#loz oneshot

[bixbiboom]

[c-duceusclay]

“I’ve never had rocks, and that’s really closed minded of me” *proceeds to eat a handful of rocks*

[malulurivers]

To the Wind | Link x Reader

Word count: 3.1k Summary: you've long travelled with Link. now having a small rest between travelling and aiding Hyrule, you find yourself facing a vast expanse—of questions, and the possible future. the hero speaks so little, so many things go unsaid. but is it right that they do? Warnings: unnecessarily flowery description? none

AN: this is an old piece i had lying around that i always meant to fix up a lil bit and i finally have! it's not really what i'd write for here (i did it more as a writing exercise years ago, so it's a bit... dense lmao) but i still think it's quite cute! {Gender Neutral reader} Link does talk, but only rarely (if i was to write this now, i would write him signing as i much prefer that interpretation!)

☾ ₊ ˚ ✩ ˚ ｡ ☽

the rain had long passed but the two of you remained huddled beneath the stone canopy of an overhang you’d found. the evening was cool, the clouds slowly clearing to reveal a dusk sky adorned with stars. the moon was peeking above the lanterns of a stable below in the valley, and though it promised warmth, you knew you were heading in the opposite direction.

relishing in the peace and quiet, you leant back on your cloak, which was sprawled upon the ground to offer a protective layer against the cold stone and the odd crumpled leaf.

the small orchard across the path bristled in hushed tones, melding with the crackle of the campfire by your feet. their crimson leaves shivered in the night, knowing that there was no relief for them. as a shimmering trail cut through their branches high in the darkness beyond, you couldn’t help but grin. 

“hey, did you see that?” you asked quietly, not looking over to him. you’d been travelling for so long together alone, that there was never any other person you could be talking to. despite the odd occurrences that led up to your strange companionship—things you perhaps regret but would not change for the world—the two of you made a seamless team, and an inseparable one at that.

you’d forgotten to count how many days your time together was supposedly overdue moons ago; caught up in the excitement and awe of visiting new places and meeting new people. as well as facing monsters so gruesome your nightmares could never have festered them. even now, you didn’t even consider beginning to trace it all back, despite the lull in the pace of your travels. 

after he remained still in the corner of your eye, you glanced over as you spoke louder this time. “there was a shooting star! not too far from here i bet…”

your words gradually became quieter again. of course he had heard you. 

Link was without a doubt shorter than you, by quite a bit too: you could lean on his head with a slight stretch and you knew that from playful experience. but he wasn’t small—he never appeared to be. 

whether it be how he charged into battle, a force to be reckoned with. how he glowed when he cooked, and practically cackled when he soared into the air on a fiery updraft of his own making. or how he rose to any challenge put before him, clambered up cliffs for absolutely no reason other than because he could, or how his eyes would glint so mischievously to the point that you wouldn’t dare turn your back to him, lest he spring chuchu jelly on you again. Link was never small. 

and yet here he was, eyes glazed over as he stared into the glowing embers, gold dancing across his face and casting his hunched form partially into pure shadow. his rough hands were pressed into the pebbles and dirt by the wooden pyre and you couldn’t help but wonder if that was a more accurate descriptor than you first thought. 

despite how long you had spent in his company, you hadn’t heard his voice anywhere near as much as people thought you had. they would ask you in fake-sweet tones what he sounded like, how much he actually spoke, why he withheld his voice from them, as if there was something malicious in his silence. you never spared them your time and at most offered them an underhanded comment before following after him.

and so it remained that Link rarely spoke, and you did much of the talking for him. you didn’t expect him to speak, and never wished him to, and he seemed relieved by this. but as you felt an unfamiliar pang in your chest, you began to wonder if there could be an exception.

there was a lot of weight on his shoulders—not only the fate of the kingdom and its future, but the past as well. there were an awful lot of words on those lips that were never spoken. the thought of the sheer weight of them worried you, and carrying them around without respite even more so. but you reminded yourself that the two of you were inevitably different. perhaps that’s why you worked so well together. although, it remained that talking problems out wouldn’t help him in the same way as it helped you.

frowning for a moment, you had an idea and shuffled across to sit on the edge of his cloak. he didn’t register your movement, so you carefully placed your hand on his shoulder. 

Link snapped out of his stare, eyes meeting yours before the air that had been caught up in his chest slowly left him. he was trying to be subtle—you knew that before he offered that small smile he always used to cover stuff up—but you didn’t mention it. 

“back in Hateno, when i was younger… my mother used to help me cope with my worries and fears, even though she didn’t know what to do,” you began, avoiding his gaze to look at his dirty cheek. there you met the familiar sight of the scar levied across his jaw.

you always found yourself gravitating to the lines of his past, now light and melded with his skin near perfectly; so many were invisible until his cheeks reddened in the cold or he stayed out in the sun for too long. you could never work out what drew you to them. whether it was astonishment, in how they were etches of a century ago, trapped in the skin of a living being. or if it was curiosity, to know every detail he was willing to spare, even if they were morbid.

whatever the reason, you ignored it and pushed yourself to look him in the eye once more. 

“what she did wasn’t… well, I haven’t done it in a long while, but… then again I haven’t needed it.” you smiled at him warmly, knowing full well he was the reason why. “and now that I think about it, it might help you.”

his gaze softened. he nodded silently, and watched intently while he waited for you to show him what you meant. 

shifting behind him, you subtly admired his form. he was sat up straighter now, no longer as still as a corpse, instead poking the fire with a half-charred stick. you readjusted your weight on your knees as you spotted a hole beginning to form by the collar of his tunic. you poked it absentmindedly, signalling to him its presence, before attempting to draw your fingers up to his hair.

at that moment, apprehension rushed through to your stomach and brought your hands to a halt. 

you questioned yourself then, as you studied your weak hands. why would you stop? it wasn’t like you were strangers, far from it. you’d helped adjust his straps and bags numerous times before to save time in the desert. he’d untangled you from your own clothing mishaps when the storm whipped your cloak round your legs, and chased after your hat flung far off in the distance. you’d washed his clothes and he’d washed yours, and upon so many mornings had you awoken to yourself swaddled into his side after the night grew too cold and the fire had cooled.

and yet, nerves began to ripple through your stomach, like the pulses of butterfly wings, at the idea of touching his hair. of running your fingers through it, seeing it loose. somehow, this was different, and you couldn’t put your finger on as to why. 

Link turned to look at you, his head tilting. knowing well what that gesture meant, you chuckled sheepishly. 

“oh, yeah, i’m fine, sorry. nostalgia, that’s all.”

he looked away from you again, nodding knowingly whilst he became focused on his hands. he began rubbing the dirt off his fingers, and with his distracted attention you took the opportunity to recompose yourself. with a brief sigh, you pushed through the apprehension while it was off-guard, and gently pulled the cerulean ribbon out from his hair. the dirty blond tresses hardly caught the wind once they were freed, retaining their tied back shape. too long of a time spent in bonds, you reasoned, and the knots between your fingers seconded that as you gently combed through his hair. you tried to catch a glimpse of his reaction by placing the tie on his knee, though to little success. he was looking beyond into the valley so you would have no trouble, but it meant that whatever he was thinking was an utter mystery to you. delicately threading your fingertips past his ears, you finally spoke up.

“my mother, when i was worried, used to sit me on her lap and get me to think about everything i was upset about. and while i did, she would weave a plait in my hair.” you took a lock of his and split it into three. “it would only ever be small, and we would just sit in silence as she wove.” you followed your own words, beginning to entwine the strands sitting in your palms, paying extra care to not accidentally tug. “when she reached the end, however, she never tied it, and just left it open. and then she would say, it’s all to the wind now.

"the first time she did it, she didn’t explain what she meant, and i didn’t work it out until later that day, when i pushed my hair out of my face one windy afternoon and found it missing,” you chuckled. “the wind had pulled the plait apart naturally without me noticing, just as it was supposed to do. it was supposed to take your fears away with it, though i never felt that it did—i found ranting to Ivee much more helpful personally, which is… hardly surprising.” you waited for him to laugh at that, but your quip was met with silence. you leant round with a faltering grin to see if he was just smiling too, but you found you couldn’t lean quite far enough to see properly with his hair in your hands. all you could note was that his eyes were closed. 

diffused, you continued nonetheless, “she often said things like that. Like, the wind would fix it all, and you just had to wait as the… that patience was the purest trial of them all and… other things that didn’t make a lot of sense. i’ll admit, it never got rid of my worries, but i did always find it soothing.” you pulled a final weave into the plait, your laugh fading into a small smile. “so, maybe it’ll help you.” 

tracing your fingertips carefully over the rises and falls of the new braid, you waited for him to respond.

in the silence your mind wandered, and with every hush of the breeze your thoughts grew louder. Link remained still, offering neither a shake of his head or hum of disapproval. no longer preoccupied, you peered round to see what was wrong, only to find his eyes still closed. his hands were still in his lap, the twig discarded by his knee, while his breathing was steady. 

“Link?” you whispered, amused by how he’d seemingly managed to doze off sitting upright—it would be a first! Though before you could place your hand on his shoulder his eyes flickered open. You barely got the chance to be startled because of the way he was looking at you. And because of how close you were to him. 

“sorry,” you stuttered, suddenly unable to look away from the bright dawn sky of his eyes. you tried to ignore the comments suddenly fluttering about in your head, and the one word they orbited. “i thought you’d fallen asleep, i didn’t mean…” 

he was drowsy, but he smiled nonetheless. it’s ok, you recognised. 

it most certainly isn’t, you thought, the voice in your head flustered. you’d never felt this hazy before, this giddiness in your chest. not when just looking upon someone's face. 

you were about to make an excuse so you could move back to your side of the campsite and catch your breath when he looked back to the valley, frown sweeping across the horizon’s mountains to where that star had fallen. and to your surprise, he spoke. “did you make a wish?”

you thought about it for a few seconds, unable to remember if you had or hadn’t. it had only been a few minutes since you’d seen it arc across the sky, yet it felt like hours had passed since then. “no… no, i didn’t. i guess… i’m not sure what to wish for. there’s so much in the world that it’s hard to choose. greater good, personal regrets, revenge, mercy…” you paused for a second once he had nodded in understanding. “did you?”

