skyloftian-nutcase

[skyloftian-nutcase]

I am becoming one with the soup.

Fair thee well, dear lovelies, and remember me 🫡

Eat chicken noodle soup in my honor ❤️

I have consumed so much chicken noodle soup in the last 24 hours that if you guys don’t hear from me you should assume I turned into a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

I AM EATING FOODS (hours late but who cares)

May I please cash in the imprisoning war bribery s’il vous plait 🥺

Ganondorf wasn’t exactly known for being a morning person, but he hardly ever slept in.

So when a servant had to come to his room because he was missing from a security briefing, he felt more than a little disoriented.

The sun was gently shining through the sheer curtains around the bed as he heard a voice. Something warm was resting against him, and he stretched, hands reaching for who he assumed was—

Not Nabooru. Wait.

Blearily blinking his eyes open, he looked down to see Link’s light blonde hair messily spilling around, congested wheezes slow in slumber as he was tucked in between the man’s arm and chest. He then made out a silhouette standing a distance from the bed, and again heard someone calling out to him cautiously.

“Lord Ganondorf?”

Ganondorf blinked. Blinked again. It was… it was morning? Din, what time was it?

“What is it?” He finally asked, sitting up a little, bringing Link up with him. Memories were coming back, reality was slowly making sense, and he was not too happy that he’d managed to sleep in.

Link’s delirium from the sand fever had woken him, he remembered that much. It seemed they’d both managed to sleep after that. But it had been the second time Ganondorf had been startled awake in the night, so he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised he’d slept in.

“The security team is waiting for Your Excellency,” the guard reported.

Security team. Yes. For the briefing. For the strike. On Hyrule. That he needed to finalize. While one of Hyrule’s elite was snuggled up with him.

Ganondorf sighed heavily, plopping back on the large pillows, and Link let out a small noise of discomfort, shifting.

He’d made plans for this briefing before he’d found out the kid was ill. Link would need monitoring. He could just have a guard watch him while he was gone. That was what he should do, for certain.

“Tell them we’ll have the meeting at noon,” Ganondorf said instead, rubbing Link’s back to settle him down.

It could wait. It would happen today, but it could wait. He was still tired. And Link… he wanted to make sure he was okay.

The guard nodded and departed, and Ganondorf yawned, stretching lazily and pulling Link up so the boy could sit up a little and breathe easier. The teenager opened his eyes briefly, disoriented, before stretching with a little grunt and falling back asleep, making the Gerudo chuckle.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Hi there! I’m a new follower! Found your art on Pinterest. I’m a big fan of Echoes of Wisdom. I understand if you haven’t played it or the remaster of Link’s Awakening, but do you think you could draw chibi Link being picked on by another Link? Doesn’t matter who, maybe Four Swords since they are also short. I understand if not though!

hi!! thanks so much for your ask and thanks for the follow! 🩵 i started playing both but never finished (story of my life haha). sorry it took so long to answer your request! thank you for your patience ☺️ my little siblings recently watched The Muppets, and so this is just what popped into my head haha i hope you like it! 😄

Bonus:

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Your chances of being bamboozled by Leon is extremely low but never zero

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Blorbo hours! :D

Hmmm, let’s see…

Lost, I’m suffering from an annoying head cold so my mom made me some chicken noodle soup. What’s your go-to food when you’re sick? Do you like to cook or do you usually rely on others for food? Does your dad make you anything?

Volga, if you could take Impa anywhere to just have an evening together to talk and not bicker and actually just be with each other, where would you go?

Swamp, sorry you’re stuck in that weird temple place buddy. I’m about halfway through reading your latest adventure and oof getting electrocuted is no fun. Not great that Linkle’s implying she got zapped too 🥴 I am sending you sweet treats and warm blankets and will deliberate with my blorbos on how best to help you escape 🫡

Lost: well, soup I guess, I typically get nauseous when I'm sick so I don't end up eating much. Soup is usually about all I can handle.

Lost: as for cooking, no, I don't really cook. My father took it up when he retired from being a knight, and his cooking is pretty good, though what I remember of my mother's was better. He makes an excellent curry though.

---

Volga: well. ah.

Volga: admittedly, I have not thought about that

Volga:

Volga: ...I'm having trouble thinking of somewhere without lava. I suppose there's a cave near my home which has some interesting crystal formations, perhaps there? It would certainly be quiet at any rate.

---

Swamp: yeah it sucks

Swamp: would be less sucky if a certain someone wasn't always bothering me also

Linkle: I'm?? standing right here???

Linkle: wait where did you get the warm blanket and sweet treats

Swamp: oh, do you want some?

Linkle: do I want— no!

Linkle:

Linkle: ...okay maybe just a little

[skyloftian-nutcase]

*Petting Winter* aww he's so cute!! Who's a fluffy dog who's a fluffy dog--?? *Looks up at Lost* How did you guys meet?

Lost: well it was Zelda who found him, actually. I don’t... know where she got him? Somewhere in town. I think he was just a stray puppy she found, but I’d have to ask her

Lost: anyway, she marched in my room and dropped him on me and said “I got you a dog! he’s your responsibility now” then left with zero explanation

Lost: which despite how annoyed I was with her at the time for doing it, Winter... he helped me a lot. Hard to be as depressed when there’s a fluffy little puppy around. I don’t know where I’d be without him.

Winter: *WAGGING INTENSELY FROM THE PETS*

[skyloftian-nutcase]

3 sentence prompt: pack

Link tried to pack as much food as he could that was infused with light magic. They would need it for their journey if his younger companion was going to continue healing. He tried to ensure they took it easy as they returned to Lookout Landing since he figured it might be a bit of a shock to the young one.

What he hasn’t expected was for the shadow warrior to start speaking fluent Gerudo when he saw Buliara and her soldiers. Their bemused expressions denoted the same, but some giggled while others looked completely flummoxed.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Grass for the three sentence prompt?

