#linebeck nation

[wakingwinds]

Why Linebeck is a Perfect Candidate for a Tumblr Sexyman and Should Win the LOZ Sexyman Tournament 

-look at him. rat man -pirate/scammer -reluctant dad -coward -pathetic wet dog of a man -a little bit silly and a little bit goofy -is a bastard -is NOT SEXY. this is ESSENTIAL for being a True tumblr sexyman. how quickly we forget our roots

theres definitely more reasons im forgetting. if phantom hourglass came out today linebeck would be a fucking HIT on tumblr you can’t tell me im wrong. 

anyway. vote linebeck. #LINEBECKSWEEP

[death-by-uwu]

Just wanna say ty all the kind words on my last post I'm so glad that there's more phantom hourglass fans/ linebeck fans out there

Linebeck nation stay strong 💪

I don't really have art so here's all my friends reactions to finding out I'm down bad for this guy

[errorwarblesrr]

I’m late but,,,,I can’t believe he won,,,we did it linebeck nation. Expect a pretty boy in a pretty dress from a not-so-anon soon!! :DD

HYPE??? 👀👀👀

[powdermelonkeg]

Missing Links: A New Hyrule

This story has a prequel called Secrets in the Breeze! Go check it out!

My Missing Links

Wind took a deep breath, savoring the scent of the breeze as blew by. It had been awhile since he'd smelled salt in the air.

It was good to be back near the ocean.

One by one, the other heroes came through the portal, which shut behind them with a blue flash. Hyrule looked at Wind curiously. "Do...you recognize this place?"

"Nope!" Wind spun around with a bright smile. "But we’re near the sea! That’s always a good sign!”

“I beg to differ,” Legend muttered, taking note of his surroundings.

It wasn’t much. They stood atop a cliff that overlooked the sea-bordering countryside, with a sparse collection of villages tucked into the nooks of the nation. But what caught the pink-haired hero’s attention most was the network of golden roads that stretched across the land, leading towards a grand tower far inland.

In the shadow of the massive building stood a castle; one the young man immediately recognized, which threw the whole tower into proportion.

It was...big.

“So, here’s the plan.”

The redheaded man slapped a map against a tree, stabbing it through with his hairpin to keep it in place. He snapped his fingers, and the circuits of his prosthetic hand lit up in timeshift blue. “We came in here,” he said, drawing a glowing X over a place in the north of the Forest Realm. “The loser that stole my control slate ran off, and we got lost chasing him. So now we’re down here.” He circled Whittleton Village.

Fox watched the hero explain with wide eyes, fixated on his glowing fingertips.

“The guy could be anywhere,” he continued. “HOWEVER, if he knows how to calibrate it right, he probably has a map updated on the slate. And if he knows what the slate does, which he has to in order to pull a stunt like he did twice in a row, then he’d head for Hyrule Castle.” Taps drew an arrow towards the castle and tower in the distance. “We’ve already lost a day just getting out of Lost Woods. He’s probably way ahead of us if we travel on foot. But if we use one of the minecart guardians people drive around here...” He traced his finger along the minecart tracks that stretched across the land. “We can probably beat him there, as long as we catch one within the next couple hours.”

He spun to face his companion, clicking the drawing rune off. “Any questions?

Fox’s hand shot in the air. “Mr. Link? How does your arm work?”

Taps gave him a flat look. “Timeshift-powered output core.” He gave his prosthetic a solid pat. “Sheikah tech. Not what we were talking about. Any relevant questions?”

“...Well...” Fox rubbed the back of his head. “The...guardian things...they take passengers, right?” He looked at the hero with big eyes. “So, don’t they charge rupees?”

Taps paused. He hadn’t considered that. “...We can stow away.”

“Absolutely not.” The Hytopian put his hands on his hips sternly. “These people have lives to live outside of us. It’s wrong to steal labor from them.”

“They’re not GONNA have lives to live if this timeline gets screwed with by my slate!”

“Then we should get money fast, shouldn’t we?”

Taps’ eyes narrowed, and he crossed his arms. “I didn’t exactly bring my wallet with me when I got yanked through time and space. You plan on selling your extra clothes for it?”

Fox gasped in horror, hugging his bulky luggage. “Never!”

“Well then. Not that big a problem, is it?”

Fox bit his lip. “...Give me one hour,” he finally said. “If I can’t earn us enough rupees for a trip by then, then we can talk about stowing away.”

Taps rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He held up a metal finger. “You’ve got one hour.”

Legend walked along the strange track, examining the golden triangles beneath his feet as he followed the rails. The power in them tugged at his attention, no matter how hard he tried to look away.

What were they?

“Hey.” An elbow dug into his shoulder. “Hyrule to Link, are you there?”

Legend side-eyed the offender crossly. “No.”

“Well then,” Warriors replied, smirking. “I guess that means I get your share of lunch.”

“You touch my apple pie and you find out exactly what my medallions do.”

“Ouch. Touchy.” He followed Legend’s line of sight down to the ground. “Must be an interesting road.”

Legend nodded, looking back at the tracks. “They’re...powerful,” he said, gesturing to them. “They radiate magic, and they feel...Hylian. Like they’re alive.”

Twilight shuddered. “I certainly hope they’re not,” he said, giving Epona a pat. “The last thing I want to worry about is living roads.”

WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

The Chain jumped in unison at the loud sound, attention forcefully torn from the Spirit Tracks at their feet.

Off in the distance, blurred by a shimmer of heat, a steam-powered machine charged down the tracks at breakneck speed. With a frown, Twilight whipped out his Hawkeye mask to get a better look.

It was HUGE; it had to be at least as tall as three horses standing on top of each other. As it rounded the bend and headed towards them, he got a good look at its segments—a house, a tray, and a cannon?

Twilight squinted, adjusting the mask’s scope. “What in Farore’s name...”

“What is it?” Time asked, raising an eyebrow.

“...Some kind of mechanical caravan.” Twilight concluded after a moment of thought, lowering the mask. “And it’s not stopping. We should move.”

WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! 

“NOW.”

Quickly, the group got off the tracks, giving them a WIDE distance.

As the steam-powered beast approached, it let out a shrill, screeching noise, causing the heroes to clamp their hands over their ears in pain until it finally rolled to a stop with a pressurized hiss.

Time slowly lowered his hands, shaking off an involuntary shiver at the redead-esque noise. “Everyone alright?”

Hyrule groaned, rubbing his ears sorely. “I think I finally feel bad for DIgdogger...”

“We’re fine,” Four answered. “I’m going to have a headache for the next week and a half, though...”

“Tell me about it...what even WAS that?” Wind asked, scrunching up his eyes as he popped the pressure in his ears.

“‘Hoy!”

The seafarer suddenly snapped to attention at the familiar greeting.

“’Hoy!”

Link leaned out of the engine cab and waved to the band of...soldiers.

They had to be soldiers, right? They had swords and armor. Maybe there was a ceremony or something coming up.

One of the group, a young-looking boy in blue, waved back to him. “‘Hoy, stranger!”

“Everything alright?” Link called. “You look kind of...lost.”

The group looked between each other. “We kind of are,” another one said, a heavily-scarred one with a long ponytail. “Can you tell us where we are?”

“Just west of Whittleton. Where are you trying to go?”

“Hyrule Castle town,” the most heavily armored one replied. “Is it far from here?”

Link looked the group over critically. “...Not really. It’s a 20 minute ride by train. Can I ask who you guys are?”

“An orchestra!” The kid that had initially greeted him exclaimed.

“...An orchestra.”

“Yep!” He pulled out his baton. “See, I’m a conductor, and he’s got a harp, and he’s got an ocarina...”

“What are you playing, then?” Link said, raising an eyebrow.

“Uh-”

“Song of the Hero,” the friendly-looking one in the white cape supplied. “It’s a classic.”

“...Right.” Link held back a sigh, feeling like this was going to be trouble. He could just leave them...

...But this was Bulblin territory. He’d feel bad.

He could just tell the guard captain to be on the lookout once he got to Hyrule Castle. That’d keep them in line, right?

“...Do you guys want a lift?”

The train ride was such a change from walking everywhere. Granted, it had been difficult to convince Epona to climb into the passenger car with them, and Legend was sharing a VERY uncomfortable stare with a fluffle of rabbits gathered at his feet. But, for the vast majority of the heroes, it was a chance to rest their legs and watch the scenery fly by.

And it was incredible.

The only comparable thing Wind had seen in his travels was speeding around on Linebeck’s steamboat, and even that required him to be focused on not running into barrels and sandbars.

This, though? It was smooth. The train ran in a straight line, zooming by acres and acres of land without so much as a bump in the wrong direction, with endless ocean through one side of the car and towering mountains through the other. Thinking fast, he pulled out his pictobox and snapped a few shots as he went along.

When the train made its first stop, the screeching sound was notably more bearable through the barriers of the cabin walls. It still made Hyrule wince, but it was a far cry from the veritable scream they’d had to endure before.

As it finally came to a full stop, the engineer that’d picked them up peered into the cabin. “Nobody get up yet, we’re not here. I’m just picking up some more passengers.”

Time raised an eyebrow. “You do this kind of thing often?”

The stranger gave him a deadpan look. “Nope. Never in my life.” Without another word of explanation, he shut the door.

Time stared after him, taken aback.

Had he just....been sassed?

A moment later, the back door of the cabin opened, and two new passengers entered.

“I told you I could pay fare!”

“Yeah, yeah. Still think we could have saved money.”

They sat in the back seat, bickering quietly and, to Legend’s relief, attracting the fluffle away from him. As the train resumed its travel down the road, he found himself listening in to their conversation.

“-plan once we get there?”

“We start looking. Duh.”

“That’s it? That’s all you’ve got?”

“Look, if someone uses it, we’ll know. It’s not exactly an easy thing to- ...hide.”

Curious at what had made the newcomer trail off, Legend looked back at them over his shoulder.

The redhead—the one who had ended the conversation—was staring at Wild in shock.

The pink-haired one, on the other hand, Legend recognized instantly. His head spun; the Chain had only just gotten the means to time travel themselves, how had the Hytopian guy with the friendship tokens-?!

Feeling Legend’s gaze on him, Fox looked up, unnerved, then froze in shock as he came to the same conclusion Legend did.

I know you. You shouldn’t BE here.

Suddenly, the train heaved, throwing everyone out of their seats. The once-smooth ride came to an abrupt halt as the train derailed, skidding across the raw ground with a terrifying SCREECH before grinding to a halt and tilting precariously. Twilight and Wild both scrambled to grab Epona and brace her as the car finally tipped, landing on its side with a crash.

Silence hung in the air for one brief, panic-laced second.

Then, in an instant, the redheaded stranger shoved his companion out the back door and vaulted over the cabin seats, barreling into Wild and leaping for the front door. As Wild was abruptly yanked out of his daze, he spotted the Sheikah Slate in the thief’s hand before the redhead made his escape.

Fox stared at Taps as he ran outside. “What are you doing?!”

“Shut up, I’m focusing!” Taps said, frantically clicking through the slate. “Where is it, this layout is atrocious-”

“Did you just steal the-”

“He had my control slate!”

“They had SWORDS!”

“So do we!” Taps stopped on a screen, and sighed in relief. “Finally!” With a blue flash, he summoned his Divine Beast, wasting no time in clambering on board. “Come on, get on!”

“But my clothes-”

“HEY!”

The two time travelers looked over as Wild emerged from the train car to shame mankind, eyes blazing with fury as he raced towards them.

Fox squeaked in alarm, quickly leaping onto the Divine Beast and clinging to Taps. “Drive, DRIVE!”

Wild did his best to give chase as the duo sped off, but his mortal Hylian legs couldn’t keep up with the ingenuity of Sheikah technology. Before his very eyes, two complete strangers fled into the distance with his Divine Beast.

Link picked himself up off the ground, clutching his ribs in pain as he raced back towards his toppled train.

He had so many people on board, he had a horse back there. If any of them were hurt—

Without a moment’s thought for himself, he threw the cabin door open. “Is everyone okay?!”

Everyone jolted, reaching for their weapons in panic, when suddenly, there was a yelp of pain from the back seat.

Sky clutched his stung hand as he dropped the Master Sword, staring at the engineer in shock.

“You’re...one of us.”

[bae-leth]

FE3H x LoZ Part 2

Hi again! It’s been a while but here are some things I’ve come up with since the last post I sent. I hope you enjoy!

THE CHURCH OF HYLIA

I’m still debating upon whethere there will be a fourth route that focuses on the Church of Hylia, so I won’t touch upon the leader of the Church yet (but if anyone has any ideas, please feel free to bring them up!) The following characters are faculty and staff at the Officer’s Academy, and they are all recruitable.