“no,” he answered. his lips remained parted as if he wanted to continue, but after a few moments they returned to a sad smile, his eyes dropping back down to the ground.

the crackling of the fire became the only sound to be heard once again as you watched him from the corner of your eye. he picked up the stick and poked at the silvering wood. still knelt behind him, you were thankful he couldn’t see your face. you struggled to hide your emotions, at least with him, and you were aware that your expression was likely one of blatant concern. yet there was little that could be done. there was a reason why he wasn’t talking about it, and it wasn’t tough to work it out. 

in that moment, you felt a wave of powerlessness wash over you. your heart was no longer racing, and instead ached. your limbs felt like they were laden with iron.

the weight that he bore was not something that you could bear with him. there were no words you could offer that would make the absence formed of what little he could remember cut any less deep. your arrow could not pierce the Calamity’s brow, and you could not wield the blade that could. after all that you had accomplished together, it was nothing in comparison to what he faced.

you swallowed thickly, finally pulling your hand away. slipping off your knees, you wrapped your arms around his waist and let your head rest against his shoulder. 

“i’m sorry, Link,” you murmured, voice weak.

you didn’t dare look up when you felt him turn to you. whether it was a quizzical stare or a blush you knew you wouldn’t be able to handle it. and you were right to think so, because as soon as he leant his head against yours you felt your heart pick up tenfold. you didn’t want to think how he must feel it racing against his back. 

“you shouldn’t be sorry,” he explained quietly, his thumb coming to trace across your wrist, “you’re here. just like the others.” 

the wind picked up and you felt the light dim across your closed eyes as it played with the fire. you tried to commit his voice to memory, gather words and phrases to try and describe what it sounded like, to yourself. just in case the wilds finally did creep back to collect what they once gained and now had lost. there was always that innate fear that gnawed at the very base of your stomach, those ‘what if's' of catastrophe. “i’ll always be here,” you insisted, clutching onto him just that little bit tighter, “no matter how far we go.”

the cool of the night began to seep further into your campsite, the fire beginning to dwindle at the will of the weather, and Link made no effort to rekindle it.

you could see why you had shifted towards him in your sleep these recent nights; he was so warm to the touch, his strength a blanket of security as he cradled you. you did so again now, still holding him as if he was your only shelter. in some ways he was. you almost had the thought to wonder why you hadn’t done this sooner, but you knew exactly why. 

as tiredness began to seep into your eyes, Link shifted. he tapped your hand to gain your attention, and you quickly unwrapped your arms. however, before you could apologise and make your way back to your cloak, he held onto your fingers.

“stay.”

his expression was forlorn, but hopeful. there was a tension in his jaw as he waited for you to say something. his other hand gripped at his knee. 

you didn’t want to leave him hanging but there was a problem with your breath being hitched in your throat. his fingertips were rough against yours, yet still so gentle. they sought your palm, following the lines that were etched into your skin. the lines of fate, as fortune tellers called them. and yours were alight with warmth, now. 

you slowly exhaled as he’d done earlier, trying to be subtle. if he noticed he didn’t show it, simply offering a flicker of a smile. it reminded you of the ones he gave you when he asked for a favour, to be the one to grab the apples off the tree or track down the cuccos yet again. however, this time his favour was quiet, so much so that he didn’t want to ask for it. his grip on your hand could barely be called that, his fingers were so flighty and ready to pull away at any moment.

but he had asked, despite everything. 

silently, you let him guide you back down to earth, into his lap. and there, you curled up in his arms. he leant against your bags as a makeshift pillow, and then pressed you gently into his chest, as close as he could get you. the chill of the wind could no longer reach you, as you were under his protection now. but he was also under yours.

finally, he relaxed, resting his chin on your head. his heartbeat thrummed by your ear, gradually slowing, beat by beat, until it was a soothing rhythm; one of near sleep. the crickets’ chorus began to outsing the crackle of the flames, with darkness having now fully fallen across Hyrule, you spoke up for the final time that night. “goodnight, Link. sleep well." your voice was barely above a whisper, and spoken into his tunic so that you weren’t sure he would hear you. but the hand nestled in your own squeezed your fingers.

a gust of wind blew the remaining flames out, and as shadow engulfed the camp your eyes fell shut, the heartbeat of the hero soothing you to sleep. and with the fire lost, the brightest light upon Hyrule became a fallen star, glowing upon the mountainside above.

☾ ₊ ˚ ✩ ˚ ｡ ☽

masterlist | buy me a hot chocolate <3

[bravest-notts]

just pulls out a glock

[mareastrorum]

The Legend of Zelda one shot was HILARIOUS and fun. That's going to be my comfort rewatch for so long, omfg.

[skyward-children]