Link laid in the grass, enjoying the coolness and softness of it alongside his companion. He heard a giggle and glanced over to see the teenage warrior who he'd rescued playing with a firefly, cupping his hands to catch it. They were starting to come out in full force now that the sun was setting, and Link had to chuckle at his friend's excitement as they were soon surrounded in faint little lights.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

If you're still doing three sentence prompts, can I get warm?

Link felt so unbelievably warm as he stretched. He was exhausted after their escapade in the Yiga stronghold, but it had been worth it to mess with them. He hated everything they represented, being a downright insult to his Sheikah blood, and he’d drain himself of all his magical energy if it meant taking them down.

He wasn’t used to being so taken care of, though. Not since…

Memories of Ganondorf and Nabooru fussing over him after a mission flashed through his mind, and he pushed it away, snuggling further into the older warrior’s embrace.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

How about fox for the prompt game?

Link tracked the fox quietly in the night as it searched for food. The mild drizzle covered his footsteps, eyes on their target as he nocked an arrow. When he returned to camp triumphant, he smiled at the teenage boy resting in a bundle of blankets, right where he’d left him, and happily plopped down to make the kid some dinner.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

For stick figure prompt, since it's still Christmas for you, any of your AU characters decorating a tree with someone?

Um. Wild, Shadow… don’t turn around.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Shield Surfing (Hero of Shadow)

The fire crackled merrily, but Link was warmed far more by the Hylian Shepherd curled up against him. He and his younger companion had journeyed across Hyrule to get to this point in the hopes of investigating more Zonai ruins. Link hadn't quite told the shadow warrior yet that he was searching for the fifth sage (he honestly hadn't told him about any of the sages), and he was still debating mentioning it. The kid had no right to the knowledge, especially given his connection to Ganondorf, but he also had every right to join the fight against the monster.

But Link didn't want him to be any more involved than he'd already been. That boy had endured enough.

Still, he couldn't leave him unsupervised. Considering the teenager had escaped from Ganondorf's control and was constantly paranoid that some monster would come around the corner to drag him back to the depths, there was no way Link was leaving him behind.

The dog stretched lazily, yawning and standing up to trot elsewhere. The shepherds of the stables were used to so many people coming and going, their attention often didn't last. It didn't bother Link either way, but he saw his friend's shoulders droop in disappointment as it left.

"Don't worry, he'll come back around, especially if you've got meat," Link assured him with a wink.

The shadow warrior hummed, gaze roaming, scanning all the inhabitants.

"This place is safe," Link said quietly, leaning in a little. "It's okay. Besides, we won't be staying long. Just wanted to warm up a bit. You'll need this."

Link handed him the warmed beads and downy feathers of the Rito headdress. In combination with the warmer trousers he'd fitted for the kid, the boy would be all set. Link knew that once he'd bought a Sheikah tunic for the shadow warrior, the boy wasn't likely to take it off, so he compensated with the rest of the ensemble.

Nodding, the teenager took the items, interweaving them in his hair. His eyes widened a little in surprise at their warmth, and Link rose, motioning for him to follow.

"We're going to the Stormwind Ark," Link explained. "It's a ship in the sky. It might have some clues that I need."

"We can get to it?" His companion asked. "Usually it's only reserved for the Rito and the royal family."

Link froze. "You--you know what it is?"

"Of course I do," Shadow answered. "I came from the era it was created."

Link knew that, in theory, but it still boggled his mind that it was true. This kid was his own age when he'd defeated the Calamity seven years ago, yet somehow he was ancient.

"Right," he said simply, not sure how else to reply. "Well. Yes. We can get there. Or, well, I can. I mean."

Could he teleport with someone else? He'd been able to with the Sheikah slate, but he hadn't tested it on the Purah Pad, and Zonai teleportation devices were finicky, functioning through the magic of his arm.

"I shouldn't go on the ark anyway," Shadow shook his head. "It's sacred ground to the Rito."

Link chewed on the inside of his cheek. Well it wasn't like I had a choice. "Okay. Let's climb to the top of the mountain together. I'll go up from there."

It was unnecessary, honestly, to climb all the way up there in the first place, but despite endorsing the safety of stables, Link wasn't comfortable leaving his young friend here. The mountain was far harder to reach for any monster.

So together, in silence, they climbed.

Link debated again if he should tell Ganondorf's child about the sages. The boy was from their era - surely he would know something about where the fifth sage could be found? It wasn't as if Link didn't trust him, he knew the kid never wanted to be in Ganondorf's clutches again. And Link would not let it happen. But he also could tell the kid had the same hero's spirit Link did, and he would join the fray if he knew what Link was up to.

Honestly, though, he had the right to know. It wasn't as if Link hadn't been fighting Ganon at his age, either. It wasn't as if Link had died at the hands of Ganon, either.

Link saw too much of himself in this boy, and he didn't want him to get hurt.

He shook his head as he climbed. As if he hasn't been hurt in a far worse way already. I forgot everything of my past - he's been controlled and tortured by his.

Fine. Perhaps Link would tell him. But afterward. He wanted... he wanted the kid to have fun one more time.

Speaking of the boy, Link realized he had to slow down. Although the shadow warrior had been recovering his strength well with the food Link had given him, he still tired far too easily. They'd only reached the base of the mountain before the teenager was dragging his feet in the snow.

When Link paused, Shadow shook his head. "Let's keep going. I'll be fine."

Yes. Fine. The boy lied about being fine often. Link was beginning to figure out how to read through it.

"It's wise for both of us to rest," Link said carefully. "Once we start climbing we won't have many chances to stop."

Shadow couldn't argue with that, and so the pair sat by a fire imbued sword Link had managed to fuse together. He glanced up at the mountain, and he felt himself smile.

There was something they could do together. Something he'd been aching to do for a while, and he wanted to include the kid on the fun. He'd originally thought to take him seal surfing, but he wasn't sure taking Ganondorf's son to the Gerudo Desert was a great idea.

But shield surfing? They could do that.

