#linksthoughtbrambles

[aurathian]

Prompt: Zelda befuddles Link

Link drops the bundle of wood in his arms in shock, ignoring how it clatters to the floor and almost hits one of the animals--a Remlit--that have now taken over their small cottage on the surface.

"They need a home," Zelda whimpers knowing the expression on his face, shock and exasperation and confusion, calls for an explanation, "and we have plenty of space!"

No they don't, and they both know it--but Link also knows Zelda's heart is too big to abandon such poor, scared animals in the dark or the rain, the same poor and scared animals that jumped him in gangs at night on Skyloft; as he maneuvers around the room, he swears one of the Remlits smirks at him with a horrible glint in its eye.

[cooking-with-hailstones]

Forever Bound to the Soul of the Hero

Fi's retelling of the Breath of the Wild Memories

(Rated T: Canon typical violence)

For @linksthoughtbrambles

Awakening

I have been asleep for a very long time.

The woods where I was laid to rest have flourished since their destruction in the last war. The spirits of the forest are chittering with nervous anticipation as I spark back to wakefulness. The Great Deku Tree rumbles his warm welcome, even though my awakening signals a portent of doom.

I feel the evil gathering in the land. Even in my sleep, I have sensed the aura of dark energy seeping into the earth, the trees, the wind, the shifting of stone on stone.

It is hard to tell how long it has been between cycles. Sometimes millennia will pass, sometimes only a hundred years.  But every time the evil comes, someone will be chosen to fight back.

I can feel him out there. He sees me in dreaming, and he knows a great destiny awaits him.

It will soon be time. I shall be raised skyward once more.

Ceremony of Innocence:

“ Hero of Hyrule, chosen by the sword that seals the darkness… You have shown unflinching bravery and skill in the face of darkness and adversity. And have proven yourself worthy of the blessings of the Goddess Hylia. Whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight… The sacred blade is forever bound to the soul of the Hero. We pray for your protection…and we hope that-- that the two of you will grow stronger together, as one…”

I am afraid.

Much has been lost in the generations since the last champion of the Goddess bore me across his shoulders. I can see remnants of the technology, lingering vestiges that have not decayed over the millennia. But so much knowledge is gone. 

There is no mystery here as to why this spirit maiden is unable to awaken her powers. The Sheikah elders from whom she must receive guidance and instruction in every generation have lost their influence over the royal family. They are only now, through their adept understanding of ancient technologies, able to regain some of their former status. But the king and these so-called priests of Hylia take no account of the Sheikah’s wisdom. Instead, they have her bathing in the sacred springs, without any of the other rites of purification. They have her speaking prayers that carry no meaning and no power. And this blessing she speaks over Link, over my new master… 

This cannot be all there is. There is so much more to do. The hero’s soul has not been tempered, not been tested. While the sacred realm has long been sealed, the Sheikah of generations passed have devised many trials to strengthen our bond. But they are dormant, so it seems that this, too, is forgotten. 

I have been reduced to some mere symbol, a figurehead in this war. 

I am very afraid.

Listening 

“From here, we’ll make our way to Goron City. Then we’ll need some adjustments on that Divine Beast so Daruk can manage it as easily as possible. He’s figured out how to get it to move! However, it’s apparent that we still have much more to learn. But to think, that Divine Beast was actually built by people… That means we should be able to understand how it works and use it to our advantage. 

These Divine Beasts…so much we don’t know… But if we want to turn back the Calamity Ganon, they’re our best hope.”

My master always listens keenly to the spirit maiden Zelda, even though he lacks sufficient technical understanding to truly follow her excited monologues. She has much of Hylia’s wisdom and ingenuity. She is passionate and dedicated to her craft. In some ways, she is the most like Hylia of any of the spirit maidens I have ever encountered. I estimate that, given proper training and access to the correct tools, this spirit maiden would have a 78% likelihood of being able to forge an entity similar to myself. 

The lack of technical comprehension in this era continues to trouble me greatly. The slate the spirit maiden is holding is an invaluable tool, designed by the Sheikah to interface with my technology and assist in the transmission of information, transportation, and a myriad of other utilities that they cannot even fathom. All of these have been designed by the Sheikah to aid the fight against Ganon, and it is only being used at a fraction of its capacities. 

“Tell me the truth… How proficient are you right now, wielding that sword on your back? Legend says that an ancient voice resonates inside it. Can you hear it yet…hero?”

My master stops in his tracks. He cannot, I think forlornly to myself. I can see his thoughts, I am coming to know him little by little, but still, he cannot hear my voice. No matter how much I scream, my master only perceives me as an echo in his subconscious. 

Being the hero is not just a matter of drawing the sword – he isn’t tested. He has not passed through the goddess’ trials and forged the bond with the master sword through the goddess’ flame. His spirit may very well shatter when he confronts the agent of Demise. 

He is angry and sad and cannot tell her. He tries to listen for the sword but no one has ever taught him how, and I am too weak to reach him. 

And even now, I can feel the stirring in his heart. Every reincarnation of the Goddess draws the soul of the hero to her side. Whether friends or lovers, they cannot bear to hold hatred between them. I can feel the way his heart quickens when he has to grab hold of her. I know the thoughts he does not allow himself to think. 

He says nothing. She turns away in a huff, thinking this means he has nothing to say.

Devotion and Resentment 

My master has awoken, suddenly aware of Zelda’s absence from Tabantha stable. This is hardly the first time she has tried to evade him, but over the last few months he has become far more adept at finding her. 

There is a 75% probability that he has deducted that I am the reason he is able to trace where she has escaped, no matter how clever her trickery. He feels it not like the dowsing I used to perform, but rather as an itch behind his eyes. A compulsion that pulls him forward, towards her, demanding that he be near her. It was designed by the Goddess, that their souls should find each other. And I will always pull them together. He can no more stop following her than he can stop breathing.

After a fierce gallop across Tanagar canyon bridge and nudging his horse up to the ancient columns, he finally starts to relax. I can feel the tension leave his shoulders. 

Zelda, however, seems far from pleased. 

“I thought I made it clear that I am not in need of an escort,” she says with great indignation. “ It seems I’m the only one with a mind of my own. I, the person in question, am fine, regardless of the king’s orders. Return to the castle. And tell that to my father, please.”

She was in the process of examining one of the shrines left by the Sheikah monks, meant to temper the hero’s spirit and strengthen him for the trials ahead. These are objects of curiosity for Hylians, and for Zelda in particular, but they are meant to play a vital role. It is essential that the hero be able to access these shrines. Without completing a significant portion of the shrines, I predict a 98.2% chance that the hero’s spirit will break. 

My master takes this in stride. It is hardly the first time he’s weathered such outbursts. He steps in line, always three paces behind her. 

She whirls around. “And stop following me!”

She is so angry with him, all the time.  She does not understand that Hylia’s chosen hero will follow her to the ends of the earth and beyond. He will follow her through time, through space, through any hardship, just to see her safe and the land protected.

She does not yet know that she and the land are one. And he is now starting to realize that his duty, his destiny, is to protect them all.

A Champion’s Compassion

“Ah, well…you certainly got here fast. I should have expected as much from the princess’s own appointed knight.” The Gerudo champion looks down at the sleeping Zelda. “She was out on a survey all day today. Still as the sands now…” Turning to look at my master, her eyes sparkle in the desert night. “So…? Spill it, boy. Have the two of you been getting along all right?”