She Watches

A/N: I have absolutely no idea what this is! I’m currently sick and felt compelled to write something minorly creepy, I guess. So don’t judge too harshly, I haven’t been rational all day today :P

~~~

Link.

Link, come here.

Her voice was calling to him, except it wasn’t her voice. It was strange, ethereal, pierced with moonbeams. Threaded with blood.

I need you.

He could see her shadow on the ground, long and thin and black, splayed across the dew-beaded grass like a pool of ink. It was moving closer, closer. Creeping over the ground like midnight.

The wings jutting from the shoulders of her shadow were crooked and broken, feathers peeling off of them in disjointed strips. They trembled, black against the grass, highlighted in starlight.

It hurts, Link…

She was directly behind him now, one clawed hand extending to grab him by the collar. He could feel her moving closer, closer, her fingers dipped in blood, her head tilted a little too far to be natural, her eyes black and expressionless—

Link.

He turned around.

There was nobody there. Just a silver-washed field, stretching towards the woods in silence, suspended in time. The moon hung frozen in the sky above, surreal against the blackness, the stars mostly obscured by clouds. Heavy black clouds, their edges curled and foaming, twisting into shapes like hands that reached slowly down towards earth.

He stumbled backwards, gaze fixed on the fingered clouds, on the moon that seemed to drip with blood. Her voice echoed in his skull, calling his name, over and over and over in a ceaseless rhythm—

“Link?”

He jumped and whirled, only to find her standing there. Zelda. She was wrapped in a thick shawl, shivering in the frosty bite of early autumn, her eyes sleepy and concerned. “What’re you doing out here, all by yourself?” she asked him, stepping closer, the hem of her dress trailing through the grass.

He shook his head. “Couldn’t sleep,” he said warily, and she halted, hurt flashing momentarily across her face. “Wasn’t tired.”

She chewed her lip, her gaze falling to her feet. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault.” The silence stretched thickly between them, and he shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling awkward and out of place, like someone had rearranged his bones to form somebody else, or had painted his features onto the skin of another person.

“The stars are pretty,” she commented after a moment, looking at the sky.

He nodded, absentmindedly following her gaze. The hands in the clouds were gone. Must have been his imagination. Just like the voice, which was silent now.

“Yes.” He didn’t know what else to say. I’ve been dreaming about you. But it’s not you. It’s someone else. Someone who looks like you. Who talks like you. But she doesn’t act like you.

He felt her step closer, heard the swish of her feet through the grass. “You…know I’m still me, right, Link?” she asked slowly, like the words were difficult to say. “I haven’t changed.”

My nightmares have. He nodded at her, offering a small smile. “Of course.”

She seemed to shrink further into her shawl, tightening her grasp on the knitted edges. “It’s just….you’ve seemed so distant, recently. Which is odd, because up till now it’s been normal. I don’t…” She shivered, glancing at the sky again, which was disappearing into a heavy bank of clouds. “I wish I knew what was bothering you.”

Me too. He shrugged. “Nothing’s bothering me, Zel. You should go back to sleep.”

“I won’t,” she said stubbornly. “Not till you tell me what’s going on.” That same flash and fire from before. That at least hadn’t changed.

He hummed, distantly. “There’s nothing. I told you already.”

“I’m not her, you know.” Her voice was flat. “I’m my own person. I see how you look at me sometimes.”

“I don’t— I don’t look at you any differently,” he protested, although his argument was weak. Sometimes he did look at her strangely, like she was someone else, like he wasn’t meant to be there with her. Like he was afraid.

She shook her head. “Whatever you say. I’m still me.”

“I know,” he offered, untruthfully, because he didn’t know, not really. Not when his dreams said otherwise.

She paused, then reached out and grasped his hand with hers, tracing her fingers across the scar on the back of it. “Remember this? You fell off your Loftwing and sliced open your hand. I thought you would die. It was too small to even consider worrying about, but I still did.”

He remembered. He remembered the thrill he had felt as she held his hand, as she cleaned the blood with her own handkerchief. He felt no thrill now, just emptiness. He pulled his hand away.

She bit her lip, glancing at the sky again. The fading moonlight, obscured by clouds, highlighted the tears gathering in her eyes. His conscience was momentarily pricked. It wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t her he had been dreaming about. It was someone else. But he couldn’t shake the fear nonetheless.

“I’m sorry,” he said after a moment. “It’s not you. It’s me.”

She looked at him, her face sad. “I know.”

Do you?

He huffed a breath, staring into the shadows webbing between the distant trees. “You should get some sleep,” he said again. “There’s no point staying up with me.”

Pain blinked briefly in her eyes, and then she touched his arm, ever so briefly. “I hope you feel better,” she said softly.

So do I. I hate being afraid of you.

He offered a tight smile, not meeting her gaze, and then she was gone.

Link sat in the grass, drawing his knees to his chin, feeling horribly exposed in the openness of the field. He was all alone, now, but he couldn’t quite convince himself of that. Not when she was always watching, impersonating his Zelda, haunting his every step. Making him afraid of his childhood best friend. Making him fear going to sleep at night.

Wasn’t tired, he had told Zelda only moments before, but he was. He was exhausted. The bags under his eyes were more prominent than ever, his head always heavy. How ironic that the boy who had grown up in love with sleep now loathed it more than anything else in the world. But even in his waking hours, she was always there. An eldritch creature with broken wings and bloody palms, who whispered sweet words in his ear with a mouth stained red from blood. She was not Hylia, or Zelda. She was a nightmare he had created, all of his fears combined in a figure he couldn’t erase. Terrors that wouldn’t leave him alone.

She was there, and she was watching. The field was empty, but she stood behind him, smiling with those fanged teeth, her broken wings shedding feathers onto the grass. The moon was harsh and cold, the clouds twisting around it like greedy fingers. The air was frozen with ice. She moved closer, the wind tugging at her matted hair, lashing at her skirts.

He blinked once, and she disappeared, back into the fabric of his nightmares. But she would come back. She always came back. He couldn’t shake her. She was his imagination, his deepest fears, the monster under his bed. He longed to be free of her. He longed to look at his Zelda without seeing the nightmare his brain had conjured, spun from the horrors he had seen on his journeys. She wasn’t real. She wasn’t real. He would keep telling himself that until he believed it, because it was true.

She wasn’t real. He stared at the sky, his lungs deflating in a sigh, a sense of calm settling over his shoulders. The field was quiet. A hint of dawn brushed the air.

In the grass behind him lay a handful of feathers, their snowy edges melting into crimson like blood.

[erimeows]

Answers

The wedding of King Sidon and Lady Yona is nothing less than beautiful. Link supposes he should be happy- he’s sat at the table with King Dorephan, Bazz, Muzu, and Lady Yona’s parents- a great honor. His best friend is beaming with joy, just as he has been since he was given the title of ‘king’. Sidon is proud of the hard work he’s done to catch up with his predecessors, proud of the new peace he’s provided his domain with, proud of his new wife.

Link wishes he could be just as joyous. He should be. He knows he should be, and hates himself for not feeling the way he knows he’s supposed to feel. Sidon is his friend, and all Link has ever wanted is for his friends to be happy.

Yet, as he sits at the table lined with lacy linen cloth, holding a champagne glass that’s far too large for his small hands and listening to the other guests’ absentminded chatter, he can’t help but notice how shit he feels. His stomach churns and sinks when his eyes land on Sidon and Yona.

He’s jealous. Jealous. Why is he jealous? Link stops to dwell on it, gripping his champagne glass so tightly that his knuckles turn white. 

It’s not like he spent much time with Sidon before, anyway. He was always too busy; fighting Ganon, helping the citizens of Hyrule, protecting Zelda and helping her train to control her powers. Though they’re ‘best friends’ according to Sidon, and though Sidon knows him in a way that most others don’t, Link isn’t justified in feeling jealous. Yona is a kind woman, anyway- it’s not like she’d rip Sidon away from Link entirely.

Link thinks back to the ceremony itself. There were some things about it that were… Off. While Yona and Sidon themselves were beaming with joy, neither of them read any vows, and when they were told to kiss, they only kissed each other’s cheeks. Link assumed it was a cultural difference- at least until he heard Yona’s parents whispering about how ‘odd’ this ‘new age’ wedding is. 

Old, outdated classical music being played by an orchestra echoes through the walls of the well-decorated palace. The piano and harp are played slightly off key, but everyone else is too blissfully unaware to notice. The decorations are gaudy and old, clearly picked by someone with far worse tastes than Sidon and Yona. 

The wedding is anything but new age. The only difference between this wedding and any other arranged one is that Yona and Sidon aren’t trying all that hard to be in love for their kingdom’s sake. That realization fills Link with some relief. He doesn’t want to consider why that might be.

Sidon and Yona dance together briefly before they separate to go greet their guests. Yona’s parents excuse themselves to the dancefloor along with many other Zora who were waiting for Sidon and Yona to finish their first dance. With the open chairs at the table, Sidon and Yona come to sit between Link and Bazz.

Though Link remains silent, sipping on his champagne, Sidon’s amber eyes are less than subtle with how blatantly they’re trained on him- even as he excitedly discusses a new idea for a military squad with King Dorephan. Link is too agitated to focus on the conversation despite the topic being one that would interest him on any other night. There’s laughter ringing in the air. Link briefly hears King Dorephan teasing his son for being so work-oriented on the night of his wedding before turning to Yona to talk.

“Are you alright?” Sidon whispers when no one else is paying attention to them, to which Link nods.

He hopes that will be the end of it.

It is not. 

Still able to feel Sidon’s gaze trained on him following his answer, Link stands up and leaves to go literally anywhere else. Riju, Tulin, and Yunobo hauled ass to make it to the wedding on such short notice. Maybe he could find them and get them to join him for a dance. Hell, people are paying so much attention to the newlyweds that Link suspects he could slip out of the domain and back into the wilderness where he feels he should be. The only person who would notice- or care- would probably be Sidon, in the midst of all of this chaos.

Link finds himself in a nearby corner. When he puts his back to the wall and turns around, he’s embarrassed to find Sidon weaving his way through the crowd to find him. The Zora is so tall that he has no issue seeing over all of the other attendees. 

Their eyes meet from across the room, and Link panics. The panic only grows as Sidon gets closer, until he’s right there, bending down to Link’s level and placing a giant hand on one of Link’s shoulders.

He panics because people are watching them, wondering why Sidon isn’t beside his wife or with his family and is instead chasing after Link. Whether Sidon is too oblivious to notice or just doesn’t care, Link is unsure.

He panics because Sidon chasing after him like this, being able to tell that he’s feeling poorly, makes him feel special- no, loved.

And he panics because he wants to feel loved by Sidon. He doesn’t want Sidon to stop whatever this is. 

Of course, it makes sense. It all makes sense now.

Link looks at the ring on his finger with that gorgeous cerulean stone on it and sighs. He leans back against the wall and slides- slides down until he’s sitting on the floor with his head in his hands.

A pang of guilt tears through Link- at least until he sees Yona and Bazz at the table together. From where Link is sitting in the corner, he can see underneath the tablecloth well enough to get a glimpse of Yona’s left hand and Bazz’s right hand, their fingers are intertwined and both hands are on Yona’s left thigh. 

Link puts the pieces together.

That’s why the ceremony was so odd and why the first dance was so friendly…