The shadow warrior sighed, catching his breath as he hovered over the sword. His face didn't look quite so gaunt in this light, and the cold air brought a flush to his cheeks. His skin tone had finally started looking more like something akin to the living rather than the white/grey hue that had been hidden beneath frostbite when Link had first met him.

"Do you know any of the Rito?" Link asked, curious.

Shadow shrugged, looking up at the snow fluttering about, wind carrying it in swirls before shooting it sideways, stinging their cheeks. "I knew one, though only a little. Just a few months of fighting together."

"Against Ganondorf?" Link supplied carefully.

Shadow grew silent, face growing stony.

Link didn't push, but he didn't have to. Eventually, the teenager looked him dead in the eye, saying, "I'll help you defeat him. I failed back then. I won't fail this time. Zelda said you could kill him."

Zelda. Link felt his heart nearly stop. "You... you know--knew her?"

"She was the Sage of Time, some distant relative to Queen Sonia," Shadow answered. "Did she speak to you in a vision? How do you know her?"

"She's from this era," Link said firmly, emotions swirling in his mind and heart, still grieving her loss after obtaining all the tears. "Not yours."

Shadow's eyes widened in surprise. "Goddesses... I... I'd always thought her time abilties allowed her to see into the future, not that she was from the future. But... did she travel back to you, then? Is she here now"

Link swallowed, his throat scraping itself as it grew dry in an instant. "No. No, she isn't."

Not in any way that matters. Not as herself.

Shadow watched him for a long while. Too long. Link rose abruptly. "Come on. It's time to climb."

There were no more words as they started their careful journey up the rocks. Link tried not to completely leave Shadow behind, body filled with energy and wanting to make himself move just to clear his head.

It felt so wrong. After everything they'd endured, for Zelda to...

She couldn't even rest in peace like that. She couldn't even be with the Champions and her parents, with the soldiers who had fought and bled and died for her. She was forever trapped and completely unaware of it.

Link gripped the rock tightly, skin scraping and breaking and bleeding.

They reached the summit, both panting for air, but Shadow was the first one to speak.

"I'm sorry."

Pulled out his thoughts, Link looked over at the teenager. He sighed, trying to dismiss the matter. He'd promised Zelda he'd protect Hyrule. He could at least honor her in that way.

And hope. He could hope. Becuase the vision he'd seen in the sky islands... that hadn't been a puppet of Ganondorf's, that had been her. Just as the other sages had spoken to their descendants, Zelda had been there to...

Well... she hadn't spoken. Perhaps she couldn't.

He prayed she wasn't aware, trapped and unable to speak. He prayed so hard.

"Her sacrifice won't be in vain," Link finally said. When he looked back at the kid, though, he noticed the boy was distracted, eyes entranced with the world around them. Hyrule sparkled in the sunset, snow dissipating to yield a clear view the velvety white forests, the snowcapped mountain ranges, the hills and rivers in the distance.

Link looked out and smiled a little too. Sometimes he supposed he got caught up in his journey so much eh forgot to appreciate the beauty of it. Hebra Mountain offered a spectacular view of Hyrule, and the Stormwind Ark had an even more impressive one.

He really wanted to show Shadow the view from up there. But he didn't think he could. Not to mention the matter of getting back down - the kid had nearly died the last time he'd been in the air.

You don't need to go up there and you know it. All your answers are with him. He knows the sages.

Fine. Maybe the kid did know the sages. Maybe the kid would join the fight whether Link liked it or not. But they'd have one last moment of innocence, one last adventure that had nothing to do with Ganondorf.

"Have you ever gone shield surfing before?" he asked.

Shadow stared at him, confused. "Shield... what?"

Link smiled. Oh, this was going to be fun. "We're going to jump off the mountain. And then we're going to hop on our shields and ride them down the snow. You have to try and find a clear path, and avoid rocks so you don't destroy your shield."

At first, he got little reaction from the teen. Shadow seemed to be processing his words, red eyes growing distant, and then his face softened and he smiled, looking away.

Link tilted his head to the side, not expecting such a reaction. "Have you heard of it, after all?"

"No," Shadow replied quietly. "I just know someone who would've loved it."

There was a pause, and then Shadow closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, smile growing. He looked at Link with a mischievous grin. "Let's do it."

"Okay, just remember--hey!"

Link reached out, startled, when Shadow immediately leapt into the air, landing on his shield and shooting down the mountain. Laughing, Link followed suit - it was nice not having to explain multiple times or be overly cautious. He just let the adrenaline carry him from there, heart racing, skin burning as frigid wind slapped against it, hair blowing carelessly. He tilted one way, then another, spirit set free at the thrill and speed, and his grief and worries were left behind on the mountaintop.

Ahead of him, Shadow's laughter echoed in the air. The kid seemed to be doing well, though his form was wobbly. Link blazed by him quickly, making a face to antagonize the kid as he went. Shadow's cry was enthusiastically indignant, leaving both heroes breathless with giggles as Link shot ahead.

The terrain blurred as Link leaned into the slope a little more, feeling his shield rattle beneath his feet. He saw more rocks and avoided them, hitting the steepest part of the mountain before seeing it angle upward in a little leap to the bottom. Link took the challenge, whooping as he soared into the air. To save his shield, he took the fall himself, letting his legs buckle as he rolled a little ways in the snow, cackling the entire way.

When he finally stopped tumbling, Link sat up, shivering and thrilled. He looked around eagerly to share his joy with his friend, when he realized he was nowhere to be seen.

Smile falling, Link shot to his feet, looking around, only to find Shadow face down in the snow, arms and legs splayed. Anxiety increasing, Link rushed towards the younger man, reaching him quickly and turning him over to find him laughing himself breathless.

Relieved and amused, Link snorted out a laugh himself, and the boys wheezed until the cold had settled into them, soaking their clothes.

"Can we do it again?" Shadow asked through chattering teeth.

