#i am here for like everything except Ganon having green skin

[ziskeyt]

totk trailer:

finally gave Ganon some fucking water

we get to fight with allies???

there is a man using a bucket as a helmet

FLYING BOATS???

we become a flying squirrel

mission impossible music

you can fuse a shield to a sword and it looks so stupid i love it

you can become a taxi

actual development of places!!!!

there is a new clothing item that includes multiple earrings for Link i am going to wear it all the time

my daughter out here dancing while fighting yes absolutely

time travel

Ganon also says no to clothing that covers his chest

Ganon has green skin???? pls no

New beings new beings new beings new beings!!!!!!!

get bubbled, idiot

ARBITERS GROUNDS

Game of the year

[fatefulfaerie]

Guilt

Fic-art trade with @rebuildingkonohaonceagain !! You sent two pictures so here is 2,000 words. I hope you like it!

Trigger Warning: mention of death

The whirring of guardians always made Zelda feel at ease, the way their inner-workings clicked, the way their mechanisms whistled. It was something Zelda felt she understood, and something that gave her great hope in their prospects of victory.

Her pride in the prowess of ancient Sheikah technology could be seen in the way she looked at them now, smiling at their apparent perfection. 

The blush on her cheeks, however, came from the knowledge of who was standing behind her, pensive in his duty and yet ever-vigilant of danger. He saw no danger in these skulltula-like machines, and thus allowed Zelda to run excitedly to peer at them with no word of caution passing his lips. Zelda loved looking down from the bridge of her study and seeing the Sheikah’s progress with the Guardians. Although she often felt Hyrule doomed with her sealing power still locked deep inside her, her hope returned when she saw the Guardians or the Divine Beasts.

“Amazing,” she remarked. “We’re at a point now where we can actually control them.”

Zelda turned around to face Link with a smile.

“At this rate, we’ll be well-positioned to defend ourselves, should Calamity Ganon return.”

Link’s expression moved slightly out of its neutrality, betraying Zelda’s expectations of her knight, and yet she welcomed the tease of emotion with open ears.

“Are you sure about that?” Link asked.

Zelda felt something grip her heart, like the cold hand of an Icy Moblin.

“Of…of course I’m sure,” Zelda said. “What…”

“I mean who are you kidding?” Link asked rhetorically, with an edge to his voice Zelda had never heard before. “We all know we’re missing a pretty big piece of the puzzle. Everything else is in line except you. Do you not care about the kingdom?”

Zelda’s eyes stung with betrayal and the cold hand seem to pull her heart down, farther and farther into unknown caverns below the castle.

“Of course I care, Link, what…” Zelda said trying to find her breath. She backed away in fear, her hand meeting the cement ridges of the bridge. “What has gotten into you?”

“I’ve trained all my life,” Link continued, his brow furrowing in his rising anger, “tired myself to constantly better for Hyrule to what? Serve a Princess who sees the Calamity as a joke? Who frolics around and pretends to pray to goddess statues? It’s time to wake up, Your Highness. Own up to your failures and we might even get out of this alive.”

“Link, I…” Zelda said, shaking her head. “You know better than anyone how hard I…”

The ground suddenly shook violently beneath them, Zelda looking down with wide, green eyes to see the bridge under her feet crack.

“Come on,” she heard Link say as he grabbed her hand and started to run towards the innards of the castle, towards perhaps more stable ground.

Yet the floor buckled beneath him at his next step, Link slipping off the bridge, hanging by the hand that connected him to Zelda’s.

They both looked down to what Link was hanging over and Zelda didn’t quite understand what she saw.

It was a large hole, with Calamity Ganon swirling in his own malice like a fish in a small pond of blood.

Link looked back at Zelda, whose gaze was panicked as she started to lose her grip on Link’s hand. She gritted her teeth trying to get a better hold, but it was no use.

Link’s gaze, in contrast, was rather settled for someone whose life was in danger, as if he weren’t surprised in the slightest.

“This is your fault,” he said before Zelda accidentally lost her grip.

“No!” Zelda exclaimed, reaching down with tears in her eyes as Link fell, lost to the darkness of the calamity.

Zelda stood up quickly onto what remained of the bridge, Calamity Ganon’s burning yellow eyes and pig-like snout rising to face her, it’s wispy red and black emanations trailing behind him.

Zelda, with panting, heavy breaths and cheeks endlessly replenished with her tears, held out her hand palm-first towards Calamity Ganon, wishing with all her might that luck would grant her the sealing power she sought, if not the endless years of prayers to cold and unyielding goddess statues.

Yet no power came, even on repeat attempts extending her arm.

Calamity Ganon gave a growling chuckle, smiling insidiously at such a failure.

“Finally,” he said in his groveling voice before surging forward with an open mouth. Zelda crouched in defense, her last resort before darkness succumbed her as well.

She didn’t know where she was falling from or to, nor how long she had been falling or long she had until she met the ground. She had no idea how she was changed from her royal blue dress to her white prayer dress, or what to do about it as the wind whipped through her long, blonde hair, almost tugging at it.

