#*legend of zelda voice* its dangerous to go alone! take this!

[writingnocturne]

Unseen Hero

The Legend of Zelda (1986)

Expand to read!

The delicate cloth of a parasol casts a faint shadow in the spring daylight. Amidst the quaint morning, a young girl in a lovely pink dress walks beside her companion in travel. He is a boy her age, a child typically covered in dirt with hair left in a mess. By all means, they look as though they could be direct opposites– but they seem to get along just fine. The girl, Princess Zelda, peers over to her slightly-less-than-talkative friend, a small smile like starlight still across her face.

"It's sunny, isn't it, Link? Summer is getting close." The princess tends to do most of the talking amidst their conversations, but they're nowhere near one-sided. Link listens intently to every word, nodding in response. Zelda continues, "I'll miss all these flowers, though. The trees look so pretty like this…" Her gaze shifts upward to the blossoms on the trees, a petal or two fluttering down as they pass.

Link glances at Zelda for a moment. He has explored every reach of Hyrule at some point; he quite enjoys the lively breath of spring in the wild, as well. It is when the land of Hyrule feels like it all runs on one energy. …But he can't help but look at her instead. He's noticed something. She almost resembles the petals, even in movement, as they gracefully dance down to the ground. Of course, he thinks such a thing is way too corny to say aloud, so he keeps his mouth shut and continues to listen to her.

"Thank you for escorting me out here, Link. They thought it was too dangerous for me to come out here alone, even still, can you believe that?" Zelda lets out a frustrated huff, "they" referring to members of her rebuilding court after the death of the King, "Oh, well… at least it gives me an opportunity to spend time with you, Link. Usually, we'd have to sneak off!"

Much to the upset of the castle staff, Zelda has allowed Link to stay there. Not many of them approve of Link, but he didn't really have a proper home before Impa found him… which Zelda didn't realize until recently. She thought it was the least she could do for him, but she usually never sees him inside anyway. He likes being outside, and she certainly can't blame him. The proximity has at least made it much easier for the two to meet and go explore.

"We couldn't have chosen a better day." The princess shuts her eyes, taking in the scent of the plant life. The pollen in the air tickles her nose, causing her to sneeze. Perhaps that was a bad idea on her part. She peeks over her arm to Link, who has a dumb grin subtly formed on his face, "What?" Link only glances away, the smile lingering. "...Link."

"(...It's nothing)." The boy speaks up, although his voice is nearly inaudible. It's hard not to tell Zelda that her sneeze sounded like a rabbit's.

As the princess is about to respond, she suddenly stops herself. Both freeze in sync. There was some sort of noise… a light "snap" from the collection of trees along their path. Zelda darts her gaze in the direction of the sound, letting out a yelp as this action is interrupted by a spear flying right past her head. It pierces a tree, having been mere inches away from cutting through her.

Link races to the princess's side, swiftly drawing a sword with a glistening blade. He's quick to scan the area for the culprit, spotting a moblin that has appeared a little ways off of the trail. The boy stands with an arm infront of Zelda, determined to keep the creature away from her. The monster in question wastes no time to approach, being unintimidated; it is multiple heads taller than either child. As it dares to claw towards them, Link reaches back to Zelda and pulls her with him out of its path. It stumbles right into the tree, its face colliding with the bark beside its spear.

Zelda places a hand on Link's shoulder, growing tense at the sight of a monster with such resemblance to Ganon. The girl uses the gesture as a means to caution Link to be careful whilst she is still a bit too rattled for words. He spares her a brief glance, giving a light nod to indicate his understanding. She is perfectly aware he is capable of defeating the monster, but she would rather he not take any damage in the process.

Following this, Link lifts his sword and thrusts it towards the stumbling moblin just as it reaches to recover its weapon. It leaves a cut that fizzles like a ray of light, the monster growling and trying to claw its attacker in retaliation. The young one pulls a simple shield from his back, but it is enough to stall the moblin despite being small. He's able to slice it again, but this time the beast grabs his arm after the motion and throws the child back into the tree. Link can hear Zelda call his name, his vision blurring from the impact with the trunk. He winces, pulling himself up. His unfocused gaze shows multiple moblins growing nearer, ripping the spear out from the bark above and preparing to strike.

Link tries to force himself to believe he's recovered from the small sense of shock, somewhat sloppily pointing his blade again… But the monster trips, seemingly on its own, before Link needs to do a thing. It's about the time it spends teetering on its own feet that Link needs to recuperate himself, rushing back to a stand with the support of the tree. Around the disoriented moblin, however, he spots what tripped it: or rather, who. Zelda holds her closed parasol close to her now, seeming slightly surprised with herself. She had smacked the thing at full force... right in its disproportionate legs.

Realizing he was given an opening, Link aims his sword at the creature and forces enough energy to send a ray of magic from its blade, which shoots right through the moblin and causes it to dissolve in an instant. He lets out a quiet sigh of relief, but not until he's already made sure none others were closeby. Determining everything to be calmed, the boy steps over to Zelda to make sure she's alright. She holds her shut parasol under her arm for the time being.

"...I'm fine, Link– What about you? That looked like it hurt." Zelda looks around him, eyeing the dirt that's collected on his back from the collision. Luckily, she doesn't see much blood, but she's sure there is some gathering on the surface of whatever cuts he gained.

Link rubs the back of his head. Admittedly, it hurt a lot… but he doesn't want her to worry about him. "(...I'll be fine, Princess. …That thing really didn't see you coming)!" He sheathes his blade and returns the shield to his back.

"...Oh! Uh…No, it didn't. I couldn't just stand there and watch you fight it…! Not now that I can help you directly, anyway… But don't forget yourself! It had no idea it was challenging the Hero of Hyrule, after all." Zelda takes both of his hands with hers, smiling once more. She's the only one other than Impa who has ever really called him that, but she insists upon the title. "...monsters and such aside, we should sit down. I'll heal you, okay?"

The Hero of Hyrule agrees, allowing the Princess to lead him to a place to rest for a little while.

Note:

Just a cute little classic Zelink thing. I had fun with this one, especially the little cover.

Other writing:

If you like my writing, check out the rest of this blog and @loz-untold-myths! If you like my art, check my main art @nocturnalfandomartist.

[trixtermagi]

I can’t remember where I heard this, and thought it was in the Book of Wisdom but now I can’t find the source! If I can track it down, I’ll link it— anyways, I always liked the idea that your chosen Clan grants you a rune (obviously not in the actual game, but as far as lore goes) and they’ve got representatives which grant it to Magi from other Clans. Here are some blurbs on those runes from the MagiQuest shop page:

Runes are the most valuable commodity in MagiQuest. These are the ancient sources of magic that will give your Wand additional powers once you possess them. Each MagiQuest Quest Rune symbolizes a Quest in the game. Each MagiQuest Adventure Rune symbolizes the virtual reward received once you complete a MagiQuest Adventure. Display your runes from your wand, topper or belt.

Distract Rune: The Distraction Rune is the rune of the Shadow Clan. It is the power to distract creatures and opponents from their intended purpose and allows one to sneak past guarded entrances and into secret areas and hidden chambers.

Music Rune: The Music Rune is the rune of the Trixter Clan. It empowers anyone to summon beautiful music from objects within MagiQuest and use it to tame beasts, communicate with other Magi or entertain.

Healing Rune: The Healing Rune is the rune of the Majestic Clan and allows the power to heal creatures and mend magical objects that have been damaged or drained of power.

Lightning Rune: The Lightning Rune is the rune of the Warrior Clan. It has the power to summon the lightning and thunder used in dueling Magi and dark creatures.

Enchant Creature Rune: The Enchant Creatures Rune is the rune of the Woodsy Clan. It empowers anyone to communicate with the creatures of MagiQuest.

[ymiwritesstuff]

A Siren’s Song

I had this idea for some time and I may have gotten a bit carried away but I’m very proud of the final result! I’ve tried looking at Revali’s character a bit more in depth and I think this oneshot really shows that! Also yeah, the reader is a siren. Please enjoy!!

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild

Revali x Siren!Fem!Reader

Summary: After being assigned a quite boring and troublesome mission the Rito Champion finds himself on the stranded island of Eventide, though he soon finds out that he isn’t the only one there.

The navy blue Rito huffed in annoyance as he flew over the cerulean waters of the Necluda Sea. Out of all the things he could have been assigned to, this was by far the most belittling and cumbersome. To think that the Princess, so dependent on his superior skills, underestimated said skills by having him search for this isolated shrine allegedly located on a faraway island, was it called Eventide? He couldn’t recall as his annoyance was far outweighing his desire to visit this remote island. Revali understood why he was chosen for this painfully simple mission as he could most efficiently cross the vast sea separating the island from mainland Hyrule with his impressive flying, though this didn’t mean he was any less irritated about it.

As the island slowly came to view Revali’s eyes quickly scanned the area in case he could already see this alleged shrine. He sighed as he saw nothing of interest and continued approaching the isle. However, as he got closer, instead of seeing something, a faint sound reached him, and he could just barely hear it. Revali frowned his brows, the sound becoming clearer and clearer the closer he got, and for some reason, he felt this strange need to follow this sound. It was now clear to him that what he was following was a female voice singing somewhere on the island, the intricate melodies ringing in his head like a spell, almost asking him to follow it.

The heavenly voice the Rito couldn’t ignore led him to a sandy beach and beyond as he quickly realized that the sound was coming from the sea itself. He slowed down, the singing being now incredibly close as he could now hear it louder than ever. Revali hovered above the still somewhat shallow water, the voice seemingly echoing below the surface. His curious emerald eyes looked down, trying to see if he could witness the source of this mysterious singing. His eyes caught something. A figure, swimming in the water, effortlessly floating in the blue liquid and glimmering under the sun. He lowered himself further, desiring to see this mystical figure in more detail. However, this decision soon proved to be treacherous.

Suddenly, the singing ceased and Revali snapped out of the trance-like state he was just under, only to be violently pulled under the surface by an unknown force. Panic quickly kicked in and the Rito began thrashing around, desperately trying to reach the surface to get air. However, whatever was holding him had an iron-like grip on his torso that refused to let go, no matter how much he struggled. Revali was pulled deeper and deeper, the sunlight from the surface barely visible anymore. He was running out of options, and most crucially, oxygen.

The only and possibly last option that entered his mind seemed ridiculous and he wasn’t even certain it would work, however, there was nothing else to do. The vicious predator never loosened its grip as it dragged him down, certain that there was no way for the Rito to escape. But suddenly, something happened and the Rito was carried up by something that looked like an updraft. The unknown creature couldn’t keep up with the speed and was forced to let go, allowing Revali to shoot up from the ocean and not so gracefully land on the sand of the beach.

The Rito panted, trying to catch his breath, secretly thanking the Goddesses that he was able to escape. Trying to use his technique underwater was incredibly risky, but Revali was relieved to see that it had succeeded in saving his life. Realization quickly hit him as the battle was not over yet and whatever had just attacked him was still lurking around somewhere. He quickly stood up, his soaked feathers weighing him down a bit and he went to grab his bow from his back. Only to realize that it was not there. He frantically looked around, trying to find his weapon, but it was nowhere to be seen.

“Looking for this?” Your voice came through and stopped the Rito in his tracks as you emerged from the water, holding his Great Eagle Bow in your hand. Revali looked at you noting your scaly skin, long claws, but most notably, your tail. The Rito didn’t say a word, which caused your already existing smirk to widen. “You survived. That’s quite impressive. No one has been able to do that yet,” you say and look at the weapon in your hand, carefully examining it. “Hmm.. Quite the craftsmanship… Do you mind if I keep this?” Your eyes turn to look at Revali, who merely crosses his wings and scoffs.

“I doubt such a primitive beast like you would know how to properly utilize such a weapon’s strengths.” The tone of his voice is mocking, which surprises you, coming from someone who just almost met their doom. His eyes don’t even bother to look at you, which is meant to indicate that he saw you as an inferior being, however this has little to no effect on you.

“You’re a Rito, right?” He glanced at you and raised his brow most likely surprised a creature like you knew about the races living in Hyrule. Your smirk widened at this. “I’ve seen a few of you fly by. Though none have been brainless enough to approach me.” You glance at him, your eyes alone shining in a way that challenges his presence. “Well, until now.” Internally, your words painfully strike his pride, making himself feel like a fool. Externally, however, he merely laughs sarcastically and scoffs again.

“Only a lowly creature like you would resort to such cowardly methods in battle.” He brought his still wet wing to his chest as he continued to bathe in his own words of praise: “If you had revealed yourself like a true warrior, my victory would have been but assured.” Despite his words meant to be condescending, you couldn’t help but giggle at them. “Yet this lowly creature almost killed you.” Revali’s previously confident expression fell slightly, but you were able to catch that subtle change in his body language and it only fueled your own confidence.

“You know what? I like you. And it would be rude of me to leave you to fend for yourself,” you say, referring to his bow that was still in your clawed hand. Revali raised his brow at you, knowing full well that you were planning something as he wasn’t foolish enough to think that a creature of deceit would just offer his weapon without asking for anything in return. “However as I’m sure you already know, I can’t just give this beauty back to you for free. In fact, I need you to fetch something from me.” As soon as these words left your mouth, Revali let out a seemingly nonchalant laugh, most likely to fuel his facade.

“Ha! And why would I, Revali, the Legendary Rito Champion, obtain anything for the likes of you?” The Rito had raised his voice, and it was now echoing around the entire island. You sigh in fake disappointment and frown your brows to appear hurt. “I thought you might say something like that. Oh well.” Revali’s eyes widen when he sees you stretching the bowstring and pretending to shoot something, his gaze immediately noting the incorrect technique. “I suppose I will become an archer then,” You say with a voice that has a tone of underlying mischievousness as your claws come dangerously close to scratching the wooden surface of the bow. Your little trick is working as Revali is quick to stop you.

“Don’t do that!” He suddenly yelled which he immediately realized to be a crack in his seemingly unconcerned facade. You look at him with a smirk and he grumbles something under his breath. “Curse you…” He clears his throat and swallows his pride for this brief moment, only for the sake of his weapon. “What is it that you want me to obtain?” He asks rather quietly and your gaze immediately lights up.

“Aww, I knew I could count on you!” You exclaim mockingly, which only increases Revali’s feeling of humiliation. Your (E/C) eyes look at him properly for the first time as you state your request: “Are you familiar with the spirit dragon Farosh? It is said to appear near the Bridge of Hylia.” Revali listened closely, unsure what you were about to request. He was familiar with the spirit dragons, however wasn’t certain if they even really existed. “Now this is where you come along.” You said to make sure he was listening. “What I need, is a scale from this dragon. And you need to find a way to get me one.” You smiled playfully and Revali crossed his wings once more.

“You require a scale from a spirit dragon? And what do you plan on doing with it?” He asked, suspicion and strange curiosity coating his voice. You chuckle lightly and shake your head. “That’s classified information and totally irrelevant to the topic. I simply need it. And if you ever wish to use this quite stunning bow again, you’d better do as I requested.” A smirk makes its way across your lips again and you notice Revali’s own irritation growing. “So, do we have a deal, oh great Champion Revali?”

The navy blue Rito clicked his tongue in annoyance, but couldn’t do much to improve his situation. Other than comply. “Fine.” Your smirk widened at that, but you soon notice him stretching his wing out and taking a few steps closer to the shore. “However I need that in order to succeed,” He said, a smug smirk of his own dancing along his beak. You let out a laugh. How stupid did he think you were?

“Oh no, I won’t fall for that. I’ll be holding onto this,” you say, lightly caressing the bow. “To make sure that you won’t trick me.” You glance at him and see his face once again twisted by exasperation. He didn’t say anything, instead he crouched down and prepared to take off, not even bothering to look at you. “I’ll be waiting here. Just throw the scale into the ocean when you return and you’ll get your precious bow back. I promise.” You say with rare authenticity the Rito also notices. However, your features quickly revert to how they were moments ago. “Also, don’t take too long, I might get bored and leave the area. You wouldn’t want to lose-”

You didn’t have time to finish your words of tease when a huge gust of wind blew from below the Rito, drying his wet feathers in the process. With one leap he was flung into the air and began heading towards the direction he initially came from. You raised your brow at this but smiled in amusement.

“So that’s how you did it…”

~

To the Rito’s surprise, he was able to find this supposed spirit dragon and obtain its scale in a few days, albeit not easily. Having no previous knowledge of this dragon as well as approaching it without his trusty bow, Revali found the process troublesome and far too tedious and suffered a few minor shocks from the spirit. In addition to this, the Rito wasn’t certain why, but he felt a bizarre feeling of curiosity when it came to you. Perhaps it was merely something everyone like you possessed, seeing as your primary tactic was to allure people close and brutally drown them. The captivating song you sung upon your first meeting seemed to have planted a part of it within him. Regardless, he was successful in his little mission and was now on his way back to the stranded island to hopefully get his Great Eagle Bow back.

The Rito landed on the familiar beach, seeing no signs of anyone around him. He looked around a few more times before sighing in defeat and throwing the scale into the water, secretly praying that you wouldn’t just snatch it and leave. The scale floated on the surface and for a good few minutes, nothing happened, which made Revali wonder if you had tricked him from the very beginning. His patience had limits and it wouldn’t take long before he would accept defeat and leave the island with a bitter taste on his tongue.

However, suddenly something shot up from the water, and the emerald-eyed Rito could see two clawed hands grabbing the scale, followed by your familiar form emerging from the water, his bow securely on your back. Your (E/C) eyes admired the scaled and there was a wide, genuine smile on your lips. “You found it! You actually found it! For the love of Farore I never thought you’d be able to-” You stopped your excited exclamations when you noticed Revali looking at you, his wings crossed in front of his chest and a smirk stretching the corners of his beak. “Awfully enthusiastic, aren’t we? And here I thought you were nothing more than a traitorous snake,” He stated, strangely amused at your reaction. 

You cleared your throat as his comment threw you off a bit. “Well, I suppose looks can deceive.” You grab his bow from your back and take a final look at it. “I’ve grown quite fond of this one, I almost don’t want to let it go.” Your words are meant to once again irritate him, but when you look at him, his expression is rather hard to read. However, it is clear that he wants his bow back. “But I am a woman of my word,” You finally say and toss the bow to him, which he immediately catches, quickly examining it before placing it on his back.

“I appreciate the cooperation, Miss…” His voice trails off, having realized that he doesn’t in fact know your name.

“(Name). My name is (Name).” A smile makes its way on your lips as you formally introduce yourself for the first time. Revali nods. “Well, (Name). I do hope you find a good use for that scale. Having me fetch it for you is quite the honor, I’ll have you know,” He says, feeding his pride once again. You playfully roll your eyes but laugh nonetheless. “I can imagine.” Suddenly, your eyes are firmly locked on him, their previous sarcastic and mischievous shine having disappeared completely as you hold the scale against your chest.

“Thank you, Revali. Truly.”

His eyes widen at this sincerity in your voice and the way your eyes look at him. The Rito feels a strange tingly sensation within him and isn’t quite sure how to respond, so he resorts to promptly turning around and preparing his gale. “The pleasure is mine, (Name).” He says, before raising his wings to the air.

“Will I see you again?!” You suddenly shout, almost unwillingly. The words leave your mouth faster than you can think and it makes the Rito stop his departure before it truly began. He glances at you and regains some of that sarcastic attitude he is so renowned for. “Perhaps. But it would certainly take a while.” His beak turns into a smirk and his eyes shine in playfulness. “Say, a hundred years or so. But I doubt you’d manage to wait that long,” he jokes, his words sounding silly to himself as well. In reality, though, he isn’t sure, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t wish to see you again. 

“I’ll wait. I’ll wait for you as long as I have to. Who knows, maybe I’ll need more scales in the future.” The tone of your voice is similar to his, but in truth, you are somewhat serious. This cocky Rito somehow stuck to you and for some reason, the thought of not seeing him again saddened you in a way. Revali shakes his head and chuckles slightly.

“I suppose we’ll both have to wait and see. Regardless, I’ll gladly demonstrate my superior skills to you in the future.” And with that, he summoned that familiar updraft and soared to the sky, this time flipping and gliding around more than it was necessary. His movements were precise, effortless, perfect. Your (E/C) eyes shined in awe as you witnessed his dance in the sky. The sight of you, completely captivated by his elegant maneuvers, greatly amused him.

“I’ll have you know, (Name), my greatness far exceeds that which you currently see!”

With one final flip and look into your eyes, the Rito Champion changed his course toward Hyrule, leaving your awestruck form behind. “Until next time!” You blinked a couple of times, still holding the scale close, your tail lightly swinging below the surface. Even when Revali’s form got farther away, you found yourself staring at the silhouette of the Rito. There was just something about him. Something special under that arrogant shell. You smile to yourself and prepare to dive into the water.

“What a showoff…”

With all that has occurred, you can’t help but think that him escaping your deadly grip the first time you met was a good thing. And if it really took a full century to simply witness those splendid movements again, you would gladly, and patiently, wait for his return on this very beach.

[mamichigo]

Title: clockwise

Pairing: Revali/Link

Rating: G

Word count: 1,3k

Tags: Alternate universe, God of time Link, Tension

Summary:

"You are a child blessed by time."

