#I just like Pipit okay??

[sapphicseasapphire]

YOUR SKY AND PIPIT COMIC MADE ME CRY

PIPIT NEEDS MORE RECOGNITION🫡

Best SS side character ong

HAPPY TEARS I HOPE???

But yeah! Pipit’s a favorite of mine haha! In my opinion, he’s the most interesting side character on Skyloft! By far! (Groose isn’t on Skyloft anymore so he doesn’t count!) He’s also one of the most underrated characters in any Zelda game.

• He’s an upperclassman at the Academy who actively stands up for Fledge and Link against Groose.

• He’s SO SUPPORTIVE. Every time you talk to him, he has something encouraging to say. He genuinely really cares about Link and Zelda and is one of the few people who believes in Link.

• He’s the only student at the Knight Academy who doesn’t live in a dorm.

• He lives at home, but you never see him there.

• The Worst Mother on Skyloft Award goes to Mallara! (Pipit’s mom). The reason Pipit’s never at home is because his home is a mess and his mother is the WORST.

• Mallara has really nice furniture and ceramics and stuff but it’s all messy. Pipit’s corner of the house is the only clean area, but his furniture is all worn down and scratched up. His blanket is patched. Everything he has is well used and mended.

• I kind of view that as a metaphor: Mallara has nice things but doesn’t care about them enough to take good care of them. She has an amazing son but doesn’t care enough about him to take care of him. Meanwhile, Pipit uses what he has, even if he doesn’t have much.

• ALSO he’s struggling financially. When you clean Mallara’s house, she gives you twenty rupees and tells you to say hello to Pipit for her. (There’s a reason she doesn’t say hello herself. There’s a reason Pipit doesn’t talk to her).

• If you clean her house enough times and then walk by it at night, you’ll hear Pipit yelling at her. I don’t know the exact quotes but he said something along the lines of “I gave you that money to buy bread and you spent it on a housekeeper! If you keep this up, I won’t be able to afford to go to the Academy next year!”

• Bro’s a full time student and also works the night watches at the Academy just to have the money to put food on the table and put himself through school. He gives some of this money to Mallara and she IMMEDIATELY turns around and spends it on Link.

• THAT’S A WHOLE OTHER THING. Mallara pays Link to clean her house because she’s too lazy to do it herself. She tells him to talk to Pipit because she’s too lazy to do it herself. She expects Link to be her housekeeper and her messenger because she’s not willing to put the work in and do the bare minimum for her home or for her son.

• This whole time I’ve been calling it her house. But the game calls it Pipit’s house. PLEASE did he buy the house too?? So that his mother could destroy it?? Crying.

• He has the sweetest little crush on Karane and the game gives you the option to tease him for it! I will always give the letter to Karane because it makes me happy to see him happy. He deserves it! “You like her?” Such a little brother response.

• He literally says something along the lines of “don’t I deserve to know true love?” about Karane. Like. This guy’s never experienced genuine love in his life. His mother sure isn’t giving it to him.

• Link and Pipit are 100% brothers and I’m writing a whole fic about how Link was adopted into that problematic family and what that means for Mallara and Pipit. Suffice to say, Link and Pip are quite close! For my au, Pipit is the first person to really and truly understand Sky since he knows Link so well (literally grew up in the same house) but also knows Aepon! (Took care of the Loftwing while Link was away on his adventure). In many cases, he understands Sky better than Zelda does. Better than Sky knows himself! There will definitely be more Pipit content from me because he DESERVES SOME LOVE.

[phantom-peachie]

hhhh,,, skyward sword,,

screams incoherently

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Okay, well replaying Skyward Sword reminded me that I wrote this like a year ago buried in a reblog so I'm just gonna air it out and plop it here.

The first time Link had disappeared, it had caused alarm. Zelda had just gone missing, ripped from her loftwing by a treacherous tornado, and suddenly Link was a haggard mess, dressed in a knight’s uniform, and then gone. People feared that he had been hurt too, a search shouldn’t last after sunset; he wasn’t a full knight, after all. However, Headmaster Gaepora had managed to calm the academy students, and the news spread throughout Skyloft.

It took almost a week for Link to return to Skyloft. When people saw his crimson loftwing circling around the town, a collective sigh of relief fell over the sky island. If he’d been gone consistently for so long, then he’d only return when he’d found Zelda, after all. Not to mention it meant they were both safe.

However, that had not been the case. Link had been alone, tired, and filthy. His clothes had tears in them in certain places, he had strange silky threads wrapped around parts of his legs, dry blood stains were disturbingly evident on his tunic, and he practically had bags under the already constantly present bags under his eyes. He had landed just by the goddess statue and had not been seen since. However, another bright light had appeared in the cloud barrier, unnerving the Skyloftians, who chattered about it amongst each other.

The bazaar had been exceptionally busy that day, and the new red light in the sky caused people to gather there to discuss the matter. It meant there were long lines just to get inside, and Link had not seemed keen to stand among the crowds to get the supplies he so desperately needed. Instead, he’d sat on the bench outside, waiting for the townspeople to eventually spread throughout the island once more and give him the space he needed to prepare for his next trip.

The crowds did indeed start to thin, but as people trickled out of the bazaar with hot drinks and hot gossip on their tongues, they paused, finding the boy passed out on the bench. At first it was amusing; Link often fell asleep all over town. But then it was worrisome. He looked haggard. Everyone in town was invested in this boy’s well-being; they’d all welcomed him into their homes at one point or another, the adults all remembered the little orphan wandering the island aimlessly in the days after his father’s unfortunate death, they all remembered bringing him into their homes with promises of warm food and a pillow to lay his head on.

So it had been collectively decided that someone would fetch a pillow from their home and get Link a bit more settled. Wryna brought a blanket as well, but Greba had pointed out worriedly that Link was still a mess (with an emphatic “He stinks!” from Kukiel). Mallara had gotten Commander Eagus, who had promptly swaddled Link in the blanket and carried him to the academy to tend to him.

After that encounter, everyone on Skyloft had decided that they’d keep an extra careful eye out for the boy.

This new pact ended up saving the young knight-in-training’s life. The next time he came back, he had fallen off his loftwing entirely, caught only by Pipit, who had been notified that something was wrong when Orielle noticed the loftwing’s panicked screeches. He’d been unconscious before he fell into his classmate’s strong arms, and even Groose and his stooges had watched in concern as Pipit had rushed Link to the infirmary.

But today was not quite so dire. Link had been missing from Skyloft for two weeks after he’d recovered (his periods of absence continued to grow, much to everyone’s concern), but this morning Jakamar, his wife Wryna, and their daughter Kukiel woke up to a surprise green bundle curled up in their bed. He was on the edge, barely taking any space, but he hogged a majority of that side of the bed’s blanket. At first Jakamar nearly jumped out of his skin until he realized who it had to be, and he pulled the blanket back just enough to see the curved little ears and fluffy dirty blonde hair that everyone on Skyloft knew so well.

Blowing out a sigh, he turned away and held his wife as she peered over his shoulder. “Well, at least we know where he is.”

“He’ll be hungry,” Wryna commented. “I’ll get started on breakfast.”

Jakamar grunted in acknowledgement as his wife crawled to the bottom of the bed to climb over the wooden frame so as to avoid waking Link. Kukiel shot up and started to bounce on the bed in excitement, and Jakamar scooped her into his arms and also climbed out of bed in a similar manner. The house was silent as the family cleaned their faces and prepped for the day (though only because the parents constantly had to remind Kukiel to keep quiet with gentle shushes and fingers over their lips), and then Jakamar took his daughter out for a morning stroll while Wryna busied herself in the kitchen area.

When he got back to the smell of a delicious breakfast, he stretched and smiled, glancing at the bed to find it empty. He looked back to see Wryna’s disappointed face.

“He’s gone!” Kukiel exclaimed in her high voice.

“I didn’t see him step out,” Wryna said guiltily.

Jakamar put a hand on his wife and smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry about it, hon. At least he got some sleep. Pack it up in a bottle, if we see him we’ll give it to him.”

Jakamar had the luck to find Link later that day as the boy was meandering around the windmills. Although Jakamar was getting ready to offer the now lukewarm food, Link instead started asking him about the windmill’s missing propeller. Jakamar helped him as best he could, and just as Link rushed off to find Gondo at Jakamar’s suggestion (he figured the robot, though broken, might be able to help), the man called out to him, waving the large bottle with food carefully packed inside.

Link stared at him, confused. Jakamar held out the bottle. “Take it, kid. You look like you’re starving.”

It was a bit of a slip up to admit it to his face. Link often would recoil at such remarks, would cover it up with an embarrassed laugh and then actively avoid whoever said it for a while, which then made it even harder to help him. But it was the truth - he did look gaunt and worn thin. Jakamar was usually a pretty easygoing guy, but this seemed like it was starting to get serious. He wished the headmaster would reel the kid in.

Link’s expression shifted, so easily readable on his face, and his confusion clearly became shame. He looked down at the ground, biting his lip. When Jakamar pushed the bottle into his sight again, he took it wordlessly, but as he locked eyes with the man he gave a grateful smile. Before Jakamar could get a word in, Link turned on his heel and headed for the bazaar.

Jakamar blew out a sigh as he watched the boy run. Hylia look out for him.

[science-lings]

what’s some of your favorite loz/Lu fics of all time? :)

Most of my favorite LU fics are here

but what you guys may not know is that I'm also a big fan of botw and modern au Zelink fics, however, take heed, most of these get a little spicy

Like Real People Do by ScarlettStorm: one of the best post-botw fics out there, lots of pining, I absolutely adore how Link's experience with Gender is portrayed, how he and Zelda are both treated as equally traumatized, as sometimes it feels like there's always one troubled one and one caregiver and I can get that for shorter fics but this one is long and beautifully balanced in that aspect. It also gets real horny at the end and in my opinion, it's very tasteful.

Alone With You by @deiliamedlini: honestly this author has a bunch of bangers, I'm waiting for their pirate au to finish so I can binge it all and I reread their Zelink oneshot collection all the time, this one is their modern high school au where Link is kind of a bad boy who is secretly Fucked Up, and Zelda is a popular girl and surprise surprise, they both get along really well. Normally I hate anything that reminds me of high school but this is the only exception. I love how previous characters are included, like how Link knows ASL bc he's friends with Pipit who is deaf and how Revali is a bitch and I still want to strangle him. Also big sister Aryll is a treasure and this fic does such a good job portraying Link's mental struggles and PTSD and how Zelda is being neglected and I'm also a big fan of the overarching plot of medical issues and trauma.

The Calamity of Link's Cargo Shorts by @zeldaseyebrows: I don't understand how someone can make smut so funny and so focused on Zelda's own self-hatred. Seriously though, there's a lot to love with this fic and I adore Zelda's pov. Sometimes you have to have sex before opening up emotionally and that's okay. Also, it's a modern au too, I just realized how many of these are modern aus.

Strangers in the Night by @zeldaelmo: Another modern au, this time Zelda has a kid from a ons with Link and he doesn't know about it for a bit, I just love Link being a dad and how they both work for a museum and there's just something about the courtroom scene that makes me want to reread it over and over again. Sometimes it's hit or miss with family ocs but Tetra is my favorite zelink child ever. All the fics on this list are ones I reread a lot but this one is the one I'm currently rereading bc it's been a few months lol. I love the domestic but also a little dysfunctional vibes, it's definitely not the normal romcom type of thing but I think I like this more.

K.K. Love Song by @airplanned: Again, modern au, pandemic edition. This one in particular has a certain unexplainable soft vibe, like there's some long-distance, Animal Crossing online romance and idk why I like it so much, I guess I was one of the suckers that got pulled in by new horizons when it came out so there's some strange kind of covid nostalgia and it's nice to see how a functional government would deal with the pandemic. Also, Link's grandma is a treasure and there's something sweet about crown princess Zelda meeting some guy on animal crossing and accidentally making him a public figure by dating him. Honestly, this author has a lot of great fics that I reread a lot lmao.

Farore's Day and Windvane Lane by Jenseits_der_Sterne: modern thanksgiving au, Zelda is a quirky scientist single mom and Link is her neighbor. I love Link being a nerd and Zelda being a bit of a disaster. Like she accidentally almost blows up her kitchen and he's just looking on with heart-eyes, after helping her put out the fires of course.

tbh, I'm probably not the best person to go for fic recs as I just find a few really good ones and then reread them till the end of time and rely on other people to recommend me things to read lmao, I hope this was at least a little helpful anyway.