She felt almost dead, like she could fall, float, drift, drop for a hundred years until time became eternity.

She felt herself torn apart, like the Ritos, who pluck the feathers off their deceased before offering the body to the goddess Hylia.

She felt herself chocking on rocks and dirt, like the Gorons, who bury their deceased in the rich grounds of Death Mountain.

She felt herself rocked by unforgiving waves, like the Zora, who dispatch their deceased on a small boat lined with violets.

She felt herself dissipate, like the Gerudo, who burn their deceased to ashes and make them one with the sands.

“Zelda,” She heard a voice echo, surprised she could hear it, surprised someone could still know her, remember her.

“Zelda!” She heard again, louder.

“Zelda!!”

Zelda jolted awake to Link shaking her, Zelda grasping her hands on his arms as she gasped for air.

Her green eyes were absolutely panicked, looking everywhere but at Link, her head twitching like a shaking leaf.

“Zelda,” Link insisted. “Zelda, look at me!”

Link placed his warm hands on either of her cheeks, suddenly aligning her gaze with his with a soft gasp. Her shaky breathing calmed as her eyes filled with recognition, as her ears heard the cracking of a nearby campfire, as her skin felt a blanket fall from her shoulder to her lap.

As soon as Zelda distinguished the line between nightmare and reality, she hurriedly embraced Link, diving her head into the crook of his neck.

“It’s okay,” Link said, clutching the back of her head, her blonde hair entangled in his calloused and yet gentle fingers. “You’re okay.”

He held her and he rocked her as she cried into his tunic, whispering over and over into her ear soothing words that assured her safety, and his safety, and their safety, and their victory, their final long-awaited victory after a hundred years of insurmountable loss.

Link ended up leaning against a nearby tree as he held her in his arms, neither caring at all that their proximity would once, a long time ago, have been scandalous. Their titles were something they were glad to throw away.

Zelda drew circles on Link’s chest as he stared at the campfire, his head leaning on hers.

“Was it like your nightmare last night?” He finally asked, after probably hours of Zelda being awake. Zelda had observed that Link was good at knowing exactly what to say and when to say it.

Zelda nodded against his shoulder, her green eyes sad and frankly haunted, despondent as she lamented her nightmare.

“How do you feel now?” Link asked, looking down at her with a soft, blue gaze.

“Better,” Zelda answered quietly, as if she could barely manage to find her voice. “Safer.”

Link kissed the top of her head before leaning his own head on it again.

“Good,” he said.

A distant cicada started to chirp, Zelda immediately sitting up, ears penned and alerted.

“It’s okay,” Link said as he softly rubbed her arm with the backs of his fingers. “It’s just a bug.”

Zelda’s shoulder deflated from their tense state as she took a calm exhale. She nodded and yet didn’t return back into Link’s hold.

“I don’t think I can do this,” she said.

Link’s gaze moved downward.

“I suspected you might say that,” Link said. “The good thing is that Dorephan doesn’t know we’re coming, and neither does Sidon, turning back is an option. We can always visit Zora’s Domain later.”

The fire crackled as Zelda considered Link’s words, and yet her mind veered off in another direction.

“Do you feel as I do?” Zelda said, turning her head to her shoulder. “This…guilt?”

Link nodded, sitting up.

“I do,” Link responded. “But then I remember what we were able to do because we survived.” 

Zelda turned around to face Link, who was distracted by her beauty in the light of the fire until he saw in deep pain in her green eyes.

“Do you ever think I should have died instead of them?” Zelda asked. “Do you think it’s what I deserve? For failing them?”

“No,” Link said with sunken blue eyes and a shaking head. “No. Zelda, we all did the best we could. You know better than anyone how hard it was to unlock your sealing power. Everything was in place. We just ran out of time.”

“So…” Zelda started. “You don’t…blame me?”

“Of course not,” Link answered. “Why would I blame you?”

Zelda lowered her gaze.

“I’ve ran through it all a hundred different ways in my head, over a hundred years and, the loss is always my fault. A hundred different ways it could have gone, a hundred things I could have done different and…it’s always me.”

Zelda looked up at Link, who was shaking his head. He even graced a small smile.

“See, that’s where you are wrong.”

“Am I?”

Link chuckled, bowing his head before he raised it again.

“Who possessed the Guardians?” Link asked. “Was it you?”

“No,” Zelda said matter-of-factly. “That was Calamity Ganon.”

“And the Divine Beasts? Who possessed those?”

“Calamity Ganon,” Zelda answered, not sure what the trick was, what sort of test this was.

“Who came completely unannounced from beneath the castle and started attacking Hyrule by summoning all sorts of monsters?”

“Calamity Ganon,” Zelda answered again. “Link, what are you even getting at? Of course he--”

“Oh,” Zelda, realizing what Link was doing.

“Who saved my life by awakening her sealing power?”

Zelda sighed.

“Me.”

“And who, may I ask kept Calamity Ganon trapped inside the castle for hundreds of years, thus allowing Hyrule to flourish and grow because they were protected.”