And he knows that Sidon isn’t a fool. He must know if his leaving them alone and acting so platonically with his newly wed wife is anything to go by. Even during their dances, he was overtly respectful, sure to keep his hands well above her waist and to keep a reasonable distance from her- almost as if they were family, rather than lovers, which Link figures is more accurate. An arranged marriage is more complicated than Link ever could’ve guessed. 

“My dearest Link,” Sidon starts, sitting right next to Link on the floor without a care in the world. It’s almost as if all he sees in this room right now is Link. That fact- that deep bond of friendship they have- is terrifying, especially now that Link is aware of how much more he wants. He doesn’t want to just be friends, he wants… He wants to be Yona right now. How embarrassing. “What is troubling you? Please, tell me.”

So blunt…

Link shakes his head again, trying to keep his face as neutral as possible. There are other Zora watching, confused as to why Sidon is neglecting his queen in favor of the measly Hylian hero who’s dressed in rickety armor. Thankfully, a lot of them are too busy dancing or drinking to notice, but the ones who do don’t make any attempt to hide their judgment- namely Muzu, who would’ve had Link dead on the floor by now if looks could kill. Link quickly comes up with an excuse and gestures to the alcohol bar near the entrance of the room with the best ‘sick’ expression he can manage.

“Oh, you drank too much? I never realized you Hylians were lightweights. I suppose you are much smaller than us… What a shame,” Sidon tilts his head curiously, eyeing the bar and then Link’s champagne glass that he left on the table. It’s still half full. If Sidon puts together that Link is completely sober, he’s at least courteous enough not to call out the lie. “Ah, I’d hate to cut the celebration short, but I could walk you back to your room if you’d like? I don’t mind at all! Actually, I’d prefer to be the one to ensure that you return safely.”

Link shrugs. Sidon takes as indifference as an invitation to lift the Hylian off the floor bridal style. He does it with such ease that Link is surprised. Sidon is so strong, so considerate, so… Perfect. Link watches Sidon’s face- his eyes go to Yona, who winks at him before turning to continue her conversation with Bazz. Link pauses. He must’ve imagined that… Right?

~

Link’s body aches with exhaustion as he walks towards the border of Zora’s Domain with Sidon by his side. Since solving the problems in the domain, defeating that giant monster, attending Sidon’s wedding, crying himself to sleep the same night, and staying knocked out well into the following afternoon, Link has gathered his supplies and readied himself to continue his search. With Sidon being the fourth sage he’s gathered, Link now has to find the fifth- and final- sage.

Link wants to stay. At the same time, his body is itching to leave. Staying with Sidon for the few days that he has has made him realize things that he didn’t want to. For instance, the realization that Link would throw everything away to stay with Sidon in the domain for the rest of his life if saving Princess Zelda weren’t a factor. Or, the realization that Link has been painfully in love with Sidon since that first day he rode on the man’s back. The worst one was probably the realization of how jealous he was during Sidon’s wedding, on what was supposed to be the happiest day of his best friend’s life.

It’s been less than a day since the wedding and Link doesn’t feel much better. All night, instead of standing by his new wife, Sidon followed Link around, trying to drag the information out of him- almost as if he could smell Link’s souring mood from a mile away. Link had to pretend that he’d drunk himself to the point of becoming sick; a lie that’s somehow less embarrassing than the truth. Link is so overwhelmed with the feelings that he chooses not to acknowledge them- at least not out loud. 

He keeps his arms crossed over his chest and pretends that he doesn’t sense Sidon’s eyes on him for the entirety of their walk. One of Sidon’s hands is on his back, cool and reassuring. He guides Link through the terrain even though they both know that Link doesn’t need the help. Sidon doesn’t talk about it, so neither does Link. 

When they reach where Link knows they’re going to separate, he dwells on what to do. He could forget it all, reject his responsibilities and stay here in the domain forever… But, then he remembers that really, he can’t. What would become of Zelda? Just like Sidon, she’s Link’s best friend. And how would someone as noble as Sidon react if Link failed the people he’s supposed to serve? Sidon would surely lose all love and respect for him.

Link glances at Sidon and stops in his tracks, sunkissed cheeks turning bright red when he sees that Sidon is already intently gazing back at him. He knew. Sidon has a terrible habit of staring at others without any pause, but actually meeting his eyes is… Intense. The prince- no, king, now- jumps and jerks his hand away from Link’s back as if the blond’s shirt has burned him. 

Link raises an eyebrow, partially confused, partially concerned.

Sidon looks at Link for a little too long, amber eyes going wide as if he’s also realized something important. His normally pale, cool skin flushes a deep shade of purple around his cheeks. Link pauses, wondering if he should ask what’s wrong, but before he can, Sidon bows.

“I wish you the best of luck, dearest Link,” Sidon grins- that ridiculously big, ridiculously toothy grin of his. Link can’t help but smile back. “Please, travel safely. I believe in you.”

Link’s heart throbs in his chest at the warm, familiar words. He wants to say something so badly, but he just… Can’t. Not without knowing for sure that Sidon returns his feelings. Not yet.

So, he offers Sidon a nod, and then turns to leave. He barely makes it out of the domain before he misses Sidon’s large, strong hand on his back. 

For now, Link is sure that things are better this way.

They have to be. 

~

As much as Link hates to leave Sidon’s side, he finds that it’s easier for him to decompress once he’s out of the domain.

Whether that’s because he’s away from all of the people, because he’s finally ‘working’ again, or because he’s away from Sidon and Yona specifically, he isn’t sure.

Over the next few days, Link spends most of his time occupied, just the way he prefers. Between struggling to help the other sages with the lingering issues in their respective areas, fighting off gloom and monsters, and searching for Zelda, Link hardly has any time to himself. He’s grown accustomed to this, though- since becoming Zelda’s personal knight, it feels as if his life is constant chaos, constant fighting, constantly being on guard. 

Most other men would become insane from the lack of rest, but Link finds comfort in what has become his day to day life. He goes to bed late, wakes up early, eats breakfast, and spends his morning helping whoever needs it. Then, he spends the rest of his day hunting down monsters, fighting them, and- currently- searching for the supposed fifth sage. After that, he eats dinner and goes to bed. 

The four avatars, Tulin, Riju, Yunobo, and Sidon are with him. While Sidon’s walks by his side, far too close for comfort, the other three stay close behind- guarding. Link wonders why they take the positions they do. He wonders a lot of things about the avatars in general. 

Link still isn’t used to having them around. He thinks about them constantly, theorizing about them, all while scolding himself for wasting his mental energy on something so trivial when Zelda is in Ganon’s clutches. 

The avatars aren’t real, he reminds himself. They’re spiritual manifestations of his friends, here as tools to assist him in battle. They’re not living, breathing beings. They’re not feeling. They don’t need to eat, rest, or sleep. And yet… Link finds comfort in them just as much as he finds comfort in being on the battlefield. As if they’re real people.

In Sidon’s avatar, Link swears he finds more comfort than he finds in being on the battlefield- and that fact is terrifying, mostly because it makes Link fantasize about silly, unrealistic things like settling down with the Zora and living the rest of his life out in peace, with Sidon by his side.

That’s something Link tries not to think about. Sidon is married, after all… These feelings he’s had for him are inappropriate, especially considering Mipha… Link shakes his head, trying to clear it of the thoughts. Sidon’s marriage is arranged, and both Sidon and Yona had made it apparent that the two were merely friends who happened to be getting married during Link’s visit. Regardless of Sidon’s marital status… There’s no way it would work out. What’s the likelihood of Sidon returning Link’s feelings, anyway?

Link peers at the man’s avatar, who continues to walk next to him. The avatar stares back, but doesn’t smile. Link frowns. Oh, how he misses that big, toothy grin of Sidon’s… The familiar feeling of a cool hand on his back, guiding him through Zora’s domain. Link just misses him.

It’s late- two, maybe three in the morning. Link wishes he could be like the lifeless avatars surrounding him, constantly alert and ready to go, never in need of sleep or food or anything at all. But, even Link can admit to himself that he is merely a Hylian. As such, he needs his rest. 

He finds a cave to camp out in, sets out his sleeping bag, and takes in his surroundings. It’s scarily dark and damp, but he knows he’ll manage just fine. He’s slept in worse. 

Sidon’s avatar still stands next to him, far too close, while the other three linger near the entrance of the cave with their beady blue eyes watching over Link’s small frame. 

With him sleeping alone in the wilderness, it’s not uncommon for Link to use the avatars to keep guard of his resting area. He is all too aware that it does take small amounts of energy from the sages to have their avatars active, so he only uses one at a time to guard him when they’re not traveling through dangerous terrain or in active battle. 

Tonight is Sidon’s night, Link’s favorite. It’s nice to feel like he can be alone with the other man for once. Even if it’s not truly Sidon. Whether it be in a cave, in his home, or on a field of wildflowers, being with Sidon(‘s avatar) brings Link peace. And, unlike a real person, the avatar can’t judge him. 

Would Sidon judge him? Link is curious. At the same time, he doesn’t want to know the answer. Not really. If Sidon knew who he was outside of the stoic, impressive hero that he sees behind his rose-tinted glasses, would Sidon still consider him his ‘dearest friend’? Would Sidon still place a hand on Link’s back so carelessly to guide him from place to place if he were aware of Link’s true feelings? 

Part of Link wants to know. Most of him doesn’t, and as that- yet another realization- washes over him, he dismisses Riju, Tulin, and Yunobo’s avatars, leaving him and Sidon’s avatar alone in the cave. It’s just the two of them, alone. 

If the real Sidon were here, what would he do? Would he act like he always does? Or does he also have things that he would die to do if they were alone, together, like this, without anyone or anything to stop them? Images flash through Link’s mind, so vibrant behind his eyes despite them being figments of his imagination; of Sidon, holding Link close to keep him warm through the night, pulling Link close to his broad chest, connecting their lips, and-

No.

Not right now. Not tonight.

Trying to clear his mind of the thoughts, Link lies down in his sleeping bag and sharply inhales. He gives the cave one last scan to make sure he’s safe before settling. 

Then, much to his surprise, Sidon’s avatar is not only sitting on the ground, but digging through Link’s backpack. Link watches with curiosity. Is it looking for something to eat? Something to keep itself occupied while Link rests? A certain tool or weapon to use for nearby enemies? 

Link furrows his brow when the avatar pulls out… A blanket. An old blanket that Zelda crocheted for him God knows how long ago. Link keeps it for comfort, but doesn’t use it often, fearing that it’ll get ruined by the elements or a midnight battle. Link jumps up to take the prized possession from the avatar’s hands, but before he can do so, the avatar is gently ushering Link to lie back down and draping the blanket over him.

Oh.

Oh. 

Link’s face turns bright red. He watches the avatar, whose expression doesn’t change. Instead, it turns around, sitting with its back facing Link, and crosses its arms as it peers outside of the cave to watch for any potential danger.

Flustered, Link turns around in his sleeping bag and cuddles the blanket closely. He swears he can smell Sidon on it where the avatar’s hands touched the fabric. 

No. It can’t be.

The damn thing is just an avatar. It’s not Sidon. It doesn’t have feelings of its own, let alone feelings for Link.

Clearing his head, Link turns around, closes his eyes, and falls asleep.

~

The next morning, Link wakes up with a clear mind, summons the other three avatars back to his side, and continues on his venture. On his search for the fifth sage, he finds himself in Rito village for supplies. He knows that there shouldn’t be any conflicts arising and dismisses all four avatars as to not attract more attention to himself than he already does when he’s in the area.