[mx-legend-of-faye]

The Chain as Conversations My Friends and I Have Had

(Paraphrased, of course)

_____________________________________

Wild, staring at their hands which are covered in red: My hands… the guilt… we shall not speak of what occurred tonight.

Sky, concerned: Are you okay???

Legend: He cut a pomegranate, they’re just being really dramatic

—————————————————————————————————————

Four: Should I be taking this personally? No. Will I? Absolutely.

—————————————————————————————————————

Twilight: This is just them narrating going shopping with their pets. I love animals but their voices are making me want to die.

—————————————————————————————————————

Flora: Would you still love me if I was a wyrm?

Wild: Yes, absolutely.

Flora: Good because I’m actually an all powerful ancient draconic entity!

—————————————————————————————————————

Time: You know what’s crazy?

Hyrule, with Wind and Wild next to him: All of us?

Time: Yes but no,

—————————————————————————————————————Sky, talking to Sun and Pipit, dripping wet and holding a remlit: So were either of you going to tell me that remlits could swim or was I just gonna have to find that out myself

Sun: Well which of the two happened?

Pipit: Because one of them did, and one of them is significantly less likely now

—————————————————————————————————————

And there you have it folks

[alphagirl404]

Dirty Little Secret (post Skyward Sword Oneshot)

Pairing: Zelink

Rating: PG

Summary: Life had been good for Link and his wife, Zelda. After their fateful quest it was a life well earned. Little did Zelda knew, Link was hiding a secret from her. One regarding the final words of a certain Demon King...

AO3

Fanfiction.net

(Yeah, I wrote a post SkSw angst oneshot...ENJOY!)

****

"Link? Link, did you hear me?"

"What? I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said."

"I ask if next Sunday will be good?"

"Good for what?"

"For our baby shower, sleepyhead!"

Link noticed Zelda patting her baby bump, which had recently started to show. They've been putting together plans for a baby shower party for the past several days. Something that Zelda had been very excited about.

A flush grew on Link's face, embarrassed that he had not been paying attention to that. "Sunday is good!"

"Wonderful! It would be perfect for Father to come since that's his day off." Zelda wrote on a notepad. Not before she gave Link a concerned look. "Are you okay, Link?"

Link nodded his head. "Why would you ask?"

"You seemed distant today. You like to daydream but always had a time and/or place for that. You've been eager about the baby shower too. Are you sure you're alright, honey? Zelda holds his hand. "You know you can tell me anything."

Link opened his mouth to say something but a familiar instinct forced him to stop.

"She can't know. You know it would devastate her if you told her the truth."

"Link?" Zelda called out to her husband again, her concern lingering in her eyes.

He kisses her cheek. "Just having one of those days. Nothing to worry about."

Zelda seemed to accept that answer. She knows what he meant by that. There were days when she was out of it. Probably reflecting the time of their fateful quest.

"If you say so, but if something is troubling you, let me know so I can help."

"I promise, Zel."

"Good. Now try to stay focused. This is your baby too, you know."

"I know that. I helped make it."

Zelda groaned and playfully rolled her eyes. Link could only chuckle at her reaction. "After all these years, you're still such a shithead."

"You married this shithead."

"Don't rub it in." Zelda lightly punched his shoulder. "Now knock it off and focus!"

"Alright, alright. I'll be an adult."

"Good, now then."

They resumed talking about plans for their upcoming baby shower. They wrote out invitations for their loved ones. Well, Zelda did. Link tried, but he never was good with writing. Zelda was better at the subject of field. After that was taken care of, they gave the invitations for their Loftwings to deliver, with Link's bird giving them to their friends that lived in their settlement, while Zelda's bird delivered to those who remained at Skyloft.

"I can't wait for our baby shower." Zelda beamed while she and Link watched their birds fly off with the letter. "All of our family & friends will give out great gifts for our baby. I know Karane is going to make a lot of knitted stuffed animals. Probably has some extras from the ones she created throughout her pregnancy. Who knew maternity leave would give her a spark. Orielle told me that Fledge may be sewing something up. He has always knack for sewing amazing things like that pouch he made for you, Link. I hope Groose doesn't try to make us a 'mini Groosenator' like he did at Karane & Pipit's baby shower. I swear I thought Karane would pummel him right there, and I wouldn't blame her. It looked so dangerous!"

Link gave a small smile as he listened to his soulmate talk with such excitement. Despite being Hylia reborn, it hasn't gotten rid of her bubbly personality that Link adored so much.

As much as he tries to listen to Zelda talk, Link finds himself tuning out her words again. Not because Zelda was boring him. Far from it. He, too, was excited about the baby shower. Link always loved to hear his wife talk in general.

Link should feel happy. There were many reasons why that is. So much had changed since their fateful quest that saved their world.

He and Zelda had built a life together on The Surface with their respective Loftwings. They were also part-time Knights, both for the sky & land. With aid from the Sheikah Tribe, they had created a settlement down here. And they weren't alone.

Many of their friends have settled down here along with them. Pipit & Karane, now official knights like Link & Zelda, have built the village. The couple also got married and are expecting their first child next month. Fledge, after many months of rigorous training, finally achieved knighthood and moved down to The Surface alongside Orielle, with whom he had recently tied the knot. And Groose, a former Grade-A Asshole, has turned around his life the most. Since the quest, he had become a great knight, been a big help in building their community, and even married the Sheikah Chief's granddaughter. A sweet girl who did not judge him for his past. Most of all, he had become Link & Zelda's most prominent supporter and most loyal friend. Big enough that Zelda asked him to be her baby's godfather.

Life was good for Link, and he knew that. After what they had been through a few years back, he and Zelda deserve such a good life.

However…

On certain days, one factor brings a damper to his happy life.

"My hate…never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end! I will rise again! Those like you. Those who share the blood of the Goddess and the spirit of the Hero…They are eternally bound to this curse. An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!"

Demise's final words sang inside Link's mind on these particular days. Those last words of The Demon King haunt him. Words that he never shared with anyone.

Not even with Zelda.

When everything had calmed down after the battle with Demise, Link wanted to tell Zelda what Demise had said. He was Hylia's mortal enemy. Zelda had every right to know.

Yet…seeing how happy Zelda was that Demise was gone. Link never forgot the sounds of Zelda crying with relief that Demise had been vanquished. The weight of the world and her duty from her days as Hylia were finally off her chest. To her, the battle she had spent two lifetimes fighting was over. No way Link could ever damper her happiness. He knew Zelda was tired of the fighting. All he ever wanted was to see his friend, the love of his life, happy. She earned a life of peace.

And so he decided never to tell her about Demise's Curse.

Most days, it was hard to carry this secret. There was nothing more Link wanted to do than tell Zelda about the possible future in store for their family and those who come after them. But seeing how much Zelda had accomplished in the last few years brought her joy. Zelda had such high hopes for the future. She wanted to expand their settlement. Build new relations with the other inhabitants on The Surface. She wanted to rebuild what Demise had destroyed in her previous life as Hylia.

Link could see the joy it brought to her. He knew how passionate she was about her goals. The last thing Link wanted was to have it all crumble down. If he told Zelda about the curse, it would absolutely destroy her. Everything she is trying to build, what she had sacrificed, would've been for nothing. That is something Link will not allow. The Hero promised himself that he would do everything possible to ensure Zelda had a happy life.

That promise is the only thing holding him from not telling her about the curse. The only thing helping him cope was getting on with his life. Things such as helping their Surface village, spending time with friends, performing his duties as a knight, enjoying his married life with Zelda, and preparing himself to become a father kept him sane.

And who knows? Maybe Demise was lying. He was a literal King of Demons hellbent on death & destruction. Wouldn't it be reasonable to believe that Demise said those words just to get under Link's skin? Was Demise bluffing?

Frankly, Link was more willing to believe that possibility. Demise's existence was fading away when he uttered his final words. Could his power even carry on beyond that point? The Demon King had to be merely lying just so Link could spend the rest of his life with worry. If that were the case that it was successful on days like today.

"I love you, Link. I only want you to be happy." Zelda told him at one point

Link tried his best to keep his smile, "I know, dear. And…I do the same for you."

If Demise wasn't lying…Then Link was more than willing to carry this dirty little secret to the grave. If it meant seeing Zelda happy, it was a price he was ready to pay.

[transskywardsword]

It's finally here! The 'Countdown to Galentines Day' femslash February event is finally here! Beginning with...

SkySwd Zelink - Heaven

for more a sneak peek on the week leading up to valentines day's line up, check out my pinned!

*note: this takes place immediately after the events of Skyward Sword. Zelda and Link are t4t femme and butch lesbians respectively, she/her pronouns for both, and they have been in a loosely established relationship for ages. enjoy!

---

It was their first time in the Skies since Link finally drove her blade deep into Demise's sternum and put this whole monstrosity behind them.

Well, not their first time, not when they already had to ferry Groose back to Skyloft and guide down the curious inhabitants of the floating islands, lest the citizens of Skyloft go poking around below the thinning cloud layer on their own and fly straight into a monster camp that Link hadn't yet had the time to dispose of. Of course, after the flights back and forth and guided tours, complete with knights jumping at the chance to put their limited skills to the test as they whacked around lingering bokos and children marveling at the thick air, humidity, and hummingbirds, came the questions.

Groose, bless him, was kind enough to answer most questions the Skyloftians threw Link’s way and was heavy-handed enough with the ones who still pushed back that everyone knew better than to come to Link with anything. Everyone but Gaepora, of course. Because as much as he pretended to be a simple, old academic, the Headmaster was as stubborn as his daughter, and when either of them was on the warpath, no one walked away unscathed.

Link had been avoiding the old man and his big sad eyes demanding big, sad answers all day, dipping out of breakfast tents and around corners and behind trees, feeling awfully close to how she did when a Guardian was hot on her tail, and right now the ruined back rooms of the Sealed Temple-- all dusty cracked stone and remnants of the Sheikah who had kept watch here for centuries-- served as the perfect hiding spot. No one would think to look for Link here, except for Groose, maybe Pipit, and--

"Don't tell me you're hiding from Pa," A soft voice called.

"Zelda," Link squeaked, spinning, and flushed. "You startled me."

"Sounds like a guilty conscience talking," Zelda said, flashing her a cheeky smile. Or, it would be cheeky, if it didn't feel so damn sad under the surface.

"What's wrong?" Link wanted to ask, "What do you need? How can I help?" Those were the questions of the hour, weren't they? What wasn't wrong? What didn't they need? How could anyone possibly help, after tornados and demons and Demise? How could anything possibly be okay again?

Instead, Link untangled herself from the gloom of the Temple's corners and crept up to Zelda's side. She raised a hand and, upon receiving a soft nod, slipped it through the taller girl’s beaded braids, cupping her brown cheek.

“Perhaps,” Link admitted softly, moving closer, closer, and then Zelda was a breath away, their noses brushing. Link tilted her head in a silent question and Zelda answered it by sliding her head forward and closing the gap between them.

The kiss was soft, barely a brush of skin, but far from chaste, carrying a heavy, vibrating intensity just below the skin of their lips. Link’s fingers tightened around Zelda’s braids and the woman let out a soft, sad sound. Link pushed back.

“I’m fine,” Zelda said, pulling Link back to her, but Link realized with growing horror that Zelda’s eyes were wet, glossy, and red.

“I’m fine,” Zelda said again, pulling Link against her mouth. “Everything is fine. Just, just kiss me, damn it.”

Link took a hold of her cheeks and slowly pushed Zelda’s face away, resting their foreheads together.

“ ‘sorry,” Zelda murmured. Link pressed their foreheads tighter together.

“It’s okay to not be fine, ya know.” Link said, and Zelda shrugged.

Are we ever going to be fine? The Past, the Future, the Triforce—would that pressure ever fade?

Demise.

Link swallowed. She hadn’t mentioned the… the curse, if you could call the foul, powerful words Demise had spat her way after she pinned him down, Fi pulsing in his chest, a curse.

“Stop.” Zelda said suddenly, and Link instantly pulled back.

“No—I don’t, I don’t mean holding me, that’s nice, do more of that. Stop dooming.”

“…Dooming?”

“Dooming, glooming, wallowing. We’re both doing it, and you don’t get to tell me everything is fine and that I shouldn’t worry when you’re worrying too.”