Quite the opposite, I think to myself. He must have heard the thought, because he winces. 

The champion laughs. “It’s OK… I know. Your silence speaks volumes.” She sighs, looking down at the sleeping princess on her lap . “She gets frustrated every time she looks up and sees you carrying that sword on your back. It makes her feel like a failure when it comes to her own destiny.”

And hardly fair, given how little progress this hero has made in his own right, I think sullenly. They are both so unprepared, so untested. Training drills and prayer are hardly enough to strengthen their spirits. The champions have been through much more rigorous trials to connect with their divine beasts. I am happy to say that Zelda’s confidence in them is well founded. 

“Don’t worry, it’s not like you carry blame in any of this.”   She sighs, stroking Zelda’s hair.  “It’s unfortunate. She’s put in more than enough time. Ever since she was a young girl, she’s gone through rigorous daily routines to show her dedication. She once passed out in the freezing waters trying to access this sealing power. And she has nothing to show for it… That’s the motivation driving her research. I’d be doing the same thing.”

I appreciate the Gerudo champion. She is a formidable blademaster, a dedicated champion, and a wise and supportive presence in Zelda’s life. Far more than can be said for the useless aristocrat that calls himself the king, without a drop of Hylia’s blood to his name. 

“She really is quite…special. You be sure to protect her with your life.” She looks at my master with a piercing maternal gaze. “It’s quite the honour.”

He knows this. I know he dreams of it every night. He knows he will fight and die for her. He meets Urbosa’s gaze, and I sense she knows it too. 

The champion reclines on her cushions. She has done much to make her divine beast a more comfortable abode, befitting a Gerudo chief. 

“The night brings a chill… It’s probably time we take her in. Or...” She smirks as some mischief crosses her mind, then with a snap of her fingers, the desert sky lights up with electricity.

My master stumbles at the quaking thunder and Zelda wakes up, frightened. Neither of them have ever been particularly fond of storms and lightning, even if they don’t know why. 

“Urbosa! What was that?! Did you feel that?!” Zelda gasps, before catching my master’s shadow by the doorway. 

“Wait, what--how did you-- what are you doing here?!”

He blushes furiously, and though the darkness might conceal the pinkish glow from some, Urbosa’s gaze is far too sharp to miss it. She leans back with a hearty laugh. 

“Wha-what’s so funny?”

“Ah, you, my dear.” Urbosa wipes a tear of mirth from her eye. “One day you’ll laugh about all of this.”

I hope she is right. They deserve to laugh. 

Blood on the Sand 

MASTER! I am screaming as loudly as I can. MASTER! DANGER! GO!

He feels my desperation, dropping the bundle of arrows he was examining from a merchant in the Kara Kara bazaar, and takes off sprinting towards the pull that he’s grown used to, the itch behind his eyes that’s always there. But now it is more acute, so loud he must be able to hear the ringing of the dowsing call in his ears. 

He rounds the corner and sees them. Those cursed agents of evil, seduced by the false promises of Demise, and they are chasing Zelda over the sands. They cackle, their wicked sickles glinting in the hot desert sun. There is a cold rage in my master’s heart, and he puts on another burst of speed, drawing me from my scabbard. I brace myself, ready for the battle, as the Yiga’s blade curves towards Zelda’s fallen body.

My master is quick, and ruthless. I feel myself slip through the Yiga’s neck with a cold efficiency as warm blood soaks the edge of my blade.  The body drops to the ground as he wheels around to face the other two. I can sense their fear, and I calculate only a 26% likelihood that they will attempt to continue the fight.  

Sure enough, they scatter and vanish into the desert wind. My master does not take his eyes from them until they are truly gone, only then sheathing my bloody blade and turning towards Zelda. He gives her his hand to help her upright. “Are you hurt?” he asks fearfully. I can feel his heart still pounding in his chest. 

Her eyes. She has never looked at him with any fondness before, but her eyes are brimming with gratitude and care. “ No, I’m fine, I just…” she pauses, and bursts into tears. 

I know Link is thinking nothing of propriety when he wraps his arms around her. I know she is thinking nothing of resentment when she buries her face in his shoulder and sobs, the fear and adrenaline rushing through her body. 

Maybe this is the beginning. Maybe this is how their spirits will grow. Maybe this is how evil will lose.

Laughter

I am not supposed to feel emotion. It was not part of my design. Yet after spending millennia borne by Hylians and getting to know their innermost thoughts, I have inevitably adapted to many of their traits. 

To that end, I am beginning to feel… frustrated. 

“There’s one! Oh! And another! The flowers we have in Hyrule aren’t just beautiful…They’re also quite useful as ingredients for a variety of things.”

Today the spirit maiden and my master are out on a field survey. I am grateful that they are getting along better, and that her resentment seems to have given way to a nascent friendship. My frustration is not with them. It simply irks me to see the Sheikah slate being used like some ordinary pictobox. 

She gasps with excitement, and Link quickly settles down beside her. 

“This one here is called the silent princess. It’s a rare, endangered species. Despite our efforts, we can’t get them to grow domestically yet. The princess can only thrive out here in the wild. All that we can hope…is that the species will be strong enough to prosper, on its own.”

She smiles, sadly, and my master’s heart flutters. He understands her meaning as clearly as I do. Neither of them can thrive here. They know that their destinies are not waiting for them inside the castle walls. 

The prayers, the training, the wasted time, the technology that they’ve only uncovered 18% of the capabilities of… they must feel as frustrated as I do. 

The somber moment is dissipated as Zelda gasps with excitement and lunges forward.

“Is that what I think it is?! Look at this, I don’t believe it, but I actually caught one! This delicacy is known to have very, very potent effects under the proper circumstances. Tada!”  

She opens her hands to reveal… a frog. My master recoils slightly.

“Research from the castle shows ingesting one of these can actually augment certain abilities. We wouldn’t be in a controlled environment out here, but with your level of physical fitness…you’d be a perfect candidate for the study! Go on! Taste it!”

Link makes a truly disgusted face. 

“Oh come now, I’ve seen you eating Goron rock roast. Surely you’re not put off by a little bit of mucus for the sake of scientific inquiry?”

She may have a point there. This particular incarnation of the Hero’s spirit seems to have a stomach made of cast iron. 

With a resigned sigh – he truly cannot refuse her anything – he leans down towards her hands… and the frog leaps straight into his face. He startles, falling backwards on his rear as the frog scampers away. 

Zelda collapses to the ground in a fit of infectious giggles, and soon enough the pair of them are leaning on each other as their laughter echoes through the hillside.

The Question of Destiny

In truth, I do relish sword drills. It is for my benefit as well; learning how my master moves, what his grip is on the sword, the gestures he favours. My algorithms internalize and optimize every movement. As we practice together, we grow closer. Even if he cannot hear me, he knows that I am with him, helping to guide his actions and see that each strike lands true.  

Zelda watches him closely from her shelter beneath the tree.

“I doubt this will let up anytime soon… Your path seems to mirror your father’s. You’ve dedicated yourself to becoming a knight, as well. Your commitment to the training necessary to fulfill your goal is really quite admirable. I see now why you would be the chosen one.”

He stiffens slightly. His father had only died a year ago, and the wound was still fresh. But Zelda seems too lost in her own thoughts to notice.

