#Kori's writing

[chaotickori]

Karasuno's Second Fall - Ch 1:

Rating: T Warnings: Car/Bus Crashes, Major Character Death Word Count: 624 Summary: They had just won against Shiritorizawa, that was a peak in their lives, but everything goes down in flames. Now follow what happens with the crows when they fall once more. AO3 [Next Ch]

The bus buzzes with the excited energy of the volleyball team, but no one can judge them, they're floating on the high of beating the strongest team in the prefecture. Karasuno was ecstatic, they made the comeback they had been talking about, they were going to nationals. Hinata was practically bouncing out of his seat, talking animatedly with a sparkle in his eye “Did you see my spike, it went bam, then swoosh.” Tsukishima could feel a headache brewing behind his eyes, unable to sleep with all of the noise around him.

The tired middle blocker sits up in his seat, sending a lighthearted glare at his teammates, though mostly aiming it at the small spiker. “Are none of you idiots tired, we just played a full five-set game.” Daichi, hoping to placate the grumpy teen, held his hands up, negotiating with the rest of the team. “Tsukishima is right guys, we should try and use this time to restore some energy, so how about we settle down for a bit?” The captain then lays back in his own chair letting his eyes slide shut as he tries to catch some sleep. Soon the bus was quiet with only a small amount of noise coming from where Coach Ukai and Takeda were conversing at the front.

The bus was passing over a cliff overlooking the broad expanse of the ocean, the sun slowly setting into the horizon. A storm passes overhead drumming rain down on the bus, and slicking up the road. Coach Ukai sits in the driver's seat, a cigarette between his lips as he pays attention to the road. Takeda is in the passenger's seat, catching up on some sleep so that he can corral the team when they make it back. Everything is going smoothly, only an hour and a half left in the drive, then they would be back at the school.

Ukai stays concentrated as he drives, a bit wary of the wet conditions on the road. Everything in the bus is calm, the only noise being the light hum of the engine, and the distant rumbling of thunder after bright shocks of lightning. He takes the turn around the corner of the cliff slowly, and carefully, but that doesn’t change what is about to happen. He could see bright headlights coming straight for them, a truck swerving crazily, taking up the whole road.

There is nothing that he can do to stop the inevitable, he opens his mouth to yell out to the team, to try and warn them, but it’s too late. It was like time slowed down as the truck came in contact with the front of the bus. He felt as his body is thrown forward into the steering wheel, knocking the wind out of him, and causing his head to get light. All he could think is that these kids don’t deserve to go out like this. He has no worries about himself, his mind is only on the kids, even in what could be his final moments.

When time speeds up again the bus is mid-air, over the side of the railing, and heading down the cliff. The first impact of the bus on the cliff knocks him out cold. Noise fills the bus as people jolt awake as the bus free falls down the cliff, smashing against the rocks. There are screams, mixed in with the crunching of metal and crashing of glass. The bus hits one ridge particularly hard, a large crash overpowering any other noise, a blur of blonde and black flying out of the window. As the bus continues to descend the cliff at high speeds bodies are thrown out, and others are made unconscious due to the force.

[edains]

Children of Rannoch: Notable Quarians aboard the Rayya

Children of Rannoch - A Quarian Overhaul (LE2)

(template)

[analviel]

Dick's friends at Tim Drake: little shit (creepy but endearing)

Dick's friends at Damian Wayne: little shit (annoyed will throw hands with an infant but somehow eventually endearing against their will)

Sorry I put a lot in the tags and am too lazy to retype them here

[smilesrobotlover]

First|| <-prev Next-> (soon)

AO3

Chapter 10- Old Friends

Barnes didn’t try to hide how tired he was as he followed Renado up Death Mountain. Loud grunts and swears escaped him as he climbed onto different ledges, laying on his back once he was able to pull himself up. Renado seemed perfectly fine of course, no sounds of struggles came from him, and he watched the trail with his bow at the ready. He had gotten a letter from some friends warning them to stay in Kakariko and to avoid going out at night. Renado, being the perfect mayor he was, felt inclined to warn the gorons as well, and he got his old bow ready and began his trek. Though Barnes preferred to stay in his bomb shop, he couldn’t let the mayor go on his own. The time spent alone together in Kakariko strengthened their relationship, and he couldn’t help but care a little about the man. So he invited himself on the trek, for extra protection obviously. Though Barnes was more of a burden than anything, slowing Renado down since he needed many breaks. The mayor was a patient man, but he could see the anxiety eating at him with the way he watched the rocks with a wary eye, but Barnes just couldn’t keep up with his pace, no matter how hard he tried. Finally, Renado turned to Barnes when they reached air spouts, a worried expression on his face.

“Barnes, you certainly don’t have to follow me further if you don’t want to,” he said, staring as Barnes scrambled to his feet.

“Nonsense! I’m not lettin’ you travel alone!” He argued, stretching his back, and letting out a loud sigh. He noted the path ahead with dread. “I’m just… uh… out of shape.”

Renado smiled slightly and turned to the path ahead. “I just don’t want you to get hurt, old friend. The path to Death Mountain isn’t a dangerous one, but it’s not easy.”

“Yeah well, you’re as much of a field man as I am,” Barnes said, reaching the mayor and placing his arm on his back, “you said that it’s not safe outside of towns, so I need to be here for your protection! Obviously.”

Renado grinned and in a blink of an eye, fired his bow at a Tektite that appeared from behind a rock. Barnes yelped as its dead body landed near them with a harsh thud, and the loud clang from his welding mask falling in his face rang out, which made him jump behind Renado. It was silent for a moment, and Barnes glanced up to see Renado stifling his laughter. He scoffed and hopped away from him, fixing his mask.

“That thing just caught me off guard,” he grumbled, and Renado let out a laugh.

“It seems I’m the one who is here for your protection,” he teased, and Barnes huffed, his face growing red.

“Well at least I have bombs,” he fired back, and the mayor only shrugged, continuing to move up the mountain with a stupid smile on his face.

The trek continued to be dreadful, but Barnes refused to back down, not wanting to let Renado out of his sight. He was already far up the mountain anyways; it’d be a waste to give up now. When they finally reached Goron City, Barnes took a break by the hot spring while Renado chatted with the gorons. The mountain dwellers seemed to be on edge, mourning the loss of their missing friend.

“Death Mountain is so much darker without him here,” one goron cried, laying beside the hot spring. “I pray to Din that he can return safe and sound.”

“What’s stopping him from returning, goro?” Another goron piped in. “He’s a strong goron, even gives Gor Coron grief when they wrestle! He couldn’t have been attacked, could he?”

The gorons all mumbled in response, and one laying in the water sat up, turning to Barnes.

“You humans are here about him, aren’t you?” He asked, pointing his large finger at him. “Have you heard any news, goro?”

Barnes sighed and shrugged. “The only thing we do know is that travelin’ is dangerous. Renado is here to tell y’all to stay in the city and inside at night.”

The gorons turned to look at Renado, who was now talking to the elders and the patriarch.

“Stay inside at night? Where will we go?” One asked. “We don’t have homes, we sleep in Mother Din’s earth.”

Barnes shrugged again, feeling frustrated. “How should I know? Y’all can figure it out, I’m just here to make sure Renado doesn’t get hurt!”

“Why must we stay inside? What’s going on?” The goron sitting in the spring asked, and Barnes shrugged again.

“I wish I knew.”

“Do you… do you think our friend would still be here if he had known about the dangers of Hyrule?” One goron contemplated, and the group began to wail for their missing friend once again, wishing that he hadn’t left before the news. Barnes only laid back against his hands, annoyed with the loud gorons. Sure, it’s tragic that they lost a friend, but it happened weeks ago—surely they’d be over it by now, right?

Barnes heard footsteps behind him and he turned to see the elders and the patriarch facing the gorons in the spring.

“My brothers, listen well,” Darbus said in a booming voice, and all that heard him stopped what they were doing to listen. “Hyrule has once again become dangerous. To keep ourselves safe, we will stay in Goron City during the day and inside during the night!”

There were a few groans, but the patriarch’s hand silenced them.

“We will stay in the mines and we will stay together! We cannot afford another loss, do you understand?”

A few gorons agreed, but the one who was in the spring stood up. “Why is Hyrule dangerous again? Us gorons could take care of the threat!”

Darbus turned to Renado, who shook his head.

“The threat is a mystery even to me,” Renado said, “I beg of you all to wait here until we learn more about it. I do not want to lose any more innocent gorons if I can help it.”

The gorons chattered amongst themselves, but the one who spoke out got out of the spring, dripping water onto Barnes as he walked by.

“And why should we listen to you? You’re not our chief, you’re not our patriarch! You’re just a puny human who thinks he can come into our city to tell us what to do!” He turned to the others by the spring and his arms went out as if to beckon them all closer. “Since when did gorons back down from an enemy? Since when did gorons listen to weak and feeble humans whenever a problem appeared? Our brother is missing, and I refuse to hide away while he’s out there!” The goron got close to Renado, and Barnes jumped to his feet without thinking. He ran to them and jumped between the two, pulling out a bomb and pointing at him.

“You better back up or else I’ll blow ya to smithereens!” He threatened, the bomb raised in his hand. The goron was shocked at the sudden hostility from Barnes (and admittedly Barnes was surprised with himself as well), but he didn’t seem intimidated by his threat.

“You’ll blow yourself up before you even harm me, human,” he spat, his arms crossed in front of him. The elders and Darbus began to stir, but Renado beat them to it, resting his hand on Barnes’s shoulder.

“You do not have to listen to me,” he started, stepping in front of Barnes, “you can try to find your friend if it matters that much to you. I am no chief to you, nor am I a patriarch. But I do hope I can at least be a friend who cares about your safety and well-being.”

Barnes couldn’t help but roll his eyes with a smile. Renado was always such a diplomat. The Goron glared for a moment, until Gor Coron and Darbus finally stepped up, which caused him to back away.

“Such disrespect to our friends is unwelcome, goro,” the elder chief said in a low voice, “If you speak out against him or Darbus again, there will be consequences.”

The Goron grumbled, but he returned to the hot spring with his arms crossed. It was silent as the gorons glanced between each other, and Barnes couldn’t help but smirk. That goron had no spine with those bigger than him, clearly.

“Anyone else have something to say?” Gor Coron challenged, and no goron stepped up. “I understand that to wait around feels like a disgrace to warriors before us, but seeing how there’s been many disappearances, it’s for our protection to stay inside.” Gor Coron turned to Renado, his arms crossed. “Though, human, if you need any assistance, do not be afraid to call for us, goro. We are allies after all, yes?”

Renado smiled and nodded his head. “Of course. I will call for you if I need anything. And if you need anything from Kakariko, do not be afraid to ask for help.”

Gor Coron glanced at Darbus who seemed rather disgusted at the idea of asking for help, but he nodded at Renado anyways. “Of course, brother.”