Link almost said yes. But... no. He had a younger hero to take care of now, and he couldn't be quite as reckless as he'd been on his first journey. His smile softened as he held a hand out to the kid. "Later. Let's get back to the stable and warm up first."

Shadow took his hand freely for once, showing no hesitancy as he let himself get pulled to his feet. He did look curious, though. "I thought we had to go to the mountain so you could reach the ark?"

Link dusted snow off the teenager before messing with the kid's hair. Snow fell out of it as if Link had smacked into a frost covered tree, and Shadow swatted at him playfully. "We can worry about the ark later. I have to talk to you about something anyway. But first, we're going to eat and sleep."

Shadow's eyes were nearly as bright as his smile as he nodded, following the elder hero through the snow. Link slung an arm around him cheerily, and both heroes laughed the entire way back to the stable.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Fluffvember prompt 8 - "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Link stretched, overlooking the terrain down below. He'd managed to get the young shadow warrior to Kakariko Village and let him rest for a few days. He was hoping that would be enough time, between the actual sleep and the food he'd been making to combat the gloom sickness plaguing the teenager. He'd never seen a case this bad, but he'd also never seen anyone possessed by gloom.

But it had been too long. He didn't like sitting in the same place. He had work to do, and he knew Ganondorf would be hunting for his kid.

Link had managed to get a little more information out of the teenager, but not much. Apparently, in the ancient past, he'd been taken in by Ganondorf and his family, had been engaged to Ganondorf's daughter. It was strange to even think the demon king could be capable of having a family. He tried to keep his opinion on the matter to himself, but it seemed his younger companion held very little love for the man anymore anyway.

Or, well... not overtly.

What mattered, in the end, was that they needed to move out. Neither of them wanted Ganondorf's minions to catch up to them or to attack the village.

Link noticed movement and saw his friend approaching. The kid was in new clothes now, having donned the Sheikah armor, hiding his pale face behind a mask, red eyes not quite looking so tired. He seemed to nearly have a bounce in his step as he looked around the village on his way to the hero.

When the shadow warrior noticed his scrutiny, he asked hesitantly, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Link smiled. "You look actually happy. I think that's the first time I've seen that."

Although the kid's face was half hidden, the way his eyebrows rose and cheeks puffed indicated he was smiling. "It's... nice to see my people still thriving after all these years."

"They're some of the best warriors in Hyrule, too," Link added, tilting his head to the side, voice warm. "I bet you'd make them proud."

The younger one's smile faded a hair, but he recovered, growing determined. "I'll make sure of it. We can start by destroying the Yiga."

Link barked out a laugh. "Well... we can eliminate ones on the way. They're not a huge threat."

His friend's serious tone dropped to something more exasperated as the teenager sighed heavily. "They really aren't."

Then the teenager clapped his hands together. "We should mess with them."

That got Link's curiosity. "Oh?"

"I can shapeshift," the teenager said, surprising Link. "It's old Sheikah magic. I can disguise myself as Ganondorf and completely throw them off."

Link hummed, thinking about it, chest bubbling with excitement. "Considering they've been trying to do the same for me with that fake Zelda nonsense..."

Although... that fake Zelda in the castle turned into gloom hands and phantoms. He doubted that was Yiga trickery. But they did do it once, and honestly... it would have been a lot funnier if it weren't for the horrifying reality of his dear friend's situation.

Link pushed the pain of that thought away, indulging the kid. "You know what, honestly, that sounds like a fantastic idea. We should tell them that they need to give up bananas."

The younger one's eyes widened as he slowly pulled down his mask. "That's genius."

Link laughed at the kid's absolute glee. He knew he had to continue his mission, but this... he could make time for this.

Anything to make the kid smile.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Sleepy Vibes with Wild and Shadow <3

Something snapped, wood bending and giving way to increased pressure, and Link jolted awake.

His first instinct was to reach for the newly recovered Master Sword, but he found his body impossibly heavy for some reason, causing even more alarm. He looked around wildly, eyes squinting through the dark, only to be met by a deer staring at him.

Blowing out a sigh of relief, Link tried to take a deep breath and found it sorely lacking. He felt unusually warm, and there was pressure on his chest and something around his waist and—

Oh.

Looking down a little, he saw the teenager he’d rescued from Naydra’s Snowfield snoozing peacefully, arm draped across his abdomen, head over his chest like he was a pillow.

Link. The other one. A possible Hero from the past, and Ganondorf’s kid.

Link sighed a little, letting his arms come up around the teenager. A breeze blew some of the kid’s lighter blonde hair into his nose and he sniffled a little, chuckling as it tickled.

They hadn’t gotten too far from the snowfield, barely making it beyond the East Lanayru Gate. This younger warrior, strong as he’d been in their last fight, was completely sapped of energy, overcome with Gloom Sickness now that the majority of Ganondorf’s control had been banished from his body. The boy still hadn’t explained how he’d managed to escape his father’s control, and Link hadn’t pushed for it quite yet. He just needed to protect the kid and get him safely to Kakariko Village.

But with the pace they had to go, with the way the teenager wheezed and nearly collapsed after a few hour’s journey, it was making the trip far longer than anticipated.

Link didn’t mind. He had the supplies and the time, for now. This kid was more important. He had to protect him, and he would. If Ganondorf would be coming after anyone, it would be him.

Besides, the information the warrior had was no doubt invaluable. Link had to help him get better, and then together, they’d defeat the demon king. And Link wouldn’t dare let that monster touch this kid ever again.

The teenager hummed a little, a mix of contentment and discomfort, shifting a little to get more comfortable as he tried to stay asleep. His hand pushed into Link’s abdomen a little, making the older hero cough, but Link tried to help the kid reposition as best he could.

The younger one’s eyes fluttered open, and he glanced around sleepily. Link held him tightly, remembering the scare he’d had the last time he awoke.

“Dad…?” The warrior slurred confusedly, clearly still half asleep.

Link was torn between laughing and cringing. He held him carefully, saying, “He’s… your dad’s not here. It’s me, remember?”