“What if… One day…You realised that you just weren’t meant to be a fighter. Yet the only thing people ever said…was that you were born into a family of the royal guard, and so no matter what you thought, you had to become a knight. If that was the only thing that you were ever told… I wonder, then…would you have chosen a different path?”

There was no other destiny for my master. He was born to be Hylia’s chosen.

Not for the first time in my long existence, I wonder at the cruelty of the Goddess’ choice of mortal champions in this cosmic war.

Link pauses a moment before returning me to the sheath across his back. 

“This… isn’t about me, is it?”

Zelda blushes. “I… well…”

He takes her hand. I can feel both of their heartbeats quicken.

“I think…” he pauses, choosing his words carefully. “I think that no matter who I was, where I was born, whatever was expected of me…”

“Yes?”

“I would find my way to you.”

Prayer and Dedication

It is a unique pain that my master must experience, and thus I experience alongside him. The unique pain that comes from watching someone you love torture themselves for circumstances beyond their control.

These prayers are useless. She is not praying to a Goddess. She is meant to awaken the Goddess within her own spirit. But they still cannot hear me, and nothing I could suggest to my master would have any effect. And so, I sit, sheathed and silent as my master and I ache at the desperation in Zelda’s voice. 

“I come seeking help, regarding this power that has been handed down over time. Prayer will awaken my power to seal Ganon away… Or so I’ve been told all my life. 

And yet… Grandmother heard them--the voices from the spirit realm. And Mother said her own power would develop within me. But I don’t hear, or feel anything! 

Father has told me time and time again… He always says, “Quit wasting your time playing at being a scholar!” Curse you…”

Holy water splashes against clenched fists. 

“I’ve spent every day of my life dedicated to praying! I’ve pleaded to the spirits tied to the ancient gods. And still the holy powers have proven deaf to my devotion.  Please just tell me, what is it…? What’s wrong with me?!”

Link’s composure finally cracks. I am truthfully relieved when he drops me down on the stones and splashes into the spring, wrapping a sobbing Zelda in his embrace.

“There’s nothing wrong with you. We’ll figure this out, together. I promise, Zelda, I promise…” He strokes her hair, and she weeps all the more.

I cannot weep, it is not in my design. I should not feel emotion, but despite my programming, I have begun to understand something of grief. Oh, children, what have we done to you?

They may not succeed. They may not have the strength and ability to fight off the coming Calamity. But I will fight back. The Goddess created me to protect and guide her chosen. I must do whatever I can. 

Calamity and Corruption

The final spring. The last hope they had. And just as I had predicted, nothing happened. 

The champions all do their best to conceal their dismay, offering words of encouragement to Zelda, but to little avail. The Zora champion starts to say something, but –

The ground shakes.

The sky darkens.

The Rito champion launches himself skyward to see what’s taking place, but before I even hear his horrified gasp, I know what has happened. 

My master leaps forward to support Zelda as she stumbles. He does not need to be told either. Just as with every Hero’s spirit preceding him, he has seen this moment in his dreams since he was an infant. But he is not ready, Zelda is not ready and the Calamity must know this as well. It has chosen this precise moment of despair to strike. 

The champions disperse, each of them racing back to their Divine Beasts. Without the spirit maiden’s sealing power, the only hope at holding the Calamity at bay now lies with the strength of the champions. 

Link and Zelda, now alone, race down the promenade towards Kakariko village. Bolts of purple and black tar seem to be streaking across the sky overhead, the sunset rapidly disappearing behind the dark clouds.

This is unfamiliar to me. What kind of attack is the Calamity readying? I have never witnessed this before. 

They keep running, over the Sahasra slope and towards Hyrule field. The castle is the nexus point. Link must be ready for when the champions reach the divine beasts for their attack. We must try to defeat the Calamity, with or without the Goddess’ power. There is only a 2.6% chance that we succeed, but 2.6% is not 0. 

beep

What…?

beep    beep beep beepbeepbeepbeep

A guardian! Link and Zelda both heave a sigh of relief. The guardians have been deployed from Castle Town to protect the surrounding villages. At least that will provide some measure of safety.

Wait... Something’s wrong.

POW!

Without a moment to spare, Link tackles Zelda to the ground out of the way of the guardian’s deadly line of fire. Without a second thought, he pulls me from my scabbard, leaps forward and drives me straight into the guardian’s vulnerable eye. It sparks, fizzes, and collapses, purple smoke billowing out of its joints.

“What’s going on?” Zelda screams, as torrents of purple-black tar continue to pour from the sky onto Hyrule field and Castle town. “Why did it fire at us?”

Wasting no time, Link grabs her arm and whirls around, sprinting back the way they came and dragging Zelda behind him. 

“Link, no! We need to go to the castle!”

“Zelda, we – ”

A bolt of purple tar slams into me.

“The master sword!” Zelda cries. 

CORRUPTION! 

This is the Calamity’s plan! Oh, Hylia, no!

He has remembered his defeat from 10,000 years ago. He remembered the technology that was turned against him and his armies, and his hatred and malice are now corrupting every element of Sheikah technology, and everything they interface with.

Including me.

NO! I twist through the dark tendrils reaching through my circuitry. YOU WILL NOT TOUCH ME. I WAS CREATED BY THE GODDESS HYLIA, AND I WILL NOT YIELD TO YOU, FOUL AGENT OF DEMISE. 

I push back along these tendrils of malice, burning them away with the divine light of the Goddess. I reach through the telepathic link I share with the Sheikah technology, cutting and blazing through the spreading rot. The Sheikah slate, the towers, the shrines, all the creations designed to interface with the Hero’s soul, I can still connect with them! With every scrap of energy I have left, I burn away the malice creeping through their networks.

The malice fights back, the darkness spreading… but I will not yield.

Exhaustion and Despair 

The forest near the bottomless swamp is dark and twisted, the tangled roots and mud are treacherous in the shadow of the storm. It is almost dawn, they haven’t slept, they are still running.  I can feel the exhaustion creeping in, their stamina depleting. I too am exhausted - still fighting against the malice, trying to keep it at bay. I cannot help them any more than this. 

Zelda stumbles and cries out, falling to her knees on the path made slick by torrential rains. 

“How… How did it come to this?”

My master kneels beside her, desperate to move along, but reticent to force her to keep running. 

“The Divine Beasts…The Guardians… They’ve all turned against us. It was Calamity Ganon. It turned them all against us!”

She is weeping in earnest now, rivers of tears meeting the raindrops already pouring down her face.

“And everyone--Mipha, Urbosa, Revali and Daruk… They’re all trapped in those things… It’s all my fault! Our only hope for defeating Calamity Ganon is lost, all because I couldn’t harness this cursed power! Everything--everything I’ve done up until now… It was all for nothing. So I really am just a failure! All my friends, the entire kingdom, my father most of all… I tried, and I failed them all… I’ve left them all to die…

“Zelda…” he grips her tighter. “Zelda, we have to go. There may be soldiers who can protect you at Fort Hateno. We need to go.”

She nods miserably, taking his arm and standing up again. They turn to the misty shadows, and keep running.

I truly had hoped their love might be enough. 

Hylia Reborn

They are tracking us. Some corruption of their programming has locked them to our signal. Perhaps it is me they are tracking, a beacon of the Goddess’ light flickering amid the swirling chaos of malice.

