylia, please may he breathe…

Shaking, Wild scrabbled at his Slate and pulled out a luminous stone. It didn't cast much light and what there was was a sickly green, but it was better than nothing.

He tried not to compare the green glow to the corpse-light that hovered around the spirits of the dead.

"Warriors?" he called fearfully, resting his hand on Warriors' chest, trying to feel it rising and falling.

For a long, horrible moment everything was still. Wild took a breath of his own, starting to shake, a scream building in the back of his mind.

Not again. Please, not again…

Then, at last, he felt a definite movement. Then another, up and down.

Warriors was breathing.

Wild let out a cry of relief that was really a sob and slumped down on the ground, his hand still resting on his brother's chest. "That was too close," he whispered, still somewhere between crying and laughing. "That… that was too close."

His head swam as he lay there and his breath caught again as he realised that the sensation was more than exhaustion.

"No, not now…" he whispered.

But memories rarely waited for the best time. Almost as soon as the words left his lips Wild was gone.

[alicewritingstories]

I just learned that thundery weather makes asthma worse. I feel like this is useful information to share. For reasons.

[alicewritingstories]

*screaming * Please continue! I have to know what's going on! You can't have really killed Zelda! And poor Warriors! Let him solve this!

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.

[alicewritingstories]

Whumperless Whump Event: Dungeon Crawl

@whumperless-whump-event

Fandom: Linked Universe

Characters: Wild and Warriors

[Prev] << Chapter 5 >> [Next]

[AO3]

Prompts for this chapter:

20. GOT THE SNIFFLES: Seasonal allergies / Can't stop coughing / “Bring tissues next time.”

27. ONLY WAY OUT IS THROUGH: Withdrawal / Hangover / “You'll get through this.”

14. RIPPED THE RUG FROM UNDER YOU: Despair / Clinging on for dear life / “Please don't leave.”

18. BREAKING NEWS: Storm Shelters / Huddling for warmth / “It'll be over soon.”

28. TAKE A WALK (LITERALLY): Hiking mishap / Heatstroke or heat exhaustion / “Can we take a break?”

CW: None

***

Warriors was sure the fire was approaching more quickly as time went on. The air was getting hotter and he dropped low, instinctively trying to get below the smoke and heat even though there was no smoke. The whole time, he kept his foot and then his knee on the switch, keeping the gate open; this might be the only way for Wild to get back and for them to escape. He didn't think it made sense for this place to be a dead end, but very little about this made sense to him.

He wobbled where he knelt, his head swimming for a moment. The fire was closer. The air was hotter. He coughed as the heat caught in his throat and hunched down lower, though it didn't make much difference. His clothes clung to his body, soaked with sweat, but that wasn't helping either.

Another cough turned into a coughing fit that sent him to his elbows and knees. He just barely managed not to collapse. When the cage opened, he might need to be able to move quickly.

Click

The fire came a little closer. Warriors coughed again, uselessly wiping his brow, and took a quick gulp from his water bottle, trying to wet his throat. He considered trying to breathe through his scarf, but there was no smoke to be filtered out. It would just make him more hot and stifled.

Click

The fire was closer.

Warriors' head spun and he shut his eyes tight, gasping. Where was Wild? He didn't know how long it had been, but surely more than long enough to find and flick a switch?

Another fit of painful coughing sent him to the ground this time. He drank some more water, knowing he was sweating it out again instantly. Panting, feeling his pulse pounding in his throat, he shifted to lie on the switch.

If Wild took much longer, he wouldn't be able to get out of the cage when it opened.

He let out an involuntary whimper as another click brought the fire a little closer and raised the temperature a little more.

"You'll get through this," he whispered to himself, trying to silence the growing fear.

Where was Wild?

How much longer was this going to take?

Is he coming back?

Warriors' eyes fluttered shut. He didn't have the strength to open them again.

"You'll get through this," he whispered. The words sounded hollow.

He tried not to wonder if Wild had abandoned him.

He tried not to remember the heat of Volga's fire washing around him.

He tried to reach for his water bottle again, but his limbs didn't seem to be responding to commands.

On the edge of his awareness, he thought he heard another voice calling his name. His real name.