Link approaches Brazen Beak and is unsurprised to find that Tulin is there, fluttering outside the front and haphazardly screwing around with a new bow and arrow that he has between his claws. To anyone unfamiliar with the boy, it would look dangerous and reckless, but Link knows Tulin isn’t stupid enough to hurt himself with his own weapon- even if he isn’t the most careful. Teba is standing next to Tulin, carefully watching. It looks like he wants to scold his son and snatch the bow right out of his talons, but he manages to restrain himself, merely crossing his wings and impatiently tapping his digits against the top of his chest. It’s apparent that despite Tulin clearly having come of age as a warrior, Teba is still having trouble treating him like he’s fully grown.

Link can’t blame him. Seeing Tulin’s tiny, fluffy body, his big blue eyes still full of so much life, Link realizes that Tulin shouldn’t have to be a warrior- even if he wants to be. There shouldn’t be so many evils for him to have to fight against. A lot of the warriors in Hyrule shouldn’t have to be doing what they’re doing right now… That’s why Link is so grateful for the avatars. With them as substitutes, Link doesn’t have to have Tulin or any of the others there in person to assist him. To know that they’re both by his side and safe at home is worth the pangs of loneliness that hit Link when he has to remind himself that the blue silhouettes aren’t the people he loves, but a small piece of them.

It’s freezing cold. So cold that Link has to wear four layers of thick clothing to feel remotely comfortable as the snow rains down onto his hood. He pulls his coat tighter around him and approaches Tulin. He’s not really in the mood to talk after the wedding and the event that took place with Sidon’s avatar last night, but it would be rude to pass Tulin and Teba without saying anything. 

“Good day, Link!” Tulin excitedly greets the swordsman, his wings fluttering with joy as he returns his newfound weapon to the bow holster on his belt. “I didn’t know you’d be coming again so soon after we met up! I thought I felt you in the area, but it’s a little hard to tell, y’know?”

Link shrugs. He was in the area on his search for the fifth sage and desperately needed to stop for more armor, bows, and food. With Brazen Beak as well as a flurry of authentic Rito markets and restaurants nearby, Rito village seemed like the logical place to stop. Link almost explains his thought process, but then, he processes Tulin’s last question. 

‘Felt’ him in the area…? What the hell does that mean?

“Felt…?” Link mumbles, tilting his head.

“No one explained this to him?” Teba sighs, sharp charcoal eyes laced with exasperation. Tulin doesn’t get the chance to answer before Teba turns back to Link and clarifies. “It seems the sages had a discussion about the avatars they’ve given you. They were trying to find new ways to assist you without having to leave their domains, but all they can do is put small amounts of their energy into their avatars and track your general location.”

“...So, you all know where I am,” Link nods in understanding. He never would’ve guessed. It’s not like he’s seen the sages too often. In the midst of all of the chaos, they haven’t had spare time to sit and chat about the avatars. “Can I ask something else, Tulin?”

“Of course! What is it?” 

“Can you control or see what the avatars are doing?”

“Um, no, I don’t think so,” Tulin tilts his head, pausing to think. He brings a wing up to his chin and hums. “Wait, why are you asking? Did something happen?”

“No,” Link shakes his head and offers the most reassuring smile he can muster even though his face is covered by a cloth mask to keep him warm. Though Tulin appears unsuspecting as always, Teba’s eyes narrow with confusion- as if he’s trying to figure out the same thing that Link is. Thankfully, Teba has no idea about Link’s feelings for Sidon, let alone an idea of what happened in the cave or of the thoughts that Link has had about Sidon and his avatar. “I was just thinking that if you could, it would be useful.”

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense,” Tulin frowns. “Sorry I can’t help more!”

“You’ve done more than enough,” Link quickly replies upon seeing the disappointment on Tulin’s face. Prying for information about the avatars for his own personal use might not have been the best move, especially when his questions were directed at Tulin… Perhaps he should’ve waited until seeing one of the others. Then again, one of the others may have questioned his intentions more than Tulin is now. “Thank you, Tulin. I’ll be on my way.”

Before Tulin or Teba can object, Link ducks into the entrance of the store and lets out a sigh of relief when the warm(er) air washes over his ice cold body.

He reaches into his pockets to count out his rupees, mulling on what all he should buy (or, mulling on what all he can afford)...

~

A blood moon comes later that night. 

After weeks of travel and tedious tasks, doing what he’s meant to do once again fills Link with energy unlike anything else. No more puzzles, no more socializing with people in places he’s not that familiar with, no more riding random horses, no more rotting away in caves, no more constant cooking over a shittily made fire- just fighting to protect the people of Hyrule with his sword and shield. The avatars stay close behind, but Link is the one who carries the battle.

He’s never liked to rely on others. 

Perhaps the malice that the blood moon brings affects Link a little, too. On any other night, he’d never enjoy a fight like this. But tonight, he enjoys it more than anything. The rage, sorrow, and desperation that have been coursing through his veins since Ganon’s return are all released with each monster he strikes down and dissects for meat, weapons, and parts. 

By the time Link finds a camping spot that night, a warm, fuzzy feeling of optimism is coursing through him. He feels as if he’s coming closer to finding the fifth sage as well as finding Ganon and Zelda. 

His mind flickers to Sidon. Why did the avatar put that blanket on him? Was it an act of love? An instinct? Or is taking care of Link something the avatars are just automatically programmed to do? If so, why wouldn’t one of the others have done it previously? Why was Sidon the first? Oh, the things Link would give to know exactly how the avatars work… The things he would give to know Sidon’s true intentions.

Link lies out in the middle of a field on his back. It’s not snowing where he’s at now, but it’s still chilly. The coat on top of the layers of sweaters and wool pants he’s wearing keeps him at a comfortable temperature, but none of the clothing replicates the warmth of a body. He wishes Sidon were here with him now, abandoning his responsibilities to stay with Link, lying beside him and holding him close to keep him warm through the night. Even if Sidon is cool blooded, anything- anyone- is warmer than this frigid cold. Lying with Sidon would be heaven right now…

Link flushes at the thought and sits up. He’s surrounded by yellow grass and dead wildflowers. Though he’s cleared out most of the monsters in the area, the signs of the blood moon remain, drops of crimson on nearby blades of grass and a metallic scent lingering in the air to accompany the ruby moonlight that shines down on his sunkissed skin. 

He dwells on the issue of the avatars as they interact on the field. Riju and Yunobo’s avatars sit in the grass to study the wildflowers while Tulin’s flies around above them. Sidon’s avatar watches them, but doesn’t smile or join them. Link doesn’t command them in any way for now, instead choosing to observe for as long as he needs to in order to figure out the answers to the many questions he has.

It doesn’t take long- at least not after considering the other information he’s collected since being gifted them.

Link quickly starts to suspect that the avatars will only do things that their respective sages would. They’re not uniform, soulless beings who are programmed to perform a strict set of actions. They’re spiritual representations of their sages, and while they aren’t capable of any actions that are especially complex, they can act of their own accord as long as it doesn’t go against Link’s commands.

Link would normally dismiss three of the four avatars before settling down for the night. This time, he allows them to stay for a little longer.

Tulin’s avatar flutters over to Link and ruffles his hair. It’s another sign that the avatars not only act for practical purposes such as combat, but of their own free will- or, of their sage’s will. While not nearly as expressive, they do have… Personality, even if it’s not very much. 

Though Link has known that the avatars aren’t directly controlled by the sage’s themselves, he supposes it makes sense that the avatars would do things that their sages would despite that, such as fighting alongside him in battle or guarding him during his travels. They’re more like spirits or manifestations than they are like machines.

The same night that Tulin’s avatar ruffles Link’s hair, Yunobo’s avatar starts to cook Link a meal over a fire made by Riju’s. Admittedly, Yunobo burns the food into a big black heap, but Link isn’t sure whether that’s a result of it being made by an avatar or an inevitable happening with Yunobo being the chef.  

Meanwhile, all Sidon’s avatar does is stand near the others with its beady blue eyes on Link. 

Link never thought he’d miss the color amber so much… Never thought he’d miss Sidon so much.

Link wants to know what Sidon is doing right now. He wants to know if Sidon is thinking of him, too.

But, currently, he’s stuck in the middle of the wilderness with the four wisps of blue still by his side. He supposes it could be worse. At least this time, his friends are doing a good job of staying alive. 

…Hopefully it stays that way. 

Link forces down the food that Yunobo’s avatar ‘prepared’ (AKA decimated with fire) and sets up his sleeping bag in the middle of the field. 

Technically, if he follows the rotation he’s been using, it’s Riju’s night to keep watch as he sleeps. But, Link figures he could probably get away with using Sidon’s avatar again. Sidon is a king now, anyway, busy with days full of paperwork, meetings, and other political crap if Zelda’s career as princess is anything to go by. Surely, Sidon won’t notice a little more of his energy being sapped than what he’s used to… A mere night’s worth. 

Link gives all four avatars a once over before dismissing three of the four of them. Now, it’s only he and Sidon’s left, standing alone underneath the cool air of the night.

The avatar approaches Link on its own, but it doesn’t do anything. Just stands there.

Link is curious. The smart thing for him to do would be to go straight to bed. Rather than doing that, though, he finds himself tempted to test the many theories he’s concocted regarding the avatar- regarding Sidon’s avatar, specifically. What would it do if Link touched it? Held it? Loved it? Would it react at all- and if it did react, would it react kindly? More importantly, if it did react kindly, would that reaction be a reflection of Sidon’s true self? 

…Would using the avatar get him the answers he’s been craving since Sidon’s wedding night?

Link takes a step closer to ‘Sidon’.

Sidon matches the action and takes a step closer to Link. 

Link commands him to kneel, so he does.

And then, Link is practically throwing himself into the avatar’s arms. It catches him, holds him tight, and pulls him into its chest for a tight hug. Link melts into the touch, a shaky sigh of relief flowing through him as he’s affectionately spun around in the cool night’s air. Then, ‘Sidon’ is gently placing Link down on his sleeping bag, sitting next to him, and pulling that same crochet blanket over his frame. 

Link sighs. His heart races, pounding hard and fast against his chest. He can’t remember the last time someone has hugged him, let alone in a way so… Affectionate. So close. There are so many things he wants to ask, but he knows that the avatar won’t answer the questions Link has for the real Sidon.

Link tries not to overthink this like he overthinks everything else. It’s an avatar, and from his understanding, the sage’s connection to them is minimal. They don’t know what the avatars are doing at any given time, just their general location, so Link could use them for any purpose. With the information provided by Tulin, Link is fully aware that Sidon has no way of finding out about what happened. Link should feel better, but he doesn’t, because the hug from ‘Sidon’ isn’t the answer he assumed it would be.

Friends hug each other all the time. 

Link wants a definite, concrete answer. A kiss, maybe a verbal confession- even though the avatars can’t talk. He wants something that, if he were to gather the courage to bring it to Sidon’s attention, Sidon wouldn’t be able to deny the romantic implications. 

The only solution is for Link to test the avatar again… In a different way.

Right?

~