Wouldn’t that be ironic. 

The guardians homing in on us are coming thick and fast. While I am able to target their weak points with a respectable accuracy, I was made to cut through Demise’s creations - beings of corrupted flesh. I was never made to fight these machines. 

Link is exhausted. Almost two days with little sleep and hardly any food, he has taken more than his fair share of blows. There are gashes across his legs and arms that are oozing blood, and three of his ribs are broken. I predict that he will lose consciousness in less than four minutes. 

But Zelda is unharmed, for now. Nothing else matters to him at this moment.

He stabs me through the eye of yet another guardian, staggering backwards and leaning on me heavily.

“Link, save yourself! Go! I’ll be fine! Don’t worry about me! Run!”

He can hardly hear her through the blood rushing in his ears, and the incessant beeping as they scan for us. I don’t know what to do! The Goddess left no instructions for this. I have never witnessed my master die. 

Another guardian has spotted us through the husks of its fellows. My master is so tired, and I have no strength to give him.

And yet Link pulls me up once more, readying himself and covering Zelda with his body, as the laser flares to life. 

This is it. 

Hylia, forgive me. I have failed you.

“NO!”

Zelda leaps forward, throwing herself in front of Link, hands raised in desperation. What is she -?

The world explodes with golden light.

Link winces, but does not shield his eyes. Nor would I, if I had eyes to behold this sight. The light radiates from her, guardians exploding and collapsing in its wake. 

She did it. Hylia has come into her own!

“Was… Was that…? The power?” she whispers in the sudden quiet that follows as the corrupted machines power down.

You did it, Zel. he thinks, and seeing her safe, he finally yields to the pain. 

She whirls around as he falls. “ No, no…Link! Get up!” She lifts him into her arms, hardly noticing the blood soaking into her ruined dress. “You’re going to be just fine…”

He looks up to her, eyes full of pride, of sadness, and love, and then he lets the darkness take him. 

Our telepathic link snaps. I cannot sense his thoughts anymore. He is... gone. 

Hylia help me, I did everything I could, but I could not save him. May the Goddess forgive me. 

The Goddess holds his body and weeps.

But, wait.

Against the pommel of the sword, I feel the slightest pressure.

thump thump

thump thump

thump thump

A pulse. A pulse! His heart is still beating. He might yet be saved!

With my  limited remaining computing power, I desperately run through the calculations. The medical infrastructure needed to treat these wounds is sorely lacking in this era of Hyrule, but... Yes! It is there! Reaching through the Sheikah network, I can feel it, safe from the Calamity’s corruption. I remember the monk Maz Koshia designing this shrine for just this reason. The Shrine of Resurrection. 

Above me, Zelda shifts. Slowly, she starts to relinquish him, not noticing the pulse that I can feel, still beating ever so faintly in his chest.

No. NO! She cannot let go! 

HYLIA, HEAR ME! I am screaming through broken circuits and fragmented code. I have been damaged beyond anything I was designed to withstand, I am decayed beyond measure, but she is awake! She must listen!

ALIVE

My strength is fading, but she cannot abandon him! Not now! 

ALIVE

ALIVE

“The sword…?” 

She has heard me! YES.

“So he can… He can still be saved?”

QUICKLY, THERE IS NO TIME! THE SHRINE OF RESURRECTION ON THE GREAT PLATEAU. YOU MUST TAKE HIM THERE, NOW. IT IS THE ONLY WAY.

“I… how..?”

“Princess!” a voice echoes from across the field. The Sheikah, loyal to the last, have tracked the Goddess here. Their timing could not be better.

“Princess! Are you all right?”

She draws herself up with a strength I have never seen in her before. 

“Take Link to the Shrine of Resurrection. If you don’t get him there immediately, we are going to lose him forever! Is that clear?! So make haste and go! His life is now in your hands!”

The two men nod, immediately setting to work to stabilize him for the journey. They lift him carefully, wrapping his deepest wounds in bandages, before melting into the shadows as only Sheikah can. Zelda watches them disappear into the rain, then grips me hard, clutching me to her chest.

“You speak? I can hear you? How? How is this possible?”

With the last bit of strength I can muster, I answer. YOU ARE AWAKE. 

“The power?”

YES. THROUGH YOUR GRACE AND WISDOM, AND LOVE FOR MY MASTER, YOU HAVE FOUND THE TRUE POWER OF YOUR SPIRIT.

“What do I do?” she cries. “How can I seal the Calamity without Link? Without the champions?”

BREATHE, ZELDA. 

I am not meant for this task. I am meant to guide the hero, not the spirit maiden, but I carry enough of the Goddess’ memories to know what must be done while she waits for the hero to return.

YOUR POWERS SHOULD NOW CONNECT YOU TO THE SPIRIT MAIDENS WHO HAVE COME BEFORE YOU. LISTEN TO THEM. THEY WILL GUIDE YOU. 

She looks startled, but she does what I say. Sitting in the mud amid the husks of the defeated guardians, she takes a deep, shuddering breath. Her ancestors gather around, and I hear the whispers of Hylia’s past incarnations floating past me, just on the edge of hearing. She glows with a faint golden light in the falling rain. After a few minutes, she opens her eyes.

“Yes.” She says. “Even if he cannot yet be defeated. I can hold the Calamity at bay. I… I have done it before.”

MANY TIMES

She nods. “And what of you? I cannot bring you with me, but I cannot leave you here.”

I am barely capable of speaking anymore. The decay of the malice has been stopped by her light, but I am already close to shattering. 

I AM WEARY. I MUST HEAL. 

“Of course, what must I do?”

TAKE ME TO THE LOST WOODS. THE CHILDREN OF THE FOREST WILL LEAD YOU THERE. 

Laid to Rest

With the spirit of the Goddess awakened within her, Zelda can now see the korok spirits guiding her, from the field of battle all the way through the Lost Woods. Now she stands at the roots of the Great Deku Tree. At last, I can rest. In Hylia’s light, my master and I shall both become whole again.

“Your master will come for you. Until then, you shall rest safely here. Although the Slumber of Restoration will most certainly deprive him of his memories, please trust me when I say that I know he will arrive before you yet again.”

She places me carefully back in the pedestal at the Great Deku Tree’s roots. I feel myself slipping into my deep sleep once again. 

As my consciousness fades, I hear the Deku Tree ask “If I may be so bold…what is it that you are planning to do next, Princess?”

Zelda looks resolute. “The Master Sword… I heard it speak to me. It seems that my role is unfinished. There is still something I must do.”

“I sense there is great strength in your dedication.”

She has greater strength than ever. She is not alone anymore. The spirits of her ancestors are guiding her now, all the way back to the first Zelda who sealed Demise for a thousand years, waiting for her hero to return. 

“Great Deku Tree, I ask of you, when he returns, can you please relay this message… Tell him I—"

He interrupts her. “ Now, then… Words intended for him would sound much better in the tones of your voice, don’t you think?”

She smiles up at him, nods in understanding.

As my consciousness finally slips away, I think to myself, dearest Zelda. He already knows. He loves you too.

Awakening II

He is awake, and so am I. 

The spirits of the forest are chittering with excitement. Even as I rest here, I can hear the Great Deku Tree stirring with anticipation. We all felt the call of the spirit maiden locked away in Hyrule Castle, calling him once again to her side. I have felt her longing for him these hundred years. 