Byleth - So it’s come to my attention that a huge part of the narrative in Three Houses comes from Byleth. Therefore, I’m going to include Byleth in this AU! It feels kind of wrong especially since this blog has given them so much characterization that I feel they without a doubt belong to Three Houses, but the story needs something to drive it forward (one example being Byleth has to choose a house). Unlike Three Houses, however, there won’t be a super big focus on their origins. Sothis isn’t in this AU, after all, so Byleth will just be a normal mercenary who becomes the new professor by chance. I suppose you could say that Byleth is much more of a Mark than a Corrin here in terms of involvement, though they still can have supports with the other characters. Also, they have pointy ears to match everyone else.

Jeralt - Good news: Jeralt is alive for the story this time! Throughout the story he acts as a source of wisdom for Byleth, and eventually gets closer to the house leader and does that for them, too.

Telma - a healer from Hyrule who serves as a professor and the school physician. She really wants a man, and almost always has some kind of dating problems. However, she is very motherly and excellent at her job. Her favorite hobby is making cocktails (which help her drink her worries away) but she doesn’t make any for the students until post-timeskip. Strengths: Faith, Riding, Authority

Kass - he was a traveling bard in his youth but eventually became a full-time professor. He is known for giving profound yet mysterious advice. He has taken Medli under his wing (pun intended) as a musical apprentice. Strengths: Axe, Flying

Robbie - the training instructor at the Officer’s Academy. Known for his flashy battle moves. He has an interest in tinkering and mechanical work. Possesses close ties to the royal family of Hyrule. Strengths: Sword, Lance, Axe

Orca - a general in the Knights of Hylia. One of the oldest knights. He is strict and has a commanding presence over the other knights, and has risen to his position because of his renowned strategic prowess. Strengths: Sword, Lance, Authority

Linebeck - a rather lazy soldier in the Knights of Hylia. He is often being lectured by  for his lack of effort. Has a habit of taking credit for achievements that he didn’t contribute to. Strengths: Sword, Brawl, Heavy Armor

Osfala - a former scholar who is now a field physician in the Knights of Hylia. He is a graduate of the Officer’s Academy. Quite prickly, but very attentive and quick-minded on the battlefield. Strengths: Bow, Faith

Irene - a mage in the Knights of Hylia. She is a graduate of the Officer’s Academy. She is not devout to the Church of Hylia, but she took the job in order to help those in need (though she would never admit it). Strengths: Reason, Flying

Makar - a noble child born out of an affair and taken in as a servant of the Church. He can often be found tending to the greenhouse, his favorite place in the monastery. Somewhat absentminded, but always wants to do his best. Strengths: Lance, Faith, Flying

ROUTES

Before we begin, I’d like to announce that the name of the monastery is the Great Plateau Monastery! It’s named after the plateau it sits on, which is in the center of the continent. Its high cliffs act as a natural barrier against any skirmishes that happen on the borders of the nations.

This is mostly just a general summary of each route rather than going chapter by chapter.

Part 1: Clear Skies

Jeralt and Byleth save three children (Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf) from a bandit attack.

Linebeck arrives on the scene and thanks the mercenaries for their work… because he didn’t have to do anything!

It is revealed that Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf are students at the Officer’s Academy and heirs to their respective nations. Linebeck escorts them, as well as Byleth and Jeralt, back to the Great Plateau Monastery.

The mercenaries are recommended to the Church of Hylia: Jeralt as a Knight and Byleth as a professor. Byleth meets the students and selects a house to teach.

Byleth leads their house on various mock battles and real missions, while also using their status as professor to teach and train their students. The students also bond with one another, even mingling with the other houses – the three house leaders are notably close.

During one mission, Byleth and the students are tasked with protecting the monastery from an army led by an assassin known as Sheik. It is at this point where they begin to suspect that there is a bigger conspiracy at work.

Zelda later reveals that Sheik is a phantom that she controls in order to collect information and lead assaults while maintaining her identity as a student. She accuses the Church of hiding the truth from the world, and before she can elaborate, she escapes.

If Byleth has chosen the Azure Owls, they follow Zelda and she explains that there is a prophecy that has been erased from history by the Church, in which the three nations are caught in an eternal cycle of war and hatred over the Triforce Crests. She has learned that Ganondorf, as the bearer of the Crest of Demise, will wage war that will destroy the continent in the future, and she intends to stop that from happening as soon as possible.

If Byleth has chosen the Azure Owls, they join Zelda and siege the Great Plateau Monastery in order to make it a new base of operations for the Kingdom army. If Byleth has chosen the Crimson Boars or Verdant Wolves, they join their students and the Knights of Hylia in defending the monastery.

Regardless of which house they chose, Byleth is knocked unconscious during the battle, and wakes up five years later. The Kingdom, Empire and Alliance are at war with each other, just as the prophecy stated.

Part 2: Relentless Rain (Azure Owls / Kingdom of Hyrule)

Byleth returns to the monastery, where they reunite with Zelda and the Azure Owls. They learn that the Gerudo Empire has allied with the Church of Hylia – though they have different goals, they both oppose the Kingdom – while the Ordon Alliance remains neutral, but is struggling to prevent internal conflict.

The Gerudo Empire invades Kingdom territory, but to everyone’s surprise the Alliance arrives as well, resulting in a three-way battle. There are heavy losses on all sides, with the Alliance army especially damaged.

Zelda’s first plan of action is to eliminate the Alliance while it is still vulnerable. The Kingdom army storms the Alliance capital and though Link is there as the last line of defense, he surrenders upon defeat.

The Kingdom army continues to advance into Empire territory. The Knights of Hylia guard a vital fortress in one last stand, but are defeated.

Zelda and Byleth arrange a secret meeting with Ganondorf in hopes of obtaining more answers about the prophecy, which Ganondorf has learned about in the past five years. When they confront him, they see how much his mind has deteriorated, and they are ambushed by soldiers of the Yiga Clan. Zelda and Byleth are forced to retreat.

Zelda admits that she had worked with the Yiga Clan as Sheik in the past, partially to obtain information about the resurrection of the Demon King and partially to gain their aid in taking down the Church. However, since their goal is to unleash the Demon King, she plans to target them as well.

The Kingdom army arrives at the capital and sieges the imperial palace. Ganondorf has fully lost his sanity and exhausts all of his troops in order to try and overwhelm Zelda. He is defeated, but in a last-ditch effort he uses his Crest in order to transform into a Demonic Beast, Beast Ganon.

Zelda and Byleth defeat Beast Ganon. Zelda briefly mourns that of all people, the Crest of Demise happened to take hold of her friend. However, she is reassured that she has restored peace to the continent. Link steps down from leadership of the Alliance and becomes a lone traveler. The three nations unify into the Great Kingdom of Hyrule, and Zelda ascends as its first queen. She heralds an era of peace and harmony while turning her attention to tracking down the remains of the Yiga Clan.

Part 2: Roaring Thunder (Crimson Boars / Gerudo Empire)

Byleth returns to the fallen Great Plateau Monastery and encounters Ganondorf, who is continuing to grow unstable. He laments that he hears voices and has visions urging him down the path of evil. The two reunite with the rest of the Crimson Boars and claim the monastery as their base.

Ganondorf forces a sudden battle between the armies of the Empire, Kingdom, and Alliance. All three armies are hit extremely hard.

Link arrives at the monastery alone to talk to Ganondorf as a friend rather than an opponent. He urges Ganondorf to stop the war with him so they can live in peace as they did before. In a fit of blind rage, Ganondorf loses control of his own actions and murders Link.

Ganondorf realizes that he needs to locate the source of the darkness within him before he can cause any more damage. However, he must convince Zelda to stop the war, so the imperial army continues its advance into Kingdom territory.

The rest of the Verdant Wolves lead the Alliance army into battle, desiring vengeance for the murder of their friend and leader. Ganondorf is forced to defeat them in order to advance.

The imperial army arrives at the Kingdom capital, where Zelda faces them in one final stand. She refuses to yield, as she believes that her mission to eliminate Ganondorf is the only way to prevent further conflict. Ganondorf regretfully defeats her, and in her dying breath she says to “beware the eye of the Yiga.”

Byleth and Ganondorf obtain a posthumous letter from Impa, which details all of the information Zelda has collected about the reincarnation cycle, and Ganondorf learns of his true nature as the reborn Demise, the Demon King of ancient history. The Yiga Clan are a cult that seeks to revive Demise and bring forth the apocalypse, and the letter includes directions to their hidden base.

The imperial army storms the Yiga Clan Hideout, but in the chaos Ganondorf is restrained by the Yiga. They use their powers to extract the Crest of Demise from his body, and from the Crest’s power Demise is fully revived.

Byleth and Ganondorf engage in one final battle against the origin of evil itself, the Demon King Demise. Upon defeating him, the curse is broken permanently and Ganondorf is freed from its hold.

Ganondorf takes his rightful place as the King of the Gerudo Empire, and eventually repairs relations with the Kingdom and Alliance. He visits the Great Plateau Monastery, where Link is buried, the day before his coronation, and says a prayer for all of his friends who had fallen in the war. He is renowned centuries into the future as the catalyst who laid the continent’s demons to eternal rest.

Part 2: Shining Sun (Verdant Wolves / Ordon Alliance)

Byleth returns to the Great Plateau Monastery and reunites with Link, who has been hopeful for their return. Together they meet up with the other Verdant Wolves and rally their troops at the monastery, which has become their new base.

SIDE NOTE: in this route, Link has the option to recruit any units who were not recruited in part 1 if he approaches them in battle.

The Alliance army advances into the Kingdom, but are stopped by the Zelda and the Kingdom army. Ganondorf and his troops also arrive, resulting in a three-way battle. All three armies are forced to fall back, and Link decides to travel along the border between the Empire and Kingdom in order to avoid more ambushes.

Link confesses that as a commoner who ascended to leadership, he has always been treated as an outsider. His dream is to rebuild the continent into a place where everyone is treated equally, and where the bigotry and discrimination between social classes and nations is abolished. This is why his goal is to end the war in its entirety and unite all three nations.

The Alliance army is attacked by the Yiga Clan, which is when Byleth and Link first learn of the cult’s existence.

Before departing from the border and heading into Kingdom territory, the Alliance army faces Ganondorf and the imperial army one more time. Cia is particularly conflicted about her loyalties, and if Link recruits her during the battle, Ganondorf calls in reinforcements that surround them completely. Link is forced to defeat Ganondorf in order to proceed, and in Ganondorf’s last moments, Link promises to bring peace to the continent. (Though Link is not aware of the prophecy, he unknowingly fulfilled it by defeating Ganondorf.)

The Alliance battles its way through the Kingdom until it reaches the capital. Zelda refuses to hear Link’s pleas to cease the war, and the Kingdom engages the Alliance in battle. Midway through, she calls upon the Yiga Clan, and they arrive as reinforcements. Byleth and Link are able to endure and come out victorious, defeating both the Kingdom and the Yiga.

Zelda survives, but is exiled out of the continent. The three nations are united into the Hylian Alliance, and Link becomes its first ruler. Link is still upset over losing Zelda and Ganondorf, but makes sure to honor them by making his reign a just and noble one thats brings the Alliance into a golden age. He is remembered as a progressive leader who utilized his kindness and generosity in order to bring together people from all walks of life.

CRESTS

I’ve decided that Crests and Relics are also in this AU! Here are all of the ones that appear in this universe.

There are four crests that are not passed on by bloodline: the Triforce Crests (Din, Nayru, Farore) and the Crest of Demise. These are the oldest Crests; they can manifest in anyone regardless of status, but appear very rarely. The Triforce Crests are capable of manifesting in someone who already has another Crest, and they won’t have any negative effects, unlike what is shown in Three Houses. The Crest of Demise is a different story.