The mayor of Kakariko bowed his head to the gorons, and he turned back to the entrance. “Thank you for taking the time to listen. But my friend and I had better return to Kakariko.”

“Of course. Be safe, humans,” Gor Coron said, and the two walked away, beginning the trek down the mountain to Barnes’s dismay.

“I almost wish we could stay the night. We were barely there for an hour!” Barnes complained, and Renado only gave him a look.

“Fortunately for us, downhill is easier than uphill,” he said, stepping cautiously down the mountain. “Just try not to tumble down.”

Barnes snorted and followed after him, stepping sideways to avoid slipping. When they reached a flat area, Renado suddenly turned to him with a teasing smile. Barnes stopped as well and gave him a confused look.

“What?”

“Nothing, I’m just… the way you stepped in front of that goron up there… It was very brave.”

Heat returned to Barnes’s cheeks, and he waved it away. “Wh-whatever! I didn’t appreciate him talkin’ to you like that! That’s all!”

Renado’s stupid smile never left, and he turned away. “I’m flattered you were willing to throw yourself in front of me. Perhaps you are here for my protection.”

“He was bein’ rude to you, Ren! I can’t stand it when people talk about you like that, I just… I…” Barnes’s mask suddenly fell in his face again, and Renado raised an eyebrow.

“Looks like you need to tighten that thing, Barnes old friend.”

“I should’ve let that goron pummel you.”

Renado let out a laugh and continued with their trek, leaving a bumbling Barnes behind. He quickly opened his mask back up and let out a string of swears under his breath when he nearly slipped, and Renado turned to him again.

“You know, the last person that called me ‘Ren’ was my wife before she passed.”

Barnes paused, giving him a baffled look. “Do… Do you want me to not call you ‘Ren’?”

Renado glanced at the sky and smiled. “No, I forgot how much I liked that nickname.”

The two continued in silence, Barnes running their conversation in his head over and over again. What did he mean by all of that? Did Barnes say something stupid? He did call him Ren, which he didn’t mean to, but was it a stupid thing to say? He couldn’t tell how Renado truly felt about it. Goddesses that man was always so infuriating, but why did Barnes care so much about it anyways?

Renado once again stopped at a flat area at an edge after a moment to wait for Barnes to catch up, which he was grateful for. He pushed the past conversation out of his head and stood there panting like a dog while Renado observed the world around him—he always seemed amazed at nature, even if it looked the exact same in Kakariko. Barnes chuckled at him and stood up straight, stretching his back again.

“You like it out here or somethin’?”

“I can’t say I don’t enjoy it.”

“Yeah, it’s nice,” Barnes said unenthusiastically, “we better hurry it up, though. I’m gettin’ nervous bein’ away from town.”

“Oh, it’s the daytime, we should be fine. Besides, Goron City and Kakariko are so close together, that I doubt we’re in any danger.” Renado turned to Death Mountain and frowned. “Barnes… I should tell you something… about what is causing these disappearances…”

Barnes perked up and faced him fully. “What is it?”

Renado pursed his lips, his eyes narrowing as he was thinking. Barnes shuffled his feet slightly, leaning against one leg near the edge.

“Barnes… it… it’s a sh—”

The ground beneath Barnes suddenly gave way, and he yelled out as he tumbled down the mountain. Thankfully, a large rock stopped him before he could tumble further, and he laid there for a moment to catch his breath.

“Barnes! Are you alright?” He heard Renado call out to him, and he groaned as he sat up. His whole body felt bruised, and his ankle ached something awful, but he wasn’t dead. He turned to see Renado peering at him from the tiny cliff, a worried look on his face. Barnes simply gave a thumbs-up, his ribs hurting too much for him to actually call out to him.

“Wait right there, I’ll come down to you,” Renado shouted, and Barnes turned away, his arm wrapped around his side. Darn, that hurt. And to have it happen in front of Renado, it was embarrassing. He began to attempt standing despite the ache in his side and ankle, but he flopped back down when the pain got too much.

“Don’t stand up, I’ll look over—”

Renado’s voice was abruptly cut off with a grunt, and Barnes groaned as he turned to see what was going on. To his surprise though, Renado was nowhere to be seen. Barnes frowned and attempted to stand up again, ignoring the pain in his body as he leaned against the large rock. There was no one there.

“Renado?” He rasped, looking around. He limped up the trail, moving to the tiny cliff he fell off of. He saw the edge withered away from where he fell, and a sense of dread overcame him as he spotted something lying on the ground. Renado’s bow…

“Renado!” Barnes called out, a more desperate tone in his voice. He searched around him frantically, trying to spot his brown hair or his cream-colored sleeves, just anything. Despite the pain in his side, Barnes scooped up his abandoned bow, and he spotted footprints where Renado possibly was. He once again spun around, hoping to find him, but there was nothing—there were no signs of life. Renado was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bar was noisy and humid as Link sat at his table, cradling his son in his arms while the others chatted about mundane things. Rusl was speaking to Colin and Rela upstairs—whether to chew them out or not, he didn’t know—and he and the others remained in the backroom, where Kori told him everything that had happened.

The story made Link want to throw up. The idea that his son, his boy, the child he was supposed to protect went through something so dangerous sickened him. He knew deep down that it was an unfortunate situation out of everyone’s control, but he couldn’t help but blame himself. He should’ve made sure Kori was safe, he should’ve killed the beast when it first attacked, he should’ve killed it during the invasion, he should’ve done a lot of things. But the fact that he didn’t infuriated him. All he could do was to listen to Kori, and to make sure he felt safe.

“So, why did you guys go to Castle Town?” Link asked him when he finished the story, and Kori shrugged.

“The soldier guy needed us to tell the Queen ‘bout it,” Kori answered, staring at his hands. Link glanced up at Sheik, who was listening to every word intently. “We told the King though since she wasn’t there.”

Link sighed, giving Kori a gentle squeeze. “I’m so sorry, kid. I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

Kori snuggled in further, sniffling for the hundredth time, which made Link’s heart ache.

“I thought I was gonna die,” Kori whimpered, burying his face further into his shirt, and Link’s heart practically snapped in two when he heard that. Link remembered the feeling of dread that came with death. He’s had close calls with it countless times, but his own son? His own little ten-year-old boy having to feel the dread? Goddesses, it was more painful than anything he’s ever had to endure—such a feeling should never happen to a child. Emotions of anger, frustration, helplessness, and devastation swirled within Link. He wanted to hold onto Kori and to never let him go. He wanted to run outside and scream at the goddesses for allowing such a thing to happen. He wanted to go out and tear the shadow beast to shreds for traumatizing Kori. But all he could do was to hold his son as he cried, repressing the emotions he was feeling.

“I’m so sorry,” Link whispered again, running his hands through Kori’s hair. Link stared for a long moment, feeling the eyes of Sheik as he held him. His own traveled to meet hers, and then they dropped to Kori, who was mindlessly picking at a toy soldier. He frowned and pulled away, eyeing the toy.

“Where’d you get that?” He asked, and Kori got a bashful look on his face.

“Um… I played with the princess…” he mumbled, holding the toy soldier to his chest. “She gave it to me.”

Link blinked a few times, once again glancing at Sheik who looked surprised. He chuckled slightly, the idea of his and Zelda’s children becoming friends being weirdly ironic to him.

“Well, that was sweet of her. What was she like?” he asked, and Kori shrugged.

“She was fun, she had a lotta toys and we played with them.”

Link smiled. “That sounds like fun.”

“Yeah…” Kori rested his head against Link’s chest, a thoughtful look on his face. “I want to play with her again. Do you think I could see her after this?”

Link’s eyebrows rose, and he once again looked over to Sheik, who seemed to be avoiding eye contact now. “Well… Castle town is far away from Ordon…” Link started, trying not to destroy Kori’s hopes and dreams. He wasn’t against the friendship between Kori and the princess, but it wouldn’t be an easy friendship to maintain. The trips, especially with what was happening now, would be a challenge, and it would take up a lot of time. But…

“It’s not that far,” Sheik suddenly jumped in, and Link looked up at her, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. It would be a challenge, but if the princess’s own mother was on board with it… well… how much of a challenge could it be?

“Yeah, it’s not that far, buddy,” Link repeated, poking Kori’s belly slightly, which caused him to squirm. Kori smiled at him, and Link once again gave him a warm hug. It warmed his heart to hear Kori making friends; all he wanted was for him to find a place to belong. Kori sniffed and pulled away, giving Link a confused look.

“How does writing letters work?” He asked.

“Oh! Uh…” Link glanced around, wondering if the Postman would be in the bar. “There’s a guy who runs around and delivers letters. You just tell him who you want it sent to, and the postman will get it to them!”

Kori frowned. “How does he know where the person will be?”

“Heck if I know. I’m pretty sure that man is omniscient,” Link joked, but Kori only stared at him blankly.

“Omni…what—” Kori started, but was interrupted by a loud cheer from the main bar. The two turned their heads to see what was happening, and they saw Telma hugging someone excitedly.

“Oh it’s been too long, sweet pea!” She exclaimed, rocking side to side with the person in her embrace.

“It’s only been a few days!” The person laughed, and Link’s heart sunk when he recognized it. The light twang of Ordon and the delicate voice, sweet like honey.

Illia…

Oh no.

Telma pulled away and Link was able to get a good view of her. She was wearing nice clothes, clearly from living in Castle Town, with a fancy blouse that would’ve been nice with a skirt. Yet her Ordonian fashion shined through, with the traditional Ordon sash around her waist and a pair of trousers embroidered with flowers. She was wearing sturdy boots and her blonde hair was tied to the side, resting on her shoulder and flowing like a waterfall. Spirits, how long has it been since they’ve seen each other?

“How’s Josh and the kids? They aren’t giving you grief, are they?” Telma asked, and Link had to look away. Of course she was married with kids. It was what she’s always wanted, something Link couldn’t give her…

Though he never loved her the way she loved him, it still hurt to be so distant from her, his best friend. It was strange how he could be so close to someone where he knew everything about them, only for them to become a stranger in a day.

“They’re not giving me too much grief,” Illia laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Though Josh sure does love encouraging their wild behaviors!”

“Oh that man… I better give him a piece of my mind!” Telma huffed in a lighthearted way, and Illia shook her head with a giggle.

“You’ll scare him too much! He’ll never come here again!”

The two women laughed loudly, and Link tried to ignore them. Kori noticed his strange behavior and tilted his head, but Link didn’t acknowledge him. He didn’t want to think about it.

“I’m sorry, I’m just… I’m not ready for a family.”

Link had told her this. It wasn’t wrong, of course, but it was avoiding the main question Illia had for him.

Did he love her?

Of course Link loved her. He would die for her in a heartbeat. But the way she lovingly stared at him, the way she wanted to be near him… that was not a love he felt for her. He never knew what that type of love even felt like, until he met Midna…

And instead of telling Illia how he truly felt for her, he led her on. Giving her false hope that someday he would be ready for her and a family. He gave her false hope that someday they would be together. She just had to wait.