Notes: This is my gift for @artbychromo in the @revalinkexchange !! I sunk my teeth into your god au prompt and didn't let go.

*

When Revali was still a hatchling, he had foolishly believed himself to be knowledgeable enough to play in the snowy Hebra mountains. It had been fun, until Revali realized he was lost, and his wings were still too weak to fly him home even on an updraft.

Scared, and most of all embarrassed, Revali had found somewhere warm to huddle up, then sent a quick prayer to the goddess Hylia.

"I'm kinda lost, so could you please make it so I'm rescued quickly?" It was what he said, in all his childish arrogance.

As it would turn out, within a few long hours, Revali was found and taken back to the Village. The adults fussed over him, oscillating between scolding him and checking him for injuries.

"You were gone for three days, we thought we'd lost you!"

Revali did not understand what they meant by that. Confused, he went to the elder and, perched on his right thigh, Revali told him there was no reason for all the fuss. After all, it had barely been a day.

The elder stroked the feathers of his face, shocked but contemplative. Finally, he laid a wing on Revali's shoulder and smiled something mysterious.

"You are a child blessed by time," the elder told him.

He didn't understand that, either. Huffing, Revali left for his own roost, where he remembered to say his thanks to the goddess:

"I guess you're really as helpful as they say, so thank you. If you could help me out again whenever I'm lost, that'd be really appreciated."

And that had been it. Or, at least, that had been it for this particular incident. Five years later, Revali would fall while training on a not so windy day. His wing was injured and stiff from overexertion. Somehow, in the five seconds it would take for his body to hit the ground hard and fast, he managed to pull a dagger from his pouch and stab it at an opening between the rocks that so happened to be there. His shoulder wrenched painfully as his body came to a stop, dangling by the dagger, but he was safe nonetheless.

Two years after that, an unexpected monster ambush caught him off guard. As Revali fumbled with an arrow, the black moblin closest to him came to a complete stop, weapon raised in the air. It was just one second. It was enough for Revali to shoot an arrow between its eyes.

Whenever one day's time didn't seem like quite enough, the hours dragged. When he was tired and could barely stand as he came back from another grueling training session, he would be back at the Village in the blink of an eye. And when Revali was in the air, adrenaline roaring, the world slowed down, down, down. He could nock as many arrows as he needed.

He had all the time in the world.

Revali was somewhat of a cynic, but he wasn't dumb. He knew he was being aided--for what reason, he wasn't sure. He simply got into the habit of murmuring an exasperated "thanks" in between arrows, and deemed it enough courtesy. He wouldn't be rude to a god, but he wasn't about to kneel at their feet either.

He told himself as much, standing under the watchful gaze of the Hylia statue built into the Temple of Time. It was his first time visiting the place of worship for what he has been blessed since childhood. It is a somewhat belated visit, but Revali put a wing on his hip and raised his chin imperiously.

"I don't know what's with you, but I suppose I should thank you. You have saved me from death and injuries many times, and for that I am grateful." Revali cocked his head and smirked. "I don't feel like being in debt to a god, after all. Just don't expect me to give you special treatment for this."

His words rang in the empty temple. Coming at night put himself in danger, what with the low visibility, but it was worth it for the privilege of being alone with the goddess. Having said his piece, Revali was satisfied and prepared to leave.

All he heard was the melodious tune of a lyre. As Revali turned, the moon had turned into the sun, and warm sunlight powered inside through the windows, bathing everything in sunset orange and faint rainbows. Revali blinked, mouth agape.

In front of him, someone with a youthful face stared at him with blank eyes. His arms were marked with swirls of an alphabet Revali couldn't understand, his face was obscured by the hood pulled over his head. He glowed while standing completely in the shadows.

"I didn't think you'd ever come," the person said, voice devoid of emotion. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?"

If Revali didn't know any better, he'd say he detected a hint of sarcasm in his words. Revali narrowed his eyes.

"You're not Hylia."

"Clearly."

Revali approached only so he could circle around the deity--it was unlikely he was anything else. The blank eyes seemed to watch him wherever he went.

"Do you have a name I can call you? It is inconvenient not to have anything with which to refer to you in my head, you see."

"You may call me Link."

"Link," Revali scoffed, amused despite himself by the simplicity of the name.

"You have always been disrespectful," Link commented. "Arrogant. Self-centered. No one is truly above you in your eyes."

Revali was startled by how terribly fond he sounded when saying it. Revali bristled, but tried not to, knowing his feathers were puffing out in response.

"You sound like a delight yourself," Revali spat.

"Give in equality to what you receive."

Revali came to a stop, at the same time Link gestured for him to come closer. Revali noticed there was a triforce symbol on each of his palms. He obeyed, more out of curiosity than anything. Standing close like this, Revali could hear a faint ticking sound.

"You have a question," Link stated.

Revali jabbed a finger at Link's sternum. Unexpectedly, he felt like flesh and bones just like any other Hylian. 

"Why are you aiding me? It's not like I'm your most faithful devotee."

"It's not about devotion."

"Then what is it about?"

"I like you."

Revali opened and closed his beak. "What?!"

"Some things are really that simple." Link took the wing still touching him and moved it away, but kept it held between his palms. He radiated an unnatural sort of warmth. "You're interesting. I liked the way you talk."

Revali had to raise his eyebrows at this. "You enjoyed being sassed by a child?"

For the first time, a smile appeared on Link's face. It was just a quirk at the corners of his mouth, but it somehow rounded out his entire face. It dawned on Revali how young he looked.

"It makes for a more interesting life," Link whispered. "Not many have the courage to talk like that to the Goddess."

"So, what? You're her message boy?"

"I'm simply one of her servants."

"How odd to hear a deity refer to themselves with such a lowly title."

Link smiled again, but offered no more words. Revali clicked his tongue and yanked his hand away.

"I think I've been your entertainment clown for long enough," Revali declared. "I should take my leave."

Revali barely took a step when Link moved. His hand was firm on Revali, but not painful. The white in his eyes gave away to blue irises. A curious bird peered in, but it froze in place the same time Link spoke up.

"Stay awhile," Link urged. "We have all the time in the world."

Revali gravitated towards him, green eyes to blue eyes locked. He took in a breath. Despite his instincts, Revali stayed.

[farore-or-less]

Forgotten Instincts - Prologue: Reawakening

Author: farore-or-less | tumblr | ao3 | fanfiction.net Rating: M Pairing: Zelink Notes/Summary: Having been torn from her sealing power, Zelda travels with Link as a companion to conquer the Beasts, but she must hide her identity because his memory is gone & mentality hanging by a thread. She has to live under an alias until his memory of her returns, even if that means he's falling in love with the woman she's pretending to be. (Angst / Smut / Romance / Comical / Slow Burn) Small Content Warning: Features violence, swearing, mental health & suffering, masturbation, and eventually explicit sexual content.

His breathing is soft and steady, like the soothing rhythm of waves.

In a dark unknown room, he is alone, lost and forgotten to this world, existing merely as remnants of a fable, now. He has no thoughts or worries, no fears or dreams, only the peaceful darkness that surrounds him. He feels nothing, he thinks of nothing —is completely motionless except for his slow breath and sated heartbeat. It's not terrifying or lonely to exist out of place and out of time because it's all he's ever known.

In this melodic submersion that is his sanctuary, a distant voice creeps through the silence and calls out to him.

...Link. 

......Link.

He hears it in the faintest corners of his mind. The voice is muffled and choppy, like swimming under water, and the noises from above are distorted and eerily different. He never stirs from his slumber but the smallest part of his attention is now alert, just incase the voice calls back to him again —and it does. It whispers; closer and more distinct this time.

…Wake up Link.

Everything before had existed in a vacuum —absent of time. Now, he feels like the world around him is in motion, racing towards the present, trying to catch up with that pleading, feminine sound. He feels it nudging him from his enchanted slumber and his next inhale becomes heavier and more pronounced with the subtleness of new life entering his body.

The weight of consciousness becomes its heavy burden once again, something that hadn't plagued him for over a lifetime.

Then a new voice, his own voice, speaks out to him —a welcoming reality that had been dormant for so long. What’s going on? The question enters his thoughts briefly, and the voice seems to answer in return.

…Open your eyes.

In this reawakening, the softest golden light appears. Ever so distant, yet so inviting. Should he head towards it or should he return to his deep, empty subconscious? He felt at ease there —his body and soul laid to rest where the burdens of life couldn't haunt him— but did he really want that? Should he dare let his curiosity take over just to see what lies beyond this shadowed void?

Without making his own decision on the matter, the light begins to grow until it becomes a blinding white nothingness all around him, and then the voice repeats the command.

Open your eyes…

The voice is gentler this time, the anxious undertone gone from its tone. It's no longer a plea but merely coaxing him out of his dream state. 

As his mind journeys towards the blinding white light, his eyes begin to open. Were they shut this whole time? With his physical senses tingling, he becomes aware of the environment around him and it's…moving. The strange substance that surrounds his body begins to drain away, making it feel like he’s suspended in a small, personal ocean and the waves have pushed his body onto shore. 

Wake up Link.

His eyes flutter open.

Slowly, a blur of hazy blue hues begin to align with their proper shapes. When his eyes finally focus, he realizes he’s gazing at a centerpiece above him. It's artistically designed and displays glowing blue dots connected with lines in a pattern that could possibly be constellations, and he finds it unidentifiable, unrecognizable, but enchanting either way.

As the last of the liquid substance drains away, his eyes begin to move slowly around the room. It's the first movements he’s made in a century, but he doesn't know that yet. He notices the wash basin he’s in, lined with textured swirls and a glowing blue essence that he doesn’t quite understand. Is this some sort of technology?

Before he gives in to the curiosity within him, Link takes one more moment in the calm silence to inhale as long as he possibly can. His breath feels strange and new, like he’s either been holding it for ages or maybe it’s the first he’s ever taken, he’s not really sure, but then suddenly he remembers the voice he heard —now the first memory his mind has tucked away. Did he imagine it? No… that’s not possible. He couldn’t have imagined it because he had never heard that voice before.

So where was it coming from? 

He rises and begins walking towards the only other structure in the room and takes the Sheikah slate from the pedestal as a door opens on the wall before him, beckoning him into the wild. 

    » . «

This is one of his favorite perches in all of Hyrule. 

To the west the traveling bard can see the rust colored mesa mountains of Gerudo Desert, where mysteries seem to begin and never end. He gazes towards his homeland of the north and spots the snow covered peak of Hebra, protruding high above the mountain range. It's odd, unique crescent wound displayed like a proud scar for all of Hyrule to witness, although its origin story is now lost to memory —just like most things in this world. He can see the dark malevolent clouds forever lingering above Death Mountain as the lava flows dangerously down to where the contrasting humble Goron folks reside. This perch where the flighty musician stands displays one of the best views of the slumbering Hyrule Castle, forever a charred scab at the center of this world. A blackened heart barely breathing.

No, Hyrule is not without its scars and wounds, cuts and burns, it seems.

And of course, over his right shoulder, he can view the crumbled ruins of the Temple. It must have been a site to behold during its glory days, though now it is just another memory almost forgotten. Almost. 

Although the clerestory and western tower still remain, it displays a great wound along its side, enervated but not destroyed completely. He stares at the structure, grateful for his Rito wings which allow him to see such a legendary building hidden atop this vacant high ground. How long has this Temple held together? How many eras of time has it seen come and pass, and how many more will it bear witness to? 

The Temple is like a song, he thinks. It changes and resurrects, is forgotten until it's discovered again. Its story is passed down as legend, speaking perhaps more tales than truths, adapting throughout time just to survive. Just like the way a song carries throughout a generation, it morphs and rearranges, becomes relevant to the present after an era of being lost. It will be revived, retold, will share its wisdom when it's found once again. 

He carries these songs within him and perhaps he's the only one to do so now. When he had taken his apprenticeship, he knew one day the songs must be retold —either by him or his successor, whomever that will be. Perhaps one of his daughters will appreciate these songs like he does. He's always cherished the stories told from old, passed down through the line of poets and singers, dancers and performers.

Artists, he thinks. Artists pass down history more so than books in Hyrule. Books can be burned, destroyed, but songs of legend, they never seem to die. Not completely.

The bard comes here when he knows he won't be interrupted. Not by the rowdiness of stables or the crashing ocean waves, vagabonds or wanderers intrigued by his unique musical instrument and Rito voice. His race is known for being talented warriors, skilled in the combat of hunting and archery, albeit his path has always been different, but just as significant.

Nay, he seeks the Great Plateau because he knows no one will disturb him; not even the hooded stranger who is the only occupant atop this Plateau. He observes him sometimes, chopping wood by his cabin, wandering the Forest of Spirits or resting in his little alcove like he is now —always seeming to be in several places at once.

Perhaps he is a memory, just like one of my songs, he thinks.

Before he begins reciting his teacher's lessons, he likes to stand for a moment in silence; to mourn for the land and all its wounds, its misfortunes and destruction. It has seen its share of hardships come and go as it is will again and again —an endless cycle of destruction, peace, restoration, and war. He stands in silence to give admiration to where it need given, for this world, no matter how many scars it bares, is still beautiful, still strong, still breathing.

When he's ready, the bard takes a cycle of breath, ruffles his feathers, and rolls his broad shoulders. He flexes his feathered fingers against his instrument —the weight of it feeling light and airy much like the melodic notes it performs. He closes his eyes and hears the melodic music of nature around him, feels the wind through his feathers the way a song can breeze through a soul.

"What song shall I perform for you today, Hyrule?" He asks and it doesn’t answer. "How ‘bout an ancient song today, eh?"

The finches and squirrels scatter behind him.

He thinks it could have been a coincidence, but then again, Kass knows there is no such thing. He feels the vibration beneath his talons, hears the rumble of the cave behind him, creaking and moaning, whirling and swirling. The sounds of lost technology no longer dormant, and nature giving in to change. 

Looking over his feathered shoulder, Kass opens his eyes and smiles towards the shrine. Ahh, a new ballad has begun.

He rises from the cliff and soars away in a flurry of colors before the Sleeping Knight ever knew he was there. 

    » . «

Hylia, you know we do not meddle in the affairs of man. This is asking too much.

The four stand between time and space, shrouded in the purple embers of twilight. Here, they each stand atop a pillar of cobblestone suspended in another realm where no soul but deities have ever stepped. This meeting has been taking place out of time because the four that stand here use it as a tool —chiseling and forging paths of story and legend, creating lines and webs that are infinite and benevolent.

But now, if Hylia did not seek aid of her creators, her own path may result in an ending at all timelines. 

You created me. You created this world. It is your responsibility to see it endure, Hylia says.

No. We created you for that very purpose, o ne of the Three Sisters speak.

I cannot be in two places at once, trapped inside a mortal body. This is my only option. Hyrule’s only option.

Why do you not go in her stead? Surely he will be better guided in your care. Forever curious, the Goddess haloed in blue ponders. 

She cannot hold the sealing power alone. Ganon would be released to my world before the Hero’s first breath.

You are one of divinity, Hylia. You cannot hold the Seal if you are not encased in mortality, states the Goddess haloed in red.

Discussion and asking questions are a good sign, Hylia notes. They are finally coming around.

You will recall, I have used that very same power at the beginning of this world against Demise himself. I was not mortal then. If you grant me your blessing, I promise all of Hyrule will be saved.

Silence falls. They're considering her request.

Hylia, are you willing to sacrifice yourself for this land that we have made? The green haloed Goddess asks.

Haven’t I already proven that?

Yes, you have —but this. You have never asked of this before, the Goddess of power speaks.

You would break the cycle, you would make it linear. You would make it end, the Goddess of courage adds.

Even I do not know if you can be sewn back together, the Goddess of wisdom concludes.

Then let us try because I have weighed the options and I have no other.

Silence blankets over the four Goddesses until finally, she can feel her creators giving in.

The Princess will not be the same without you. Her soul will be incomplete. If you are sure this is what must be done, then my Sisters and I will fill her void of where you once were whole, Nayru states.

What about the Hero?

His spirit is unbreakable indeed, but he is not worthy of our aid, Farore speaks.

We can do nothing for him now. He is too weak to adorn even a breath of our might, Din adds.

It is understood, Hylia replies.

Then you have our blessing, but remember, this will change Hyrule’s future. They speak in unison, in warning and in prayer.

Time is always rewritten for my world. Hylia bows to her creators and in an instant, they are gone. 

[lassluna]

Swan’s Hourglass (2/?)

Emma Swan had a mission. Find a place to start New Hyrule, her kingdom apparently. It was her mission as Princess or Savior or whatever. It’s going terribly if she’s honest. No one ever gave her Princess or Savior lessons growing up. She really has no idea how to be a Savior. She doesn’t even really want to in the first place.

But when the Demon Ship kidnaps her son and she gets stranded on a strange island with only an old woman and peppy fairy for help, Emma will have to do what she has to do to rescue her son, even if that means putting a certain self-proclaimed pirate captain in his place.

Legend Of Zelda AU

Ao3 FFN

AN: Happy Father's day everyone, I hope everyone is having a good time spending time with their families. Thank you so much for the support this story has gotten! This story would not be what it is without the lovely @spartanguard​ for beta reading it, @eastwesthomeisbest​ for her FABULOUS art as well as @cssns​ for putting this event together.

Chapter 1: Awake

“Mom!”

Her eyes shoot open and she sits up with a gasp, clutching her chest as she struggles to catch her breath.

Her vision is fuzzy when she looks around, and her limbs are sluggish at best. She doesn’t see Henry, she doesn’t see the ship or anything she recognizes.

“Henry,” she utters, her voice raw and her lips tasting like salt.

Salt. From the water. She was in the water.

Suddenly Emma feels cold, cold through her bones and she’s shaking, shivering really.

“Henry!” she calls out again, looking around, but there’s no sign of her kid.

“Hey, you’re awake!” says another voice, from a figure kneeling beside her. “Thank goodness you’re ok; when I found you washed up on the beach, I swore you were dead.” She blinks at the figure, trying to concentrate on her, but it proves difficult.

Her hands move and they come into contact with sheets, softer than the sheets in The Darling. The bed was larger too.

Eventually, her vision clears to realize she isn’t on a ship, or on a beach, but in a bed on solid land. She also realizes she isn’t alone.

“Granny didn’t think you were dead, so we brought you inside to Granny’s spare room—well, my room, but it’s still just the spare room,” the woman continues. Emma blinks trying to figure out who she is and what she is even talking about.

The woman looks younger than her, so early 20’s, has darker blonde hair falling short on her shoulders, tanned skin and she just. Keeps. Talking.

“Wh-Where am I?” Emma asks, her voice rough to her ears and she feels incredibly thirsty.

The woman’s eyes spark at her talking. “So you can talk, I was worried. We’re in Mercury Island in the East Sea, only real land mass in this area, at least according to Granny, and Granny knows every—“

Oh god . Emma thinks. Should have let me drown…

“Tink, are you talking this poor girl’s ear off?” says a second voice, interrupting the girl and entering the room. It was an older lady carrying a plate of food.

At first, she considers denying it, wanting to get up and look for Henry, or this Demon Ship that had taken her kid.

But her stomach growls and she still feels cold. Emma knows that if she has any chance at finding her kid, she needs to stay strong.

She takes the food; it’s a warm bowl of broth with some sort of noodles, she isn’t sure exactly, only that it’s delicious, the warmth waking up her sluggish body more and more with every sip.

“I’m so sorry about Tink, she gets a little bit excited. I’m Granny,” the woman says, smiling kindly at Emma; she has a motherly feeling, as if she enjoys caring for the less fortunate. “What’s your name, sweetie?”

“Emma.”

“Tell me Emma, how did you come to be washed up on our beach?” 

Emma swallows, hesitant to share her story, but coming to the conclusion that she needs help and these people are all she has.

“I was sailing with my son. We were attacked by the Demon Ship, a big ship, scary designs and an unnatural fog,” she describes. She sees Tink’s face pale and the woman frowns darkly. “They took my son. I need to get him back,” she insists.

“Granny…”Tink says, glancing at the older woman.

“I’m so sorry, sweetie, but finding the Demon Ship—why, it’s impossible,” she insists. 

Emma narrows her eyes. “You’ve heard of it? What do you mean impossible?” she repeats.

“People have been trying to find the Demon Ships for years. No one survives the encounter,” Granny explains.

“But I survived,” she points out.

“Then count yourself lucky, Emma. Try to forget what you lost and move on.” Her words hit her to her core.

“That’s not happening,” she snaps. “My son is on that ship, and I’m finding him no matter what,” she insists, moving the soup away. “Thank you so much for your hospitality.”

She stumbles slightly when she stands. Tink moves to help her but she brushes her away.

“Well if you’re that stubborn,” Granny begins, “There is one other survivor that I know of.” That catches her attention. “Before you, he’s been the lone survivor of the menace; he still hunts the damn thing. Can’t imagine why.”

That does seem useful; someone hunting it must be familiar with Demon Ship and would have the most information, and given that he survived it, he might know how to defeat it and get her son back.