He tried again to open his eyes, but they were too heavy.

"It's OK, Link. It'll be over soon."

A woman's voice. Familiar. But he couldn't quite tell who it was.

He was so hot…

He gasped, the air burning his throat, and his thoughts groped in the dark for some understanding of what was happening, who was with him.

"Just let me hold you. It'll be over soon."

He thought he felt hands tracing over his cheek and neck, too intimate, too close to his throat. But he couldn't pull away.

"It'll be over soon."

Then he felt nothing at all.

[alicewritingstories]

IAU! And it's so cute, and sort of sad but also heartwarming? I love the moment when Wild thinks about how he feels a bit less alone...

It’s been too long since I posted anything that’s normal Incredibles au, and I realized I missed my guys so I found a oneshot I was almost done with and finished it. Voila <3

Ao3 link

————————————————————

Applesauce was a great thing, Wild thought.

It was tasty no matter the temperature, and you could slurp it, or even drink it if you wanted. And, of course, it tasted like apples, the best fruit ever. It was also pretty messy. Which Wild liked, that added to the fun, but he knew Mom sure didn’t. And though Wild usually resisted the urge to throw it around, and was able to use a spoon well enough without spilling, some of his younger siblings weren’t as careful.

Which is why, when Wind picked up his spoon the wrong way, Wild knew to duck.

Warriors was around and talking to Mama, and they were absorbed in their conversation, so much so that neither of them saw Wind attempt to lift his spoon full of applesauce.

And then—

Splat went Wind’s applesauce.

All over Warriors’ shirt.

He and Mom both jumped, Warriors’ face flashing with alarm before he realized what happened, and he gave Wind a look.

“Oops,” Wind said sheepishly, though he didn’t quite muffle his giggle into his hand.

Wild laughed, and Warriors grimaced at the applesauce splatted all over him. “Well. Looks like I’ll be doing some laundry when I get home. Mind if I borrow a shirt, Malon?”

“Not at all, hon,” Mom said with a disapproving look at Wind. Wild thought he saw an amused twinkle in her eye though. “Some of Time’s are up on the line right now, I’ll go grab you a clean one.”

Warriors nodded, and then to Wild’s surprise, his uncle began worming out of his soiled shirt as Malon headed outside. He pulled it over his head, careful not to spill any applesauce, and Wild and Wind stared.

Warriors had scars all over his chest and arms, some small, some big, but all of them caught Wind and Wild’s attention. Wild knew Dad had some scars, and Mom did too, but... Warriors had a lot.

“You have so many scars,” Wind said in quiet awe, almost like he was afraid to speak the words any louder.

Warriors looked down at his torso and hummed, giving his nephews a small nod. “That I do. Comes from the old job you know. Supersuits are great, but sometimes even they can’t block everything.”

Wild tugged on a bit of his hair and put it into his mouth, sucking on it as he looked. Mom gave him a frown as she walked back in, but he kept sucking at it anyway. He knew it bothered his mother, but he liked how it felt.

Warriors kept watching him and Wind as Malon handed him the shirt as she left the room, and Wild tried not to stare at the marks on his skin, even though it was pretty much impossible. There were just so many, and they all looked so different. His mind reeled with options of what might have made them all.

“How did you get that?” Wind asked, lisping a bit due to his lost front tooth. He was pointing at a small mark near Warriors’s shoulder, and their uncle raised his eyebrow.

“This one? This boring little one? You don’t want to hear about my arm, or my side, or the big one on my back?” he said with a raised eyebrow.

“Thith one looks a little like a bird,” Wind said as if it was obvious, and Warriors smiled just a little.

“I suppose it does. It’s not a terribly interesting story, though. It’s just a random scratch I got while fighting a supervillain.”

Wild and Wind both leaned forward at that, their eyes wide.

“Really? Which one?” Wild breathed.

“Tell us tell us!” Wind said with a pleading look, and Warriors chuckled.

“It was just King Dodongo. A huge lizardy guy who could breathe fire and was freakishly strong. I fought him dozens of times... he just got in a lucky hit with his claws once, and this was it. Sky had to help me out a bit with that fight.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Wild could barely imagine fighting a real supervillain, and Wind looked equally impressed as he nodded, and looked at Warriors’ skin again. Wind pointed finally to a bigger mark near Warriors’ ribs, harder to see, but still visible enough for Wind to point out.