The young warrior looked up at him sleepily, red eyes bloodshot. His skin seemed to finally be getting a bit more color, though, no longer bluish grey in the cold but pale instead. The two stared at each other a moment, Link debating if somehow the Gloom Sickness had gotten so bad the kid was now delirious, but lucidity shone true as the boy tried to sit up a little.

The warrior mumbled an apology, arms shaking as he pushed himself off the ground, and Link braced his hands against the kid’s shoulders. “It’s okay. Look, you’re still pretty tired, and it’s the middle of the night. There’s no reason for us to get going right now.”

The kid nodded, nearly collapsing onto the grass beside Link, curling in on himself. Link watched him a moment, mind filled with so many thoughts. Why was his first inclination to call out to Ganondorf? Did the demon king actually have an affectionate bone in his body, that he would hold his child while he slept? How confused was the young warrior? Should Link try to comfort him?

He really wasn’t the best at this, but he wanted to help. Years of being with Zelda had improved his empathy, at least. Not that he never felt sorry for anyone before, but expressing it…

Well. There was a reason many of the parents he’d interacted with had called him a wild child during his first adventure. It was a bit difficult to navigate social situations, anyway, when he could hardly remember any. At least he had a few years of experience under his belt now, and far more memories.

Memories of his own parents, vague as they were, helped guide him nowadays. Experiences with a distraught Zelda, watching Impa and others offer her comfort, being given comfort in his own turn by Sheikah and Zora alike… it helped. And prompted him to act.

Reaching over, he gently tapped at the kid’s back. When the warrior turned to look at him, eyes tired and face beaten down, Link pat the space beside him, encouraging him to scoot closer. “It’s chilly tonight. C’mon. You’re not feeling well. Besides, I can protect you better if you’re closer.”

The younger fighter considered it a moment, seeming hesitant, before rolling over to face him, letting Link pull him to his chest. The teenager rested his head on Link’s shoulder, arms curled into himself to stay warm, body relaxing under the Hero of Hyrule’s care.

Link sighed a little, giving the kid a hug while he had him there, before letting himself relax as the Light Dragon flew overhead.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Oookay, you wished for prompts, here’s mine 😉

In Breath of the Sky, Sun hints at Sky having had Pneumonia before ( or even a chronic respiratory illness). I’d like to read something about Sky being ill and her (and probably the people of Skyloft) caring for him. ( I’m asthmatic and hc Sky as having respiratory issues 🙈🙈. He grew up with severely lower atmospheric pressure and less oxygen, him having problems with breathing on the surface would be understandable.)

Other suggestions: something with your Hero of Shadow and ToTK Link ( preferably something fluffy, them kicking Ganondorfs a** or Shadow telling Link what happened would also be very much appreciated) yeah, I know the fluffy stuff isn’t really your thing ( I seriously doubt that, sick Sky child and Breath of the Sky where so good with that) so I totally understand if you don’t choose my prompt.

I congratulate you for your success and I really appreciate you wanting to write something for us ❤️❤️

To be honest, Link felt a little worn out. He hardly ever talked this much in general, certainly to the same person. But the multiple thoughts of how he would annihilate Ganondorf were certainly a good way to replenish his energy as he felt the kid beside him start to nod off.

He was still trying to wrap his head around everything. He'd seen this kid before, but he'd never really put the pieces together about who he was or anything of the sort. The first time he'd seen him he'd nearly had a heart attack - the kid had caught his attention because he'd been crying, Link had heard crying and had gone to investigate, and Ganondorf himself was right there.

Link had nearly choked on his spit, had hid behind a rock, had looked through his gear to see he was woefully unprepared for such a confrontation, he hadn't even found the last sage, but the boy had made eye contact with him. Link had grabbed his resolve, had prepared for the worst, was steeling himself for the fight of his life, when... when the boy had told Ganondorf he wanted to leave.

Link hadn't understood it, in the moment. But he'd realized later, that kid had probably saved his life.

And he'd wondered. And worried. Because why did Ganondorf have a teenager with him? Why was the kid crying? The demon king was holding him like he was his child.

Link had been curious, to be sure. He'd made as much gloom resistant food as he could and set for the Depths the next day, but he'd had little luck in his search. It hadn't been until almost a month later, when he'd encountered gloom spawn close to the castle's underbelly. He'd already passed multiple enemies, including a gloom infected lynel. He'd known he was getting close to Ganondorf, and he'd known he was pushing his luck.

It wasn't until the gloom spawn, though. Once he'd defeated the hands themselves, a new surprise had emerged from the malice. Instead of a phantom version of the demon king, he'd seen the kid.

He'd had to fight a kid. And goddess if it hadn't made him felt like he was looking in a mirror, if the red eyes and grotesque glowing gloom eye on his forehead hadn't been there he might as well have been fighting his past self. This boy was fierce, and he looked close to the age Link had been when the Calamity had struck, if not a little younger.

The duel had ended in a stalemate. Link hadn't wanted to hurt him, and he knew he didn't have the tools to find an alternative to defeating him. Not to mention the kid had landed several good blows, malice sapping Link's strength. But it had also left him with far too many emotions to sift through.

Yet here he was now, terrified and starving and freezing, forehead bleeding where that eye had been. Link had to wonder...

He didn't know. He just didn't know.

What he did know was something terrible had happened to this kid, and he could guess who was the cause of it.

The teenager jostled a little, having started to nod off before startling himself awake. He jerked away from Link, petrified and disoriented, before the hero gently placed his hands on his shoulders. "It's okay. You're okay."

The words were simple. He'd used them a fair amount when helping people, especially those who were set upon by monsters. But for whatever reason, instead of a "thank you" or "oh right," he got an overwhelmingly relieved and emotional expression gazing at him before the teenager promptly burst into tears.

Link... didn't know what to do. But he felt the need to do something, so he pulled the boy into a hug. The haggard teenager clung to him in response, limbs shaking but desperate in their feeble capability. It made Link's heart hurt all the more.

