#what if. ganon was little tiny and zelda was the only one that knew of his fate and was torn and upset over

[the-knife-consumer]

Working on my own zelda design...

[regnantlight]

@mightiestbanana sent: "none of that is true, and you know it!" THE BIG MISUNDERSTANDING Meme

The battle had been abrupt. The Seer, as the Yiga called him, had descended upon their group without mercy—but they were not without strength. They held power, Link's sword and Zelda's light, and they had numbers, and they could win—they would win.

It was why, when The Seer suddenly pulled back his creations, ceased his attacks, and smiled upon them, that Zelda knew something had gone terribly awry.

His laughter was a horrid, mocking sound, shaking his head as though he were entirely too amused. "Master Kohga—Lord Ganon is so very pleased. You make a rather competent spy."

"What?" Impa had been the first to react. Members of their party and the Yiga's began to shout over one another, hurling accusations and insults and threats, but The Seer only laughed and laughed and laughed.

"You may kill her," he finally said, his voice booming over the chaos. "Lord Ganon has offered the Princess as your reward. Go, my friend, take your revenge, enjoy it—"

You may kill her.

Zelda felt her skin grow cold.

"Don't you come near her!" Impa spat as Link's back suddenly filled Zelda's view, "You traitor! I knew we should have left you in that forest! I knew you were lying!"

"None of that is true, and you know it!" Master Khoga hurled back, but it did not seem to be toward Impa. He was speaking to Zelda. She felt his eyes upon her even through the mask, his voice echoing in her rampant thoughts.

Conversations by a fire.

A walk down a dirt path, blood dripping beneath his mask.

He came to them, he asked to help, he told them—

"No...Impa, Link, this is a trick—"

And there was the laughter again, sickening, patronizing. "Oh, Your Highness...did you think you'd made a friend?"

Zelda turned to look at The Seer over Link's shoulder, and for a moment, it nearly looked as though he pitied her. She felt her shoulder stiffen.

"Enough!" She called, a hand to her chest as she raised her voice, "The Yiga are under my protection, you will not—"

"Don't be stupid," The Seer snapped and sneered. "This is war, little girl. And it will not stop until you and that pig father of yours are dead. It is the only desire your Yiga Clan has possessed, long before our battles began. It was all they could speak of—they will hold you down, slit your throat, break your bones one by one, and cut you down into tiny pieces—that was always the plan."

His expression pulled back, calm and composed once more. "A bit gruesome, for my taste, but to each their own."

They will hold you down,

Zelda recalled hands that pinned her to the ground.

Slit your throat,

Fingers that dug into her skin, and she couldn't breath, couldn't move, could only see flashes of paint and mask, of blood red and bone white—

Cut you down into tiny pieces—

And she was trembling, and oh, her instructors had always said never to show fear, never weakness, but she was trembling and shaking and her eyes were wide with horror—

That was always the plan.

You stupid little girl.

"Oh, and, Master Khoga?" the Seer spoke with a smile in his voice. "Do have fun."

He was gone, as quickly as he had arrived, but Impa and Link did not move from their positions in front of Zelda, and her eyes, still wide and far away, trapped in a memory, did not leave the sight of Khoga and his red, white mask.

[bahamutgames]

ZELDA : AFTERTHOUGHTS PRINCESS

Game: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (November 19, 2006)

Console: Gamecube

Fellas... There comes a time in every gamer's life when they should play a game that's wildly out of their comfort zone. And try a game series that they've only ever clowned on and not given the time of day previously. And in 2024, that day has come for me.

This is my first time EVER beating a Legend of Zelda game. I've played some when I was younger, but got bored or stuck and would put them down pretty quickly. But no, this time I did it and actually beat one for real. And now, for the first time ever. You'll get my true genuine thoughts on a Zelda game. Are you ready?

You know the drill, this isn't a review. Just my general thoughts for you to read. Please play anything I talk about that interests you!