“Where do I find him?” 

Tink looks to Granny nervously. “You don’t mean…” 

The old woman nods.

“I do. You’re looking for Captain Hook, and you’re in luck; word around town is he made port on the other side of the island last night. He’s most likely still there.”

Get to the other side of the island, find this Captain Hook fellow, and save Henry. It sounded like the makings of a plan.  

“Alright,” she agrees. “If you could give me directions to this port, I can get out of your way as soon as possible.” 

Granny shakes her head. “If only it were that simple sweetie, but the safest way to the port is through the bridge and it’s out. The builder should be along in a few days to fix it, but until then, you’re stuck.

“My son doesn’t have a few days!” she snaps. “You said safest,” she recalls. “What’s the other way?”

The old woman shakes her head. “It’s too dangerous.”

“What’s the other way?” she repeats. Emma doesn’t care about danger. 

“There’s a path, but no one ever uses it,” The older woman begins.

“It’s covered with monsters!” Tink interjects. “You can’t go there, Emma; it’s not safe.” Emma rolls her eyes.

“Look, thank you for your hospitality but I’ll be fine,” she insists. “If you can just point me to the path, I’ll be going.” She moves towards the door, but Granny stops her. “Listen, lady—“ But the old woman just shakes her head. 

“I’m not stopping you, Emma,” she assures. “But you can’t go running around in those rags. I have a few things that might fit you.” Emma looks down at her clothes. The dress she’s wearing is completely ruined, sea water having done its job on the skirt and the rip in the back being too bad for a regular patch. 

“Now, I have an adventurer’s tunic; legend has it that the one who wore this-“ But Emma cuts her off, not even glancing at the green she holds, looking straight at a dark blue and brown vest and pants respectively hanging besides it.

“Will this work?” she asks. Emma glances at the clothes Granny is about to offer. “Sorry; green isn’t my color.” The old woman looks a little shocked before she nods.

“Perfect.”

//

Apparently this ‘super dangerous’ path was in fact super dangerous. 

The moment she stepped out into the path, three red demons attacked her. They were small but had claws, teeth and bright yellow eyes. They took one look and lunged for her. It took Emma by surprise and she barely got away.

It had taken kicking one in the face to get them to back off. The second she could, Emma ran back to town, where they apparently did not want to follow.

Tink is the one who finds her at the beach kicking at the sand, trying to find something on the beach to use for a weapon. That’s all she needs: a weapon to beat these things and get to port.

“Granny was right,” Tink says when she sees her; Emma glares at her. “The path is too dangerous.”

She rolls her eyes. Emma is not in the mood for an “I told you so.” She ignores her.

“Especially without a weapon, and the only weapon on this side of the bridge is Granny’s old sword but she doesn’t like to use it.”

Emma’s head pops up. “Sword?” she repeats. Tink’s eyes go wide.

“I shouldn’t have said that, like I really shouldn’t have said that, but sometimes I don’t know how to shut my mouth,” she admits.

“Why didn’t Granny mention a sword?” she asks. That would have helped her get through the monsters and would definitely be a big help in her mission.

“Granny is a pacifist,” Tink admits. “She keeps the sword because a friend of hers made it,” Tink adds. “But I don’t know what friend; I think it’s the cannon maker in another island but I’m not sure…” She trails off, talking about this Marco fellow, but Emma doesn’t care.

“Where’s the sword, Tink?” she asks.

The blonde shakes her head.

“It’s in the shed, but Emma, please—you can’t take it, it’ll get you killed and it’ll be me getting you killed and I really don’t want that.” She pleads with genuine emotion and Emma believes her—she honestly cares.

“Ok, Tink,” she says softly to calm the upset girl.

“You promise?” Tink asks. Emma hesitates.

“I promise.” Perhaps it’s a little juvenile, but she crosses her fingers behind her back.

Emma waits until Tink is called to do her daily chores to make her way to the shed. A part of her feels bad about stealing from these kind people, but she just says to herself that she’ll give it back as soon as possible.

Maybe even compensate them for their troubles. It would be a harmless theft.

(Emma tries to push the sight of a concerned Tink from her mind.)

She focuses on the mess of a shed, boxes and crates of food in every inch of it. It takes a good while before she finds a chest in the back of the room. The box is good and sturdy with a design etched in the wood. She wishes she can see it, but the chest is too old to properly make it out.

When she opens the chest, Emma is pleasantly surprised by what she finds. 

She had expected some rusty blade too heavy for her to handle one handed. It was what she was used to seeing when she was with Bae. Or something lighter and slender, like a cutlass.

This was a one-handed double edged broadsword; long enough to give her some reach, but short enough to give her some power. It was always the type of weapon she preferred. It was the kind of sword her father once had, and while she later learned how to wield one on The Darling , her father’s weapon of choice always held a place in her heart.

She can tell by the sharpness and gleam of the metal that someone kept great care of the weapon. She picks it up and it feels right in her hand. She swings it, once, twice, three times and grins at the crisp sound of it cutting through air.

This is exactly what she needs; this is exactly the weapon she needs to rescue her kid. She looks around, finding a holster to secure the weapon to her side. Beside the chest, she notices a wooden shield. It also looks relatively new. A white bird design was painted onto it. She picks it up. 

She’s heard of people fighting with both a sword and a shield and she wonders. Bae never bothered with one. He thought they were too cumbersome, and considering his own fighting style, he was probably right.

Emma suddenly feels guilty for wanting to take both these things from the old woman who helped her.

“Mom!” 

Emma shivers. She would never forget the sound of Henry calling for her. That was the reason she was doing this. This time, the means justified the end.

 “What are you doing?” It catches her off guard to the point that she nearly drops the sword. Emma turns around slowly.  

 “ That’s a good question,” Emma admits. She honestly didn’t think she’d get caught.

“You’re stealing from us?” Tink says, sounding devastated. “You promised you’d wait, you said—“

Emma gave a sigh. “I’m sorry, but it’s my son, my only family; wouldn’t you do that for your family? Your grandmother?” she asks. “Every minute I wait, I feel like he’s hurting, like he’s scared and alone and I can’t have that.” She tightens her hold on the blade.

Tink looks at her for a long moment, an almost blank look on her face.

“Granny isn’t my grandmother,” she admits. “I-I lost my memory. Granny found me. I was half drowned and injured; she nursed me back to health and gave me a sanctuary while my memory came back…” she trails off.

“But it never did.” Tink smiles in confirmation. Honestly, Emma feels for the younger girl. She knows what it feels like to feel lost in your own head, unsure about anything at all. She seems different from the happy go lucky chatterbox from earlier.

“I don’t know if I’d do what you’re doing if the situation was reversed; I don’t know if I have a son, or a loved one, a family.” She shakes her head. “But you’re right—waiting is stupid. We should go. Your son needs you.”

“We?” Emma repeats. That was the last thing she expected. “You don’t need to come; you don’t need to risk your neck for me,” she insists. 

“But I want to!” she insists, all her spunk springing back into her. “I want to help you find Captain Hook. Plus, you shouldn’t have to go it alone. You have me to help you; even if I can’t fight, I can watch your back.”

Emma nods; that seems helpful. “But when it starts to get tense, you’re going to have to keep quiet and not distract me, alright? And just until we get to the docks and I find Captain Hook.”

“Deal!”

//

The red creatures don’t stand a chance against a fully armed Emma Swan. The first one she finds, she sneaks up on, and stabs it in the back before it has a chance to turn on her. It howls in pain as it dissolves into darkness.

Its cry alerts the other two to her presence, they jump at her with a vengeance, but she pushes them back with the shield on her arm. They try to circle her, but she doesn’t let them, charging at one while blocking the other. It takes a few swings before they’re both vanquished as well.

“You do know how to swing a sword,” Tink says amazed. Emma smiles shyly. She really doesn’t, but the bare basic she knows is enough for now. It has to be.

//

The town is a lot smaller than Emma imagined. Maybe it’s because she’s used to bustling port cities, or hidden castle towns, but this town is absolutely tiny. 

There is a small tavern, a small inn, a shop or two and a boathouse. There are barely any homes either. It just feels sad and dead, like the life in this place just wasn’t there. Emma doesn’t understand it.

 “I guess we can start at the shipyard,” Tink suggests, looking over at the ships. There are only a few, one standing out larger than the rest. Tink leads her right to that one.

“This is the one I remember Granny pointing out as his,” she explains. They look around, seeing not a speck of life on the ship. “Hello?” Again no one. There wasn’t even a crew on board.

“Are you looking for someone, miss?” says a voice; Emma sees an older man, sword at his hip and gruff disposition approach them.

“We’re looking for the owner of this ship. If you happen to know and want to tell us, of course…” Tink says meekly.

“Captain Hook,” Emma says louder, more assertively. “Can you tell us where he is?”

The man laughs. “Why on earth would you want to know where that sorry seaman is?” he asks. Emma crosses her arms stepping forward. 

“That’s none of your business sir. If you can’t help us, we’ll just find someone who can,” she says boldly.

“Probably drowning his sorrows in more rum at the tavern,” the man says leering at her. “But I wouldn’t bet on him helping you. The man is obsessed with only two things, rum and his suicide mission.” He laughs, eyes glancing at Tink. Emma steps in front of the younger girl.  “Perhaps I can be of service to you sweetie.” Emma takes Tink’s hand.

“Thanks, but we’ll take our chances.” She pulls Tink right along.

“I get to come to the tavern with you?” she asks delightedly. “I’ve never been to a tavern before.” She almost giggles. Someone seriously has to take this girl out more...

“Well I’m not leaving you with Prince Charming back there,” Emma says certainly. “Come on; just stay close to me.”

The tavern isn’t as raunchy as Emma expected; it was just a bar with a bartender and a few unconscious guests. Considering it was pretty early in the afternoon it was better than Emma expected.

“Excuse me?” Emma asks the bartender. “I’m looking for Captain Hook,” she says slowly. “Do you think you can point me in the right direction?”

Before the man has a chance to reply, one of the drunks near her shoots to life.

“ Captain Hook ,” he says with obvious disdain. “Good for nothing pirate! Beat me at cards; cheated me, cheated me I tell you,” he insists with a raised fist, knocking over his half empty glass onto the floor.

“Linebeck, no one cheated you at cards,” the bartender assures him.

“There were 6 Aces in his deck, 6! I counted them. 1,2,3…” He seems to get a little lost at that point. Tink tries to help him finish counting but Emma can tell a lost cause from here.

“Can you help me find him?” she asks the bartender once more.

“The Temple!” Linebeck shouts once more. “He conned me out of my key to the Ocean Temple!”

The bartender turns his head sharply. “Linebeck, you didn’t. You know the man is crazy about that,” he says. 

“Conned me, I say!”

“What is he talking about? Where is Captain Hook?” Emma demands. When no one answers, she takes a breath, trying to calm down.

“Look, I’ve traveled a bit to find him, fought some monsters, stole from a little old lady’s house; so if someone doesn’t start talking, I’m going to be really mad.”

There’s a look between the bartender and the crazed drunk.

“The Temple of the Ocean Queen. Hook has been coming and going for months trying to get in there, but it’s locked up tight. The only key there somehow ended up in Linebeck’s hands. Now Hook has it so he’s probably there,” he explains. Tink’s eyes go wide. She obviously knows something about this Temple. “And if he managed to get in that place, then you might as well give up, because he’s surely dead by now.”

Dead?

“He can’t be dead!” she exclaims.

“Emma…” Tink pleads. “He’s right; the Temple, Granny says-“ Emma shakes her head storming right out of the tavern. “Emma!” she calls, chasing after her.

“Which way to the temple?” she demands.

“You can’t go!” Oh, but she can. 

“What if he’s not there yet?” Emma tries. “What if we just go to the gate and look around?” she persuades.

Tink thinks about it for a moment. 

“Do you know how to get there?” she asks. The girl nods.

 “Just take me there Tink; that’s all I ask,” she insists. The smaller blonde looks uncertain, but she does lead the way through a path riddled with monsters towards the ominous blue building. As Emma says they do look around, look for any sign of the sea captain, but there is none, not until they get to the gate where there is a collection of chains undone, slightly open where you could slide through.

It was plainly obvious Captain Hook had found his way inside. 

“I have to go in,” Emma states plainly, looking at her companion.

“Emma, going in there is a suicide mission,” Tink insists. “People go in there and never come out. It’s a fool’s mission,” she adds, her hands on Emma’s arm, wanting to pull her away.

Emma glances at the tall, intimidating building and Emma can see what she means: it radiates an unsettling feeling.

“You said that this Hook fellow is the only one crazy enough to hunt down the Demon Ship,” Emma reminds her.

“Yeah but—“ Emma doesn’t let her finish.

“He’s in there, right?” Again Tink nods. “Then I have to go in there, find him and get him to take me to the Demon Ship,” she concludes. 

“But Emma,” Tink says; she's practically pleading with her. “If you go in there, you’ll die,” she says like a certainty. It leaves a sour taste in her mouth.

Sour, but familiar. 

“If it’s my only chance at saving Henry, then I’m prepared to die trying. If you’re scared, I get it; this isn’t your fight, this isn’t your problem. Go back to Granny’s; you’ve done enough.” She has; Emma is incredibly grateful for her help, but here is where they part.

She doesn’t let Tink answer, knowing nothing the young woman can say will change Emma’s mind. Emma doesn’t need anyone else to believe in her; she has Henry’s belief and that is more than enough for her.

It takes a minute to push the heavy doors open, but once the door opens, light floods the room so she’s not in complete darkness. 

The first thing she notices is how grand this place looked. It looks more like a palace than a temple, like something out of a storybook. She can see an alter up at the top where a Queen could stand and address a gathering of people. She can see where grand curtains could be hung, a door that could be towards a war room, or rooms for guests or family. It didn’t feel like a temple, a building existing to protect something sacred; it felt like a castle, strong and secure, but filled with darkness. 

The next thing she notices are the voices, low and sad voices. 

“Death to all who enter the Ocean Temple.” It makes her turn around sharply, as there’s a cold feeling in the back of her neck. All she sees behind her are bones.

“ Life drained in an instant; abandon hope, all ye who enter here.” She whirls around again, sword at the ready; still nothing. Emma thinks she’s starting to get the feeling why entering here is a suicide mission.

“If you’re going to be spooky, at least be original,” she quips at the voices.

“Who has to be original?” another voice asks. Startled, Emma swings her sword, absolutely tired of this. Tink lets out a shriek as she barely jumps out of the way. “I know you’re mad but seriously?” the blonde cries out.

“Sorry,” Emma replies. “This place is…creepier than I thought it would be,” she admits, glancing around. She doesn’t hear any more voices. Tink nods in agreement, stepping away from a skull she just notices. “What are you doing here?” she asks. “I thought I was on a ‘suicide mission’.” It makes Tink flinch.

“I made a promise that I’d take you to Captain Hook,” Tink reminds her. “I-I don’t like breaking promises.” Emma raises a brow. “Plus, I figured it would be safer if we went in together. How could I let you go in alone when I know you’re fighting for your son? What type of person would that make me?” she asks.

A sane person.

“You don’t have to, Tink,” Emma insists. “Like I said outside, it’s my battle to fight.”

Tink crosses her arms stubbornly. “Sorry Emma, you’re stuck with me,” she insists. “Whether you like it or not.”

Emma wonders if Tink coming with her is a good idea for exactly two minutes before she steps on a booby trap and Tink pulls her back just moments before a sword could come down on her head.

So maybe the annoying talkative blonde was really starting to grow on her.

Tagging: @phiralovesloki​

[pulveremcomedesligulas]

Change of Hands

So this is a little 2.3k thing I wrote based off the lovely art from @liccy on tumblr!! When I first saw the Hyrule holding Wild picture in this post I had a lot of emotions. And while this isn't the original idea Liccy had when she made the drawing (as it was made as a sequel to this beautiful art piece by @scribbs-dibbs [who I unfortunately can’t tag, but I send them my love!]) my brain kinda ran away with this idea so I had to write it.

I totally recommend everyone go check out both of these amazing artists' works, because they are both awesome and deserve love.

Also, Liccy, thank you so much for letting me write for your beautiful art! It has been so much fun and an absolute honor.

Cross-posted on ao3

Now onto the story!!

* * * 

It was supposed to be a normal dungeon. No one had expected anything… off about it. Wild and Hyrule had even gotten permission to explore it.

It should’ve been fine.

And it was, until they got to about three quarters of the way through and were met with a figure in a dark crimson robe standing - no, floating - a few paces in front of them.

It confused them both, because they’d already beaten the mini-boss of the dungeon, and they hadn’t gotten to the point of finding the boss key yet, so reason would say that this was a normal enemy.

Except it didn’t look like any of the enemies either had ever faced before.

“Hero of Hyrule, Hero of the Wild,” said a voice from the cloaked figure. The voice had no identifiable features, sounding ethereal and ancient in a way that sent shivers down both of the heroes’ spines the with dark power it radiated. “You hold the golden power that I seek, and the divine blessing carried by those chosen of the Goddess Hylia. Surrender to me now that I may obtain these both.”

Wild didn’t miss the small gasp from Hyrule at the mention of a ‘golden power’, nor did he overlook the way Hyrule’s right hand hovered closer to his left.

But neither of them responded to the figure’s demands beyond both readying their weapons.

“You have chosen to not surrender,” the voice said. “And with this choice, your lives are now forfeit.”

…

Wild wasn’t sure how long ago their initial encounter with the cloaked figure had been. All he knew is that he and Hyrule had been running through the rooms of the dungeon (now enchanted by the figure - who had to be a sorcerer, Hyrule had said - to move and change so the map they had both worked hard to find was now useless.

Poisonous gas flooded through the chambers, settling about knee high off the ground, but still managing to seep into their bodies, slowly draining both their health and energy.

Surges of enemies they had already killed off came back to attack them, and traps they had already disarmed appeared at the worst times to add to the damage.

Wild had already had to rely on Mipha’s Grace once to heal himself, and even with doing that, he could feel his health still steadily decreasing. Hyrule was in just as bad, if not worse shape, having used a great deal of his power to get them away from the sorcerer’s initial attacks and to heal himself once when he was on death’s door.

At one point, Hyrule stumbled, and Wild was barely able to catch him in time to keep him from falling face first into the poison layer at their feet.

There was a small ledge a few feet away from where they stood, peeking up above the poison. Wild quickly moved Hyrule over to the ledge, helping his friend climb up onto the ledge and settle his back against the cavern wall.

“We need to rest,” Wild said, trying to prop Hyrule up as best as he could.

“We can’t stop,” Hyrule protested, despite his eyes sliding closed. “The sorcerer will find us.”

Wild knew he was better off than Hyrule, and he hated it. Mipha would keep healing him every time his health got too low. But she couldn’t heal Hyrule - Wild had already begged for her to, and even though Mipha was willing, her powers just didn’t work like that.

“Just a few minutes,” Wild insisted. “I’m sure I have a potion or…”

He paused as he noticed the faint flicker of golden light coming from Hyrule’s left hand.

“Uh, ‘Rule, what is that?”

Hyrule blinked his eyes open and looked in alarm to where Wild had gestured. When he realized what it was, he gave a defeated sort of chuckle and moved to take off the bracer that covered the back of his hand.

“That,” he said. “Is the ‘golden power’ the sorcerer is trying to kill us for.”

Wild stared in amazement at the flickering golden light of the complete Triforce on the back of Hyrule’s hand.

“You… You didn’t tell us,” Wild said softly.

“I couldn’t,” Hyrule answered. “I… I’ve been betrayed and hunted too many times for this. I was terrified to let anyone know… at first. I wanted to tell you all but…” Hyrule gave a weak cough before grimacing.

“Can it heal you?” Wild asked. He admittedly didn’t know much about the Triforce. He knew his Zelda had wielded its power before, but beyond that…

Hyrule shook his head. “I don’t have the energy to wield it right now. It’s flickering like this because it knows we’re in danger, but…”

He didn’t have the chance to finish before the ground began to shake around them. Behind where Hyrule sat, the wall began to crumble and give way, falling into a dark, black abyss behind them. Wild cried out in alarm as the ground beneath Hyrule began to fall away as well.

Hyrule looked up at Wild with a look of fear in his eyes right before he was sent plummeting into the abyss.

Wild barely had time to process it before he was reacting - springing forward and grabbing Hyrule’s outstretched left hand right as he fell. He held Hyrule suspended in the air above a seemingly bottomless ravine below.

“Hold on, I’ll pull you up!” Wild called, tightening his grip on Hyrule’s hand.

But the poisonous cloud had risen in with the shaking ground, and was now slowly creeping up the length of Wild’s stomach where he lay holding tightly to his friend. The gas burned his eyes, nose, and throat even as he tried to close them off against it.

“Give in, little heroes,” the voice of the sorcerer intoned behind Wild. “Give in.”

Wild could feel his health draining as the poison clouded around him. He couldn’t give in. He had to save Hyrule.

“Wild, you can’t,” Hyrule said. His voice was weak, the increased flow of poison reaching him as it tumbled off the end of the cliff. “You can’t save me now.”