Zelda took her hand, rolling it around on her own, inspecting the new calluses that Link never imagined in a million lifetimes that she would ever have.

“Come flying with me,” Zelda said, pressing a kiss to Link’s fingertips-- one, two, three, four, five. “You and I and the Sky. Like before.”

“Like before when you pushed me to my death, or—”

Zelda slapped her arm with a wet giggle. “How was I supposed to know that Crimson was missing—”

“Murdered by my own lover, abandoned by my beloved. Love is dead!”

“Shhh,” Zelda giggled, swatting a hand over Link’s mouth. Link licked it, and Zelda squealed.

“Fly with me,” she said, pulling Link closer. “I want to see the Sky again. It’s been so long.”

“You were on a bird with Groose yesterday unloading the Lumpy Pumkpin—”

Zelda leaned down and quieted her with a kiss. It was easy to melt into it, even with their cheeks both being dangerously close to damp.

“Come fly with me. It’s been too long.”

“Okay,” Link said finally, bringing her fingertips to her bottom lip. It tingled, as if Zelda’s own lips had been electric. Perhaps they were.

Zelda took Link’s hand from her mouth, slotting their fingers together, and yanked her out of the back exit of the Sealed Temple into the wild greenery where the Sealed Grounds and Faron’s rainforests met. Her face was bright again, and Link began to finally feel lighter than she had in days as Zelda let out a shrill whistle, calling down her loftwing. Link made a point of hoisting her on the bird’s back and tying her into the saddle, slapping Zelda’s hands away playfully when the girl insisted she could tie herself in.

“Not on my watch, your Grace.” Link said with a cheeky smile, plopping a kiss on the tip of her nose, before sending the bird into the air with a quick squeeze of the muscle between the bird’s massive wings. Behind her, Zelda was silent.

Shit.

“Zel…”

“I’m fine.”

“I shouldn’t have called you that. I’m sorry.”

Zelda shrugged, suddenly very interested in her bird’s feathers.

“It’s what I am, isn’t it? Her Grace.”

“No!”

“I am! This whole fucking adventure is because of it, there’s literally no point in pretending otherwise—”

“Okay! Okay, so you’re still Her, somehow, someway. But you know what you really are?” Link said, shifting closer. Zelda looked away from her.

“You’re clever. And kind. And brave, so brave. You’re brilliant, just so smart, and most importantly? You’re my Zelda. Always have been. Always will be.”

Zelda finally looked to her, eyes prickling with tears.

“Link—”

“I love you.”

Zelda’s eyes went wide.

“…What?”

“I do. I really love you. I always have.”

Zelda’s warm, brown eyes were growing redder and redder until she buried her head in her hands, shaking her head, sending her beads rattling around her. Link drew closer, wrapping her arms around her, cradling her close.

“My Zelda. My Zelda.”

They were quiet after that, just gliding, hovering above the cloud layer as the sun sank down, painting the clouds pink and orange and slowly sinking to blue and black. Link rocked Zelda, running her hands through her beads and braids. Things were never going to go back to how they were before, Link realized. Or, maybe not realized, but finally actualized in her brain. Ghriahim, Demise… there was no changing that. No reversing it.

“When Demise and I fought…” She whispered, Zelda shifting against her chest, “I thought for a moment I was dreaming. That I was back in the Sky and would wake up any minute now. The place, the dimension, he brought me to… the sky there was unlike anything I had ever seen. The heavens incarnate.”

“How could something so terrible create anything beautiful?” Zelda murmured against her skin, and Link shrugged.

“I mean, sucks it took all this for me to finally use the ‘l’ word but—”

Zelda giggled against her, and finally showed her face, wet, snotty, and swollen, but still the most beautiful thing Link had ever seen.

“It wasn’t the heavens incarnate.” Link said softly. “I know, because you are.”

Zelda’s tear-stained eyes went wide, and Link resisted the urge to kiss her, instead just holding her closer still. They could kiss later, could explore one another while she promised her Zelda that she loved her until her lips were blue. For now, Link was happy to just hold her heaven incarnate.

[casiavium]

❤️🦋🐬✨💎

:)

❤️ What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?

uhh. there's a lot I like but I don't have a favorite I'd say, also I write. a lot. and forget I write things. I know I had a really good one that was a double meaning with foil (narrative opposites) and foil (sword) but I don't have a clue which fic it's in FOUND IT and it's a fic I don't even like

his foil's blade pierced where no beating heart lies

"Foil's blade" meaning both his enemy's sword as well as his own, "pierced where no beating heart lies" meaning he missed a fatal blow and also that the one who is getting stabbed isn't human. Purposefully ambiguous so you can read it either way (the full sentence is "[Link] claims he is not the parallel of another, his foil's blade pierced where no beating heart lies", in which "his foil's blade" can be possessive for Link or "another". the one pro of English is in its poetic ambiguity; you couldn't do this quite the same way in a language with cases (but also ask me about Sappho frag. 22 and how many many translations of it are WRONG because it uses this same grammar principle))

🦋 Which character is your favorite to write?

Skyward Sword Link :) he's just like me frfr

I'm going insane. There is no dolphin yet I see one in the ask. this 🦈 is the closest it gets? So. I'm going with that one.

🦈 Which character is the toughest to write?

I hate writing Demise 😭

✨️ Out of the comments you’ve received on your fics, what are two or three of your favorites?

I don't remember her name. But to the girl who commented on my fanfiction I wrote in middle school as her OC who was one of the character's daughters (but from the future), I love you and I miss you and I hope you're doing okay

There was also a reader who left long comments on every chapter of my ghiralink fanfictions in 2020 and just stopped one day 😔 they left a really nice comment that inspired me to continue, I updated a few days later, and never heard from them again. I'm happy for u tho or sorry that happened

There are some really good ones but those commentors rather than comments stick out to me. rest in peace kings hope you're still alive

💎 Do you often write about a relationship or focus on an individual?

ngl the only thing I write at this point is some flavor of ghiralink. hyperfixation go brr

but in writing that I focus more on SwS Link. I'm outnumbered in the subfandom that I care more about Link than Ghirahim, sorry not sorry. You know how a lot of multishipping Ghirahim stems from just wanting any Ghirahim content, so he's fair game for anyone? That's me with SwS Link. Love some Peatrice/Link, Zelda/Link, Pipit/Link. not so big on Groose/Link because lately it's come with Groose/Zelda and I'm not a fan of them. On their own they're fine. Also slightly against Fi/Link because I'm petty and prefer Fi/Zelda. However. If you take two ships I hate, Ghirahim/Fi and Fi/Link, and put them together in Ghirahim/Link/Fi for crack purposes only. I think that could be funny. I'm rambling. That's not the question.

I don't really care about Ghirahim outside of his relationship with this particular Link (just enemies, romantic, platonic, idc). Controversial, I know.

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

just a thought

why does Pipitfeather only have to attack Falleniris?

Waspbeak should also be attacked by Pipit and get some trauma

sibling bonding through trauma

<3

Fallen was targeted because she's Myrtle's bio kit while Wasp is Alder's but...you know he could want to attack the kit that's not even biologically Myrtle's when he is and he wasn't raised by him

Now I picture Pipit 'bonding' with them, gaining their trust without anyone else knowing and then luring them far, promising he's gonna show them something really cool. And then he attacks and they try to fight back as much as they can (which isn't much) and it's a ticking clock with the family arriving

Even if Myrtle doesn't win the poll, I still want Pipit to say the line of 'kill me like you killed my father' so maybe Myrtle almost does, but decides to make sure his kits are okay first.

and then maybe Pipit calls him an idiot for turning his back, and Myrtle makes some response that's basically some for of "no u" and the other cat that wins the poll jumps out and tears Pipit's throat out.

Thank you for the ask and for having me go off

[deiliamedlini]

Get a Broom for All these WIPs

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous.  Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it!  And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.  I have deemed that this isn’t just for writing either.  Sketch titles?  Comics?  DnD campaigns?  If you have an unfinished project, it counts!!  

THANK YOU FOR THE TAGS @hpeg-art @1up-girl @pastelsandpining Omg 🙈 be prepared for an ungodly long list; this is TOTALLY going to hurt! But also this is like, my favorite ask game that’s out there.

Oh... oh no.... why does this always happen right after I organize and spread out the files 😅 Im going to actually need to use a screenshot for my oneshot folder on this one.... this is...... this is where it gets bad. BUT! I HAVE THEM ORGANIZED IN MY ACTUAL FOLDERS SO IM ORGANIZING THEM HERE TOO:

Publishing

One Knight

Dance With Me

Through Hell or High Water

I Walk Beside You

The Time Traveler and Her Knight

Okay I have two folders for “non-oneshot” WIPS, so a few are ABC order and a few aren’t! 

Childhood Friends to Lovers

Edge of Humanity

Ghosts of Hyrule

Marriage of Convenience

MMORPG fic

Mob AU

Portal Travel AU

Spirit Tracks AU

Swan Song

Uncharted AU

Zombie AU

Spy x Family AU

LOZ Spy x Family AU

Zelda’s Adventures

link pov pirates fun

Black Cauldron AU

Hercules

Anastasia AU

Mulan

Jungle AU

Lion King 2

Prompts (WHICH I SEE, AND I WILL GET ON I SWEAR ON MY SOUL THESE WILL GET DONE!!)

Prompt: I have this

I’m finally here

Have you ever

Oneshots (this is the part that hurts lol)

Struggling Artist Link/ Successful Violinist Zelda

Bad Calamity

Contractually Obligated

Unreal AU

West Dr AU

DWTS AU

Ships in the Night

Dark Link/Hylia

Superhero AU

But in Dreams 

Surprise Post Calamity Pre Calamity Pregnancy

WWE/WWF

Shadowland

In the Face of the Enemy

Double Amnesia

Space Scientists

Glorified Cheating

Zelda v Ganon

Evil Child AU

Android Link AU

Thinking of You Again

One Knight Part 2

Makeela and Pipit Mini Adventure- Pre Dating

The Cycle Repeats

Across The Room

Stop Following me 

Firefighter Sequel

Supernatural Creatures

Ghost/Haven

Like Father, Like Son

Staged

One heat two minds

What I Wouldn’t do for you

Mind Share

BOTW 2

Besties

Princess Zelda’s Time Loop Sacrafice

One Last Look

Gerudo Prison

Jedi

Jet from Avatar (this is a LoZ fic though, just fyi)

Impas escape

The Flood

Nightmare Arm

Zelda can take link’s pain for herself

Canon moment

Spy goodbye

Lost In Gerudo Desert

Lost in the Lost Woods

SS Zelda Fire Temple

“Link is not Attractive” 

Veternarian Zelink

Backwards Calamity

Bookworm Link/Librarian Zelda

LIKE HELLLLLLL AM I TAGGING THIS MANY PEOPLE!!! LIKE. HELL. BUT please feel free to do this game or send an ask about any of these fics because I have issues (clearly) and love to talk about them bc it usually gives me a new idea! Also, fun fact, several of these docs are totally empty and have nothing in them! 

[mememan93]

in regards to the tags you left on the Pipit post the pan to lesbian??? pipeline is so real 😭 (the next step is ...ace? /j) I was holding onto the "I can't be a lesbian I'm like 95% attracted to women and 5% to the unspecified 'other'. Also I'm ??gender" for so long but then irl I met gnc women who were genderfuild and people who were lesbians but not women and went ahh okay cool. Anyway good luck figuring yourself out!! There's no rush and no shame in adjusting labels or even realizing your feelings have changed ❤️❤️ it's not "just" a phase but an incredibly important portion of your life!! And sometimes that ends, and that's okay because it's also a new beginning :)

Cherry this literally made my day, thank you so much! Yeah I'm still not sure, but maybe I am traveling down the Pan to Lesbian pipeline haha :)

[domxmarvel]

Clouds

Masterlist

Requested by:Anon

Pairing: Link x FTM!Reader  

Words:615 

Request:Hey can you do Link with a 🖤 s/o 🌈 scenario of your choice, if it's not to much?

A/N: You didn't specify which game so I’m basing this off Skyward Sword Link.

Declaimer: I headcanon Link as mute and that’s how i write for him. In my fics he uses sign language

Game/Version: Skyward sword

Today was the day of the wing ceremony,whoever passed would become a knight. As the headmaster's son you didn’t have to worry about the ceremony,but you were worried about Link. You were pretty sure he was still sleeping,you were about to go wake him up. But he ran up to you.