SPOILERS FOR TWILIGHT PRINCESS AHEAD!!

Opening

So, as previously stated, I've had an odd history with this series. I thought it was cool as a kid because back then just being a video game kinda meant I adored you, regardless of if I played it or not (maybe not such a bad mentality to have sometimes lol). But I could never bring myself to beat any of them. Sometimes, I thought they were too boring. Too confusing. Too hard. Or just not my type of gameplay. Except one, and that one was Twilight Princess. I LOVED this game, and I wanted to beat it SO bad. But I got stuck during the teardrop collecting scene in Gerudo Valley, and never managed to beat it.

Years went on. And I started to just kinda lose all interest in Zelda unless it was in Smash Bros. I thought the series was massively overhyped, and just didn't have any interest in it. But I knew... One day, I'd have to come back and put my money where my mouth is. I knew one day I'd have to come back and finish Twilight Princess. If not for me, then for my tiny child self being so upset they got stuck in it. And maybe fix the timeline where I may have become a huge Zelda fan.

And so here we are! I finally finished Twilight Princess! Something just came over me and I decided, yeah, I wanna do that. So let's see what I thought about this game and my true renewed introduction to The Legend of Zelda!

Stuff I liked

So, to start. There's a lot of stuff in this series that even as a little bit of a Zelda hater, I couldn't deny. For one, the music. Yeah, even as someone who only consumes Zelda content through smash, it's no secret Zelda has GREAT music. And there's a lot of fantastic songs in this. I'm relisting to the ost as I write this and the opening theme is still pretty chill inducing. And Ordon Village is SUCH a nice song. Then there's the characters, they could never make me hate the Zelda characters. They are really good. Obviously you have Link, Zelda, and Ganon. Who are all at their BEST in this game specifically, sporting their best designs and all 3 of them being sword users which kinda owns. But the non-triforce characters are all fantastic. Agitha, the Yetis (my favorites probably lol), and Telma. From humans to Zora to cat. Everyone has a lot of personality and they're all great. I genuinely don't know if there's any characters off the top of my head that I didn't like.

And a lot of them are super fucking sexy and let's cut to the chase here: It's Midna. She's so fucking fine. Like, I always knew she was hot, but you don't really understand how INSANE her imp form is until you play the game. Why is one of her first shots on screen a close up of her ass? Why does she moan a little when you dash as Wolf Link? WHAT WERE THEY ON?? Her human form is sexy too. It's crazy-

But, let's get a little more serious here. Zelda, I feel like, is pretty well known for its stories? Or at least they're some of the more traditionally story and lore heavy games put out by Nintendo I think. And I did actually enjoy this game's plot a lot. I liked the invasion of Twilight into the world, it's a nice visual that isn't really scary. But more depressing, which is neat. I thought Zant was cool, the whole plot with the Fused Shadow, and finding out who Midna is, and everything in general was neat. Maybe not the most earth shattering story ever told, but like, it's good. And I'd say that matters more, it never felt like it was stagnating or getting weak. I think the pace of the plot keeps up pretty nicely. Even the reveal of Ganondorf as the true antagonist, a reveal that SHOULD piss me off. Because I usually hate when a new villain is killed for the same guy as always. And even though they kind of butcher Zant by the end, I think the Ganondorf reveal is cool and works, like, it doesn't feel like they said "oh we have to shoe-horn in ganon" it felt a little more like they were saving Ganon? if that makes any sense? And I have to give the game SO MUCH PROPS for not making Link and Zelda fall in love by the end. In fact, it's kind of cool Zelda is barely in it, just like Ganon. I was worried they'd force a romance between them but they don't. Link honestly seems to care more about Midna which makes sense because they work together the entire game. When the two of them smirk at eachother in the final boss, I loved that for them.