Din - one of the Triforce Crests, also known as the Crest of Power. Its Hero Relic is the Mirror Shield. Bearers: Ganondorf (minor)

Nayru - one of the Triforce Crests, also known as the Crest of Wisdom. Its Hero Relic is the Bow of Light. Bearers: Zelda (minor)

Farore - one of the Triforce Crests, also known as the Crest of Courage. Its Hero Relic is the Master Sword. Bearers: Link (major)

Demise - an ancient Crest named after the Demon King who bore it. Bearers of this Crest eventually lose their sanity and gain an unquenchable bloodlust. Its Hero Relic is the Demon Trident. Bearers: Ganondorf (major)

Hylia - a Crest that is usually found in members of the royal family of Hyrule. Its Hero Relic is the Goddess Sword. Bearers: Zelda (major), Fi (minor)

Nabooru - a Crest that comes from one of the first warrior heroes of the Gerudo Empire. Its Hero Relic is the Scimitar of the Seven. Bearers: Urbosa (minor)

Kakariko - a Crest that originates from Hyrule. Its Hero Relic is the Sahasrahla Staff. Bearers: Osfala (minor), Robbie (minor)

Holodrum - a Crest that originates from Gerudo. Its Hero Relic is the Golden Gauntlets. Bearers: Onox (minor)

Zora - a Crest that originates from Hyrule. Its Hero Relic is the Lightscale Trident. Bearers: Ruto (major), Mipha (minor)

Lokomo - a Crest that originates from Ordon. Its Hero Relic is the Light Force Gem. Bearers: Byrne (minor)

Goron - a Crest that originates from Hyrule. Its Hero Relic is the Boulder Breaker. Bearers: Daruk (minor)

Rito - a Crest that originates from Hyrule. Its Hero Relic is the Harpstring Axe. Bearers: Revali (minor), Medli (minor)

Kokiri - a Crest that originates from Ordon. Its Hero Relic is the Fairy Bow. Bearers: Saria (minor), Makar (minor)

Twili - known in Hyrule as the Interloper’s Crest. The first bearer of this Crest left the continent and founded the kingdom of Twili, and it is only found in members of the Twili royal family. Its Hero Relic is the Twilight Spear. Bearers: Midna (major)

NEW CLASSES

These are some classes that I would’ve liked to see in Three Houses, so I wrote them down because it makes sense for certain characters. Also, the house leaders have their own Lord classes.

Dark Flier - a wyvern rider who uses lances and reason. I imagine this to be Midna’s canon class.

Holy Flier - a pegasus rider who uses axes and faith. I imagine this to be Cia’s and Medli’s canon class.

Blade Scion - an infantry unit who uses swords, lances, and gauntlets. I imagine this to be Impa’s and Groose’s canon class.

Goddess Knight - a horse rider who uses bows and reason. This is Zelda’s advanced class.

Holy Queen - a horse rider who uses bows and reason. This is Zelda’s master class.

Radiant Knight - a horse rider who uses swords and faith. This is Link’s advanced class.

Legendary Hero - a horse rider who uses swords and faith. This is Link’s master class.

King of Thieves - an infantry unit who uses lances, gauntlets, and reason. This is Ganondorf’s advanced class.

Demon King - an infantry unit who uses lances, gauntlets, and reason. This is Ganondorf’s master class and Demise’s only class.

OTHER NOTES

I forgot to mention in my last post that Shad is also a Crest researcher, so he’s basically Linhardt but without the sleepy.

Pre-timeskip, Zelda has shorter (BotW2) hair, Link has a ponytail (BotW), and Ganondorf has short (OoT) hair. Post-timeskip, Zelda has long (BotW) hair, Link has short (TP) hair, and Ganondorf has long (HW) hair.

Zant is Midna’s adoptive brother, so he is from Twili, but not of royal heritage. He hates Midna because she is the true heir to the throne but seemingly takes it for granted and does not take her responsibilities seriously. Upon enrolling at the Officer’s Academy, both of them were members of the Crimson Boars, but Midna transferred to the Verdant Wolves after meeting and befriending Link prior to the events of the story.

The equivalent of the Death Knight is Cherry. Yes, Robbie’s ancient oven Cherry. She can create Ancient Arrows at will, so she’s basically the definition of a scary unit.

I’m in love with the Link’s Awakening remake and I wanted to include Marin in this AU somehow so, so badly, but she’s basically Malon + Medli, so it seems a bit redundant. Just know that I love Marin with my whole heart.

[toastscraps]

Daystar

              I blame @linkeduniverse  by @jojo56830 ; It made me get a tumblr (and discord) account and write a fanfiction for it. I don’t own the characters, (Nintendo created them, jojo perfected them, I just play with them.) Based on the discord writing prompt, “Hope, even in the worst of times.”

I was stupid and did the bonuses, too:

- 3k+ words (turned into 12k +)

- Link-centric with a Link you’re unfamiliar with (I’ve never played any of Wind’s games, and avoided his character on Smash because I didn’t like the design. I have done my research and now understand the error of my ways.)

- Prompt incorporated (near the end of the fic)

- Fight scenes incorporated (yes, but not very good ones)

Warnings: Blood, gore(mostly minor), angst, injuries, major character death(s)

Other Warnings: poor writing and pacing, characters may be OOC, author is not good at writing emotions

Summary: Wind wishes to prove himself- he makes a mistake and tries to fix it. It only gets worse from there.

I apologize ahead of time for this monster.

               They were in Time’s Hyrule, surrounded by Peahats and Stalchildren.  Time was not happy because Wild, Hyrule, and Warriors had been fooling around and had awakened the Peahats. To make matters worse, due to the Shadow’s interference, Stalchildren (which hadn’t been around for years) had risen again and had been enhanced to the point of only being affected by fire and bombs (which Wild had discovered by accident). At most they could use their swords to push them back and gain a little room to blow them up. It was very… loud and explosive. Twilight was the only exception to the rule, his strength cracking bone on impact as he pushed with his shield and kicked with his iron-toed boots. He would shoot a bomb arrow occasionally, but he mostly stuck to brute force tactics. The others had their own ways of dealing with their enemies. Time was on the other side of the fight, using Din’s fire to roast the Stalchildren around him.  Sky was taking down Peahats with precise movements, Four getting under the blades and stabbing upwards into the soft flesh without somehow getting decapitated. Hyrule had enflamed his sword with magic (or something) and was using it to take down enemies left and right. Legend was, of course, fighting with an efficiency that would be sure to make even the greatest veteran fighter jealous. He somehow knew exactly where his enemy was going to be, and was able to place bombs right where multiple Stalchildren were about to appear. Warriors was taking out waves of the skeletons just by swinging the fire staff.

               And here Wind was, rolling and ducking to get to a place where he could hit a plant with a sword to kill it. Sure, it had deadly blades, but he was a hero. He should be better than this. Wind had run out of bombs earlier, forgetting to pace himself, and was now relegated to fighting the Peahats, which weren’t the ones he was familiar with, which Four had discovered could be killed by slicing at the roots multiple times. They never rested or went back into the ground, and seemed strangely sentient. Wind ducked the sharp leaves, wishing he either had more bombs, or had more brute force. Either would be preferable to this dodging and moving to get into a good position to target the roots.

               Wind was finally able to down his monster, and looked up to see Twilight knock the head off of one of the Stalchildren with a well-placed blow to its jaw with his shield. It walked around aimlessly, as if looking for its skull, before Twilight knocked it over with a kick to its shins and it retreated underground. The charred bones of the other skeletons disappeared into the ground with shadow rising up in a mist and blowing away on the wind. Soon all that was left were the vegetable remains of the Peahats.

               Time sighed and allowed Wild to harvest what he wanted, looking around in disapproval with his patented “dad” face. Wind couldn’t help but feel as if it were directed to him. Sure, he took out a lot of creatures, but not nearly as many as the others, and it had taken him a long while to figure out how to get around the defenses of his own enemy and stab at the core.

               “And you guys thought it would be a good idea to awaken the Peahats, why?” Time asked a guilty Wild and nonchalant Warriors. Hyrule was trying hard to look ashamed, but mostly Wind thought he looked pleased with himself.

               “Never mind,” Time held up a hand, closing his one eye, “I don’t want to know.”

               “What should we do now?” Twilight asked. Wind wiped sweat from his brow. He didn’t know how the others made it look so easy. Sky seemed tired, too, but he was the only one.

               “Maybe we can make camp?” Sky asked hopefully. “It’s night already, and there’s no sense in travelling in the dark.”

               “All those for staying the night?” Legend asked, holding up a hand as if he were taking a vote.

               “No,” Time said. “I don’t think that would be wise. At least not here. We need to get out of Hyrule Field; if Stalchildren are rising again, we’re going to be fighting them all night.” The entire group groaned. “I know we all want to rest, especially after such a big battle, but we need to prioritize our safety above all else.”

               Four recovered first. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.” He stalked over to where Time was already turning toward the Forest, which was only about an hour’s walk away. The others shuffled over, ready to leave as well. Wind, finally catching his breath, moved to catch up.

               “You holding in there okay, kid?” Warriors asked from beside him. Wind glanced over and huffed.

               “Yeah, I’m fine.”

               “It was a long fight,” Warriors reminded.

               “It’s okay. I’m good.”

               Warriors seemed to search him with his eyes, and then nodded. “Okay, but I’m gonna walk back here with you.” Quiet filled the night air as the earth cooled. The breeze felt good on Wind’s face, and he was glad that there was at least a little reprieve from their fighting. Time’s Hyrule had fresh air, a different kind from the great sea, and even a removed kind from New Hyrule’s. It was different, but good. Hyrule Field had once belonged to many farmers, Time had said, a long time ago, before most of Hyrule could remember, and before Time was born.  Then there had been a war. Then there had been burning and fear, and nations warring against nations, and Hyrule field was in the middle of it all. There men and women of various races fought and bled and died. It was a dark time, full of anger and terror. Fields of wheat that once grew and flourished under the sun were trampled and torn up and watered with sapient blood. Fences that had been raised under the care of farmers were torn through by heavily armored horses and knights. Homes were broken into and burned, and everything became tinder for the flames of conflict.

               Those who didn’t live behind the protective walls of cities and towns were the first to die.

               By the time the Hylian kingdom had won and united the country, the field had become a graveyard and a reminder of the sins of the land. But seasons passed, and vegetation grew; weeds flourishing in the baking sun and crisp-cool night. Shafts of grain, legacies of an ancient past, grew there too. At night the dead, long forgotten, were again remembered, and reenacted their ends in horrific mimicry. But the land was beginning to heal, and on the breeze came the scent of barley and wheat and the pollen of wildflowers flirting with the air. And somehow, even if it wasn’t his Hyrule, it felt like home.

               Wind released a breath and opened his eyes. It really was nice just to calm down, especially after a battle; even if he was practically worthless during it. “C’mon,” he told Warriors. “Let’s catch up with the others.” Warriors gave an amused huff and jogged with him until they were walking behind Twilight and Wild. Wild turned and grinned at them, and Twilight gave his hair a quick ruffle.

               There was a shift in the wind, and suddenly it didn’t smell like Time’s Hyrule. It smelled like a sunny day and salty droplets spraying from below. Time must have noticed as well as half the party, because they suddenly stopped. “Something’s about to–” Legend started. He didn’t have time to finish, because suddenly they were all standing on wooden boards, rocking to a perpetual motion. They all got sprayed with brine, and Sky nearly toppled over at one of the large waves.

               “Oi! What are you rats doing on my ship?” a rough voice called out. Lightning flashed, revealing a tall, thin-ish Hylian with dark bags under his eyes and a little lip fuzz. Wind recognized him immediately, and pushed himself in front of the rest of the group.

               “Hey Linebeck!” Wind cheered, gaining his attention.

               “Ki- Link! How fare you? How’d you get on my ship?” Lightning crashed and the ship tossed violently. Hyrule and Four were thrown off their feet. Warriors was visiting the side of the ship, and even Time was looking a little green. Sky was still trying to stay balanced.

               “It’s a long story. Mind if we take this down below?”

               “Sure- Hey, you! No vomiting on my ship! I mean it!”

               “Why are you up here in this storm? You’re not even at the wheel!”

               “What do you mean? I love untamed nature! The chaos! The grit it takes to be a man and to go toe to toe with the elements!”

               “…There’s a monster in the hold, isn’t there?”

               “I’ll go!” Wild offered quickly, and darted down the hatch. Even he was looking a little peaked.

               Wind sighed. “C’mon Linebeck. It’ll probably be dead by the time we get down there, anyway.”

               The rest of the Links began to follow, Warriors practically running.

               “Hey, you’re not going to empty your guts on my floor, are you?” Linebeck challenged.

               “There’s nothing left in there anyway,” Warriors muttered, ducking down below.

               “I’ll help up here,” Legend said. “Make sure we don’t crash into anything,” he said under his breath. He grabbed the wheel and held it firmly.

               “Don’t worry about crashing,” Linebeck called out. “There’s no land here for miles!”

               Legend frowned, and then returned it back to the way it was before. “Whatever; it’s your boat.”

               Soon they were all down below. Wild was gathering blue chuchu jelly into some jars, and Warriors was already looking relieved. Legend just looked nervous.