“I’m not going to let you go,” Wild growled. He could feel tears coming to his eyes that weren’t from the poison. “I can’t lose you. I won’t lose anyone. Never again.”

Wild could barely see Hyrule shake his head through the tears and gas.

“I’m sorry, but this time you have to.”

Wild felt Hyrule squeeze his hand, and with it came a flood of power that Wild never expected. The power coursed up his right arm with an explosive force, tearing away Wild’s sleeve as swirls of golden light danced up the limb.

The power took Wild by surprise, and forced his hand open, releasing his hold on Hyrule.

“NO!” Wild screamed, not able to see as Hyrule fell but already feeling that piece of his heart (the ⅛ he had given to Hyrule, just as he had given the same to each of the others in his new family) shattering.

A dark chuckle sounded behind Wild and he turned his head to see the sorcerer standing there.

“It seems that there is only one life left for me to take now,” they said. “Then the golden power will be mine.”

At the mention of the golden power, Wild dropped his eyes down to stare at his hand. There, shining brightly and radiating more power than Wild could ever imagine, was the symbol of the Triforce, glowing and whole.

Hyrule had given it to him, wanting him to protect it.

And Wild would.

“Please,” he whispered to the power now flooding his veins. “Please lend me your strength.”

With a flash of brilliant light, Wild felt the power of the Triforce surge. He couldn’t help the yell that tore from his throat as he targeted the power at the sorcerer.

The sorcerer embodied darkness and all that chosen of Hylia stood against. Wild raised his hand, glowing with the divine power of the Golden Goddesses, and willed the darkness to be purged.

The light flared and an ear-splitting shriek echoed through the room as the Triforce burned away the spells and their source with a fury that threatened to overwhelm Wild. But it was over within seconds, dimming down and revealing an empty chamber exactly as it was before the sorcerer had appeared. The broken wall and floor were both repaired and there was no other sound beyond Wild’s labored breathing and the rapid beating of his heart.

Wild fell to his knees, holding his hand tightly to his chest. He’d defeated the enemy, made everything back to how it should be.

He’d won.

But it wasn’t enough. Despite the victory, Wild still felt hollow. Looking at his hand again, he couldn’t hold back the choked sob.

He hadn’t been able to save Hyrule. He’d let Hyrule fall. He couldn’t save him.

He had failed. And now… now he was alone.

Again.

He couldn’t go back to the others… not without Hyrule. He couldn’t… couldn’t face them. Not when he knew what they would say.

It was his fault. He’d let it happen.

Sure, some of them would try to reassure him with false words. Twilight and Four and Time would probably all say he did his best. Wind would offer him a hug and Sky a shoulder to cry on. Warriors would probably just give him that look of understanding that was one that seasoned soldiers all understood. And Legend…

Gods he knew he couldn’t face Legend. He’d just let Legend’s protege - the only other one from Legend’s timeline and the only one of their group that Legend had actually easily been able to open up to - fall to his death.

Just another person to add to the list of people that Wild’s failures had taken someone important from, he guessed.

Wild knew he wasn’t going to be able to go back to them. He couldn’t face the reactions they would give him. Which meant…

He was alone again.

Another sob ripped from his throat as he opened his eyes - not having realized they had been closed - and stared at the still glowing mark on his hand.

“Can’t you bring him back?” he begged. “He was your chosen protector after all. Can’t you bring him back?”

“That’s unfortunately not a power the Triforce has,” a voice said from behind Wild. The champion hero’s head flew up to see Hyrule standing there, a small smile on his face. He looked beaten up still, sporting several cuts and bruises on his face, but he was there. With a watery laugh, he continued “It can’t bring someone back from a certain death of falling off a cliff… at least not on its own. It needs a particularly determined wielder to be able do something like that.”

Wild let out some type of cry as he leapt to his feet and threw himself at Hyrule, successfully knocking the other to his ass.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Hyrule said. “I’m here.”

Wild buried his face deeper into Hyrule’s tunic, gripping it tightly like a lifeline as he sobbed.

“You were gone,” he whispered. “You… I couldn’t save you. I failed and I couldn’t… I didn’t want to be alone again.”

Another sobbed ripped from him and he tightened his grip, trying to convince himself that Hyrule was there. He wasn’t imagining this. He was there.

Wild felt tears drop down onto his head as Hyrule lifted his hands to his hair, pulling him closer.

“It’s okay,” Hyrule murmured softly. “You did what you had to, and it turned out okay. You didn’t fail. And I promise, you aren’t going to be left alone.”

Soft fingers combed through the looser strands of his hair as Wild let out a shaky breath, feeling his energy draining as he sank in Hyrule’s hold.

“You’re not alone Wild,” Hyrule said quietly. “We aren’t going to leave you alone. I swear it.”

…

After taking some time to recover, they left the dungeon pretty quickly. The others were waiting for them, worried looks on each of their faces. They had felt the surge of the Triforce’s power, and hadn’t known what to think.

Wild and Hyrule had explained as best as they could, as well as explaining that Wild was now the one who would be the protector of the Triforce from that point on.

It had been hard to explain, and Wild hadn’t wanted to admit to anyone the real reason he was still torn up.

He couldn’t admit that when he hadn’t been able to save Hyrule from falling… he felt like he had failed again. That he was alone again.

But that night as he cooked dinner for his friends, he remembered Hyrule’s words.

That he hadn’t failed.

That he wasn’t alone.

And he realized that those words were true.

He hadn’t failed.

He wasn’t alone.

Wild looked up at the others scattered around the campsite. Twilight and Warriors were in the middle of a sparring match that Wind was intently watching. Four and Time were carefully looking over the various pieces of the group’s equipment, murmuring quietly to each other and making note of the different pieces that needed repairs. Sky was leaned up against a tree, a piece of wood and his carving knife in hand as he whistled a peaceful tune. Legend had pulled Hyrule to the side and currently was fussing over the various injuries that Hyrule had.

Wild watched them, and knew that he had all pieces of his heart again, together and whole.

It was enough to bring a smile to his face.

But not enough to let Hyrule convince him to help with dinner.

They’d both had enough poison for one day, after all.

[skiewrites]

it’s all downhill from here - Chapter Three

Fandom: Legend of Zelda, Linked Universe, Harry Potter (very loosely)

Rating: Teens and Up

Warnings: Some blood

Summary:

The first Hogsmeade weekend of the year is supposed to be one filled with excitement and mischief for every student at Hogwarts, even the first and second years who aren’t allowed to go down to the village.

Except of course, the group of heroes are involved, and nothing goes right for them.

Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23111011/chapters/55296445

As soon as the shack was in sight, Legend found the closest tree stump and sat down, crossing his arms and ignoring Wild and Hyrule’s shouts of excitement, Warrior’s side glances as he kept an eye on their friends to make sure they didn’t get themselves killed, and the way that the wind whistled a familiar song into his ears to comfort him.

 A childish mind will turn to noble ambition,

Young love will become deep affection.

Time passes, people move... Like a river's flow, it never ends...

 In the past seven years I've watch you heroes grow

And now I have nothing left to say

Except that it's dangerous to go alone.

 The hat’s words echoed back in Legend’s mind, something that had been a recurring thing in the past month.

Every year the sorting hat would tell a prophecy of the school year to come. That was just how it was. Normally, it would predict if it was going to be a good year for the students, if there was going to be a dramatic scandal or an exciting event that people should keen an eye out for.

But things just couldn’t be normal for anyone who had the name Link, could it? Instead of any of those sorts of predictions, the hat gave them warning of an impending war against the Demon God and barely enough clues to survive until the next year.

And just when they needed the hat the most, when they needed the most guidance that they have ever needed in their lives (because goddess forbid that his mother helps out in any way, shape, or form) it just turns around and tells them that there is nothing left to say. How stupid! And he thought that the hat calling him a dreamer in first year was bad, this is the worst thing it has ever said in its entire existence.

He hated it because it was no help to him, but he hated it more because it knew. It knew that he was planning to run off during the Hogwarts year, when everyone was busy with their schoolwork and their social groups and their petty teenage problems. It knew that he was going to feel too restless, too useless, sat at Hogwarts learning spells he already knew and theory that was pointless at this point.

Except that it’s dangerous to go alone.

But he couldn’t stay. He needed to find the shrine maidens, he needed to find the shrines. Sure, they had found some of them, but not all of them, not enough. Demise was not going to wait around until the hero he was destined to fight finished his education, in fact, if he was Demise, the earlier he picked his fight the better, as that would increase his chances of winning, which made staying around an even worse idea.

If they stuck around, he might attack the castle, and for as much as he did not agree with his mother and some of his sisters, he has hurt them enough times. Legend wouldn’t stand for any more of it.

“C’mon Legend! Stop being a sourpuss and explore with us! You’re really good at finding things,” Hyrule called to him, and Legend rolled his eyes.

“If you were looking for something then you should have brought Sky along. I’ve heard that Hufflepuff are very good finders,” Legend said as he stood up and joined Hyrule with whatever he was looking for. Wild and Warriors were edging each other to get closer and closer to the Shrieking Shack, egging each other on, and Legend didn’t want anything to do with their stupidity. There was no way that it was haunted, but on the off chance that it was, Legend wanted to stay away from it. He was so over ghosts.

“But then it’s no fun if he’s able to find something straight away,” Hyrule said, before giving a small smile to Legend, “Besides, you’re better at knowing if something will be useful later on or not, if we do find anything that is.” Legend let out a sigh as he followed Hyrule deeper into the woods but making sure that Warriors and Wild were within their sight, not wanting to get lost with Hyrule in the forest.

“What are we looking for anyways?” Legend asked, frowning when Hyrule looked away from him, seemingly looking at the ground for animal tracks.

“Something called a Blupee.”

“What the hell is a Blupee?” Legend asked as Hyrule dragged him deeper into the woods, which made Legend weary. Any deeper and they would be in the Forbidden Forest, and while it was not as dangerous as the Lost Woods, they were still dangerous enough for Legend to be weary of the steps he takes and have a hand ready to grab his wand. He was not about to die to a octorock because Hyrule was more focused on a creature that might not even exist.

“It looks like a blue glowing rabbit but it has a weird owl face and like six eyes.” Hyrule explained as he pulled Legend into a crouch and

“A glowing blue rabbit?” Legend asked, unimpressed, but he still couldn’t help the smile that came to his face when Hyrule got excited and began to explain how Wild had said that he had spotted them when he had gone into the forest last year and how they were supposed to be good luck.

Legend listened to his rant uninterrupted for almost five minutes before Hyule inexplicitly cuts himself off, before digging into his bad, breaking the silence that he had spent to long trying to create.

“What’s wrong?” Legend asked as Hyrule opened a small book.

“We need to get back to the others. They’re in trouble.”

“Who’s Zant?” Wind asked, trying to look underneath the table to be dragged back up Four while Twilight fiddled with the tablecloth so that it would hide his legs properly while still giving him a view of the bar. Zant was still talking with the barmaid, and they seemed to be having a very deep conversation.

“You know the person who just walked in? He’s currently talking to the woman behind the bar, but don’t make it obvious that you’re looking.” The background noise seemed to fade away at Twilight’s words as he captivated the rest of the table, the two younger boys now having their full attention on Twilight.

“The weirdo with pale skin, red hair and an awful choice in cloth- Ouch, why did you kick me!?” Wind exclaimed, his voice breaking as Four’s foot connected with his shin.

“Any louder and you’re gonna give him a free invite to come over,” Four muttered, his book still open on the table but now completely abandoned.

“That’s the person who’s currently in charge of the Twili,” Twilight whispered, grimacing as his voice carried further than he planned.

“I thought Midna was working on that?” Four asked as he flipped a page in his book, though if anyone who actually looked at him would notice that his focus was more on the wand that laid out on his lap.

“It’s a work in progress.”

“Okay, but why are you hiding underneath a table?” It was easy with how Wind fit in with the group to forget how young he was, and how he completely missed sharing the school with Zant and the utter chaos that Twilight and Midna brought to the school in their first year. To be fair, Four was also not at the school at the time, but that boy seemed to be able to find out anything on anyone and it brought fear to Twilight that Zant could only wish to do.

"Because he's also working for Demise, and I may have ruined some pretty big plans in first year. According to Midna, he still holds a grudge." Twilight said, his legs beginning to burn slightly at how he was crouching underneath the table. He desperately wanted to just stand up and stretch, or even turn into a wolf, but he knew that his wolf form would not fit underneath the table and the second that Zant saw him there would be trouble. They had all agreed earlier this week that they wouldn't cause any funny business today, that they would try and have a normal day. Was that too much for them to ask for?

"Oh... This is bad." Wind said as he stuffed some of his sweets into his mouth as he looked above Four's bent head, before swallowing hard and whispering "I should have just stayed up at the castle."

"Yeah you should have," Four grumbled, "But you would be complaining about missing out on the action if you had, so this does save us from listening to your complaining later."

"Okay, so what's the plan? What do we do?" Wind asked.

"Pretend that I'm not currently hiding underneath the table, but you guys should probably have your wands ready, just in case." Twilight instructed, ignoring the fact that Four had had his wand out in his lap ever since Twilight decided to dive down underneath the table. "Do not attack unless he starts it," he added on, mainly for Wind, who was always a bit too trigger happy for Twilight's comfort.

"Uh..."

"Uh?" Twilight asked, not liking the way that Four gripped his wand tighter and the sudden shakiness in Wind's leg.

"I hope you’re comfortable underneath that table, because he's making his way over." Four answered as he decided to put his book into his bag and pull out a small book and a self-inking quill. “Wind, leave the talking to me okay.” The other boy nodded.  

They lulled into a heavy silence as they allowed the noise of the pub wash over them, the people around them seemingly unaware of growing situation in the background. Twilight's legs were now burning, and he had to hold back his impulse to just jump up from underneath the booth and just attack Zant straight up. But he knew if he did, not only would he get into trouble with his professors, but he would never hear the end of Legend and Warrior's rant about 'reckless Gryffindors'. He held his breath as he spotted some boots came into his vision, stopping only a couple of feet away from his hiding spot, but that was still too close to Four and WInd.

"I don't suppose any of you would know where Link is?" Zant's raspy voice was barely noticeable over the volume, but it still managed to rattle against Twilight's eardrums.

“Which one?" Four asked as he completely ignoring Zant as he continued on with his writing. Why he decided now was a good time to be writing an essay or whatever Twilight wouldn't know. The Ravenclaw always managed to confuse him, just as he thought he knew him as well.

"'Which one?'"

“I’m not sure if you’ve heard, probably not because by the looks of you it's been years since you were at Hogwarts, but there are at least a couple of Link’s at the school. Last I checked there was, like, five? But that’s when I decided to give up counting, and that was a couple years ago, so who knows how many there are now.” Four said nonchalantly, his quill scratching loudly against his parchment, and mixed in with Wind's continuous chewing, it made Twilight's ears grate.

What was Four doing?

"Well, I'm sure you know the Link I'm looking for, after all, the lovely barmaid did point me at your direction." It was hard to hear Zant over Four's writing, almost impossible, as with every word Zant said the louder the quill against the parchment became. Twilight frowned as he placed a hand on Wind's leg, trying to calm the younger down.

"I really don't, it's just the pair of us, and we don’t really answer to Link," Four said, still not looking at Zant. Wind nodded vigorously with the statement.

"I was told that there were three of you," Zant needed to leave. There was only so long Twilight was willing to wait before he decided to just try and make a run for it. He did want to be able to feel his legs tomorrow.

"There's not. Even if there was another one of us, I doubt that he would be able to help find this 'Link', especially since you haven't told us which Link you're looking for," Wind joined in, surprising everyone at his sudden contribution, but maybe the amount of sugar had finally calmed the Hufflepuff's nerves.

"You're looking for a Link? Maybe I'll be able to help?" Never before had Twilight been relieved hear Time's voice. If Time was here, it meant that he could distract Zant long enough for him to escape and hide, or maybe if he was lucky he would be able to convince Zant to leave peacefully. But he got a feeling that neither of those things would happen.

"Oh. Link. Long time no see," Was it just Twilight or was the background noise beginning to dim around them? Nevertheless, Twilight crouched lower, his wand now held loosely in his hand as he prepared to make an escape, a number of curses on his lips, just in case, watching people's legs and wondering which way out he was going to have to make.

"Now that you've found Link, can you leave? I've got work to do," Four muttered as he somehow began to write louder. Twilight was going to snap that quill by the end of this.

"He's not the right Link and you know it!" Zant shouted, and the sound of the pub went completely silent.

"One last chance. Tell me where Link is!" Waiting it out was clearly not going to work, and Twilight hated that he couldn’t assess the situation properly, his view of the bar and Zant’s feet giving him no hints as to what he should do next.

"Put your wand down, and maybe we'll talk," Sky replied, and yeah, that made sense as to why the building was acting like a silencing charm had been placed on them.

"Ava-"

"Locomotor Mortis!" Twilight shouted as he started off in a run, briefly seeing Time and Sky's surprise on his face as he dashed out of the pub, ducking as he ran through the door and grimacing as he watched a red spell hit the door frame next to him. He felt bad for completely abandoning the others in the pub, but he still had the shadow crystal around his neck, like he promised Midna he didn't let it out of his sight. As soon as he was on the street he didn't have time to think about where he would go next as he took in the scene around him. It seemed that the people that Zant had brought with him had taken Zant trying to throw a spell, or being cursed himself, as a sign to start an attack on Hogsmeade.

Along with Twili throwing spells at students, teachers and civilian alike, there were a group of bokoblins and a moblin on the edge of the villiage, but it seemed that the rest of their group were on the case, having come across the group of monsters on their way back from the shrieking shack. Which made no sense because he swore the Shrieking Shack was almost a mile away from the village, so there was no way that they would have known or heard about the attack unless they were warned ahead of time or they had decided to head back early, and having Hyrule and Wild in that group made the latter option very unlikely. Despite this fact, Twilight ran up the monsters and started his own volley of attacks, because Wild was still very reckless and often left his back open. They were going to have to sort that out soon if Wild wanted to continue to fight with them.

"Oh hey Twilight!" Wild smiled at him before taking a quick look around at what they were dealing with. Most of the Twili were being fought against the teachers and some of the elder students, Linkle was always terrifying to watch fight after all, but it seemed that everyone had silently agreed to let the Links fight the monsters that had appeared out of nowhere. Because why not, Twilight guessed it was sometime to do with the display that they put on last year when the monsters attacked the castle, but that was never a good excuse.

Twilight threw up a shield as he ran up to Warriors, while Wind legged it to the closest tree, climbing it with speed that Twilight knew that he would never be able to find in another wizard or witch. Legend and Hyrule were just a distance away, but were completely surrounded by lightning and ice, so Twilight was going to leave them to whatever they were doing, elemental magic was never his strong suit.

"Heard Zant was looking for you!" Warriors grinned as he continued his volley of spells, a mix of controlled flames and precise cuts, leaving Twilight to cast shield after shield as the horde of bokoblins continued to try and break through them with their clubs and broken swords. Spelled clubs and broken swords. They shouldn't be able to go through his shields as fast as they were.

"How did you hear about that?" Twilight asked.

"Some weird book that Hyrule and Four have. Can send messages or something."

"Convenient." Twilight muttered as he and Warrior's managed to get through the horde of bokoblins just as Legend and Hyrule finished with their light show, the last of the stragglers being taken down by Wild in his tree, leaving only the moblin to deal with.

"How are we doing this?" Legend asked as he and Hyrule ran to meet up with the other two, making sure to dodge the moblin's swinging spear. Warriors went to speak, he was the person who could come up with the best plan in the least amount of time, but before he could say anything, the moblin took another look at them before turning around and going back to the village.

“What the hell?” Hyrule said. “I’ve never seen a moblin walk away from a fight like that before.”

“What are we waiting for? We need to go after it!” Legend growled as he started running after it, leaving the others to have to chase him.

“Maybe if we’re lucky I can take a couple of stabs at Zant before he disappears,” Warriors muttered

“Not if I get there first,” Wild said, his smile looking was too feral looking to sit comfortably with Twilight, especially knowing Wild’s nature to just explode things.

“No explosions Wild,” Twilight muttered as they finally met up with Legend and the moblin. Taking a second to take in the situation, Legend frowned at how little progress he had made on the mobin whiek the others had cought up with them. That wasn’t him putting Legend down, in fact, if anyone has the most experience in the group with fighting monsters, Legend would be the first person in Twilight’s mind.

But even with his ice rod in hand, the moblin was being difficult to kill. It was not surprising to struggle against thirty bokoblins, even if they did fall to one swipe of a want, but moblins, while much bigger and stronger than bokoblins, could easily be taken on in a group of three or even four if the person knew what they were doing. And yet, it seemed that no matter what Legend threw at the monster, nothing seemed to be hitting it.

Twilight only just managed to get to the younger Slytherin in time to throw up a shield to save his stomach from being pieced from here’s spear.

“Do you have a death wish? We can help you if you just let us you know,” Twilight moaned as he started to throw piercing curses at the moblin while Legend held on the defensive.