The visuals are also NICE in this game. I think Gamecube graphics are still really good, but especially for something trying to be hyper realistic. Twilight Princess' graphics have aged GOOD!! In particular, the fountains where the Light Gaurdians sleep all kind of blew me away lol

But even stuff like seeing the twilight over the Bridge of Eldin, or the mossy overgrown remnants of the Temple of Time. And even faces and characters and animals who are all realistic so they should look gross, just don't! The faces in particular are NICE and really stood out to me. They have some delightful facial expressions that I was really impressed by. I was reminded of how good animations and faces were in KH2, which actually predates this game by a year I believe.

And then there's the gameplay, which is typically my biggest gripe with these games. It's not bad gameplay. But it is kinda slow and tedious in my opinion. And while I certainly wouldn't say I was wrong, it is slow and tedious. When the game throws a GOOD dungeon your way, man, it clicks. Sometimes it'd be a drag, but sometimes you'd be just feeling so awesome putting everything in your arsenal to use. If I had to highlight one temple that I think is TP's shining star, it's the Temple of Time! THIS DUNGEON RULED! It's easily and favorite and the most compelling and fun one to do. Going through the first time, it's very standard. Using your tools in ways you'd expect. But by the end, you get a staff that lets you control statues, and that's where the fun starts. Having to figure out where to place statues and having the big ones slam things with their hammer is SO fun. And the pay off with the boss battle is WONDERFUL! Everything comes together when you realize the statues at the four corners have huge hammers, and you immediately know you gotta squish that spider! Bosses in particular were a highlight with some fantastic designs and neat ideas among even the worst of them. Not every dungeon is perfect, and some boss fights left a lot to be desired, but again when it clicked it really did click. I think the Monkey Temple was nice, the Twili Realm temple with the wall master hand thing was stressful but SO cool, Magnet gimmicks in the volcano were fantastic, and the ice temple mansion was such a cute idea even though I thought it was a huge chore until you get the ball and chain.

Which, is maybe my final point here, the weapons are fantastic! I actually enjoyed using the bow, double claw shots were SO cool, obviously I adored the statue wand. And had a surprising amount of fun with even simple things like... iron boots. But yeah the crown jewel was the Ball and Chain. That shit was SOOOOO cool and fun to use.

Stuff I didn't like

And that's actually a wonderful segue into my issues with this game. For starters, man, you barely use some of these tools, huh? The ENTIRE game I would see fans and junk and think "OH I can FINALLY use the Gale boomerang again!" And eventually I was right, when I was in the FINAL DUNGEON OF THE GAME! The spinning top thing, which is maybe the most out of place but coolest thing in your arsenal, is used like 2 times outside of the dungeon it's introduced in. And the poor ball and chain... Why didn't they let me kill Ganondorf with this thing? Come on. It's such a shame.

Which segues into my next issue. Wolf Link. Potentially the coolest concept in this game, with a WONDERFUL design. And potentially the most underused thing in the whole game. When it's put to it's full potential, it's so cute. I love that you can talk to animals and dig stuff up, and having to use wolf sense to find the Poes in the tomb was FANTASTIC and it's why it's one of the best dungeons. But like, the wolf only exists for that one dungeon and so you can do the tedious as fuck tear sections. In later dungeons it's almost a full on punishment, getting caught in dark clouds makes you turn into the wolf, which makes you have to go through the whole process of talking to Midna to untransform, it's odd.

Yeah man some of those dungeons and bosses did not hit. I thought the Yeti mansion was a TEDIOUS piece of shit. Requiring you to fight annoying ass wolves in snow you can't walk in and tediously carry canonballs around. Yes, the dungeon becomes AMAZING when you get the Ball and Chain and suddenly everything opens up and it all comes together and ends with another great boss. But god what a chore leading up to that. The water temple was insanely confusing, and I'm not just saying that as a meme I really did not understand the staircase thing in the main chamber. Some of them just have odd moments. Like the tomb, which is also a really good dungeon. But they have a weird gimmick where you are attacked by invisible ghost mice?? It's really weird. And bosses like the dragon, which SHOULD be cool, are kind of a chore if you don't realize you can lock on with pretty much every item in the game (I'll admit, I didn't realize this until way too late). Or the giant skeleton dragon which I actually thought was kind of confusing honestly. And a lot of enemies are kinda like this. A lot of enemies are MASSIVE chores to take down, and sometimes you'll have to take down a lot of them at once. Dragalfos, Darknauts, those weird worms under floor tiles. Every enemy can be a HUGE chore and I shudder to imagine fighting them without getting all the secret sword skills.

