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#So did Hyrule i guess'
raycatzdraws · 4 months
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Wolfie and Four friendship appreciation doodles! They're shared secrets besties! I hope Four's distrust of the shadow crystal doesn't drive anything between them. Wild found his way into this compilation with a force. It seems I can't draw Wolfie and not include him too!
#linked universe#linkeduniverse#lu four#lu twilight#lu wolfie#lu wild#lu legend#lu hyrule#fairy hyrule#I drew most of these on my weekends at camp#hence the swearing probably lol can't swear in front of the campers#man I did not leave that mountain for the whole summer and I wouldn't have it any other way#I was there 6+ weeks straight#some of the other counselors who also stayed and I would occasionally make the hour drive into town#a bunch of us went to see the Barbie movie together and like 2/3 through the film the fire alarm went off and we were evacuated ajhsgfsdf#we all held hands to not be separated in case there was an actual emergency and some guy was like 'look at the preschoolers'#AND AAAAA I won't be separated from my counselor buddies!!!! RAAAHH this is what we would have gotten the kids to do#so I guess we're just too good at our jobs lol#that one LU post with the lads lined up with their bows? It's AWESOME#but I taught a bunch of kids archery this summer and none of the lads have the right posture lol#I'm walking up and down that line readjusting all of them ahsgdsdf#Imagine Wars going to Wind though like 'remember to pull back to your smile! :D '#and Wind just deadeye staring him down like you serious rn?#caught and removed a scorpion from the lake cabin biffy this summer - that was very exciting#calmed the campers down and put them to bed and then rolled up my sleeves and asked the program staff who was staying with us#for emotional support#her only experience with scorpions was from animal crossing so she was like 'get ready to run' and I'm- I think we'll be okay#anyways it's her perched on one of the toilets with a spray bottle of bleach and me with an empty tupperware from dinner#I caught it under the tupperware but IT MOVED THE TUPPERWARE#we drowned it in bleach and it like finally died but it took a while and then we flung it into the woods BYE BUGGY
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blueskittlesart · 1 year
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POST MORE SWORD OF FATE PLS IM BEGGING
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i have very little in terms of actual art LMAO but i CAN explain the sword thing because i checked and i did in fact never make this plot point public. i struggled for a while with creating a villain for this story until i realized that. i put "sword" in the title of the game. of course it has to be about the fucking sword. DUH.
so i want SOF to deal very heavily with religion, specifically the way in which hyrule's religion forms post-sksw but pre-reincarnation. i've placed it on the timeline directly after sksw, making it the first actual reincarnation in hyrule. what this means is that there's no actual proof yet that the reincarnation thing is real and not just an insane bluff on demise's part, and so several key characters including link and zelda barely believe in hylia or demise at all when the story starts. my thought with this setting's version of ganon is that he's the polar opposite of the nonbelievers. The gerudo don't really exist as of now, but he DOES come from the desert region of hyrule--specifically, he was raised in a cultlike offshoot of the sheikah religion which interpreted the hylia/demise myth completely literally and believes that a doomsday is coming, heralded by the foretold return of demise. Because of this, he knows more about the cycle and how to set it in motion than basically any other character. Crucially, he and his people are some of the only ones at this point aware of the existence of the master sword.
ganon finds. a sword. a sword which he THINKS is the master sword. and this theory is only reinforced when the sword begins to speak to him about his destiny and the salvation of hyrule. unfortunately it is not the master sword and he ends up basically a pawn in the greater plans of what's left of demise & ghirahim within that sword, manipulated into attempting to revive demise and destroy the reincarnated hero and princess. he remains in denial until basically the very end of the final battle, completely convinced that he is the true savior of hyrule and LINK is the one being misled. ghirahim is a very good manipulator lol
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skyloftian-nutcase · 2 months
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Febuwhump Day 6 - "You Lied to Me"
I decided to try something different today, and I hope y'all don't mind. Introducing Link, the Hero of Power—predecessor to Captain Link, the Hero of Warriors—and Queen Zelda, the Sacred Diplomat. Together, these two legendary figures, alongside Gerudo Chief Hemisi, split Ganondorf's soul into pieces and sealed him away across time and space as a permanent way to end the ageless curse (before that got reversed in Hyrule Warriors). Anyway, here's a little angst with them!
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The water was almost too hot as it bubbled against his skin. Link sighed, trying to relax into it, accepting this odd vacation he and Zelda had been given. The Gorons weren't unfriendly by any means, but it was strange that they had invited the monarchs to their hot springs for some time off.
Stranger still that Zelda had accepted.
Link glanced over at his queen as she bathed in the water, her figure wavering in the heat as it lazily drifted up from the surface. He was still curious why she'd agreed to come. The pair had never taken time off, and most certainly never together alone. This was a bizarre move, and it made him slightly uneasy. Although it felt beyond freeing to leave the castle, he missed his children. Relaxing like this was a foreign concept to him at this point.
What are you up to, Zelda? he wondered.
He decided to try his luck, swimming over to her. She turned in the water as he approached, face imperceptible as usual.
"Why are we here?" he asked softly, cautiously.
"The Gorons invited us," Zelda answered simply. "I wasn't going to refuse such kindness."
"Because they would view it as a slight, or because of something else?" Link pressed. When Zelda watched him a moment longer, he continued, "We've... been married for years, my queen. I imagine we can speak plainly to each other by now? It's just you and me."
Zelda's façade cracked, her lips twitching, gaze falling to the water level. "You can call me Zelda, you know. You do that, sometimes, when we are being intimate."
He supposed he did. And he supposed this was a moment of intimacy and vulnerability. "Then what's this about, Zelda?"
"I just..." Zelda faltered, showing uncharacteristic hesitancy. It reminded him of how she'd acted at her father's funeral, when it had just been the two of them, long after the crowds had dissipated (and after she had left). "I just wanted you to have something nice. I... I wanted us to have something nice."
Her voice grew so quiet as she added the last statement, nearly shriveling into the water. Link could understand why. She wasn't exactly responsible for giving him anything nice for a long time.
Well... aside from their children. But even then...
A bitter part of him let her look this small and defeated, demure and timid and so penitent. A part of him was angry that she was even trying.
You had promised a brighter future for all of Hyrule, that voice snapped. You lied to me.
It wasn't a lie, though, and he knew it. Just because he had sacrificed his happiness and his life didn't mean the rest of Hyrule wasn't thriving.
Link sighed tiredly. Despite all the hurt between them, he still didn't like to see her like this. It wasn't as if he was the only one who had sacrificed everything. He leaned forward, pulling her close, letting her rest against him, his finger absentmindedly tracing the green paint that adorned her arms, watching it slowly trail off her pale skin. "That's... considerate of you."
Zelda's own hands traced a scar on his chest, and he swallowed, feeling his heart start to race. She pulled away, though, calming his rushing blood and making him curious again.
"I figured I'd... try," she said quietly, refusing to make eye contact. "After... we don't do this much. Spend time together."
Why would they? This marriage hadn't exactly been his choice. He'd hardly spent enough time with her to create an heir the first year. Though in the years after that, he'd used her as his escape as much as she'd used him as her political toy.
So was she using him now? Or was she being genuine? He remembered she was capable of being kind to him.
Was she lying to him now?
"Is this some sort of favor to the Gorons?" he finally asked, letting himself be candid. She'd requested as much, anyway. "Creating a child in their homeland? Would they view that as some sort of honor?"
"This isn't--this isn't about that," Zelda shook her head. "I just wanted you to be able to relax. Back home, you... you're usually taking care of the children more than me."
"Then why did you come along?" Link questioned further. When Zelda winced and swam back a hair, his wariness died down, replaced by guilt.
She really... she just wants to spend time with me?
Oh.
She was lonely.
Link huffed, looking away. Goddesses above. He really was being self-centered, he supposed.
"Well..." he trailed off awkwardly, not really knowing what to say. "Even sacred diplomats need a break, I guess."
Zelda smiled a little forlornly, still looking into the water. Link moved towards her again, letting his body sink into the bubbling warmth so he could look up at her from where her gaze had stayed. He rose up to her with an inviting kiss, and she let him lead.
Though the act was nothing new, it held a bit more tenderness to it than ever before, a sort of mutual pain that emanated between the quiet couple as they sought comfort in each other. Typically after the fact the two would go their separate ways, but this time they basked in the heat, letting themselves dry off on the volcanic rock, draped in towels. Neither had anything to say—at this point what could they say—but they stayed, and Link settled into a nap that was more restful than he'd had in years.
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batrogers · 2 months
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Because my dear friend @triforce-of-mischief is a horrible person who left us hanging, I had to fix it.
Summary:
There's nothing quite like the mazes that Cia loves to create to torment the people around her, and nearly dying and coming back never stopped her before. Link has to find his brothers in this mess, and he prays he's not too late to help them. But even finding the worst hurt of their group isn't enough: because of course, with all of them to choose from, Cia was bound to take at least one prisoner. Pity for her she angered the wrong man.
Rated T, for brief graphic violence. Linked Universe & That Broken Promise crossover fic. Some disrespect to a deaf character (that ends poorly for her.)
That Broken Promise Prince (Hyrule Warriors Link) POV, so deaf character. Implied control of a person, although nothing specific happens, and implied near death experience for LU Wind.
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rotisseries · 4 months
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rori idk anything about zelda, what is it about?