“Well good morning sleepyhead” You teased,but he wasn’t laughing, in fact he looked worried. “What’s wrong?” 

“My loftwing is missing,I can’t sense him anywhere” He signed.

“We have to find him before the ceremony. Ask around,I’ll fly around and see what I can find” You whistle for your bird who landed in front of you,climbing up he grabbed your hand,making you look at him.

“Thank you” 

“Let’s just find your bird first” You handed him your bird whistle “Let me know if you find anything” 

***

You were flying around but you couldn’t find anything,you were about to go back and try to find Link. Suddenly you lost control of your bird,which meant Link used the whistle. You let your bird follow the noise and saw Link outside the sparring hall.

"Did you find him?"

"Not yet,but I know where he is. I need you to take me to the waterfall" He signed almost too quickly for you to understand. Pipit noticed your confusion and said.

"There's a cave behind the waterfall,we think that's where Groose hid his loftwing"

"Groose took him,of course he did. Come on Link" He got up on your loftwing,wrapping his arms around your waist. 

A part of you wanted this moment to last forever,to fly around the sky just the two of you. You snapped out of your thoughts when he moved his hand up to your shoulder,you heard his loftwing and followed the sound until you reached a small cave. You both jumped off your bird and Link ran ahead to free his bird. 

“Thank you” He signed again

“You can thank me by winning today,speaking of which we should make sure your loftwing is okay and head back before the ceremony starts” 

“Do you wanna go flying,just the two of us?” You started blushing without realizing it.

“Sure” 

“We should take my loftwing,yours probably needs to rest” He was completely right she had been flying nonstop since Link told you his bird was missing. 

“You’re right” You keeled down in front of your bird who was laying on the grass. “You rest up girl,thank you” You gave her a pet before getting up. Link reached his hand out to help you up. Once you made sure that his loftwing wasn’t hurt,he flew back to the plaza. 

“I’ll go tell my father that we’re ready for the ceremony,get ready”

“Y/N if I win will you go flying with me after,just us?”

“Then you’d better win,I don’t want to miss that opportunity”

Not surprisingly he won and immediately ran up to you. 

“You owe me a flight” He laughed,you hugged him giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Let’s go” You were flying through the air,laughing. You wrapped your arms around him,putting your head on his shoulder. He put his hand on top of your,you looked up and you were inches away from his face. “Could we do this more often?”

“There is something I want to do right now”

“I think I know what it is,because I’m thinking the same thing” You finally kissed each other,his hands quickly moved to your cheeks “I’ve always wanted to do that”

“You can do it as much as you like” 

[skyward-children]

Just Friends...?

Fandom: Skyward Sword

Pairing: Fledge/Orielle

A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE WONDERFUL AND AMAZING @alphagirl404!!!!! I hope you enjoy this Florielle oneshot as much as I enjoyed writing it, and that you have had an absolutely fantabulous birthday so far!! <3 :)

~~~

It was a beautiful day on Skyloft, and Fledge was absolutely miserable. Seated on the grass surrounded by Link, Karane, Pipit, and Zelda, he stared at his hands in embarrassed silence, having just basically confessed to them that he had a major crush on Orielle.

The four knights traded glances, wordless communication passing between them, before turning back to Fledge. “So Fledge…” asked Pipit carefully. “You like her then?”

Fledge sighed and nodded, staring at the grass and thinking of he and Orielle’s relationship. They had been friends since they were small, ever since the time Fledge was being bullied by Groose (now a close friend of his) and Orielle, then a three foot tall ball of feistiness with her hair in pigtails, had chased him off. “Wanna be friends?” she had asked Fledge, offering him a toothy grin, and he had nodded shyly, his eyes wide.

Ever since then, they were practically inseparable.

But as they started to grow up, to get to the age when feelings started to happen, things got….a little awkward.

Awkward as in Fledge blushed and stammered every time Orielle said anything to him.

Awkward as in he would make excuses just to get away from the nerve-wracking thing that was talking to Orielle.

Awkward as in they started talking less, to the point where Fledge would go and hide whenever Orielle came to see him.

They were drifting apart, and Fledge felt like it was his fault. But he just couldn’t gather the courage to talk to the girl who had been his crush for the past….eight years, was it? He wasn’t sure. He’d lost count a long time ago.

Anyway, they were drifting apart—that was all he knew.

And his crush on her was only getting bigger. Plus, he really missed talking to her. So, after a few weeks of debate, he decided to let his friends in on his dilemma.

They clearly thought that the solution was simple. “Ask her out,” was the first thing Link had to say.

Fledge jumped, staring up at Link. He stammered, feeling his ears turn red. “I-I can’t ask her out. She just sees me as a friend.”

“You’re no more a friend to her than I am to Zelda,” said Link with a smirk, shooting a look at his recently-turned-girlfriend. “You two are head over heels for each other and you need to do something about it.” He regarded Fledge sternly. “Come on! Pick her some flowers! Tell her her hair looks nice! Make her a sculpture!”

“I-I can’t do that,” said Fledge, looking scared.

“Sure you can,” chirped Zelda. “She’ll say yes, I know she will. Come ooonn, Fledge. You can do it!”

“Yeah, bro, you got this!” added Pipit. “A word of advice— try to act kind of aloof, then—”

“Pipit!” Karane smacked his arm, then turned to Fledge with a grin. “Don’t listen to him. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. You have to let her know you like her, okay?”

Fledge groaned, dropping his head in his hands. “But it’s so embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing?” Link snorted. “Sure it’s embarrassing, but once you get through it and find out she likes you as much as you like her—” He looked bashfully at Zelda. “Then you’re both embarrassed, so it doesn’t matter.”

“That doesn’t help!” Fledge protested. “In fact it makes it w—”

“FLEDGE!” a voice boomed suddenly.

Fledge froze, then sighed when he recognized the voice. A moment later, Groose landed his Loftwing on the tiny floating island the friends were grouped on, hopping off and striding over to Fledge. “What’s this I hear about you and your girl problems?”

Fledge blushed to the tips of his ears. “I-I don’t have any,” he stammered.

“Don’t lie to me,” Groose said, raising an eyebrow. “I know you got a crush on Orielle. I don’t blame ya, actually.” He cracked his knuckles, then took a seat beside Fledge on the grass. “So what’re you struggling with?”

“Telling her he likes her,” said Pipit bluntly.

Groose snorted. “Do ya have to tell her? I mean she would be pretty dense if she hadn’t figured that out by now—” He cleared his throat upon seeing Fledge glaring at him. “Well, anyway, now ya got Groose to help ya.” He ran a hand through his hair.

“Actually, we’ve been trying to help him with that,” snickered Link. “And so far it hasn’t gone well.”

Groose pursed his lips, looking thoughtful. “Well…how about ya ask her out somewhere, making it sound like it’s just as friends, and then ya tell her? Just imagine. A dinner under the stars…just the two of ya….”

Fledge blushed. “It does sound rather nice,” he admitted.

“Of course it does!” Groose clapped him on the back. “So go and ask ‘er out!”

Fledge gulped. “Where would we go?”

“The Lumpy Pumpkin is your best bet. I mean, I doubt you’d wanna eat in Knight Academy’s dining hall for your first date, amiright?” Groose laughed and slung an arm around Fledge’s shoulders, resulting in an “ooof” from the smaller boy.

“Yeah, I guess that sounds good,” Fledge agreed hesitantly, nodding. “We like going there anyway. It’ll just seem like any normal thing.”

“You have to bring her flowers,” said Link.

“And pull out her chair for her,” added Pipit.

“And say a buncha sweet stuff,” Groose put in sagely.

Zelda giggled. “I’m so excited for you guys.”

Fledge blushed for probably the thousandth time that day and scratched his head. “Yeah, me too. I’m also really nervous.”

“No, you’ll be fine,” soothed Karane. “It’ll go well. I promise.”

Fledge smiled. “Thanks.”

Groose jumped up suddenly, grabbing Fledge and pulling him to his feet. “Come on, buddy! We gotta get you fixed up!”

“B-but—” Fledge’s protests were in vain. Groose practically shoved him off of the island, so he gave up, whistled for his Loftwing, and followed his friends back to Skyloft.

~~~

Back in his room at Knight Academy, Groose, Pipit, and Link rummaged through Fledge’s wardrobe for something he could wear. They finally decided on a pale orange, long sleeved shirt, dark brown trousers, a red stomach warmer, a belt, and shoes. Fledge stubbornly kept his scarf (it gave him courage). Then he wrestled his hair into some kind of style, picked some flowers from down by the waterfall, and received his friends’ moral support.

“Ya got this, buddy,” cheered Groose.

“It’ll be fine! I’m sure she likes you back, Fledge!” added Zelda.

“Go get her!!” said Pipit and Karane at the same time, then they laughed.

“Let us know how it goes!” Link put in.

Fledge drew a deep breath, nodded, and offered them a wave and a smile before turning and walking down towards Orielle’s house.

The flower stems were clinging to his palms when he arrived, his hands shaky and slightly sweaty. He raised a hand and knocked loudly on the door, then stepped back, wanting to run and hide.

A few beats passed, and then the door creaked open to reveal Orielle, who stood before him with slightly messy hair and a sleepy expression. “Hmm? Oh, it’s you, Fledge.” She yawned and rubbed a hand across her face. “What’s up?”

“Oh…uh….” Fledge gulped, shoving the flowers behind his back. “Sorry, if now’s a bad time I can come back—”

“Oh, gosh, not at all,” Orielle said, blinking. “I was sewing a bandage for an injured loftwing’s foot and I must have fallen asleep.” She chuckled wryly, then tilted her head. “You look nice. What’s going on?”

“I—I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out to dinner tonight. We haven’t been in a while, I thought maybe—”

Orielle brightened so visibly that Fledge felt compelled to blush. “I’d love to!” she exclaimed. “Just let me get ready real quick.”

The door swung shut in his face, and Fledge was left to stand with his face burning.

A few minutes later Orielle opened the door again, and Fledge’s breath caught. She had braided her hair and wound it into a bun at the back of her head. She had changed into a lovely yellow dress with orange accents, and brown leather boots. She smiled at Fledge. “Ready to go?”

“Oh, uh, actually—” He paused, then thrust the now wilted flowers in her face. “I picked these for you,” he squeaked.

Orielle reddened, taking the flowers. “Oh, thank you so much,” she said, then re-entered her house to put them in water. She returned a second later and pulled the door closed.

“Shall we go?”

They leaped off of Skyloft and flew to the Lumpy Pumpkin, where they took a table on the top of the restaurant. “We’ve never eaten up here before,” Orielle commented, glancing around.

“Yeah,” Fledge said nervously, noticing that there was no one else up with them. He swallowed, then grabbed the menu and paged through it, wondering what he should order. He could go with his usual, pumpkin soup, but at the moment he was more inclined to get something else.

“I think I’m going to get the cheese soufflé,” mused Orielle, staring at the menu. “What about you, Fledge?”

“Oh…ah….” He frowned, concentrating. “I think I’ll get the lasagna. Wanna split a pie for dessert?”

“Yeah,” she agreed, setting down her menu and glancing into the distant sunset.

A few minutes later Kina emerged on the roof, bearing a notepad. She smiled at Fledge and Orielle. “Hey, guys! What do you wanna order?”

“Cheese soufflé,” Orielle said, “and a glass of pumpkin cider.”

“I’ll have the lasagna and some hot tea, please,” Fledge added.

Kina wrote their orders down, then nodded. “Be back in just a sec!” She disappeared into the restaurant again, leaving them alone.

Fledge gulped.

Orielle turned and smiled at him. “So!” she said cheerfully. “Why the sudden invitation to dinner? It’s been a while since we’ve really talked.”

“Well…I…” Fledge scratched the back of his neck with his hand. “You see…” He could feel a blush staining his cheeks. “Orielle, what I really asked you out for is….”

She looked at him expectantly.

“Ok, well, for a date,” Fledge said desperately, wanting to bang his head on the table. “I asked you out on a date. I…I really like you, Orielle. As more than a friend.” He bit his lip, staring at his hands. “I know you probably don’t feel the same way, but that’s why it’s been so awkward lately, why I haven’t been talking to you. I…I was scared. I’m sorry…”

“Fledge,” Orielle interrupted, causing him to look up at her. She was staring at him with a huge smile on her face.

“W-what?” he said tremulously.