Zelda was starting to blush.

“Me, again.” She said.

“And who finally sealed him away once and for all, bringing Hyrule to peace?”

Zelda rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

“Me.”

“Nope,” Link said jokingly.  “That was all me.”

Zelda scoffed and hit him playfully, them both giggling and laughing.

“All right, I get your point,” she said with a smile. “How do you always know what to say?

Link shrugged.

“Maybe it’s part of being the chosen hero,” Link said, Zelda glaring at him in disbelief with a tipped head. “Hey, you never know.”

Zelda laughed and her heart felt full as she looked into Link’s eyes, that were just as joyful and warm as hers.

They both smiled at the unspoken invitation between them before mutually leaning into each other, meeting their lips in an indulgent kiss that expressed their love.

Link cupped Zelda’s cheeks as they rescinded with a smile borne straight from pure happiness, admiring her for a lingering second before he spoke.

“It’s your choice,” Link said. “Whether we continue our journey to Zora’s Domain. It doesn’t make you weak to wait until you are ready.”

“I know,” Zelda replied, placing her hand where Link’s was on his cheek. “But I’ll have to face Mipha’s father and brother eventually. I would have trepidations no matter what…I think I just need to work through this.”

“Then I’ll do anything I can to help you.”

[oceansmelodysblog]

Botw Clash of Kingdoms

After reading all chapters of 'botw clash of kingdoms' written by @wwwhttps. I couldn't hold myself to write down what was running in my mind and needed to be taken out. I asked them if it was possible to write a continuation of their 8th chapter in my own way to ease my mind and bridge the waiting time for the 9th chapter. I feel so glad that I got the permission and here's what I had in mind:

Breathing heavily, Zelda tears her eyes open. She sits up and stares at the ground while she runs a hand over her forehead. Zelda notices how drenched in sweat she is and decides to take a bath. Her throat was parched and her heart was pounding. Sweat dripped from her chin onto her night shirt, which was soaked with her sweat. Since Link turned away from her because of the situation on Faron Bridge, she could sleep even worse than usual. She needed Link, but she couldn’t get through to him to understand what was bothering him so much. Carefully, she stands up and supports herself on the bedside table so as not to fall over. As quietly as possible, she descends the stairs, careful not to let the wood crack under her feet. On tiptoe, she glides elegantly to Link’s bed to pull the Sheikah slate out from under his pillow. She examined his face to see if he is awake, but notices nothing noticeable except his quiet murmurings in his sleep. It took her a while to realise she was staring at him and she averts her gaze. She bends down and carefully pulls out the sheikah slate and slinks away; out the door and behind the house to the bathroom.

After heating the water over the fireplace and filling the wooden bathtub with hot water, she bared her exhausted body and stepped into the water. It enveloped her entire body, like a warm embrace she desperately needed. Her thoughts stop circling in her head for a moment as she slowly relaxed in the warm water. 'I wish Link was here to share this moment of relaxation with me', she thought, catching herself imagining him Naked. She had been thinking about it more and more lately, missing his warm body next to her in bed. She felt left behind at the other end of a chasm and didn’t know if or how to bridge it. But then a thought occurred to her and she reached for the Sheikah slate.

 

In her white night gown, the moon shone through her fabric, exposing her breasts beneath the thin fabric. It was almost mostly just lace and accentuated her slender figure in a way that made her look very feminine. She almost felt like a woman who knew what she wanted. A woman who knew how to twist a man’s mind. When Link was too busy to stay away from her and left her at Lakeside Stable, a young woman her age came up to her and asked her what was troubling her. Zelda just couldn’t hold it in any longer and asked her for advice. Now Zelda stood in front of Link’s bed, wearing a white night gown decorated with lace, and took a deep breath. She could keep Ganon in check for 100 years, she would be able to lie half naked next to Link, she thought. Zelda lifted the duvet slightly and slipped into bed. She snuggled up to Link’s body, which was sprawled around her back in bed.

"Princess, please go to your bed." He murmured without opening his eyes.

He switched from Zelda to Princess again, ever since the incident on the bridge, which felt like a stab to her heart.

"I can sleep better when you’re with me."

"I’m sure you can manage without me ." This time he opened his eyes a slit wide and looked down at her. Her head was on his chest and she had to lift her head to look up into his face.

"And I’m sure, you sleep just as badly as I do when I’m not lying next to you." She countered. This time she won’t let him hurt her.

He opened his mouth to counter that, but she was quicker and put her index finger to his lips. Abruptly he stopped and stared at her. However, Zelda found no sparkle of joy, let alone that mysterious glow in his eyes that she had seen the other day at dinner in Kakariko when she had accidentally stared too long at his lips. He had that expressionless, calculating and stoic look in his eyes again, which were like icicles in her soul.

"Link, was it so bad kissing me? It certainly seemed to me that you wanted it as much as I did."

"That’s not the problem princess.“

"For Hylia’s sake, address me by my name again...! "

Desperation was now audible from her voice, but she tried to keep control of her emotions. "Then please tell me what your problem is so I can understand."