               “Ahh, this is much better,” Linebeck said. “So, now that we can hear one another, how did you get to this ship?”

               Wind explained why they were there, and who the other Links were. Time and Sky both spoke a bit, too, but Sky looked like he was about to sleep where he was sitting.

               “Hmm. I’m not sure I believe you, but you are all here anyway. Welcome to SS Linebeck! Don’t touch any of my stuff, and I’ll let you sleep next to the crates.”

               “How generous,” Legend said dryly. He shuddered at some invisible chill. “Are you sure you don’t want help in this storm?”

               Linebeck waved him off. “These storms don’t usually last long. Besides, the sails are down; there’s not much else I can do.”

               Wind was surprised Linebeck was allowing them to sleep down here at all, though, he reflected, it probably would have been in poor taste for him to start throwing the others overboard. “Good night, Linebeck!” he called.

               “Night, kid,” Linebeck replied and headed out of the hold to his cabin.

               “Well, that was interesting,” Hyrule said.

               “Let’s all get some sleep.” Time stood and began to unpack his bedroll. “We’re lucky we got teleported to an ally; let’s take advantage of the peace while we can.”

               Thunder crashed and boomed. The ship dipped back and forth like a child’s rocking horse. No one slept much that night.

               Morning came bright and early. Wind was already up on the deck looking out over the ocean. He took a deep breath of the fresh air and exhaled. This is what he’d missed most about his world; the freedom, the saline wind in his hair and the blue expanse of the sea. The sun had risen on a clear blue sky, and the visibility was amazing. Wind could see for miles.

               Then he noticed something out on the horizon. It looked like an island, but it seemed a lot larger. It cast a great shadow where the sea met the sky. Linebeck was standing at the bow, looking in the same direction. Wind ran up to him.

               “Do you see it?” the captain asked. “That, right there, is a new discovery! Think of the treasure one might find on an island like that! Why, who knows? Maybe we’ve discovered a new land! We could call it… Linebeckia! Or something. I’ll think about it.”

               The others trickled onto the deck throughout the morning, and by lunch they were almost at the shore. Linebeck didn’t have any means of cooking, and practically had a heart attack when Wild attempted to build a fire in the hold, so they had to either eat some of his jerky stores (which weren’t bad, Wind had practically consisted off of them for an entire pseudo-year) or wait ‘till they landed to have lunch.

               Sky was, as usual, the last one up, and by that time they were anchoring. The land was huge, larger than any island Wind had ever seen. Legend was eying it critically, and Wind thought he saw a good mixture of relief and something else when he found (or didn’t find) what he was looking for.

               They all got out and looked around. It seemed dead silent, not a soul or sign of habitation to be seen for miles around. “Not many landmarks around here for a treasure chest, are there?” Linebeck frowned. They found some driftwood drying in the sun and built a large fire there on the beach. Wild cooked up some fish they caught. Wind watched the flames while he ate, licking off his greasy fingers when he was done. He wished he could show the others his home; where Aryll and Grandma lived, and where the hibiscus bloomed on the beach in the light of the setting sun. But, he supposed, this was kind of nice, too. Seagulls cried well above them, coming close to the strangers that had food. Wild was trying to shoo them away from the cooking pot, which by now was cooling on the sand. Four was, uncharacteristically, lounging on the sand and soaking in the sun. Twilight and Sky had left to go scout the area in case there were enemies or settlements nearby. Linebeck wanted to go search for treasure, and Hyrule and Legend had offered to join, so they were out milling around somewhere, too.

               Wind wondered, suddenly, what it would be like for them if they left him behind. It was a strange thought, one he wasn’t used to contemplating. He was a hero, like the rest of them, and he knew it, but sometimes he just felt so…outclassed by all of them. He wanted to be more than just another one of them. He wanted to show them, to prove to them that he wasn’t the weakest of their group; that he wouldn’t hold them back.

               “Hey, kid, what��s wrong?” Warriors sat down next to Wind, having been in the middle of a conversation with Time moments prior.

               “Nothing. Why?”

               “You’ve been quieter than normal.” The young man picked up a stick from by the fire and used it to stir the dying coals back to life. “Did something happen last night that we don’t know about?” Suddenly he shot an appraising gaze up and down Wind’s body. “Did you get wounded?”

               “No,” Wind said quietly. “Just thinking.”

               “Well, that’s dangerous,” Warriors said, joking. He lifted his hand to ruffle Wind’s hair. “Don’t sit thinking too long, we like having you with us.” He dropped his hand from Wind’s head. “Do you need to talk about anything?”

               Wind shrugged. “I dunno. Nothing important, just thinking. Warriors, what do you think sets you apart from the others?”

               Warriors appeared momentarily surprised by this question, but recovered quickly. “Why, my devilishly handsome good looks, of course,” he smirked. “And I have more training and skill fighting multiple monsters at the same time, I suppose.” Wind nodded quietly.

               “And what do you think sets me apart from the others?” Warriors seemed very concerned about this question and was opening his mouth to answer when loud shouts came from the land above them.

               “Hey, guess what we found?” Hyrule asked excitedly, running down to the fire where they were sitting. He kicked up sand as he ran, getting some in the cooking pot, which Wild had just finished cleaning. Wild made a noise in his throat and reached in to try to clean it out again.

               “Let me guess,” Time said wryly as Linebeck came into sight empty-handed. “Not treasure.”

               “No, even better!” he exclaimed. “Come see!”

               Hyrule’s excitement was persuasive, and soon they were all following him back up the hill. Sky and Twilight were just returning from their scouting, and joined the party as well. Hyrule led the way forward, as Linebeck had excused himself, saying he had an errand that needed running and would be back in a few days. He’d hugged Wind and told him that if he found any treasure to let him know. Wind didn’t like goodbyes, but Linebeck had promised to return, so he didn’t complain much- he would see him in a couple of days.

               Legend was waiting for them at the top of a rocky cliff overlooking the beach further down. There was a rope ladder bolted into the ground that had obviously been there before they had. “Now, before we go down there,” he started without any preamble, “they may look different, but don’t attack them. They are really quite peaceful.”

               “Why would we want to attack them?” Sky frowned.

               “Someone startles easily and likes to swing first and ask questions later,” Legend said pointedly. Hyrule blushed.

               “No one got hurt,” he quickly clarified. “And they’re really cool, too!”

               “Alright, let’s get down there,” Time said, following Legend as he descended. Wind followed after, much to the protest of Twilight, who thought he should be next. He went ignored.

               When they reached the bottom of the ladder they followed the cliff to a cave entrance. It was dark inside, and it took Wind’s eyes a couple of moments to adjust. When they did, he heard a gasp behind him as Twilight entered. The people here were black and white skinned, with grey tones between, and teal symbols marking their chests. They were slender and towered over them on thin legs, their orange eyes observing every move. In one corner of the cave there was what appeared to be a strange mirror with runes running its circumference. The other corner was much more elaborate, appearing to have been carved out of stone by an ancient race. There was a stone door with carvings and ancient symbols with the image of a woman in the middle, holding up what appeared to be a stone with lines drawn outward from it. The rest of the party piled in, and the tallest of the group stepped forward to greet them.

               “Hello, I am Hambar, of the Twili. I have been delegated as Keeper of this sacred cave, and these are chosen ambassadors of the Light world. When the little one attacked, we knew that your party must be made of brave warriors.”

               “We do apologize for that, by the way,” Time said, stepping forward. “Is there anything we can do to make up for it?”

               The ambassadors shared a glance with the Keeper, and they nodded to him as he turned back to the group. “There is one thing you could do for us,” he admitted, “though we understand if you refuse.

               “You see, after the goddesses sank Hyrule, they approached us and offered us a chance at redemption. We were trapped millennia ago in the Twilight Realm due to our greed. Over the years we have adapted to our environment, and lost most of our magic. Some of us still have it, but we have all but forgotten the skills our sorcerer ancestors possessed. As such, we cannot enter the Light Realm without threat of death. The goddesses have given us this land, but it is impossible to leave this cave except at night. We don’t want to risk building when we might not get back below before the sun rises, and there is no cover for miles around.

               “But the goddesses have given us a way out. This is the Cave of Naeovi, and herein lays the Daystar, which can transform our people so that we may step into the light once more. Only one who is worthy can complete the Trials of Sorrow, which will unlock the Daystar and allow our people to live in the land we’ve been given. We’ve been waiting hundreds of years for our freedom.”

               “Why haven’t one of the Twili completed the trials?” Time asked from the sidelines. He was tense, and appeared suspicious.

               “All of us who wish to have tried, at one point or another. Young men and women, looking to prove themselves, place their hands on the Moonstone and try to gain entrance to the trials. Some are rejected; some make it into the trials but fail. No one has passed, and once failed the Stone no longer accepts them. No one who has been rejected has ever been accepted at another attempt, either. I myself tried every day for years when I was first made Keeper of the Cave. We are losing heart. But here we have fierce and brave combatants from the Light world. Perhaps we have a chance at redemption, now.”

               “And what exactly do these trials consist of?” Legend’s arms, like Time’s, were stiff and straight, like he was either preparing to grab his sword or turn and run.

               “We cannot say,” Hambar replied. “No one who has made it to the trials has spoken of them. We assume the Stone keeps them from sharing any information.”

               “I’ll do it,” Twilight offered quickly, stepping forward. “I’ll try the trials.”

               Hambar eyed Twilight critically. “Very well, I suppose you may. Just be aware that only one attempt can be made per day. And the challenger must have a light in them to rival the surrounding darkness.”

               Wind didn’t know what made him do it, but he walked up and stood next to Twilight. “No, I want to try first,” he said, heart pounding in his throat. Twilight turned and looked at him, surprised, as if he hadn’t been expecting him to appear next to him. “This is my Hyrule,” he looked Twilight in the eye. “If I can’t, then you can try tomorrow.” He turned back to the Keeper. “But I want to try first.”

               The Twili tilted his head and examined Wind for a moment. Wind felt as if he were staring into his very soul. “Is that okay with you, Dark One?” he asked. It took Wind a moment to realize that he was talking to Twilight.

               “I suppose so,” Twilight said, looking at him. His gaze weighed heavily on Wind. “This is his era.”

               “Very well,” Hambar consented, finally breaking eye contact. “Follow me.” The Keeper went to the carved door and placed his hand on a panel near it. It gave off a teal glow and the wall slid open to reveal a smooth, domed room beyond. The walls were a dark blue, specks of light shining like stars, repeated endlessly into a crystalline darkness. The image shimmered and moved as they walked, giving a soft glow to the floor below. A door was set into the wall on the far side, only the smallest hint of a seam indicating its presence. In the middle of the room was a beautiful, smooth white stone that shone at different points as if the stars were repeated inside it as well. The Moonstone, Wind realized. An obsidian statue of a Hylian woman knelt on the ground, her fingers seeming to caress it. Drops of water trickled from her empty stone eyes and fell off of petrified cheeks to be absorbed by the gem below. Wind suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

               “You sure about this?” Warriors asked. “You don’t have to prove anything to us, you know.”

               “I want to,” Wind replied quietly. “Besides, this is my Hyrule. I want to save these people, too.”

               Warriors took a deep breath and released it before nodding once and removing his hand. “Okay. I trust you.”

               The Twili didn’t protest as the others entered the room, but motioned Wind forward and instructed him to kneel on the ground as the woman was.

               “Place your hand here on the Moonstone,” he instructed. “It will decide whether you are worthy or not. Good luck.”

               Wind placed his hand on the mineral and slammed his eyes shut as light flashed suddenly from its core. He heard exclamations from the others as they, too, had to hide their eyes from the glare. There was a loud noise, like the pounding of a thousand thunderstorms, and then all was quiet.

               He slowly blinked his eyes only to see, disappointed, his hand still on the stone, which had returned to its normal state. He looked around the room. The others were still rubbing their eyes, and the door had yet to open. He felt a large hand on his shoulder and felt himself being lifted up off the floor. Hambar was quiet as he led him and the rest of the group out and back into the main cave.

               “Do not feel disappointed,” he said quietly. “Many have tried and many have failed.” He looked up from Wind. “There is always tomorrow, if any of you others wish to try,” he said as the Twili ambassadors slowly took their leave. “I will still be here.” There were little flashes of light as the Twili disappeared back to their Realm, and the others began to ascend the rope ladder once again. Wind was the only one left.

               “What are you still doing here, Little Light?” the Keeper asked. He didn’t sound nearly as welcoming as before.

               “I would still like to help,” Wind knew he wasn’t worthy, but there had to be something he could do. The Twili man seemed to consider his offer, and then nodded.