“Would you shut it? I’ve already got Warriors on my case, go look after Wild,” Legend replid, using his ice rod to freeze the floor underneath the moblin, but it didn’t seem to be having an effect on the monster like Legend planned, as it decided to slip and go through the pub’s wall.

Inside the building that Twilight had escaped from looked more of a mess than the rest of the attacked village, tables overturned and chairs tossed to the side, and now that there was a nice big hole in the wall, the people trapped in the building were able to escape, including a frazzled Wind and a nice cut on his forehead and a calm Four, his book still in his hand and his quill thankfully snapped into two pieces. Sky and Time were holding up pretty well against Zant, but they could not hold his attention as the Twili spotted him.

Zant wasn’t able to properly react to seeing Twilight however, as everything was thrown into a blaze.

“What did I say about explosions!” Twilight screamed as he threw up a shield for him Wind and Four.

“I’ll say sorry when the explosion doesn’t save your life!” Wild yelled back as he summoned his bow, shooting towards the moblin’s feet and giving Warriors the opening he needed to finally attack the moblin’s head, leaving it to roll on the floor for a hot second before it quickly rotted before their eyes, leaving a mess of black blood.

Twilight turned back towards Time and Sky, only to see the person that they had been fighting had disappeared.

Hogsmeade was now oddly silent. Uncomfortably so. What was supposed to be a fun day for the students was ruined by the group of Links and their awful ability to attract trouble.

“Why is it, that whenever something happens, I always find you boys in the centre of it all?” The group turned to see their transfiguration teacher. Impa had a small cut on her cheek and was covered in dust, not doubt from Wild’s earlier explosion, but the glare that struck into everyone’s soul was much scarier than the battle that had just taken place. It was weird to think that such an old woman would be able to put up such a fight, but after the display she pulled off last year, well, it was easy to say that no one in their group would be underestimating her any time soon.

“Trust me, I found myself asking that question every single day,” Four replied, getting an agreement from the rest of the group.

“Hmm. Well, from what I could gather, you boys were also the ones who sustained the most injuries, the worst I’ve heard was a broken bone from Groose, but I guess that’s what happens when you all run head first into danger,” She said as she watched Wild pass a potion to Twilight and Hyrule mending the deep gash that Warriors sustained before Twilight had reached him, before turning to Wind.

“You best get back to the castle before I see you Outset. The detention I’ll set if I catch you outside the castle walls without permission can be quite harsh, I’m sure the others can tell you all about their past experiences with it.” She stated before turning away from the group to talk to one of the villagers about how best to fix the village.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Wind asked before receiving a light blow to the head from Twilight.

“You’re a second year, you’re not supposed to be in Hogsmeade remember!” Twilight reminded him, his arms crossed in a way that was supposed to be a parent, but no one in their group had a proper parental figure in their life, but it was hard for Wind to take him seriously when he knew about the things that t he rest of the group had gotten into when they were his age.

“Oh yeah, I’ll meet you guys back at the castle then!” Wind said as he scampered off, but not before Hyrule handed him a potion with strict instructions to drink it and make sure he made it back to the castle safely.

“They’re getting braver,” Warriors noted as they watched Wind run into the crowd of confused and scared students.  

“Getting stronger more like. I don’t know about you guys, but I can normally take on a couple of moblins by myself without breaking a sweat, but it took half of us working together to even take down one,” Legend pointed out.

“They all had black blood, like the ones during the summer,” Four muttered as he took a closer inspection of the ground, scooping up some of the blood into an empty vial and placing it into his robe’s pocket.  

“That would be the malice, which only shows that Demise is growing stronger,” Wild said.

“That’s nothing new. He’s been growing stronger since most of us were learning to walk.” Sky muttered, his experience from the year previously coming to his mind.

“But he’s never been strong enough to help monsters to this extent before.” Twilight said.

“It’s not just the monsters. Don’t get me wrong, Zant is stupid, but not stupid enough to attack Twilight in public if he didn’t think he was going to get away with killing him.” Time added.

“If they’re going to target Twilight, who’s not to say that another one of us is next?” Hyrule said as he crossed his arms. “We’re very lucky that no one was hurt badly today, but can we say that for next time.”

“Then time is of the essence. We cannot continue to let this happen.”

“And what are we going to do? We can’t do anything while we’re suck at Hogwarts! We’ll be sitting cucoos!” Legend almost screamed at Warriors, the others jumping back in surprise at the sudden emotion from the boy. However, Warriors only smiled down at his housemate.

“Who said anything about staying at Hogwarts?”

[newobsessioneveryweek]

Love is a Battlefield

I have a wild HC that Warrior is bisexual and no one has the power to change my mind.

So here's something I wrote when I was supposed to be rehearsing for an important exam. Enjoy.

Fair warning: it's not very good

Summary: Warrior has a boyfriend named Alex who is a total sweetheart.

♤♡◇♧

After spending the longest month of their lives in the exceedingly dangerous era of Wild's Hyrule the band of heroes saw their newest switch as a welcome change of location. AFter a quick survey it was declaired that they had landed up in Warrior's Hyrule where well armed soldiers milled about with hard expressions and stood guard at the enterance to Castle Town while others stood stiffly on the battlements.

Warrior breathed a sigh of relief as he gazed across the familiar land and revelled in the busy, yet grounding atmosphere of the place he called home.

He turned to his comrades. "Welcome to my Hyrule for once," He said with a grin. They had never been transported to his home town so this change was well-needed. Warrior finally felt like he could breathe. Apart from this being his home, Warrior desperately wanted to meet with someone before they were forced to depart. He just hoped he had the chance to see them.

The group was making their way toward the entrance to the city, making small talk about the military feel of the place, when Warrior stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing a familiar guard stationed outside the gate. Even from this distance he instantly recognised him. How could he not? His guard's helmet couldn't keep those memorable blue eyes hidden. The group stopped behind him, startled by the sudden change in Warrior's expression. His eyes were firmly locked on an individual standing outside the huge metal gate blocking their entry inside the magnificent walls.

"Hey, what it is? Aren't we going in," Legend asked. Warrior remained still, staring at the figure. He felt a tap on his shoulder but didn't tear his eyes away from his target. "Ay! Princess, what's the hold up," Legend continued nagging.

Legend stepped to Warrior's side and looked at the figure on whom he was so intensely focused.

The figure shifted and turned his head in the Links direction, probably having felt the gazes, and visibly stiffened, his grip growing tighter on his halberd. His lips moved, saying something the group couldn't make out, but by the formation of his lips, Warrior presumed he was calling his name.

Warrior took a tentative step forward. The rest of the Link's stayed back, not wanting to get involved in whatever reunion was taking place.

"What's happening," Wind inquired from his place next to Time."

"I think I have a good feeling," Hyrule chimed in with a smirk on his lips. The group turned to him with questioning looks.

They noticed the guard noticing Warrior and decided to watch the scene unfold before making any attempt to interfere. They were probably good friends seeing each other for the first time in nearly three months.

Warrior took step after step toward the guard, who by this point had removed his helmet. He had raven black hair tied into a small ponytail. He had sharp, piercing blue eyes and a chestnut complexion. He gazed at Warrior as he approached and started making his way toward him as well, starting slowly but gradually picking up the pace the closer they got and, before they knew it, they both started running towards each other.

The other Link's watched as they met in the middle. They were expecting a hug, but what actually happened was much more... intimate.

Time covered Wind's eyes, but ended up nearly smothering the young boy with his big hands. Wind simply pried his way free and Legend nearly toppled over during the couple's affectionate reunion. The others had similar reactions, though leagues less dramatic.

Warrior was elated. The love of his life was right in front of him again after three months. He couldn't have imagined feeling so overjoyed during the time he was away, but now, with him, he felt liberated.

"I missed you," he heard him say and he nearly shed a tear at hearing that voice, deep and sonorous, thick with the accent of a land far away. Warrior embraced him again and kissed his forehead. They were roughly the same height, making the action easy.

"I missed you too," he said, and the end of their long separation brought a bonafide tear to Warrior's eye.

He felt his beloved's strong arms around him and, for the first time in a very long time, he felt truly safe; like the dangers he often faced and will face again soon could not hurt him.

Then a realisation occurred to him.

Warrior reluctantly pulled himself from the embrace and turned around to his friends, who were watching the couple with varying expressions of surprise and gladness.

He cleared his throat. "So, um, this is Alex," he started. He cleared his thought again. "He's my, um, my boyfriend."

Alex gave a polite wave and snuck his arm around Warrior's waste, his hand finding its place on his hip.

"Heh, didn't think you had it in ya," Legend commented in his expected snarky tone.

"What's that supposed to mean," Warrior asked, genuinely curious.

"I mean that I didn't think you'd land yourself a decent fella- or fellow in this case- let alone keep them around." He nodded to Alex as if to say 'no offense' or something along those lines.

"Luckily for you I'm used to tuning you out."

There was a moment of awkward silence until Alex decided to ask about Warrior's relation to the foreign heroes.

"I don't think I've ever seen you around here. From where do you hail, if I may ask," he asked. Warrior almost melted. He loved hearing Alex's voice, smooth and formal and never faltering. He was never one to forget his manners and he would always think before he spoke. One could never win an argument with him.

"Trust me, you'd rather not hear this story," Hyrule supplied after his question.

Alex looked surprised but didn't question the response. "I was told that Link was to make a long journey, but I was unaware that he had company. What are your names-"

"You always ask so many questions. Let's leave the formalities for later." Warrior said this more as an excuse to be alone with Alex than anything but he really didn't want to explain the timeline story. What a schlep.

Warrior escorted the group inside where they would speak with Zelda to garner some knowledge from her on their predicament after giving his beloved one last kiss on the hand.

♤♡◇♧

Like a teenage girl Warrior threw himself on his bed and squealed his joy through a pillow much to the enjoyment of his friends, but Warrior didn't care. He was happy and he sure as Hell was going to show it.

"I can't believe it," came Warrior's muffled voice through the pillow. He lifted the cushion from his face and revealed the brightest smile that has ever graced his face. Beaming, he continued, "what am I even doing here? I have to see him," he made to dart out of the room but was stopped abruptly by Time.

"Woah there. Calm down. We have work to do. Remember the princess gave us a task. Once we finish that you can go see Alex."

Warrior visibly deflated, melting into his disappoint but resolved to get his task done as quickly as possible. There were hordes of Bokoblins stationed near the fortress. The Links' jobs were to take them down. Warrior armed himself swiftly. "Well what are we waiting for then? Let's go."

"Hold on for goddesses' sake," Legend complained, "Some of us are trying to relax after a month of torture in the land of Wild."

"Hey," Wild exclaimed but knew there was nothing he could say to defend his Hyrule or counter Legend's attack.

"Urg, fine. I'll wait, but I'm not happy about it."

"Aw, come on, absence makes the heart grow fonder," Sky reassured.

"It's been three months of absence. My heart is filled with fondness," Warrior proclaimed, frustrated.

"Well that's great princess. Keep that fondness while we relax."

Warrior grumbled some more before the group eventually set off to destroy the monsters.

♤♡◇♧

"Link!"

Warrior turned around and saw Alex making his way toward them. "He stopped in front of the group, pulling his perfect jet black bangs out of his face. "I implored the princess that I may joining your party. She was perfectly accepting of my proposal. May I accompany you to the battle my love?"

Warrior stood there for a moment and blinked. "That's a very roundabout way of saying you want to spend some time with me, but yes," Warrior smiled in delight, "you may accompany us."

The rest of the group was a little surprised at the question but had no qualms. Without any complaint the group left the castle.

0_0_0_0_0_0_0_0

The Links arrived at the Bokoblin camp with their unexpected guest.

"Ok, Legend, Wind, and Four, you take the left, Sky and Wild, you sneak up from behind, Twilight, War-, um, Link and I will take the left," Time instructed.

"What about me? I will not watch from the sidelines," Alex complained.

"Oh, right, you can move with Warrior- I mean Link," Time corrected.

Alex nodded seriously. Before long they spread out and led their attacks.

0_0_0_0_0_0_0_0

AN: I don't know how to write fight scenes. Sorry!

0_0_0_0_0_0_0_0

“Link, can I talk to you for a moment.” The group stopped in their stride outside their room.

Warrior perked up at the question and turned to face Alex. “Oh, yes, of course.” While the rest of the Links went inside Warrior and Alex spoke. “So what did you want to talk about?”

“There’s,” Alex took a long pause and Warrior started getting concerned. “There’s something I’ve been keeping from you… for some time now.”

“What is it,” Warrior asked hesitantly. He was becoming worried this was something he wouldn’t like.

“I-I been seeing someone else- while you were away. I’m sorry,”

Alex continued to speak but Warrior didn’t hear a thing. The statement playing in his mind over and over again: ‘I’ve been seeing someone else’.

Soon Warrior picked up Alex’s strong voice again as it asked, “Are you okay Link?” No. No, he was not okay.

“How could you do that to me,” Warrior asked calmly, too calmly as he tried to process exactly what he thought was some kind of sick joke. “Do you honestly think I’m okay?”

“Link-“

“I’ve spent two years with you and you betray me like this? Who is he?”

“He… Bianca Campbell. I didn’t- Link I am so sorry. She came up to me one night and we-“

“Yeah, I know how these things go. I just,” Warrior paused, turned and left.

He didn’t know where he was going, only that he needed to get away.

"Link wait!"

He just kept running...

And running.

Then he stopped in front of Zelda's door.

He knocked twice until the door slid open, revealing the groggy princess

"Link? What's wrong," she asked. She must have noticed Warrior's tearful expression.

Warrior sniffled. "Can I talk to you," he asked in a broken voice.

0_0_0_0_0_0_0_0_0

Warrior had never felt so utterly heartbroken. The one he loved whom he thought loved him betrayed him without a second thought. Warrior could take revenge... but what would that solve? It would hurt Alex, but would that really make Warrior feel better. Would he be satisfied by his pain.No.That would be stooping down to the level of a traitor.And he hates traitors.

The next day the group left the castle, the portal having opened to their new destination. Warrior didn't look back at Alex as he stood amongst the throng. He didn't shed a tear.

0_0_0_0_0_0_0_0

That last line was meant to be ambiguous by the way.

Hope you enjoyed my lousy story. I'm sorry there's no conclusion. Alex was supposed to be a nice dude, but I had other plans for him.

No beta. We die like men.

[fatefulfaerie]

Through the Rain

Zelink Week 2019 prompt #4/10

A Link to the Past appreciation? Yes

Longer one-shot? Also yes

Zelda felt the cold ground below her as she began to regain a semblance of her senses.

She remembered her dream as a rather unsettling one, the clanging and clashing of weaponry still echoing in her ears as she awoke.

Yet, as she pushed against the stone floor to sit up, her mind recalled the nightmare she found herself in instead.

She wasn’t just a little girl who could wake up from a bad dream and enter reality, where a warm and soft hand assured her that she was safe, that any danger was a figment of her wide imagination.

She was a princess, with a cold chain around her wrist that anchored her to the floor of the dungeon.

The nightmare she found herself in was now much more frightening than anything her imagination could conjure, and, to her horror, much more real.

The fate of her father was a mystery, and her kingdom, even more so.

She didn’t need to be wise to know that the wizard Agahnim surely did not have good intentions for the Kingdom of Hyrule.

For what purpose he threw her in the castle dungeons must have been a grim one at that, the other maidens now gone and done with.

She moved herself to sit against the wall as the chains clinked, hugging her knees as she placed her chin on top of them.

Her kingdom at its’ end and she was powerless to stop it.

She couldn’t deny that her hope was dwindling. The only hope she had now was in her dreams, that a gallant knight would come save her, would help restore her kingdom, would help her abolish Agahnims’ threat once and for all.

A tear released from her blue eyes when she reminded herself that the fantasy she construed was just as grounded in reality as anything else in her dreams.

The knights under her command, after all, were now under some curse, their eyes glazed over with evil intent. They no longer responded to her, their swords pointed in hostility towards her instead of for her. Their loyalties, secured by an unbreakable oath, were now changed. It was magic she’d never seen, and magic she could barely begin to comprehend, let alone stand against.

Hope, it seemed, had now gone far away from reality.

Suddenly, she heard the rise of footsteps along the dark hallway, her head perking up.

They weren’t heavy, like the Ball and Chain Trooper who stood guard a distance away or even one of her former knights.

They were light and soft, Zelda wincing in fear as they neared, anticipating that one of Agahnims’ minions had come to fetch her.

Had come to kill her.

A shadowed figure soon came into view, passing across the barred prison barrier to the locked door.

The figure seemed to have trouble opening the lock with the key, attempting it with such a oddly impatient haste.

It was as if it was made of ice, the way the key was fumbled with. Either the figure had never before used a key, or their mind was wrought with such haste to retrieve her that all sense of calm was distant.

The door swung open, Zelda squinting at the figure who was still covered in shadow as she stood up, pressing her back against the wall, wanting to much to go through it completely.

The figure was still as he held open the door, as if he became frozen in that position by some magic.

“Please, I beg you,” Zelda said desperately, “tell Agahnim to spare this kingdom. Whatever riches he desires, they will be his if he leaves Hyrule to peace.”

“No, no,” the figure said as he let go of the door, with a young voice that surprised the Princess greatly, “I’m not here to hurt you. I…”

He stepped into the light, Zelda’s heart skipping a beat when she saw a boy before her with blue eyes, and strawberry-blonde hair that curled gently like an oceans’ waves from his floppy green hat.

“I’m here to save you.”

“S-s-save…” she stammered as she inched forward. 

It was obvious the Princess was distracted by something, yet she discarded it with a shake of her head before retorting,

“Save me? You’re not one of my knights! You are just a boy!”

“And you’re just a girl,” he argued as he came closer with confident strides.

“W-what are you doing?” she asked as she backed away, forgetting completely that there was a wall behind her until she met it.

“Releasing you,” he said as he held up the key, quickly using it to break her bonds.

“Come on,” he said with a gesture of his hand as he headed back to the hallway, unsheathing his sword, “it won’t be clear for long,”

But the Princess only put her hands on her hips, an odd petulance in her expression.

“What makes you think I going with you?” she said, prompting the boy to turn back around.

“Don’t you want to be rescued?” he asked.

“I want to be rescued, not led to my death!” she reasoned.

“Well, I got all the way down here, didn’t I?” he asked rhetorically as he stepped towards her.

The Princess released a scoff in disbelief at his words.

“I just met you and you want me to trust you with my life?  On what grounds would I possibly do that?!”

The boy looked hesitant, like at any moment he could back away in fear.

The Princess started to regret her hostility when she saw it. Really, it only made sense for her to act this way, to have misgivings of this boys’ abilities when so much was at stake, but that didn’t mean it was fair.

And, if she were honest, there was something between them that caused an odd tension that only made it worse. If she knew what it truly was in that moment, her face surely would have reddened.

“I heard you,” the boy said quieter, in was obvious that her sharp words had hurt him somehow, “in my dreams. You were calling for help. And my uncle, well…”

The boy sighed heavily, Zelda’s expression softening at the weight she heard in it. There was some raw emotion in it, a cut that still bled, a pain that still stung. Even the boys’ blue eyes swam with a distinct sadness and guilt.

Something had happened to his uncle.

“You are something to me,” the boy continued, “I feel something…I’m not even sure what it is, but…for some reason I can’t explain…I need to do this.”

Zelda was utterly silenced, the boy mistaking it as the need to convince her further.

“Also, might I add, I’m your only shot at getting out of here.”

The boy held out his hand in offering.

“I would tell you that you have to trust me, but I think you already do.”

Zelda took a deep breath as her eyes locked into his, her steps bringing her slowly closer to the boy before she stopped in front of him.

She only nodded, the boy dropping his hand to his side before he tightened his grip on his sword and turned around, the Princess following behind him.

Only their cautious footsteps were heard as they entered the hallway, a gasp coming from Zelda’s lungs when she saw the dead Ball and Chain Trooper on the floor.

She looked to the back of his head as she followed him up the stairs, both of them minding their stealth.

Legends told fondly of a hero of old, who drove away the darkness with the courage of a thousand knights.

The Princess was always told that it was only a story, that surely time had warped its’ truth.

Yet, standing before her now was a boy with a courage she had never seen before, his skill with a blade unprecedented for a boy his age, for even accomplished soldiers.

To take down a Ball and Chain Trooper without a scratch was unfathomable.

A raised hand brought her out of her thought completely, his head soon gesturing to a nearby wall before they both hastened to it.

Their backs were practically glued to it, Zelda wanting to ask why they had stopped, but knowing there must be a reason for the boys’ stealth and silence. 

A sudden and loud growl caused a quick panic to stir inside the two as they stood side by side, their hands subconsciously finding each other and clasping with a hard grip.

They looked to each other in surprise that the other had reached for theirs, not to mention the had reached for it themselves, before releasing their grips and tearing away their glances.

The boy looked around the corner at the monster, taking a deep breath in and out and he gripped the hilt of his sword.

“Stay here,” he said, prompting Zelda to look at him as he departed, quickly racing around the corner.

She watched as he engaged the cursed soldier in combat before her back met the wall again, her breaths heaving.

The Princess didn’t even know what she would do if this boy failed, not even able to fathom the thought of him dying because of her as she stood there.