This time, he will grow strong in spirit. This time, we shall fight together. 

This time, the Calamity will fall.

Thanks so much for reading! You can also find this fic on AO3

[chimpukampu]

I’m sure they did (¬‿¬)

(Thanks @linksthoughtbrambles and @pastelsandpining​ for the ask!)

[keikbird]

Hi Keikbird! If it sounds fun to you, how about a prompt, "a gift from the dye shop" in palette #12?

How fun!

Thank you! 💕✨

[jenseits-der-sterne]

Oh my goodness - how could I not ask about Lost! 2 Fancy Slippers and a Spiffy Beret? Yes please! 😂

lolol! Fun title, huh?

So this one's a multi-chapter, 5 out of 6 chapters posted so far!

Premise:

So this one actually is my "Ball Prompt" fic based on the @zelink-prompts prompt!

It's pre-calamity and it's definitely canon-divergent

It's the Midwinter ball and Zelda and Link have to waltz in front of everyone

Eventually they ditch the ball to go hang out together

Some kissing happens, but they get interrupted and have to sneak away real fast. Because they sneak away so fast, Zelda and Link accidentally leave behind some of their stuff, hence the title of the fic.

The sneaking became a whole thing for me because it ended up making me create this whole Sheikah tech situation that I won't spoil here, lol

@larart666 did some lovely artwork for chapter 5 😍

And she also did this lovely, adorable, sweet art that I am going to work into chapter 6! 🥰

Going into the final chapter, Link and Zelda are definitely in trouble. They've unintentionally caused a ruckus with Sheikah tech and Rhoam is onto them, lol

I have 3 pages of the 6th and final chapter written, I need to get my brain in the right place to write the rest. I know what's gonna happen! It's gotta be nerve-wracking and funny, and then fun and sweet 🥰 A certain beret will be involved in these shenanigans!

It's funny because my dumb brain just decided though that I'd instead write 20 pages for my long fic "Before and After" 🙃 But that's good though, making progress somewhere 😂

[linksthoughtbrambles]

Precipitory

A short story for Zelink Week 2022's 'Rainy Days' prompt (see end for notes).

~"~'~""'~"~'~~"~'~"'~"~'~

Zelda’s grumbling stomach takes a sudden and unexpected backseat to a newfound sense of mischief.  “Oh, Link?”

“Yeah?” he asks, clearly suspecting nothing.

“…Race you!”

Zelda kicks off the damp ground, bounding like a mountain doe, an irresistible grin splitting her face wide at the sound of his surprised "AH!"  She hears his feet scramble to accelerate on the wet grass and wills her legs to fly her forward faster than she’s ever run.

His footsteps pound harder, so she fights to lengthen her stride to absolute maximum, the as-yet misty rain frosting her face in a pleasant chill, a contrast to the effort-induced heat quickly building beneath her fitted coat.  She makes a bee-line for the entrance to the first gatehouse, reaching it far more quickly than she’d have thought, startling a bewildered soldier carrying two trestle-table legs into stumbling back against the wall.  Link’s footsteps hit stone only a few seconds after hers.

“HI, MIPHA!” he shouts, and he’s made a tactical error, for he has distracted himself with his own politeness.

Mipha’s “Oh my!” and fumbled table-leg hardly register as Zelda slows the barest fraction, allowing Link to dog her heels toward the gatehouse’s exit.  He moves to pass on her right…

And she swerves.

Link, of course, being her appointed knight, and a perfect gentlemen, and more than a little bit silly, winds up hitting the wall with an uncomfortable-sounding array of cloth-and-boot-scraping and a vocalization somewhere between a grunt and a swiftly tamped swear.

Zelda giggles.

She hears him recover behind her, a few more hard steps on gatehouse stones followed by long, loud strides as he strives to catch up—and he is catching up!

“No, you don’t, knight!” she yells, the childish joy in her voice rendering it novel in her ears.

“Yes, I do, Princess!”  Link returns, his voice closer with each word.

The food table is so near—she need only touch it—there it is—his footsteps closing—one stride—no, half a stride—astride her--!!!!

With a great effort born of a competitive spirit she’d been unaware of (and a desire to see the Look On Link’s Face should she win), she leaps and slaps the table with her fingertips up to her longest fingers’ smallest knuckles.

“I- hehhh- win!” Zelda declares, tilting her chin at him haughtily as she never has before.

His jaw drops as they both pant (and she very much likes the sounds he makes as he does so).  His face has never quite adopted this expression in her presence—both appalled and amused—and she likes that, too.  “Princess! I’m- huhh- scandalized. Huhh. That was clearly a tie. Which means I won because you started unfairly without counting.”

She had done that, hadn’t she? She’s still panting, but the source of her breathlessness becomes debatable.  (Perhaps more precisely, it will be up for debate among the soldiers later in the mess, since several standing around the lunch table are attempting to eye them with unpracticed discretion).  Shortly, in Zelda’s own mind, a clear inner-debate-victor emerges.  She’s panting because Link is panting, and she would very much like him to pant in her ear like that while she presses him against the wall with a leg hooked around his hip.

“My hand touched the table an instant before yours,” she manages, simultaneously attempting to find reason somewhere within herself (difficult when imagining the taste of the mist mixed with the salt just below his jawbone).

“Ohhh, so it was a table-touching race, was it?” he challenges.  His hands go to those slender hips of his, a stance he’s never adopted in her presence before.  Perhaps he’s feeling more confident—or perhaps her thoughts of his hips had somehow reached him. 

Perhaps she should remember to continue the conversation.  “What else would we base it on?”

It appears—that silly, lopsided smile on his face that’s all hers.  “Well, I don’t know, maybe we could’ve set some rules so you couldn’t arbitrarily decide you won at the end-“

“It was not arbitrary,” she interrupts, her chin raising even higher along with her eyebrows.  “We were racing to lunch. The first table was clearly our destination.”

He huffs a laugh.  “Fine, Princess.”  His chin and eyebrows mock hers, with a faux-haughty rise and faux-royal eyebrow she bets he’s unaware of.  “But only because you’re the Princess.”

She doubts he’s cognizant of the sass-like head waggle he’s just done, either.  “How unfair. I didn’t pull rank on you.”

“It was implied,” and he says so with a step forward and a lurch of her pulse.

“I implied nothing of the sort,” she says, her even voice surprising (but pleasing) her. “I simply came to the logical conclusion that the table was our mutual goal.”

He snorts.  “Alright, Princess,” he says, his eyes somehow bluer and her skin thrumming at how they flit between her own. “Next time, we’re setting ground rules beforehand and counting to start and I’ll do the counting.”

She feels herself pulling taller—rising quite literally to the challenge, perhaps.  “Why should you?”

“Because you’re tricky,” and he says so with a twitch of his lips she wants to suck directly into her mouth.

“Is that so? I imagine I could still find a way to trick you, should you count,” she says with a smirk she doesn’t even try to moderate.

And Link—dear Goddess, Link—his silly smile burns for a moment, and Zelda isn’t sure if the flame lights in his eyes or his lips or the way he pulls himself just barely tall enough so his eyes may peer down into hers with shockingly evident purpose; only the fact of their presence in the open bailey, with soldiers less than fifteen feet from them, prevents her from acting on it.