Link puts it off forever. He runs around, doing meaningless tasks; fighting Yiga clan members, helping a little girl trying to travel to Gerudo Town, taming different kinds of horses, the usual things. 

Finally, on another one of ‘Sidon’s’ nights, Link decides that it’s worth pushing his theory about ‘Sidon’- or, about the avatar of him. The hug, while not too suggestive, was intimate and intense for Link. Maybe it was a hint to Sidon’s true feelings- maybe, if Link takes this further, he’ll get confirmation that Sidon is in love with him- that is, if his theory about the avatars only responding to situations the same way their sages would is correct. 

Link decides to test the avatar a second time. He tells himself it’s merely to confirm his theory. Deep down, he knows it’s because he wants that intimacy again. He’s getting greedy. He can’t bring himself to care. The avatar doesn’t smell like Sidon, and it certainly doesn’t speak like him, but the avatar is part of Sidon regardless and Link loves it for that.

Perhaps it’s wrong of him to abuse Sidon’s ‘vow’ like this, but Link has done many questionable things since the calamity and figures that there’s no harm in continuing to do so. The avatars aren’t people, anyway. This isn’t hurting anyone except for Link himself. Best case scenario, the avatar reacts the way that Link hopes it will and returns his affections. Worst case scenario, the avatar doesn’t, and though it will hurt, Link will at least have his answer. 

The others are gone and Link is alone with ‘Sidon’ in another cave he’s found to set up camp in during his travels. Sidon is sitting by the entrance, his back facing Link as his broad, blue frame blocks any potential enemies from coming in.

Link commands Sidon to come and sit by his side, so he does, blankly peering down at Link.

Link doesn’t remember when ‘the avatar’, ‘Sidon’s avatar’, and ‘it’- turned into ‘Sidon’; into ‘him’, but it’s already happened and he can’t stop it, can’t keep himself from getting out of his sleeping bag and climbing into the avatar’s lap. His logical mind screams at him to stop, reminds him that he will regret this forever no matter how the avatar responds, tells him that he’s stupid for fawning over Sidon when Princess Zelda is still out there somewhere. But, the part of him that loves Sidon, the part of him that’s so illogical, manages to win for long enough that Link has the time to throw his arms over Sidon’s shoulders and pull himself up to kiss the Zora.

It’s odd- bizarre, really. The avatar’s lips don’t feel like lips, rather like wind ghosting over Link’s own. Link doesn’t question it, though. If this is the only way he’s going to get to kiss Sidon, he’s going to relish in it; relish in the way that Sidon’s big hands thread through his hair, in the way that Sidon kisses him back and easily puts him on the floor of the cave- wait, what?

Link breaks the kiss to admire the position Sidon has gotten him into. He’s on his back, with one of the avatar’s knees between his legs. The other knee is beside one of Link’s hips, keeping him pinned. Sidon’s elbows are on the ground on either side of Link’s shoulders and his hands remain in Link’s blond locks. Link realizes that, if this were Sidon and not the avatar, he wouldn’t be able to get out of this position. 

The avatar opens his mouth, as if to say something, only to fall silent.

Link curses to himself.

The avatar can’t speak.

What would it say if it could?

…What would the real Sidon say right now?

‘Sidon’ leans down to kiss him again. Link kisses him back, only to feel one of those large hands slipping underneath his shirt and groping his chest. Link gasps and curls into the touch.

When was the last time someone touched him like this? 

Sidon looks up at Link, but it’s not him. Not really. The amber eyes that he’s used to, sparkling and full of so much life, are pools of emptiness. The blush that he imagined would be there, the big toothy grin, they’re both nonexistent. Reality slaps Link in the face. 

This isn’t Sidon. And whatever he wants, he’s not going to get it out of Sidon’s avatar. He has to get it out of the real Sidon. The hug, the kiss, neither of them are ‘true’ answers like he thought they would be. His theories, while probably correct, haven’t brought Link any peace. Not this time.

Link panics and scrambles to dismiss Sidon- no, the avatar- as fast as he can, before this situation gets any worse.

Almost as if he weren’t there in the first place, Sidon’s avatar vanishes into the cool night’s air in a flash of blue light. 

Link sits up and hangs his head in shame. 

Just what has he done…?

~

A week passes. Link desperately tries to keep himself occupied. He has so much to do that staying busy isn’t hard. He manages to find the fifth sage, Mineru, and defeat the Seized Construct with her help. Now, he has to find wherever the hell Ganon is hiding. Despite all of it, Sidon lingers heavy in the back of his mind. The other avatars circle around Link as he tries to find a good place to settle down for the night. 

Sidon’s, however, is noticeably absent. Link can’t look at him- at it- after what they did in the cave that night. So, he hasn’t used Sidon’s avatar since then. He’s too embarrassed, too ashamed, too… Too scared that he’ll push this further than he should.

Link sees a cave in the distance and feels heat consume his body from head to toe.

He doesn’t want to sleep in a cave ever again, even if it’s much, much safer than sleeping out in the wilderness. He thinks he’d rather sleep in a pool of gloom than sleep in a cave again after that night…

He raises a single hand up to his face, brushing his fingers against his bottom lip. Even if it was the faintest sensation, he swears that when he dwells on that kiss for too long, he can still feel the avatar’s lips.

The climate in Central Hyrule is at least decent at this time of year. As the night falls, it’s pleasantly warm with a peaceful breeze. The next blood moon shouldn’t be for a few more days and despite the gloom that lurks here and there, the area is more peaceful than it has been. Link lays out his sleeping back and gets ready to dismiss the avatars, only to hear heavy footsteps.

He braces himself for combat, placing a hand on the butt of his sword only to further tense up when he sees a blur of crimson red and bluish grey in the distance. 

Sidon…?

“Link!” Sidon calls out as he runs closer.

Link takes his hand off of his sword and stands there, confused, all while dismissing the avatars. Sidon is notably alone, running through the night with flushed cheeks and sweaty scales. He pants as if he’s out of breath from running for a long time.

“Link!” Sidon doesn’t hesitate to run to Link, practically collapsing onto his knees in front of the Hylian so they’re eye level. Link is too stunned to do or say anything, especially when he notices tears in Sidon’s amber eyes. As Sidon reaches forward and places his hands on Link’s shoulders, the tears fall from his eyes and down his cheeks. “Link, you’re okay-”

Link nods, furrowing his brow. Why is Sidon here? Why is he crying? Was he… Under the impression that Link was in danger? Before he can talk himself out of it, Link reaches forward to wipe the tears from Sidon’s face with his thumbs. 

“Link, my lo- I mean, my dearest friend,” Sidon starts. “My scouts informed me that you were spotted nearby, so I came right away!”

“What?” Link questions. He can’t remember the last time he’s seen another Zora, meaning that they must have been hiding from him on purpose if they were nearby. Why were they even sent this far out? Link can’t think of a good reason for them to be away from the domain right now. “Is there something going on?”

“No- well, yes- I couldn’t sense your location with my avatar for days!” Sidon explains. His voice is shaky with relief. He manages to stop crying for long enough to smile. “I was so worried. Thank Hylia you’re safe.”

“Wait,” Link pauses, struggling to process that Sidon has been actively tracking his location with the avatar to the point that he freaked out and traveled across Hyrule upon noticing that he wasn’t able to. “Why are you here? What’s going on?”

“Oh, w-well, um-”

As Sidon struggles to explain himself, which is already unusual, Link notices the blatant lack of royal guards. Normally, when he’s at the palace, Sidon is allowed some freedoms, but especially now that he’s king, the council would never let him leave the palace unattended. Link understands the need to get away, but for Sidon to leave with no protection… God, he could’ve been assassinated and no one would’ve had any idea.

“Where are your guards?” Link demands. 

“Not here. I sent the scouts away after they reported your location to me as well,” Sidon confesses rather sheepishly. “I may or may not have snuck out. Lady Yona is covering for me back home. That being said, what is going on with the avatars? I’ve been able to feel where you are almost every day since I gave you my vow… This is odd.”

Link winces.

Sidon was unable to find Link’s location, and thinking better of Link, assumed that it was some sort of malfunction. Link wants to lie to him more than anything, but he just… Can’t. His conscience aside, he needs answers. They need to have this talk. And if it goes poorly, he can leave, and they can both pretend that it never happened.

“I dismissed yours.”

Sidon’s eyes go wide.

“Did I do something wrong? My dearest Link, I-”

“No, no, it’s nothing to do with you, I-” Link interjects. “I did something stupid.”

Sidon waits for Link to explain for a ridiculously long amount of time. Two minutes, maybe three, pass by. Link can’t find the words to explain his actions, let alone his logic behind them. Thinking about it in depth, the way he tested Sidon’s avatar was actually quite violating, even if it’s not technically a person.

Sidon pulls away and sits down on the ground. Link sits by his side. Silence, again, and then Sidon is placing a hand on Link’s back and asking-

“Are you alright?” 

“I’m fine,” He answers. “I, uh, I hugged your avatar. Sorry.”

“And? That is fine,” Sidon, bless him, continues to see the best in Link. He practically beams with affection and rubs Link’s back. Link’s skin burns at the contact. Now, with everything that’s happened, with the avatar, and tonight, Link realizes that the hand on his back was never platonic. He has his answers. The hard part is going to be giving Sidon an answer of his own. “The conditions you travel in must be lonely. I’m honored that you wanted my avatar as your company.”

“Right…”

“I came out here to make sure you were well. It seems you are fine, but why did you dismiss my avatar over a… Hug?”

“It’s not-” Link clams up, squeezing his hands into fists and placing them in his lap. How does he tell Sidon about how he found out? How does he confess his feelings? He’s never done anything like this before. Hell, he’s never felt like this before. “I’m not…”

“What is it? There’s something you’re refusing to tell me,” Sidon frowns, shaking his head in disapproval. “Honestly, it’s dangerous of you to dismiss my vow for so long. The Link I know would never act so foolishly, especially with you searching for Ganon. If you would’ve found him without me by your side… I don’t even want to imagine it. So, what is it that’s important enough for you to have dismissed me? Was it the wedding? I knew something was off, but you wouldn’t tell me-”

Link sighs.

“It made out with me,” He mumbles, and then clarifies- “The avatar, I mean.”

“Made… Out?”

“Kissing,” Link covers his face with his hands. Even through years of being defeated in battle, doing embarrassing things for his job, being in uncomfortable medical situations due to injuries, and so much more, he’s never been this humiliated in his entire life. “We kissed.”

“Oh,” Sidon whispers at first, and then yells. “Oh!”

Link clasps his hands together and bows his head. His bangs cover his eyes to spare him from having to look at Sidon.

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry? I’m sorry! Why, I don’t know why my avatar would do such a thing! To violate your autonomy like that, what a heinous-”

“Sidon,” Link cuts Sidon off before he can finish the guilty, apologetic ramble Link knows he’s about to go on. “I… Kissed it first.”

Sidon tilts his head in that oh-so-curious, oh-so-adorable way that Link fell in love with all those years ago.

“Excuse me?”

“The avatars- they, um, they act like you would in most situations. I figured that out. So, I tested it… Tested you… By kissing it. And it kissed me back, and I’m sorry.”

“But why?” Sidon whispers.

Link can’t tell if the man is horrified or merely confused. 

“Long story,” Link murmurs. “If it were the real you, would you have done the same thing?”

“My dearest Link,” Sidon’s eyes fall shut as he reaches over to place a hand on Link’s knee. It’s so warm, so strong, so reassuring. Link would kill to melt into his touch right now, but he can’t bring himself to do so without hearing the answer he needs said out loud. “You must know the answer to that by now.”

“You think I would’ve done any of what I did with the avatar if I knew? I need to hear it.”