"Zelda!" he shouted in her face. "Are you happy now?! Everything I do, I do for you, your future, and for Hyrule!" jerkily, he flipped her onto her back and climbed over her to get some distance. Desperately he sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his temples.

Zelda, however, took his outburst as an attack and jumped off the bed. "If being with me bothers you so much and you only feel compelled to do so out of duty, you might as well have stayed away from me!“ she shouted, and was about to turn towards the door when a firm grip on her wrist prevented her from storming out. Link, tense in every muscle of his body, stood up and now grabbed her other wrist, forcing her to turn towards him.

"Zelda…" he whispered with a shadow of sadness in his eyes. "It is precisely because you are important to me that I must keep you away from me. I give you everything I own, even my life is yours, but I cannot and will not continue to allow us to be so close. Please forget the kiss at the bridge and also the kiss in the forest a century ago. Forget also the nights we shared a bed, you won’t be able to have those holidays for long as you are the heir to the throne and will soon be queen. The kingdom has waited too long for ist queen. And I am not allowed to be more than your personal knight. Forget me and the feelings you have for me that sprang from the life-threatening situation of that time and start a new life."

Zelda yanks her right arm out of his grip and slaps him across the face. Thick tears stream down her rosy cheeks as she stares angrily at him through her tears. "How dare you insinuate that my feelings for you are not real? How dare you tell me to stay away from you when it is you that I am even alive for. Only the thought of you has kept my strength going. It’s only because of you that I’m still alive. Link, even if I’m crowned queen in a while, I won’t push you away from me for a long time yet. My father had also once been a bodyguard to my mother and eventually became her husband and King of Hyrule."

Link fell silent and lowered his gaze as Zelda tried to find signs of remorse in his face.  But then he let go of her wrist and ran both hands down her arms, to her shoulders.

Zelda felt the warmth of his skin penetrate her body and goose bumps appeared in the places where he had touched her. When he reached her collarbone, she closed her eyes for a moment and opened them again, filled with longing and desire. He looked deep into her eyes, leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers. „You stand here in front of me in the little bit of cloth you’re wearing and look at me with those big green eyes, full of longing and desire for me and don’t notice how hard it is for me not to lose my self-control.“ His hands moved slowly down her cleavage, past her breasts, which he struggled to avoid. Zelda softly moaned out a shaky breath.

"Link… I beg you, no one is forcing your duties as a knight upon you. We have seen for ourselves how much the people and the land have changed and we can both finally be free and leave the outdated rules behind and rule Hyrule in a more modern way. Together."

His hands stopped at her waist and he paused for a moment. He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. Zelda breathed in his honey-sweet scent and immediately felt the urge to kiss him. She opened her mouth a little and slowly approached his when she felt his strong hands on her waist and pulled her to his hip. This time it was both of them at the same time, letting out a warm moan. She placed her hands on his muscular chest as she snuggled closer.

"Zelda… you’re driving me crazy." He whispered inches from her lips, closing the gap between them with a tentative kiss.

[loruleanheart]

Desired Fate, Chapter 11

Read on FF.net

Read on AO3

Fireflies glided through the air like green-yellow orbs of light. Zelda was grateful for the comfortably humid evening air of Damel Forest, welcoming it against her skin. 

She, along with Link and Impa, approached the entrance to the Spring of Courage, which was marked by the wide-open maw of a stone dragon, carved by an ancient tribe in the distant past.  Zelda pushed ahead of Link and Impa, ascending the stone steps and moving towards the spring at the end of the walkway, eager to get this whole ordeal out of the way.

Fallen leaves floated in the ankle-deep, crystal clear waters of the spring. Zelda looked back momentarily at her companions. Link had stopped some distance away and had his back turned to them, guarding the two women should monsters encroach on Zelda’s duty at the spring.

Impa gestured for Zelda to get in, giving her a reassuring smile. “Everything is going to work out.”

Zelda hung her head slightly. She made her way over the last bit of the walkway where it started to space apart, carefully balancing herself as she navigated the stepping stones. She began her prayers aloud, watching the water ripple out from her as she waded through the water.

“I will do whatever I can, as I am right now. Even if all I have to give is my faith that things will work out. This is the thread I have been following all this time.” Zelda hated the worn-down quality of her voice.

She came to a stop, directing her attention to the towering Hylia statue in front of her, and she absentmindedly wondered which had been carved first: the monument to the dragon Farosh or Hylia.

She stared up at the goddess statue. It had a simple smile carved onto its face, and Zelda couldn’t help but feel a tinge of irritation. It was almost like it was mocking her, as silly as that sounded.

She was already quite exhausted just from the journey itself. And there was a terrible ache in her heart, weighing her down.

What's wrong with me? Am I not enough or am I just a joke to you?

And Zelda can almost hear the statue whisper back. “It’s because you’re not trying hard enough... You’ve got a poor attitude... It’s because you’re wrong. It’s because you’re impure, not holy like all the royal girls of the past. You’re a stain…”

Every real or imagined slight she’s ever endured came to mind and she broke. Zelda unclasped her hands, letting them fall to her sides. “I can’t… I can’t do this…”

“Princess Zelda?” Impa’s concerned voice called out from the edge of the spring. “Why don’t you take a moment of rest before you continue.”