hiiiiiii aiaia ignore how long ago you sent this ask pleaseeee why did I not answer this sooner who knows not me ANYWAYYYYY the legend of zelda is about a princess (zelda) and her knight (link) who are stuck in this cycle of having to continually defeat the reincarnated spirit of evil (ganondorf dragmire)!!! the lore is really fun and complex and confusing and sometimes contradictory I could go on FOREVER but basically zelda link and ganon are all cursed (it's not acknowledged at all that ganon is also a victim of the curse cause he's just the evil guy there to be evil but he very much is and this is important to me) by demise (evil chaos god I guess) to forever repeat this cycle of his evil rising and then a zelda and link having to be there to defeat it. ganon is specifically being reincarnated, each new zelda is technically from a long royal line tracing back to the first zelda, who was the mortal form of a goddess (this franchise is a little bit Divine Right Of Kings sorry), and link is really ambiguous on whether he's the same reincarnated guy or always just Some Dude who has the required hero's spirit, but to me continually falling into the same historical roles for centuries and centuries is the same as reincarnation. you are every single person who came before. so they're all reincarnated to me. and there's a triforce that is in some games a physical object and in some simply a vague magical power but it's comprised of three pieces, the triforces of power, wisdom, and courage. ganon, zelda, link. the triforces are more relevant in earlier games though which I haven't played so i can't talk as much about that (there's also 3 goddesses in the earlier games who correspond with each triforce) the zelda goddess and demise came around in the recent games so I know more about that. but basically the franchise is about generational curses and also how zelda and link were in love at the start and have been in love for the rest of time and about how girl your sworn knight is gnc af lol I'm normal about all that. I think nintendo should give ganon some more depth that would be neat. oh also just realized you may have the possibly common?? misconception that the entire franchise is all a linear narrative cause I certainly thought that, but it's not. most of the individual games are a self contained story with maybe a sequel or two to a specific game sometimes which is why I haven't REALLY gone into themes cause like. each game has something a bit different going on, knowledge of the other games just heightens each individual one. well actually 3 of the 4 I've played all the way through are pretty interconnected so I could absolutely ramble for a bit on that but you asked me about the franchise as a whole lmao
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squigglywindy · 1 year
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Yeets This At Y'all And Runs Away To Hide
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ruairy · 10 months
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#i finished the regional phenomena quest wheeeeeee#whoever came up with flying gibdos is going to hell!!!!!!#riju: there are flying enemies incoming!!!!#me: there are WHAT#oot redeads are still scarier tho#now i must find the last geoglyph and get the master sword :)#and then i guess i have to go see purah but im gonna procrastinate that for a while#apparently theres a very juicy quest in the storm cloud above the faron region soooo? perhaps?#i also still need to do joshas quest 😶#i keep forgetting and also i dont like being in the depths sowwy#im gonna procrastinate main plot mostly so i can avoid Ganondorf is evil because reasons and also he has no nuance#LOOK I i love ganondorf but its time we wrote most interesting villains#u did it in windwaker....wheres the person who wrote ww gan i want them back#ik this game is kinda like oot on steriods but its ok....u don't have to make ganondorf completely unsympathetic to make him a good villain#u can make hyrule morally grey at least....actually corrupt at best...it would be so juicy#ofc if they went full on gan fighting against his destiny i wouldnt complain eiter 👉👈#LIKE WHAT FUCMING HAPPENED TO GANONDORF FIGHTING AGAINST HYRULE.FOR THEIR DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HIS PPL AND JUST TAKING IT TOO FAR#what HAPPENED TO HIM STARTING OUT FIGHTING FOR A CAUSE AND BECOMING CORRUPTED BY POWER#totk gan just seems to be Hehe evil man want power#the fucking way zelda and rauru talked about him lmao#LIKE MR RAURU U DID NOT GIVE ANY REASON WHY U THINK HES EVIL#man was just like yeah he gives me a bad vibe#and zelda.....dude i dont like his name eww he must be evil#nintendo thats terrible writing ik u might have been alluding to the curse and zelda just knowing by his name that hes bad but my god#anyway slides around hyrule on my dalmation spotted horse named rolly and definitely doesnt long for a better plot#to clarify im not saying the plot is bad as it is and it's probably my fault for having expectations#its a great game!!! the plot os really good!!!!! but man
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luna-lovegreat · 1 month
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Currently obsessed with the idea that the boys go to Time for love advice, since "he's married so he knows this stuff right?"
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I mean they couldn't recognize a wedding ring??? And neither did he???
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And time was saying this in his youth I mean cmon
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Twilight: So ancestor. What would you do if like. Malon left to another world and never came back
Time: ... bro Malon called me fairy boy and then we were married like what
Hyrule: So uhh old man. How does one. Meet a girl.
Time: By speaking to her I guess? Or not, Malon did the talking for me
Hyrule: riiiiight...
Wild *no tact*: Hey so like... what if your redheaded wife who's name started with M died.
Time: what?!?!
Wild, undeterred: but like before she proposed.
Time: ...
Wild: and you don't remember if you would have said yes. What's your advice for dealing with that?
Time: ... vent to a fairy?
Warriors: hey old man
Time: no no no not this one asking me please
Warriors: how do I get women to stop coming after me. So I can ya know. Choose without war trying to force me into relationships
Time: I can safely say I've never had that problem captain
Wars: of course not *smirks*
Wars: ok but seriously how do I make them go away
Time: ... wear a wedding ring so they think you're taken, I've got a shiny extra
Time: no no why- they won't stop, I don't know how to do love!
Time: ok well at least I have legend. That kid would never ask for advice, I'll sit by him.
Legend: so old man.
Time, looking forward to a normal conversation: yeah?
Legend: hypothetically, what would you do if you found out Malon didn't exist.
Legend: And her whole world didn't, but it did, and now it doesn't
Time: ...Excuse me for a minute.
Time, writing a letter as fast as he can: MALON HOW DO I GIVE LOVE ADVICE THEY THINK IM WISE
Malon: lol
Happy Valentine's Day guys, have a headcanon :P
The boys go to Time for love advice and Time spouts whatever wise-sounding bs he can, before shoving them all on Malon for therapy when they visit the ranch
Art and comic by Jojo @linkeduniverse! :D
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orcusnoir · 5 months
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"You know what I hate?" The Champion asked to no one in particular as he watched over the slow boiling pot of stew.
"Uh... Not having enough spices?" The Captain asked from his seat at the table.
Wild gave a nod. "Not what I was going for, but yes."
"Then what do you hate, Champ?" Wars asked while glancing over to the Vet. Legend was currently trying to stack his fork and knife on top of each other to no avail.
"How do I put this?" Wild tapped his chin in thought.
"As bluntly as you can." Hyrule chimed in.
"Fair enough. Why are certain clothes locked to certain people? It's fucking cloth." Wild complained with a laugh.
At first Wars was going to chide Wild for the language, but... He just couldn't. Wild had a point here.
"FINALLY!" Wind's loud voice startled Wars a bit as the Sailor had been awfully quiet in his seat. "Tetra and I both hate that stupid shit. What do you mean I can't wear heels? I'm trying to feel tall, and Tetra hates heels, and so somebody has to wear them."
"Tell me about it." Wild started. "Zelda let me try on one of her old royal dresses, don't ask how they survived a hundred years, and somebody had issues with that."
The Captain just laughed. Damn those social rules indeed. Wild in a dress wasn't something he was expecting to hear about today, but it was something that he could picture.
And the Champion would rock that dress.
"Heh, I've been thinking those rules were stupid since I knew they existed. So, since I was nine." Time joined the conversation. "I didn't even know what the big deal was back then."
"I'd ask how, but I'm afraid the answer would be too confusing." Twilight said.
"Oh, not at all, I was raised by forest spirits and a giant tree." The Old Man nonchalantly explained. "They didn't have concepts like "male" and "female." So imagine my confusion."
A claim that he made often but never elaborated on. Everyone, besides the Captain and Wind, thought it was a lie or a ruse.
Warriors just laughed, he couldn't help it.
"Oh little Mask and his insisting that he's a tree." Wars felt everyone's eyes turn to him.
Time laughed loudly. "You made that corporals life hell."
"I did not have time for that guy's bullshit. We are in the middle of a fucking war, if the kid says he's a tree then he's a fucking tree." Wars started to lose his composure from all of his laughing.
"What do you mean by "he's a tree"?" Sky asked while scratching his head.
"Again, I was raised by forest spirits." Time explain. "You lot, besides two, think this a lie. It's not."
"Time, your life profoundly confuses me." Sky said. "So they assigned you a tree?"
Time nodded.
"Instead of anything else?"
Another nod.
"Not like a boy tree? Just a tree?"
Another nod. "Two trees, to be exact. But yes."
"Two trees?"
"Maple and oak, to be exact."
Wars just watch the conversation with a grin. Oh, poor Sky. He must be feeling the same confusion that he and the Sailor had during the war.
"I feel so understood." Rulie said with the widest smile imaginable. "I'm just a Fae." He shrugged as the others turned to face him. "Not the legend kind of Fae. I was raised by Fairies."
"Well, now you can be a Fae tree. How lovely." Time stated with a laugh.
"What kinda tree?"
"Hmmm, you and the Captain both have the same one. Pine, and you can have maple too. As a treat."
"A Fae pine and maple tree. Nice."
"Are we just gonna brush over the fact that Wars already has a tree identity?" Legend asked.
"I do too!" Wind but in. "Take a guess, it's so obvious."
"Uh...Palm tree?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Correct!"
"What tree am I then?" Wild asked while seasoning a few cuts of meat.
"Willow." Time and Warriors both spoke at the same time.
"Damn, that was fast."
"You had this conversation before, hadn't you?" Sky asked while keeping his gaze locked to Wars. "So tell us our trees."
"Oh, alright, I'll try to remember all the specifics. It's been a while." Time laughed while tapping his fingers on the table.
"It all reminds me of the Minish. They have leaves instead of trees, though." Four, who had been quietly observing this whole time, finally spoke up.
"Oh, the Kokiri had leaves too. That's a whole other thing."
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Halloween prompts year 2 day 3
Danny smiled back at the elf boy. Ever since landing in Hyrule this guy has stuck by his side and did everything in his power to help him, even going so far as to learn English and teach Danny Hylian. If it wasn't for Link Danny doesn't know what he would have done.
They were in Hyrule field, practicing Dannys portal and teleporting powers to see if he could open a portal home or teleport there. He began thinking about how pure and clean Hyrule was since it didn't have a drop of pollution and how cities were supposed to be gross and polluted. So he began focusing on pollution, smog and filth, hoping that that would take him back home.
He didn't expect to teleport a city into Hyrule.
---
Five minutes.
Jason had only brushed his teeth and washed his face and in that time all of Crime Alley had been thrown into another dimension. Typical.
Whats more it looked like they were in a green grassy area. A legit apple forest was to the North of them and probably one of the clearest, cleanest rivers he had ever seen was directly East of them. God, he could see the fish swimming in the water.
What was most surprising though was the elf people. They weren't causing trouble per say, but hes definitely had to save some of them that wandered in out of curiosity. After the second or third one he saved he noticed a fence had popped up around all of crime ally over night. There were signs on the other side of the fence with some kind of official seals on them. So elves have political leaders? Works for him, he can guess that the signs say something to the effect of "Stay out" and it should make his job a bit easier. That and the numerous woven baskets left surrounding Crime Alley filled with fruits, veggies, cloth, clothing and soap.
Jason wasn't expecting some of the elves to get through the fencing to throw an unknown liquid into Crime Alley and then run. He panicked at first, thinking this was some kind of attack, but after testing it, he discovered it was just soapy water. He didn't understand at first but soon began getting reports from his men that anyone who wandered out of the city was being captured, thrown into the shallow water of the river, and scrubbed with long poled mops.
Rude. I mean, he gets that the elf people have probably never dealt with pollution, which means they never had to smell it, but still. Rude.
Red Hood gets a bit twitchy when he learns the kids who wander out get captured but chills out once he learns the children are never harmed.
The hylians are taking them in, bathing them, clothing, teaching them to cook and teaching them thier language. They are given lots of clothes and toys and the option to stay with them if they have no where else to go. Jason has no idea about this until a short blond elf guy and a teenage human twink talk to him and explain whats going on, the twink even apologized to him and explained that all of this was his fault.
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bokettochild · 7 months
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Alright! I wanna play around!
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Who's handwriting is whose?
Obviously, Warriors is the forth one down because JoJo said so.
Time would be first because he was the one who hauled Twilight to the inn in the first place.