She will act on it, soon, for if she doesn’t she’ll suffer some sort of horrific lapse in reason which will lead to a host of new social dilemmas, but she’ll find someplace out of sight to do so.

Her knight breaks the tension by reaching for a slice of bread, and it’s as though the sky itself has been watching them with bated breath, for it opens up.  What had been mist, and then a gentle pitter-patter, accelerates, droplets fattening and striking a beat on the coffee urns.  Link shoves his entire bread-slice into his mouth (which he often does regardless, but which saves his current lunch from becoming sodden while he rescues the remainder, replacing the lid once she retrieves a slice for herself).

Zelda supposes she ought to be at least slightly pragmatic and discuss the remaining stall placements for the festival. She does so, taking dainty bites, and regretting those as the bread dampens despite her other hand tented above it.  Her smirk returns as she notes his eyes on her mouth, though he follows her matter-of-fact-planning conversation with suggestions of his own.

Zelda decides his composure means she ought to give his eyes something more interesting to take in. She pointedly opens her lips as wide as possible and shoves the remainder of her bread in (no small feat—she’d taken quite a large piece), and watches with intense satisfaction as Link’s jaw hangs open in a vague purgatory (it sets him paling for a moment).

Once she swallows (still smirking), she says, "Back to it, then?"--and her thorough enjoyment of his reaction permeates her voice, its resulting brightness belying the rainy day and how it already threatens to plaster her hair to her scalp, face, neck, and coat.

He’s still staring at her mouth.  “…Almost.  Coffee first?”

“Ah.  Yes, that’s a good idea,” she admits, struck a bit sad at the realization that they’ll soon have no excuse to stand here and bait each other.  “Quickly, though, or it shall taste of rainwater.”

Link snags two cups, adds cream to hers and half as much to his, and fills both to the top with one arm above them in an attempt to preserve their palatability.  Zelda’s hands join his, and they stand quite a bit nearer to each other than they ought to, ostensibly drinking their afternoon fuel with haste against the rain, but actually stealing looks at each other’s faces—a chin here, a set of sipping lips there, and at one point, a clear look up one of Link’s nostrils when he examines the eastward clouds (which would reach them soon).

She thinks it says much regarding her feelings for her knight that she finds even his nose-hairs worthy of investigation.

She returns her cup to the table alongside other empties with a soft sigh.  They’ve no more excuse—back to work—but she’ll find her moment.  She will kiss him at least once more this day, or may Hylia re-make her as a golden-topped turnip.

Hours and hours later, Zelda leads Link with quick-moving words to match her speeding feet as they cross to the curtain wall south of the second gatehouse, and the instant she passes the threshold of the (mercifully) deserted guard tower at the end, she yanks him in by his shirtfront, her lips on his a soft contradiction, a concession to their need for stealth, and she nearly chokes with longing when he opens his own to deepen their hurried kiss, for they have no time—even a minute spent sequestered here would be suspicious—and she re-positions her mouth at his ear, so quiet.

“No time, Link, but I wanted you to know… I’ve been thinking of you all day.”

She places one sweet-suctioned kiss to the center of his jawline and walks back out into the still-drizzling rain.  She feels his eyes on her as his boots squeak on the soaked grass a moment later. 

It isn’t enough.  They need more than these few instants of closeness.  They need another rainy day—one with no festival to prepare for—one when they can remain inside, and reasonably so, to escape the precipitation.  One when she could curl up in that chaise near her fireplace, and perhaps call Link inside to help her move it nearer the hearth—when she could touch his wrist as he reaches for it, lighting a new fire under his skin instead—when he could rest one knee between hers and lean into her, that silly smile of his burning again just before his lips ignite her—when cold rain means more warmth rather than less.

~"~'~""'~"~'~~"~'~"'~"~'~

[Note: This fic is part of the Adventure Log+ AU, partially overlapping a chapter of Link's Thought Brambles but from a different POV.]

[Note: Google doesn't think 'precipitory' is a word. For the purpose of this story, it's an adjective describing something that causes or hastens an event (or that appears to--something right on the precipice of an event). And then there's the precipitation thing.]

Here's my Zelink Week 2022 fic post list.

Here's my fic masterlist.

@zelinkweekofficial

[embyrinitalics]

I would love to now more about Tonight, Winged! 🤩

@zelink-prompts put out THIS PROMPT! A BALL! WITH NEAR ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES! Among the suggestions in the tags were a suitors ball and Prince Link and my brain said YES!

And then in CLASSIC me fashion, I didn't write it!

The premise is a gloomy Prince Link needs to choose a wife, like, immediately, and he's unhappy about it. And then he happens to meet an amazing girl at this party all Cinderella style. And. I don't really know what was supposed to happen after that. 😂

I'm not sure how I modified this in the last 6 months. Maybe I fixed a typo or something while I was puttering around looking for something to write. I definitely haven't like. purposefully worked on it in much longer than that. (All I have are an opening paragraph and two disembodied lines.) There are a lot of other things I'm more interested in at the moment, but I kept it cuz you never know when an idea will spring to life again!

Coincidentally, this was the prompt that led to @airplanned's delightful masquerade ball fic Anonymity, so if anyone somehow missed that lil gem, off to ao3 with you!

[zellink]

His leathered glove pressed, though gently, flush to her mouth and chin—then to her chest, where her heart echoed the beat of a hunted fox.

a while ago, the talented @linksthoughtbrambles wrote this insanely beautiful fic for a gift exchange event for me, and I am still not over it and I doubt that I'll ever get over it. I wanted to draw That Scene in the story because wow, I think about it a lot. (I also need to practice drawing Link's royal guard outfit for... reasons.)

again thank you so much Brambles for "Black Flowers Blossom" — I hope you like the little art I made of it. <3

[zelinkcommunity]

Zelink Week 2023 Masterlist

The Zelink Community team​ would like to give a BIG shoutout to everybody who participated in this year’s Zelink Week! Whether you drew, wrote, composed, or just sat back and enjoyed, we are truly grateful for your support and contributions to this event. Overall, we had 194 entries by 58 participants on Tumblr, making this the largest Zelink Week to date!

To show our appreciation, we have compiled all of the Tumblr entries into this one massive post. Check out all of the incredible entries below the cut. For best viewing, use desktop!

And -- if that isn’t enough, visit our Twitter and AO3 Collection too!