“But we just got here…” Zelda replied, a little embarrassed that she had lost her composure so soon.

The silent knight turned to give Impa and Zelda a pitying look but said nothing.

Impa clasped her hands, a look of resolve dawning in her eyes. “Okay, I want you to try this. You say whatever’s on your mind and know that there is nothing you can say that will make us think less of you. You can get whatever it is off your chest, and then you can try again with a clear mind. Need to scream and rage? Want to gush about something you love? Anything. No judgment.”

Zelda gave Impa a strange look. This was the most unorthodox suggestion.

“It works for Purah when she gets stuck in her research.” Impa nodded for Zelda to at least give it a try.

“All of the research into the relics - if I cannot awaken to my power -will have been in vain. Impa, you are carrying out your duties with such grace, just as much as Link and the Champions. I am the only one who cannot live up to her own potential...”

“I didn’t ask you to self-flagellate, and there’s no need to butter me up. I’m asking you to air your rawest and darkest thoughts and emotions. Come on, give the goddess a confession that will make her proud.”

“I don’t have anything to confess.” Zelda choked out defensively. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought Purah had used a glamor spell to impersonate Impa. Zelda bit her lower lip, knowing there was no use trying to fool her closest friend and royal aide. “Well, I…” She took a steadying breath. “If you must know…. I can’t help but -”

The Princess’s expression went lifeless, being frozen in place as she was enveloped by a transparent dome characterized by a familiar feverish pink glow and constellations.

“Your Highness!” Impa yelled, noticing with alarm that Zelda’s eyes were glassy, the irises a faded green as if they were viewing something beyond their perception. Her lips were slightly parted as if in surprise.

Link quickly closed the distance between him and Impa, helping the Sheikah woman in her attempt to dispel the magical barrier holding the princess, but it was no use.

Impa pressed anxiously against the dome. “Is this the power? Please tell me it’s the power…” Impa’s voice went up an octave, although already knowing this was a ridiculous conclusion.

Link shook his head, pounding on the barrier with a look of desperation in his eyes.

Zelda’s eyes focus on the Prophet of Doom. They are both standing within an expansive luminous pink dome with its constellations creeping across its surface. Outside the dome, there is nothing but darkness. He’s not facing her, but he looks like he’s waiting for her. Zelda gives a sigh of longing, relieved that he is still alive. He is the one who consumes most of her thoughts. He was the first person she thought of when she woke up in the morning and the last she’d think about before she fell asleep. He had summoned her for some reason, and her heart skips a beat wondering what he could want. He’s not facing her, but he looks like he’s waiting for her.

“Good evening, your Highness...” There’s something about the tone of his voice that sets her at ease. It’s far less antagonistic.

Astor turns to her, and she’s not sure what to make of his expression, but it’s different from the way he looked at her before. She can feel his eyes on her, and she doesn’t move to cover herself, letting his gaze fall over her. His pale complexion does nothing to hide a massive bruise on his cheek, and Zelda’s hand goes to her chest.

Astor’s fidgeted with his hood, trying to hide his face from her. “Oh… You’re wondering how I came to be in such a sorry state? A certain Princess ordered her champions to attack the Yiga Hideout and Kohga’s right hand took exception to that…”

“I did no such thing! I was trying to protect you. I begged you to stay, but you wouldn’t listen.”

“Hmph! It is not befitting for you to fear for my safety. I have seen the future and you have not. I am far more powerful than a mere Yiga footsoldier. Ganon would not allow me to fall, for I have his resurrection and victory to ensure. 

Zelda recognizes doubt in his voice, she has heard the same pained inflections in her own prayers.

“Ganon’s chosen or not, you are mortal. I can’t imagine Ganon to be a merciful master who would revive you if you were to fall. Did Ganon even punish those who did this to you?”

Astor didn’t answer, her point having landed.

“So… What are you going to do now?”

The question catches Astor off guard, but he responds with what comes naturally and makes him most comfortable, not ready to feel disloyal to Lord Ganon. “Continue my purpose without them, of course, and when the Calamity returns the Yiga Clan will face the full brunt of Lord Ganon’s wrath.”

“Just tell me… Does my seventeenth birthday mark the return of Calamity Ganon? Is it true?”

Astor nods, giving her a taunting smile, “It is fated by Lord Ganon himself, so you won’t awaken your power in time to stop the Calamity.” He doesn’t know why he persists in torturing this poor girl; not being able to help but fight against Hylia’s plan for him, set in his devotion to Ganon.

“Then… I’ll just have to go to the Spring of Wisdom early. I don’t care if I get in trouble or what happens to me as a result - if my father wants to punish me, that's fine. At least no one could say I didn’t try… not even him.” Zelda thought back to what Impa said, but she wasn’t confessing her most personal thoughts to Hylia, she was telling them to Astor.