               “Very well,” he said. “It is said there is a rare lily that only blooms under the light of the moon. The Moon’s Pail grows on a slender stem, with many tiny flowers. You can smell its fragrance easily on a warm night; it has a honey scent. It is many leagues from here, in the Brineback Swamp to the east. None of us dares to retrieve it, but it is a great medicine to our kind, and can even cure those of us who have been fatally burned by the sun. If you retrieve a couple for us, as well as a bulb or two to plant in the soil above, we may be able to hold up until this curse is lifted.”

               Wind smiled brightly. He still had a chance. “Thank you so much!” he waved as he left, backing toward the entrance. “You won’t regret it!” And then he was following his companions to where they were congregated at the top of the cliff.

               “We’ll head back to where we built our fire earlier. That way we’re still close and Linebeck will know where to find us when he returns,” Time was saying. The others looked his way when he came in view, quickly looking away when his eyes caught theirs. Wind’s heart sunk. They were ashamed of him. Warriors was the only one who kept eye contact. He moved to walk beside Wind as they made their way to camp.

               “Hey, you aren’t feeling bad, are you?” he asked. “You did your best. We know it. They know it, too.”

               Wind remained quiet. He didn’t know what to say. He swallowed the tight feeling in his throat and continued to walk forward.

               “They’ve been trying for hundreds of years, and none of them were able to complete the trials.”

               But at least some got admitted to them. Wind hadn’t even gotten that far.

               “This is my Hyrule,” he said instead, “I’m supposed to be able to help them. What kind of a hero am I if I can’t?”

               “You help in any way you can,” Warriors replied. “You aren’t a hero because you can lift a sword out of a stone. You’re a hero because your heart is in the right place and you want to help others. You put their needs before your own.”

               Wind nodded, feeling the light inside him ignite anew. Warriors was right. He hadn’t been accepted into the trials, but he could still help the Twili. The others needed to stay close to see if they were worthy, but Wind didn’t. He already knew the decision of the stone, and now he had something better: he had something he could do other than sit around and see if a rock would think he was worthy of it. He could still help these people.

               But he didn’t know how long he was going to be gone for, and the others needed to be nearby in case the stone chose them. When they got back to camp, he told Time that he was heading out to go exploring a bit. Time wanted someone to go with him, but Wind refused.

               “Do you see anything out here?” It was a rhetorical question. “I know you’re worried, but I’m a hero, too, and I can take care of myself. If I’m not back by tomorrow morning, go ahead and try the trials without me. There’s something I need to do.”

               “You should still take someone with you. It’s not like you’re planning on being gone more than eight days, are you?” Wind wasn’t planning on it, but it was entirely probable.

               Wind shook his head anyway. “I want everyone here that can be. The stone might speak to one of you, and you may be their hope,” he said. “This is my era. These people are my responsibility, and the sooner they can get out of that cave, the better.” He hefted his pack over his shoulder and made eye contact with as many of them as possible. “Do this for me?”

               Warriors looked troubled, but he said nothing. Time didn’t look like he approved, either, but nodded. “Fine. But I want you back within three days, or we’re going looking for you.”

               That wasn’t as good as Wind had hoped, but it was better than nothing. “Okay,” he agreed. “I’ll see you in a couple of days.” Twilight’s blue eyes stared unnervingly at him as he turned around. He could feel them weighing heavily on his back. His own hubris had caused him to go before the elder teen, and may have made the Twili wait longer. But he would be back, and he wouldn’t disappoint them. He would amend his mistake, and help the people he’d failed.

               He had to.

                 Wind travelled all day and stopped to rest only when night was falling. Thanks to journeying with the other Links for so long, he’d gotten used to walking long distances, and he was able to get a lot farther than he would have before. He ate some of the jerky stored away in his pack. Something he used to enjoy now just tasted like cardboard, but he didn’t know if it was because he’d been spoilt with Wild’s cooking, or if his earlier failure had taken the taste out. Either way, he couldn’t lose this opportunity. The Twili were counting on him, and he would do something to help them, even if he couldn’t free them completely.

               Wind took a brief nap before continuing on in his easterly path. The moon had crested the horizon, and he thought he heard a wolf howl in the distance, but it could have been the wind. There was nothing but sparse grass and rock for miles. He wished for Wolfie, but it was unlikely that Wild’s companion was nearby. He would have to do this alone.

               Wind tried to hum a jaunty pirate tune to get his mind off of his loneliness, but it ended up sounding more haunting than uplifting. His attempt died out quickly. He’d never really been alone during his travels, and it was odd to be so now. He wished there was someone to talk to. The heath stretched on for miles, becoming its own ocean as gusts caused the grasses to bend in waves. The smell of salt blew in from the ocean, even though it was a half an hour’s walk away. Everything here- it was so desolate. Wind wondered if this land was really better than the Twilight realm, but quickly brushed it off. If Hambar and his people were so desperate to get here, then it must be better. And the land wasn’t entirely untamable. Wind had seen the people of New Hyrule turn infertile tracts into lush gardens of vegetables and fields of grain. There was hope for the Twili yet.

               He spotted a dark stain on the horizon, and squinted as if it would help him to better make out its shape. The moon was above it now, and its brightness was making it difficult to see.

               It took thirty more minutes before he realized they were trees. Was this the swamp? Wind felt excitement race through him and broke into a run.

               In eight minutes he was panting hard and his legs burned, but he was at the dark copse of trees. Anticipation rose in him as he entered. He would find the flowers here, he would bring them back, and he would help the people he’d failed. It was the least he could do.

               Everything was noticeably darker after entering the woods. Wind had difficulty seeing his hand in front of his face, much less if there were any flowers around. He could no longer hear the howling gales, the sound being replaced by the hoots of owls in the branches and the groans and creaks of ancient trees. His heart pounded in his chest and his feet ached, but the Twili’s hope was ahead. He would find it, and he would bring it back to them.

               The air here was stale and stunk of rotting vegetation. Mud appeared beneath his feet and began to suck at his boots. At one point he stepped in a particularly soft patch and ended up almost thigh-deep in it. He’d reached out and found a vine, which he used as leverage to pull himself out. After almost losing a boot, he was more careful to feel out his steps first.

               Suddenly there was a snap of a twig behind him, and Wind turned quickly just in time to see a Lizalfos jump at him with a spear. Barely dodging, he slung his shield onto his arm and quickly retrieved his sword. It hissed and growled at him, coming back for another lunge.  Wind had never seen one in his own world, and yet it distinctly was one of his, and not one of the others’. He didn’t know how he knew, and tried not to think too hard about it.

               It hissed and jumped toward him. Wind blocked its blow and thrust his weapon toward its exposed belly, but it retreated quickly and he missed. Cursing under his breath, he readjusted his footing and readied himself for another attack. It came bounding toward him once more, and he struck just as it lifted its sword arm. It screamed in pain and he quickly pulled his blade out of its belly. There was a strangled roar behind him, and Wind turned in time to see another monster lunge for him.

               Sweat began to dampen his hair as Wind fought, feinting and spinning to get a good angle on his attacker. As soon as he dispatched the one he was fighting, another materialized from the woods.

               Luckily he was accustomed to their movements by now, and was able to finish the great lizard off much more quickly than he had the other two. Still, he stood there trying to catch his breath after the last one was downed. Wind was exhausted; the fight had taken a lot more out of him than he’d thought. He would need to rest soon, but not yet.

               The breeze in the leaves above him rustled, and Wind turned his gaze to a glow he could now make out further in. Wearily, he trod forward through the soggy ground to see what it was revealing.

               There, bathed in the soft light of the heavens, was the Moon’s Pail. The dainty flowers were facing up towards the great light, where it appeared that they were gathering the beams like a pail would collect water. Delicate petals were black on the outside and white on the inside, and they trembled as Wind ran a wondering hand over them. He picked one, and then another, and then another; until he had a handful of the sweet-smelling blooms. He left plenty in the clearing to repopulate, and dug up a few bulbs as well. Satisfied with his findings, he quickly put them back in his bag and began to head back west.

               Getting out of the forest was much easier than going in had been, and once he was out on the heath Wind finally began to relax. There was nothing for miles around, and he decided to take another nap.

               The nap ended up being more than a nap, as Wind awoke to light glaring in his face and a cool gust to his hair. Immediately he jumped up. He had to get to the others, and quickly!

               Wind ran most of the way there, and began to shout as he neared the location of their camp. “Guys, I’m back! And I’ve got something for the Twili, too!” Wind gasped at the sight that greeted him when he crested the hill.

               “No.” No. It couldn’t be. It wasn’t.

               “Guys?” Wind hated the way his voice sounded. It was tiny and hurt, and nothing like the way he wanted to sound.

               But his friends, his family…Wind ran down to the beach where they’d peacefully had lunch the day before. “Guys?” It was a slaughter. Red stained the sand below and bodies were twisted in painful positions. “Please,” he whispered. No one moved. His eyes roved desperately, trying to find a survivor. Time, Legend, Hyrule. Sky…. He hesitantly moved forward, his eyes filling with tears that blurred everything. Twilight, Four, Wild… No, someone had to live! Someone had to have escaped! Eight figures lay unmoving on the ground. What happened? Who could have done this, why didn’t they –

               “Warriors?” His friend, his older brother was… Wind choked back a sob as he knelt in the sand beside the body. “Warriors?” He began to shake him by the shoulders, even though he knew it wouldn’t do anything. His bright blue eyes stared up into nothing. “C’mon, wake up. Please.” His voice cracked at the end, but he didn’t care. Hot tears spilled down his face, the ocean breeze doing little to calm him. His friends were gone.

               “Link! Link!” Wind picked his head up at the call, and noticed Linebeck running on the beach toward him. The man stumbled slightly and his eyes widened at the sight in front of him. “What in Din’s name…?”

               “They’re gone,” Wind choked. “I f-failed them, Linebeck. I shouldn’t have - have le-left.”

               The sailor appeared horrified before he whispered, “I’m so sorry, Link.” Wind closed his eyes and shook his head, ducking it low to curl over his older brother figure. “But there’s trouble on Outset.” Wind felt his heart sink even lower than it had been before.

               “What do yo-you mean?”

               “A group of raiders has invaded, and the whole island is under siege. Tetra and the pirates are doing what they can, but Outset isn’t prepared to fight a veritable army.”

               “I’ll go.” The Twili could get their flowers at any time.

               “What about them?” Linebeck asked quietly, gesturing to-.

               Wind closed his eyes and turned his head. “I might be able to save Grandma and Aryll,” he said. “I’m too late for –.” The last part came out as barely even a whisper. He was too much of a coward to even finish the sentence. He stood swiftly, brushing the tears from his eyes. There would be time to mourn later. For now, he tried to think of the family he was going to save, and not the one he was too late for. Not the one that he was leaving to bake in the sun.

               Wind gently closed Warriors’s eyes, and turned to go with Linebeck.

               It was evening by the time they got to Outset. Wind saw the smoke before he saw the land, great billows of it rising into the air and blackening out the sky above. If there were any flames there before, they were already gone. The skeletons of houses stood eerily above a beach littered with bodies. Linebeck cursed as Wind dove overboard, forgetting his pack aboard the ship. He wasn’t an amazing swimmer, but he was semi-decent. The need to see his family overrode any concern about his own wellbeing.

               Wind had no idea how he got to the shore before Linebeck, but he did. Soaked and shivering, he searched for any sign of his sister or grandmother. “Grandma! Aryll?” he cried, panting as he looked for any signs of life among the wreckage. Cannonballs left troughs from where they plowed into the sand. Limbs and weapons and gore littered the ground, but Wind ignored all of it. “Aryll? Little sister?” he called desperately. “Grandma!” Then he saw it: a little sandal under some collapsed roofing where there house had once been. Wind grunted as he pushed the boards up and heaved them to the side. “Aryll?” Her face was turned upwards toward the sky with a peaceful expression. Blood puddled underneath her head, and in the moonlight her skin appeared as veined marble. When Wind’s tentative fingers brushed her cheek, it was as soft as the Moon’s Pail’s petals and as cold as ice. He used the back of his hand to gently wipe away the trickle of blood that had crept from the corner of her mouth. No breath left her lips. His grandmother lay nearby, her neck twisted as if she was looking out to the open sea.

               “At least they died together,” a voice came from behind him. Wind spun to see her, covered in sweat and blood that wasn’t her own, her face wet with tears. “But you were gone. You weren’t here.”

               “Tetra?” He hated the tremor that came out with the word.

               “You failed them, Link.” Her voice was hard as the tempered edge of a cutlass. “Where were you?”