She shut her eyes tight, clinging to the hope that his courage would prevail, that his swordsmanship would conquer the many threats they had yet to face.

“Are you okay?” she heard, pulling a sigh a relief from her lungs when she opened her eyes and saw him before her.

His blue eyes were full of concern, genuine concern, the Princess trying not to delve too deep into it when she replied with a nod,

“Yes.”

The boy looked worriedly off into the distance, as if hearing some echo or seeing some shadow that alarmed him.

“There isn’t much time,” he said, “their numbers are starting to increase. You’ll have to stay close to me until we get to—”

The boy stopped when he felt Zelda’s hand in his, seeing in her blue eyes a trust. 

He tightened his grip, understanding her meaning.

Not only would they stay close, but they would stay connected, as an assurance to the other in even the darkest of hallways or the most dangerous corridors.

Because she knew that even he, this courageous boy, was scared as well.

——————————————————————————————————

“Princess Zelda!” exclaimed a old man almost as soon as they entered the sanctuary, “Thank the goddesses you are safe!”

“Actually,” the Princess responded, stepping forward, “it’s thanks to…”

Her words faltered.

She looked behind her to the boy, who had just finished securing the secret entrance to sanctuary.

“I…” she started with a small laugh, “I don’t even know your name.”

The boy took a step forward, a smile turning his lips upwards.

“Link,” he said, holding out his hand in greeting, “it’s nice to meet you, Princess.”

Zelda tried to restrain a chuckle.

Her entire life she had met people who bowed to her without a second thought. Really, most of her interactions with people were with the top of their heads.

This boy probably knew nothing of that, which is why he held out his hand expectantly.

The priest who watched the interaction was surprised when Zelda shook his hand, as if they were equal in status, in rank.

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Zelda said with a smile, her hand slipping away as she turned to the priest.

“As relieving as it is to be free from Agahnims’ grasp, I fear Hyrule still is not,” she said.

“I agree,” the priest said in reply, “it is quite a coincidence that this place really is your sanctuary from a dangerous world outside.”

“This isn’t about me, especially since I am in no way powerful enough to combat Agahnim.”

“Then, who is?” the priest asked, “Hyrule needs a hero, Your Highness.”

“I can do it.”

Zelda turned around in surprise, meeting Link’s kind blue eyes as her lips parted.

There was such an innocence in his words that Zelda had the full intention of objecting.

He was obviously close to her age, if not exactly sixteen. He didn’t deserve what he was suggesting. Even if he did survive, this task surely came with an unparalleled burden, a suffering Zelda couldn’t even fathom subjecting him to.

But, when she saw the determined look on his face she was reminded of his immense courage, of his valor in battle, of his humility.

“Okay,” Zelda said with a nod of acknowledgement, the priest raising his eyebrows at the trust she was placing in this boy.

“But, Link,” she implored as she stepped forward, “I need your understanding that this is a grave responsibility. It must not be taken lightly.”

“I understand,” Link said with a nod.

“The land of Hyrule cannot fall into the wizard’s clutches,” Zelda continued, “if he releases the seal of the seven wise men, evil power will overwhelm this land. Before that happens…before it’s too late…you must destroy the wizard before he destroys Hyrule. You…you can do it, I know you can.”

“Seek out the village elder in Kakariko,” the priest added as he stepped forward, “he knows of a weapon that will aid you greatly, that is sure to banish Agahnim’s evil. But until then, be on your guard, you have surely seen that the castle soldiers have been cursed to aid him, not to mention the minions that roam the land even now. They will be looking for you two after tonight. I wish it wasn’t so, but they will kill you if given the chance.”

“What about you?” Link asked as he looked to Zelda, his face full of concern, “if they are willing to kill me just for assisting you then…”

“I will hide Princess Zelda here,” the priest interjected, “do not worry, your only concern should be with finding the elder as soon as possible.”

Link looked to Zelda once more, parting his lips as if he were about to say something, his eyes almost panicked as they searched hers.

Zelda simply waited for his words in response, curiosity overtaking anything else as she stared.

Yet, he soon tore away his glance, starting a run out of the sanctuary.

“Wait!” Zelda exclaimed before running to meet him, his expression attentive when he turned around for her to approach him.

“Link,” she started, in a voice unbefitting for a royal and proper princess. It was softer, more real, with more genuine emotion behind it than he’d ever heard.

“My dreams,” she continued, “I…I didn’t know they would reach you like that…I didn’t mean to force you into all this.”

Link only smiled, his eyes warm.

“You didn’t.”

Those two words were all she needed to smile as well, soon running forward and hugging him.

“Please be careful, Link.”

“I will, I promise,” he said in reply, “Zelda…”

[myssamyss]

Everything Stays, Part 4 of 6

Featuring Jojo’s comic, “Malink past” Part 4: When You Turn It Around

The next morning, Link woke before the sun, readied his gear, and crept out the door. He made his way to the stable as dim light began to color the ranch. A mercifully cool wind swept in from the fields; the heat had finally broken. Link reached the large stable door and pulled at the latch, only to haul the door open and freeze in surprise.

Malon stood in the middle of the stable, running a coarse brush through a spotted mare’s mane.

She turned and gave him an accusing glare that made his limbs turn ice-cold. They stood there, still and staring, neither speaking. Link swallowed in the back of his throat, but he didn’t back down. Malon broke the silence first.

“You’re up early,” she told him dryly.

“So are you.”

Malon gave him a strange look and he sucked in a breath, but then she turned back to the mare and continued brushing. The stable was quiet but for the slow, rhythmic rustling of brush against mane.

Taking her silence as understanding, Link exhaled and strode into the stable. Straw crunched beneath his boots, and the sound of Malon’s brushstrokes was drowned out by his swift steps. He began readying Epona’s tack.

“So you’re just leaving?” she asked him after several long minutes. A half-hidden hurt laced her words.

He turned back to her. Her hands gently stroked the mare’s muzzle, but her blue-eyed gaze was sharper than any sword.

“I’m not ‘just leaving’,” he replied, taken aback.

She shook her head and her bangs went flying. “Really? Because it seems to me that you were fixing to leave here before we had a chance to talk.”

Link felt stunned. He’d been trying his best to do right by her. At least, he thought he was.

“We did talk. And I even stayed for dinner. I came here to give a proper goodbye, like you deserve.” And I didn’t have to, Link thought to himself bitterly as he mounted Epona. Maybe coming to the ranch had been a mistake. Maybe this was the problem with long goodbyes and explanations. Maybe they only made things worse. Just leave, he told himself.

Her voice rose. “Why though? Why are you leaving now? I thought we were finally getting, well... close.” She glanced away with her last word.

“I don’t get close to people,” he said sharply. She winced.

“But if there’s anything I’ve learned,” he continued, “it’s that there’s always a parting. Nothing ever lasts.”

Malon stared past him to the open stable door with a silent frown. Link nudged Epona’s side with the heel of his boot, spurring the horse to a walk.

“You’re right.” Malon’s quiet voice cut through the air. “We’ve been friends since childhood, yet there’s very little I know about you, or even the world. What does a dumb farm girl know?”

What? He pulled back on Epona’s reigns and turned back to Malon, shocked. “Malon, no, I-I didn’t mean…”

Her face softened and her voice grew sincere. “But I’d like to,” she said with a small, hopeful smile. “I’d like to know... Ever since that day you played my mother’s song, I’ve wondered.”

She stared at him with deep blue eyes full of such care and longing. His resolve melted away. Because anything was worth this—the way she was staring at him now, shoulders squared with passionate hope and her bottom lip held half-open in plea. His chest ached at the few meters of distance already between them. Maybe... he could turn back. Maybe he could explain things and let her in. Her honest, fierce need for him was worth abandoning his self-imposed rules.

He nodded to her slowly and her face brightened with joy, encouraging him. He swung a leg over Epona and dismounted. The aching in his chest faded, and an intoxicating warmth rose to take its place.

“I’m not sure where to begin,” he admitted. He sat down on a nearby hay bale.

Malon waited a few quiet moments, then she came to sit by his side. She smoothed her long purple skirt over her knees, tucked her red bangs behind a delicately pointed ear, then met Link’s eyes with a disarming stare.

“Why does nothing ever last?” she asked simply.

“Well…everyone leaves...even you…” he murmured.

Malon’s brows drew together in confusion.

“Well, not you,” he backtracked. “Another you. And I suppose I’m the one who left then... I’m sorry. I’ve never really tried to explain it all before, to someone on the outside.”

She placed her hand against his arm just beneath the sleeve of his green tunic. Link started. He knew she was trying to comfort him, but her gentle touch felt like an electric shock. Though unlike real-life electrocution (which Link was too familiar with), the feeling was admittedly pleasant, and the memory of danger primed his mind, emboldening him. He looked down at the straw-covered floor and gathered his thoughts.

“You remember the first time we met? I was going to the castle?” he asked.

She nodded, enthralled.

“Well,” he began. “I broke into the castle, and there was this prophecy…”

***

Wild trailed behind the other heroes as they walked along a wooded path. He didn’t often take up the rear, as he was well-accustomed to walking long distances (unlike poor Wind). But today he craved the familiar comfort of solitude.

He kept a handful of pleasant memories in relief to fall back on when he felt overwhelmed, a collection built before the Calamity’s defeat when thoughts of failure and Zelda’s long-suffering threatened to overwhelm him. As he walked, he shuffled through the series of memories, imagining himself darting after little Cottla through cool grass above the hills near Kakariko, trading iridescent insects with a wide-eyed Beedle in a warm stable, or standing in the golden Tarry Town sunshine during Hudson and Rhondson’s wedding. He enjoyed escaping to these moments when he’d been nothing more than himself, without expectation or prophecy.

Wild’s thoughts were interrupted as he noticed Time falling back in their group’s walking order. It wasn’t unusual for him to double back to chat with Twilight, but Time didn’t pause beside the fur-clad hero now. Instead, he kept his pace suspiciously slow, until he was nearly even with Wild. His armor clanked with each step.

Wild fixed his eyes just above Wind’s crop of bright blonde hair ahead of them.

“Wild,” Time began, his voice quiet. He slowed his pace even further, widening the gap between Wind and the two of them. Wild matched him, but said nothing.

“I wanted to apologize,” Time said. He sounded sincere. Wild turned his head to show he was listening.

“I’m sorry for coming down on you at the pond, over the kid. I was just…worried. Lately you’ve been…” Time searched for a word, but seemed to think better of it. “Anyways. I know you can handle yourself. And if you want to talk, about anything...” Time shrugged.

Wild nodded. He wasn’t angry with Time. The man just made him uneasy, and Wild wanted to be left alone. Still, he appreciated Time’s willingness to humbly apologize, even if it took clear effort. Wild pushed back against his own annoyance and resolved to make an effort, too. Besides, Wild thought, if he couldn’t be alone, then maybe he ought to face his simmering unease head-on instead. He was good at throwing himself into the thick of things.

“Why’d you get married?” Wild blurted, hurling himself into the very subject he felt so keen on avoiding. He didn’t dare look over at Time. But the older man surprised him by taking the seemingly random question in stride. From the corner of Wild’s eye, he saw Time cocking his head and considering his answer carefully.

“Hm,” Time mused. He gave a small, uncharacteristic smile. “I guess… I got married… to share trust with someone.” He paused. “It wasn’t easy, at first. I mean, none of us are big on talking.” Time threw a glance toward the rest of their party. “Well, maybe Legend. But never about anything real.”

Wild nodded, listening guardedly.

“But having someone to listen? It keeps you sane.”

He heard a bite in Time’s voice. Wild’s gaze flicked to the red and blue marks that flanked the ruined eye.

Time caught the quick glance. “She knows about all of it.”

Wild let his head fall down toward the ground in minor embarrassment. He of all people knew the discomfort of a curious gaze. He resisted the urge to scratch at his scarred ear.

He kicked a rock instead and thought about Time’s answer. True openness sounded very difficult to put into practice. Wild might have once shared that kind of trust, that kind of love with another. ‘Might’ being the key word, as he could never be completely sure. A vision of Mipha’s delicate face swam in his mind. They might have been planning a life together...

Hard to share my honest thoughts when I can’t even remember them, Wild thought coldly.

“It wasn’t easy,” Time added softly, breaking the silence. Wild had barely noticed the long pause between them. Damn, still rusty at carrying on a conversation. Monologuing in his mind certainly didn’t help. He focused in on Time’s words.

“And there were bumps, she isn’t perfect. And I’m not either. I wasn’t sure it would last,” Time said. “But she hasn’t left yet.”

Wild nodded. “Thank you,” he told the older man.

Time clapped him on the shoulder, then began humming a vaguely familiar song as he picked up his pace and made his way to the front of the group, leaving a relieved Wild behind. The older man respected solitude, and seemed to understand Wild’s own need for it.

***

Malon knocked twice on the door to Link’s room, but there was no answer. Maybe he was sleeping again? He’d been taking on more than his fair share of ranch chores lately, she figured he was bound to be exhausted. Didn’t he know that his work ethic already far outstripped her father’s expectations without any of the added effort? She knew her father was already impressed. Link didn’t need to prove himself further. He was easily their best ranch hand, and he fit well in their little family. Besides, Talon had apparently already given Link his blessing years ago. Link needn’t be nervous now.

She pushed the door open quietly, but was met with an empty, neatly made bed. No sign of her Link.

Her eyes fell to something lying on the bedside table, an item that she had only seen a handful of times before: the ocarina. The ocarina whose notes had first sown the seeds of adoration deep in Malon’s heart as Link had impossibly played Malon’s most treasured song. For years she’d believed that Link’s unexplainable knowledge of the song was a sign from above, perhaps even from her own mother, that she and Link had a future together. Now she knew his true past, and the instrument had taken on an entirely different legendary nature in her mind. She crossed the room and ran her fingers across its glazed surface without thinking. It was smooth and cool to the touch. She gathered it in her hands—

“What are you doing?”

She spun around to see Link standing in the doorway. For the first time in many months, his face was a closed door. A painful lump caught in Malon’s throat as she realized her grave mistake. She carefully returned the ocarina to the bedside table with a small clink and stepped away as hot embarrassment rose in her chest.

“Link, I’m sorry...” she began. Link crossed the room to place himself between her and the ocarina. She glanced up into his eyes and found deep pain staring back. The few inches of space separating their chests felt like a vast distance.

“Please go,” he told her quietly. She nodded solemnly and left his room, easing the door shut behind her. As the latch clicked, despair welled up inside her heart. She had repaid his trust with unchecked curiosity, and all the sorries in the world wouldn’t take back her trespass. --------------------------------- Author’s Note: thanks as always to @clumsydarknut for beta-reading.

[a-bit-too-much-of-a-zelda-fan]

Linked Universe Fanfic Ch. 5: Smoke

Stop! You’ve Violated the Law!

So, you’ve stumbled upon this original post for my Linked Universe fanfiction. That’s okay, it happens to everyone. As of March 2021, I’ve uploaded the entirety of this fanfic to my Archive of Our Own page. Along with finally giving the story a name--Oops! All Links: A Linked Universe Story--I made substantial edits to some of the chapters. These range from minor stylistic revisions to fixing a gaping plot hole that kinda completely broke the character conflict in the earlier chapters. I also renamed and renumbered (but not reordered) the chapters. Specifically, this is now Chapter 6: Smoke.

The AO3 iterations of these chapters are the definitive versions. So, if you would like to read this fanfiction, please do so on AO3, right here. With this embedded link. Hehe. Geddit? Link?

Note: My screen name on AO3 is FrancisDuFresne. Yes, that is me. I am not plagiarizing myself.

Anyway, for posterity’s sake, the rest of the original post is below the cut.

Here we are again! Chapter 5 of my @linkeduniverse narrative. This one focuses a bit more on Warrior, who I feel that I neglected in previous chapters. Again, thank you so much @jojo56830 for creating this AU that inspires me to write more and more. Enjoy!

Word count: 1600

The sun shone brightly on the nine heroes. The breeze blew through their hair and ruffled their clothes. Metal equipment clinked with every step through the rustling tall grass. Crickets unseen chirped, ringing in their ears. Wildflowers sprouted here and there; Wild stopped every so often to inspect them.

“Why do you keep doing that?” Hyrule asked.

Wild was squatting next to a group of flowers. He looked up. “You never know what kinds of things you’ll come across in the wild, what they can do for you.”

Sky took up the rear. “Yep!” he said. “Flowers can be way more helpful than you might think.”

“Hey!” Legend called back from near the front. “You said it yourself, Wild; we have a day’s hike!”

Wild sighed. Indeed, the walk across hills and through a forest would take all day. He determined that when he looked at his Sheikah Slate’s map yesterday. He pushed himself to a stand and hurried back to the front. Having the map was an important responsibility, something he would never forget after the incident yesterday in the cave.

The chill and mist of the morning were starting to burn off now. The Links had been walking for about two hours since setting off from the beach. Warrior had them get up with the sun. He reasoned that if they did hit monsters like Wild said they might, they would still make it to the next village by sundown.

Warrior’s plans had rarely led the heroes wrong. He had told them that on his own quest, he needed to devise military-engagement-scale tactics on the fly. The best team player by far, his coordination and wit greatly overshadowed his relative conceit and pride compared to his companions. His cool head in battle was invaluable to the group.

“Let’s put our heads together here,” said Warrior. “We don’t want to walk into an ambush later on. There’s been a tad too many of those recently for my taste.”

“You’d think we would learn,” Time said with a shrug.

“Exactly! We should be learning. We’ve all been on our own adventures and saved the world multiple times, but where does that get us if we keep winding up in such danger?”

“I think I know why,” Four suggested, half-jogging to keep up with the taller of his friends. “I know this from my fragments. At first, we figured that of course four Links were better than one. If Link was an awesome swordsman hero, then four would be unstoppable.”

Wind jumped in: “Well, you all seemed pretty unstoppable to me. Those stalfos didn’t stand a chance against you.”

“Well, that’s now. We’ve come to terms that we are fragments, not copies. Green, Red, Blue, Vio. All shards of Link. Alone, we were less than Link. When we worked together, we suddenly became more than the sum of our parts.”

“Okay, how does that help us?” Legend asked.

“Here we are,” Four replied, holding his arms out to his companions, “nine Links. We’ve saved the world, slain great evil, wielded legendary swords. Put us together and of course it would seem that nine heroes are better than one. But that makes us headstrong and cocky. If we think that we’ll make it out of every encounter fine, we won’t care.”

Time nodded. “We need to remember that we can fail if we want to succeed,” he said. “Over the past few weeks, we’ve grown stronger and have begun working like a true team. Our battle yesterday was proof enough of that. We’re letting it get to our heads, though.”

“Right,” Warrior said. “In that case, let’s figure something out here.”

Wind sighed. He knew the importance of plans and strategies, but playing it be ear was his specialty. One doesn’t escape a fortress of monsters swordless by following the playbook.

Warrior was about to start discussing what they would do when they reached the forest when a scent caught his nose. Something burnt and ashy. He looked up. “I… guys?”

Plumes of thick, dark gray smoke were working their way up over the hills to their left. Orange-tinged embers floated down onto the swaying grass. The Links readied their weapons as they began sprinting up the nearest hill. “Wild!” Sky called. “Is there anything up there?”

Wild took out his Sheikah Slate and opened the map. His eyes darted across the screen. “No, it doesn’t look like it!” he yelled back. “Just more hills!”

“That’s odd,” Time muttered to himself. He shouted out: “Keep your guards up; we don’t know what we’re dea—”

His words got caught in his throat as they crossed over the top of the hill and got a good view of the land. It was unbelievable, and Time had seen many unbelievable things. There was nothing burning. There was nothing at all. Just more hills, more plains. Smoke still billowed upward, with no source in sight. Time could swear he could hear screams and shouts faintly but had no idea where it was coming from. He spared a glance at his companions.

Sky, Wind, Warrior, Wild, and Hyrule looked simultaneously concerned and confused. Flabbergasted, really. They had never seen anything like it and couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Four, Legend, and Twilight were frowning. Time suspected they were thinking along the lines he was. He started rummaging in his pouch.

“What the hell is going on?” Sky breathed. “There’s smoke, but nothing is burning.”

“What’s going on,” Time explained, “is likely that there’s something we can’t see by ourselves. Sometimes there are things hidden from our eyes that we can only see with some external help.”

Twilight spoke up. “Like a wolf’s heightened senses.”

“Or a Moon Pearl,” Four and Legend said in unison. They glanced with at each other with raised eyebrows. Clearly, neither knew the other had used a Moon Pearl before.

Time found what he was looking for. He held up his Lens of Truth. “Or this.”

He held it in front of his remaining eye. The moment the Lens passed into his line of vision, he saw what was truly happening. Indeed, there was a small village there set ablaze. Straw roofs and wooden walls burned up, churning out the thick smoke the Links could see from afar. Now he could see who was screaming.

“Well?” Wind asked. “What is it?”

Time stared at the scene. “There’s a village burning down there. The people need help.”

“How do we save people we can’t see?” Wild sounded skeptical, anxiety creeping into his voice.