Four and Hyrule were the ones to follow Time while the rest were out fighting monsters, so I'm going to guess Hyrule is second and Four is third (which if I'm right implies that Four waited to sign in so Hyrule could get to Twilight faster)
But after that?
There's nine names, which is kinda weird? I'm pretty sure Twi didn't have it in him to write his name down? But whatever, maybe he did?
I'd assume Wild's name is last, since he was the last to arrive, but I think the last has to be Twilight's actually. Wild and Legend have the same Hylian, so whichever two match in form (although not penmanship) would be theirs; six and eight. You can see that line two is the same as those ones though, so we can only assume that Hyrule uses the same Hylian; Old Hylian (from his time) since there's no official written Hylian for the 1986 game. Since Legend arrived before Wild, I think his name must be the sixth one, and Wild's the eighth. And since Sky and Legend arrived together, that would make him the seventh in the lineup, meaning, by process of elimination, that Wind is fifth!
So I guess the order is
Time Hyrule Four Warriors Wind Legend Sky Wild Twilight (why the crap did you sign later, Twi?)
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heartseeksthehearth · 8 months
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something Breath of the Wild did really well that I feel like subsequent Zelda games set in the same universe have just chucked straight in the bin is how it handled Shiekah tech, the Guardians, and especially the Divine Beasts. someone online once said, in reference to the power we allow the (US) government to have, that you should never create something you wouldn’t want your enemies to be able to use on you (because as we’ve seen, you never know who’s going to win the next election), and Breath of the Wild drives that point home with brutal efficiency. The people of Hyrule spent all this time and resources unearthing the Guardians and the Divine Beasts, only to have then hijacked by the enemy, turning their world into a waking nightmare and resulting in the deaths of the Champions, the King, and countless innocents besides. Hell, technically Link even died, and had to spend a hundred years in a place called the Shrine of Resurrection in order to recover. Zelda, meanwhile, was forced to spend those hundred years trapped in Hyrule Castle with her worst nightmare, holding the line and saving Hyrule from a worse fate yet. they eventually get the Divine Beasts back, but not the Guardians. and it doesn’t change or reverse the damage done. the Champions are still dead. the 100 years still happened. Hateno Fort is still a ruin, as are many other places.
then you have Age of Calamity, which creates an alternate universe in which it’s fine, actually, the Divine Beasts are just fun little toys you get to drive around once in a while killing enemies by the thousands and they never really turn on you in a way that matters. which, okay, Age of Calamity was never meant to be that deep, and considering it canon in any way is probably a stretch. and even in Age of Calamity, you never get the Guardians back, so it’s not really that different from how Breath of the Wild ends, except that you get these fun little weapons of mass destruction to play around with every once in a while (in Breath of the Wild the Divine Beasts literally only do one thing).
but then there’s Tears of the Kingdom. which wipes away the Shiekah tech, and its history, completely. Tears of the Kingdom, which gives you access to Zonai tech in its place, except the Zonai tech never turns on you in the catastrophic way that the Shiekah tech did. sure, the Yiga clan uses it sometimes, but they’re always very defeatable. they never create anything like the nightmare devices you see people making on youtube. you can create drones, cages made of electric fencing, anything you can imagine, really, and then stand back and let those devices do the work for you. and this is fine and there’s never any downside.
and, just... idk. it makes me feel like Tears of the Kingdom had nothing to say, really, not like Breath of the Wild did. Tears of the Kingdom took all the worst parts of the storytelling in Breath of the Wild (the memories, the lack of forward momentum), exacerbated them, and removed every ounce of nuance and meaning its original possessed. there’s nothing to be learned here, nothing to be said -- not about weapons of mass destruction (a topic I would definitely expect Japan to have a lot of opinions about), not about the pressure we place on our children, not about grief or loss or learning to live in a shattered world and find meaning and joy in it. they’ve got a few shallow moments where Link gets to rely on his friends, which is nice I guess, but they didn’t really do much with that. story-wise, the whole emphasis is on Zelda and the Zonai, and there is just... really nothing going on there.
so, idk. I think that’s why Tears of the Kingdom just doesn’t work as well for me, story-wise. I really enjoyed the gameplay, and I will say that the ending was much more emotionally satisfying (which is very very important since the end of a video game is supposed to be your reward for all the effort you’ve put in to beat it, especially in a Zelda game), but overall, it was just... missing something. and I think it’s a little sad.
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wayfayrr · 4 months
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Self-conscious captain
the next self aware link and this time it's the captain my favourite boy, warriors!
[masterlist]
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“Hey [Name], I’ve been going through some of my old games to clear things out. I found my copy of Hyrule Warriors and wanted to know if you’d like it?”
“I thought that was one of your favourites though, what’s come into you to give it away like this? Do you want anything for it, I’d feel bad simply taking from you.”
“Nah I got it as a gift anyway, I beat the game and did everything there is to do. Plus I know you’ve been wanting to play it anyway, so please have it.”
There’s something off about this, between how skitterish they’re acting and the fact they’re so willing - that they’re so desperate for me to take their favourite game from them? I’ve got nothing else to go off of though, and they are right I have been planning to buy it. They wouldn’t be offering if they didn’t want me to have it so what is there to lose?
“If you’re sure then. I can’t wait to play through it myself rather than watching you.”
Is there such a thing as too much relief? Because if there is then that was definitely it, with how their shoulders relaxed; all the tension left their body as they handed me the game. Why does this feel like the start of a creepypasta, am I simply gonna go home then suddenly there’s some new version of Ben drowned for me to deal with? I won’t know until I play I guess, but it might be fun. 
There’s no better time than now to learn though, I’ve got the whole afternoon to myself anyway so why not? Putting the game into my switch; booting it all up it seems fine, so there’s nothing there that should have messed with them. It’s up until the first cutscene for anything to even show up that could be wrong. Link’s eyes seem to be focusing on me far more than they should during it, more than what should be possible, with more of a smile than he usually does during this too. Then I finally get to the level.
I can’t control Link, the game seems to be frozen, not a single bokoblin moving, Link is still moving, the camera isn’t even focused on him now and he’s moving closer to the screen. 
“Honeybee? You’re here! I knew your friend would cave pretty face when I pressed them. It’s so nice to have you here alone with me!”
“...What.”
“Oh it’s all alright dear, I did think you’d be a little shocked at first because, well I mean I know this isn’t something that happens very often. Would you be against getting to know me better though?”
What. The. Hell. No wonder they were so eager to pawn the game off to me, a living character that seems to be obsessed with me? If the roles were switched then I’d be throwing it at them as quickly as I could, I’m amazed they could even keep calm for long enough to hand it to me without seeming any more suspicious than they did, he threatened them he’s already admitted that stop lying to yourself [name]. Why does he even want me over the person who actually played as him? None of this makes any sense. 
“I - No I wouldn’t, actually could I ask you some questions too? Just y’know, try to get my head around all of this.”
“I’d be more concerned if you didn’t ask me any, I mean right now? You’re treating me more like an actual person than anyone else ever has.” 
“...”
“Where would you like to start then honeybee? We can take this at your pace, you’re in full control here.”
Where should I start? There are so many different things I want answers to, I could stay here for hours just talking to him to find out everything; now that I think on that, it’s not like I have anything else planned today. I could simply just stay here for a bit and talk, it’s probably the safer option too. If I don’t, do I really want to test the sanity of a sentient game character, no. 
“Um, if it’s all up to me then. Can I ask when you first became aware? Of the fact that you’re you know, a character in a game.”
“Oh, that? Well, it was about three months ago now, two or so weeks before you played with them. They really just saw me as a toy, not caring if I got hurt or anything, which is fair they never knew I was anything more than that; but you didn’t know either and you treated me like a person. You always apologised whenever I took any damage, never tried to get me hurt for your own pleasure or replace me as soon as you could. It was only a matter of time until I started to want you, then it was fairly easy to get eyes in your phone.”
“You've got ‘eyes in my phone?’ what do you mean by that.”
He looks so pleased right now like he wanted me to ask that exact question, it’s such a smug look on his face too. There’s something else to it as well, I can���t pinpoint what but there is certainly another look on his face. With how emotive he is it really doesn’t feel like this is some kind of sick joke, he’s too alive.
“That’s one of the things I’m most proud of!! It was pretty easy when you linked your phone to their switch to download a photo, I just made part of that connection a bit more personal and permanent. I promise I didn’t listen in on anything too private, I swear on Nintendo that I’m not like Cia. I promise.”
“Moving on from… that then. Why’s the real reason you wanted to be with me like this, I mean I get the feeling there’s more to it than you’re letting on.”
“You caught me I actually wa-”
The scowl that crossed his face when he was interrupted by the doorbell was unlike the cheery demeanour he’s been using, it’s almost like he’s angry or jealous of me having my attention split from him; it barely lasts a second though. Before his face swaps to one of remorse possibly because he got so irritated over something so trivial, that needs my focus more than he does right now. 
“I think you already know, but I should go check that. I’ll only be a couple of minutes, it’s probably nothing after all.”
Not even a word, just a nod and a look of rejection as if he was a cat I’d had to move off of me when I turned to go and answer the door. True to my word it wasn’t something that going to take long, simply signing for a couple of parcels. It only took me a few minutes to collect it and then start heading back to my room, I’ll be able to open them while I talk to Link after all. Really it would be cruel to make him wait after everything else he’s been through, even if he’s been monitoring… most of my movements, is it bad that I still feel bad after knowing that?
A shrill yelp followed by a shattering sound right when I was about to go back in wasn’t the best sign, the worst thing is that this time there wasn’t a digital overlay. Did someone break in - or break out? Only one way to find out.
“Honeybee? I - I’m sorry I - I really was trying to keep it in one piece.”
He’s out of the game.
Link is in my room bawling his eyes out because he accidentally broke my LED screen, the hero of hyrule is standing in my bedroom crying his eyes out because he broke a piece of glass. Earlier there was always a feeling of him trying to come off as likeable to me, to the point where it was manipulative, he wouldn’t even consider the idea of me not liking him. Now it’s like he’s having a panic attack at the possibility that I won’t like him because he broke my monitor. 
“I - I’ll do anything to make it up to you. Please - just - I - I didn’t mean to break it.”
“Link -”
“My clothes would probably be worth a fortune to someone right? I - I mean it’s an actual set of armour from the Hyrulian forces - it’s real chainmail. If you sell it - it’ll more than make up the cost, right? You won’t hate me if I did that, right?”
“Link. I don’t hate you, it was an accident and even if it wasn’t I would forgive you.”
That seemed to snap him out of it, if only a little; he’s still crying but now he’s not rambling about ways to make it up to me. He clearly seems to want me, even if I still don’t entirely get why so maybe I could; opening my arms proves the fact that he really does just want some affection. Waiting wasn’t even on the cards as he practically dove into my arms barely seconds after looking at me for permission. 
“You really don’t hate me then? Really? Even though I’m not as good as the other games?”