Sidon reaches forward to hold Link’s face in his hands once more. He tucks a loose stand of hair behind Link’s ear. Such large, strong hands, yet so gentle, they caress Link’s cheeks and handle him like he’s something to be cherished. Sidon leans closer, leans further down, and rests his forehead against Link’s.

“Then, I’ll tell you the truth… I’m in love with you. If it were me rather than the avatar, I still would have returned your affections, and quite frankly, I’m jealous that that thing got to kiss you before I did.”

Link shrugs, averting his gaze to the grass beneath them.

“You still can… Kiss me, I mean,” He tentatively offers, and much to his surprise, Sidon doesn’t hesitate.

Their lips are connected again in an instant. Link reaches up, grabs Sidon's cravat for purchase, and kisses the Zora back. As much as he loved that kiss with the avatar in the cave, he loves kissing the real Sidon much more; loves the sensation of Sidon’s gentle hands cradling his face, of Sidon’s thumbs stroking his high set cheekbones, of Sidon’s soft and solid lips tenderly moving against his own, of the real Sidon. By the time Link pulls away, he’s breathless. But before he can say or do anything else, Sidon is speaking.

“Please, come home with me,” Sidon pleads as he stands up and pulls Link to his feet. “Just for tonight, so you can rest and so I can know that you’re safe. Then, in the morning, when you’re well rested and fed, resume your search.”

Link nods, and with that, the two are walking side by side and hand in hand back to Zora’s Domain.

[frickingnerd]

the world is (y)ours

pairing: ganondorf x fem!reader

summary: you love ganon, you really do. but you worry he has gone too far this time...

tags: manipulation, mention of death/murder (nothing graphic), toxic relationship, established relationship

“w-what… what did you do…?”

you couldn't take your eyes off the ruins of the city. only days ago, this place was a lively city, with dozens of people living in it. but now, it was burned down to ashes. you couldn't even make out what the burned down buildings used to be. and in the middle of all those ruins and ashes stood the man you loved.

“they were in my way, so i got rid of them”

he had his back turned to you and you could only imagine that his eyes were wandering through the remains of the city as well. yet he seemed to feel no remorse.

“they were in your way!?” you stepped forward. “all of them? all those innocent people were in your way? every single one of them?”

ganon didn't reply. because he couldn't. there was nothing he could say to defend himself.

“this…” suddenly, he raised his voice. “this is what we wanted. with this town gone, there's a gap in power. i'll be there to fill it and then we'll–”

before he could finish speaking, your hand met his face. normally, nobody would've been able to land a single hit on him. but he was careless. ganon thought he could let his guard down around you. but clearly, he couldn't.

“this isn't what we wanted! this is what you want! you want to seize control over hyrule! i only wanted to be with you–!!”

you tried to go in for another slap, but this time ganon was prepared. he grabbed your wrist and held your hand up. he was so much taller than you and yet you struggled against him. while you kicked and screamed at him, telling him to let go of you, he barely even bat an eye. there wasn't a single emotion on his face. he looked as calm as ever, until eventually he shoved you against the nearest wall, hands pinned above your head.

“you lost.” he told you calmly.

“no, you lost your way–!!” you screamed back. “you told me we'd be king and queen of hyrule! but not like this! not by killing people and taking those positions by force! this isn't how it was supposed to be… you changed…”

those last two words were barely a whisper, yet ganon heard them so clearly. the grip around your wrist loosened and one of his hands found its way to gently caress your cheek.

“i'm still the man you trust” he reminded you. “being your king was always my dream, my love. i just want us to rule, side by side. don't you want this? don't you want to be with me? don't you want to see me happy?”

you knew this was a trick. he'd have you tell him that you still love and trust him. in the end, you'd be the one apologizing, while he faces no consequences for his actions. because it was always like this. you loved him and you still saw the man he used to be in him. but that man was gone. and yet, you wouldn't stop chasing who he used to be…

“i… i still want to be with you.”

you lowered your head, too ashamed to even look at him. perhaps if you had looked at him, you would’ve seen that sinister smile spreading over his lips, as he spoke:

“i know you'd say that, my love”

[sass-squat]

Part 4 of the Linked Universe Winged Au! This time around we've got our favorite short king, Four!

<<< Previous Next >>>

Starting off strong with more fun facts about birds, Painted Buntings are mainly known and recognized for their bright, colorful plumage to the point where they are oftentimes referred to as, "Nature's Living Box of Crayons".

Now aside from the obvious similarities in color schemes and the absolute CRIME it would be to choose any other bird for Four, my interpretation of Four and his personality also share many similarities with those of a Painted Bunting. For example, these birds most commonly lurk in low, dense covers of brushy areas and woodland edges which is incredibly similar to what he did in his adventures all throughout Minish Cap.

On top of that, Painted Buntings also have a tendency to be very independent and fiercely territorial. Because of this, I headcanon that despite his generally calm exterior and his short height, Four is by far the Link who's most ready to throw hands at a moments notice and is willing to dive bomb enemies should the need arise, even more so than Wild.

However, while Four does share certain behavioral traits of a Painted Bunting in this Winged Au, his appearance is actually a result of the combination of all his other "selves" or "colors".

Four was still very young when he began his adventure in Four Swords to the point where he actually hadn't lost his baby feathers yet before starting his journey. However, when he drew the Four Sword and split into four separate individuals, all four of those "colors" not only had different personalities like in both the manga and comic, but different wings and colors as well. Because of this, by the end of his adventure when they merged into a united whole again, his wings took on a combined mix of all the colors to resemble that of a Painted Bunting.

Anyways, that was a lot but that's all for now folks! As always kudos to all those who read through that mini lore dump and thank you all again for being so nice and supportive! Feel free to reach out with any questions or requests for who or what you would like to see next!

[hanayori89]

The Hand That Heals

You were one of the contaminated ones.

The Hylians didn't use words like 'infected' or 'diseased.' Not that those words were much better. No matter what the title was for your malady, they all hurt just the same.

But something about the word 'contaminated' made you feel stark and hopeless.

Incurable.

Infections and diseases often have cures. Something that is tarnished, something that is ruined, is not salvaged; it is just disposed of.

And that's exactly what you felt like.

Soiled.

Tainted.

Disposable.

Trash.

Which is why you disposed of yourself within the pockets of decaying earth that lay beneath

Hyrule's bedrock known as the depths.

It was your way of throwing yourself away before mobs of frightened citizens attempted to.

The depths were no place for the robust and bright-eyed. Or the 'uncontaminated.'

It wasn't all bad being exiled deep below in the cold and musty undergrounds. Especially since most of Hyrule had been thrown into peril by recent devastating events.

First there was the rise of the highly contagious 'gloom'. Followed by the princess and her loyal knight, who had both mysteriously vanished.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, was the coup being held by the restless Demon King known as Ganondorf.

Yes, you decided the healthy could have their surface; you were quite content existing in isolation, where the only threat was that of you and your gloom germs.

Living in the depths proved challenging for a mere mortal. Your circadian rhythm has been destroyed thanks to the lack of sunlight. Supplies were scarce, causing you to forage  whatever you could find. Mostly mushrooms and glowing cave fish, but hey, fish have omega-3's, right?

The biggest challenge was the constant darkness- a darkness unparalleled to anything you've ever encountered before. Not even the glum of a thick and clouded wilderness or a quiet, uninhabited basement could compare.

You'd never known what it meant to be in the dark before your time in the depths.

They held a darkness that consumed you, making you question if you truly were even alive. Making you question if you ever even were. Part of you grew to appreciate what little the depths revealed, such as the unforgiving side effects of the gloom and how it mutilated you.

The depths did more than just shield you and your contamination from the healthy residents of Hyrule; they protected you from the trauma of what you had become.

But every now and then, when you threw a bright bloom seed or lit a fire, there was a remorseless glow that revealed the way the gloom was devouring you. It only took a single glance at your wiry fingers and the bedizen of ashen knuckles that led to the fungal tint of your nail beds, to be reminded.

You couldn't even begin to imagine the abomination that was now your face.

Before the gloom, you were considered to be beautiful, at least to some. You had thick h/c locks that, if shaved, could easily coat the heads of 50 dolls. Your e/c eyes were striking against your s/c complexion, garnering you an abundance of compliments throughout your life. You had a thicker body, a well-fed one. Your hips were wide thanks to the cheesecake slices you graciously never skipped when offered. But now, thanks to the slim pickings of the depths, your body has taken on a lanky, frail appearance.

You trekked back toward your camp, tossing bright bloom seeds along the way to illuminate your path. You held your breath, listening carefully to your surroundings. The past horrors of trying to navigate the dark and coming face-to-face with a contaminated Lynel left you with a bit of ptsd.

Besides the depths being difficult to traverse thanks to a severe lack of light, they were also a domicile of frightening creatures that had been metamorphosed by the transformative powers of the gloom.

Sometimes you couldn't help but wonder how long it would take before you became one of them.

The bright bloom seeds were a tool that provided enough light to hunt, but not much else. The irony of the depths was that despite the blockade of layers of soil and organic matter preventing the entrance of light, there was a multitude of bright bloom seeds that flourished down here.

Yes, the depths truly were a whole new world. Starting with this darkness, which could easily cause one to mistake hell for heaven. You weren't aware of all the secrets buried within these shadows, and you also knew you weren't too eager to find out.

You breathed a little easier when the comforting flames of your camp came into view. As you lifted your arm, aiming to launch another bright bloom seed, you saw a figure at your camp. The closer you got, the more you recognized the familiar outline of a short, spiny ponytail jutting above the familiar white sheen of a face mask.

"Of all the founding fathers of Hyrule, what is a Yiga buffoon doing down here?" You growled.

Anger propelled you forward; rebellion coursed through your veins and burned like lidocaine on an open wound. You had so very little left, and the desire to protect what little you possessed was fierce. Fish carcasses and mushrooms were strewn around the ground as the Yiga's grubby hands rummaged through your knapsack. In it were pictures of your family and what little rupees you had to your name, should you ever be magically cured of your gloom diagnosis and could return home.

You tackled the Yiga to the ground. "How dare you!" The Yiga screamed. As you gripped his arm, the gloom in your hands incinerated the fabric of his sleeves, branding his flesh with your handprints.

"You bitch!" He stumbled out of your grasp, dropping all of your rupees in the process. One of the photos of your father and mother fell from the knapsack and fluttered downward into the open blaze of your campfire.

You screamed.

You stuck your hand into the fire, wincing as you retrieved the charred photo. The melted faces of your mother and father stared back at you. The photo began to shrivel beneath a small flame that continued to eat it.

You puckered your lips, releasing hefty currents of your breath. You had to blow this fire out.

You just had to.

This photo was one of the few you had that was a memory of when your life was normal. The smiles of your parents were the last visible evidence you had that they loved you before you contracted the gloom.

With a sickle in hand, the Yiga sprinted toward you, hollering a bunch of muffled expletives you couldn't hear well thanks to his ridiculous mask.