“Maybe I can help,” Four said as he pulled a Moon Pearl out of his pouch. “I was hoping I was never going to need these again.”

Before the others got a good chance to look at the Pearl, he threw it further down the hill, closer to the smoke from a settlement he couldn’t see. “Let’s go! Follow me!”

He took off at a sprint, drawing the Four Sword and raising the shield his Zelda gifted him. Confused but determined, his companions ran after him. The moment the Pearl hit the swaying grass, it shattered, leaving in its place a circle a yard across. Bright blue light shot up out of it, higher than Time was tall. “What is that thing?” Wind yelled as they ran.

“A portal!” Four shouted back. “It’ll bring us into the world that village is in!”

At that moment, Four stepped into the portal and disappeared. The others dashed in after him. Hyrule brought up the rear and was the last to take the portal. He arrived to find the brightest and fiercest fire he had ever seen. His friends were standing there a few yards ahead, gaping at the scene.

Warrior’s mind raced, putting together their rescue plan. The factors ran through his head: Dozens of the small homes too burnt to save, at least two or three people per home, nine Links, four with alternate-world experience, one with superspeed, one with time-stop, one part-wolf, one capable of splitting into four…

We could cover more ground with three extra Links, Warrior thought, but using the Four Sword two days in a row could be too much for him.

“Alright,” he turned and said to the others. Any cockiness was gone from his voice, replaced by solemn determination. “Partner up. Sky with Four. Twi with Wind. Time with Hyrule. Wild with me. Legend, your Pegasus Boots’ speed will make you better alone.”

Legend nodded.

Warrior continued: “Four, your sword’s power would be helpful to cover more ground, but we’ll need you at full strength later. Do not split. Got it?”

Four waited a moment, as if contemplating arguing. Reasoning that using his sword twice in as many days could seriously hurt him, he nodded as well.

“Stick with your partner and take each house one by one. Find any survivors and send them back the way we came. Children, lame, and elderly take priority. The portal should lead them to safety. Don’t bother putting the fires out. It’s too late to save this place. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Everyone understand?”

A collective grunt of assent resounded among the Links. Warrior’s voice was filled with ice as he said: “Good. Let’s do this.”

The nine seasoned heroes took off at a sprint, Legend quickly gaining a lead. Only Twilight, Time, Wild, and Wind had borne witness to any large fire, but none as big as this. Still, they charged on. These people needed help, and what kind of heroes would they be if they didn’t try to help?

[katedoesfics]

Breath of the Resistance: Chapter 36

The room was dim when Link awoke, presumably early in the morning. He blinked up at the ceiling for a moment, allowing his eyes adjust to the lighting. He opened his mouth to yawn loudly but snapped it shut quickly when he felt movement beside him. Zelda mumbled in her sleep as she turned over, her back to him. Link sat up, fully aware of where he was, now, and who he was still with. He blinked at her delicate shape under the sheets and grinned to himself. He moved carefully under the blankets, swinging his legs over the bed, and as carefully and quietly as he could, he left Zelda alone in the bed.

He dressed quickly and tip-toed across the room. He pulled the door open gently and slid through, closing it quietly behind him. He moved silently through the hallways, down the stairs, and out one of the back doors. He followed a cobblestone path as it wound its way around the building and into a courtyard which overlooked Kakariko. The sun was just beginning to rise, its rays stretching over the city and glinting off the windows of some of the taller buildings. Living in the city for so long, Link had grown to admire the early morning sunrises, and it was no different here in Kakariko, though it was a considerably smaller city. But the people slept soundly all the same, their alarm clocks not quite ready to wake them from their peaceful slumber. On this morning, however, they would awake to a country at peace once more. It was truly the dawn of a new day.

“Expecting trouble?”

Link turned around, watching as Dorian approached him. He eyed the weapons Link still carried with him, slinging them around him when he had dressed earlier. It was a habit so ingrained in his mind that he hadn't even noticed. Just getting dressed for another day. Link shrugged and turned his gaze back over the city. “Habit.”

“Hmp.” Dorian stood at Link’s side, his gaze out on the horizon. He didn’t say anything for a long moment. Link snuck in a glance, noticing he still carried his gun, too. Though, Dorian's was mainly for show. He didn't think any of the Sheikah ever really relied on them when their own powers were much more sufficient.

“Link,” Dorian finally started. “I’m sorry-”

Link raised a hand to stop him. “Forget it, Dorian,” he said. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Dorian hesitated. “Your father,” he began softly. “Before he died, he was helping me get out of the Yiga Clan. When I wanted out… I told him everything. He was the only one I could trust. And when they… when they killed my wife…” He turned his gaze to Link. “He protected my children. He died for them.”

Link did not meet Dorian’s gaze. His brows knit together. “Why are you telling me this?”

“I made a promise to him,” Dorian said. “A long time ago. When you were very young.” Dorian paused for a moment. “He told me about the dreams you had been having. About the voice you heard from the Master Sword. He never wanted to drag you into any of it. I made a promise to him that day, and the day he died, that I would help you in any way I could. That I would keep you safe. You deserve to know the truth. Your father was not a traitor.”

Link's eyes moved to Dorian. He felt suddenly guilty that he ever doubted his father's motives, and that he doubted Dorian. He wasn't sure how to respond to Dorian, but to his relief, Dorian didn't seem to expect a response. Instead, he sucked in a breath and turned away, letting his hand rest briefly on Link's shoulder. His gaze turned serious as he met Link's for a moment.

“I expect a full report on my desk on Monday,” he said simply. He let a small smile part his lips before walking away and leaving Link alone in the courtyard.

Link watched Dorian leave and sighed. He absolutely hated writing up reports. But after almost a year of work, he supposed it was time for it to be done. Who knew working in the Queen's Special Forces Unit could be so boring?

*****

By midday, the four Champions of Hyrule bid goodbye to Link and Zelda, taking their separate ways back to their homes. Dorian's selected Sheikah soldiers were preparing to make the trip with Link and Zelda back to the city. Though the war was over, there was still much to do to rebuild the country. The Guardians needed to be cleared from the city, the city and palace needed to be reconstructed, and Zelda needed to oversee all of it as Hyrule's new leader. And though Link's job was essentially complete, he was determined to help Zelda in any way he could, and he was certain she would find something for him to do. If she didn't, Dorian surely would. Whether he liked it or not, it seemed he would be stuck in the SFU for life. All he could do was pray to the goddesses that he wouldn't be dragged into any more heroic work. He was ready to put that all behind him.

Leaving Kakariko, however, proved to be an overwhelming task. Reporters pressed themselves against the heavily guarded front gate as Link, Zelda, and Dorian approached. Their car waited on the street, just on the other side, which meant they would have to push their way through the crowd that had gathered. The reporters shoved their arms through the spaces in the gate, mics in the hands as they barked their questions at them. In all her life, Zelda had never experienced such chaos. Sure, her father had held numerous conferences over the years. Reporters weren't anything new to her. But their behavior in that moment was nothing she had ever experienced in the palace. They were wild as Hyrule's two heroes made their approach.

She didn't argue when Link stepped in front of her. She slunk back slightly, intimidated by their excited shouting. Dorian stepped further ahead, raising his hand in the air in an attempt to dismiss them, by they persisted, still shouting their questions.

“Is it true that the war is over?”

“Does the Master Sword really exist?”

“Queen Zelda, what are your plans from this point forward? Can you promise that Hyrule is safe?”

“The war is over,” Dorian said, his voice rough. “Ganon and the Yiga Clan no longer pose a threat to our country. We will focus our efforts on fixing the damages and rebuilding our nation. You can rest assured that Hyrule is safe.”

“What steps are you taking to ensure this?”

“Can you promise that Hyrule will not be in danger in the future?”

“Members of the Sheikah, myself and Impa included, are taking the steps necessary to keep Hyrule safe. Hyrule's army and the Special Forces Unit will remain in place. Nothing will change in our defenses, and we will be prepared for whatever the future brings us.”

“Are you saying that you're expecting another war to rise?”

“Are the legends true, then?”

At this last question, the reporters fell silent.

Dorian muttered under his breath. “How quickly you've forgotten your history,” he said. “Pick up a damn text book. Learn of the sacrifices that were made to keep this land safe, and know that we will continue to do so with all of our power. Let history serve as a reminder of the fate we must endure for all time.”

The gates opened and Dorian marched through, pushing the crowd aside with his arms. They erupted once more with questions, directing them at Link and Zelda as they passed, but Link pushed Zelda forward and she hurried into the protection of the car. Even when the doors were closed, the reporters barked their questions at them, stepping away only when the car pulled away from the curb and out into the road.

“Goddesses,” Zelda muttered as she slunk back into the seat. “Do not let them follow me into the palace. I do not want to be on tv.”

Dorian glanced at her in the rear view mirror. “Better get used to it. You're going to be very popular for a while.”

Zelda groaned and tried to push herself further into the back seat, hoping to disappear completely. “I don't know what to tell them.”

“Most of the time, your father didn't know what to say, either.” Dorian smirked.

Zelda raised a brow. “Really?”

“Come on, you can't fuck up,” Link said with a grin. “The war is over.”

Zelda rolled her eyes. She almost preferred to be fighting Ganon than deal with those damned reporters. She had no idea how to lead an entire country. Link took her hand in his and she looked down as their fingers interlocked. She relaxed slightly and met his gaze.

“I'm sure I'll manage to fuck something up.”

“For starters,” Dorian grunted. “Don't swear on tv.”

Zelda smiled in Dorian's direction. “Clearly I'm not fit to be a queen.”

Dorian met her gaze briefly. “You'll be fine. You'll have a whole team of people to help you.”

Zelda moved her gaze out the window. “There's no one left,” she said softly. “Everyone died with my father.”

“You have me and Impa,” Dorian said. “We're the only ones that had any say, anyway. I promise you, you're in good hands. We kept your father from fucking up, so you'll be fine.”

“My father wouldn't have fucked anything up,” Zelda said, narrowing her eyes at Dorian. “He's the reason we're still at peace with the Zoras.”

“That may be true,” Dorian said with a nod. “I'll give him credit for that one. He wasn't an idiot. But I can assure you, he was not perfect.” He paused for a moment in thought. “Did you know he wanted nothing to do with the Divine Beasts?”

Zelda raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

“Garbage, is what he called them. Nothing but trouble.”

“He wasn't wrong,” Link muttered, folding his arms over his chest and glancing out the window.

“Those Divine Beasts saved your ass,” Dorian snarled at Link in the rear view mirror.

Link let a smug smile tug at his lips.

“I talked him into keeping them around,” Dorian continued, his gaze back on the road. “You're welcome.”

“They tried to kill me on numerous occasions,” Link added with a shrug. “But yeah, sure, thanks.”

“My advice to you,” Dorian said, glancing to Zelda. “Get rid of your Captain. He thinks he's smart shit.”

“I saved Hyrule,” Link said smugly. “You're welcome.”

“Let's not forget,” Zelda added. “You couldn't have done it without me.”

“Semantics,” Link said.

As they drove, Link noticed they were not the only vehicle on the road. Though they were being followed by a train of black town cars of the other Sheikah soldiers that accompanied them, other vehicles dotted the roads and highways as people ventured out of their homes for the first time in months. Guardians no longer patrolled the roads, laying lifeless where they fell when Ganon was finally defeated. From time to time, a car would stop to gaze upon the Guardian, but otherwise, the people ignored the old machines, continuing on with their lives.

Entering the city, however, proved to be a more difficult task, navigating through the debris and rubble of the destroyed buildings and homes. More lifeless Guardians were scattered through the city, and Dorian had to navigate around them carefully. The city was in complete shambles, and it seemed almost impossible to Zelda that it could be rebuilt and returned to its former glory. The sight of the city in ruins brought a lump to her throat and her stomach knotted. It was too easy to hide out in Kakariko and ignore the true destruction that had taken place. Being there in the city made it feel all too real. The last few months had been such a blur to her, she had almost been able to convince herself it was just a nightmare. But the true nightmare seemed not in the war, but the after effects of it. And all of Hyrule relied on her to help rebuild.

Dorian pulled up in front of the palace, which was in far better shape than the rest of the city, but the sight of it haunted Zelda. She stared at it from the safety of the vehicle as Dorian and Link stepped out. She watched as they spoke to one another, then directed their attention to the other Sheikah soldiers as they, too, stepped out of their vehicles. Link's brows were knit together as Dorian barked his orders at his men. It would be some time before the rubble was cleared, and they would need all the help they could get. Dorian knew this, and he wasn't about to waste a second in bringing life back to the city.

Zelda found the courage to leave the car, gazing up at the palace, ignoring the men behind her. They seemed to be oblivious to her as she stepped over some of the rubble and found her way inside. She stood alone in the central room. The large windows behind her let in the early afternoon light. The sun cast diagonal rays of light through the windows and across the marble floor. She looked up at the second level platform; it was just a few days ago when Ganon stood there with his cold, wicked smile on his face. Zelda shuttered at the memory. She felt like a stranger in her own home. Although everything remained as she remembered it, nothing about the palace was the same, especially without the presence of her father.

She heard footsteps echoing off the walls behind her. She did not turn as the footsteps entered the room and paused. She could sense Link watching her carefully, but he did not speak.

“I don't know how to do this,” she said softly.

The footsteps moved across the room and Link stood at her side. He, too, looked up at the balcony, his head cocked to the side slightly.

“Did you know I shot myself in the foot once?” he said with a grin.

Zelda turned to him. “What? Really? How?”

His grin widened as he recalled the memory. “I was barely eighteen. Never shot a gun in my life. Just starting out in the army. My father was trying to show me what to do. I tried to act like some big shot to hide the fact that I was scared of a damn gun.”

Zelda smiled. “You? Afraid of guns?”

“I thought he would give me shit if I told him, but he ripped me a new one when I accidentally pulled the trigger, which was far worse.”

Zelda laughed. “You're making that up.”

Link shook his head. “I was an idiot. I always wanted to learn growing up, but he'd never let me.” His smile disappeared for a moment and he turned and met Zelda's gaze. “I bet he regretted that after I shot myself.”

Zelda laughed lightly. “Good thing you don't shoot like that anymore.”

Link's soft smile returned. “We'd all be fucked if I did.” He turned his gaze back to the balcony. “At least you don't have to worry about shooting yourself in the foot.”

Zelda sighed lightly and followed his gaze. “Maybe not literally.” She hesitated. “At least you had training. I'm coming in blind.”

“You don't have to do it alone,” Link said. “No one expects you to.”

Zelda pinched her lips together and nodded once softly. She supposed he was right. She had Impa and Dorian to help her. She had Link. She turned her gaze back to him and smiled. “Don't let me shoot myself in the foot.”

“Don't worry,” he said. “You're already way better than I was then. You don't give yourself enough credit.”

Zelda smiled down at her feet. “Well,” she started. “All I can do is try my best.”

[mc-dude]

resolution (g)

Afterwards, one the fighting is done, after the arduous trek back from the desert, any feeling of triumph swept away by a sinking pit in his chest, he sits on the castle wall in the shade of a big tree.

He likes it here. It’s peaceful. No one disturbs him, likely because the castle guards had been decimated in the attack and have not yet been reinstated. Zelda had said something about rebuilding, but he hadn't lingered to figure out exactly what that entailed.

It's not his place.

His feet kick on the lightly battered bricks below. Unlike most of the castle, this section was largely untouched.

Branches of the nearby shrubbery rustle in the wind, a gentle crackling of dying leaves. Fall will be here soon. The pumpkins will be ready to harvest back in Ordon. The thought makes him frown.

The sun is beginning to set behind the distant cliffs, the sky taking on pink and orange hues that makes his heart ache.

There's something biting in the air as the sun sets beyond the mountain and the fireflies begin their ascent into the fields below; a hidden element he wouldn't have noticed before, but now can't seem to ignore. A distinct feeling, like the air before the lightning strikes. It sets him on edge, makes him want to run.

Rusl had said once that it’s the “only time when we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits that have left our world”.

He never thought the meaning would turn out to be so literal.

Link drags his eyes away from the sky and stares at his feet and the gentle moving water below. His leg bounces up and down.

The silence around him is almost deafening. It’s weird to think that he’s totally alone right now. His shadow, for the first time in a while, is completely empty. He clenches his fingers in the worn fabric of his pants, teeth grinding so hard his jaw pops. The movement jostles his necklace out from behind the unlaced collar of his tunic.

His fingertips drift over the curved crystal. It vibrates with a gentle thrum that, despite its dangerous appearance, settles the bouncing of his leg. When he closes his fingers over it he can feel soft grass beneath his feet, the wind rushing through his hair, the undercurrent of a primal connection to the earth that sets his soul alight. He closes his eyes and inhales.

It’s likely just a parting gift; a final farewell and thank you, but that stubborn part of him that never knows when to goddamn quit simply refuses to let go of that last little bit of hope settled at the very back of his ribcage.

He lets out a long breath and tucks the pendant back inside his tunic. He’ll always be an optimistic fool right until the very end. Stupid.

She’s not coming back.

She can’t come back.

He taps his fingers against the worn stone, lips pressed tightly together.

One thing no one mentions in the legends: what happens to the hero after. After the battle is won, the evil vanquished and balance restored to the land. What can he do? What is he supposed to do–

A sword settles at his neck, a heavy weight that digs into the soft skin below his ear. He freezes, fingers caught halfway to the sword on his back.

“Dead.”

His heart pounds in his chest, adrenaline flooding his system, when he realises that he knows that voice.

A worn brown boot enters his line of sight, followed by loose fitting pants and a forest green tunic cinched with a familiar looking strip of fabric.

“Tch, I know I taught you better than that. Though,” he plops down beside him without any finesse, feet stretching out over the castle walls, two-handed sword tucked away in the unremarkable leather sheath against his back. “I suppose that you deserve a day off, after all that you’ve accomplished.”

Link hesitates for a moment, thrown by his appearance. If not for the voice, he almost wouldn’t recognize him. This comfortable farm aesthetic is a far cry from the decaying armor and exposed skeleton.

From this distance, the resemblance is uncanny.

Link leans back against his hands and tilts his head to the side curiously.

“What are you doing here?”

He watches as the Hero’s appearance shimmers briefly, blurring at the edges as he points to the tree above him with a lazy motion.

“You’re the one under my tree.”

Link glances up at the boughs. Tiny blooms of leaves have started to grow amongst the branches, despite the incoming winter. The cursed swordsman sleeps before the.. ah.

He tries to elbow the Hero in the side, but his arm passes straight through. He receives a raised eyebrow in response.

“That’s not what I mean,” Link huffs. “I thought you, y’know,” he wiggles his fingers through the air, “moved on.” A thought hits him, followed by an uncomfortable pang of anxiety. “Unless– you still can't..?”

“I'm at peace, Link,” he interrupts, placing his hand on his shoulder and giving a reassuring squeeze, “thanks to you.” He looks out over the slow flowing river, at the pink-tinged peaks of gentle currents. “I’ve just–” a pause “– given too much of myself to this land to ever truly leave, I think,” he says with not a small amount of wistfulness.

He knows the feeling. A breeze hits the edge of the wall and ruffles the tips of his hair. He’s not quite sure where his hat wound up. Somewhere on the battlefield, trampled and dirtied. Hopefully the next hero prefers his ears uncovered.

A knee nudges his thigh. “So, when are you going to go?”

Link sighs. “I don’t know.” He kicks his feet against the wall, his fingers twitching with agitation. He knows he needs to go back, needs to check in on the village and the kids, needs to put the damn sword back in its pedestal.. but he doesn’t want to.

It sounds horrible, but he doesn’t want to go back.

There’s only one place he wants to be, and he can’t get there.

His companion interrupts his thoughts. “Well, it’s probably going to take a while, saying your goodbyes. You could start at the castle. Zelda probably already knows. She always knows.”

Link blinks. “My.. goodbyes?” Is this what happens after his mission is complete? Does the former hero come to take him away or something? Is that what this is?

“Well, you shouldn’t just vanish into the night. That wouldn’t be very heroic of you.”

“I don’t understand,” Link starts, brows furrowed. “I– I don’t have anywhere to go.”

A hand grabs the chain from around his neck, palming the pendant resting against his heart. The hero meets his gaze.

“Don’t you?” he asks softly.

Link’s eyes widen. Something inside him shivers. The wind settles around them, tree branches resting with gentle rattle. It’s utterly still.

“I– I can’t,” Link whispers, voice ragged with disbelief. “You know what she did. You must have seen.”

The hero turns the pendant on his necklace over in his hand, frowning in concentration. “It’s a very dark type of magic. Not evil, in the right hands, just dark. I've only seen it once before.” He runs a finger over his right eyelid, eyebrow furrowing. “Unique, in this realm. At least for now.” His lips quirk in a smile and he lets the necklace drop back to his chest. “A beacon, if used in the hands of a skilled magician with the right instrument.” The hero winks at him. “Lucky for you, I think there’s one who feels as if she owes you a great debt.”

Link can’t breathe, just stares down at the pendant with hope bubbling in his chest.

“Unless of course, you’d rather return to the farm,” the shade continues. “It’s not a bad life. Peaceful. You’ve earned a bit of rest.”