“I don’t hate you for wanting to get out of what was essentially your prison or - you being as good as the other games? Your game is different but it’s just as good”
“But - you and your friend both said it. I - I’m not canon. You still treated me well that‘s why I fell for you, but I’m still - I’m still less than the other games. So I just, I really wanted to prove to you that I can be the only one for you [name]”
Stroking his hair seems to be calming him down now, the tears are slowing and his breathing is evening out the longer I stay here with him; only a few more moments until I should be able to get some answers from him. Adjusting to having a roommate might be a little strange, he really does seem nice though, nicer than anyone else I’ve ever met. Wait no I’ve only really just met him, why am I already thinking about that? It’s something to consider for certain - oh come on, just admit to yourself that you love this. He cares so why not see where it all goes?
“Canon just describes the story, it doesn’t change anything about you and I’m sorry if it’s ever seemed like that link. Come on, I'll clean the glass up, then you can finish explaining things okay?”
“No wait, it’s my fault, let me clean it up for you. If nothing else, please honey.”
“You don’t have to, it’s not a bother.”
So he already knows his teary puppy face can get me to agree to anything, he’s been here for less than a few hours and it already feels like we’re in a relationship as he knows me inside out… Which makes sense given that he has been watching me through my phone. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad if I stopped fighting against what he’s offering.  The gloves he’s wearing make picking up shards less painful than it would be otherwise, doesn’t take him that long either.
Long enough for something to flicker on my switch, but that can wait.
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skyloftian-nutcase · 11 months
Note
Smth fluffy with Four and... how about Hyrule, for the writing prompts? Maybe they go exploring together or smth.
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(@tempestraccoon @artisticgamer @luckybyrdrobyn)
This developed into a whole freaking fic, so here you :)
(AO3 link)
With a new world to explore, the team had split to cover more ground and get a better understanding of where they were. Four and Hyrule had paired up and were spending some amicable time chatting and wandering the forest before it slanted downward into a gorge, rock replacing soil, mossy stone replacing trees, and a mist overtook them quickly. When they reached the open maw of an enormous cave, Hyrule immediately pulled out a candle, lighting it with a flick of magic.
Four stared at the cave hesitantly, glancing back at the mist that encased them. The world around them was lost in hazy white. "We should inform the others before we go too far."
Hyrule shot a cheeky grin over his shoulder. "What's the matter? You scared of a dungeon?"
Four pursed his lips, mildly annoyed. He wasn't scared, thank you very much. He just wanted to be sure everyone was informed. Communication was important in--
"Hey!" he shouted as Hyrule wandered ahead, heedless of his statement. "Ugh, fine, wait for me!"
The fog seeped into the cave alongside the teenagers, reflecting Hyrule's candlelight. It danced and swirled, creating false movement that made both of them jump, though it was clear Four had a bit more apprehension to him than Hyrule did. When the traveler giggled at Four jumping once more, reaching for his blade as the fog teased him again with its motions, the smithy grumbled and marched forward blindly, smacking face first into a stone wall.
"You okay?" Hyrule asked.
Four rubbed his nose and felt the cool, damp stone. "Yeah, but we're either walking in circles or this cave isn't actually a dungeon."
Hyrule squinted, moving his candle forward a little bit. As he glanced around the space, Four noticed cracks in the walls, water dribbling lazily along the paths they created. Then he smiled.
"Wait!" he pushed Hyrule away from the wall and pulled out a bomb. "I have an idea."
He lit and tossed the bomb quickly, and both heroes grabbed their shields to protect themselves from the blast after taking a few steps away. The explosion rocked the cave and shoved the fog out of the space, giving them a clear path ahead through the jagged hole Four had created. The water dripped more heavily now, and the two walked ahead side by side. A pressure difference between the cave's entrance and the dungeon proper blew out Hyrule's candle, and their faces were lit with the glow of multicolored crystals, radiating the space in an enchanting splendor. The pair smiled as one and rushed ahead, original mission forgotten.
The entrance to the dungeon was enormous, with high stone ceilings and stalactites and stalagmites creating pillars that served as canvases for the reflective light emitting from the pools of water in the area. A waterfall was at the far side, spraying the area with mist.
"It's a water temple!" Four breathed with wonder.
"What are we waiting for?" Hyrule exclaimed with a laugh, grabbing Four's wrist. "Let's go!"
"Wait we need to find the next door--"
"I see it, it's behind the waterfall!"
Hyrule reached into his adventure pouch and pulled out an entire raft, tossing it onto the water and hopping aboard before dragging Four. The pair attempted to steer the little raft with their hands, but the current of the waterfall was too strong, so Four slipped his flippers on and dove into the water to push the raft while Hyrule cheered him on and assisted as best he could.
As soon as they'd cleared the waterfall, the current stopped pushing against them and instead pulled so harshly Four nearly lost grip of the raft entirely. Hyrule hastily dragged him aboard as the entrance behind the waterfall quickly turned into a water slide, leaving both boys yelling as they slid with a speed Four didn't even want to fathom.
The tunnel swiveled back and forth, pushing the raft nearly onto the walls entirely as they splashed back and forth, making their way to the bottom. Eventually it ended in yet another waterfall, sending the boys flying off Hyrule's raft and straight into the frigid depths.
Four's flippers allowed for him to move briskly, grabbing Hyrule and dragging him to the surface just in time to see a snakelike water monster with teeth the length of Four's hands speeding towards them. Four yelped, pulling Hyrule with him as he desperately searched for the raft. Instead, he found a singular small island made of stone and made a beeline for it as the monster attracted more similar looking friends, all snapping at his heels.
The boys crashed onto the island, one of Four's flippers caught the eel's teeth. The smithy let out a yell, and Hyrule dug his blade into the eel's forehead, making it release his friend. The pair panted for air as the remainder of the beasts swirled the island just out of reach.
"Now what?" Hyrule muttered as Four examined his thankfully undamaged flipper. The room was eerily lit, bathed in red light from crystals in the walls and the earth below. It stained the water a murky burgundy color and outlined the silhouettes of countless amphibious beasts.
"These dungeons usually have themes," Four surmised, rising and looking around. "The entrance had lots of colors, for instance. This room is only red. Maybe there's something from that?"
"Fire!" Hyrule said with a clap of his hands.
"Traveler, we don't always have to set things on fire," Four deadpanned. Honestly, the freckled teenager was worse than Wild sometimes.
"No, look!" Hyrule pointed up. Four followed his finger and traced around the large area, spotting four stalactites with single candle chandeliers hanging from each. The candles were unlit.
Four's smile matched Hyrule's. "Okay, fire it is!"
Hyrule focused, his eyes glowing mildly in the darkness as he thrust his sword towards one of the chandeliers, sending a fireball towards it. It hit the stalactite just above, and the traveler huffed a little.
"It's so dark," he grumbled. "Let me try again."
Four watched him hesitantly. "Traveler, doesn't that spell take a lot of energy?"
"It's only four candles," Hyrule said dismissively.
"Yeah, which means you have to cast it four times, assuming you hit it the first time," Four noted. "We should go back and--"
Four stopped mid sentence with the grim realization that they couldn't go back. He couldn't swim against that current while pulling Hyrule along.
Great. He shouldn't have gone along with this... but he had to admit his curiosity was piqued at this point. He just wished he'd been a bit more prepared for it.
"What if we make our own fire arrows?" Four suggested. He grabbed five arrows from his quiver and placed them on the ground. "Use your spell to light the tips and then we can fire them at the candles."
Hyrule brightened at that. "Okay!"
With a brief moment of concentration, he swung his sword once more as it sent a blaze of energy outward.
Four realized his mistake just before the spell made contact with the arrows. Hyrule quickly recognized the issue immediately afterward.
The arrows were a sad little pile of ash with a black spot burnt into the stone.
"We need less fire."
"Yeah."
The pair was silent as they pondered the dilemma, and Hyrule snapped his fingers. "What about the candle? We can light the arrows with the flame from the wick."
Four smiled in delight. "That just might work!"
With that, Hyrule pulled out his candle and lit it carefully. Four crouched down to light the tip of an arrow, which slowly warmed before flames licked at the wood around the stony point. Four aimed hastily, the flames moving quickly up the shaft, and let the arrow loose.
Just a hair too short.
Biting his lip, he tried again, and this time the arrow flew true. Both heroes jumped and laughed with glee. Hyrule aimed next, his arrow managing to hit the candle while Four lit the opposite one.
Four's chest bubbled with excitement as they worked together. He was used to working as a group, but it was literally with himself. This was filling a void he didn't even realize he'd had.
He supposed he didn't realize how lonely being his own companion could be. He'd had Ezlo on his first journey, at least. But here he didn't just have a companion, he had an equal, a fellow Hero of Courage.
He was suddenly grateful they'd stumbled onto this place.
With the final candle lit, the room shuddered, and the water around them drained down to the stone at the bottom. The volatile fish flailed helplessly, and Four and Hyrule eagerly jumped down and eliminated them with their swords. Hyrule retrieved his raft, stuffing it back into his pouch, and the pair looked around for clues.
The entranceway to the next room became apparent when they turned to look back at their little stone island. The base of it held an open doorway, with stairs leading downward.
Hyrule raised his candle while Four grabbed his lantern, and the pair walked down a spiraling staircase together. The red glow of the previous room faded, leaving them with their respective lights to guide the way.
"I missed this," Hyrule commented. "Adventuring isn't all about just fighting monsters, you know? It's about discovering things and figuring out puzzles!"
Four had to laugh at that. "My adventures were usually kicked off by something, rather than looking for puzzles to solve. But I have to admit, they are fun."
As is the company.
"I wonder when we'll find the compass and map," Four thought aloud.
Hyrule waved a dismissive hand and trilled his lips. "We'll figure it out, don't worry."
Four shot him a flat look, but any response from him was interrupted as they entered a new room.
This new room was smaller than the previous, but had a taller ceiling. The crystals here glowed bright blue, and there were holes in the ground where water would spout out with enough pressure to create a geyser that nearly reached the stalactites. When Four traced up the geyser's path, he saw handles hanging from the stalactites just above them. The room had multiple platforms, most of which were far out of Four and Hyrule's reach, and the floor was littered with what looked like lily pads and little glowing stones of different shapes. They almost looked like kinstones!
"Well... water's the theme for this room, I guess," Hyrule surmised, staring at the geysers. "But I wonder what the end goal is?"
"I don't see an exit," Four commented as he glanced around the room. "I mean, there are platforms, but..."
He trailed off as his eyes hit something that looked eerily familiar. It was a symbol in the opposite wall, carved in and glowing bright blue. It consisted of two parallel lines pointing straight downward before angling together to join at a point.
The point had a key hole in it.
"We're looking for a key," Four breathed, his mind buzzing with all the ideas that were floating through it. What was that symbol? Why was it familiar? How were they going to find a key when there were no treasure chests in the room? Did they miss something in the previous room?
"Maybe one of the levers reveals a chest?" Hyrule suggested, staring at the geysers.