As you braced for impact, the Yiga fell face first in the dirt before your feet. An arrow protruded from his back.

He had been shot.

You fell to your knees, holding the destroyed photo, where your parents' faces had been, that now held your fallen tears.

A quiet voice called out to you; so soft was this voice that you thought it was your imagination.

"Are you alright?"

A figure came into focus; you couldn't make out his face, just the scraggly tresses that were whipped around his shoulders and the outline of his beefed-up biceps.

"Stay back!" You warned. "I'm contaminated..." You stifled another sob. The heroic intruder held his hands up, demonstrating that he was not a threat.

Which was all the more reason you had to warn him that you were.

He took a cautious step forward. "I've only come to ask a question." He retrieved a crumpled piece of paper from a satchel on his side. He retained his anonymity beneath the shadows, allowing you to only make out the faint outline of his fine lips as he spoke. "Have you seen her?"

You stood, taking a step toward him but keeping yourself hidden as well. It was almost as if you both wanted to remain concealed from one another. Despite the smeared ink that bled slightly down the paper and the creases that obscured the image, you could recognize the viridescent glare of Hyrule's missing princess on the sheet.

"Princess Zelda? They're searching the depths now?"

"No acre of land below or above should go without searching until we find her."

"Well, as you can see, these depths here hold no one but me and my greedy thief friend you have so kindly slain."

He tucked the sheet of paper back into his satchel but remained in your vision, or what the hollowed dark allowed of your vision. "Say, did they find her knight? Lonk? Ling?"

You could see the stranger open his lips, only to clutch them back together. "Link. His name is Link. And no, no, they haven't."

You turned your back to the stranger, assessing the mess the Yiga soldier had made of your supplies. You bent back down and picked up your parents' photo, choking on another wave of tears.

The man's voice sounded from behind you, only slightly closer now. "I can fix that for you."

You peered at him from over your shoulder. He was close enough to the fire that you could see part of the bare skin of his chest and his sculpted chin, which led to his chapped lips.

You still couldn't quite see his eyes.

He held his hand out, and you noticed his fingernails were long and jagged, not having seen nail clippers in some time. An alluring glow seemed to trickle down his arm in an intricate maze of glowing jade lines. You placed the photo in his hand, careful not to touch him with your fingers. You kept your face hidden in your shoulder, afraid that the first shred of kindness you had been given would be taken if he should see you beneath the truth of the fire's flames.

He held the photo, his silence encompassing you both. He was so still, that for a moment, you thought he had stopped breathing. Until you noticed his clavicles and chest slightly puff out and contract with breath.

The soft, verdant glow became more visceral. You continued to keep your back turned and your face hidden, your eyes never leaving the radiance of his arm.

After a moment, he handed the photo back to you. You quickly turned to snatch it back, burrowing your face in your shirt. As you observed it, you saw the bright, shining smiles of your parents peering back at you unscathed. For a moment, you forgot the enticing and enigmatic stranger that stood before you, letting your shirt fall from your face as you studied the photo above the fire's not too generous lighting. You could make out a thin line of some type of green jelly adhesive that repaired some of the rips in the photos. Without the light, the glue that he had created with his hand was mostly undetectable.

You stared at him in awe. "This is... this is amazing. I couldn't begin to repay your kindness. This is all I have left to remind me of my life before the gloom. Of the way people loved me before I became a monster." As you lifted your finger to wipe a tear away, you remembered your face was on display before him.

Your face and all the crusty and haggard abrasions of gloom that now coat it.

"No!" You cried. You began to back away, burying your face in your palms. "Don't look at me!"

But the boy grabbed your wrist with his enchanted hand, pulling it from your face. "You're beautiful." He whispered with a tone that was almost believable.

"Yeah right. Look at what this gloom is doing to us; if it isn't destroying us, it's dividing us! My own family banished me from my home!"

The man let your wrist go and held his arm in your vision. He spoke matter-of-factly, remaining out of the fire's path, so he was still shielded from you. "I'm missing my arm."

He held his arm out; the urge to touch it made the tips of your fingers tingle.

"May I?"

"Only if I can touch your face."

"You'll become contaminated."

You heard a slightly unhinged chuckle. "I'm not afraid... besides, there is a cure for the gloom."

"What!" You gasped. You felt your feet become unsteady. You stepped forward, attempting to grab the man's shirt, only to realize it was a one-shoulder tunic that looked rather outdated.

"Please, I'll do anything; please, I want to be cured! I want to be myself again, to be able to look at people and not be plagued by the cruel judgment in their eyes when they see what I've become."

The man's arm began to emanate light once again.

"If that's what you desire, what your heart truly wants, then I can heal you."

Swirls of sage traveled down his arm, glimmering brighter and more blatant.

Your lips parted at the man who stood before you.

Your savior.

Your healer.

You whispered. "Who are you?"

Edited:12/22/23

[gummiiismiles]

I drew some stuff from an old oneshot I posted a looooong time ago… Currently, I’m actually working on a rewrite for “Don’t Come Any Closer.” I hope I can finish it this time…. I wanna surprise the folks on ffn so shhhhhh

[c-duceusclay]

Robbie: So you want to free fall out of the sky, save my in a kind of hail-Mary, and assemble a rocket underwater?

Emily: I dunno, maybe I shouldn’t-

Robbie, nearly jumping out of his seat: NO, I LOVE IT!!!

[teaabexx]

It is I! The Wizard!

I was hoping to put in a request!

So, I'm really hyperfixating on LOZ rn and I was hoping you would write something for me.

Reader is an alchemist who works for either Vaati or Ghirahim (Vaati preferably but it's up to you) and summons/creates a monster they were told SPECIFICALLY not to do and just goes "Hey, remember that thing you told me not to do?"

If you don't that is totally fine!

OMGGG FIRST REQUEST IM SO HAPPPPYYYY !!

I actually love the idea lol idk why.

safe for everyone!!

Mistake

"Should I be mad ?" He mumbled while looking up at you, a mix between annoyance, amusement and exhaustion. He knew. He instantly knew. The knock on the door ? The dumb smile ? The small little bounce ? Yep. He knew. He sighed, he didn't even try to be angry, he just knew that would happen.

You're little smile dropped and you stared at him dead in the eyes. "I did it" you admitted in a whisper. "Did what…?"

"The thing you told me not to do"

...

"(Name)-"

"I called it Terrence !!"

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

The curtains were torn everywhere, there were bite marks on the tables, even a bit of...uhm...fur ? On the ceiling? Vaati frowned in confusion as he looked up at the ceiling. How did it get here? A big bulging eye, weird black/dark blue fur, a sticking tongue. So cute waw.

''You should've called him Terror not Terrence." He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. AGAIN. He was annoyed, pissed, mad anything you want. Vaati entered the room and rolled up his sleeves, he started whistling to the...creature...''Psst, psst Terrence come here...!'' Terrence stared at him, huffing like a puppy, his one big eye was blinking slowly and staring at him. Terrence jumped from the ceiling and started running all over the room, Vaati running behind him to catch him.

You, on the other hand, were leaning against the doorframe with your arms crossed, trying to hold back your laugh. He'd been trying to catch it for about twenty minutes. "Need help ?" You asked teasingly "Shut the f*ck up (Name)" he replied from across the room. You chuckled, amused to see him run and jump everywhere trying to reach the creature.

You shook your head and finally decided to help him. Too late, Vaati already caught Terrence. ...wait. OH SHIT-

"VAATI DON'T TOUCH THE TAIL—" you shouted.

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

"You could've tell me earlier" he grumbled while you were wrapping the bandage around his head. It was the first time you saw him without his cap. You giggled nervously and tried to avoid his glare. "I'm sorry, I forgot... I only remembered when I saw you trying to catch him by his tail." He looked up at you, you were focused and a bit embarrassed when wrapping the bandages. He was staring at you intensely. When you noticed his intense gaze on you, you release the bandages and stare back, a small blush creeping on your face.

"W-what ?" You mumbled shyly. He kept staring, he cupped your chin and leaned closer. Your eyes widened and you let him, you were expecting him to kiss you so you closed your eyes and waited. He kept leaning closer until Terrence barked. He stopped and you opened your eyes.

Vaati smirked and got up, grabbing his cap at the same time. He walked away but before leaving he said playfully y.

"You're fired !!"—

"WHAT ?"

__________________________________

Omg it's really short I'm sorry I hope you like it !!

Reblog and like <33 ♡

[bravest-notts]

i adore dink SO much

[candy8448]

2 new chapters

These aren't fics but just a compilation of fic ideas, incorrect quotes, headcannons, senarios and other things, mostly all new stuff i havent posted on tumblr before

Hc, incorrect quotes n others

Fic ideas

[rrain-writes]

A little one shot I wrote. All you need to know is Links mother was Sheika, and it is set after botw. Enjoy!

Link didn’t understand what was going on.

People wearing uniform similar to his papa’s had marched into the house while the family had been eating breakfast.

Papa had stood and asked what they were doing there, making the face he did when Link did something wrong. It was a rare occasion Link and Aryll got to see him, so that was probably why.

The men had started demanding something about a sword and Link himself. 

The young boy wondered if it had anything to do with the sparkly sword he had found a couple of days ago that his parents had told him to hide, the sword they discussed in hushed whispers at night that made Link want to sink deep down.

His Papa was yelling at the men now, and Mama had started crying.

‘You can’t take him! He’s a child!’ She stood in front of him protectively, and although he didn’t understand what was going on he gathered it was bad.

Aryll clung onto his shirt. Link put a protective arm in front of her, mirroring his mother.

‘Mama.’ He said, quietly, tugging on her skirt.

She stifled a sob, and when she looked down at him her he saw tears forming glistening paths down her pretty face.

People often said he looked like her.

Aryll screamed as one of the men grabbed Papa and punched him, again and again.

Mama screamed too. ‘Don’t touch him! Don’t hurt my husband, please!’ Her white hair moved as she shook her head.

One of the men growled something. It sounded Hylian, but Link was only just starting to learn that language in school.

Mama replied in the same language, fists clenched.

The sound of skin hitting skin reverberated in Links ears, and he wouldn’t be forgetting the sound anytime soon.

Mama sank to the ground. Turning to hold Link close, she whispered something for only him to hear. 

‘Be strong my little dragon. It will be alright.’ 

She pulled away once again, fierce determination on her face.

Then Mama turned and faced the men again.

A knife from the kitchen table was in her hand.

Papa wasn’t moving.

Aryll pressed against his side.

‘Run!’ She commanded him.

Later, he would wish he had gone back to help her. But in the moment he only listened to her orders, grabbing Aryll’s hand in his own and sprinting out the back door.

-

‘-ink. Link? Oh, you’re ok.’

A woman knelt in front of him, but her hair was not white, but gold, and her eyes were not his mother’s comforting scarlet, but a soft green.

‘Zelda.’ He said.

‘Memory?’ She asked gently.

He turned away. ‘Did you know how the soldiers came to bring me to the castle after I drew the sword?’

She frowned. ‘No, but were young, weren’t you?’

Link went to speak, but his tongue felt heavy and throat burned. He raised his hands instead.

They hurt my father first. He began to sign.

Zelda listened, like he knew she would.

���Oh Link.’ She breathed when he was done. Leaning forward, her gentle arms wrapped around his shaking body.

They stayed that way for a while. Not as a princess and a hero, but friends comforting one another. 

If anyone saw them, they should see two children sitting in a field of flowers. You could almost forget about the ruins of a life that once drowned them.