Link tries to imagine it– walking back into Ordon village, scarred and changed. Tries to imagine waking up every morning with his old routine, after what he’s been through. Tries to imagine having to explain to the kids why he doesn’t smile as quick, why every shadow makes him jump, why he sometimes looks into the fading twilight and feels overwhelmed by grief.

Then he imagines seeing her, even one more time. His heart thuds in his chest.

“Can I really go?” he wonders out loud, voice a whisper. He draws the Master sword and looks at it on his lap. Will it let me go? It pulses faintly, as if sensing his restless thoughts. A ghostly hand hover above the blade. The Hero look at it with something like disgust.

“You’re done, Link. You’ve completed what was demanded of you.” The Hero gestures to the horizon. “It’s your own life, now. You get to choose what to do with it.”

They both stare out over the fields. The Hero pushes to his feet, twisting as if to move away. Link scrambles upward.

“Wait– what if–” the Hero pauses, turning to eye him expectantly. Link feels embarrassed, all of a sudden. He scratches at the back of his neck. “Um, I mean– she’s the one who closed the pathway. What if she doesn’t want–”

The Hero clasps a hand on his shoulder, looking more serious than he’s ever seen him. “Do not live a life of regret, Link. It festers inside of you, twisting and corrupting until that's all that's left.” The Hero turns to glance at the tree, something unbearably painful in his eyes. Link blinks, and it’s gone, replaced by a rueful smile. The Hero laughs, walking away once more.

“Besides, who do you think took your hat?”

Link’s hand flies to the top of his head, eyes wide. His eyes sting as a laugh is startled out of him. He watches the outline of the Hero get dimmer, fading into the evening light.

“Where will you go?” Link calls.

The Hero throws a hand up over his shoulder. “I’ve been away too long. My wife will be waiting.” He turns back towards Link once more, and for a moment, Link catches a glimpse of a bright green tunic, of the Master sword strapped to his back and a bright blue fairy hovering above his head. The shade– no, Link– smiles at him.

“I’m proud of you.” He raises his hand in farewell. “Live well, Link, and thank you.”

Link smiles, face wet as he waves back. “Be at peace, Link.”

[vgwriter]

Breath of the Wild: A Review

A Little History

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild came out in 2017 to universal acclaim and helped to successfully launch the Nintendo Switch. While that is far from a surprise, (the Zelda series is one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful franchises of all time) Breath of the Wild does take the series in a much different direction. It's focus is almost completely on exploration and is the most nonlinear of the series. It is the second biggest jump the series has made outside of going 3D. So, does it work? Well, the rest of the world and their mother seem to think so but here's my take on this game.

What I Loved

*SPOILERS*

#1-A Story to Remember

It seems odd to focus on the story when the game doesn't but behind the vast world and great characters is a subtle yet amazingly well executed story. The player finds Link in a DBZ healing pod after he is just awakened from a hundred year slumber of healing. He is told by the disembodied voice of British Zelda to defeat Calamity Ganon but wait, there's more! Turns out Link has amnesia from the fight he had 100 years ago trying to protect Zelda. After obtaining the Sheikah Slate (the games multi-tool), the player discovers there are photos Zelda locked in the Slate to help Link recover his memory. This is how the story is unfolded for the player. The struggles of the Five Champions and Princess Zelda are seen through flashbacks that explain how Hyrule went to sh*t. It is a simple and traditional method but it is effective when coupled with the games minimalist piano soundtrack and isolated atmosphere. It gives a heartbreaking insight into just how lonely and broken this version of Hyrule is and how much Link and the others lost.

#2-The Puzzles

The games dungeons are split up into two catagories: shrine and divine beasts. The shrines are smaller and have a variety of challenges in their 120 locations while the devine beasts are 4 large challenges with several moving parts. Most shrines are designed to be easy to follow but still make the player feel creative. This feeling of creativity stems from the developers themselves that made each level doable in multiple ways. Each dungeon is designed to test the players use of the games mechanics, the player can play it how it was designed or try to tackle it from another angle. One example from my personal playthrough was using a bomb arrow to light fire because I couldn't figure out how to light a torch through a gate. It worked but probably not the way it was designed to. While not every shrine has a variety of ways to solve them (mostly the trial by combat shrines), they are all intriguing challenges designed with fun in mind and feel rewarding when completed. The divine beasts are a similar story with a few minor details. The player must first find the map of the dungeon and then go about reclaiming terminals to free the divine. The map is a 3D rendering of the dungeon with an interactive portion that moves key parts of the beast around. This was a great design choice because it challenges the player to think of the dungeon as a moving puzzle and to consider how moving the pieces will help them advance to the boss.

#3-The World and Character Design

To say the world is stunning is an understatement. The design of the enviroment feels so natural to explore and interact with that finding Koroks is like spoting cognitive distortion in a high school drop outs racist rant on Facebook. I usually find map towers annoying in games like Assassin's Creed but in BOTW they are better integrated into the games exploration. Some towers are actually challenging to climb if Link doesn't have enough stamina or if the player just throws him onto a tower without looking for enemies first. They are like little challenges all their own and it is a great take on something that has been bland and stale since it was first introduced (to me at least) in AC1. Outside of the towers is the vast world that pulls the player into it with rewarding exploration in cute and helpful ways. The shrines are an obvious reason to explore but there are also Koroks, fun and unique side quests, and just cool stuff to find as well. The variety and density of things to do justifies the games gigantic map. It is one of the few games to live up to the idea of an open-world and keep it interesting throughout a 100 hour playthrough.

The art design, oh my cel shaded god, it's amazing. I'm not gonna pretend like I'm some art history major but the regional designs do some pretty interesting things with the enviroment. The five peoples in Hyrule have all appeared in previous titles but have been tweaked in some way for BOTW. The Gorons have a theme of raw strength throughout their entire section of the map, from their weapons to the steel planks on the streets of Goron City. The Rito's design is more centered on their freedom and ability to fly with the entire settlement resembling a nest. Seriously, everything has feathers. The Zora have an elegance in everything they own from the large city built from one large carving to the silver weapons. The Gerudo seem to be a shell of their former selves like the Hylians with ruins surrounding their two settlements. Their quality in construction and bejewelment of everything that shines shows what matters most to them, beauty and effectiveness. The Hylian design is European with a mix of far east in certain pockets. Hyrule castle is a great dungeon that actually lives up to the title of castle. Kakariko village is a weird area that doesn't fit into the Hylian design but c'mon, you can't go wrong with far eastern architecture. Each region has its own design that both fit its surroundings and its people and feels natural, like the people and land are truly living together. It's impressive that Nintendo was able to pull that off because it is not easy to do.

The characters are simply iconic, mostly. The four champions don't get a lot of screen time but they use what they have effectively. Daruk is a stubborn strong man with a great admiration for strength and brotherhood. Mipha is the white mage of the group with a thing for Link (which I prefer to Zelda). Revali is the arrogent prick of the group that comes around eventually. Urbosa is basically the group mom, being the most mature out of everyone. Each of these characters are simple but fill their role effectively and are all quite likeable (even Rivali). Their present day counterparts aren't as memorable though. I mean, outside of Sidon. Sidon makes me feel like I can do anything just by smiling. But everyone else I had to look up for this review. Yunobo is some shy kid that finally lives up to his potential. Teba is a proud warrior but really not that memorable. Riju comes close to being memorable but I still had to look her up. Outside of the champions and their descendents, Kilton made an impression on me. The Bolson company had one of my favorite quests and some of the funnier cutscenes. Each side quest character has that quaint old fashioned rpg vacuum writing. They all live in their own world and interact with Link for one reason.

Overall, the characters and how they interact with the enviroment are what make this game a masterpiece. The mechanics and story are what make it a great game but the world design is that extra step where most great games stumble to me.

#4-The Combat

The combat is simple but has a multitude of uses against the games enemies. Link has three moves: attack, shield, and shoot. Everything beyond this simple moveset depends on how the player equips Link or uses the Slate Ruins. If an enemy is mostly ice, fire weapons are super effective and vice versa. Thunder disarms anyone, including Link. It gets better than simple elemental weapons. If you bring a cucco to a battle and an enemy hits that cucco, a swarm of bird will rain hell on that unassuming bokoblin. Seriously, that alone gives this a 5/5! Also, the enviroment can be used as a weapon if it's set up correctly. If Link fells a tree and lines up the path right, it will attack the enemies. There is just so much to do in this game and it all works off of three simple actions. Perfect.

#5-Misc.

Some other things that stood out enough to mention but not enough to make a paragraph. The crafting is useful and not intrusive. Link can buy a house, which is always fun. The outfits are all great designs and useful in their respective enviroment. There are throwback outfits from previous titles (mostly through amiibos) and that is always cool. Zelda became a scholar and that was a great take, not just on Zelda but on the idea of fictional princesses in general. Link can cut grass. The variety of weapons is astounding. Oh, and uh, all this fits on a small little card no bigger then the last knuckle of my thumb.

What I Didn't Like

#1-The Weapons Fragile Weaponinity

The weapons break way too easy. That's it. That is the only thing I have to complain about this game. That shouldn't be all I have to complain about. I should have two more points to make at least but I don't. Nintendo has made a masterpiece.

The Score

This game shouldn't exsist, it's too good. The gameplay is simple but versatile. The enviroment is peaceful and relaxing while also being desolate and dangerous and this makes it fun to explore. The story and the enviroment fit so well together and compliment each other every time they connect. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a 5/5 and the definitive way to make open-ended games.

[powdersurgar]

The Twin Blades (Zelda Fanfiction.)

Long ago,

Hylia, the goddess of Light and Sound, and Zylia, the goddess of Twilight and Time, blessed the land with their childrens grace.

Hylia’s children,

Din, created land and mountains with a heart that burned with fire.

Nayru, gave water that could reach everything it touched

Farore, sprouted life that cleansed the air.

However… Zylia’s child

Oden, gave the land the wind of HOPE

As Hylia and her children name spread across the lands, Zylia’s jealousy grew due to her child’s vanishing.

So they decided to choose champions that would forever remember the gods for centuries.

Nayru chosen a princess, who was the wisest person in a place called Hyrule

Din chosen a Man in the Gerudo desert, who had a strong will for power

Farore chosen a boy who was courageous against all odds

And Oden…

He Chosen the boys weak twin sister, who was always hopeful and believed in possibilities.

This angered the goddess Zylia

But Hylia accepted the choice Oden made and created the Dual swords

However Zylia wanted more and ask a demon to get inside the mind of one of the champions and bring her the tetra force.

Chaos within the champions and their clans, spread wars across the land.

the dual blades sealed away the demon and brought back peace, Giving birth to the master sword.

But the true story is now only a forgotten legend for the youthful ears.

Chapter 1: Whispers in the wind.

The land of hyrule is vast place with a proud and magnificent castle that stood in the middle, as it watched over its people. The west scorched with the sands of time, the Gerudo village. The north burned with fierce power known as Death Mountain. East, is the forbidden forest, where creatures lurk within the shadows and finally South where the Zoras guard the waters. They say there’s a place in the sky where angels fly… but I’ve never seen it.

There are a few towns beyond this place and a few shrines that are recently built for the gods. However those are just stories I hear from my brother Link. He’s always off adventuring somewhere or goofing around with the farm animals. I was always jealous of the fact that he could go outside so sometimes, like tonight, whenever the moon is full, I go out for a stroll.

“Linkle!” I could here link in the distance as I sat on top of an abandoned well. As my brother emerges from the forest like a while animal, I gave a troubling smile. I knew he was seriously upset as he held his wooden sword in his hand tightly.

“Linkle!”, His voice relief to have found me, “Do you not know how dangerous it is for you to be out here? Father and mother are worried sick!”

“But I-” I tried to explain.

“Common, the doctor is waiting for you in your room!” He commanded as he pulled me down from the well and started back towards home. I snatched my hand away in frustration.

“You don’t have to shout! I’m doing just fine on-”

“You’re not doing fine!”

There was a moment of silence between us and the forest sang it’s silent tune to the wind. Both of us knew what those words meant but neither of us wish to hear them.

“I just wanna see the world like you do. I’m always stuck in the house and unless we find the fairy Queen I’ll-”

“Don’t say that! I’ll find her for sure. So let’s just go back inside?” Links face looked so determined, that I knew that my brother loved me so much so.

“Alright, but you’ll have to teach me how to use a sword when I’m better!”

“In your dreams, haha, we all know that you’re only good at the bow and arrow!”

“That may be true”, I gave a smirk as I pass him up, “but someday we’ll need each other’s skills for survival”

“Right, still not teaching you” Link said sarcastically.

“First one to the house, is a loser!” I said as I took off running, leaving Link behind.

“Hey! wait up!”

[In sleep]

“Strange, I’m back at the well, Didn’t we went home?” I thought as I slowly looked around. My eyes than looked up at the moon only to catch a glimpse of a shadowy figure standing over Link’s lifeless body. I backed away slowly, wishing I had a way to defend myself.

“Who are you? Why are you here?”

Suddenly, three more shadowy figures emerged from the tree tops. The moon shone behind them as their laughter filled the forest with evil. It seemed as if they were approaching me and suddenly I tripped into the old water well. Falling deeper into the cold darkness.

The last thing I heard was,

“Look for Hope..”

[The Next Day]

“Linkle! Wake up!” I jumped at the sound of links voice. His eyes were concerned but then he sighed in relief. “I thought for sure, something had happened to you.” He said as he patted my head.

“What do you mean?” I asked, even though I desperately wanted to tell him my dream.

“You passed out last night and…. nothing,” he paused. Just as I was about to speak, Link continued on talking.

“oh, yeah! Guess what?”

“What?” I asked out of curiosity

“Today’s the day!” He whisper

“What do you mean?” I whispered back

“We found it! We found the fairy queen!” He shouted

“Wait really?!” I exclaimed.

“Hey, calm down, that’s not all good news. Meet me on the training ground by the northern gates. Oh and be sure to stop by a shop for supplies. Here’s a list of things that you’ll need.”

“Hmm.. sturdy clothes, boots, bow and arrow, wooden shield, and a wooden sword… Wait, you don’t mean…?”

“Who knows, you better hurry up if you wanna find out.” Replied Link as he stood up. He than headed out the door leaving me in complete shock.

“Yeeeeesssss!” I shout along with a new burst of energy as I quickly hopped out of bed.

“Okay, first I need to put on some clothes for traveling, my archers armor should do.” I walked towards my closet door but it was gone. “That’s strange? Where’s my armor? Maybe I should ask around….”

As I walk out of my room, I turned to the left and into the restroom. I figured that I should grab something for the journey so i searched inside the cabinet only to find my hair bands and some herbs. “At least I could finally braid up my hair in pigtails…”

I walked back into the hallway and wandered into my parents room but there was no one there. Finally, I searched down stairs for my armor only to find a honeycomb and a couple of apples in the kitchen. After giving up searching inside my home, I decided to look outside. As I walked out the door, my mother was just returning home.

“Mom, have you seen-?” I started to ask but my mother interrupt me.

“Your armor right? Well you wouldn’t believe this, but I was washing your armor at the end of the creak. Just as I was drying it out, an owl swooped down and took it!”

“Mom?!” I exclaimed in disbelief.

“ I’m sorry, but unless we have a reef, we can’t call the owl back. Oh but there are some at the other side of the lake. Too bad that your brother has already left.” My mother than went inside the house, but I was determined to get back my armor. Besides how hard can it be to swim across a lake?

It was really hard. A carpenter guarding the lake told me that the dam had been broken and unless the boss was found, no one could swim across it. The only hint to his location was usually by the southern gate but he was nowhere to be found.

I thought that was indeed quite unusual, so I decided to try and look for the boss carpenter in his last location myself.

When I arrive at the southern gate, there was no one there at all. However something did caught my attention. I never told Link this, but I sometimes can see the passing of shadows. Kinda like footsteps people leave behind. Only problem is the longer I attempt to do that the more I get terribly ill. Still…. I wanted my armor and to journey out badly so I attempt it anyways. The boss carpenter shadow appeared underneath a tree. It seems that he was in a deep sleep. His body suddenly awoke in a shock stood up and ran outside the gate.

“This is bad…” I looked for the nearest weapon I could think of only to find a stick. “Better than nothing… I guess”

I ran out the gate into the woods, following the shadow before it disappeared behind a bush. When I walked through it, I fell down into a pit.

“Gaaaaaahhh!!!???? Uff?!” I landed on a large flower, in front of me was the boss carpenter. “Ahh! I found you! Hurry, let's go!”

“I can’t, my son wondered out of the gates and now a moblin took him away, what am I to do?!” Asked the panic boss

I hesitated but somebody has to do something, “alright, let’s go.”

“What?! Are you seriously going to help me?! You’re the best!”

As we traveled in the cave, beating up bats and spiders we were able to find a chest with a travelers bow within it. “I guess this’ll work well for us?”

“With that bow we don’t have to sneak around anymore. Here take these arrows I found” said the boss, “ whew… I’m beat, I’m sorry, let me rest here and I’ll catch up with you soon.”

“Alright.” I said. My thoughts were everywhere, and I’m sure the boy must be close by now. However I don’t think I can save him alone. For now, I'll just give it my all and hope for the best.

When I arrived, it was worse than I thought. The boy was inside a moblin camp.. “o-okay, I can do this.”

I attempted to aim at a moblin at the gate but my hand had slipped and missed. Of course, I was too weak to fight in combat than there’s the fact I’ve been following shadows for awhile. Finally I defeated one, but just as I stood up a moblin aimed to strike me from behind. Time slowed, and my brother appeared and stuck the moblin down.

“Link?!”

“Linkle!”

“What’re you doing here?!!” We said at the same time.

“I saw a girl ran into the woods and went to help her before a moblin kidnapped her. But to imagine it was you?! Linkle, you’re not supposed to be here!” Scold my brother.

“I know, but there was the boss carpenter's son and he ran in here and also got captured. There wasn’t enough time so we went to save him.” I explained.

“Wait he has a son? So that explains why i saw him earlier… he was the one who told me to help you… anyway, I’m here now so go back to the village.”

“What?! No!! I started this mission and I’m going to finish it, one way or another!” I barked back.

“Fine… you’re going to be out in the wild soon anyway so i guess this would be a great way to test your skills. I see you got a bow and arrow on your back… you can be my lookout, I trust you can cover me, yes?”

“Ha! Of course i can! I can shoot an arrow like the wind itself!” I spoke proudly

“Good, climb up that tree and whistle when you’re ready. I’m going to sneak inside and rescue the kid, MAKE SURE NO MOBLIN SPOTS ME! If they do they might harm him.” Warned link

“Got it.” I said in determination. Link suddenly reached for his pocket and pulled out a bag.” What’s that?”

“It was hard to find since they are pretty rare but this is a bag of holdings. Inside is a whispering stone i found on one of my journeys. With this we can communicate with each other.” Link than pulled out a pair of green emerald earrings wrapped in gold.

“Wow... but how am I to communicate back with you if you don’t have one?” I asked. Link than took one of the pairs and wore it on his left ear.

“ you’re right handed, right? Put the other on your right ear. When you wish to speak with me just touch it.” Link instructed.

Once I was done I climbed up the tree and whistle to inform link that i was ready. Link ran in as if there was nothing that could stop him. He then took a barrel and placed it over his head. I taped the stone.

“Wow, so hidden are we… hehe!” I said jokingly.

“Hey they won't be able to tell if you do your part” replied link

“Yeah, yeah… alright, go left… stop, go right…” after directing and clearing his path, we came to a problem. “Link! get out the barrel!” Link leaped out the barrel just before the moblin boss smash it to pieces. Link had to battle him head on.

“Linkle! I'll distract him, take out that siren before they call for help than get to the cage where the boy is located!” Shout link

“On it!” I shot down the siren as I jumped down from the tree. “Cough?!!!!” My body wasn’t fit enough so I took a moment to breath.

“This isn’t good but i have to hold on.” I whispered.

I ran through the maze, shooting down any moblin that would try to stop me. When i got to the cage, the boy was in tears and without a key I couldn’t get him out.

“Link, key!!” I shouted across the arena.

Since the mobbing boss wore armor, link had to roll around and cut the straps. He than kept back to doge the counter attack only to leap into the air and split the helmet off. This left the moblin boss dizzy for a few seconds, since it was surprised.

“Catch!” Shouted Link as he slid besides the boss moblin’s hip and cut of the key with enough force to send it flying. But with link not paying attention, the moblin boss had regained consciousness and was about to hit link. So I drew my bow and shot an arrow through the keyhole of the airborne key. The arrow went into the moblin, staggering him, which bought link some time to resume fighting.

I then caught the key and set the boy free. Link also had just finished off the boss by knocking the moblin boss down and land a finishing blow to the chest. Suddenly a minion came rushing at link, I reached for my arrows but I had none, so I grabbed a nearby sword and activated my ability to see the movement of shadows. Than i noticed it… link was also special... we both ended the minion with a jump into the air, our swords clashing together as we landed.

“Link… you can…” before I knew it , I passed out. The last thing i saw was link rushing me back home with determination once more in his eyes.