DAY 1 - YEARNING

FANFICTION

Lonely at the Top, fanfiction by @zeldaelmo  Yearning, fanfiction collab by @linksthoughtbrambles & @bellecream The Minstrel and the Prince, Chapter 1, fanfiction by @flutefemme Yearnings, fanfiction by @rachaeltad Begin Again, fanfiction by @bahbahhh To Control Fate, fanfiction with fanart by @writingnocturne With My Own Eyes, fanfiction by @destined-to-never-meet Yearning, fanfiction with fanart by @jimmyjims Hylia x Link: The Unique Hero, fanfiction by @legofanguy Phantom Touch: Chapter Two, fanfiction by @alphascorpiixx All in Good Time, fanfiction by @sciencelings-writes Love Me (and Leave Me to Die), fanfiction by @aurathian Adore: Chapter One, fanfiction by @mistresslrigtar Yearning, fanfiction by @cowboytwilight Revelations in a Time Past, fanfiction by @hyylia Need, fanfiction by @hlizr50 (*Rated E*) You Still Would’ve Been Mine, fanfiction by @writingissues Waiting For You, fanfiction by @sparrowsworkshop Yearning, fanfiction by @sidonswhistle Waiting, fanfiction by @haste-waste The Hero Enraged, fanfiction by @morekerosene​ (*Rated M*) Chapter 1: Yearning, fanfiction by @youwouldntbelievehowigothere  Yearning, fanfiction by @theangelicstoryteller Oblique, fanfiction by @sparklyfaerie In the Light of Morning, fanfiction by @aegon-targaryen

FANART

Yearning, fanart by @maqiisan Yearning: Pt.I / Pt.II, fanart collab by @linktheacehero & @aheavenscorner Yearning, fanart by @achiepy Yearning, fanart by @doritopretzel Yearning, fanart by @stellarbunni Yearning, fanart by @lady-delamort Yearning, fanart by @hylianzs Yearning, fanart by @euphorichumanart Yearning, fanart by @faeleine Yearning, fanart by @ap-zelda3

MISC.

Falling Through Memories, music playlist by @batgirlsay Yearning, moodboard by @jedi-giraffe The Silence, amv by @cindiquilsnivy --

DAY 2 - FORBIDDEN

FANFICTION

The Minstrel and the Prince: Chapter Two, fanfiction by @flutefemme Begin Again: Chapter Two, fanfiction by @bahbahhh Embrace, fanfiction collab by @linksthoughtbrambles & @bellecream On Forbidden Ground, fanfiction and fanart by @writingnocturne False Worship, fanfiction by @sparklyfaerie (*Rated E*) Forbidden, fanfiction and fanart by @aheavenscorner Adore: Chapter Two, fanfiction by @mistresslrigtar (*Rated M*) Rumors Have Wings, fanfiction by @zeldaelmo Tale of the White Devil: Chapter Five, fanfiction by @linktheacehero ToTK: A Princess Left Behind, fanfiction by @legofanguy Home: OoT Roleswap, fanfiction by @destined-to-never-meet Hollow Hearted, fanfiction by @aegon-targaryen A Queen’s Choice, fanfiction by @the-knightmare The Ballad of Frost and Flames, fanfiction by @sciencelings-writes Cooking Lessons, fanfiction by @hyylia You’re Always Out of Reach, fanfiction by @writingissues Love Me (And Leave Me To Die): Chapter Two, fanfiction by @aurathian All I Am: Chapter One, fanfiction by @sparrowsworkshop Forbidden, fanfiction and fanart by @jimmyjims and @thismousedraws Chapter Two: Forbidden, fanfiction by @youwouldntbelievehowigothere Gaze, fanfiction by @theangelicstoryteller Forbidden, fanfiction by @skyyknights

FANART

Forbidden, fanart by @maqiisan Forbidden, fanart by @marzy-fanarts Forbidden, fanart by @doritopretzel Forbidden, fanart by @stellarbunni Forbidden, fanart by @lady-delamort Forbidden, fanart by @euphorichumanart Forbidden, fanart by @zeldaseyebrows Forbidden, fanart by @ap-zelda3

MISC.

Forbidden, moodboard by @jedi-giraffe --

DAY 3 - LETTERS

FANFICTION

Pink Heart, fanfiction by @sparklyfaerie The Minstrel and the Prince: Chapter Three, fanfiction by @flutefemme Adore: Chapter Three, fanfiction by @mistresslrigtar (*Rated M*) Affection and Affectation, fanfiction collab by @linksthoughtbrambles and @bellecream Begin Again: Chapter Three, fanfiction by @bahbahhh A Simple Request, fanfiction and fanart by @writingnocturne Nerves, fanfiction by @destined-to-never-meet Letters, fanfiction and fanart by @linktheacehero The Comfort of Words, fanfiction by @the-knightmare Letters, fanfiction and fanart by @jimmyjims Letters, fanfiction by @aegon-targaryen Phantom Touch: Chapter Four, fanfiction by @alphascorpiixx A Letter, fanfiction and fanart by @aurathian Letters of the Past, fanfiction by @legofanguy1999 Parting, fanfiction by @minstrelsmusings Letters, fanfiction by @skyyknights Dear Zelda, fanfiction by @three-bunnies-in-a-trenchcoat Link’s Conjecture, fanfiction by @linkcities Written, fanfiction by @theangelicstoryteller Welcome Home, fanfiction by @sparrowsworkshop The Space Between Heartbeats, fanfiction by @zelink5ever

FANART

Letters, fanart by @maqiisan Letters, fanart by @euphorichumanart Letters, fanart by @stellarbunni Letters, fanart by @faeleine Letters, fanart by @lady-delamort

--

DAY 4 - HAND IN HAND

FANFICTION

Freefall, fanfiction by @sparklyfaerie Begin Again: Chapter Four, fanfiction by @bahbahhh His Hand in Hers, fanfiction and fanart by @writingnocturne Adore: Chapter Four, fanfiction by @mistresslrigtar Hand in Hand, fanfiction by @legofanguy1999 Sun Fête, fanfiction by @linksthoughtbrambles and @bellecream Stay in Bed, fanfiction by @the-knightmare Hand in Hand, fanfiction by @aurathian Vows, fanfiction by @destined-to-never-meet The Minstrel and the Prince: Chapter Four, fanfiction by @flutefemme In Time, fanfiction by @aegon-targaryen Hand in Hand, fanfiction and fanart by @jimmyjims Our History, fanfiction by @linkcities With Your Hand in My Hand, fanfiction by @ladyhoneydee The Fable of the Dragon and the Phoenix, fanfiction by @sciencelings-writes In Your Eyes, fanfiction by @hlizr50 (*Rated M*) Chapter Four: Hand in Hand, fanfiction by @youwouldntbelievehowigothere Follow Me, fanfiction by @sparrowsworkshop I’ve Got You, fanfiction by @theangelicstoryteller Something to Hold Onto, fanfiction by @morekerosene Escaping Together, fanfiction by @legofanguy Clickbait, fanfiction by @zelzenik

FANART

Hand in Hand, fanart by @aheavenscorner Hand in Hand, fanart by @linktheacehero Hand in Hand, fanart by @hylianzs Hand in Hand, fanart by @euphorichumanart Hand in Hand, fanart by @illcamp Hand in Hand, fanart by @maqiisan Hand in Hand, fanart by @faeleine Hand in Hand, fanart by @achiepy Hand in Hand, fanart by @laine-o Reunion, fanart by @zeldaseyebrows Hand in Hand, fanart by @lady-delamort​ Hand in Hand, fanart by @stellarbunni​

MISC

The End, amv by @cindiquilsnivy

--

DAY 5 - BY A THREAD

FANFICTION

String Along, fanfiction by @sparklyfaerie Superglue, fanfiction by @zeldaelmo Adore: Chapter Five, fanfiction by @mistresslrigtar The Minstrel and the Prince: Chapter Five, fanfiction by @flutefemme Breathe Life Into My Soul (So That I May Kiss You One More Time), fanfiction by @linktheacehero At the Edge of Calamity, fanfiction by @writingnocturne If I Falter, fanfiction by @aegon-targaryen Making the Perfect Craft, fanfiction by @legofanguy1999 By A Thread, fanfiction by @aurathian Begin Again: Chapter Five, fanfiction by @bahbahhh Phantom Touch: Chapter Five, fanfiction by @alphascorpiixx Stay With Me, fanfiction by @destined-to-never-meet By A Thread, fanfiction and fanart by @jimmyjims Visceral, fanfiction by @linksthoughtbrambles and @bellecream Stitched Together, fanfiction by @theangelicstoryteller The Hero’s Scarf, fanfiction by @legofanguy