Speaking of Tedious, that's probably the biggest issue with this game over all. It can be REALLY tedious. Having to run all around hyrule, especially later into the game and before you can teleport, is tedious. The tears of light sections are so long and boring and kind of not fun except the boss with the giant dark bug. And like, the entirety of Lake Hylia is SO FUCKING TEDIOUS. Running around the lake, having to talk to the canon guy 50 billion times. The giant bird boss there. The story does not meander, but it sure felt like the game was meandering at that part. Why was there a fucking on rails gliding section that was MANDATORY to do multiple times. Oh my goooooood. And it's just a lot of little stuff can explode into HUGE things really quickly or get kinda ruined when you have to spend so much extra effort getting through it. Fighting Skull Kid can be a bit of a chore, especially when you do it TWICE. Having to blast off into the desert multiple times before you can teleport to it. Being stopped every 5 seconds to fight those weird big twili that have to be killed all at once which is neat the first 10 or so times but wears thin REAL quick. It's a lot.

But my final complaint, and maybe this is a bit more a nitpick. Would be the final boss. I think fighting Zelda is neat. But it's a shame we don't see her ACTUALLY use her sword a single time in the game. And then I thought Beast Ganon was SO cool for the first phase. Having to aim while he charges you. But then the second phase... Oh boy. Did you like the stupid goat grappling mini game? What if that came back as a main part of the final boss instead of... idk... any of your old tools that barely get used? No, you get to do shitty horse combat AGAIN! I HATE THE HORSE COMBAT SO MUCH! Albeit the final boss version is the best of the 3 times you do it, and it's an honestly kick ass set piece. But I could probably do without it lmao. And then the final phase. A 1-on-1 sword fight between Link and Ganondorf. This is SO BAD ASS! And it should be the best part of the whole game. Except I unlocked all the secret sword techniques so he basically couldn't hit me as long as I spammed Helm Splitter and stuff. Being too easy isn't inherently a bad thing, but like... Did you REALLY have to make him a carbon copy of the Darknauts?

Final Thoughts

So... what do I think about Zelda now? I've finally given it a shot, and honestly gave it a fair chance and saw it through to the end for the first time. What do I think?

I get it now. I don't know if this is for me, I'll be honest. But I get it. Where I see "slow and tedious" I can see where Zelda fans see "methodical and epic". It's got great characters, and music, and concepts, and even if I do still think it's maybe a touch overrated, I do understand WHY it gets that praise. It's nice to maybe be able to justify why the series doesn't click with me the way it does with everyone else now that I've actually played it for real. That's why there's not really much to lose with trying stuff, even with something you dislike.

But honestly, I wouldn't say I disliked it. Yes, it's maybe not for me. But from my understanding, Breath of the Wild is GREAT for people who aren't Zelda fans. And there's the whole world of 2D Zeldas to try. I think this is a game that in a few years I won't be able to help but look back on it extremely fondly. From its edgelord aesthetics to midna's insanely hot body, there really is something here I can't help but feel like... Yeah, okay that was cool. I get a feeling my time with Zelda isn't over just yet. But we'll have to see what I tackle next. For now, I think I'm done.

===

And that's that. I'm sure some people were interested in seeing what I thought about this game, and I hope this messy garble of words gives you a good idea into what I'm thinking. This was certainly an interesting experience and even though it pissed me off a good bit, I feel better for having gone through it.