“I like you too, idiot. As in, a lot. I’ve missed talking with you. I’ve missed being around you. I can’t tell you how much my heart leaped when you asked me out for dinner.” She reached across the table and grabbed his hand in a gentle squeeze. “I’m glad you said something. I was starting to think you never would.”

“Wait,” Fledge said, his ears turning pink. “You knew?!”

“Of course,” she laughed. “I think everyone did.”

“Omigosh, this is so embarrassing,” groaned Fledge, and this time he did bang his head on the table.

“Fledge, look at me,” Orielle said with a laugh. After a long moment he raised his head to do so.

She giggled at him. “It’s supposed to be embarrassing, Fledge.”

“Y-you’re embarrassed, too??”

“Of course, silly,” she said. “Can’t you see me turning twenty different shades of red?”

Fledge stared at her, and sure enough she was the color of a tomato. He snickered, and before long he and Orielle were wheezing with laughter.

Kina abruptly showed up, bearing glasses with their drinks. She paused and stared at them. Fledge looked at her and grinned sheepishly. “Hey, Kina.”

“Wait so….” Kina raised an eyebrow, setting their drinks down. “How did it go?”

“How did what—”

Orielle chuckled, catching onto what Kina was hinting at. “It went great, Kina. We like each other.”

“OH HYLIA,” shrieked Kina, and turned and bolted back down into the restaurant. A moment later, a resounding cheer echoed from the interior. Fledge could distinguish the voices of Groose and Link among them.

He turned and grinned at Orielle. “I guess our friends followed us,” he said with a laugh.

“I guess so,” Orielle shrugged, smiling back. She raised her glass of pumpkin cider. “A toast?”

Fledge raised his own glass of tea. “To what?” he asked.

Orielle smiled, blushing a little. “To my best friend— and, er, boyfriend— Fledge.”

“To my best friend, and girlfriend, Orielle,” Fledge returned shyly.

Their glasses clinked together, and the two best friends drank under a purplish-pink sky, as in the distance the moon began to rise.

[science-lings]

Hihi, I saw your post. What are your romantical-type headcanons for the lu boys? Specifically Legend and Four, pretty please! 🙏 🥺❤️

Okay Legend and Ravio are 100% legally married for tax benefits and to make Ravio a legal citizen of Hyrule. Then they caught feelings and Legend was too emotionally constipated and Ravio was too anxious to admit anything so it took them both an embarrassingly long time to figure it all out. It happened eventually though.

I’m not as sure about Four, but what I’ve seen in things like the comics, Vio and Shadow have a fun thing going on and that kinda tracks. Either that or he’s in a QPR with Dot.

Quick ones for the others:

Time and Malon are cute but Times first crush was Lullaby and his bisexual awakening was Sheik specifically because I think it’s kinda funny. He got over his feelings for her though and they are currently just childhood friends that just show up at each other’s places randomly. Time does it specifically because he thinks it’s funny that he can still sneak past the guards after so long.

Wind and Tetra eventually become a thing, neither of them ever really cared about romantic relationships and it was a years long slow burn to get them to realize that hey, maybe dating would be kinda fun.

Wild was once engaged to Mipha but I like him on the aroace spectrum so he did it partially because they were very good friends and they had a lot of mutual respect for each other but then everything went to shit. Eventually Wild and Flora sign a pact that’s like ‘if I don’t find someone I’m just going to marry you’ and it ends up happening and neither of them are upset about it.

Sky and Sun are together and it’s good and wholesome but Sky totally had a crush on Pipit for years in knight school.

I think Hyrule canonically becomes a king and marries one of his Zelda’s but I think it would be funny if he accidentally marries both of the Zelda’s due to like a document error and they all just kinda go with it.

Warriors is a gay incel. Jk, he is happily single and unavailable though.

It’s been like four years and Twilight is still getting over Midna, so he’s emotionally unavailable, for now…

[tortilla-of-courage]

Fast Food AU Masterpost

General tag #fast food au

Origins/General explanation

Putting the links under the cut so they’ll update even in reblogs lol. Oh also beware of potential Skyward Sword spoilers - maybe not PLOT points but characters from the end of the game and stuff are main parts of this. Might even include spoilers for other games too so thread carefully. Also reminder that if you see any issues with my links here you can let me know in an ask/DM/reply in this post

Disclaimer(?):

Okay listen. This started as a Skyward Sword (modern?) AU, with the other games thrown in sometimes for fun. It wasn’t really a Linked Universe AU. I’m still a bit unsure about how to go about this, but i’m now leaning a bit more on it staying unrelated to LU. But Idk. i’ll decide once i can actually start working on this again.

Also, the AU is momentarily on hold while i deal with college but i should be able to kick it back into action by the end of the year

(also i wasn’t sure if everyone who’s contributed here would like to get @ ed in this post so i just put links to your profiles?? i can change it if you want just let me know)

Original Content

The post that started it all (SS Spoilers) (i was very sleep deprived)

Demmy’s Denise (SS Spoilers) (”Demmy’s” name idea by @/squid-ink-personal)

Peter Pan-cho III (based on a mexican seafood restaurant banner)

McDonald’s Sky edit

Rivalry (+ Sign Spinners Addition) (credits to @/musashi for basically giving me the idea of the entire AU! thank you!)

Rejected Coffee

Cousins...?

Demmy’s brand new cashier

Peter Pan-cho’s other locals

Can I have the menu?

Wait, there’s a con today? (normal LU Chain visits)

Does Groose work here?

Ma’am this is a McDinald’s,

Did you say McDINald’s?

Two Links

A... Mascot...? (idea by @/tentimesthecourage)

Da-na-na-na! I’m losin’ it! (by @/squid-ink-personal)

Mascot Costume

Wild’s the Gordon Ramsay of Hyrule

Is Wild an amnesiac in this AU?

“McDinks! All of them!” (this one was having some issues with the order of the pics because i posted it on mobile - I think i fixed it??? but im not sure. it should go (1-Demise panel, 2-”McDinks! all of them!”, 3-link waving, 4-lighting bolt). please tell me if there are still issues with it

The Master Dough ft. Pipit

Windy’s: It fucken WINDY’s

THE McDINK’S A CUCCO?

Have a McDinald’s Happy meal. Because you’re EPIC

Pre-McDinald’s Sky caught Infraganti

Loftwing Toy in the happy meal!!

Fun extra details so far

Hylian “Yelp” is called “Hyah”

Sky’s allergic to shrimp

Peter has a shrimp gun

Wild and Sky were actors in Hyrule’s version of Fast and Furious before working in food businesses. This was prompted, somehow, by these memes of Wild and Sky as Fast and Furious people. I’ll make a post explaining this more sometime maybe

Fan Content

thanks to everyone who’s made something! <3 love ya!

Four+One Guys (LU based) by @/tentimesthecourage

Rising Cranes (Hyrule Warriors local) by @/sekiumiarashi

What’s going on in McDinald’s...? (Hyrule Warriors) by @/sekiumiarashi

“That can’t be good.” by @/akwardpossum

McSky by @/xx-dark-dart-xx

THIS AU HAS FIC? HELLO????? by @/attllhak

Wild and Sky messing around in their previous jobs by @/omsocks

“Grocery Store AU” sub-AU by @/lu-sky-lian

Half eaten Pineapple (Grocery Store AU) by @/lu-sky-lian

Dragon boys want some food (LU Dragons AU crossover) by @/veamers

“Sir, please, this is a McDinald’s” by Fox Anon

Rhythm (CoH Link) vibing while disaster happens in the bg by @/tentimesthecourage

[alphagirl404]

An Impulse Decision: Chapter 28

Fanfiction.net

AO3

<-Previous Chapter Next Chapter ->

****

Chapter 28: Revelations Unveiled

A Month Prior…

The sounds of Skyloft's Waterfall pouring into the lake echoed off Fledge's ears as he sat on the banks, arms wrapped his legs close to his chest. Slowly, he moved one of his arms, bringing his hand in front of his face. The bandage covering the cut he had received the night prior from his 'venting' by trying to climb up the Goddess Statue remains which Zelda helped treat. Events leading up to that cut went through his mind, including the moment he learned that he would not be able to compete in this years Wing Ceremony. Revisiting that moment caused Fledge to let out a tired breath.

"Hand doing okay?" The suddenness of the voice almost made Fledge jump, only to grow relieved once he realized it was Link standing next to him.

"Yeah…" Fledge stares back to the lake.

Link sat down, legs crisscrossed. Several minutes of silence passed until Link spoke up. "Zelda…Told me about last night."

"Kinda figured that out..." Fledge responded with a bit of snark, quickly realizing that it might've come out wrong. "Sorry. Didn't mean that."

"It's fine," Link said with assurance, though his eyes were filled with sorrow. "Probably deserve a bit of that. I'm sorry that I wasn't around. I didn't realize how…crushed you were about yesterday. And you sure didn't have to deal with Groose and what he said."

"It's not your fault. I was the reason I failed, not you. And I know not to let Groose's words get to me, no matter how condescending & convincing they are." Fledge let out a breath. "I…I tried so hard, y'know."

"I do."

"But I wasn't even anywhere close to passing the physical test. If I have issues with that...do I have any chance of being a Skyknight?"

"You will, Fledge. You just need to try harder." Fledge remained quiet. Link thought over what to say next for the next several minutes. "Tell you what. When the next ceremony comes around, I'll help train you."

"You would do that?" Fledge asks with a glint of hope.

"Sure! You're my friend. I would be more than happy to help you." Link gave a friendly pat on Fledge's back. "Plus, there's no way in hell I'm going to let Groose or his cronies get promoted before either of us."

Fledge let out a small laugh. "I guess that should be a good motivator for me to keep going."

"Now that's one way to look at it!"

"But can you at least try to beat Groose in this years race?"

"I won't try." Link moves his hand on Fledge's shoulder with a gentle grip. "I WILL beat him. Then the next year, you'll beat him. And before you know it, you, me, Pipit, Karane, and Zelda will be flying around the skies keeping Skyloft safe as full-on Skyknights."

****

Deep breathing escaped from Link when he pulled himself out of that memory. Goddesses, it felt like a entire lifetime ago. A lifetime when he was a simple naïve boy who had no idea what would be in store for him. The weight of the world was not on his shoulders, including the fate of Zelda which solely depends on whether or not he will succeed in this quest. And his friends being put through life-threatening dangers.

In the distance, Fledge sat on the edge of the lake bank. Further away from him were the rays of the sunset reflecting from behind the rocks surrounding the lake. Sitting crisscrossed, frozen as a statue, Fledge had his thousand-yard stare stuck upon the waters in the lake. The younger teen didn't so much as flinch when Link gained the courage to walk up to him. Link sat down, right next to Fledge, pulling his legs close to his chest. This moment is an almost perfect replica of their conversation at Skyloft Lake last month, though the roles were somewhat reversed.

For several painfully long minutes, no words or sounds were exchanged between the pair. No eye contact was made. Building up the courage, Link turns in Fledge's direction, getting a clear look at his left face.

There Link got a close-up view of the remains of Fledge's left ear. The pointed tip that adorned him, and every other person on Skyloft is no longer there. What lies on the top of Fledge's ear is a red, burned edge. Judging by the ragged edges, it was evident that Ghirahim took his time cutting it off to prolonge Fledge's pain & suffering. Then there's the diamond scar on Fledge's left cheek which also has red, burned scars making the shape of the diamond. Also on the younger teen's cheeks were dried tears trailing down from his puffy eyes.

Fledge remained shirtless, allowing Link to see the other scars on his torso. Including the one on the center of Fledge's chest that initially killed him.

The image of Ghirahim striking his sword through Fledge's chest flashed back into Link's mind, followed by the scream Link let out. This was concluded when Fledge died in Link's arms, the latter's voice desperately begging for Fledge to wake back up. The memory was painful enough for Link to let out a quiet gasp for air, whilst trying to soothe the small pain in his head.

Link wondered if he should say anything at all. He wondered if Fledge was angry at him. Fledge's expression made it hard to tell to be honest. While Pipit, Karane, and Fi all assure him that Fledge does not hold any resentment, part of Link fears so.

Sucking in the air through his nostrils, Link proceeded to speak.

"I…I wanted to see how you were doing."

Fledge did not respond in any way. His eyes remained glued to the sunset in front of him. That does not deter Link as he continues to speak.