FANART

By A Thread, fanart by @euphorichumanart By A Thread, fanart by @faeleine By A Thread, fanart by @illcamp By A Thread, fanart by @maqiisan​ By A Thread, fanart by @lady-delamort​

--

DAY 6 - IN ANOTHER LIFE

FANFICTION

Duet of Time: Chapter One, fanfiction and fanart collab by @aheavenscorner and @linktheacehero Just Rewards, fanfiction by @sparklyfaerie Adore: Chapter Six, fanfiction by @mistresslrigtar Shop Rules, fanfiction by @zeldaelmo In Another Life, fanfiction and fanart by @jimmyjims Another Life, fanfiction by @destined-to-never-meet Greetings Connect, fanfiction collab by @linksthoughtbrambles and @bellecream From This Life to the Next, fanfiction and fanart by @writingnocturne Love Me (And Leave Me to Die): Chapter Three, fanfiction by @aurathian Five Paces Back, fanfiction by @hyylia Like Mortal Men Do Mortal Women, fanfiction by @theangelicstoryteller Phantom Touch: Chapter Six, fanfiction by @alphascorpiixx Across Time, fanfiction and fanart collab by @minstrelsmusings and @maqiisan In Another Life, fanfiction by @legofanguy1999 Begin Again: Chapter Six, fanfiction by @bahbahhh​ Possibility, fanfiction by @zelink5ever​

FANART

In Another Life, fanart by @sidonswhistle In Another Life, fanart by @science-lings In Another Life, fanart by @euphorichumanart

MISC

In Another Life, moodboard by @jedi-giraffe

--

DAY 7 - FREE DAY

FANFICTION

Adore: Chapter Seven, fanfiction by @mistresslrigtar Flowers, fanfiction by @pl0xm4st3r (collab with @jimmyjims) Nightfall, fanfiction by @destined-to-never-meet From This Moment to the Last Moment, fanfiction by @hlizr50 HyMart, fanfiction by @aurathian A Gift, fanfiction and fanart by @writingnocturne Nearly Free, fanfiction collab by @linksthoughtbrambles and @bellecream A Princess of Two Worlds, fanfiction by @legofanguy Stories of Flying, fanfiction by @flickerintwilights Phantom Touch: Chapter Seven, fanfiction by @alphascorpiixx One is Never Enough, fanfiction by @theangelicstoryteller (*Rated E*) Sweet Home, fanfiction by @sparklyfaerie (*Rated E*) A Gaping Hole Where My Heart Should Be, fanfiction by @nodos-still-breathing

FANART

Flowers, fanart by @jimmyjims (collab with @pl0xm4st3r) Free Day, fanart by @euphorichumanart Free Day, fanart by @stellarbunni Free Day, fanart by @desireofthestage Free Day, fanart by @ciayuun Free Day, fanart by @achiepy Free Day, fanart by @mizukkay​ Free Day: Breakfast in Hateno, fanart by @maqiisan

[novantinuum]

Happy (belated) holidays, @linksthoughtbrambles! I was your match for this year's Hestu's Gift Exchange!

The request was "A meeting in the afterlife. (Or the spirit realm, or between lives - however you'd like to interpret it!)"

When I saw this prompt, my mind whirred with the concept of OoT Link and Zelda finally reuniting after death, finally being able to play together as children, their spirits finally released from all the trauma and loss of innocence they'd dealt with in life. I always loved the BotW style "spirit aesthetic," so I had fun mixing some of that in with this piece. I hope you enjoy, and that the year to come is kickass for you~

[between-star]

Midna's Merry Mixup Exchange Gift for @linksthoughtbrambles enjoy! 😊💕

[aurathian]

Would you ever write a fic about one of the classic Zeldas? (Original LoZ, Adventure of Link, A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, others that you might consider classic?).

yes for sure!!! its not something im totally opposed to/is off the list, its just a matter of finding inspo to do so :) i dont really have any ideas for stories in those games/universes, but i'd love to write an alttp fic one day <3

i did write a short little link's awakening fic! i really love link's awakening too so i hope to write more in that universe :) thank you for the ask!

[themarydragon]

Hey so @linksthoughtbrambles said this in a q&a post the other day and I've been turning it over like a rotisserie chicken since I read it.

...

And this is 100% how I feel about it and I never actually rubbed my brain cells about it before. I don't feel like I write filth. I do feel like I include nsfw scenes that are important to the work, either for the character or for the reader, and I do feel like its important for those to be skippable from an inclusiveness standpoint.

Anyways I wanted to pass this along because it spoke to me and I'm incorporating it into my self-concept as a writer.

[chimpukampu]

Ooooh! For the ask game:

6. Anything that might inspire you subconsciously (i.e. this horse wasn't supposed to look like the Last Unicorn but I see it)

7. A medium of art you don't work in but appreciate

Thanks for the ask Brambles 😍

6. Anything that might inspire you subconsciously (i.e. this horse wasn't supposed to look like the Last Unicorn but I see it)

I sometimes look at the houses in the neighborhood and thought "Wouldn't it be cool if I draw these row of houses from this angle but make it in apocalyptic setting and the inhabitants are spirits/ghosts?"

Yes BOTW has influenced my art taste a lot 😂

I've been playing this original art idea for quite some time now but haven't done it yet coz I don't have much free time these days 😔

7. A medium of art you don't work in but appreciate

Watercolors!

I always say this to people who ask me irl & online that I love watercolor art but I suck at making it. I think it's because my hands are unstable, plus I haven't studied watercolor techniques enough to develop confidence on making it

👉 Weirdly Specific Artist Ask Game

[mistresslrigtar]

Congratulations on your 100 milestone! For a prompt, how about Link brings Zelda inside a shrine?

Tysm for the prompt @linksthoughtbrambles. Enjoy!

“Ready?” Link steps inside the alcove of Myahm Agana Shrine.

“Ready!” Zelda joins him on the platform made for one.

They’re standing close. When the shrine rumbles and they begin to descend, Zelda shrieks with the sudden movement and closes the distance, holding on for dear life. Link’s hands find her waist in the dark.

By the time they emerge from the pitch black shaft they’re kissing. Link only feels slightly guilty when they break apart and he glances at the empty pedestal where the ancient mummy had rested.

Awestruck, Zelda turns to study the apparatus controlling the maze. “Wow!”

[spices28]

The Winter Festival - A post!TotK Zelink story

After the events of Tears of the Kingdom, a coronation, and a marriage, Queen Zelda and King Link hold a winter festival.

On the day of the festival, Zelda carries a secret, and Link is very touchy. By the end of the afternoon, Zelda comes to a realization.

This is a fluffy piece with a sprinkle of angst. A Slice of Life post-upheaval.

This is dedicated to the wonderful @linksthoughtbrambles as part of Hetsu's Gift Exchange '23.

Prompt: Endings are also beginnings

A massive, massive thank you to my wonderful phenomenal beta @shameless-fujoshi.