As always, feel free to follow me on twitter where I now unashamedly will retweet all the hot Midna fanart I see. I'm a Zelda fan now, guys. I can retweet it and it's not horny, I'm just such a huge fan!!

That's all I have for now, go out and play a game you normally wouldn't give a chance!

[fatefulfaerie]

Could I have a tiny little sequel to Written in the Stars? It's my fav fic of yours! 🥰

Thank you!!

Sequel to Written In The Stars

This was not the knight he had assigned to his daughter a hundred years prior.

In a purely physical and technical sense, of course it was. The same hair, the same build, the same steadfast courage and resolve. Yet, this Link seemed to be a slate wiped clean, blue eyes emoting curiosity and intrigue as the King detailed Hyrule's past. Nothing seemed to ring a bell, and the innocent blue stare couldn't help but make the King feel for his daughter. A hundred years and all her father could give her was another soldier, another weapon. And even worse, this young man bared painful resemblance to the one she once fell in love with. Hylia, it was the young man she once fell in love with. Yet her name inspired nothing special in his blue eyes.

Link would break her heart, the King feared as he dissipated to allow the amnesia-ridden hero to continue on his journey.

The next time he saw Link was once all had been set right, him and Zelda at the base of Hyrule Castle walking away from all they had ever known, and into a future Zelda only seemed sad about. The King had never felt more powerless.

The silence between two people he knew were once lovers eroded at his not-beating heart. He found he could not move on like the champions until this was resolved, this guilt, this knowledge. Yet was there too much damage done? Was Zelda's happiness lost?

Zelda stopped in her tracks, and Link noticed after only a couple steps that she was no longer matching his stride. Rising petals and soft gales lifted his hair gently as he quietly looked at her with concern.

"Your Highness?" Link asked. "Is there something wrong?"

Zelda hesitated, her eyes tremulous and uncertain as she silently begged Link to know without her saying.

"I asked the wrong question before," she clarified. "I asked if you remember me."

Link nodded.

"And I do," he said, far more forward with his words than he ever was.

Zelda clutched her elbow and looked down in shame. Obviously he didn't, at least not to the extent she wanted, the moment in the Library, the dance at the ball, their kiss at the spring, their confessions of love, the note Link wrote Zelda about there one day being a time for them.

"Do you remember us?" Zelda braved, and indeed her heart broke when she looked up to see Link not say an immediate response in the affirmative. He noticeably flushed, and looked absolutely bewildered.

"There..." Link tried to breathe. "There was an us?"

Zelda closed and opened her eyes with a sharp sigh, wishing to go back just a few minutes and tell herself not to bring it up. She should have known better. If he felt anything, he would have made it clear from the first moments of Hyrule being free from Calamity Ganon. Zelda's smile was soft and yet pained. She nodded.

"It is a different circumstance now, it seems," she said, summoning every last bit of formality she had left in her blood and walking forward and past Link as if the entire conversation had never happened.

"Onto Kakariko, correct?" she asked, but Link grabbed her wrist as she passed.

"What are you doing?" She asked with a furrowed brow and a judgemental look at their connection. She tried to break free until she was enthralled by the sincerity in Link's eyes.

"Zelda," he said timidly, as if he wasn't sure he could. "Zelda," he said again with a smile, as if he loved saying it. Her eyes locked into his and she listened.

"I don't remember anything between us," he started, "but Zelda you have no idea how much I wanted to read it in between the lines."

Zelda tried to breathe. Did she just hear that right?

"I can't put a finger on the love I feel for you," Link continued. "I can't pinpoint when it started to a certain moment, a certain century, or even a certain millennium. All I know is that right here, right now, I love you. And I don't want you mistaking my uncertainty over the past as a lack of regard for you."

Zelda found herself stunned as Link let her wrist go, her arm drifting down to her side. Link thought she might object to his forwardness when she took his cheeks hostage and hurled her lips into his. Link closed his eyes to relish in the moment, and his smile made the exchange appropriately imperfect. She smiled too, and her laugh interrupted the kiss. She didn't care. They had what seemed like an eternity of freedom to express their love.