Until she saw Kori, and she realized that it was never going to happen. She realized he never loved her the same way she did, and that he lied to her. Her screams of fury still haunted him, the insults she threw his way stung worse than a deku baba bite, and she suddenly took off from Ordon, leaving everything behind. It was a sickening thought, knowing that Link was what kept Illia in Ordon, and that he wasted her time. Mayor Bo still hadn’t completely forgiven Link for it, and it certainly made Ordon almost unbearable to live in. But he supported her leaving and finding what she needed wherever in Hyrule, he just wished it was on a higher note. He wished that they were still friends, that they were still close…

Link didn’t realize how much he missed her, and how much he missed having a best friend.

He wished it wasn’t him that tore them apart.

“Illia!”

Link turned to see his pa walking down the stairs, walking towards her with open arms. Illia’s expression brightened and she embraced him, grunting as he gave her his tight hug.

“Spirits above, it’s been ages!” He said, giving her one last squeeze before pulling away. “How have things been? How’s Castle Town treatin’ ya?”

“Oh… it’s been treating me well,” she answered, a big smile on her face. “Though it’s quite busy, and noisy, this town… this bar mostly… it brings me comfort.”

“I know it does,” Rusl chuckled. “You spent a lotta time here before, didn’t ya?”

“I did,” Illia said, her eyes landing on Colin behind Rusl and gasping. “Oh goddesses! Colin, hi!”

She quickly pulled him into a hug and he laughed, returning the embrace.

“Illia! It’s been so long!” He said, and she pulled away.

“No kiddin’! Look at you! Since when did you get so big?”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Rusl piped in, ruffling his son’s hair. “This boy just wouldn’t stop growin’! Now he’s taller than his old folks!”

The group laughed and Link sighed, a feeling of emptiness overtaking him. Kori and Sheik only stared at him, occasionally glancing at each other in confusion.

“Oh Rela!” Illia continued, seeing Link’s younger sister with glee. “Look at how much you’ve grown!”

Rela looked confused as she glanced up at Rusl. He noticed her confusion and nudged her towards Illia.

“Rela, this is Illia, she used to live in Ordon. You met her when you were just a little baby.”

There was still confusion, but Rela nodded, extending her hand to Illia. “Nice to meet you. Again.”

Illia giggled and took it, shaking it lightly. The group chatted for a little bit as Link stared, wanting to disappear into the shadows the same way Midna would. He wished they weren’t by the stairs, he would’ve used that as an escape in an instant. As he was staring at them, he made eye contact with Illia, and he saw her tense up. He spun around and cursed under his breath, a tightness in his chest forming.

“Papa, you’re not supposed to say that word,” Kori started, but Link hushed him. It grew uncomfortably silent at the table, the rest of the resistance not chatting anymore and simply watching as Link squirmed in his seat. He sighed and turned to see what was going on behind him, but he flinched to see a person right by his seat—that person being Illia of all people.

“Goddesses, Illia!” he blurted out, and she smiled slightly, backing up and placing her hands in front of her.

“Hello, Link,” she greeted to Link’s surprise. He cleared his throat and smiled.

“Hey.”

The two stared for a long moment, and Rusl tapped Link’s shoulder.

“How ‘bout Kori and Rela head upstairs, y’all seem tired,” he suggested, and Kori wiggled out of Link’s hold, heading upstairs with Colin and Rela. Link stared for a moment, and glanced back up at Illia, who only stared back.

“So… um… how’ve you been?” Link asked, and Illia shrugged.

“I’ve been fine. A little stressed since we’ll be moving from here soon…”

“Moving?”

“Now where are y’all movin’ to?” Rusl asked, and Illia grinned.

“Back to Ordon. I do love this place but…. I’ve been missin’ home. Besides, my husband has been wanting to live the… ‘laid-back life’.” She threw air quotes in the air with an annoyed smile on her face.

“Oh! Back to Ordon!” Rusl exclaimed, excitement apparent on his face. “How exciting! Just don’t tell your husband that the Ordon life ain’t a ‘laid-back life’!”

“I’m gonna let him figure it out when we get there,” Illia said, and the group laughed.

“S-so where will you be movin’ to?” Link asked, hoping he wasn’t overstepping his boundaries. “Are you moving back in with your pa?”

Illia shook her head. “No… We’re goin’ to the deep south. My daddy’s home is great but it don’t fit me and four kids.”

Link’s eyes widened. “Four kids?”

Illia smacked his arm lightly with a grin. “Ya can’t see it now, but there’s another one on the way!”

Link’s mouth fell open, and he glanced at her abdomen. “Holy goat! You’re pregnant?!”

Illia let out a hearty laugh and rubbed her tummy. “Yep! Exciting ain’t it?”

“You’re gonna be movin’ while pregnant?” Rusl asked, and Illia nodded.

“I hope so! I don’t wanna move with a little baby!”

Link glanced at Rusl who was frowning, and he pursed his lips.

“When do you plan on movin’?” His pa questioned.

“Hopefully sometime this week,” she answered, and the table grew tense. She looked around, her head tilted with confusion. “What is it? I promise I’ll be fine—”

“You should wait to move until it’s safe, yeah?” Ashei noted, and Illia frowned.

“Is this about the strange curfew? Don’t worry, we plan on movin’ during the day.”

“No, there’s been—there’s been a monster abducting people, Illia,” Rusl said, his voice quiet and stern. Illia’s eyes widened and her hand went over her heart.

“Oh spirits, really?”

“Yeah…”

“That’s actually why we’re all here,” Shad jumped in, his elbows resting on the table. “We’re hoping to deal with the threat as soon as possible. But for now it’s dangerous out in the field.”

“Even during the day,” Rusl muttered, his eyes staring blankly at the table, and Link sighed knowingly.

“I had no idea it was that serious!” Illia said, her hands moving to her abdomen with a worried expression. “That’s awful!”

“Well don’t worry, my dear,” Auru started, “we’ll have that beast taken care of in no time! Hopefully before you give birth!”

“Well, it’s only been four months,” Illia muttered, “I sure do hope it won’t take that long.”

There were light chuckles around the table, and Link felt slightly more at ease over everything. It was strange. It had been around eight years since he’s seen Illia, and even longer since he’s had a pleasant conversation with her, but it almost felt like those years never happened, and things were back to normal between them. They were simply good friends again. Almost…

There was still tension between the two that Illia was clearly trying to mend. It was Link’s turn to make the effort as well. He turned to her, grabbing her attention.

“Um… Illia… I…”

The whole table turned their attention to him, and he knew this had to be private. He stood up and led her away into a corner, and he fiddled with his fingers while Illia waited patiently.

“I just… I wanted to apologize over everything—”

“No Link,” Illia interrupted him, her hand raised. “It…. It was a hard time… I get it. I just… I don’t want to think about that time anymore. I’m tired of bein’ angry, you know? I have a life now, I have the family I always wanted, and I’m happier than I’ve ever been.” She gave Link a smile and extended her hand to him. “How ‘bout we start over? Try to be friends again?”

Link blinked at her a few times, tears pricking at his eyes. He took her hand and shook it, a smile on his face as they looked at each other.

“I’d like that.”

Illia beamed at him, and she let go. “So… your son… are there more? Or…?”

“Oh, Ordona no. Kori… he really wasn’t—he was an accident but…” Link cringed internally as saying such a thing about his boy, and he let out a breath, a small grin on his face. “Well, I hate to call him that. He was the best thing to ever happen to me.”

Illia smiled warmly and nodded. “I get that. So no more kids?”

“Oh yeah, no more kids,” Link said, though his mind wandered to the heir Midna would need to have, and he wondered if she would ever be his daughter despite not being blood-related. But he quickly pushed it out of his mind, not wanting to think about it now.

“I’m happy for you Link, I really am,” Illia said.

“I’m really happy for you too!” Link blurted out, “I’m happy you found someone and I’m happy you have a family of your own! It’s all so great and…” He cleared his throat, scratching the back of his neck. “You deserve it. You deserve all the happiness in the world.”

Illia grinned and shrugged her shoulders. “You deserve happiness too, Link.”

“Well… thank you… I… I really am sorry…”

“I’m sorry too. For the things I said to you.”

“I kinda deserved it—”

“Not all of it.” Illia gave him a stern look, and he sighed, nodding.

“Yeah, ok.”

“Spirits, you’re still so stubborn,” Illia said lightheartedly, smacking his arm slightly, and Link chuckled.

“You’re no better than me,” he teased back, and she rolled her eyes. The two laughed for a little bit, and Link tried to think of something to fill the silent air settling in. “So… you’re about to become a southerner, huh?”

“Oh, we’re not going into the deep south, we’ll just be past the pond.”

“Hm…” Link pursed his lips. It wasn’t far at all from North Ordon. But… “You’ll still be a southerner though.”

“Goddesses!” Illia pushed him slightly with a laugh, and Link burst out laughing as well. “I will always be a northerner at heart, Link.”

“You better, otherwise I’ll never let ya hear the end of it.”

Illia rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, leading him back to the table with an annoyed smile on her face. Link observed the faces at the table; they were listening to Shad ramble about glowing bugs, but Rusl was the only one not listening. Instead he was watching Link and Illia with a pleasant smile on his face. Link smiled back and offered Illia his seat, which she refused.

“Oh no, I was just stopping by for some food Telma offered me. I better head home now.”

“Already?” Rusl asked, and she shrugged.

“I got a family I gotta feed, Rusl,” she explained simply. Rusl groaned lightheartedly and stood up, offering a hug.

“It was so nice to see you again, Illia,” he said, and he embraced her, with her reciprocating.

“It was nice to see y’all too,” she muttered into his shoulder, and Link watched, not knowing whether he should give Illia a hug as well or not. He figured he should wait until things get better between them to do that.

“I promise we’ll have this monster situation handled for you, kid,” Rusl promised, rubbing her back before pulling away. “We could even help you with the move if you want.”

“Oh, that’d be wonderful! Thank you Rusl.” Illia let go and turned to Link. She paused for a moment, watching him cautiously. Link only stood there, letting her make the move, and she finally gave him a small hug, which Link was still hesitant to reciprocate. It was a quick hug, but it was nice. Link felt the tension between them ease up significantly, and the guilt in his heart was less painful than before. Illia pulled away and gave him and the rest a wave goodbye.

“I guess I’ll… see you later?” She said, and Link nodded.

“Yeah, see you later.”

She lingered for a moment before turning around and heading to Telma while Link and Rusl watched. Illia got whatever food from Telma, and she turned back to smile at them before leaving. Rusl turned to Link and tilted his head, his weight resting on one leg as his arms crossed.

“That was a pleasant surprise, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah… it was,” Link muttered, feeling conflicted over everything. He didn’t feel like he deserved the kindness Illia showed him, but at the same time, he was grateful for it. Rusl patted him on the back and chuckled.

“Seemed like you two got along, yeah?”