“What was thith one?”

Warriors hummed again. “Another villain fight... Gohma, I think. I just dodged a little too slow. Most of these are marks from villains like that.”

“Really?” Wind asked suspiciously. “They can’t all be.”

“I didn’t say they all were, I just said it was most of them. Look, this one here was from when I crashed my bike once,” Warriors said, rolling his pant leg up and pointing to a pale spot on his knee.

“Ooh, I’ll have one like that!” Legend said proudly, having run into the room at some point. He pointed to his own bandaged knee, and Warriors nodded seriously.

“Wow, yeah it looks like you might,” he said, and Legend grinned.

“What’th that one from?” Wind asked, pointing at a circular mark on Warriors’s arm. Their uncle tapped his chin as he looked at it, then hummed.

“Gunshot, I think. That or a knife, I can’t remember.”

Legend pointed at his side. “How about that one?”

Warriors leaned around to look at it, and tapped a finger on the pale mark. “Got caught in an explosion once, it left that teeny mark.”

“This one?”

“Car accident, believe it or not.”

“And that one?”

“Throwing knife. Ethereal felt bad for weeks.”

“What’s this one from?” Wild finally spoke up, getting up the nerve to ask and pointing at his uncle’s arm. The marks on his skin there looked similar to Wild’s side, similar enough that he was really curious about where they came from.

He had a feeling Warriors knew why he was asking too, and it seemed to him like his expression softened.

“I got this from the Dragon Knight, Volga,” he said quietly, holding his arm out for his nephews to inspect. Pinkish lines curled around Warriors’s hand and arm, licking at his elbow, but going no further. “His flames were deadly, and I was underprepared for the battle. If I hadn’t had my powers, I wouldn’t have made it out alive. I was lucky to get away with just a crispy arm.”

Wild reached out a cautious hand, and carefully touched the skin, running a finger along the marks. They felt a little leathery, and Wild withdrew his hand to touch the side of his face instead.

They felt nearly the same.

Legend and Wind must have heard the explanation before, since they were busy looking at Warriors’ other scars and not really listening. But Warriors’ full attention was on Wild, and he gave him a small smile when he saw him looking.

“We match a bit, don’t we?” he said in a quieter voice.

Wild nodded, and then shyly touched Warriors’ hand again, lifting it up and placing it by the side of his face. His uncle stilled, and moved his thumb a little, brushing it over Wild’s scars. Wild let him feel them, keeping his own hand over his, though his fingers were shaking a little.

Maybe it was because he hadn’t realized there was anyone else out there with scars like his. Warriors didn’t have them on his face of course, but... still. It felt kind of nice to Wild.

Knowing that he wasn’t alone.

“Do yours ever hurt?” Wild asked softly, and Warriors hummed.

“Not as much any more. But sometimes they do. Do yours?”

“Usually only after the nightmares,” Wild shrugged. “One time a storm also made them hurt though. So sometimes.”

Warriors hummed quietly, then pulled his hand back, gently ruffling Wild’s hair.

“Well kid, if you ever want to talk about this,” Warriors said, wiggling his scarred fingers, “then don’t hesitate to come to me. I’m always up for a talk.”

“Thanks Uncle Wars,” Wild said softly, and Warriors gave him a genuine smile as he smoothed Wild’s hair again.

“No problem kiddo.”

“Wars! Where did you get this one?” Legend interrupted, tugging on Warriors’ other arm, and Warriors glanced at it, then blinked.

“Uhh...”

“Oh I know where he got that one,” Mom said as she came back, a smirk on her face, and Warriors’ cheeks went pink.

“Malon, maybe we don’t need to—”

“It’s a good lesson about how you shouldn’t run with scissors,” she replied sweetly, and Warriors spluttered as Legend and Wind began to laugh.

Wild just flopped on Warriors’ lap, and smiled as he ate another spoonful of applesauce

[alicewritingstories]

*raise hand*

any other writers on here feeling bad for writing so slow lately? 😔