               “I was…” he trailed off.

               “You were nowhere to be found,” she snapped, her lower lip trembling and her voice breaking like fine china dashed against the surf. “I sent messages by bird, by ship, by train, but you were nowhere.”

               “I…I didn’t know,” he said pathetically.

               “Do you know?” Tetra rubbed hard at her eyes, hiding them behind her forearm. “Do you know that they were hoping for you? They were looking for you to come out of the ocean and rescue them, even when the raiders began to fire at the houses with their cannons.”

               “No,” Wind said, shaking his head, but not in answer to her question. He closed his eyes. This couldn’t be real. This can’t have happened. Tears were soaking his cheeks and dripping from his chin, turning the ashes to mud below him.

               “Even when the raiders came into the houses, murdering and looting, they said, ‘Link will come. He won’t forget us. He’s our big brother, our grandson. He won’t leave us to die!’”

               “Please, stop,” he whispered. He didn’t want to hear anymore.

               “And where did their hope in you get them?” He looked up as she stayed quiet. She shuddered and turned to look Wind in the eye.

               “Please-se, Tetra,” he sobbed.

               “They begged, too.” It came out dead. “And they locked them in the house and set it on fire. If it weren’t for a misfire on the part of one of the raiders’ ships, they would have burned alive.”

               “Don’t,” he choked, “don’t. Please.”

               “I can’t even bear to look at you,” she said, turning her face from him. The sound of footsteps in the sand broke up the sound of waves lapping at the beach below them. “Linebeck,” she said, her voice leaving her mouth as cold and hard as coffin nails. “Take him with you.”

               “Tetra, please.” He didn’t have much left. At least let him bury his dead, see to it that they were cared for and loved.

               “Your Majesty?”

               The pirate captain shuddered. “I never want to see him again. Take him back to that island, to whatever was more important than his own people, and leave him there.”

               “Zelda, please.” The words came out tiny and broken, just like him. She turned slightly toward him, and Wind thought for a moment she might change her mind.

               “Goodbye, Link.” And then she was walking down the beach toward the hull of her broken ship.

               “C’mon, kid,” Linebeck said gently, guiding him by the elbow. Wind felt numb as he was led back toward the ocean and onto the deck of the steamship. Linebeck left him to himself, busying himself across the ship and guiding it out into open waters.

               It was noon by the time they reached the dead island. Linebeck was quiet as he anchored the ship, and some distant part of Wind was glad he’d landed further down the beach instead of where his friends had been slaughtered. He moved robotically, grabbing his things and walking off the gangplank and onto the sand. Salt had crusted in his hair; muddy ashes had caked on his shins. His lashes were frosted with minerals from the swim and his own tears. His eyes were itchy and swollen as Linebeck came beside him and enveloped him in a warm hug. Wind didn’t have the energy to lift his arms to return it.

               “It’ll be okay, kid,” Linebeck pressed his lips to the top of Wind’s head. “It’ll be okay.”

               Wind was unable to process much as Linebeck released his shoulders and, giving a final pat, turned to his ship. The almost fourteen year old watched as the vessel got smaller and smaller until it disappeared over the horizon.

               The pack hadn’t been on his back when he’d dived into the water. Wind took it out, not sure what he was going to do; maybe look for the telescope Aryll had given him (he needed something to-), when he noticed the Moon’s Pail inside, somehow still as fresh as they had been when he picked them. Tears prickled at his eyes and he sniffed. Was this what he got for helping others? For being a hero? If it was, he didn’t want any part of it.

               “You might not be able to help them, but you can still help someone,” a calm voice spoke in front of him. Wind looked up, just to see Four’s figure fading from view, his face looking over his shoulder at the cliffs behind him.

               “Wait, Four!” but the smaller hero was gone. Wind wiped his face for what felt like the thousandth time that day. Four, or his memory of Four, or that illusion, or whatever-it-was was right. The Twili were still relying on him. The people he loved were gone or had left him, but the Twili could still have happiness. They could still have hope. Something good had to come out of this.

               Steadying his breath, Wind picked himself up off the ground. A breeze blew through his stiff hair and rustled his crusty clothing. He could do this. He could help the Twili, even if it was with this. He could still have hope for them. And then…

               Stumbling up the hill, Wind somehow made it to the top of the cliff. The rope ladder was exactly as he’d remembered it, and he descended it carefully, making sure not to lose the precious cargo on his back.

               Entering the cave, he once more blinked his eyes to try to get them to adjust. “You look terrible.” Wind was just able to recognize the voice as that of the Keeper’s.

               He didn’t have any words for him in response.

               Instead, Wind took out the flowers in his pack as well as the bulbs that could potentially save so many lives.

               “The Moon’s Pail!” the Twili exclaimed. “Where did you find it? Never mind, never mind. I’ll put them in a cool dry place and we can plant them tomorrow.” The Guardian of the cave held out a long, pale hand. Wind normally would have felt some sort of accomplishment, but now he only felt exhaustion. He wanted to curl up in a corner of the cave and sleep until everything made sense, or everyone was back as they should be. But he couldn’t.

               Instead, he reached forward and handed the plants to Hambar. He knew, somehow, that what he’d done was incredibly important to these people. It could bring them light.

               As soon as the flowers touched the Keeper’s hands there was a loud crack, and the carved stone door slid open to reveal the room beyond. And beyond that…

               “The door is opened!” Hambar exclaimed. “Well, that’s certainly never happened before. No one has bypassed the Moonstone.”

               Wind should have felt excitement, but he didn’t feel anything except relief. There was still hope yet. He could save the Twili still. He looked at the Keeper expectantly, wondering if he was going to protest him beginning the trials. Hambar’s eyes bored into his own.

               “It’s up to you, Little Light,” he said. “Retrieve our Daystar.” Wind just nodded, and Hambar offered to him the natural spring in the back of the cave to refill his water bottle at. Wind did so, washing his face and hands in the refreshing flow, as well as refilling his flask after drinking water from it several times over. Feeling a little bit more human and a lot more refreshed, he approached the entrance to the Trials.

               He entered the dark room, and the door slammed shut behind him. Suddenly he wasn’t so sure if he could do this. “You can do this, little brother,” Warriors was suddenly in front of him, as bright and fresh as he had been when he was alive. “I believe in you.” He reached a hand forward as if to ruffle his hair, but faded away before he made contact. Wind’s eyes filled, but he nodded. He would complete the Trials. He may not have hope for himself, but he still had some for the Twili.

               He walked forward hesitantly, gripping his blade tightly as he saw a strange blue glow down the dark hallway. The light took shape as he came into a large chamber, and before him was the huffing steaming creature he had fought most recently.  “Malladus,” he whispered, horror warring with anger. How was this demon alive again? He didn’t care. He would kill it and make sure it left this earth for good.

               Wind charged forward with a yell, keeping his shield in front of him and his sword ready to swing. Malladus sped forward as well, intent on skewering the boy on his horns.

               The young teen leapt at the last second, vaulting up and over the beast’s head and driving his sword into the weak spot on the creature’s back; or, at least, he tried to. Instead of going through like he wanted, the sword bounced harmlessly off of scaled skin. Wind gasped. The last time he’d fought it, he’d had Tetra’s help. Now he was on his own. The demon reached a large, clawed hand over him and tore him from its back, throwing him into the cave wall. Wind shook his head, trying to keep the room from spinning and quickly jumped out of the way before it got to him, causing it to ram into the wall. While it was down, Wind lifted his sword and again aimed for the jewel between its horns. He prepared to strike down with all his might, but the beast recovered more quickly than he was expecting and swung one of its horns at Wind’s side. Wind was just a bit too slow, and didn’t get his shield up fast enough. He screamed in agony and shoved the Phantom Sword into Malladus’s eye. It was a small target, and it was a dirty move, but it did the trick. The demon jerked back with a roar, Wind’s screams joining him as blood began to flow more freely. He was barely standing, holding the hole in his side with his shield arm while raising his bloody sword in a tremulous grasp. He stood at the ready, waiting for the beast to notice him and charge again, but it didn’t. It pawed at its face, and Wind realized it must still think the sword was in its eye. He himself was feeling weak and exhausted from the fight and lack of sleep, but he would finish this. He would finish this and retrieve the Daystar for the Twili.

               The beast began to ram its face blindly into the walls, and Wind approached it slowly, trying to keep his insides in. He shivered as he watched it bash its skull into the sides over and over again. It stumbled and fell to the ground, its head lying low as it tried to catch its breath. Wind felt a flash of pity as he lifted his weapon and shoved it as hard as he could through its ruby-encrusted forehead. The demon shuddered once and then stilled, stiffening and crumbling into dust. Wind sighed and collapsed to his knees.

               A door banged in the distance and Wind flinched. Peeling open his eyes, he saw a tall, dark, robed figure walk through. He struggled to rise, but didn’t make it halfway before he was knocked to the floor again.

               “I would stay down, if I were you.” Wind froze. He recognized that voice. The fine tremble in his arms intensified tenfold. “I have plenty of malice for the one that entombed me in stone at the bottom of the sea.” No. No. How? How could this monster still be alive? He’d killed him. He’d shoved a sword through his skull and covered him with water and left his corpse leagues below the surface. How was he here?

               “Bow like the insect you are,” the false king growled, “and I will spare your life.”

               “No,” he said, choking around a glob of blood. He managed to make it unsteadily to his feet, and spit at Ganondorf’s boots. “I will never bow to you.”

               “Very well,” Ganondorf said, “then perish.”

               Wind had every intention of fighting that monster then and there, but his body had other ideas. The Gerudo swung a meaty fist at his face, and all went black.

                 When Wind next blinked open his eyes, he was in a prison cell. He didn’t move. He didn’t even twitch. Rather, he just allowed himself to breathe, to hear the rush of air in and out of his lungs. He was so tired. He just wanted to sleep and wake up again with everyone alive and well. Wind’s eyes pricked with tears. So much had been taken from him, so quickly; he hadn’t had time to process it. It wasn’t fair.

               “So what, you just gonna lie there and give up?” a voice snarked. Wind lifted his eyes to see a transparent Legend looking at him from where he was leaning on the wall. “Doesn’t sound like a hero to me.”

               “I don’t know if I want to be a hero.” His voice was scratchy, like it had been overused.

               Legend rolled his eyes. “No one wants to be a hero kid. At least, no one that’s been doing it for a long time does. Heroism is selflessness. It’s putting others first. It’s hard, and you can bet your bucket that it’s gonna drag you down and feed on you ‘till there’s nothing left. But you know what?” Wind shook his head. This was the longest that any of the “ghosts” had spoken to him. “It’s worth it. It’s worth every bit of pain that comes to you, to save someone, to protect a life and give them a future. Don’t give up, Wind.” And then he was gone.

               He was right, Wind realized belatedly. People’s lives alone were worth the fight. Lying here, feeling sorry for himself, wasn’t going to help anyone. He tried to push himself up to his knees, but he couldn’t; he still had a gaping wound in his side, and if he didn’t get help soon, he would die.

               “Hey, Wind,” a voice quietly came from right next to him. “Hold still, I might be able to help.”

               “H-Hyrule?”

               “Yeah,” he said quietly, slender fingers moving to the gouge in Wind’s side. “You’re one tough kid, you know that?”

               “I- what are you doing?” Sparks danced from Hyrule’s fingers, and he moved them gently over the wound. It slowly closed up, until an angry scab was all that was left.

               “I’m sorry I can’t do more,” Hyrule said, smiling at him. “But this should hold ‘till you finish the rest of the trial.”

               Wind felt tears prickle at the corners of his eyes. Again. He was so weak.

               “Hey, hey, hey; you’re strong, Wind. Just remember, where there’s life, there’s hope.” He shot Wind a smile.

               The younger teen huffed out a laugh. “That’s so lame.” Hyrule just smiled and stood up. Wind got to his legs shakily.

               “Door’s unlocked,” Hyrule informed him. “Good luck.” And then he was gone.

               Wind cautiously opened the door to his cell, cringing as it creaked loudly. But no one came to investigate the noise, so he went ahead and stepped out.

               The corridor was eerily quiet, his shuffling echoing off the stone walls. He followed it until he came to a large, open room. He quickly swallowed his fear and drew his sword. The dark king was there, his back turned to the door, his face set toward a shining bright stone sitting upon a pedestal. Wind felt anger rise up inside him at the sight. No. Ganondorf had ruined enough lives. Wind was going to stop him where he was.