Link smiled slightly. “Yeah… I’m surprised she was so… nice and forgiving.”

“Well, some people just need time to heal, Link,” Rusl explained. “But it’s in the past. If she’s willing to move on, you should try to as well.”

Link sighed and nodded. “Yeah, ok.”

His pa stared at him for a moment, then began to move him to the stairs. “We’re gonna go talk to our kids real quick,” he explained to the resistance members that sat at the table. They all nodded as Link and Rusl climbed the stairs, and they moved into their room. To no one’s surprise, Colin, Kori, and Rela were fast asleep, all in the same bed. Link smiled, grateful that Kori had such a close relationship with his aunt and uncle, and he sat on the bed opposite, with Rusl joining him.

“Poor things, they were so tired,” Rusl said, staring at them.

“Yeah… Kori was pretty… upset over everything that had happened.” Link turned to his pa and rested against the wall. “What’d you talk to Colin and Rela about?”

Rusl sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I was gonna yell at them. I told them to stay in Ordon and for some reason they were here in Castle Town. I was… furious when I saw them. But I was mostly scared. I know what type of threat is out there, and I didn’t want my kids to be a part of it. But Colin told me everything and I understand why they’re here now but… I just…” He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes. “We need to kill this thing, Link. Once and for all.”

Link nodded, staring blankly at the ground. “Yeah… what will we do with them? Will they stay here?”

“They have to. I’m not letting them near that monster,” Rusl said firmly. “Even Colin. I hate to coddle him, but spirits above… I can’t—I can’t let anything happen to him again. He’s still my baby…” His voice shook slightly, and he rubbed his face with his hands. Link smiled and rubbed his pa’s back.

“Guess that feeling never goes away no matter how old they get?”

“Goddesses no,” Rusl let out a laugh, his eyes wet. “Y’all are still my babies. Even you Link.”

“Heh, you never knew me when I was a baby though.”

Rusl gave him a look and rolled his eyes. “So?”

The two burst out laughing, and Rusl pulled Link close to hug him. They remained there for a bit, watching their children in front of them, before Rusl pulled away and stood up.

“Come on, we need to finalize plans,” he said, the warmth in his voice gone with determination in its place, offering his hand to Link. “I’m not lettin’ this thing hurt anyone else.”

Link nodded and took his hand, standing up as well. He turned to Kori and gave him a quick peck on the forehead before turning to the door where Rusl waited, and the two went downstairs to the resistance, both determined to find a way to defeat the mutated shadow beast.

[sylvieserene]

It's finally July 14th!!

Thus I present you with one of my edits!~

✨Dancing through the Woods✨

Happy Robstar Week! ♥️🧡

Pinging @robxstar @robstaryeah just in case!

[myriam-draws]

some starfires i’ve drawn a bit over time i miss her (i refuse to read titans 2023)

[bruciemilf]

Jason try not to be horny around jaime challenge: impossible

Is it wise to resist the irresistible?

[cheshire-silent-cat]

Laundry

Damian Wayne x reader

Authors note:- ok so this was supposed to be shorter but it’s about time I finished it, it’s been sitting in my draft for way too too long, anyways guys I hope you enjoy this short story, I will do more with this character, have a lovely day and try and relax when you are reading my story for the full effect ❤️❤️

***************story begins here************

Ok starfire was shit at laundry when she was stressed out but this story is not about her this story is about how she ducked up one job and landed you in this awkward situation. Mr. Wayne himself was hosting a dinner for all his children whether adopted or biological it was mandatory to attend, it was also allowed to bring a plus one because Alfred always had a habit of cooking more than the family of men could handle, as usual dick had invited kory and Damian had reluctantly invited you, his excuse being that he hated you the least and didn’t want to spend two whole days with his idiot siblings, but what his mind was trying to say was he had very deep feelings for you bonding the two of you together and he could not bare the thought of spending even a second without your presence lingering close by, or at least something Whitney like that, the bottom line was that you were here now, in your room, studying up on philosophy books that interred you, the Wayne family had gone on a last minute evening patrol and kory had decided to assist Alfred with the laundry by neatly distributing the clothes back the the rooms of their owners, simple enough, except that Kory had not been in the house long enough to had memorised the rooms of every individual in this mansion. Somehow she managed to drop Damian’s initials embroidered shirt and reading glasses on your desk while you were distracted reading your book, and eventually you did take note of it, and that’s when it happened an unexplainable urge to try on his clothes, you wondered what it was like to be in the skin of Damian afterall it was just an oversized button up shirt (with his initials sewn on, clear as day) and his reading glasses what is the worst that could possibly happen, you put the shirt on your boobs stealing some length from the shirt and now all that was left was Damian’s reading glasses to finish the loom, meanwhile Damian had indulged Jason who had convinced him to confess his feelings to you in a flashy way, he got home headed for your door roughly swinging it open, only to be met with the sight of you in his shirt still trying to put on his glasses properly, the awkward silence and staring was long until you looked down realising how short the shirt was you shrieked and crouched down, shutting your eyes in embarrassment, you built the courage to look up again once more, to find Damian a hand over his nose and mouth as he looked away blushing profusely, his eyes suddenly met yours again, he tried to leave but too much in a hurry he stumbled backwards falling out of the room and embarrassed himself as well.

But hey at least now you both are even. right ?.

[chaotickori]

Day 1 of @fanficwriterappreciation : Au's

Work: My Own

Au: Royalty, Arranged Marriage

Link: Gdi Mickey

Description: Ok so this is for a discord server I'm on, they said to choose a trope that Annoys you. Instead I chose a trope I didn't exactly get into which was Royalty Au's. I chose what Character I was working with then I asked them for a Character for a ship without telling them the Main Character. So in the end we somehow came up with Atsumu x Aone, and Arranged Marriage Noya x Atsumu, but Noya likes Atsumu's Knight who he has regular make-out sessions with. This also has sprinkles of Trans Prince, Dysphoria, and Transphobic Parents (and a Make-out scene)

Background: So most of the background is in the Description, but I wrote this fic a little over 3 years ago and it is probably still one of the less chaotic things I've written, even with that description. I think that I had a lot of fun working with these super rare pairs and overall just getting to mess around with these characters.

[fightwing]

bruce immediately asking if he hurt dick after days spent infected yeah okay dc i see this and i raise you: 😭😭😭

[penofwildfire]

AU where Vex is at the Zane Day festival and unlike the rest of the crowd, he recognizes Zane up on stage. Not as "Zane" though, of course. It would make Zane feel even worse, I think. To be recognized as the Emperor when entire crowds, even people who've been up close and personal with him, don't know he's Zane.

[buds-and-baubles]

silly snippets from my wildstorm to dc transfer:

apollo: no, you shouldn't fly if you're still tired. *he stands behind but still at a respectable distance, hands held out with a grin* want the apollo express to help you out?

kon: *he grabs apollo's hands* sure why not, it would be interesting to compare how you fly to claAAAAAAAAAAAAAH *apollo took off flying mid-sentence on that word just to be funny*

midnighter: *stands in the alleyway, bo staff in his hands* oh, for fuck's sake.

tim: *stands on the other side of the alleyway, twirling his bo staff* midnighter, interesting seeing you here. nice weapon, by the way.

midnighter: *he sighs, moving his weapon to one hand* what're you doing here, kid? i'm working.

tim: i'm working too. *gestures to his costume* need any assistance? we can work out some terms for a teamup but i'm sure we can come to an understanding.

midnighter: *he rubs a hand over his face* fine, but only because i know you'll pester me until i agree. you got a paper or something for these terms?

tim: *smiles wide at the 'pestering' comment, nodding his head*

ray palmer: *he's walking into the justice league conference room for a meeting*

the rest of the justice league: *discussing the anomaly (the wildstorm transfer), a blurry picture of apollo up on a projector*

ray palmer: *flashbacks to armageddon* don't trust any of them. don't trust any of them, especially THAT guy! *points at screen*

the picture: *apollo is kneeling to hold out a cat he rescued from a tree to a teary-eyed kid, halo glowing bright as he smiles*

shen: *stretching out her wings as she sits perched on a rock by the ocean* i feel like there's something to be said about a bird and a fish spending time together.

garth: *he's next to her with his legs in the water, kicking his legs to splash* dogs and cats become friends too. if we bind ourselves by what others tell us, we'll never sail away.

shen: well said. *she smiles a little mischeviously, dipping the tips of her wings in the waves to splash him a bit* though i'd prefer the analogy 'fly away'.

garth: *he's actually happy about being splashed since it moisturizes him* so no pelican analogies then?

jack hawksmoor and city boy: *spider-man pointing meme*

rose tattoo and death of the endless: *spider-man pointing meme*

jenny quantum: you know, you could use your hair as a weapon.

kori: oh, how so? *a mix of intrigue and concern on what she's going to hear*

jenny quantum: like a beautiful flaming jump rope. you don't even have to kill anyone to use it like that.

kori: an excellent reccomendation for future battles to be used in a pinch. thank you, jennifer, i'll be sure to pass the idea along to the titans. *she holds her arms out* do you still want to fly with me?

jenny quantum: absolutely! *jumps into her arms*

jenny quantum and kori: *cue to them flying with jenny in kori's arms, both of them going 'wheeee!'*

dream of the endless: *opens a door, stepping into the garden of ancestral memories* . . . this.. is new...

angie, babs, and natasha irons: *dangerously powerful teamup which the world is forever changed for the betterment of STEM*

midnighter: *takes a step*

cass: *takes a step at the same time*

midnighter: son of a–

cass: *he can't see but she's sticking her tongue out* womp womp.

apollo: *opens the door to his apartment to see the core four standing there* ..i take it this has to do with something nobody else knows about that has happened that you don't want them to know happened?

bart: for legal reasons, no comment.

cassie: that was a comment, bart.

kon: *bashfully scraping one of his boots on the ground* yes.

apollo: *takes a deep breath as he stands aside so they can come in* let's see what we're dealing with.

all four: thank you. *walk inside*

tim: oh hey, m got the new curtains he was mumbling about!

the authority: *murderizes henry bendix again*

jay nakamura: *shocked blinking meme*

the watchtower: *exists*

the carrier: *loud sentient shift ship sounds of upset informal protests*

superman: *he's hovering midair, giving a small wave* mister majestic, good to see you!

mister majestic: *he offers his own wave* i wish it was under better circumstances.

superman: that's why i am here. *he offers an apologetic smile* i'm sorry for what happened to your universe and earth. you did the best you could under those circumstances.

mister majestic: thank you. i know we did, but it doesn't make it entirely easier... on the bright side, we now don't have to worry about earth's god returning to kill us all.

superman: *baffled silence*

superman: come again?

grifter and red hood: *in a metaphorical stare down*

grifter: *twirls his two guns* full offense, you make me look healthy.

red hood: *grips his own two guns tighter* shut the fuck up.

grifter: not even a therapist could fix that. they should dip you again like an easter egg in green dye.