"It's okay," he repeated, far more gently. "You're safe."

When the boy continued to cry, Link tried hushing him softly, holding him a little tighter. It was the contact that seemed to do the most good, as the tighter he held the boy, the more seemed to relax.

"What's your name?" he asked.

The mysterious teenager shivered in his arms before quietly croaking out, "Link."

Link stiffened. His anxiety rose once more, wondering if this really was some sort of trick of the demon king's making. He'd already tried to fool him with a puppet version of Zelda, after all.

But... this boy had saved his life. But then he'd tried to kill him. But there had clearly been malice controlling him then, and there wasn't now. He was openly bleeding from where that eye had been--

Oh, right. He should probably address that.

"Well, Link," he huffed a little, reaching for his pouch, "Why don't we clean your head up, okay?"

He'd learned from experience to always clean injuries before he healed them, especially if they'd been around for a while. The phantom hero didn't protest as he pulled away slightly to look at the wound. It was a fairly deep cut, frostbitten at the edges, slowing what should have been major bleeding to a near crystalline standstill.

That... wasn't exactly ideal either. But at least the kid wasn't bleeding to death.

Link grabbed water and boiled it with a cloth, attempting to hold pressure on the injury, but as soon as his hand reached for the teenager's forehead, the strange kid balked, gasping and leaping to his feet. He immediately had a sword in hand, and Link reached for his own in retaliation.

Both warriors hissed in pain as their weapons fought against their masters. Link stared at the Master Sword in horror and confusion - it had never actively tried to hurt him before! The worst had been when he'd first drawn it once more to fight years ago - it had tested his strength and ability to wield it, but it had never refuted his touch.

What was happening?

Wait. Wait.

Link looked sharply at the other Link's sword, recognizing the blue luster, the sacred hum, the way it looked like shattered stained glass reconstructed by a purple thread.

That was pieces of the Master Sword.

How...? He wondered, staring up at the phantom warrior.

The boy, in turn, was staring at the weapon as well, eyes wide with shock, but he recovered first, trying to reach for another weapon.

Link hastily threw his hands in the air. "Relax! I'm not trying to hurt you!"

The teenager looked wary, but he didn't pursue any aggression. Instead, he hugged himself, shuddering and falling to his knees, curling inward until his forehead touched the cave floor. Link carefully walked towards him, kneeling in front of him and hesitantly laying a hand on his back. "I just want to help you, Link."

When he got no reply, he grew unsure. He tried easing the teenager's worries with a distraction. "You know... my name's Link too."

The boy curled in even further. "I know."

He... he did? Link blinked, caught off guard. It was strange how so few people in Hyrule knew him when he bumped into them, but his enemies always did.

Well. Maybe it wasn't strange. At least he had friends now who knew him as well. At least on this quest, he wasn't alone.

That made him wonder even more, though. "So... Ganondorf and... and you..."

The teenage warrior let out a shaky breath, tightening his hold on himself before slowly rising. His eyes were dull and dark, gazing blankly towards the ground. "He was... he was family to me. But that was before he became a monster. He's been controlling me since then, and I... I promise I'm not trying to cause you problems. I... I wanted to help you defeat him."

Link stared, trying to process everything he'd just heard. Ganondorf had family? That would explain why he'd held the kid the way he had. But that... goddess, Link hated this. That made him far too human for all the terrible things he'd done. Calamity Ganon had been much easier a foe to deal with.

But it made him even more monstrous as well. Because the other part of the kid's explanation settled in his mind, and he... he'd suspected it was the case, but...

What kind of demon would do that to his own child?!

The monster's title was certainly appropriate. Link felt his blood boil anew, as if he had just seen the last memory Zelda had left behind in precious, blessed waters.

He wasn't going to just kill this man, he was going to enjoy it.

"Link... protect them all!"

Zelda's words echoed in his mind and heart, and goddess if it didn't break thinking about her sacrifice all over again. But looking at this boy, he knew, he knew she'd meant him as well, without ever realizing what his fate was.

He reached out carefully this time, pausing and making eye contact, waiting for permission. This shadowy, broken, freshly purified warrior was so terrified, and he wanted nothing more than to help him. The teenager tensed a little, but didn't outright attack this time, and Link finally managed to reach a handkerchief to the oozing blood on his forehead.

"We will defeat him," he said quietly, resolutely, as he wiped the blood away. "I promise."

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Lovelies, y'all voted which of my OC Links you wanted to hug most, and Shadow won, so guess what, Shadow gets a nice writing snippet :)

(Oh boy guys, I had such a good time writing this, partly because of the soundtrack I listened to. It was "Descent into Gloom's Lair" for the first half and then "Phase 5 Construct Factory")

This had to be it. He could sense the warmth of the magic, could hear the sword’s humming voice, could almost understand its whispers.

Link crept further into the canyon crevice, hands almost burning as they brushed against gloom. That never used to hurt. It was always cold.

He felt nearly giddy at the sensation. He reached his hand forward to grab it, one final piece, one last sliver of hope to add to his prayers and efforts. His finger snagged the sharp end, making it bleed, but the steel glowed blue regardless.

Sacred blue from a sacred sword. Link knew nothing of this blade, only that it contained light magic. Just as the dagger he’d used all that time ago had.

Please be enough. Please be enough.

Link felt his entire body trembling in anticipation and anxiety. If he tried this and it failed, it would give his entire plan away. But he’d never felt so certain, had never heard the sword’s magic so clearly. He’d scoured the entirety of the Depths, and this was the last shred of light he could find.

The pieces all fit together. The only thing that was missing was the base of the sword and its hilt. How such a blade could be so long—it was practically a claymore, but it held such little weight to it. Yet it held so much power. It felt… it felt familiar, it felt comforting.