               As silently as possible, Wind came up behind the monster and stabbed at his unsuspecting back. Cape parted and steel met steel in a clash as the Gerudo matched Wind’s sword thrust with a block of his own. “Thought you could sneak up on me, little ship rat?” he growled. “I will show you what true revenge looks like.” And with that he shoved the young teen backward with his sword.

               Wind blocked and parried as he was forced back to the wall. He gritted his teeth. He had to fight; he had to win. If he didn’t… well, he wouldn’t think about that. He would make sure he won. The Twili were counting on him.

               Suddenly Ganondorf moved. Wind went to block the strike, but it was a trick. Instead he was on the receiving end of a great fist to the stomach. His air whooshed out of his lungs, and he was thrown back several yards. Hyrule’s healing had covered his wound, but it hadn’t replenished the lost blood. The exhaustion was catching up with him and making him sloppy. That sloppiness had cost him.

               Wind moved to get up, but the monster placed a heavily-booted foot on his chest, forcing him down. He gasped for air, but the dark king just pressed harder.

               “Pathetic,” he growled. “I expected more of a threat, but you are just a puppy. You’ve lost your touch.” Desperate, Wind swung his sword and pierced Ganondorf’s leg through. He roared, jerking his limb back and freeing it from the blade.

               Wind sat up and took a deep breath, forcing himself to stand on two feet. “I’ve already beaten you once. I can do it again.” The man snarled in rage and rushed forward. Wind had no time to dodge before his large hand was wrapped around his throat, squeezing the life out of him. Suddenly Ganondorf swung downward, bashing his head against the hard stone floor, and Wind’s sword clanged as it bounced away. Then he was slammed hard again. Again. Again.

               Wind was dazed. Where was he? What was he doing? Where was his sword? Why was his side warm and sticky? He gasped as a knee pressed into his sternum and the sound of metal being dragged menacingly across the stone floor got louder and louder until the source came to rest by his ear. A giant face moved down to whisper in the other one.

               “There is something you should know, before I kill you,” Ganondorf whispered. “Darkness always wins. It wins in the hearts of everyone. No one dies with hope.” Wind grasped with his hand, and felt something hard and smooth under his palm. His sword! Ganondorf kept his head low as he positioned his blade for a final blow. “Goodbye, little hero.” Steel cleaved flesh, and with a strangled gurgle, a heart stopped. All was heavy and silent...

…

…

               Wind’s eyes opened. Something hot and viscous was flowing down the back of his hands. With a sigh, the giant body fell toward him, and Wind barely had the strength to push the knee off and shove the corpse away as he rolled from it.

               And he promptly threw up.

               There wasn’t much in his stomach but water and blood. The past … day? Day and a half?... had been so harrowing that he couldn’t stop the tears from pouring out. It felt like a lifetime. He was so tired, so weak; blood loss and exhaustion had overtaken him. He supported himself on shaking limbs, the Phantom Sword still lodged in the Gerudo king’s jaw. He left it there.

               Suddenly his arms gave out beneath him, and he landed in the puddle of bile and blood that had left his body. The sound of footsteps drew near, and he tried to track the sound with his eyes.

               “C’mon, Wind. Get up;” it was Sky, his soft voice echoing through the chamber. He knelt down and peered into Wind’s face. “Wake up. Complete your journey.”

               “You’re almost done, kid.” That was Twilight. What was he doing here? “You’re so close to finishing.” Wait? Where had Sky gone? No, he was dead. So was Twilight.

               “I can’t,” he cried. “Not- not as good as you…” It was hard to catch his breath, and he felt himself slipping. “’M not as s-strong as you or Time, not as sm-mart as Four or Hyrule…hhuuhh… I don’t have Leg-en’s ‘sperience… or Sky’s, Warriors’s, and Wild’s…skills…. ’M a failure…. Failed you. You’re dead because of me. Can’t do it.” Everything hurt so badly.

               “Sure you can,” Wild’s voice sounded as deerskin shoes came into view. Wind turned his head, just to try to catch a glimpse of his face. “You have to. You have to remember. We can’t do this, only you can. You have to fight for us. Live for us.”

               Wind struggled to get to his knees again. The pedestal was still there, holding the Daystar which pulsed with life. It was the last beacon in the dark- the last hope of the Twili.

               But he didn’t know if he could get to it.

               He managed to prop himself up on his hands and knees, his shirt hanging heavily with bile and blood. He had failed the others. It only made sense that he would fail the Twili just as easily. He wasn’t even crying, now. He was out of tears.

               “Wind,” a voice gently spoke. It was Time. He waited to continue until Wind met his eye. “You, Wind, are our hope, even in the worst of times. You are our light. Shine for us.” Wind tried to draw in a deep breath, but it came out sounding more like a hiccough. He tried again, and somehow, miraculously, got to his feet. He was shaking so badly he wondered how he hadn’t toppled over. But it was nothing in relation to the light ahead of him. His skull was throbbing behind his eyes, its cacophony drowning out all but the music of the gem. The pain in his side was just a scratch in the face of the Hope ahead. Sounds of his own blood “plip”-ing against the stone floor went ignored; he was concerned with something greater than himself. He stepped forward. Once, twice, thrice, until he came to the altar of the Daystar.

               He prayed that this would bring hope to the Twili. He prayed that, when it was over, he might be with his friends and family again.

               It wasn’t the most graceful of movements. In fact, it was a sloppy thing, a jerky motion that even a toddler would be ashamed of. His left arm flailed out, and his fingers brushed its corona.

               The world exploded into light, a high pitched ringing sounding through his ears and consuming his very being.

               Then, it was just light.

…

               Then, there were fingers running through his hair, and a familiar voice in his ear.

…

               Then, the light faded, and he realized his eyes were closed, a warm breeze blowing in his face.

               Then, he opened his eyes to Warriors’s concerned face and a canopy of eternal stars. A quiet glow was coming from nearby, adding softness to his features.

               “Hey, little bro. Nice to see your baby blues again.” His smile was white and brilliant, perfect as always.

               “Warriors?” The elder’s hand came into view as he withdrew it, and Wind realized it had been his fingers that had been playing with his hair. “Y’re dead.”

               Warriors’s expression twisted into confusion. “No I’m not.”

               “Yes, y’are. Saw it. Were… all bloody. I clos’d y’r eyes.”

               “What?”

               “How’ryu – alive?”

               Warriors looked at him, flabbergasted. Wind was too tired for this. He slowly shut his eyes. And then opened them again.

               “’M I dead?” he whispered. “Sorry,” he apologized as Warriors seemed to grow more agitated. “Just wished to be with you guys. But where’s Aryll? Grandma?”

               “I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about,” Warriors replied.

               Something was off here. Wind wasn’t sure what it was, but it suddenly occurred to him that perhaps Warriors wasn’t a ghost. And maybe this wasn’t the afterlife, either.

               Wind squinted, and tried to sit up. Warriors gently pressed down on his chest. “Whoa, easy there. You just finished the Trials; you shouldn’t try to get up too fast.”

               Wind glanced over. Under his left hand was the Moonstone, smooth and unblemished and bright. And holding it was the statue of the Hylian lady, but she was no longer crying.

               “What? I don’t understand.”

               “You finished the Trials of Sorrow.” Wind turned his head towards the other voice, which happened to belong to Four, who was walking over with Wind’s blanket. He had a pleased smile on his face. He draped it over the younger’s body, and Wind removed his hand from the oblong orb. “Congratulations!”

               “I –” Wind’s voice was shaking, “I don’t understand. You guys were killed. I wasn’t there to be with you.”

               “Wind,” Four said slowly, his brow furrowing, “we’ve been here this whole time. You never left the cave.”

               “What?” he asked. “But what about my failure to activate the Trial? And the Moon’s Pail? Remember, I told you guys I would be gone for a couple of days?”

               The other two shook their heads.

               “You – you’re not dead,” he murmured, realization slowly sinking in. Then a giant grin spread across his face. “You’re not dead!” He repeated, and flung his arms around Warriors’s shoulders. Warriors’s breath came out in a whoof, but he quickly reciprocated the hug. Four placed a hand on his shoulder.

               “No, we’re not dead,” he said, humor lacing his words. “And you were amazing! You pushed through to the end, even when it got tough! Once you completed the Trials, that door over there opened and the Daystar ignited. It flew to where the Twili were waiting and immediately transformed the ones here to be able to live in the Light world! Now they can live on this land without fear of dying from exposure to the sun!”

               “Alright, Four, I think Wind’s been overwhelmed enough,” Time said, amused. “Let’s get back to the others.”

               “Can you walk?” Warriors asked, helping Wind to his feet. Time went ahead with Four to tell their companions.

               “I-I think so,” he said. “How long was I out?”

               “Oh, it took you pretty much an entire day to complete the trials, if not longer. I dunno, it’s kind of hard to tell, time passes strangely in here,” Warriors looked around the room as if it made him feel a little lost. “But, after about…mmm…two thirds of the way through, we were allowed to help you.”

               “Help me?”

               “Yeah. We could see a little bit of what was happening in that moment, and sort of ‘coach’ you, but our time was limited and we usually couldn’t do much. You were allowed more and more help as time passed, but we could only help you once.”

               “I…didn’t know that. Now it all makes sense,” Wind muttered.

               “After you finished the trials, you slept for another six hours. And, well, here you are!”

               “I finished the trials?” Wind asked.

               “Yeah, kid.”

               “And the Twili, they…they got their promised land?”

               “Uh huh.”

               “Oh,” a small grin began to break out on Wind’s face. “I guess things really worked out pretty well then, huh?”

               “I guess so.”

               When they left the cave, Twilight was chatting with some of the Twili, whose appearances had changed slightly, but not drastically. He was asking if they knew a “Midi,” or something, and the ambassadors were starting to look at him suspiciously.

               Hambar noticed him, and approached with a wide grin and welcoming arms. “Our hero!” he exclaimed. “Link, of the Wind, you have brought light back into our hearts.” He clasped hands with Wind, and shook them vigorously. “Now we can claim the land the goddesses gave us, and build a better future!”

               “I – it was my honor,” Wind said warmly.

               There was a large celebration that day, with Wind named their Hero and the excitement over the new land. The Daystar had risen to rest high above the party, and they all got to rest as the festivities ensued. Linebeck came sometime during the day, and it seemed he got into some sort of argument with the Twili, because they were soon watching wrestling matches and other good-natured competitions between the Hylians and the Twili. It was only after day had become night and then day again that they said their good-byes to the Twilit race and found themselves back on Linebeck’s ship.

               “Where are we headed now?” Linebeck was covered with necklaces of smoky quartz and obsidian, gifts the Twili had bestowed on him from their realm. In return, he’d given them a variety of rupees. They seemed fascinated with the colored jewels.

               “Let’s go home. I’m missing Aryll and Grandma,” Wind replied.

               “Very well then,” Linebeck answered. “To Outset!”

               They arrived at nightfall, and the entire group was welcomed kindly and lovingly. Wild got Grandma’s soup recipe, and Four showed Aryll where the Picori liked to hide. Everyone enjoyed themselves, but were exhausted.

               Tetra had heard Wind was back, for now, and had come to visit as well. He inquired about setting up a defense for the island, in case they were ever invaded. She’d given him a funny look, but when he’d asked again, voice quivering, she’d relented and promised him she’d get something together.

               They stayed busy enough that Wind’s sleep was dreamless.

               Eventually the time came for them to leave. Wind was incredibly anxious the whole time. He’d hugged his grandmother and sister and had made them promise to stay safe.

               “You do the same, Link,” Grandma had said. “Take care of yourself.”

               He tried to stall as long as possible, but eventually goodbyes were said and the group moved on to their next adventure.

               Then came the nightmares. Wind often found himself jolting awake in a cold sweat, the names of his family on his lips. Many nights he never slept at all, leaving him dead on his feet and sloppy in the field. Warriors and Wolfie had begun to lay down next to him in an attempt to get him to drift off. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.

               One of those nights he was tired of tossing and turning and got up to sit by the fire. Legend was on watch at the time and noticed. The older teen sat down next to him and examined him for a very long time. Then he looked away. “Do you remember,” his fingers darted to his head and then back to his lap as if he didn’t know where they belonged, “what I told you? When you were sitting in the Trial’s cell, waiting for Ganondorf to return?”

               Wind turned to look at him curiously.

               Legend turned his eyes toward him. Wind, for the first time noticed the bags. He wondered what had happened to Legend that he still was unable to rest. “When you decide to become a hero; and I don’t mean that ‘chosen by Hylia’ or ‘the goddesses’ crud, because that isn’t what a hero is; when you decide to become a hero, you decide to give up your own happiness for the wellbeing of others. Terrible things happen to you, like they happen to everybody, but you paint a bigger target on your back than anyone else, because you’re blocking most of their blows. Ugh, I’m not good at this.” Legend took a deep breath and looked somewhere above Wind’s eye-line. “I guess what I’m saying is, is that misfortune is what we get for being heroes. But you gotta believe it’s worth something, that it has…meaning, if it means saving people, y’know?”