Link spun her around and let her collapse into a hug. He held the back of her head gently and cried tears of relief as the last of the turquoise flames disappeared from the highest spire of Hyrule Castle.

[bokettochild]

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones

Angst! My Beloved!

Not a lot of whump here, but I put Wild through the wringer!!! Lots of BotW2 ideas and concepts here, but nothing really cannon.

Also, disclaimer: I think Flora is a wonderful person, a bit harsh and sometimes unkind, but I feel for her a lot. The prompt submitted to me however asked for her as an ass, so that's what's here, for angst reasons. THIS IS NOT HOW I PLAN ON WRITING HER NORMALLY!!!

When Wild left the Chain behind in the woods, it was with a soft smile and a hesitant wave of his right hand. It was with a gentle ‘See y’all later’ that made Warriors shake his head with a sigh while Twilight offered a wobbly grin.

He would join them again, he knew that. After all, Hylia wouldn’t have chosen him to go with them in the first place if he was only supposed to leave before they’d even really started to know what it was that they were meant to be doing.

He’d see them again, and he’d fall back into a routine with all of them, sparring with Warriors and teaching Hyrule to cook and shield surfing with Wind and learning to carve from Sky. He’d go back to sewing with Legend, to exploring with Hyrule, to learning the Ocarina with Time and teasing Twilight about his terrible singing. He could work with Four on the Sheikah Slate and experimenting with different plants he’d gathered. He would see them again, and he’d go back to being busy and smiling nearly every day.

For the time being however, he had to square his shoulders and harden his jaw as he stepped through the swirl of black that had repulsed all the others every time they tried to enter. He had to tame his mind and wild spirit and come to stand before the Princess of Hyrule in all of her stern glory and receive the scolding he was due for wandering off without permission.

He never had time to question what she meant by being gone for ‘two whole weeks’ before she was marching off towards the labs and explaining that there was a new task for them to complete.

Such a task was one that left in his mind no time for thoughts of his brothers save on the lonely nights in the sky when the islands above the clouds were silent save for the birds about him that reminded him of Sky, or when he ran across the forests and was reminded of the wolf that once ran at his side. And, alright, the tiny people in the grass and the fountains reminded him of Four and Hyrule. When the wind sang strong in his ears as he dove towards the earth from the highest places in the sky, he couldn’t help but envision a small hero whose laughter danced like the sea and who’s fingers mastered the currents of wind and sea both.

It was a lonely quest, just like his last before it, but somehow it was more painfully so, now that he knew what it was to have brothers at his side to catch a monster’s blade when he was too slow or to help him patch himself up afterwards. It was quiet when the Princess and he sat around the fires as night, she studying him as he sat still and stonelike as she worked.

The hand that had waved goodbye to his brothers now flickered green and ethereal in the night shades, iron bands clinging to the wisping appendage and acting as a bond to hold its form together. It was nothing like what he’d known or studied in the Sheikah technology, or even what he’d seen from the many worlds he’d traveled with the other, and it earned many a stare and twist of the lips from those he met and traded with during his journey.

The arm was only the first of many changes, it’s power seeping through his body and altering him before he even knew what was happening. He’d hated it at first, disliking how it changed him, made his eyes glow and his hair touch with the same ethereal shades, red bleeding through at the roots and earning him even more wary looks.

Ganon, in all his terrifying power, had been a surprising comfort during the quest, an aid to discovering his new abilities and training them to bend to his own will. The Princess had been wary of their relationship, but had accepted it when she saw what he learned to do, and every evening she would require a report of his newfound skills, as well as the occasional demonstration or examination.

It all came to an end both too soon and not soon enough.

Ganon was gone, as if he’d never been there at all, and the Princess was as cold as ever even after their second adventure at each other's sides. And now there was no use for the abilities that had fused to his soul like the arm had to his flesh. He’d asked Purah if there was something that could be done to restore his body to its normal Hylian state, without the glowing limb that earned his only stares and insults from the village people, but the Princess had overheard it and declared that such a thing should not even be attempted.