He saw it sometimes, in his dreams. A blade shattered under Ganondorf’s power, only to be built anew in golden light. But there was no golden light here. Only the cool steely blue. Yet it was warmer than the sun, and he felt it seep into his skin, into his muscles and bone, snipping away at the cold tendrils that dug into him like needles.

Slowly, Link pulled off the bandages around his forehead.

This was it. This was his last prayer, his final attempt. He closed his eyes, feeling the icy cold vice grip Ganondorf had on him, centered in the malicious mark on his forehead. The sacred blade hummed in anticipation, nearly a growl, baring its metaphorical teeth. Its pieces slid together as he placed them on the floor, making him gasp a little. Thin, purple light, nearly like sacred thread, held the pieces together as they reverberated in unison.

He felt pain twinge in his forehead, and he sensed Ganondorf’s dark magic nearby. He’d been out of the demon king’s sight for too long. He could tell the man was growing nervous, worried. He was running out of time.

Fear pulled at him all of a sudden, sharp and horrifying and paralyzing. What if it wasn’t enough? What if it wasn’t enough?

Link took a trembling breath, pulling out a katana Ganondorf had gifted him. Then he pulled out a war hammer that he’d been gifted by one of the fallen soldiers.

It was now or never.

He brought the hammer down fiercely, channeling all his fear into it, turning it to something productive. With each clang he felt his heart rate grow ever faster. Holding the katana steady took all of his determination, and each blow reverberated up his shoulder. It felt like two different parts of him at war, one side ferociously fighting to be released while the other clung to its prison, petrified.

What if this isn’t enough? He’ll never let me go after this; he’ll use his power to control me forever!

But what if it was enough? If he hesitated, he’d never get this chance again, and the end result would be the same.

But we have a status quo. This is working.

But it wouldn’t last!

Clang!

The katana shook under his grip.

Clang!

The gloom spawn was getting closer.

I just want him back. I just want him back!

He was never getting the Ganondorf he knew back.

Clang!

He was sweating now. Tears mixed with the sweat, a sweet and salty flavor in his mouth.

Clang!

Clang!

The katana snapped, its blade giving way, its hilt remaining intact. He stared at it a moment, his breath caught in his chest, his body frozen. The sacred blade hummed louder. He could hear the shrill, shuddering sounds of the gloom spawn nearby.

Slowly, Link knelt on the ground, reaching for the blade. As he drew it closer to the hilt of the katana, the same strange, effervescent purple thread seemed to lock it into place with the hilt. Link stared at it a moment in wonder and awe, and it bolstered his resolve and hope.

This… this might actually work.

It would. It had to.

His forehead was beginning to hurt more and more. Icy cold darkness pulled at it. The blade’s sounds pulsed closer together, seeming nearly frantic.

Link turned the blade towards himself, hesitating a moment, breathing shakily, feeling the world around him stop.

If this was his last moment… then so be it.

He thrust it quickly, sharply, with every ounce of strength he had, aiming for his forehead.

His world exploded into agony. Time seemed to slow as he screamed, as white-hot energy ripped through his entire being, unraveling him. Images ran through his mind, memories scrambling around as if he were living his last moments.

Ganondorf’s face, stricken with horror as he laid in his arms dying. His own pain, heart breaking, body screaming from the wound.

Hemisi’s smile as they danced at a party in the castlte. His body retching as he tossed her ashes into the flames.

Coldness claiming him in eternal slumber as he fell down the stairs. Coldness dragging him back as Ganondorf ripped him from its embrace.

Nabooru holding him and Hemisi when they went to war. Nabooru’s scream as he was tossed down the stairs after stabbing Ganondorf.

Goddess, make it stop! It wasn’t as if he hadn’t experienced death before, why was this so utterly painful?!

He registered that his screaming had stopped, that he was suddenly laying on his side, that the world was spinning but most certainly in the present once more. Warm liquid lazily slipped down his forehead, pooling at his temple. He gasped, sitting upright as adrenaline slammed into him, as he heard the gloom spawn, as he saw it rapidly approaching.

Run, RUN!

Link’s body came to life, and he ran as hard and fast as possibly could. He didn’t dare look back, dead set on finding someplace that the spawn couldn’t reach. He knew this region fairly well by now, looking to his right and leaping on to the cliffside, hastily pulling himself upward. The gloom hands reached, but their claws could barely ghost against his ankles, leaving him breathless but somewhat relieved. He climbed higher and higher, feeling his body tremble and ache and protest considering everything that had just happened, but he finally made it to the top.

Collapsing, Link panted for air, completely and utterly drained. He felt like he’d been carrying a heavy load for his entire life and it had finally been lifted. He didn’t even know how to describe how he felt. The sacred blade was warm beside him, tucked into his belt, and he settled his hand on it like a lifeline.

It had worked. It had worked!

He laughed. He laughed until he was breathless, he cried.

But he knew he couldn’t stay here long. Ganondorf knew where he was now, and he knew he couldn’t control him.

It was a hunt now.

Link took a few more seconds to catch his breath before sitting up once more. He couldn’t see the bottom of the cliff with as dark as it was, but he could still catch wisps of dark magic, could hear the gloom spawn hissing in protest, remaining in its place so Ganondorf could track it.

He spat off the edge of the cliff, a sneer pulling at his lips, and made his way farther uphill. He knew there was an abandoned mine up ahead, and he knew there were Yiga there. But the Yiga were essentially harmless to him; he’d beaten up enough of them prior to escaping Ganondorf’s shackles to know that much.

Rushing ahead, Link noticed there were brighter splotches in new areas. More lightroots, probably. He blinked against it, trying to adjust to the change, when something caught his eye and made him stop dead in his tracks.

Was that… was that a…

Link stared.

That was a dragon.

A dragon floated in front of him, glowing beautifully blue, a chill steadily spreading through the air as it growled, its rumbling voice vibrating through Link’s chest.

How—he’d never—what—

It was beautiful.

But—but—

What was a dragon even doing down here?! They didn’t dwell in the Depths, they—

It had to have gotten here somehow.