“Naughty Naughty... Breaking Lanayru’s decree, are you? Nice try, Your Highness, but you don’t stand a chance of holding back the Calamity, even by going up to Mount Lanayru prematurely.” Astor couldn’t help but admire her devotion to her duty. Perhaps she wasn’t that different from him.

The princess sighs. “Maybe you are what’s wrong with me.” A sad, introspective expression crosses the princess's features. “You… being the reason I can’t find my power… Does that give you some satisfaction?”

Astor blinks. Was she even listening to him? It is like she is in her own little world as she looks at him… And Astor knows he has already lost to her. He is overcome at how vulnerable and beautiful she is at that moment, and he is stunned into silence by her admission. He had summoned her to shake her companions to the core and make a show of his power, or at least that is what he convinced himself of to not feel like a failure before Lord Ganon for wanting to see her so badly, but it is the princess who breaks down all his defenses with her words and her gaze. He can see the weariness and desire in her eyes. A Desire for him?

“What do you want from me? Why did you bring me here?” She asks.

“I- I don’t know…” He says, sounding… afraid? Zelda’s heart melts. Was she actually getting through to him?  

“Astor… I hope you will allow me to give you what Calamity Ganon cannot…”

The seer panics, losing all control of the illusion, and the dome that held them shatters violently. Zelda screams, shielding her eyes as she reaches out for him.

Zelda blinked a few times and then looked to Impa and Link with surprise. “Oh…”

“Your Highness, you’re not hurt are you?”

It takes her a moment to fully come to. “Oh no, I’m fine,” she said, managing a melancholy smile. “I… I think I’m ready to continue.”

Link and Impa exchanged suspicious looks.

“Wait a minute. Aren’t you going to tell us what that was?” Impa demanded.

“Oh… That was… Astor.” Zelda said, trying to keep her voice serious in tone, although not being able to hold back a dreamy look in her eye.

“What? That was him? He didn’t hurt you, did he? What did he say?”

“Calm down, Impa. I’m fine, really,” Said Zelda, gently.

They stayed for about an hour more. The Princess eventually grew increasingly exhausted from her training and the group returned to Hyrule Castle.

After a day of rest, Zelda proceeded to the Spring of Power in Akkala, once again going through the motions of what was expected of her. 

Her seventeenth birthday was closing in. She was growing more and more disillusioned by the day, although not willing to give up.

Zelda recalled when she’d first began her training at the age of seven. Urbosa had accompanied her to this spring during the winter months. The idea was to push her mind and body to the limit by standing in freezing cold water, and she had done just that for hours growing weaker and weaker. Urbosa had rescued her when she noticed the young girl begin to sway. Zelda had become very ill from that incident.

Now she stood in that same spring nearly a decade later, although thankfully it was a much warmer time of year.

Would prayer really awaken her power? She was questioning it more and more these days.

She thought of her mother, trying to recall memories that were growing dull with age.

Mother promised that her own power would develop within me… But she was wrong…

It was becoming harder and harder to return to the castle unsuccessful, mostly because her father was looking at her like she had disappointed him.

When she returned from the Spring of Power, King Rhoam issued the decree to evacuate Hyrule Castle Town, instructing his citizens to take shelter in villages that were furthest away from Hyrule Castle.

Zelda went to her chambers and collapsed into her bed, quickly falling asleep. 

Zelda looks out over what she assumes to be the Spring of Wisdom, which is completely taken over by gelatinous red-purple matter... Malice. And she sees the eyes, like the one she saw in The Lost Woods; like the jewelry Astor wears to signify his role as Calamity Ganon’s chosen, that stare up at her as she calmly steps into the malice, wading through the waist-deep, undulating plasma.

She stands there a moment in silence, just accepting the state of things, and then she perceives a light growing above her. She looks up to see the goddess… Or at least the same woman from her dream before, the same one she had seen playing a harp and singing silently, as Zelda could not hear her voice.

The goddess was looking right at her, trying to speak to her, but again, no matter how urgently she spoke the goddess was silent. Zelda focused, trying to read her lip movements.

“Wake up” or “Don’t give up.” That was what she seemed to be saying. “Go now!”

[radiantbutterfly]

Sanctum

Summary:

At last the terrible face of the Calamity wheeled towards her, its eyes tiny points like glowing embers in the great darkness. It was overall something like a hideous boar, immense hooked tusks curving forward from the murky outline of its face. Its mouth opened in a great roar.

Sequel/companion piece to "Calamity". Now the sole survivor, Zelda sets out for Hyrule Castle to face Ganon alone.

[ I paraphrased most of the dialogue from the English version, with the exception of "You're going to be just fine". The Japanese line here is "Please don't die", and I like that better. (The other lines I quoted are pretty much the same in both versions).]

Zelda stared in disbelief at the face before her. "Mother," she cried, "Mother, why did you abandon me?"

The shining visage of the goddess looked sorrowful. Zelda, my Zelda, I would never abandon you. But this power is a great burden. There were cracks in your mind that would shatter if I were to let my power flow through you while you were unready. I am sorry for all you have suffered.