               “Yeah, I guess,” Wind said.  He didn’t know if this was supposed to make him feel better or not.

               “I’m sorry, kid. I’m not good at this comforting stuff. It doesn’t get better, but it does get easier. And as you grow older, the scar won’t fade or get any smaller, but you’ll grow bigger and bigger until you’re bigger than it.” Legend raised his arms as if to demonstrate, and Wind giggled. Legend rolled his eyes. “Never mind. Get some rest, kid. We’ll be lookin’ out for ya.” He got up and began to walk back to his watch post.

               “Wait, Legend?” Wind called. Legend stopped. “Thanks. And you know, you can enjoy things, too. Just ‘cause you put others first, doesn’t mean you can’t be happy.”

               Legend’s face softened. “Alright kid. I’ll keep that in mind. Goodnight, Wind.”

               “Goodnight.”

               The next morning Wind woke up to Warriors sprawled out beside him, drooling into his pillow. Despite his anxiety the night before, a smile grew on his face. His family was alive, his friends were alive, and an entire people had been saved. He could rest easy knowing that.

               … And so he shut his eyes again, and did.

[queen-of-evil-fanfic]

3

Two days after her meeting with Linebeck and the anouki, Minerva sat in the same conference chamber, at the head of the table with three of the crown’s royal advisors around her.

To her left sat Hattori, a middle-aged rito with a skittish demeanor.  Currently, he was alternating between fidgeting with his ponytail and smoothing out the wing feathers draped around his arms like sleeves, a feat that he never quite seemed to accomplish.

To the right side of Minerva’s seat, an immense boulder of a goron took his own chair.  Gor Hora was an ancient thing, over a century old and steadfast friend to the crown.  While he waited for the task at hand to begin, he patiently puffed his pipe, the smoke wafting upward and circling around his hunched, rocky back like some sort of great mountain peak.

Beside Gor Hora sat Lord Julian, a heavyset, gray-haired Hylian with a round face and bushy moustache, and the overseer of the meeting.

Julian cleared his throat noisily, his signal that he was going to begin.  “Thank you all for being here,” he started, adjusting his glasses to focus on the stack of papers, scrolls, and parchments he had piled in front of him.  “You are all already aware of King Romulus’ business at our nation’s border for this past month.”

Minerva and Hattori both nodded in affirmation, while Gor Hora merely continued to listen, near-motionless, with one eyebrow cocked in Lord Julian’s direction.

“Our neighbor, Kythera,” Julian continued, “has grown increasingly agitated as of late.  They cite bublin raiding parties attacking not only Hyrule’s trains into their cities, but even assaulting Kythera’s own intranational trade routes.”

“Further, even though our reports place these bulblins spread further apart amongst the wilds than we originally predicted, our generals at Domus are claiming that the bublin forces are only growing larger every day.”

Hattori tugged at his hair-feathers and spoke: “Have the Kytherans sent out any soldiers to combat these demons, as we have?”  The concern in his voice was overlaid by a veneer of accusation.

“Yes,” Julian said, “but they have expressed an unwillingness to defend anywhere beyond their own borders.”

Minerva cut in.  “What our neighbors are doing is not important.  Our concern should foremost be the protection of our own land from demons, as it always is.”  Hora nodded slowly, but nobody spoke, so Minerva continued, pointing her next question at Julian.  “Has Domus requested more soldiers?”

“That’s correct, Princess.”

“Then send them triple what they requested,” she said without hesitation.  “Take able men from the navy and the city guard to fill the ranks.”

Hora exhaled mightily, blowing smoke across the table toward Hattori, but remained otherwise motionless.

Hattori coughed, waving away the smoke.  “Is that wise?  We’d be crippling our standing defenses near the capitol.”

“It isn’t impossible, by any means.”  Julian rubbed his pen to his temple.

“That is why I ordered it,” Minerva said.  She spoke coolly, her hands folded neatly at the table before her.  “The sooner the demons are routed, the sooner they will stop slaughtering innocents and disrupting trade.  And the sooner they’ll be stopped from entering Hyrule altogether.”

“You make a fair point,” Hattori admitted.

“Decisive and firm,” Gor Hora said.  His voice, so rarely used that the sound of it caused Hattori to flinch in surprise, was like the rumbling of an earthquake.  “Some folks’d consider that inspiring.  I’m sure your father wouldn’t complain, and I won’t either.” He exhaled more of his smoke from his nostrils, ruffling Minerva’s hair with the force.  The stuff Hora smoked wafted over her, making her lightheaded for a moment.

She nodded, then turned to her Hylian advisor.  “Julian, do you approve?”

“Yes, we’ll have to iron out the details, but I think it’s an acceptable plan.”  He straightened his glasses again then began shuffling through his stack of files.  “Let me see.  There was a request straight from Mayor Troy somewhere in here.”

Hattori spoke toward Minerva while Julian was distracted.  “Are you completely sure your wits are about you?  This isn’t all just because your father is in Domus, right, Princess?”

Minerva glared at him.  “I’m not making decisions on whimsy, Hattori.”

He tugged at his hair again.  “Yes, I only asked because Zelda mentioned that you had been growing concerned…”  The rito’s wide, intense red eyes glanced away from her.

“My concern as the King’s daughter does not have any bearing on my duty as the Princess.  I’ll thank you to disregard such foolishness.”  She turned away from him, leaning forward to get a closer look at Lord Julian’s stack of reports.  “Julian, let’s continue.”

[anipul]

10 Characters, 10 Fandoms

Got tagged by @dadarismus

1. Cowboy Bebop: Spike 2. Trigun: Vash 3. Randal’s Monday: Randal 4. Infamous: Delsin 5. Pokemon: Guzma 6. Bourbon Kid Series: Marco 7. Professor Layton: Clive 8. Castle of Nations: Karl 9. The Legend of Zelda: Linebeck 10. Lupin the 3rd: Lupin

Feel tagged if you read this

[wakingwinds]

more propaganda im on a ROLL. #LINEBECKSWEEP

vote for linebeck.

reasons you should vote for linebeck

legends of zelda tumblr sexyman tournament og post

“i voted for linebeck” stickers

[id: a meme using the ‘do it for him’ format. scattered around the image are various pictures of linebeck from phantom hourglass, from official art, in game screenshots, and manga panels. end id]

[wakingwinds]

when discussing the legends of zelda tumblr sexyman tournament with a friend, they joked that i should make “i voted” stickers. so obviously, i spent an hour making these instead of doing schoolwork. free to use in whatever with credit!

if you would like to see reasons why Linebeck is the perfect tumblr sexyman and you should vote for him, look no further

#LINEBECKSWEEP

[id: image 1 is a square image with a white background. on the top text reads ‘i Voted’, in the middle there is a square with a picture of linebeck from phantom hourglass with a map-like background taken from the official phantom hourglass art, and on the bottom text clearly drawn on reads ‘for Linebeck’. in between the words ‘for’ and ‘Linebeck’ there are two blue lines, clearly traced over to change the color.  image 2 is an oval with a white background and a black border. on the right are the words ‘I Voted’ and on the left there is a picture of linebeck from phantom hourglass. he is holding a map. end id]

[wakingwinds]

some more propaganda. vote for linebeck. linebeck nation rise up #LINEBECKSWEEP etc

reasons you should vote for linebeck

legends of zelda tumblr sexyman tournament og post

“i voted for linebeck” stickers

if anyone has ideas for more propaganda let me know. im procrastinating 

[id: image is an edited US army recruitment poster with a beige background and two border stripes, a red one closest to the edge of the picture and then a blue one. uncle sam has been erased and replaced with a picture of linebeck from phantom hourglass with a png of a pointing hand slapped on. the remaining original text of the poster reads ‘i want YOU for’, the rest has been crossed out and replaced with ‘linebeck nation’. in smaller black letters at the bottom, text reads ‘vote for linebeck in the legends of zelda tumblr sexyman tournament today’. all text is bold and in all caps. end id]

[wakingwinds]

some linebeck nation blinkies made on blinkies.cafe, because i am procrastinating my schoolwork and also really really want linebeck to win this tournament. feel free to use the blinkies for whatever you want, they are all under the cut due to flashing lights (ids are under as well)

anyway. vote for linebeck. 

reasons you should vote for linebeck

legends of zelda tumblr sexyman tournament og post

“i voted for linebeck” stickers

if you have more propaganda ideas let me know im so bored

!!FLASHING LIGHTS WARNING!! 

[id: the blinkie has a black background with a border of little rectangles flashing in rainbow colors. on each side there is a gif of a purple party popper blasting out rainbow colored streamers and gold sparkles. white texts in the middle reads ‘i voted for linebeck’ in all caps. end id]

[id: the blinkie has a light green background with a darker green border. in the border are little rectangles alternating light green and blue. on the left there isa  dollar bill. on the right there is a blue and white magnet. dark green text in the middle reads ‘linebeck’ in all caps. end id]

[id: the blinkie has a black background and a dark blue border. in the border area there are little white rectangles flashing in a way that makes it look like they are rotating around the blinkie. in the middle there is a beating red heart emoji. white text on the left of the heart reads ‘i’ and white text on the right of the heart reads ‘linebeck’, so that together it reads ‘i heart/love linebeck’. text is in all caps. end id]

[id: the blinkie is light pastel blue with a darker, but still pastel, blue border. the border has little rectangles flashing in an alternating green and white. on the left there is a green and white whale bouncing up and down and spraying water from its head. blue text in the middle reads ‘linebeck nation’. text is in all caps. end id]

[id: the blinkie is blue with a darker blue border. the border has little rectangles that are flashing in an alternating blue and white. on the left there is a light blue swirl in the shape of an ocean wave. light blue text in the middle reads ‘linebeck nation’. text is in all caps. end id]

[id: the blinkie is white with a light pink border. the border has little white and gray dots traveling in a line around the border. on the right there is an autism creature/tbh creature. black text in the middle reads ‘linebeck nation’. text is in all caps. end id]

[id: the blinkie is black with a rainbow border in which the colors rotate around the rest of the blinkie. on the left there is the symbol of autism, a horizontal figure 8, flashing in rainbow colors. flashing rainbow text in the middle reads ‘linebeck nation’. text is in all caps. end id]

[id: the blinkie is light blue with a dark blue border. the border has little white rectangles flashing in a way that makes it look like they are rotating the blinkie. on the right there is a white speech bubble with a black outline. black text in the speech bubble reads ‘yeah’. dark blue text in the middle reads ‘linebeck nation’. all text is in all caps. end id]

[id: the blinkie is a gay pride flag with a black border. the border has little rectangles flashing in rainbow colors rotating around the blinkie. white text with a black outside in the middle reads ‘linebeck nation’. text is in all caps. end id]

[id: the blinkie is a trans flag with a black border. the border has little rectangles flashing in trans flag colors, blue, pink, and white, rotating around the blinkie. black text in the middle reads ‘linebeck nation’. text is in all caps. end id]

[id: the blinkie is sea green and white waves of water flowing from bottom left to top right. on the left there is a black pirate flag with a white skull and crossbones blowing in the wind. black text in the middle reads ‘linebeck nation’. text is in all caps. end id]

[id: the blinkie has a black background and a dark blue border. in the border area there are little white rectangles flashing in a way that makes it look like they are rotating around the blinkie. a bit to the left of the middle there is a beating red heart emoji. white text on the left of the heart reads ‘i’ and white text on the right of the heart reads ‘linebeck nation’, so that together it reads ‘i heart/love linebeck nation’. text is in all caps. end id]

[id: the blinkie is light blue with a dark blue border. the border has little rectangles flashing an alternating blue and white. dark blue text in the middle reads ‘linebeck nation’. text is in all caps. end id]

[death-by-uwu]

Entering finals week but I only have one class but it's calculus anyways here's this silly stupid edit

[death-by-uwu]

-edit: here's the completed thing-

Pspspspsp linebeck nation im working on something for us we're eating good tonight boys

[death-by-uwu]

I come back from the bog to give linebeck nation this page of him

[death-by-uwu]

1/?

What's up linebeck nation I've recently been inflicted with phantom hourglass brainworms that's now passed

HOWEVER during that time linebeck fell into my pathetic girlfailure bbg pile and I had to act accordingly by making an oc so now I'm dumping all the art I made here