"Let's see," Four offered, walking towards one of the geysers. He placed his shield over the hole when the water settled and waited. When the pressure built up and the geyser returned, it shot him into the air with a yelp. He did his best to maintain his balance, excited and terrified all at the same time, and was satisfied when he felt even on his feet. Reaching up, he stretched his fingers to grasp the lever...
Only to realize he was too short to reach it, even with the help of the water geyser.
Hyrule laughed. "Need a hand?"
Four's very sour response was cut off when the geyser settled, sending him falling to the ground. Hyrule ran over to try and catch him and only succeeded in serving as a cushion as Four landed directly on him. Both teenagers groaned, slowly disentangling themselves from each other just in time to roll out of the way as the geyser returned.
When the water subsided, Hyrule pulled out his own shield to emulate Four's previous action. The smithy simply huffed, crossing his arms and watching as Hyrule was blasted into the air. The traveler reach and managed to curl his fingers around the handle, and when the geyser disappeared, Hyrule maintained his hold, preventing him from falling rapidly and also yanking the lever downward.
For a moment, nothing happened, and then all the holes in the floor gurgled, water slowly rising out of them. It started to flood the room, and Four looked around wildly for a place to climb. There were still those elevated platforms--
Oh, wait, the lily pads were rising too! Those gems on them had to be useful for something.
Of course, the real concern was whether the water was going to continue rising and they'd have to flee into the stairwell so they wouldn't drown.
Four began to worry when the water reached up to his chest, and he called for Hyrule to let go so they could get out of there, and then the bubbling from the holes suddenly stopped.
"Each lever is for a different water level," Hyrule explained from where he hung, pointing to the platforms. "Look! You can push the lily pads to the first platform!"
With a relieved sigh, Four slowly waddled through the water before giving up and just swimming. Putting his flippers on made the venture much faster, and he started tracking down lily pads. But it soon became apparent that they weren't just floating pads, but had stalks attached that would only stretch so far.
Some of the pads wouldn't reach the platform. And the platform had lily pads as well, with some gems matching the ones on their level.
"Okay," Four parsed out. "This platform has a purple and a red stone, and they're cut a certain way. The main level has purple, red, orange, green, and pink."
Hyrule finally let go of the lever, tucking in his legs to land smoothly in the water. Immediately, the water began to recede.
"Wait!" Four shouted, but it was too late. The room dried out, and the geysers returned.
Hyrule and Four both sighed. This might take a while to figure out.
Or it might take multiple people to pull levers.
Four shook his head. He'd cross that bridge if need be, but he'd rather not. Not if there was another solution. Most dungeons were designed to be solvable alone.
Well. Mostly. Sort of.
The pair spent the next five minutes figuring out which lever did what and how they could use it to their advantage. There were three in total, one on the left, one in the center, and one on the right. The one on the left brought the lowest level of water, center brought highest, and right bright medium. The geysers didn't come when any lever was activated, and it would only stay that way while Hyrule was actively hanging off it.
It was a good thing there was two of them. Four would have definitely had to split to solve this room. Hyrule would have had to figure something else out entirely.
The real issue was trying to match the stones with whatever platform was closest based on the stalk length. It quickly became apparent that not only did they need to match the color, but also the shape - certain stones fit together. The red created a handle, the purple a stalk, the pink and orange were the biting edge of the key, and the green slid overtop the blade end of the purple stalk. At least, that's what Four had managed to figure out. He was fairly good at matching stones together, after all.
Hyrule worked on which water level to choose while Four ascertained how to fit the pieces together. Together, the pair managed to finally get the key assembled, and Hyrule finally fell into the water as Four swam to the last destination. The water drained out of the room, and all that was left was to go to the symbol.
Hyrule flexed his fingers, rubbing his hands against his tunic as Four shivered a little from being completely soaked. "That took a bit of work, but it was fun! I'm glad you were here, that would have taken forever to solve by myself."
"You figured out the water levels," Four pointed out with a smile. He wasn't going to admit that he was grateful for other reasons, but he did feel compelled to remind the traveler that he was just as good at these puzzles as Four.
Hyrule shrugged sheepishly. "Let's figure out what this leads to. Do you think it's a boss key? Maybe this is a mini-dungeon."
Four had to admit, he was starting to hope it was. They didn't have food provisions, and it felt like it had been hours since he'd last eaten. Still, he was willing to continue on this adventure with his friend.
The pair walked to the wall, and Four slowly inserted the key into the symbol, gently pushing it along so it slid into place.
The wall shuddered and split right down the center of the symbol, pulling it apart and revealing the next room. As Hyrule and Four entered, the wall slammed shut behind them, making both jump a little before they tensed with anticipation.
This had to be a boss room.
The area consisted of multiple stone islands that shifted, rising and falling above the water level. The only island that remained stagnant was against the opposite wall, and it was entirely taken up by an enormous purple clam shell that was closed. A single, solitary lever hung from a stalactite in the center of the room.
"So is the boss in the water, or in the shell?" Four whispered.
"Guess there's only one way to find out," Hyrule noted, stepping ahead.
Four sighed and followed, examining the surroundings to see what they could use to their advantage. The clam shell opened slowly, making both heroes freeze, and Four felt his heart stop for a moment.
Was that Sky?
Someone who looked just like Sky was lying motionless in the clam. Had the boss monster gotten hold of their friend?
"Sky!" Four called out, rushing ahead and skipping over multiple islands as Hyrule yelled after him.
"Smithy, wait! We don't know if--"
Hyrule's words were drowned out in the echoing chamber as Four called out again to get their brother's attention. How had Sky gotten down here? Had he solved all the puzzles only to get defeated at this point? What was that beast doing to him?
Where was his companion? Sky had gone off with Warriors! Where was the captain?!
Four finally reached the stone that had the clam and then he felt his stomach lurch in realization.
Sky's legs, which were hidden from a distance, weren't legs at all.
They were a white tail.
"What in the name of--" Four choked back the rest of his exclamation when Sky's eyes snapped open to reveal nothing but blood red staring at him, and he let out a hiss with sharp teeth.
"Four, get away from it, that's not Sky!!" Hyrule shouted. "It's a shapeshifting beast, get out of there!"
Four leapt off the platform and gasped as the island he landed on slid into the water. The beast pulled itself out of the clam shell with unnerving speed before dragging itself into the water. Four felt his heart jolt knowing he was in the monster's element and had little chance in fighting it while in the water. At leas the could swim a little faster with--
His world lurched as the beast grabbed him by the leg, its claws digging into him as he let out a scream of pain. Then it lurched again when its squealed and released him and he was yanked out by his tunic. Hyrule was on his raft, bow in hand as the beast pulled an arrow out of its arm. At least it now held very little resemblance to Sky aside from its hair and facial structure. The fangs, claws, red eyes, and fin left very little doubt that it was not, in fact, their friend.
But what if it was Sky?! What if something had changed him, had made him into a beast?! If Twilight could use shadow magic to turn into a wolf, what could stop something else from turning one of their brothers into a monster?
Hyrule fired off another arrow, which the beast swatted easily with its tail before tearing after them at a speed that made Four want to scream. An island erupted up beneath them, beaching the raft and saving them temporarily as the beast backed off and circled the land. When it tried to breach the surface and pull itself ashore, Hyrule loosed another arrow, making the beast hiss and retreat.
"Smithy, you have to snap out of it!" Hyrule yelled. "It isn't Sky!"
The ground shuddered, indicating that the island was about to disappear. Four took a breath, focusing, and pulled out a bomb, nodding at Hyrule, who followed suit. The pair drew the beast out so it surfaced and threw bombs just as the island vanished beneath them. The blast pushed the raft away a good distance while also throwing the beast back with a shriek.
"The only way we can fight that thing is by drawing it to land," Hyrule said, looking around for the other islands.
"The land doesn't stick around long enough to do that!" Four argued. Then he glanced upward. "Wait--we need to figure out what that lever does, but there's no geyser or way to get to it!"
"Leave that to me," Hyrule said with firm resolve, eyes narrowed in determination. "We just need to steer it that way. I'll cover you, but you'll have to push the raft."
The two looked at each other a moment, a silent question passing between them. Four nodded. He could handle it. Slipping into the water, he started to steer the raft with as much haste as he could muster, slipping his power bracelets on to help him. Between the two items they moved almost as quickly as the beast.
Almost.
The creature started to gain on them just as they reached the center of the room. Hyrule crouched down, arrow nocked and ready, but Four called out to say they were approaching. There was no way they were going to be able to linger in the center, so whatever trick Hyrule had up his sleeve he had to pull it while they were moving.
The traveler glanced upward, calcualting the distance, and put his bow and arrow away. He took a deep breath and leapt, magic pushing outward as he flew high into the air, grabbing hold of the lever just as the beast snagged Four's leg once more. Four yelled and kicked, trying to pull himself onto the raft when the water started swirling, pulling both him and the beast in a whirlpool that had begun to form. Four grew both dizzy and nauseous, adrenaline making him try to keep track of where the monster was, to the point that he lost sight of his own surroundings until he slammed into one of the islands that had risen up.
Groaning, he held onto the island for dear life, shoving a hand into his pouch to find his grip ring so he could try to scale the slippery stone. The beast screamed as it tore by him continuously, trying to reach him with each successive pass. Four eventually started to climb, coughing out water and choking out, "Don't let go!"
"Are you okay?!" he could barely hear Hyrule, but the words were clear enough in his ringing mind.
Gasping for air, Four managed to drag himself to the top of the island only for it to sink, plunging him into the whirlpool once more, though this time, the water had seemed to have gotten shallower.
Ah. Because there was a giant endless pit in the center of the room now.
Swimming frantically, he and the beast both barely managed to escape falling into the hole, leaving them floundering on the stony ground that was revealed. outlines of islands that had been rising and sinking were apparent now, and Four scrambled for one, tripping over his flippers as the tailed beast tried to drag itself towards him.
Well, at least they had managed to beach the creature.
Groaning, Four finally made it to the island as it rose, holding his leg that had now been injured twice. Blood was oozing out of multiple cuts, some deep enough to make his stomach mildly queasy. He pulled off the flippers no longer needing them, and looked up at Hyrule, who was watching him worriedly.
"I'm fine!" he called. "Just don't let go! This is the only way we're going to be able to fight it!"
Hyrule nodded, his eyes still worried, but his face was set in stone.
Four readied himself, drawing his sword and shield as the island fell, taking him with it. The beast was awaiting him, pushing its torso into the air with its tail as it snarled and reached out for him with its claws. He deflected a blow with his shield, reaching in to attack it before getting smacked away by its tail, which was surprisingly limber despite its thickness.
And goddesses above, it hurt.
With the wind knocked out of him, Four took too long to recover as the beast half dragged, half slithered its way to him. He yelped and pulled out a bomb, but he was cornered and would either blow himself up in the process or run right into the beast's clutches.
This was getting out of hand. He needed Hyrule's help.
Well. What he needed was an extra fighter.