Hope burned in his chest, along with excitement and indescribable joy. He knew how to get out of here.

Link charged ahead, leaping off the cliff, and landed directly on the mythical creature.

His hands and feet screamed at the icy contact, entire body immediately racking with shivers, but he clung to the crystalline spines on its blessed back regardless, laughing as he his teeth chattered. His muscles were so exhausted from everything that he nearly stopped shivering after a few minutes, watching his fingers and toes turn purplish blue.

He didn’t care.

The Depths looked so different from up here. He could make out the plant life, see scattered ruins. It almost looked like how it used to, when it had been far more alive and protected by lightroots.

Link gasped a little as his entire body shook with a shudder in response to the cold, and he nearly lost his grip on the creature’s spine. He couldn’t feel his feet anymore.

Come on, sacred sister… please… get me out of here.

The icy creature roared again, her entire body reverberating the sound. Her back started to arch, and Link nearly lost his footing as his world tipped. He reached for any kind of purchase, hanging off the dragon’s spiny icelike crystals, praying he could still hold on.

But she was tipping upward. That had to mean—that had to mean—

They were getting out of here. She was getting him out of here.

Link climbed as best he could to stand atop the scale, nearly falling before catching himself. And he saw light. He saw the sky.

Link’s face, freezing as it was, thawed a moment as tears spilled over his cheeks. Snowflakes suddenly appeared, getting caught in his hair and his lashes, and a sharp wind tore through him as sunlight blasted through, reflecting off snow covered fields. There were trees everywhere, decorated in the sparkling splendor of winter’s kiss, and Link gasped as the dragon started to straighten out. He could no longer feel his hands, couldn’t grip anything, and he fell.

He fell, the air screaming all around him, crashing through layer after layer of freedom as the chasm grew ever closer.

It felt like a nightmare, like the chasm was the maw of a demonic dragon, like Ganondorf was reaching up from hell just to drag him back down.

Link felt panic squeeze him as if a gloom hand had already gotten a hold of him, but he flipped his body around to try and redirect the wind and his course so he could at least land in the snow. He’d rather die than go back down there.

He was probably going to die either way once he hit the ground. But at least this way he’d die on the surface, buried in snow, never to be found by that man again.

He couldn’t… Ganondorf couldn’t bring him back again, could he?

There was no way he’d gotten this far just to—

Something sounded in the air, strange, different from the wind, whistling but in a sharp, repeated pattern. Link looked around wildly, in a panic, wondering if somehow the demon king had caught up to him, when something slammed into him.

“Hold on to me!” he heard, and his heart nearly stopped from the absolute shock of it. He turned as best he could, trying to see who in the world this even was, wrapping his arms around the person as the air below them suddenly pushed them upward sharply. It slowed his momentum instantly, but far too much for his tired and frozen arms to handle, and he quickly slipped out from under the person. He gasped, too tired to fight it or move, and he saw the figure above him let go of whatever parasailing device they had, diving towards him and grabbing him, twisting both of them so he was on top of the other when they hit the snow.

The impact was still hard, but not nearly as horrible as it could have been without that significant slowing. Link gasped for air nonetheless, stretched far beyond what his body could handle, numb and so cold it froze his bones.

He vaguely felt the person underneath him moving, and he opened his eyes as best he could, glancing down. Blue eyes looked back at him, framed in a somehow strangely familiar face.

“I’ve never seen anyone else ride a dragon,” the young man commented, expression perplexed. “Who—”

The man cut himself off, recognition shining in his eyes, in the way his brow shot upward, in the way his mouth opened even more with a small gasp.

And then it hit Link.

This… this was Rauru’s knight.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

@skyward-floored, I had this whole epic thing planned out of writing multiple little sickfic snippets for my parent-child Blorbo teams but I ran out of energy :( Anyway, I hope you don’t mind Hero of Shadow, you’re not as familiar with him but he was all that came to my mind first before I got tired lol 😅 (don’t worry there are no totk spoilers)

…

Link sniffled, throat aching, a scratchy, swollen feeling that stimulated his gag reflex with nearly every swallow. His nose was stuffed but wouldn’t just clear, and the damp of the Depths was giving him a chill.

“I thought your magic was supposed to protect me,” he grumbled.

His guardian was even grouchier. “I told you not to go out in the rain when we went up to the surface last night.”

Link crossed his arms, inordinately annoyed. Honestly, being sick shouldn’t be this big of a deal, but it halted his mission—which he was gearing up to try and restart—in its tracks, and gave Ganondorf another excuse to keep him so close it was nearly suffocating. Then again, after his actions the other day, that wasn’t a surprise anyway. He’d known he wouldn’t be able to wander out of the demon king’s arm’s reach for at least a week given everything. He had to be fine with that.

At least he’d managed to get Ganondorf sick too.

The demon king snorted, congested and absolutely unhappy about it. Link hid a smirk. It was satisfying making Ganondorf miserable too, even if a part of him felt guilty about it. The feeling didn’t last long as he shivered, trying to wrap himself more tightly in the robe gifted to him by the Yiga.

Ganondorf was about to make some remark or another before an enormous sneeze erupted out of him, making Link nearly jump out of his skin. Goddesses, he was pretty sure the entire world knew their location now.

The young shadow warrior finally admitted defeat when the demon king held his hand out, beckoning him over. He’d argued with him enough lately, and he knew that being sick would make the man’s patience even thinner. He wasn’t keen on being controlled today, and honestly… he was freezing. And wouldn’t refuse a hug.

Sighing, Link dragged himself over to the man, settling in his embrace as Ganondorf sniffled with a sour look on his face.

“We’re never going to the surface again,” the demon king grumbled.

Link knew that wasn’t true, of course. But he still shriveled a little at the thought of it. He missed the rain already. But it would be fine, he assured himself, closing his eyes and hugging Ganondorf back. It would all be fine.

Though if Ganondorf sneezed again, it might just blow out the poor teenager’s hearing.