“You don’t understand, Link. Don’t be foolish! We have here a scientific marvel ready for our investigation and exploration and you want to get rid of it just because it looks odd?”

He’s shuffled his feet slowly, resisting the impulse to rub at his chest where the Hylian part of him ended and the eldritch horror began. “I can’t live like  Hylian anymore.”

“Because you aren’t one!” Her Highness rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Sir Knight, after everything I certainly doubt that Hylian even applies to you anymore! Hylians do not possess the qualities that you now do, and they most certainly do not travel through stone or time or any other such thing at will. Think would you! You’re something else entirely, and I intend to find out what that is!”

Purah had frowned at that, eyes full of sorrow as they met his own with an apologetic sigh. But there was nothing the de-aged scientist could really say against the royal Sovreign of Hyrule, not as a Sheikah sworn to the service of the royal family. The woman/girl had offered him a sympathetic pat on the head later after climbing up to reach high enough to do so, as well as a few dumplings that Paya had sent on her grandmother’s behalf the day before. It was a welcome gesture, but amounted to so little on the grand scale of life. Not when so many others he had once called his friends had so blatantly rejected the mere sight of him.

Bolson and the other carpenters shied away from him with harsh whispers as they spat insults across the distance.

‘Half-blood’.

‘Gerudo Bastard’.

‘Freak’.

‘Demon’.

There were favorite insults spread from stable to stable and up and coming village to up and coming town and slowly all of Hyrule knew of the monster that had once been the hero. Gossip abounded, and he couldn’t even turn to shield his face with his hood without drawing attention to his arm.

It was only the koroks that welcomed him, themselves all too accustomed to the strange and ethereal. Them and the blupees.

Maybe it was the knowledge of how it felt to be shot at for his oddness that allowed him to ease into the graces of the flighty animals. And maybe it was his lonely heart crying for comfort, but when nestled in their midst, it almost reminded him of how it felt to be hugged by the salty veteran, on the rare occasional that the pink-haired hero had let down his guard.

The fairy’s tangled themselves in his hair and the blupees gathered at his feet, koroks dancing around him and flying to his side as if he was some sort of forest god, but the strange rise of his spirits in their presence shattered the instant a traveler caught sight of him.

Arrows and fire, once his favorite of weapons, were turned against him as words in every language of the New Hyrule had burst from the mouths of its people, and like his namesake, he ran before them, darting through the forest and fading in amidst the trees, hiding, incorporeal and translucent within the halls of the forest as those he’d once seen as allies pushed him away.

He’d begged the new Queen for aid, for relief or even just a word to the people that he wasn’t the evil they had come to think he was, but she only waved him aside with a purse of her lips. “You are not meant to be here without first asking.” The Child of Hylia declared, eyes as cold as the Shrine’s waters themself. “And why should I make a declaration on behalf of a man who refuses to even speak to me properly? You come groveling like a worm, yet for years it was I who you ignored. See how it feels, Sir Hero, to be the one left helpless at the hands of the country. Know what it is to be scorned by those who you thought would love you.”

He’d barely made it out of the window before the trainee guards of the newly repaired Hyrule Castle had caught him and Queen Zelda Diana Hyrule had stared after him with eyes colder than Hebra’s tallest peaks.

It was the Father Tree -the Deku Tree as the Queen had called it, but the koroks laughed at him for using the name, so he’d adjusted in kind- who suggested that he hide the changes, and he’d begun to wander Hyrule as much as possible to find the materials he would have needed.

The Queen still required his presence regularly so she could inspect him; her love of science no ways tainted as to stop her from ordering him to appear regularly, as there was now no need or safety in his acting as her guard. The Queen sought her people’s respect, and to employ such a being as himself, not Hylian and not quite mortal, would be to spark fear in the people. Indeed, when he skirted villages, he would wince at word of ‘the queen’s monster’ as gossip was traded. Those who didn’t see him themselves knew him as a beast of feral nature who lived amid the lost woods and destroyed any who came close.