red hood: i'm not going to fall for this attempt to make us fight.

grifter: congratulations, you finally learned limits!

gen13: *staring at teen titans/young justice and titans with wonder in their eyes* we're just like them! *a building explodes behind them*

nightwing and huntress: *whisper bickering about the case they have to work on together because babs told them to*

midnighter: *lands on the ground with his night (escrima) sticks out*

nightwing: *turns around, frowning* the midnighter.

midnighter: nightwing and i'm guessing huntress. with the way you two were whispering, you'd be the worst spies ever.

nightwing: i'd ask you to kill me if i was ever a spy.

huntress: i'd rather throw myself into gotham river than be a spy. even worse if i had to lead them.

apollo, angie and shen: *air support/cav rescuing people after fucking up the people they were fighting*

kon: as thanks for lookin' out for me, i wanted to give you these. *hands him some circular sunglasses with yellow lenses, and a leather jacket that's got his chest symbol on the back of it*

apollo: *he carefully takes both items, putting them on* you really didn't have to, kon-el, but thank you. *he pulls his hair out from the collar of the jacket, posing* do i look, as you say.. funky fresh?

kon: *laughs, nodding his head* the funky and freshest. you wanna pose for a picture together?

apollo: *he nods* how about pictures and lunch in hawaii? i've been meaning to check there out.

kon: the s.s.superboy is at your service! *salutes as he flies off, apollo following right alongside him*

(connected to the previous one) the quantum apartment, san francisco;

midnighter: *gets a notification on his phone, opening it up to pictures of apollo posing in his new stuff with kon in hawaii* . . . *he grins like a shark* that's nice. i think i'm having a second coming out and it's gonna be mes–

angie and shen: *wearing matching knowing but deadpanned smirking expressions * we know.

jenny quantum: *stares at midnighter unblinking* dad two: electric boogaloo, you can't say that everytime dad sends you a selfie. also, gross.

[smilesrobotlover]

First| <-previous next-> (coming soon)

AO3

Chapter 7- The Meeting

The letter from Link has been haunting Zelda since she’s read it. She had planned to meet with the resistance in two days, and even moved her schedule around for it, but Link was demanding to meet with them now. It seemed that they would be here tonight, but Zelda was struggling to make time to meet them.

During the many meetings, it was all she could think about. How she was going to get to Telma’s bar, how she was going to disguise herself as Sheik, what she was going to say to Edmund and Amber. She was probably going to miss supper for this, but it was fine, this was more important than supper. She just wished that it hadn’t happened so last minute.

Goddesses, why couldn’t they wait two more days?

She didn’t pay attention to any of the meetings, anxious to get them done and to leave to get to the next one. She’d nearly fallen asleep countless times, and Edmund would discreetly wake her back up so she wouldn’t humiliate herself—which she was grateful for. She really wasn’t fit for any of this queen business at the moment, but there was so much to do, such little time.

As soon as the current meeting ended, Zelda found herself sitting in her chair, staring blankly at the wall instead of rushing to get to lunch. This was her only break, and she didn’t have the energy to move. Edmund didn’t move either, and he spoke to the nobles and representatives for Zelda as she stared. Soon the room was empty, and the two were left alone.

“Zelda,” Edmund started softly.

“It’s fine, Edmund. I just need a moment.”

Edmund stared at her. “You weren’t at breakfast.”

“No I was not.”

“You’ve missed breakfast these past few days.”

“I have.”

“And you’re about to miss lunch.”

“That’s fine.”

“And you look like death.”

Zelda gave Edmund an annoyed look and he leaned forward. “Zelda, you’re killing yourself. Why don’t you tell me everything that’s happening? Why don’t you let me help?”

Zelda continued to stare silently, not in the mood to argue.

“Look, I’m worried about you. I do… care about you. We were good friends as kids, and those memories I can’t forget. I want you to be taken care of, is that so wrong?”

Zelda stayed silent.

“You’re exhausted and you’re hungry,” Edmund continued when she said nothing, “I don’t want to think about how dehydrated you are. Just, come to lunch, take a break, and take care of yourself.”

“I can’t take a break whenever I want, I have too much to do—“

“Oh my Labryn, Zelda, the nobles can wait! They can wait for you! You need to take care of yourself first!”

Zelda sighed and stood up. “I’m not in the mood for this right now, Edmund.”

“When will you be in the mood? When you’re on your deathbed? I’m not wanting to wait until then!”

The queen didn’t respond and went to walk away. It was childish to not say anything, but she was too tired to argue. Too tired to think of something to say. She was just… so tired…

She reached the door and leaned against the wall, holding her aching head. She suddenly felt lightheaded and sick to her stomach. She heard footsteps approach her from behind and she gave Edmund a glare.

“Zelda?”

She huffed and reached for the door, but black dots appeared in her vision, and she felt herself begin to stagger.

“Zelda!”

Her stomach did somersaults as she began to fall, and soon she was surrounded by darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun was beginning to set as Rusl and Link arrived at castle town. They moved quickly through the field, and Link could tell Epona was enjoying the free movement. She had become just as stir-crazy as he did after his adventure, so when she had a chance to move around outside of Ordon, she clearly enjoyed herself. When they arrived, they quickly got off their horses and headed into the town, trying not to take up too much space with their large animals. Normally, Link would let Epona roam free in the field while he did his errands in town, but after what he’s found out, he decided against it. It took a while to get to the bar; surprisingly the town was busy despite the day coming to an end, and people were always blocking their way, causing the horses to grow upset with the small space. Rusl and Link finally were able to tie their horses to a post near Telma’s bar where less people were at, and they hopped down the stairs and entered it. The bar was relatively empty, save for a few patrons who were quietly drinking by themselves. As usual, the place was dark and was only lit up by torches and candles scattered throughout. In the back, Telma and Auru were chatting at the table they all normally sat at, and Telma’s face lit up when she saw the two men, quickly burying them both in a hug when they got close.

“Link! Rusl! It’s so good to see you two!” She exclaimed, giving their shoulders a firm pat when she pulled away. Link smiled politely and let her lead the two men to the back table, where Auru was smiling.

“I figured you’d both be here tonight,” Auru said, ruffling Rusl’s hair as he sat down. “So what’s going on?”

“I’ll explain everything after Ashei and Shad get here,” Rusl said simply, fixing his ruffled hair.

“Hm, we sure they’ll be here tonight? This was pretty last minute.” Auru asked, leaning forward to look at both Rusl and Link.

“I know, I know it’s inconvenient but… it’s important,” Rusl frowned as Telma set down a mug of ginger ale in front of him, which he began to pick at mindlessly. “Me and Link found what’s been causing these disappearances, there’s no need to waste time anymore.”

Auru raised his eyebrows and he nodded knowingly. “Well then, that is quite important.”

Link nodded, staring at the milk in front of him—neither him nor his father bothered to drink anything. It was silent for a moment until Rusl awkwardly cleared his throat, catching Link and Auru’s attention.

“Well, we’re lucky you’re here, we won’t have to wait for you. You’re a lot harder to get a hold of than the others,” Rusl stated with a smile, and Auru gave a hearty laugh.

“Oh, my boy, I haven’t left castle town in weeks.”

“Did Sheik send you a letter?”

“He did. He told me to ask around castle town to gather information. It’s the only thing I’m capable of doing now,” Auru leaned back in his chair and stretched slowly, a pained expression on his face. “I’m getting too old for all this action.”

Rusl frowned and went back to staring at his drink. Link studied his father’s face, but it remained blank. When he really wanted to be, he was a master at hiding his emotions. There was a moment of silence again, being interrupted by Telma coming by to bring food for the two men, and Link couldn’t help but cheer softly.

“Oh goddesses, thank you Telma,” he said, already digging in, “I’m starvin’.”

Telma laughed and patted his shoulder. “I figured you’d both be hungry from the journey!”

“Aw, you didn’t have to do that, Telma,” Rusl chuckled slightly, and Telma lightly punched his shoulder.

“Oh, you hush, it’s the least I can do for my friends! Now eat up while we wait for the lovebirds to arrive!”

Link stared at Telma as she walked away, and he turned to look at Auru. “Are Ashei and Shad—“

“Engaged.”

Link’s mouth dropped. “Engaged? When did this happen?”

“A couple of weeks ago.”

Rusl and Link both glanced at each other in shock. Link knew that there was something going on between them, but after ten years, he figured that it was nothing.

“How did you know about this?” Link asked.

“They announced it when they stopped by,” Auru explained, gesturing with his hands. “I hang around here most of the time so me and Telma got to hear about it.”

“It’s about time,” Rusl scoffed, a teasing smile on his lips. “Those two were drivin’ me crazy!”

“No kidding! It’s a little late though. I doubt Ashei would be able to have kids at her age.”

Rusl’s face scrunched up. “What are you talkin’ about? She’s barely thirty! And you’re a fool if you think that Ashei and Shad would even want kids.”

“Oh come now, they’re good with kids!”

Rusl gave Link a look and he snorted. They both knew that they were terrible with kids. They could keep them alive, but they couldn’t keep them from crying. Auru rolled his eyes and waved his hand away.

“I just think it’s a waste to get married and then not have kids.”

“That’s an old way of thinking, Auru,” Rusl said, finally taking a sip of his ginger ale. “Some people don’t need to have kids. It ain’t our business what they want to do anyways.”

Auru scoffed slightly, but he didn’t continue. Link continued to eat in silence, not realizing how sloppy he was being. He was ravenous. He felt Auru watching him and he looked up.

“What?”

“You’re eating like a growing teenage boy. When was the last time you ate?” Auru teased slightly, and Link scratched the back of his head.

“It’s… actually been less than two days,” he muttered, giving Rusl a look. Neither of them ate dinner before searching the woods. They spent the next day sleeping and then the whole day traveling. Auru’s eyes widened when Rusl and Link remained silent, both having guilty looks on their faces.

“Neither of you have eaten in two days?” He asked, shocked.

“Maybe a bit longer than that–” Link muttered, and Rusl jabbed at him lightly.

“It’s fine—“ Rusl quickly said, but Auru shook his head.

“Eat that food Telma gave you, boy!” He commanded in a stern tone. Rusl quickly turned to the food and started eating it, looking like a guilty kid. Link snorted slightly and his pa glared him down. Auru patted his back with a satisfied look and leaned back.

“Must’ve been a crazy few days. What did Sheik have you do?”

“He wanted us to investigate a missing woman and Goron from Kakariko,” Link answered since Rusl’s mouth was full of bread.

“Ah, so that’s how you found it.”

Link glanced at Rusl who went back to staring blankly at the food. Auru picked up on the mood change and frowned.

“What is it?”

“We’ll explain when Shad and Ashei get here,” Rusl said quietly. Auru looked between the two and frowned.