"I know that you're probably angry at me, and you have every right to be. I failed to keep the promise I made back when we were kids." A tear streamed down from Link's eye. "...I let you down. I never should have left you alone. You never should have gone through Ghirahim's torture. And you never should have…died in there. If I could go back and trade places, I would. But I can't, and I failed you because I was too late, not only as a friend…" Tears were streaming down from both of Link's eyes as he tried his best not to break down crying. "...I failed you as a brother. And I am so sorry."

Fledge has yet to say anything. Link was doing his best to keep himself together, waiting for Fledge to generate some sort of response.

"It was painful…"Fledge spoke up after many long seconds passed. "The worst pain I've been through in my whole life. This…" Fledge placed his palm flat on the left side of his face. "Ghirahim did this because I didn't tell him about the Gate. I'll have to live with this for the rest of my life. I can't take that choice back. If I had to go through all that again, knowing I probably won't be coming back…I would make the same choice." Fledge rests his head against Link's shoulder. "And if I had to choose between dying or losing you or any of my friends, I choose death in a heartbeat."

Link's eyes moves to Fledge, not sure what to say to that statement.

"Dying scares me. I was scared that Ghirahim was going to kill me," Fledge admitted, expression turning more somber. "The only thing that terrifies me more than that: Losing one of my friends. You have Zelda & Headmaster Gaepora. Pipit still has his mom, and Karane has Owlan. Me… My mom is dead. I have no clue who my father is. And I have no other biological family as far as I know. The reason I gave myself up… I have no one back at Skyloft besides guys. You, Pipit, Karane, and Zelda are the closest thing I have to a family. If something happened to any of you, especially because of me, I don't know what I'd do."

Fledge sucked in a breath through his nostrils in an attempt to keep himself calm and not break down into tears, though one tear did manage to escape from his eye. Minutes of silence passed before Link spoke up.

"You shouldn't have gone through all that. I should've tried harder…Should've been quicker. Shouldn't have been late like I always am…" Link insisted with guilt-ridden in his voice.

"Link…I don't blame you for what happened there." Fledge lifts his head to face his friend. "I know you did everything you could. But you're not a garrison of Skyknights. You can't always be everywhere at once. And I'm training to be a Skyknight. I'm not the bravest person around, believe me, I know, but if I was that big of a scaredy-cat everyone makes me out to be I wouldn't put in the effort to be a Skyknight. Death pretty much comes with the job."

"Yeah but before all this, all we had to worry about were flying monsters and sudden storms. All of that we could prepare for." Link argued. "Fledge you were tortured, then…basically executed."

"This!" Fledge pointed to the half ear, and diamond scar. "These." Fledge lifted both of his hands, showing Link the scars caused by Ghirahim's knives pinning to the wall on his palms. "And certainly this!" Fledge then pointed to the scar of the wound that killed him on his chest.

"Ghirahim did this! Not you! You didn't dig knives into my hands to pin me against the wall! You didn't cut up my face! You didn't torture me! And you certainly were not the one who killed me! I know…damn well that Ghirahim did ALL that to me and only him!" Fledge stressed firmly, panting in between words. "As for me…I made my choices. I chose to endure that torture. I chose to sacrifice myself, and I didn't know awakening the full power of Din's Essence would bring me back. And I chose to stick by you when I had every right to leave. And you want to know something? I don't regret any of it. You've been protecting me as long as we know each other, but I won't hesitate to protect you, Link. If I had to go through all that again, even on the chance I would stay dead to keep my friends safe, I would. If I were to die again tomorrow knowing that you all are safe then I'll be content enough. That's all I want."

Link sat quiet, taking in those heartfelt words. After minutes of silence Link. "Do…do you really see me as a brother?"

"You always believe in me when I don't believe in myself. You always cheered me up when I was down in the dumps. You always scared away Groose & his friends when they were messing with me. And…You were willing to be my friend when my mom died. As I said before, you're the closest family I have. Over time I saw you as a brother I never had. I never told you or any of them this because I was afraid you thought it would be ridiculous, and you looked up to Pipit the same so I thought you didn't need another brother figure."

"I don't think it's ridiculous at all. Do you know why? Because I feel the same way about you." Fledge looks at Link in shock. "You're like a little brother to me, Fledge. I never told you because I didn't think you saw me that way."

"Guess that makes both of us idiots," Fledge said with dry humor, which did make Link chuckle.

"Yeah…We were. I'm sorry for being able to keep you safe like a brother."

"Link, what happened to me today was Ghirahim's fault, not yours. And I'll keep reminding you that till your deathbed if I have to."

"Well, that makes me feel better at least."

Fledge's lips grew in a small smile. That soon vanished as another subject came to him. "Link…there's another reason why I chose to give myself up. It's something you and the others need to know."

Grumbling noises came from Fledge's stomach loud enough for Link to hear. The green-clad hero grew an amusing smile.

"I think we should get some food for you first. Mogmas are about to make some food and invited us to eat with them. Tell us over a bite."

"Food does sound nice right now."

"Let's get you back then, little brother."

When Link slowly moved up, Fledge noticed something on his brother. Hastily, Fledge tugged on Link's arm.

"What?" Link glances at Fledge with worry.

With a nervous expression, Fledge motioned his hand over his cheeks. "You, um have my…blood on your face."

Link moves his hand to the bloody handprint that lingers on his cheek. At this point the blood was completely dried, and crusty, sticking to Link's skin.

"I…haven't had the chance to clean it off."

"Let me take care of that."

Fledge dunked the rag Lapi lent him into the lakebank, wringing the water out of it. He spent the next several minutes using the rag to gently wipe Link's cheek until every trace of the blood was gone.

"There, all cleaned," Fledge declared, dipping the rag into the water to clean the blood off. "Sorry about that…"

Link brushes his fingers against his now-cleaned cheek. Without any warning, he pulled Fledge into a tight hug. Fledge accepted it, burying his face in between Link's head and shoulder. The two brothers held each other for several minutes.

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about," Link pulled away, maintaining eye contact with Fledge. "And another thing. Don't ever say, or even think you're not important. Every single one of my friends will always be important to me. You included."

Fledge sniffled his nose, wiping a tear, with a smile on his lips. "You okay if I call you big brother?"

"I would be more than okay, little bro. Now let's get you some dinner."

The pair stood up, proceeding to make their way back to the Mogma Colony.

"Can I ask you something?" Link spoke up a few seconds into their stroll.

"What?"

"Did you really spit on Ghirahim's face?"

"I…also said 'screw you' to him." Fledge could only give a sheepish smile. Link's eyes widened in bewilderment. "Hey, I was at least fifty percent sure that he was going to kill me, which he did end doing technically. Figure I do something crazy once in my life." Link could only let out a amused chuckle.

They kept on walking up until they reached the edge of the colony. Pipit & Karane stood nearby, waiting for them.

"Everything good?" Pipit was the first to speak.

"They are," Link responded.

"What about you, Fledge?" Karane asked.

"I just needed to unwind for a bit." Fledge breathes out and rubs his hand on his face.

"You doing okay now?" Pipit then asks him.

"Partially, yes. Fully, probably not for a while…" Fledge's fingers linger on his diamond scar, his other arm wrapped around his stomach area.

Link gently places his hand on Fledge's shoulder. "We'll help you, Fledge. Tonight, let's just worry about you. Tell us, what do you want?"

"A bite to eat for starters." Fledge plainly stated. "And…maybe we could check out those hot springs Ledd mentioned."

"We can arrange that, right you guys," Link said, Pipit & Karane nodding in response.

Right then, Lapi strolled her way toward the group of knight students with items in her hands. "Hello, all of you! Everything okay?"

"For the most part," Link answered.

"And what about you, dearie? How are you doing?" Lapi said to Fledge.

"A little better, I think."

"Good to hear! Since you're here, I wanted to give these back." Lapi lifted the items she was holding up. These were Fledge's Knight Tunic, Scarf, and everything else Fledge gave to her. "I cleaned them to the best of my ability and patched them all up. Would you like them back now or put them in the cave?"

"The cave for now. Thank you, again."

"No problem!" Lapi strolled away from the group.

The quartet of knight students moves closer to the middle of the colony. Several of the Mogmas are gathered around what appears to be a large bonfire pit. Gorko was also hanging nearby.

"Hey, you guys!" Gorko greeted the group. "How are you and your friend holding up, pal?"

"We'll be alright…" Link responded whilst Fledge gave a slight nod.

"I suppose that's better than nothing. I'm sure things will light up."

"I…appreciate that," Fledge said to the Goron. "Are the Mogma's making food?"

"They're trying to get the fire started, but I think they're having issues."

Curious as to what Gorko meant, all four humans glance toward the fire pit. Ledd was flicking two rocks together repeatedly. The Mogma was frustrated, indicating that he had been doing this for some minutes. Several more flicks later, Ledd threw his arms up in frustration.

"GAH! Which one of you knuckleheads found these rocks? These aren't flint!" The nearby Mogmas all pointed at each other. "Forget I even asked." Ledd threw the rocks away, resting his head in his hand afterward. "Well ain't this nice…"

Mala patted her husband's shoulder. "Easy hun. I'm sure we can find some flint around here somewhere. Unless you want to rub the sticks together."

"That takes forever. Flint makes the sparks faster and we don't even have that. If only we have a faster way to start the fire."

Fledge glances at his hand, remembering the power bestowed on him by Din. The power that was fully awakened by sacrificing himself.

"Can I help?" Fledge steps close to the pit.

"Knock yourself out, since my husband is too mopey," Mala gestured to the fire pit.

Fledge knelt by the firepit. Stretching out his palm, everyone around saw the flame burst up. The Mogmas and Gorko stood agape, whilst Fledge's friends simply watched as he lit up the fire pit.

"How's this?"

"...Good. Thanks!" Mala causally responded.

Gorko on the other hand was amazed. "Wow! You have magic too as well?! Can you do anything else?"

"Well…I can also do this." Fledge moved over to a boulder that was bigger than Gorko himself. With his two hands, Fledge lifted the boulder over his head. Gorko's mouth was wide open one of the Mogmas could fit in there.

"I can do this and make fire. That's what I can pretty much do." Fledgel gently set the boulder back down.

"That's amazing!" Gorko cheered out, shuffling in excitement. "How long were you able to do that?"

"A few hours ago," Fledge responded.

"Seriously?" Gorko couldn't beleive that. "Looks like you handle it that you have been doing your whole life. How'd you get it then?"

"Din gave it to me."

Gorko's eyes widen with pure shock. "I-I'm sorry now. Who now?"

"Din."

"One more time please?"

"Din…As in the Goddess of Power, and one of the three Golden Goddesses?"

"Yeah, her. I passed a trial made by her and she gave part of her essence and now I can do what you just saw."

Pipit stepped forward. "…He's not the only one. That teleportation you saw me do earlier, and this," Pipit summoned a tiny tornado on his palm. "I also passed a trial by Farore and she gave me her essence, which is why I could do that."

"The same thing happened to me, except it was by Nayru. I can create barriers." Karane conjured a crystal barrier large enough to encase herself, her friends, and Gorko for a brief minute. "I can also do this." Unscrewing her water skin cap, Karane levitated the water out moving around herself. Then she safely put it back in the skin without a single drop escaping.

Gorko stood stunned as he took in the revelation bomb that had dropped in front of him. The shock then turns to pure excitement.

"You three met the Golden Goddesses and have part of their magic in you?! THAT IS SO AMAZING! Do you realize how big of a deal that is?! This is the discovery of a lifetime! You got to tell me EVERYTHING! What were the Goddesses like? Are they as beautiful as they say? How powerful are they? How did they give you your magic?"

Link stepped in when he noticed that his friends were getting overwhelmed by Gorko's question. "Woah, take it easy. Give them a chance to breathe."

"Sorry, pal. I got a bit excited." Gorko then eyed Link curiously. "Do you…have magic as well?"

"No, I'm still normal…somewhat. Unless being Hylia's Chosen Hero somehow counts."

Gorko stood agape for several seconds. "Well I certainly want to hear about THAT as well. But I'll take it slow with the questions. A good way to pass time until dinner was ready."

****

The Knight Students, Gorko, and Mogmas all sat around the fire pit. The sun had fully set and a few stars had shown up in the sky. The quartet had explained what they knew to Gorko up until the Mogmas got dinner ready. They were all eating some fried vegetables on a stick. The vegetable in question shared some resemblance to a carrot but was a more yellowish color rather than the usual orange. It also appears to be split into two. Nonetheless, this food was good enough for the knight students.