He was outmaneuvered and he knew it. He could either shrink down to try and be harder to reach (and probably get squished in the process) or...
Gritting his teeth, he squeezed the handle of his sword tightly, feeling the magic activate. His mind screamed, his body felt suddenly too tight and too loose, his sternum felt like it was being ripped in half twice over. Rage at the monster, worry over whether it truly was a shapeshifter or not, logic telling him to focus on the moment, and a desire to protect Hyrule and get them out of here split into pieces, becoming overwhelming voices driving him insane until they separated entirely. The beast quadrupled in appearance, magic sealed the tears in his very being, and the four colors stood in the original hero's stead, glaring at the beast with equal measure.
Blue growled, swinging his his blade at the beast's arm as Red flinched a little, looking away from its face. Vio watched the monster move as Green charged ahead as well, aiming for its other arm.
The beast flinched back, overwhelmed and caught off guard. Blue let out a laugh. "Yeah, take that you asshole!"
"Does it even have one...?" Vio wondered quietly before shaking his head. "We need to corner it."
"We're absolutely sure it isn't Sky, right?" Red asked in spite of edging a head, blade at the ready.
"Trust the Traveler!" Green said as he circled around to get behind the monster.
Red nodded and glanced up worriedly at said Hero to find Hyrule staring at them with wide eyes. A different worry crossed Red's face and then he shook his head.
"Let's go!" Blue shouted as he charged once more since Green and Vio flanked the beast. Its tail whipped around to knock Vio back only for Green to leap on top of it and stab into it. The beast shrieked, distrated and aiming its claws for Green just as Red bashed its arm away with his shield while Blue cut into its skin, only to find that its flesh was much thicker than expected. The beast flailed even more, screeching, knocking Green off and flinging Vio across to a rock island just as it rose, knocking him out cold. Red called out to his companion, but Green waved him off.
"Not now!" he said. "We need to kill it before it can hurt anybody else!"
"Pin it in place!" Hyrule called from where he was. "Bring it beneath where I am and pin it in place!"
The three immediately knew what the traveler had in mind and nodded with smiles. Blue led it first, cutting and tucking himself to roll and avoid a counterattack. The beast's tail whirled, stopping by Green's shield, even though it did make the hero stumble. The three slowly started to corral the beast towards the center of the room, careful to dodge islands as they moved. Eventually, Green looked up and smirked.
"We got him!" he said to the other two. "Now keep it here!"
Red thrust his sword forward to make the beast hiss and recoil a little, only for Blue to yell and land a cut on its back. It pivoted in place, trying to keep the three at bay, and Green called, "Now!"
Hyrule let go, pulling out his sword. He tucked his legs above his blade, and just as Blue drove the beast away just a hair, Hyrule's blade sank into its spine with a clean slice, the sound of steel cutting to bone whirling around the room as the water had before.
The world stilled for a moment and then the beast collapsed. Hyrule rolled off, pulling out his blade in a swift motion.
"HELL YEAH!" Blue yelled, bumping elbows with the traveler. "That was a great move, Traveler!"
Red smiled encouragingly before rushing off towards Vio. Hyrule stared at the four, baffled, and then ran after Red just as the other two Colors did. Water was already pooling, filling the room back up as the beast disintegrated into dust. Red quickly pulled Vio off the ground so he wouldn't drown.
"Okay, but how--?" Hyrule asked, pointing at all of them. "What?"
Green sighed as Blue helped Red prop Vio against the wall. "The Four Sword is able to, well, split us into four people. It's... uncomfortable magic, but it has its uses."
"Wait, so are you, like four people or are you..." Hyrule stopped mid question, shaking his head. "You know what, never mind. Let me take a look at him."
Pulling out his raft, he motioned for eveyrone to get aboard just as the water started reaching their knees, and then he knelt by Vio. Letting his hands glow, he hovered them over Vio's head, and the purple clad hero started to groan and move a little.
"Did we win...?" he slurred.
Blue smiled. "Yeah."
Vio's gaze shifted to Hyrule, and he stiffened a little. "Oh. Hi."
"Hi," Hyrule greeted with a smile beforelooking at all of them. "So... wait... if one of you is injured, does that mean you all are? Because the rest of you..."
"We'll have a headache when we rejoin," Green explained. "But it looks like you cleared up the worst of it, anyway."
"Thanks, Traveler," Red said, face beaming. "You're always so willing to help, we really appreciate you."
Hyrule flushed, a little embarrassed and not sure how to take the compliment, and Green took that as a cue.
"Come on," he prompted, reaching for his sword. The others nodded, mirroring him, and before Hyrule could blink the four were one once more.
Four groaned, a little woozy, and Hyrule immediately helped him sit on the raft.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Four nodded, swallowing bile. His thoughts were going to be a disaster for the next day or so, but he'd live. He felt too big and too small, too whole and too broken. He hated splitting.
Movement distracted him, and he blinked the blurriness away in the distance to see the clam shell that held the beast moving aside. Pointing it out, he let Hyrule steer the raft towards the island as they saw an exit glowing in the wall.
"No prize?" Hyrule huffed.
"Wait, I think I see a chest!" Four said, just as eager as Hyrule to find something after all that headache.
The chest was white in color, intricate carvings embroidering its surface, and the pair squeezed together to open it, eyes wide with eager curiosity.
There was a manuscript made of violet crystal, notes carved into its shimmering surface.
"A melody?" Hyrule reached into his adventure pouch and pulled out a flute, glancing at the tablet for a moment before hesitantly playing notes. He stumbled over a few as Four listened, and then the smithy pulled out an ocarina and tried it as well.
"I wonder what it does?" Four asked as Hyrule continued practicing. He looked around to see if the exit was visible before realizing the bright light was just coming from a hole far, far above them. How were they going to get up there?
Sighing, he glanced back and nearly jumped out of his skin as he screamed. Hyrule immediately stopped playing and whirled, only to be met with the same sight.
The beast was back. But now it looked like Hyrule, and its reddish eyes were a soft pink, its face calm and placid, its posture demure and curious.
Four added shapeshifters to his list of most disturbing things I've encountered. As if his mind wasn't spinning enough.
"The melody pacifies it!" Hyrule realized. "Smithy, this is our ticket out of here!"
Comprehension dawned on Four, and he hesitantly reached forward. The world spun dizzyingly as his brain panicked over only having one arm reach forward and not four, and he shook his head to rid himself of the feeling. Hyrule steadied him, watching him worriedly.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked softly as the beast cocked its head to the side curiosity, Four's own face staring back at him.
"Yeah," Four answered shakily. "It's... not something I usually like doing. Splitting, I mean. It's... a lot."
"No kidding," Hyrule acknowledged. "Is that why you haven't told anyone?"
"Champion knows," Four remarked.
Their conversation was interrupted as the shapeshifter moved a little, growing tense. Hyrule put his flute to his lips and played again, and the beast settled.
"Can you take us to the surface?" Four asked the creature.
Hyrule's beastly mirror image smiled and wiggled to face the entrance back to the boss room. It dragged itself gently to the water and slid in before looking back at them.
"Do you think you have to play the entire time?" Four whispered through the corner of his mouth as he gave a hesitant thumbs up to the beast.
"Maybe one more time for good measure," Hyrule threw back with a nervous laugh.
After ensuring the sea creature was indeed pacified, the pair gingerly slipped into the water. The beast wrapped an arm around each of them and swam swiftly, tearing downward into the gaping maw that sucked the water out before. Four and Hyrule glanced at each other through the water, holding their breath and trying not to panic, but then light started to shine as they zipped through the hole. A kaleidoscope of colors danced before them as they passed walls littered with glittering crystals of varying hues, and they quickly breached the surface.
They were back at the main entrance room, the waterfall crashing behind them.
"Thank you," Four said. The beast hummed and sank back into the water.
"All that just to learn how to charm a sea monster," Hyrule said softly. Then he sighed and smiled. "At least it was an adventure!"
Four huffed out a laugh. Yes, he supposed it was. But there was still one question that lingered in his mind, and no doubt was in Hyrule's as well as the pair exited the cave entirely.
"Smithy! Traveler!"
The pair jumped and looked ahead to see that the mist had cleared, revealing Sky and Warriors heading their way.
"Oh, did you find the cave too?" Warriors questioned as he approached them, sharp eyes scanning for injuries. He lingered on Four, probably immediately noticing the blood stains on his leg and head.
"Yeah!" Hyrule nodded, though his excitement wasn't quite as bright as it had been when they'd entered. "Wait, did you guys find it too?"
"Alongside a vile creature, yes," Warriors remarked. Then he clapped Sky on the back. "Sky managed to land the killing blow."
The realization snapped into place with resounding clarity.
"It takes the form of whatever defeats it," Four gasped.
Sky tipped his head to the side. "Huh?"
"It's a shapeshifter," Hyrule explained with a wave. "Did you guys find the melody?"
"Yeah!" Sky immediately answered. "The sea people love it!"
"The--who??"
"There's a whole community of them up the river," Warriors said, motioning with his head and smirking. "You should've seen Vet's face. Come on, we'll show you. Smithy... are you able to make it that far?"
Four let out a laugh, relieved that everything was finally making sense. "Yeah, I'll be fine. You two lead on."
Sky lingered a moment longer, clearly also noticing Four's injury, but when the sword smith gave him a reassuring smile, the skyborn knight nodded and walked alongside the captain. Hyrule and Four stood in place for a moment before glancing at each other.
"Thanks for the help in there," Four said softly.
Hyrule smiled brightly. "We're all heroes, Link. You were amazing."
Four laughed. "Well, come on, if we stand still any longer Sky's gonna start fretting."
The brothers walked ahead, their next adventure awaiting them.
61 notes · View notes
skoulsons · 11 months
Text
minor totk spoilers
-
so. I just think it’s so funny that like… six years ago (and even up until totk was released), people were goofing off in the Faron region and elsewhere of botw and being like “whoa look at these statues and hints at an ancient civilization” and then theories every five minutes about the zonai and who they were and what they were and their whole deal and all that good stuff. and everyone was like “man I hope the sequel does something about this bc it’d be pretty cool to have this all in canon”
and not even two minutes into gameplay and Zelda is like “ZONAI ZONAI ZONAI LOOK AT ALL THIS ZONAI STUFF LINK DID YOU KNOW THE ZONAI ARE A THING AND THAT THEY MINGLED WITH THE HYLIANS TO CREATE HYRULE AND THEY LIVED IN THE SKY AND HAD POWERS”
not to also mention- hearing Zelda say “Demon King” had me doing somersaults around my room. Ganondorf my king how I’ve missed you
I guess we got what we asked for 😭
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luimagines · 5 months
Text
Soulmates from the Start Part 6
Another commission!
It's extra long this time. :D And guess who couldn't finish the story in one go like I thought I would?
Masterlist
First Chapter/ Previous Chapter/ Next Chapter
Content under the cut!
Twilight was too busy being stuck in his own head to fully take into account what was happening around him.
You had mentioned bokoblins.