“Alright,” he said, a worried look on his face as he stared at Rusl. It grew silent at the table again and the old man glanced up, his face lighting up. “Speaking of…”

Link turned around and saw Ashei and Shad walking to the group. Ashei looked annoyed while Shad smiled at the group. Rusl turned as well and shot up from his seat, marching towards the two.

“Hey! You two jerks!” He shouted, pulling them both into a hug. “You can’t just get engaged and not tell me!”

“Well next time, be here when we visit!” Shad teased, hugging him back. Ashei smiled slightly and gave Link a nod as he walked up to the two.

“When’s the wedding?” Rusl asked, his hands on the two’s arms.

“Don’t know yet, we’re just playing it by ear,” Shad answered, looking at Ashei who nodded.

“We’re in no rush,” she added.

“Well, you better have me as your best man, alright?” Rusl said with a smirk.

“My dear Rusl, I wouldn’t have it any other way!” Shad laughed. He glanced at Link and walked towards him. “And how are you doing, old boy?”

Link chuckled and gave him a side hug. “I’m doin’ fine. I’m happy for y’all!”

“Oh thank you,” Shad glanced at Ashei who was chatting with Rusl, a happy expression on his face. “I wouldn’t have imagined being with her, but here we are.”

“Love is a fickle thing, isn’t it?”

“Indeed it is.”

Rusl and Ashei walked up to the two. “Let’s sit down and talk, yeah?” Ashei started, “I want to know why you both were so intent on meeting today.”

“We can’t, not without Sheik,” Rusl sighed, sitting down. “He’s not here yet.”

“This has been eating me up inside, and you’re saying I have to wait longer?” Shad said lightheartedly.

Ashei pulled Shad down in the seat next to hers and gave him a look. “Sheik may be busy, this was pretty last minute, yeah?”

“So I’ve been told,” Rusl grumbled. Auru patted him on the shoulder with a chuckle, and the group started to lightly poke fun at Rusl. Telma came by with food and drinks for the couple that arrived, and she closed the curtains to give them privacy.

“Tell me when you start talking about what happened,” she said, “I still have work to do, but I’ll be sure to kick everyone out.”

“Sure thing Telma,” Link said with a nod, and the curtains were fully closed, leaving the group isolated from the drunkards that came to the bar.

“So… what did Sheik have you two do?” Link asked the couple, and they glanced at each other.

“Sheik told us to help investigate the disappearances with a captain named Hoz,” Ashei answered. “We really weren’t finding anything of importance though.”

“Ah, did you come here with him?”

“No, he was quite intent on continuing the investigations,” Shad jumped in, pushing his glasses up his nose. “That was the most focused soldier of Hyrule I’ve ever met.”

“It’s good, Hyrule needs more men like him,” Ashei said, staring at her drink.

“Though he was sort of a pain to work with,” Shad mumbled.

Ashei snorted. “He was. Everything needed to go his way otherwise he would implode.”

“... Does Hyrule still need more men like him?” Auru asked cheekily, and Ashei glared at him.

“Yes.”

Shad laughed slightly and sat up straight. “Yes yes, he was still good to work with. I’m glad that some soldiers are still trying to do their jobs.”

Ashei gave a knowing nod and took a sip of her drink as the others mumbled in agreement. The group started to chat about mundane things, how they were doing, how the families were doing, and what they had planned afterwards. Link was constantly looking over his shoulder, expecting Sheik to suddenly appear (which he did every time they met up), yet there was no sign of him. Rusl was getting more anxious as the evening went on, constantly fidgeting with his hands or pacing the small room, pretending to be observing the wall. Soon it became too late–the bar was fully empty as Telma closed it down and kicked out angry drunks, and the only area lit up was the back room where the resistance sat. Yet no sign of Sheik, and Auru finally let out a loud sigh.

“I don’t think Sheik is coming.”

“We just need to be patient,” Ashei said, “she’s a busy person.”

Auru frowned. “‘She?’ You think Sheik’s a woman?”

Ashei’s eyes widened for a moment, but she quickly recovered. “W-well, Sheik is just a mysterious person, that’s all. I uh… say she could be a woman… or… something.”

The group stared at Ashei who stared hard at her drink.

“And what makes you think they’re a woman?” Auru pressed, a teasing smile on his lips.

“What makes you think they’re a man?” Ashei snapped back, getting angry. Auru raised his hands defensively.

“I’m just teasing you. You just never get flustered like that!”

Ashei glared at him and started cursing under her breath in frustration. Shad cleared his throat, wrapping an arm around her.

“Well, it doesn’t matter if Sheik is a man or a woman, what matters is that they’re not here right now.” He glanced up at Rusl who was still pacing back and forth near a corner. “We should start without them.”

Ashei sighed and nodded, a defeated look on her face. Auru nodded as well and stood up to drag Rusl back to the table. Link stared worriedly at his pa as he sat down, his face drained of all blood as he stared blankly at the table.

“Goddesses, are you alright?” Shad asked, and Rusl waved his concern away.

“‘M fine,” he mumbled. The group didn’t seem convinced by that answer, but they didn’t say anything else.

“Well, Link, Rusl,” Auru started, “tell us what happened. What is taking these missing people?”

Link glanced at Rusl who was still staring at the table, and he stood up, deciding to lead the conversation.

“Do you guys remember the shadow beasts?”

The group all froze, staring at Link with wide eyes.

“Shadow beasts? You mean those horrible black creatures that plagued all of Hyrule during the Twilight invasion?” Shad asked, and Link nodded.

“Yes, I… me and my pa found one in the woods… two nights ago,” Link frowned for a moment, that night feeling ages ago. He continued, “I think it’s a shadow beast that’s gotten stronger for the past ten years. It’s what’s been taking these people.”

“Oh… Labryn…” Ashei muttered under her breath.

“How do you know it’s the cause of all these disappearances?” Auru asked.

“We–uh—” Link glanced at Rusl who was still unmoving. “We sorta… found out the hard way…”

“Oh no… did someone–?” Shad started, but Link quickly stopped him.

“No, no it’s ok. I was able to stop the abduction but… I think it’s pretty obvious that this… mutated shadow beast is what’s causing all the disappearances.”

“Ok,” Ashei breathed out, “so it’s one of those shadow beasts, a little mutated, but we know what it is now. We should go out looking for it, yeah?”

Link pursed his lips. “Yes, but… be warned. I fought so many of those things by myself back then–”

“Yes you did! You were marvelous with the way you slashed them with your sword!” Shad exclaimed, swinging his arm around as if he had a weapon. Link smiled but it quickly went away.

“Yeah, well… I fought this one, and it didn’t die no matter what I did, so… I think we should be careful. We can’t underestimate this thing.”

The group nodded.

“Alright, well, thank you for telling us Link,” Auru said. “No one in Castle Town described anything like that.”

“No kidding,” Ashei replied and Link nodded glumly. This wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t let such a thing live, he couldn’t help but feel guilty over it.

“Well, it’s late, we can discuss plans tomorrow, but in the meantime, I think we should all get some rest,” Auru stared sternly at Rusl and Link, “you two especially. I can tell you need it.”

Link smiled slightly and Rusl got up quietly, leaving the room in an instant. The group stared in shock as he disappeared behind the curtain. Auru looked at Link and pointed at where Rusl left.

“Is he alright?”

“I… I don’t know…” Link looked down, debating on whether he should tell them the details of what happened, but he really didn’t want to, and he didn’t know if Rusl would want him to. “He’s probably just tired… the uh… the shadow beast was… aggressive to say the least. I’m gonna go talk to him real quick.”

He felt everyone’s eyes on him as he left, and he glanced at Telma who looked worried, but she forced a smile when she saw Link.

“Did you all start the conversation without me?”

“Oh— goddesses Telma I’m so sorry—“

Telma waved his apology away. “I’ll make the others tell me. Rusl went upstairs, sweet pea.”

Link nodded and slowly walked up the stairs, his entire body suddenly feeling heavy. He glanced around at the secret upstairs inn, trying to remember which one was normally reserved for him and Rusl. He poked his head in the first room, finding Rusl laying on one of the beds, his hands resting on his face. Rusl flinched when he sensed another person near him, but he quickly relaxed when it was Link.

“Spirits, Link,” he chuckled, lying back down. Link smiled and sat down on the other bed across from him.

“Pa… are you…?” He started, but he stopped when Rusl glanced at him. Rusl’s face didn’t hold any annoyance, but instead guilt. He sat up and sighed.

“I’m ok, Link. I’m… sorry for how I was acting down there… I just…” Rusl paused for a moment before sighing again, resting against the wall. Link tilted his head

“What?”

“Oh… it’s not your burden to bear.”

“Well… I kinda already know why you’re upset so… hiding it from me is a fruitless effort.”

Rusl grinned slightly. “I suppose so… I just…. Ever since that night I’ve been feeling so… terrified every waking moment—no—even when I’m trying to sleep I’m terrified, I just—“ he stopped himself and rubbed his face. “I don’t know.”

Link frowned. “I know the shadow beasts would turn people into other shadow beasts, maybe you’re still feeling the effects from that?”

Rusl shrugged, a disturbed look on his face.

“You… also were almost eaten,” Link chuckled darkly, “that would traumatize anyone.”

Rusl smirked slightly, but it quickly went away, so Link continued.

“I mean… I know I’ve nearly been eaten myself. So many times. By giant plants, and a giant eel, and wolfos trying to tear me to pieces, and spiders, and I guess smaller plants too, plus another giant spider, and possibly a lot of other things and—“

Rusl’s face had grown more concerned the longer Link rambled, and he quickly tried to recover.

“I-I mean, I turned out fine! Maybe? I mean maybe I haven’t turned out fine but—but it’s fine! I’ve kinda gotten used to it, everything trying to eat me. Heh, it makes me wonder if I taste good. I mean Midna will definitely say that I taste good but, you know—“

“Link, I don’t need to know this,” Rusl interrupted him, though he almost seemed amused. Link blushed slightly and scratched the back of his head.

“S-sorry, that kinda came out.”

Rusl chuckled slightly, which made Link feel a little better. He observed his father’s tired face and frowned.

“Pa… you should get some rest.”

Rusl raised an eyebrow. “Doting and worrying is supposed to be my job Link, not yours.”

“Well, who did I get it from?” Link rebutted, and Rusl laughed.

“Correction then: doting is a parent’s job.”

“But I am a parent.”

“Not my parent!”

Link snorted and Rusl joined him in his laughter. It felt good to laugh after these past few days. Link sniffed and sighed, staring at Rusl’s bed.

“You should get some rest though, Pa.”

“You should get some rest too, Link.”

Link pursed his lips and looked down, shifting uncomfortably.

“Not as much as you.”

Rusl raised an eyebrow. “How much sleep have you gotten in the past forty-eight hours?”

Link clamped his mouth shut. “I… um… like… four…. hours…?”

Rusl smirked and gestured for him to come over. Link sighed and trudged over to him, the lack of sleep catching up to him. He rested against Rusl’s side while he wrapped his arm around him, and Link finally relaxed. It always felt good to be held by one of his parents. Being an adult, it didn’t happen as often compared to when he was a kid. Rusl started playing with the tip of his ear and he lightly kissed his forehead.