"This is good!" Karane exclaimed.

"I couldn't agree more," Pipit in between bites. "What kind of vegetable is this again?"

"An Endura Carrot," Guld replied. "It's very delicious!"

"And nutritious. It contains large amounts of nourishing energy. Perfect for us Mogmas," Silva explained.

"And it sometimes makes good medicine as well which also makes it perfect for you, Fledge," Mala added.

"We also threw in some Armoranth in there. Another medical plant that also makes a good flavor. It was my idea to add it in to help you out, dearie," Lapis glances at Fledge, holding Toopa in her arms who happily nibbles on her food.

"Thank you. That was very kind of you," Fledge said to her, slowly taking in another bite.

Pipit watched Fledge continue eating. There had been something he wanted to ask. He waited until Fledge was done with his current carrot.

"Hey, Fledge?"

"What?" Fledge turns in his friend's direction.

Pipit opened his mouth to speak but then stopped himself. "N-Nevermind…I don't want to upset you."

Fledge did not buy it. "I, literally, came back from the dead after being tortured for hours. I don't think anything you say will upset me at this point. What's on your mind, Pipit?"

Breathing through his nose, Pipit gained the strength to ask his question. "That's what I wanted to ask. Since I have the second closest brush with death I'm curious...What was it like? Dying and coming back?"

Fledge froze in place for several seconds. Then slowly he placed the numb of the carrot down. He clasps his hands together. The expression shows that he was deep in thought.

"Pipit…Did you ever feel your heart stop when you almost drowned?"

"Everything was so fuzzy from the moment Tentalus struck me to when Karane brought me back, but I don't think I felt my heart stop. It was slowing down but it was beating. That's all I can remember." Pipit's expression turns uneasy. "I can guess your experience was…much different."

"You were unconscious so you probably weren't aware. Me…I was fully aware of what was happening." Fledge placed his hand on the scar on his chest. "Other people who died don't worry about what they feel in their final moments. But I came back…remember it all. Feeling my heart slowly stop. It was an awful feeling. Thinking about it makes me want to throw up. I never want to go through that again. Coming back on the other hand…that was a whole different experience..."

"Did you see the afterlife?" Karane gently asked.

Fledge shook his head. "I don't think I was dead long enough to see it. I did remember walking down a dimly lit stone-carved hallway. Ahead of me was a bright, warm, welcoming light. If I had to guess it was the pathway to the afterlife for my soul. I kept on walking until I suddenly stopped. I felt something pulling me back. Then all of sudden, I think…Din appeared. She told me that my life is not over and me sacrificing myself has allowed for her essence in me to fully awaken along with some other stuff. Everything went dark as I felt something yank me back in the direction I came. The next thing I knew, I woke up suddenly back in that chamber. The moment I came back it felt like I was being electrocuted from within. It was painful but also relieving. And you guys want to know the strange part?"

All three of the senior knights leaned in, interested in what Fledge had to say.

"I don't think I fully came back. I feel like…a part of me stayed dead."

"What part would that be?" Link asked in a soft voice.

Fledge took a minute to form his answer. "The part of me that has always held me back. The part of me that made me afraid to do anything Because I felt it was useless. The part of me…that said I was weak." Fledge let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Funny how it took me literally dying to finally break free of those chains. I suppose I have Ghirahim to thank for that I guess."

"Don't thank him for anything. What he did to you was beyond evil! I don't know if there's a term for that," Karane said.

"I got some choice words of my own for him, but I can't say 'cause they're children present," Pipit glances at Toopa munching on her dinner.

"You didn't deserve any of that, Fledge, regardless of how it all turned out," Link said, keeping eye contact with Fledge.

No words came out of Fledge for minutes.

"When I woke up back in that chamber, I was happy to be alive. But when I saw Ghirahim, right after he threw that dagger in your arm, Link, something in me snapped. Like a chain holding me finally broke free. I was so…angry" Fledge gritted his teeth when uttering that last word. A tiny tear strolled down his eye.

"The was only two things on my mind: revenge & blood. All the anger I had not only I had for him, but towards Groose, Cawlin, and everyone else who looked down on me my entire life I took all of that out on Ghirahim. I wanted to hurt him so badly like he did to me. I felt tempted to...kill him. I wanted to beat him more, even after I subdued him. Crazy I know. Someone like me having a violent side." Fledge let out a sniffle, trying his best not to break down again. "Ghirahim messed me up that badly not only physically, didn't he?"

Link lightly hugs him. "I think what you're feeling is normal. I sure wanted to kill him after what he did to you. The fact that you didn't…that really shows you are the strongest out of all of us."

"And how you willingly gave up yourself to not only keep Zelda safe, and not let Link be burdened with that choice," Karane brought up.

"And not giving in to the torture as well," Pipit added. "To be honest, I'm not sure if I have the strength to endure any of that. They never taught anything like that in the Academy yet you prevailed.."

"You were always strong, Fledge. Even before you got Din's Essence." Link declared with a proud smile.

Fledge let out a small smile of his own. Hearing that was all he needed. That smile soon turned into a frown when the topic he wanted to tell Link came back to mind.

"There's something else I need to share. It's part of the reason why I sacrificed myself."

"Well, we're all here. What do you need to tell us?" Link said.

"I…I know who Ghirahim's master is."

"His master? The one he's trying to use Zelda to revive?" Fledge nods back to Karane.

"Well don't leave us hanging. Who are they?" Pipit prodded.

Fledge's uneasy gaze lingers on the ground, trying to formulate the words to say.

"Take your time," Link gently encourages, patting his shoulder comfortably.

Fledge glanced a small smile at his brother. Sucking in a breath, Fledge proceeded to speak. "Do…Do you guys remember the stories we heard growing up? About the supposed war between Hylia and the Demon Tribe that took place over a thousand years ago?" All three of the senior knights nod their heads. "I think those stories are not legends. They're real."

"Why do you say that?" Pipit questioned.

Fledge's expression turns grim. "Ghirahim's master is the one who led the Demon Tribe…"

The senior knights sat in a startled, collective silence taking in the grim revelation Fledge had told them. They did not know what to say or how to respond to that.

"You're saying that Ghirahim's master is the Demon King?" Karane stressed.

"The same Demon King that almost wiped out our ancestors supposedly?" Pipit brought up uneasily.

Fledge nods.

"Are you sure he wasn't lying?" Link questioned with urgency.

"Ghirahim sounded very confident," Fledge confirmed vividly. "Those stories we heard growing up back on Skyloft, incredible as they seem, they might be all too real."

"You are correct Master Fledge." The quartet turns its head to see Fi floating near them. She hovers close. "My memory is all clear to me now. Ghirahim's master is indeed the Demon King known as…Demise."

Demise…Speaking that name alone, the quartet could remember the details of him. An Evil God that is said to be the embodiment of hatred & malice itself. A name they had heard growing up all their lives. Never once did they not feel shivers whenever they heard stories of his atrocities. Link can imagine him in his head. The image of a towering figure with a large build, taller than Groose, and flaming fire-like hair always came to mind whenever Demise is mentioned. Though they were always comforted by the fact that Demise was only made up and not real.

Except he is the mysterious master that Ghirahim is trying to bring back. Meaning he was very much real. And if those stories of his horrible acts committed against the humans were true all along…

"Oh Hylia…" Link utters out in horror, covering his mouth.

"I don't believe it…" Pipit muttered quietly

"Holy Shit…" Karane said in a shaky voice.

Fledge had remained silent watching his friends react to this revelation.

"This is…this is bad," Link shuddered.

"EYO! Mind filling us in?" Ledd's voice bellowed, getting the quartet's attention. "Who the hell is this 'Demise' guy?" The other Mogma's turn their heads in Ledd's direction. All of whom were surprised for him to ask that. "What?"

"You seriously don't know? Did you not pay attention to the stories the elders told us?" Silva said in a chiding tone.

"Yeah! Even I paid attention to them, igneous!" Cobal scolded.

"Most of 'em were all boring, aside from the treasured ones. Can you blame me for tuning them out?!" Ledd lifted his arms in defense. The other Mogmas could only face palms while letting out irritable groans.

Mala moved close to her husband. "Well, my dear husband, to summarize. Demise was an evil god that waged war against the Goddess Hylia over one thousand years ago. Our ancestors joined forces to fight him. Isn't that right, Guld?"

"You are correct, Mala!" Guld confirmed. "The story of Hylia's War against Demise is a tale that our kind had passed down for generations! Quite a shame you have not paid attention to them, Ledd."

"My people passed down that story as well." All eyes turned to Gorko. "Over a thousand years ago my people lived in this land. Believe it or not, the Eldin Volcano was said to be our home. According to their stories, this land was peaceful and everything that lived here harmoniously coexists. That is until one day Demise arrived in this realm, declaring war against Hylia. Nobody knows where he came from. It was aid to be a war of unmatched scale and ferocity, the likes of which would never be seen again. My ancestors joined Hylia's forces to fight against Demise as many other races down here did. We fought against him for as long as we could. The war lasted for years."

"Then…One dark fateful day, the earth cracked wide open and malevolent forces rushed forth from the fissure. They mounted a brutal assault upon the inhabitants, driving the land into despair. They burnt forests to ash, choked the land's sweet springs, and murdered without hesitation. This was done to take some ultimate power protected by Hylia. What it was I don't know, but the power she guarded was without equal. Said to be handed down by gods of old, this power gave its holder the means to make any desire reality. Such was the might of the ultimate power that the old ones placed in the care of Hylia. The other races, mine included, fought them off, but the humans..."

Gorko passed an uneasy glance to the quartet of knight students.

"My elders say that the humans did not fare well against the Demon Tribe. Only a small portion did defend themselves. Supposedly this batch of humans were said to be a tribe of warriors that worked closely with Hylia, calling themselves the Shadow Folk. They were only a small minority compared to the rest of the humans. The attack was so sudden they did not have time to prepare. Their numbers went from the thousands to only several hundred in a short time. To protect the remaining humans, and the great power from falling into the hands of the Demon Tribe, Hylia gathered the surviving humans on several outcroppings of earth. She sent them all skyward, beyond the reach of the demonic hordes. Beyond even the clouds. With the humans, and the power safe, Hylia and her remaining land dwellers fought the evil forces, sealing them in a way. Peace was finally restored and the war was over."

"Despite the victory, Hylia strangely vanished. My ancestors left far away up north because the resources we Gorons needed were gone because of the war. It was only several years ago that some of us got the courage to come back here. But I always believe those tales to be made-up stories. But hearing what Fledge and Fi said, are they all true?"

"It looks like it is," Link confirmed.

"So Demise was…real?"

"He's also the master of Ghirahim, the person who took me," Fledge shared, stroking his diamond scar. "Ghirahim has been chasing our friend Zelda to use her to revive Demise. He tried to get information out of me, but I refused. Because if I gave her up it would not only be her end…but also the end of the world as we know it."

"My goodness…" Gorko mutters in shock.

"That certainly doesn't sound good," Silva commented

Toopa had listen in the whole conversation. Hearing the details of Gorko's story, and Demise left her unsettled. "Mama, is Demise coming to hurt us?"

"It's okay, honey. No one going to hurt us," Lapi comforted her.

"But it sounds like this Demise guy means some serious business," Ledd stated, crossing his arms.

"That's putting it lightly," Karane expressed eerily.

"There's another thing I want to bring up. Ghirahim also mentioned that using Zelda could restore Demise to his pure form, even though his current one is an unstoppable force. Makes me wonder…" Fledge paused. "Fi…is The Imprisoned that form?"

"Based on my calculations, and the memories I've had before I…went into the sword, I can 100% confirm that The Imprisoned is indeed Demise's trapped form. It is all clear to me," Fi answered.

"Seriously?" Karane exclaimed in total disbelief. "That…thing is Demise himself?"

"Not in his pure form but yes," Fi confirmed.

"Oh, that's just wonderful! Just another thing to add to this 'fine' day we had!" Pipit stated sarcastically, waving his arms frustrated. "Here I was hoping this master was some giant Bokoblin."

"This is not very good news…If Demise does come back, he can destroy everything and everyone that does not submit to him. Probably Skyloft too if he wants," Karane explained.

"It won't happen. I WON'T let it happen." Link declared.

"You mean…We won't let it happen," Fledge pondered.

"Yeah, we won't let it happen. We'll do everything we can to stop Demise from coming back." Link let out a small proud smile towards Fledge. "But right now, there's not much we can do..."