"Revali, Daruk, Mipha, Urbosa! They're all dead! You should have taken me! I would have broken to save them! To do anything! They're dead because of us!"

Warm light settled around her, a maternal embrace.

I wanted so much to help you and could not. I promise, I will always be here.

The vision faded, leaving Zelda unsure of the reality of what she had seen. "Was that... the power...?" she murmured in a daze. Behind her, she heard a groan of pain.

"Link!"

She ran to him, cradled him, feeling his blood run through her fingers, his body growing colder in her arms. Again she was too slow, too late, useless.

"Please don't die!"

His eyes stared up into hers, full of a quiet desperation. And then he was gone.

---

She walked alone through the misty woods, the sacred blade in her hand. She held it as if it were made of glass, for all she knew it could shatter at any moment.

Gentle rain fell upon her shoulders, washing away much of the grime and blood that clung to her. She somehow felt that the forest recognized her, no, recognized Hylia, as the rain cleansed her and the wind guided her. The creatures of the forest neither approached her nor fled, but kept watch silently.

She had entrusted his body to the Sheikah, and knew he was now in the Temple of Time, being prepared for his long slumber in the Shrine of Resurrection. Her poor, sweet, hero, who had given everything he had for her, while she had done nothing. She couldn't even convince him to save himself, nor make the journey to look at his ruined body, even to say goodbye. Link, I'm so sorry...

Now there was nothing but the mist and the wind, and the loneliness of holding his battered sword. It had spoken to her only once more, not a voice, but a vision of her mission. Then it had fallen silent. She wondered if whatever spirit that lived in it had died too.

At last, rays of sunlight broke through the mist, and she knew she was nearing her destination. She pushed through into a clearing and saw the dais, at its center the pedestal for the sword. Behind it stood a great tree, the most immense she had ever seen. This place was beautiful.

A noise behind her brought her to her senses. She turned and saw a creature that seemed to be made of wood and leaves, the likes of which she had never seen nor heard of. As she watched, another crept forward to join it. More appeared, revealing themselves from within the dappled sunlight. They chattered to each other in strange, high pitched voices, clearly curious about this stranger. One was slapping another on the back excitedly.

She lay the sword across the pedestal and knelt to pray. Her powers could not restore the sword, this place had a magic of its own that was beyond her limits. Still, she spoke to the sword, words of hope, so that the spirits of this place could hear her wish.

The tree stirred, revealing a face and voice like that of a wizened old man. The Great Deku Tree. So the stories are real. In a ponderous tone it asked her what she intended to do next. She cast her gaze downward, looking sorrowfully at the battered blade.

"The Master Sword. It spoke to me. It seems that my role is unfinished. There is still something that I must do."

"I sense there is great strength in your dedication," the tree replied.

Words rose up in her throat, she hesitated but it was now or never.

"I ask of you, when he returns, can you please relay this message? Tell him I-"

But the tree only gave a creaky wooden smile, and assured her that her hero would surely prefer to hear the words from her own mouth.

She nodded, tears burning at the corner of her eyes. Despite herself, she smiled for the first time since it had all begun. When they met again. Yes, here, in this clearing, for the first time she was truly certain that the day would come.

Behind her, the forest spirits skittered and played. It seemed that some of them had gathered twigs, and were now imitating the sword fights of a legendary hero. Their childish games gave her hope. Here was something fresh and green, alive and untouched.

She stood above the pedestal and closed her eyes as she held out the blade.

It felt like letting go of the last she had of him.

But only for now.

The Master Sword slid into its resting place with a faint sound of metal on stone. She stepped back, and saw a faint bluish glow begin to trace its way up the sacred blade. It lived, and it would restore itself, stronger than before. Renewed hope welled up inside her for its lost owner. He will come for you, and you will be waiting for him . As will I.

---

Zelda arrived in front of the castle town, under the maelstrom of shadow that now circled it. She heard the sound of Guardians activating, red light shining on her, and silenced them with a wave of her hand. She made her way down the central road. Everything here was ruined, scorched, covered in ash and dust. Pain seized her chest. Had it really been only a few days?

Twisted and broken bodies lay here and there in the streets, flesh blackened and corroded, charred bones protruding from dried and tented skin. A pair of corpses lay spread on the ground, hand in hand. Another huddled beneath the remains of a bush, arms like dry twigs clenched around its knees. It was very small.

A few days before, she might have lost herself in hopelessness at the sight. Now determination formed in her like cold steel. The Goddess had granted her the power to stop the beast. No one else would suffer this.

The light rose from her body like the wavering of a mirage. It formed a delicate shell around her, warding off the flickering shadows. The mark of the Triforce glowed on the back of her hand as she moved forward.

A strange black liquid oozed and flowed from some of the ruins, with a sickly iridescent sheen. It made her think of rot, decay, infected wounds turning purulent and dark as poison spread out from them. The smell was putrescent.

From the edge of a house, a growth swelled and budded like a twisted flower. It opened to reveal an orange eye with a slitted pupil. The eye was expressionless and yet somehow emanated sheer hatred. It turned to look at her with its furious and horrible gaze.