“I’m proud of you, Link,” he said softly.

“For what?”

“For becoming the man you are today. You’re a good person, determined, and kind. And I’m proud of you for it.”

Link smiled slightly. “But you and ma raised me to be that way.”

“Oh, we were only trying to nudge you kids in the right direction. Ultimately, it was you who chose to become a good person. Give yourself more credit.”

Link sighed and drowsiness began to get the better of him.

“Thanks. I love you pa.”

Sleep began to take over him as he heard his pa say one last thing.

“I love you too, my son.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zelda awoke with a jolt. She was in her bed, her heavy dress was replaced with a lighter one, and her daughter was reading a book by her side. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, startling Amber.

“Mother! You’re awake!” She exclaimed, closing her book. “We were so worried!”

Zelda looked around the room, confused. How long has she been out?

“Father came to me and asked me to stay by your side! I hadn’t left once!” Amber continued. “I’ve just been reading this book about birds, I’m hoping to find one to match the birds Hylians used to ride, but so far none of them have been big enough…”

“Amber,” Zelda rubbed her eyes, still feeling exhausted. “Where’s your father?”

“He’s in meetings right now, he said he’ll come by to see if you’re awake!”

Zelda groaned and rubbed her face. What had been happening while she was out? She hated not being in control of everything.

“I hope you’re alright,” Amber added quietly, and Zelda glanced over at her. She had a worried look on her face, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m fine, thank you for watching over me,” Zelda said with a smile, and Amber beamed at the praise.

“I’m so glad mother! Do you want me to fetch you some supper? It’s a little late but—“

“Wait, how long have I been asleep?”

“Oh! Um… a few hours.”

Zelda tried to hide her frustration, and she turned away as she groaned. She didn’t have time for this. She still needed to meet with the resistance! If she didn’t leave now…

Amber gasped as Zelda started to get out of bed, ignoring the vertigo that assaulted her.

“Um… mother? Father told me to make sure you stayed in bed a-and—“

“I’ll be fine, Amber,” Zelda grumbled, but she knew she wouldn’t be. It didn’t matter though, she needed to be somewhere.

“But… father said…” Amber’s voice trailed off, and Zelda heard another person enter the room.

“Zelda,” Edmund’s voice called out, and she sighed. Great.

“Father!” Amber hopped up and ran to him. “Mother’s awake! Do you want me to get a meal for her?”

“No, I already sent a maid to do that, my dear. You go get yourself to bed.”

Amber nodded and looked back at Zelda. “Goodnight mother.”

Zelda smiled slightly. “Goodnight Amber.”

She lingered for a moment, her mouth agape, but she finally turned away and left the room. Edmund and Zelda remained silent, both staring intensely at each other. Finally, Edmund let out a huff and started to walk forward.

“I’m glad you’re awake,” he said, “I brought you something.”

Zelda frowned. “What is it?”

Edmund sat down on the bed with her and handed her a little box. She carefully opened it to reveal a chocolate orange. She blinked several times, wondering if the lack of sleep had finally caught up to her and that she was hallucinating it. But the smell hit her nostrils, and she lightly traced the chocolatey edges.

“I remember you loved these things as a kid,” Edmund muttered, a nostalgic smile on his face. “I always hated them, but I did enjoy eating one slice with you whenever you had them.”

Zelda couldn’t help but smile as she grabbed a slice of the chocolate. She glanced at Edmund and her smile dropped slightly.

“How do you know I still love these?” She asked, and Edmund took in a quiet, deep breath.

“Do you?”

Zelda looked down and put one in her mouth. The chocolate instantly melted as it hit her tongue, the sweet flavor mixing with the tanginess of the orange rewarding her taste buds, and she couldn’t help but close her eyes in satisfaction. She hasn’t had one of these in years.

“It seems you still like it,” Edmund chuckled. Zelda opened her eyes and turned away, embarrassed.

“Yes,” she mumbled. Edmund hummed and leaned back, resting on his hands.

“I’m glad.”

Zelda turned to look at him, his mustache lifted up with his smile. “Why’d you bring this to me?” She asked.

“Oh, I figured you’d need an energy boost. Chocolate does wonders for that,” Edmund reached for a slice. “May I?”

Zelda nodded and offered one to him. He took a slice and bit into half of it. His face scrunched up in disgust and he covered his mouth. “Eugh, I still don’t like it.”

Zelda smiled and almost let out a giggle. “That’s quite a shame, they’re so delightful.”

Edmund grinned and stared at the uneaten slice. “I probably should’ve put the full thing in my mouth, now what will I do with this?”

Zelda stared at it for a moment, and before she could even think, she plucked it out of his hand.

“Can’t let it go to waste,” she said before putting the rest of the slice in her mouth. Edmund looked surprised but his expression softened into a pleasant smile. Zelda looked away, her face flushing slightly, and she picked at the remaining chocolates. “Thank you for this Edmund, that was very thoughtful of you.”

Edmund nodded. “Of course. I… I just want to help out.”

It grew silent between the two—any feeling of contentment was gone in an instant. Edmund picked up on Zelda’s discomfort and he let out a sigh.

“Why won’t you accept my help?”

Zelda glanced up at him. Where an accusatory and bitter tone normally was, this time, there was just curiosity. He was trying, it was only fair that Zelda tried as well.

But could she trust him?

It was kind of him to try to help her, but was he trying to manipulate her into trusting him? She remembered her father always showering her mother with gifts whenever he did something to upset her. It was always a way to regain her trust. Was Edmund trying to do the same?

“Listen, becoming the king of Hyrule hasn’t been an easy transition for me,” Edmund started, his back turned to Zelda, “Labrynna gives its power to the king, but here in Hyrule, all of the power goes to the queen.” He let out a breath while Zelda remained silent. He’s never told her this before. “I admit I’ve felt…. Emasculated as a result, and I’ve been acting childish because of it. For that I am sorry.” He glanced back at Zelda, an almost worried expression on his face, but Zelda stayed quiet. “But, I feel useless. I feel like I’m being used for my connection to my family, and that I’m nothing more than an object to your people and… I suppose that’s why I’ve been… frustrated about you keeping things to yourself. But… looking at you now, I’ve grown more worried than upset. You’ve overworked yourself so much to the point that you collapsed. That’s not a good thing. I suppose I… I just want to know why you’re so intent on doing everything yourself, when I’m here to… help you.”

Zelda stared at him for a moment, his emerald green eyes never leaving hers. For once, Zelda couldn’t find her words. She knew she should try to communicate with him—he was being so open with her, but why? Was he trying to worm his way into her life? Or was he being genuine? He’s never taken the time to sit down and talk to her about things, but then again, Zelda never gave him the chance. Did he deserve her to try to be open as well? She turned away, emotions running rampant. She couldn’t cry, it wasn’t queenly to do so, but she was so tired. She took a deep breath to control herself.

“I… I don’t know if I can trust you,” she finally said softly. She felt Edmund shift beside her.

“Why?”

“I–I’ve watched my father strip my mother of all her power. He took everything away from her, ruled Hyrule as a tyrant, and took control of every aspect of my life. It doesn’t matter if Hyrule gives the power to the queen, the king can take over and I can’t let that happen again. It’s happened to me twice now and… I just… I–” She hiccuped slightly and she rubbed her exhausted eyes. It was quiet as she once again tried to take control of her emotions, and she glanced up at Edmund, who looked horrified.

“I had no idea,” he finally said. “I always– I know we didn’t see each other a lot but… I didn’t know…”

Zelda sniffed and sat up straight. “My father did a good job at hiding it. And he made sure I hid it as well.”

Edmund gave her a sad look. “I’m so sorry. I…” He grew silent for a moment. “... thank you for telling me. I’ll leave you be. A maid should come by with food for you.”

“I-I can’t stay I need to–”

“Zelda.” Edmund gave her a firm look. “I…I ask that you give yourself rest and proper nourishment, please.”

Zelda stared for a moment, remembering the resistance. “I can’t. I still need to meet up with—“ she stopped herself and Edmund raised an eyebrow.

“With… your friends that are taking care of the disappearances?”

Zelda pursed her lips. “Yes.”

“Perhaps I can meet with them in your stead.”

She shook her head quickly. “No I—“ they didn’t know that she was the queen; if Edmund came instead, they would figure it out, even if one already knew about it. And she certainly couldn’t tell Edmund about Sheik. Frustration was apparent on Edmund’s face, and he sucked in a sharp breath and stood up.

“So are you just going to keep pushing yourself until you die? Sure, you may not trust me, I understand that. But you have representatives, diplomats, nobles, even guards that could go in your stead! Why can’t you utilize them?”

“Edmund. I. Can’t. A-at least…” Zelda looked down, her eyes going back and forth between the chocolate orange, the bed, and Edmund. He did have a point; she couldn’t keep going on like this. She really could end up dying from her neglect, which would be an awful thing for Amber and for the resistance. But she knew no one could help the resistance with the disappearances. She had to take care of that herself. But… perhaps with everything else…. Goddesses, she hoped she wasn’t making a mistake. “Could you… just take care of the meetings tomorrow? I must deal with these disappearances on my own.”

Edmund’s expression softened and he nodded. “I’ll take care of them.”

Zelda smiled. “Thank you.”

“Will you… visit Amber before you leave anywhere?”

Her lips parted and she nodded. Edmund nodded back, and for the first time in years, there was a mutual understanding between them. Edmund hesitated for a moment before finally turning to leave. Zelda was left alone, and she contemplated everything that had just happened.

She collapsed after a meeting and slept through the entire day. Her daughter stayed by her side while Edmund took care of the rest of the day. He brought her chocolates and they had a conversation that didn’t result in them fighting. They opened up to each other… and now…

She sighed. She needed to meet with the resistance, that was her first priority. Hopefully it wasn’t too late.

She wasted no time to get into her disguise, despite her exhausted body and rumbling stomach. Just as she was about to sneak out, she remembered what Edmund asked of her.

“Will you… visit Amber before you leave anywhere?”

She sighed. She’s been a terrible mother to her own daughter, not spending any time with her despite Amber desperately wanting to. If the resistance needing to meet up tonight hadn’t been about the missing people, she probably would have been tempted to stay. Maybe spend time with her family, her daughter, and try to be the mother Amber deserved. But she knew this was important; it had better be important. She needed to take care of this, and she needed to find the missing people so that Hyrule would be safe for Amber. If the resistance found out important information about the disappearances—like where the missing people were—she would personally go to rescue them herself and eradicate any threat that came in her way. This threat would come to an end, Zelda would make sure of it.

But it meant she would be gone for a while. So she didn’t know when she would see Amber again.

Zelda quietly snuck into Amber’s room, her daughter curled up in her bed, clutching a bird stuffed animal to her chest. She brought her mask down and walked up to her daughter, emotions going through her once again. Her sweet little Amber, growing up before her very eyes, and she was missing all of it.