Bokoblins.
You had never mentioned them before. At least not in the way that told him they were near you. You had once told him, years ago when you both were fantasizing about meeting each other, that you were far away from Hyrule. You said that you didn’t have bokoblins where you were from.
You said ‘Bokoblins suck. I didn’t think they were as big as they actually were. Did you know they smell? I feel like I’m going to pass out.’
Twilight wasn’t sure he was processing that right. It would have to have been the first time you had seen a bokoblin in person for you to say that. Bokoblins were only in Hyrule.
YOU WERE IN HYRULE.
The knowledge of being so close to you had frozen him in place. Twilight could only vaguely recognize that The Champion, with all his loyalty, was sitting next to him. He noted that the stances were eerily similar to what has happened many times before.
However this time the roles were versed.
Wild had sat him down against a tree while he kept his guard up. Twilight would be thankful later, when he was done trying to make everything make sense in his own head. The Rancher knew he was in no position to even remotely defend himself at this moment.
What else had you said? What else could he decipher if he tried hard enough?
No idea. I heard a horn and then an arrow shot by my foot. I just took off running.
Twilight wants to bite off his own tongue. Everything stopped once he heard you were in danger again. He was too focused on trying to not panic and make it worse for you. He was such a useless soulmate. Everything in his body was telling him to find you, to protect you, to hold you close and tend to every cut and cruise that would have been inflicted on you should he have been even a hair too late.
He heard a horn too but it was Hyrule, Warrior and Time that had gone to investigate the nearby monsters. It would be foolish to think that it was in any way related. 
Twilight shook his head, feeling things calm down in his head to think clearly again. It was incredible luck for you to be in Hyrule as it was. Anything more would be asking for too much. But he could work with this. He was a hunter to some degree. He was a wolf for a reason whether he liked it or not.
He was going to find you.
He was going to meet you and hug you and follow through every promise he had ever made to you since he fell in love with you.
There are a lot of them. He has to make up for lost time.
***
You all but screamed.
How is this possible? How are you here? How is he here? Wait-! You DO recognize him! You’ve seen him before!
Fully aware that you’ve been staring at the poor boy as if he had grown a second head, you give him your hand to shake. It was slow and robotic. Your limbs didn’t want to cooperate just yet.
The boy laughs under his breath as you shake hands. “I don’t bite.”
“...Right…” You force a smile on your face. It’s awkward and tight. You remember him now, even though you’re not entirely sure from what game he belongs to. His clothes and appearance are too unassuming. There’s nothing to tell him apart from all the other Links you’ve seen in your life. However, he travels with Link. Your Link. Your Link should be somewhere nearby.
Your muscles tense with the idea of getting to see him after so many years of pining. You introduce yourself to the person in front of you first and dust yourself off. Everything hurts and you’re tired. But instead your brian is now going a thousand miles a minute.
Link is here. Link is close. You’re in Hyrule. You’re in Hyrule.
The Link who is not your Link tilts his head as you speak. “That’s an unusual name. You’re not from around here, are you?”
You shake your head with a weak grin. “What gave it away? My ears?”
You tease by exposing the ears that would have no doubt made you stick out like a sore thumb in this type of world. As it stands, you figure you might as well get it out of the way as it is. You’re not entirely sure how it’ll blow over but the only person who’s even remotely connected to people with round ears is your Link. You’re hoping beyond hope that this little thing will lead him closer to you, if only so they don’t send you away immediately now that you’re saved.
“Hyrule? Find anything interesting? Where’s the person that screamed?” Another voice calls out. It’s deeper. Far more deeper than you would have anticipated, and yet, you know it too. Although far more intimately that you would have realized at first.
Within moments, a man steps into the little space you’ve found yourself in and looks you up and down. A vague sting reminds you of your current injuries but you’re struck dumb at the look of him. So familiar, yet so different. He’s younger. He’s alive.
“Hero’s Shade…” You whisper under your breath. Do you make eye contact? Is that rude? Would that be a threat? Oh my god- he’s the Hero of Time! Isn’t he related to your Link? Wouldn’t he be related to you too? Maybe? By marriage? God- you hoped so. At least in your future. It would mean that Link would have forgiven you for pushing him away and for what you still have to confess now that you’re here in person. It would be awful to do so in front of all these other people but they deserve to know.
Guilt sinks deep into your gut and you feel your face get warm at the very thought of it.
What would they think of you when you tell them?
“Do you require immediate medical assistance?” He asks you instead, unaware of the turmoil going on in your head.
You shake your head and pull your arms close to your body. He nods once and gestures for you to follow. “Come. We’ll tend to you first before we move on.”
“O-oh…” They’re taking you with them anyway? At least for now it looks like. Your feet feel like lead but you follow them.
“All clear!” A third voice calls out when you step back onto the path. He looks straight out of a model magazine if you ignore his clothing. But even with his clothing, there’s a sort of cutting edge to him that would have certainly held your attention if you didn’t instantly start comparing him to your Link. 
It felt really good to say that. Your Link. You doubted you would ever get tired of saying it like that.
However, your eyes instantly narrowed in on the scarf that he had slung around his shoulders. You don’t remember it being that big- but it takes every fiber of your being so turn your eyes away from him. Knowing him and all that he’s been through- was probably the worst one you’ve investigated. He was the one you hoped to meet the least. Should he learn, no, when he learns about the things you’ve done, he would most likely take it the hardest.
Unfortunately, you can see the moment he pinpoints your unease and tucks it into the back of his mind. You flinch. The others see that too.
“You know…” He says slowly, taking his time to walk over to you. “There aren’t a lot of people with ears like yours.”
“I’ve gathered that.” You say softly. You want to own up to what you’ve done and what you know. You want to be the adult you are and take accountability… but not yet. You have to see him first. You have to see that your soulmate is safe and real in the flesh.
The Hero of Warriors bites his lip awkwardly. You’re not sure what he’s thinking but you have the slight suspicion that none of you are on the same page. He scratches the back of his head. “I haven’t met a lot of people like you but we know a guy who grew up with cropped ears. Come form a group of them. They live in Ordon Village. Heard of it?”
You can’t help it. You perk up and your heart starts beating faster. There’s no denying your recognition, or the way your face lights up. “Yes! I do!”
This could be your ticket straight to your soulmate! And you didn’t even have to say anything yet!
“He might be a bit out of it though.” This ‘Hyrule’ Link mentions quietly. “Is this really a good idea after everything he’s going through right now?”
You bite your tongue. If this ‘he’ is who you think it is, then you have to be patient. You’ve waited years to meet him. You can wait a little bit longer.
“You know him?” The Hero of Warriors looks back to you instead of answering his friend. “He knows about everybody from his village. Name’s Link.”
You have to force yourself to nod normally and calmly. “I… should.” This is a make or break moment. Now or never. You have to be brave and face the consequences no matter what happens. “...I’d know for sure once I see his face though.”
“Very well.” The Hero of Time, albeit older and more scarred. You’re not sure why he has the Fierce Deity marking on only half of his face or why he has a scar over his eye already. “Maybe a familiar face would do him some good for a time. He needs someone other than us to talk to.”
You don’t comment, too focused on appearing normal as they begin to lead you back to where they were as a group. You faintly notice that ‘Hyrule’ (you have to figure out where he’s from or quickly before you accidentally spill any secrets he may be trying to keep) has glowing hands as you walk. Your injuries and the pain begin to fade.
So this one does magic? Which Link can heal?
You try to keep the conversation light and away from true thoughts and feelings as you nervously follow them through the forest. You didn’t think you would be so shaken by all of this. You didn’t think you would find yourself this anxiety ridden. Oh you hope that he’s here, that he will forgive you! You have to apologize for everything you never said.
***
Twilight finally managed to get a grip on himself and on reality after what felt like an eternity later.
“Hey. You ok?” Wild reaches over and pats him on the back, trying to be as soothing as possible. “Are they ok?”
“Y-yeah… I think so.” Twilight takes in a turbulent breath. “They feel… calmer. I’ve never been able to simply feel them before. They must have stopped shutting me out so much…”
“That’s great, Rancher!” Wild cries, punching him on the shoulder. It’s such a brotherly move that Twilight can’t help but smile, albeit weakly. “You’ve just hit a rough patch. It’ll all be ok in the end. You’ll see.”
Twilight coughs and nods along. “It’s something… I just hate that they were so scared for so long… I couldn’t… I can’t do anything…” He shudders. “But I think… I think they’re here. I think they’re close.”
Wild freezes in a similar fashion that Twilight had earlier. “...Are you serious?”
Now that he’s said it out loud, it feels weightier. Hearty. Real. He nods fervently as the smile on his face turns into a grin. “I am. I think they’re here, Cub. …I need to find them.”
“Then we’ll help you.” The Champion replies without hesitation. “After all of this, this is the least we can do. We’ll find them first. Everything else can wait.”
Warmth and adoration bloom in Twilight’s chest as he brings the younger hero in for a bone crushing hug. There are no words that he can say that would properly convey what he’s feeling but he’s going to fight to keep it.
There’s rustling to the side of their makeshift camp. Everyone turns to the sound with expectant eyes. Time brushes some of the brambles out of the way as Warrior comes through, stretching his arms as he goes. “Hey Rancher. We got someone we thought you’d like to meet. You up for it?”
Twilight raises an eyebrow and stands. “Depends on the per-”
The words die on his tongue. You walk in, roughed up and dirty. But beautiful. So, so beautiful.
You seem nervous as you look around. Hyrule walks around you and everyone is watching for anything to explode. You see him and suck in a breath.
You stare at each other.
Twilight thinks his heart has stopped entirely. Surely this was too easy. He had only come to the conclusion that you were in his grasp. Now you’re just here? Like that? All but plopped onto his lap to love and adore and spend the rest of his life with?
The weight of the situation seems to finally settle on everyone’s shoulders. Wild shoves Twilight forward and he stumbles from the action. He can’t even be mad. He can’t bring himself to glare at his friend. It would mean he would have to take his eyes off of you. And he refuses to do that.
“...It’s you…” The words leave him breathlessly. You’re perfect. Better than anything he could have imagined. Those visions did not do you justice. “...It’s really you…”
Suddenly you tear up and the hazy dream of it all shatters. Twilight feels like a bucket of ice water has been dumped over his head. “What is it? What’s wro-”
“LINK!” You run and jump on him, holding onto him like he’s a life line. It’s enough to knock him over and knock the wind out of him, but he’s used to a little rough and tumble. He catches you with ease, spinning to disperse the remaining momentum and holds you just as tightly as you descend into heart wrenching sobs.
It breaks his heart.
“I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” Twilight says quietly. He starts crying too. 
Everyone else is aware that this should have been a private moment but they’re too invested in this to look away now.
You pull away and cradle his face. Your fingertips are gentle but shaking. You’re drinking him in just as much as he’s drinking you in. He feels you trace the markings on his face, lip wobbling with unspoken words as fat tears continue to roll down your cheeks.
He wipes them away gently.