Malice , she thought, the knowledge welling up in her from somewhere unknown. Evil and ill-will taken physical form. Its touch burns and corrupts flesh. A tool of Ganon.

The eye was still staring at her.

He knows I am here.

The air around her darkened, and the flickering shadows moved more quickly, more menacingly. She chanted under her breath, strengthening the barrier of light around her. She realized that the faint rustling she had heard was not the wind, but indistinct voices, like those heard on the edge of sleep.

The grim air began to stir. Tendrils of darkness reached out for her, yet they could not penetrate the light. Still they whispered, in voices like the rasp of dead trees.

Heir to a throne of nothing, princess of devastation...

Failure, useless, too late...

No one to help you...

You killed them!

Her gaze steadfast, she continued forward, step by step across the ruined bridge. Shadows beat themselves against her barrier like demented birds, but she feigned fearlessness as she pressed on, until she stood before the castle gate.

The air around her feet shimmered, and she rose from the ground, her steps tracing ripples of light as if she were walking on a still lake. The town was far below her now, the wreckage fading into the gloom. Before her was the Sanctum, where the heart of the demon beat.

The shadows were furious now, their shapes growing starker and more fearsome, writhing monsters, humanoid shapes with great claws,tortured faces screaming against the shimmering walls that surrounded her. At last the terrible face of the Calamity wheeled towards her, its eyes tiny points like glowing embers in the great darkness. It was overall something like a hideous boar, immense hooked tusks curving forward from the murky outline of its face. Its mouth opened in a great roar.

The tenebrous body of the monster seized and shook the castle to its foundations, sending shingles and bricks raining to the dusty ground. A parapet swayed and cracked, falling outwards, crumbling as it hit the ground. The swirling storm tore open roofs and broke apart walls. Zelda's light protected her from the worst of the falling debris, and she began to speak the prayer to Hylia.

The mark on her right hand brightened, its radiance enraging the beast. The shadowy figures screamed and beat their fists and claws against her barrier. Malice rained from the clouds, clinging to the stone in sickening globs, hundreds of eyes bursting forth, each one fixing its horrid gaze upon her. Then the great maw of the beast raced forward, engulfing shadows and light alike.

Its fangs ground against the shell of light, testing its limits. Still reciting her praises of Hylia, Zelda was forced to redirect some of her focus towards maintaining her protection. There was a great crack, and the beast pulled back, its right fang broken in two. Fractured spiderwebs began to spread across the surface of the barrier. Before Zelda could react, the howling figures raced towards her, now solid with the sickly iridescence of Malice, misshapen orange eyes protruding from necks and limbs and torsos. Their bodies disintegrated into mist as they hit the barrier, but each one took its toll. The light shattered like springtime ice on a river. Suddenly her attention was consumed by fending off the onslaught.

They were too close, it was all she could do to keep the creatures at bay, she could not hold them far back enough to recoalesce her shield. Thus, she had one chance. One chance to finish her prayer. She abandoned her defenses and raised her voice to the heavens.

The first blast of Malice seared her face and eyes, blinding her, yet she kept chanting in a lilting ancient tongue, unknown even to her. Fingers of Malice crept around her ankles, up to her thighs, burning her flesh.

You will fail...

This is a place of death...

There is no light...

Only darkness!

Her voice only grew louder, echoing as though others long dead spoke through her, the same hope, the same prayer, the same vow. Malice ripped through her hands clasped in prayer, melting the flesh from her fingers and arms down to the bone, tearing through her face and chest, and at last burning out her tongue.

For a moment, her prayers fell silent, her hands limp by her sides. The corruption pooled around her, beginning to consume her. Her body had been opened up. And yet. Within her was no flesh and bone, only light that shone like molten gold. The great beast looked down in confusion as she burst from within herself as a creature of pure light, ascending, then howled in pain as she burned like the sun.

Suffer, pig.

She was judgement and justice. Golden flames swirled around her like vengeful angels. Tendrils of fire reached for the ground like whirlwinds, scorching the creature where they touched. Shards of light fell like volleys of arrows, piercing Malice and demon alike. The darkness withered under her assault.

Shadowy claws reached up from the depths, hands like gaping maws ready to swallow her, but they could not touch. They writhed and hissed as the light burned them to dust.

She felt the beast weakening, and knew it was time. The incantation spilled from her shining lips, rays of light rending monstrous flesh and forming chains to bind. The creature howled and struggled again and again, but its bonds held firm as rivers of black blood poured from the castle towers. He was trapped.

Zelda felt Hylia's mind within and beside her own, the eternal serenity of the Goddess, and the steadfast will of all those who had used her power before. She was not alone here. And she felt them promise, her hero would come.

She no longer had a body, she was beyond time itself. She was the fire that burned Ganon and the shackles that bound him. The Goddess had sent her as a punishment for evil. She was his hell now.

The beast writhed in its chains, howling in rage and agony. A moment, a hundred years. She would wait.