"A night to recharge is what we need right now, after the day we had," Karane agreed

"Though, I wish we were doing it back at Skyloft and not stuck down here" Pipit uttered up glumly."…I hope mom doesn't get too worried."

"Same with Owlan. Horwell told me that he was worried about me when were gone those two days in Lanayru. If only there was some way we could send them a message."

"I suggest we use Scraper to deliver the message," Fi mentioned. "I can telepathically communicate with him. We'll have him inform Headmaster Gaepora of our situation."

"We can do that tomorrow. Right now I want to focus on putting this horrible day behind us," Link massages his head with his hand.

"Understood master. If you don't require anything else from me, I will return to the sword." Fi floated several feet away from the group.

"There is something I do want to know." Fi stopped, bringing her attention to Link. "What's your deal with Ghirahim? Did you…know him?"

Fi's expression grimace. "I did..."

"What happened between you?" Link noticed how quickly. Fi's face went even grimmer. "On second thought, never mind. We don't need anything else for the moment."

"Very well. Thank you, Master Link." Fi floated back to the cave where the Master Sword lay.

"You think she'll ever tell us?" Karane spoke up after a bit.

Link let out a tired breath. "I don't know. Fi's already done so much for us, I don't want to force her to do anything to make her uncomfortable. But…the same time I want to know what went on with her and Ghirahim."

"Nothing good, given that Ghirahim said he was sure he killed her," Pipit stated.

"Yeah, no shit."

"Maybe she'll tell us on her own time?" Fledge suggested.

"Maybe…" Link massages his head with his hand.

"You know, there's another thing that's been bugging me about all this," Karane mentioned. "What could Zelda possibly have that Ghirahim needs so badly to bring back Demise? I sure she doesn't have any magic."

"I don't know. Hopefully, we'll know the answer soon." That was all Link could say.

****

A Little Later…

Nearby the Mogma Colony were many small hot springs pools. The quartet of knight students sat in one of them, soaking in the amazingly warm water that went up to the mid stomachs. They wore nothing but their undergarments, all of which appear to be shorts, including a bra for Karane. The fabric material makes it comfortable to serve as underwear but has quick-drying, and flexible elements that are also perfect to be swimwear. Their uniforms, hats, boots, plus Karane's hair ties lie neatly far enough away to not get wet but close enough to keep an eye in case some animal tries to nab them.

"Man…this is exactly what we needed today," Link moaned out in pure happiness.

"Ledd was right. These hot springs are nice…" Fledge was neck-deep in the water

"SO much better than the bathwater at the academy." Karane rests her back against the pool wall, resting her elbows on the edge. "Unlike there, the water stays warm. And no one is here hogging it."

"Still haven't figured out who's hogging the tub at your bath time?" Link questioned.

Karane shook her head. "I don't think I ever will. It is what it is I guess."

"When all of this is over, I'm bringing Zelda here. I think she would enjoy this."

"After the crap we've been through, I say it's more than well deserved."

"That reminds me of something," Fledge sat back straight up. "Do you guys remember that time Zelda talked us into sneaking out past our curfew to go swimming in Skyloft lake a few years ago?"

"Oh yeah, I remember that," Link responded after thinking about it for a minute.

"That was pretty exciting doing that," Karane expressed happily.

"Except for the part when we almost got caught by Skyknights." Pipit, sitting right next to Karane, brought up with his eyes closed, simply leaning back and enjoying the warm waters. At first glance, one would assume he was taking a nap. "We had to hide in an underground canal that connected to a house nearby."

"Could never forget that part since I was pretty much freaking out," Fledge said with a blush.

"But they didn't catch us at least. Aside from that, I think it was one of the best nights in my life," Link stated.

The quartet resumed simply relaxing in the warm waters of the spring. A short time had passed when Karane decided to dunk herself under the water, emerging back up after a few seconds, then leaning back against the pool. Pipit opened his eyes after Karane took her dunk in the water. Instinctively he turns his head in her direction, his green eyes watching every move.

Karane parted her wet hair behind her shoulders, letting out a sweet breath of relief, and her back made contact with the walls of the spring. Something about how Karane looks right now made Pipit notice how truly beautiful she is. Many trails of water went in all sorts of directions down her body. One water droplet did catch his eye. It slowly went down Karane's head, then down her cheek, then down her chin, then down her neck. Then his eyes linger on the water droplet that went down her collarbone to her chest, right in between…

Pipit hastily turned his head away from Karane, harshly banishing every unholy, impure thought out of his head as quickly as they arrived, and trying to cool down his heated face not caused by the warm waters.

"Nopenopenopenope! Not doing that! You're a man of honor, Pipit Erhard!"

This was not the first time Pipit's hormones got the best of him when around Karane, and probably would not be the last now that they're dating. All part of being a teenager he supposed. The only solace Pipit could think of is that he always looked away almost immediately before the naughty thoughts overcame him. Despite that, the freckled-faced senior prayed that his friends and Karane did not notice.

Sadly for him, his movement of turning his head away seemed to cause some ripples in the water that Karane noticed.

"You okay, Pipit?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Pipit hastily answered, trying to change the subject. "Are you…okay with us being here?"

Karane was baffled by that question. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Pipit nervously rubs his neck. "It's just…You're a girl and we're a bunch of guys. If you don't feel comfortable, you can find another spring. Or we could find another spring."

"Pipit, I went swimming with all of you guys many times in the past. Why would I not be comfortable now?"

" 'Cause we're…boyfriend & girlfriend and some people might not be comfortable with us doing this."

Karane let out an annoyed groan. "Nayru, you handsome idiot. I don't think this is any different just because we're boyfriend & girlfriend now. And I'm certain everyone back on Skyloft who knows us wouldn't bat an eye. Even if they did, they're not here so I don't see the problem."

"Sorry. I'm still new to this whole boyfriend thing. I want to treat you right."

Karane touches his face and holds his hand. "I know. I'm figuring out this girlfriend thing as well. We're both on the same cloud. Sorry if that sounded mean."

"It's alright," Pipit stroked his finger on her cheek. "It was pretty stupid of me to ask."

"I know you well enough that it's in your nature to ask an arguable reasonable question such as that. But I'm not going to get pregnant from sitting next to you in our underwear if you're worried about that." Light blush painted on Pipit's freckles at the mention of the word pregnant. "I'm sure the most prude person in Skyloft can see that. And if someone has issues, I'm sure Link & Fledge here won't tell anybody."

"Definitely," Link responded.

With Karane's and Pipit's attention back on each other, Link kept his gaze on them. Unbeknownst to Pipit, Link did see him taking his little 'peak' at Karane's chest. A mischievous idea popped into his head. Maybe a bit much, but Link figured he could use a laugh after this terrible day.

From where he was, Fledge could see a grin formulate on Link's mouth. A devilish grin to be exact. One that he had seen on days when Groose had been extra annoying than usual. This symbolized that Link is in what Zelda liked to call his infamous 'shit head' mode.

"But…If you and Karane do want some 'privacy', I'll let you have it. It's the perfect environment. Hot springs, and no prying eyes. Whatever goes on between you I'll keep it a secret regardless if it's clean, or dirty.

Pipit went from having a light blush to being flustered. "Link…! Why would you make that kind of suggestion?! Karane and I have only been official for ONE day! It'll be a good while before we would even consider doing any of…of…THAT!"

"I'm only kidding, relax!" Link lifted his arms out, trying to contain his laughter. Pipit stood flustered whilst Karane facepalmed. "I'm sorry! After the day I just had I needed that. But man, I forgot how easy you are to tease."

"And I forgot how much of an insufferable shithead you can be sometimes!" Pipit bellowed, clearly not happy about being made a fool of.

"We're practically brothers in everything but blood, and brothers tease each other. It's only normal-" Large amounts of water splash over Link, drenching his hair over his eyes. Part his hair behind, he looks at the one responsible who has a mischievous grin on her face. "What the heck, Karane?"

"What, you thought I wouldn't defend my boyfriend's honor?" Karane waved her hand forward, sending another wave of water all over Link's face, drenching his hair yet again.

Pipit let out a playful evil chuckle. "Goodness Link. Seems like your hair's all in your eyes. Let me help you with that." A Gust of wind came out of Pipes' extended palm. Link's hair is blown straight upward in a funky hairdo. "Good as dry! I say we're good as even."

Link gave a glare to his brother, who gave a thank-you kiss on Karane's cheek. Link was about to make his rebuttal when a new sound caught his, but also Pipit & Karane's attention. This sound was that of laughter. Pure, happily filled, music to their ears type of laughter coming straight from their youngest friend.

Fledge had been uncontrollably laughing. He tried to keep himself calm by covering his mouth with one hand, and his other arm around his stomach but he was failing. The sixteen-year-old continued letting out his joy-filled laughter.

"I-I'm sorry guys. I can't help myself!" Fledge apologized in between his continuous laughter. "I think all the chaos I've gone through from the past week has been getting to me! Thats teasing, and then the splashing. That's something to laugh for!"

The laughing continued for several more minutes until Fledge managed to calm himself down.

"Man…" Fledge panted. "I can't remember the last time I laughed like that. But I really needed it."

Link gave a happy smile to his little brother in his arms. Hearing Fledge laugh like that was something he needed to hear after today. Probably the best thing out of the few good things that had happened. As happy as he is, Link was still in a mischievous mood.

"Nice to think you thought that was funny enough for that laugh Fledge." Link's smile turned devilish again. "I'm happy I managed to 'hot spring it' in the right direction."

Fledge let out a snort. Pipit & Karane on the other hand were not amused.

"You did not just make a pun." Pipit irately stated.

"Come on, no need to get 'heated' now."

"For the love of Nayru, please stop," Karane softly begged.

"I'm only blowing out some 'steam' guys."

The couple let out collective groans, burying their faces into their hands. Link kept his devilish grin.

"Come on guys! Where's your sense of humor?"

"You have terrible taste in humor," Karane remarked.

"And your guys taste any better?"

"By leagues!" Pipit declared.

"And what type of humor do you guys like?"

Link did not hear them give their answer when Fledge suddenly dunked him under the water. Fledge let his grip go off of Link after only a few seconds. Catching his breath, and getting over the shock, Link turns his head to a smirking Fledge.

All Fledge could say "Slapstick I think is good."

"You're right, Fledge. That was funny," Pipit grinned. Karane on the other hand could only giggle.

"Oh ho! Now you're on their side, eh?" Link quipped.

"No…I just happen to agree with them. That and puns are a crime against humanity," Fledge causally defended. "I would think Hylia's Chosen Hero would know better. And its like what you told Pipit, brothers tease each other," Fledge gave his devilish smirk. Then he splashes Link, drenching his hair again, whilst giggling.

"Two can play in that game!

Link splashed the water to Fledge who splash back in response. The water from the waves had reached where Pipit & Karane were.

"Hey, be careful!" Pipit protested.

"Karane started it," Link argued playfully.

"You're the one who had to make Pipit all flustered so technically you started it," Karane brought up.

The only response Link could give is a splash in her direction. Big enough for her to let out a surprised yelp.

"Now you've done it!"

Karane conjured up enough water to fling toward Link's direction. Though he's at a disadvantage, Link does not intend to back down. He splashes it again, this time gett Karane, and Pipit for the matter.

"Oh, it is ON!"

With the assistance of his wind magic, Pipit let out a large splash. Link continues with the splashing. Fledge jumped into a splashing frenzy, not caring about their current situation. The quartet continues splashing each other, trading playful jabs, and letting out cheerful laughs in the process.

For that brief short time, they were not knight students, nor even bearers of power bestow to them by the goddesses. Nor did they think about their current situation or what tomorrow had in store for them. All they were are four teenagers simply enjoying themselves without a worry in the world.

****

Cyan flames lingers on the edges overseeing the hot springs, including the one the quartet of knight students. A figure is of that of a woman glowed in the same color of the flames. A sad frown lingered on her mouth when her eyes caught to Fledge. The frown grew to a bittersweet smile when she saw him laughing, enjoying himself with a smile. After being tortured by that demon, she thinks of that word with pure venom, it was something Fledge more than deserved. Though she can, she did not approach to where Fledge and his friends were. She wanted to speak with him alone.

"I waited ten years for this. I can wait a few more hours. Then I can finally see you...my sweet boy."

The woman vanished away, keeping her presence hidden until the time was right to reveal herself.