Her hand brushed against Amber’s temple and she began to stir. She looked up at her mother and furrowed her brow.

“Mother?”

Zelda’s breath hitched and she helped Amber sit up.

“Amber,” she started, “I know… I know I haven’t been the best mother, but I want you to know that I love you with every fiber of my being.” Zelda pulled Amber close and hugged her. “I love you so much.”

She rocked her back and forth, Amber clinging to her tightly. Despite her dry eyes, Zelda found tears forming, and she had to choke back a sob. Amber however wasn’t hiding her crying, and she felt her tears soaking into her clothes. She finally pulled back, wiping away a tear on Amber’s cheek and rested her forehead against hers.

“I promise I’ll try to be better,” Zelda whispered, pecking her on the forehead, and she stood up, walking towards the door.

“M-mother?” Amber called out.

“I’ll be back,” Zelda promised. “Just stay here with your father and focus on your studies. I… I love you.”

“I love you too…”

Zelda’s heart hurt more than her aching body as she turned away. How many times has she turned her own daughter away? How many times has she brushed her off when Amber reached out? She ran out, her frustrations over herself giving her the energy she needed to escape the castle. How will Amber view her when she grew older? Would she resent her the same way Zelda resented her father? Would she feel unloved by her own mother? She stopped as she reached the entrance to the courtyard, looking back at the castle. She was panting heavily, sad and angry tears finally pouring down her face.

It didn’t matter what her father tried to do to her, Zelda never felt worthy of being queen. She didn’t feel worthy of anything in her life. Especially her own daughter.

Amber deserved a better mother.

For a moment as she stared at her castle, she thought she saw Edmund watching her, but his supposed silhouette went away in an instant. She turned away, her head hanging, and finally marched to Telma’s bar.

It was late, she didn’t know how late it was, but it was late enough for no one to be out in the streets save for a few guards. Sheik’s stomach was cramping terribly, and her throat and tongue felt like sandpaper. She almost wished she stayed behind to eat the food Edmund got for her, but she knew she couldn’t let the resistance down. She leaned against a wall catching her breath, her hand rubbing against a box in her pouch. She didn’t know why she grabbed the chocolate orange Edmund gave her; she supposed she couldn’t leave it behind. She continued onward to Telma’s bar, feeling that it was a much longer walk than what she remembered. She normally went through the dungeons to reach Telma’s bar, but from how she was feeling, she didn’t have the strength to go that way. As if to prove her right, her knees nearly buckled as she went down the stairs, causing her to stumble into the door. She pulled back and blinked harshly trying to clear her head. She took a deep breath to calm herself and she went inside. The bell rang loudly through the empty bar, announcing her presence.

“Sorry, we’re closed right now,” she heard Telma call out from the back. The barmaid poked her head from the curtains and her face lit up. “Sheik! Well, it’s about time you got here, honey!”

Sheik awkwardly shuffled forward, allowing herself to be hugged by Telma.

“S-sorry I’m late,” she mumbled, not caring if Telma heard her or not.

“Oh… it’s not me you should apologize to. The others have already gone to bed, save for Ashei and Shad— well… actually it’s just Ashei,” Telma laughed slightly. Sheik was disappointed that the others had already gone to sleep, it was much later than what she hoped for, but she was slightly relieved that Ashei was the only one awake save for Telma. Though Sheik had tried to keep her Royal identity a secret, Ashei had found out about it. She had to admit, it was nice not having to hide everything from one person. She could at least confide in her with everything that has been happening.

“My, you look terrible,” Telma continued, eyeing Sheik worriedly. “Here, let me whip you up something real quick—“

“Oh, no you don’t have to do that—“ a loud grumble from her stomach interrupted her and Telma raised an eyebrow. Sheik looked down, embarrassed. “Apologies.”

“You’re alright sweetheart, just head to the back and I’ll get you some soup.”

Sheik nodded and walked to the back where she saw Ashei and Shad sitting next to each other. Shad was asleep, his head against Ashei’s shoulder, while Ashei had her arm wrapped around him. She had a pleasant smile on her lips as she watched him, until she looked up, spotting Sheik.

“Are you going to sit down, or are you going to keep watching us like a creep?” She asked, and Sheik straightened.

“A-apologies… I didn’t mean to stare.”

“Don’t worry about it, yeah?” Ashei glanced at Shad, then back at her. “I wanted to stay up to wait for you. I knew you’d get here eventually. He was intent on staying up with me, but I guess he couldn’t do it.”

Sheik smiled despite Ashei not being able to see it. “I’m sorry I came so late.”

“You’re fine, but what happened? Why did it take so long for you to get here?”

“I…” Sheik didn’t want to talk about her fainting today, nor about her lack of sleep, food, and water. “I’ve just been very busy.”

Ashei studied her for a moment. “Are you alright?”

Sheik looked up at her, and simply shook her head. “I’ve been very busy,” she repeated.

“Labryn… Zel—Sheik, you can leave this to the rest of us. You don’t have to help us every second, yeah?”

“I know, but I’m tired of sitting here not knowing what’s going on. Not actively trying to better my kingdom.”

Ashei shook her head. “You can’t do everything by yourself. That’s why the resistance is here, to help Hyrule.”

“I know… I know… I just…” Sheik sighed. Goddesses she was exhausted. The two grew silent until Telma came in with a bowl.

“I could only make some broth, I hope that’s ok, sweet pea.”

Sheik felt herself beginning to drool and she gratefully took the bowl. “This is wonderful, thank you, Telma,” she said. Telma gave her a soft smile.

“Of course honey! That’s why I’m here, to take care of my friends.”

The word “friends” stuck with Sheik, and she looked down at the bowl, her emotions running rampant once again, though her eyes were finally too dry to cry again.

“Now, if you two will excuse me, I’m going to head to bed myself.” Telma turned to Ashei with a teasing smile. “Unless you need me to carry him to bed of course.”

Ashei gave her an annoyed smirk. “I can do that myself. Thank you though.”

The barmaid gave a hearty laugh. “Alright, good night you too. And Sheik? I have some water on the table for you. Take care.”

Sheik glanced at the cup on the table, her thirst becoming unbearable.

“Thank you,” she said again, and Telma turned away, leaving the two women alone. Sheik glanced around, eyeing Shad cautiously, and Ashei caught on.

“Don’t worry, he’s out like a light.”

“But what if he wakes up and sees me without my mask?”

“Then I’ll knock him back out, yeah?”

Sheik chuckled softly and pulled her mask down. Though it wasn’t filling, the broth was amazing, and the water made her feel much better than before. She sighed as she drank the broth, feeling relief run through her body as she finally got nutrients in her body. She glanced at Ashei who watched her worriedly, and she looked down.

“How was Hoz?” Sheik asked.

“Oh, he was fine. Quite determined to find the missing people. He’s a good man.”

Sheik smiled slightly. “Indeed, he is. What did Link and Rusl need?”

Ashei’s breath hitched. “They found what’s been causing these disappearances.”

Sheik gasped and nearly dropped her bowl. Though it was exactly what she had hoped for, she was still surprised that it actually happened. “What is it? What’s causing it?”

“Link thinks it’s a shadow beast.”

Dread instantly filled Sheik’s body. Memories of the beasts breaking through her castle and slaughtering the guards came in at once, and she clenched her fists. How…?

“We hope to make a plan to hunt and kill it, but according to Link, it’s gotten powerful over the past ten years, and it won’t die so easily.”

Sheik swallowed hard and nodded. “I see… any… any news on the people?”

Ashei shook her head sadly. “No, they only mentioned the beast I’m afraid.”

Sheik slumped slightly. If it was a shadow beast taking these people then… they probably weren’t alive anymore. She remembered watching Zant turn her guards into shadow beasts before her eyes, even those who weren’t personally cursed turned when beside them. Even her own parents turned into creatures of darkness…

Were the people dead? Or had they turned into shadow beasts, doomed to be mindless monsters until they’re put out of their misery? Sheik didn’t know. But if that were the case, wouldn’t they have known about the resurgence of shadow beasts? Either way, Sheik was having a hard time being hopeful about the fate of the missing people.

“We’re going to be doing a lot of planning tomorrow,” Ashei continued, “I don’t know when we’ll head out, but if you’re wanting to come with us, I suggest you get some rest, yeah?”

Sheik looked up at Ashei who had a firm expression on her face. Sheik had grown tired of everyone telling her to rest, but with the food and water in her system, she couldn’t fight back the sleepiness.

“Alright,” she mumbled before standing up, staring at her empty bowl confused.

“I can take care of that,” Ashei said, and Sheik set it down awkwardly. “We can talk more tomorrow, yeah?”

Sheik nodded and dragged herself up the stairs where several rooms were hidden. Her eyes were barely open as she tried to find a room to go in. She typically took the first room, so she opened the door and threw her head cover and mask off, closing the door behind her which left the room in total darkness. She stumbled over to the bed closest to her and fell asleep before her head could even hit the pillow.

[writergeek]

@batfam-big-bang Chapters: 6/19 Fandom: Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), New Teen Titans Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Batfamily Members & Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & The Titans Characters: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain/Wayne, Stephanie Brown, Duke Thomas, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Kory Anders, Donna Troy, Roy Harper, Gothamites Additional Tags: Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Fic as Social Commentary, Social Media, Mixed Media, Acid Attack, bar brawl, bar violence, First Aid, Field Aid, Permanent Injury, Injury Recovery, injury aftermath, PTSD, Unreliable Narrator, stalkers, (but in the not fun way not in the Tim Drake way), Police procedures, Medical Procedures, (but I am neither a cop nor a doctor nor a nurse - I do my best but I’ll get things wrong), Medical Inaccuracies, Handwaving, Hurt Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson Whump, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick Grayson Gets a Hug, sibling shenanigans, The batkids are siblings and I will die on this hill, mediocre parent Bruce, (he get's better? maybe?), Awesome Alfred, aftermath of Spyral, discussion of past trauma, Implied/Referenced Non-con, (its Mirage and maybe Tarantula), discussions of ableism/racism, do not copy to another site, Angst with a Happy Ending, Batfam Big Bang, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence Chapter Summary: Friends and family start to gather, and the real wait begins.

[umbrellacam]

New Teen Titans (Vol. 2) #10 - "He's like something out of a bad romance novel. Man, talk about your cornballs. Who writes his dialogue? Hallmark cards?"

Vic speaking my thoughts on Mr. Wing Man >_> and wow, they're sure having him pull overtime on the lampshading meta snark in this issue:

New Teen Titans (Vol. 2) #10 - "Why will the next Teen Titan hate her parents? Will we have to turn Titans Tower into Titans Hotel? These questions will be answered...in the next sickening segment of--"Daze Of Our Lives!" Same Bat time! Same Bat channel!"

[faibleprompts]

Daily Faible prompt!

I need DC to make a new Teen Titans show