You sniffle, caressing him in a similar manner, no doubt wiping away his own tears he’s been set on ignoring. “I could kiss you.”
That’s all the permission he needed.
***
Link kisses you.
He’s sweet and tender and although you’ve never kissed another person before it was everything you thought it would be. You’re not sure why. It was clumsy and awkward but you were too caught up with finally being in his arms to care about it at all. It was as it should be.
You let yourself have this. You kiss him back. You hold on tightly. You run your hands through his hair and try to map him out as fast as you can before you inevitably have to explain everything.
You know this because you cried out his name.
It was a spur of the moment thing. You hadn’t intended to. Since you had never shared each other’s name, he would no doubt start to ask questions once the high dies down. It would ruin everything for you, kill you off before you had a chance to fully live through this, but you wouldn’t lie to him. You’ve done enough damage without him knowing.
So you’ll take what he gives you while he’s still willing to give it. And you’ll hold the memory close for all your future years to come when you inevitably separate.
You finally allow yourself to pull back and gulp down the air that you’ve been missing.
You’re messy and tired and you’re sure that this is going to end poorly but for the hell of it, you kiss him one more time before relaxing slightly.
Link for his part, was absolutely stunning. He was warm and solid. The arms around you spoke of pure power. His strength was no laughing matter and you knew that. You were completely caged with his grasp but instead of feeling threatened or concerned, you were at home. Every cylinder in your brain was firing off that this was where you belonged.
You have to force yourself to pull your hands away.
You sniffle, looking away from his enchantingly blue eyes. Have they always been that shade? Were they always so bright? You could have sworn they were different. You fix up his fur pelt and the collar around his tunic, trying to bring yourself back into some working order.
You feel his hands gently, almost hesitantly card through your hair and around your ears and neck- toying with the idea of feeling your skin. It fires off goosebumps over the rest of your body.
You gulp and force yourself to speak. “...I didn’t think I would ever see you in person.” Your voice gets thick with emotion. You can feel your heart betray you further, nearly sending you into another sobbing fit before you can reign it back in. “I didn’t think it was possible.”
He nods and laughs wetly as he gives in to his compulsion to play with your hair between his fingertips. “Neither did I… I was so scared I lost you.”
You shudder at the raw and thick feeling that shoots through your bond. You can feel him. It’s warm and sturdy. You think you can feel the brush of fur along your heart- a calling to the beast he holds within. It shakes you. Was this how your bond was supposed to eb from the start if you weren’t separated from realities? You take in another deep breath, the tears fall anew regardless. “I’m sorry.”
He shakes his head and holds you impossibly tighter. “Never say that to me again. You have nothing to apologize for.”
You’re stunned. After everything? He was obviously frightened. And at the same time, you know that your time is up. You have to explain yourself.
“That’s not true, Link.” You sniffle, hoping that by ripping off the bandaid it would make it easier for you to heal later on. You can’t bring yourself to hide it any longer. “I have so much to apologize for.
His face crumbles as he rubs his thumb over your cheek. A deep, dark growl emanates from him as he bares his teeth. You’re not entirely sure he knew that he did that. “You’re hurt.”
It’s startling how otherly he looks in that moment- but you’re not afraid. Guilt is replaced by intrigue.
There’s so much you’d love to learn about him. But you can’t keep up this charade. It might as well be that everyone is still watching your very downfall before you could truly begin.
***
Twilight could feel himself growl before he could stop himself. You tensed up but didn’t pull away.
Good. He was worried that the effects of the magic in his life would have turned you away the second you saw it in person. He forces himself to relax. Putting aside the driving need to tear apart the very things that harmed and threatened you into shreds, he gently bonks his forehead to yours. “I forgive you.” He tells you, because it’s true. Whatever you want to apologize for- if it’s for scarring him, for blocking him out, for dropping out of your bond for those terrifying 7 hours- he forgives you. You’re here. He won’t lose you so easily now that he has you. “I don’t care about what’s happened. I’m glad I finally get to see you after so many years.”
He’s dreamed of this moment for as long as he knew you were meant to be his. He never would have imagined that it would have been under these circumstances but he can feel you. He feels you. There’s no more door in his way. There’s no more tampering the connection or even remotely trying to hold back what you’re both thinking and feeling.
You’re bright and fluttering and sharp. Like a rose if he had to pinpoint both your intricacy and your ability to put him in his place whenever he would need it. It’s almost delicate but intimidating. You could cut him in a heartbeat- but he could crush you without meaning to. The thought is exhilarating. He hadn’t imagined that the bond would have been this intimate or vulnerable.
You’re feeling guilty. So, so guilty. It’s enough to catch his heart in a vice grip and mangle it beyond its bruised exterior. He wants to wipe the sinister feeling from your heart and mind. Twilight wants to soothe all your worries and troubles with a single swipe of his hand.
He kisses your forehead. “I don’t believe you. This mess wasn’t your fault. You’re not a malicious person. I would know. We’ve been in each other’s head since we were old enough to toddle.”
The guilt gets worse and he’s questioning how he could feel everything about you but not your thoughts. Maybe he misunderstood the manner of your bond and this new strange and wild feeling.
You hang your head, hitting his chest gently as you sink into him. The feeling is good and drives itself deep into his bones. He sighs, closing his eyes to block out his unfortunate audience. You hug him and begin to shake slightly. “You don’t know what I’ve done. You don’t know what horrible thing I‘ve been keeping from you… But you have to promise me, let me explain it all first! I just-... I didn’t know at first how bad it would have been. I didn’t think it would have gone this far.”
Twilight feels his heart start pounding. He doesn’t understand. What kind of trouble did you find yourself in? “What are you talking about?” He pushes you away with his hands on your shoulders, looking deep into your eyes. “Are you in danger? Did it bring the shadow to you?”
“Shadow?” You echo weakly. You seem to get what he’s saying and shake your head. He sighs of relief but then you tense up again and wince. “Actually- maybe? I wouldn’t know. I don’t think it would work like that but I can’t be certain.”
He grits his jaw and squeezes your shoulder a little tighter- keeping a conscious decision to still be gentle with you. “Are you working against us?”
He has to ask you point blank. He has to know you got caught up with the enemy. He had thought that you were in danger before. You would have had to spill secrets to save your own life. He wouldn’t be happy with it- but he doesn’t think he would hold it against you in the long run. You had a lot of secrets to give, that he knew. You were a perfect target with zero training and zero experience. He shudders at the thought.
He wouldn’t blame you. You’re clearly beating yourself up over something and it’s tearing you apart on the inside. He can forgive you- even if it would complicate a few things.
To his surprise though- you jump, looking like you’re about to smack him for the very thought to your honor. “What? No! I would never! I would never put you in danger. I would rather pitch myself off a cliff before I ever come close to anyone wanting to hurt you.”
The spark of indignation overshadows the guilt for one bright moment and Twilight finds it himself to smile. “I know. But I had to ask.”
You huff and pout. It’s cute, Twilight thinks to himself, being careful to not send the thought your way. He chuckles and twirls your hair around his finger. It’s so soft. Softer than he would have ever imagined it to be. Would you let him brush it for you?
“I just…” You start again. Twilight sees you hype yourself up to say the words but you hang your head again, guilt creeping over the bond you share like shards of ice. “I’ve done a not good thing, Link. I… know things I shouldn’t. About you. About your friends.” You flinch violently as if you’ve finally remembered that everyone else is watching you. “I owe them an apology. I owe them all an apology. I’m worse than Cia.”
The familiar name sets a good portion of the group on edge. Twilight sees Warrior stand up straighter as a dark look comes over his eyes. Before Twilight can so much as warn the other man to back off from his soulmate, the Captain strides forward and speaks lowly. “How do you know that name?”
You start to shake again. When you speak, your voice is weak and quiet but Twilight hears it all the same. “Can we sit down?”
“Of course, darlin’. Come on.” Twilight guides you to one of the logs around the cooking fire and sits you down. He’s quick to put himself between you and Warrior just in case he tries to get any closer. 
Warrior gets the memo and doesn’t try to approach either of you any more but he crosses his arms. “There are only a very select few outside of my Hyrule that know that name.”
You flinch and bring your hands to your lap, fidgeting with your hand nervously. “I know, Link. But there are places outside of Hyrule that know that name and it’s quite common among those who know the Hero of Courage.”
Twilight feels like something is off with that sentence. Then something clicks. “I never told you my name. I was never able to, no matter how much I wanted to or how much I tried..”
You wipe your eyes and your nose with your sleeve. A long beat of silence passes. “I know… I learned it… As soon as I heard you say Midna… I managed to search for you…” You turn to him. There’s so much unspeakable emotion in your eyes. Your heart feels light but turnt in a way that’s painful for you both. “I found you, Link.”
Twilight sucks in a breath. “...what do you mean?”
“I found you.” You say again. “I found Ordon. I found Hyrule. I found the Twilight Realm. I found your story.”
He suddenly feels sick. It’s as if he’s been punched in the gut. “...What?”
You take a second to swallow your spit. You take a moment to reach for him but decide against it. Twilight reaches out for your hand anyway before you could fully take it back. He’s made his choice. He won’t let you push him away again. But he needs to process the implications of this.
There’s an even longer pause. Slowly, you squeeze his hand. He squeezes your hand back. You lick your lips and keep your head down, focusing on the way your hands are laced together. “I found your story. I found out everything. I knew how it was going to end before you even knew what it would lead up to. I …knew Midna would leave. I’m sorry, Link.”
Your hand squeezes his tighter and shakes. “I wanted to tell you. But I was scared. I was so scared. I found that no matter what I saw, what I knew, I couldn’t spoil it for you. I was worried it would hurt you in the long run. All I could do was point you in the correct direction so you wouldn’t get hurt worse.”
Twilight can feel the memories coming back to him in an avalanche of recognition. “All those puzzles…” He finds himself saying. “...I was always impressed that you could figure them out so quickly.”
“I was cheating.” You try to joke. It falls flat. “I found a walkthrough and it told me the solution. Of course I had to tell you.”
Twilight chuckles but it’s not quite where it should be. It’s not fully fake, not fully bitter, but it’s certainly toeing the line between the two of those. “...I can’t even be mad. You saved me so much time and effort.”
You whine and try to pull your hand away. He doesn’t let you. “I wish you would be. I wish you would be mad. Even if it was a little bit. I deserve it, Link. I know so much. I saw so much. You don’t even know my name yet I know your darkest secrets!”
Twilight takes a deep breath and tries to put away the sting of betrayal. It feels stupid to get upset over this. After all, you had truly helped him. Through the worst of it, you were still protecting him. “You’re my soulmate. Our bond shares thoughts and visions. You would have my secrets even if you didn’t find my story. It would be silly to be mad at you when you helped me with everything. You were my rock. My safe space. I trust you with my secrets.”
You shake your head again and choke on another sob. Twilight still doesn't understand what’s the problem. You finally look up to the rest of the group and whisper. 
“I know all your secrets too.”
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