“A specter that glows with the light of the shrines.” They would tell each other over campfires. “It has eyes like a ghost, empty and lost, with no care for humanity or Hylia’s chosen. They say it was once the Hero of this world, but he died ages ago.”

“I heard it’s the body, possessed by a being beyond this realm, a monster escaped from the edges of reality that tried to hide in our midst but corrupted it’s host so that it only scares away others, leaving it roam the earth in a shattered body. If you get too close to it though, it’ll take your instead.”

He’d stayed away from towns after that.

The blupees and koroks had been happy to help him to find what he needed to hide among the Hylians should he wish though, and two in particular guided him; the korok swinging little twigs like they were batons and humming swinging little shanties as it hopped along the path, the blupee snorting softly and nipping at his heels when he wandered too far, unnatural purple eyes staring up at him with something that was fondness and a reprimand all at once, and in their care he’d made his way across the land of Hyrule to find what would be needed to return to his once life.

The fairies and their Great cousins had been welcome help, and in time, he’d been able to walk amid the populace of Hyrule like any other, as long as he kept a long cloak about him and his hair pulled back to hide where the roots would begin showing again in gold and ethereal blue.

Once Hyrule had talked about needing to hide in his world, about the curse that followed him and made the Hylian people afraid. He’d thought it bizarre and ridiculous of the people at the time, but now he understood what it was to live it.

When the portal opened beneath his feet the day that the Queen had reprimanded him for concealing and potentially damaging the strange limb, startling the Skeikah scientists and Queen both, he’d nearly cried tears of relief.

He was going away, somewhere where he wasn’t a science project and where, unless they traveled to his world’s future, no one would know how much he had changed. His copy of the slate had enough hair dye to last him a few months, and he was certain he could make more over time, and as long as he continued wearing the tunics and gloves the fairies had helped him to adjust to hide the glow the others would probably never catch on. Or well, he could extend it anyway.

His brothers greeted him with open arms and teary eyes, and in a strange parallel to his adventure, he found himself thinking of blupees when Legend had curled against him, stiff and cold on the outside, but with fingers that clutched his tunic just a bit too tight to really be reluctant. And Four, Hyrule and Wind’s exuberant hugs and chatter brought to mind tiny forest people and koroks with twigs for batons.

It was good to be home.

It was good to cook for other people again, and they were glad to have him cook for them, even if his fondness for both Gerudo spiced dishes and fae like sweet things had increased exponentially during his newest adventure. It was good to fight at their sides, even if it was strange to once again have to take others into account before he could select a weapon. It was good to sit around a fire and talk with the others too, but that was perhaps the hardest one; it had been ages since he’d had a proper two-way conversation with anything other than a tree or a korok, and neither of those was good at either staying awake or staying focused for very long.

There were some harder things to adjust to though. Fire, for one. Unlike before when he’d have been happy to burn an enemy camp to the ground, now he was wary of using faming weapons or spreading heat further than necessary. The same went for hunting; he couldn’t bring himself to shoot an animal unless it attacked first or they needed the meat it would provide, and even then, he felt a bit bad for doing so. Is this what Twilight had felt like? Is this why the rancher never liked hunting? Because he too knew what it was like to be on the other end of the bow?

But the hardest thing by far to readjust to was his name.

‘Wild’ they had called him again, and after months of ‘the wild one’, ‘wild beast’, ‘monster’ and every other insult, slur or title that had been used on him, it made him flinch ever so slightly at the words. And unlike the other things where his brothers dismissed it as a change caused by his adventure or an increase of maturity, it was something that the others seemed to either not notice or to excuse as situational.

He had adapted though, learned to keep a smile on his face where blankness had once been required in his knightly duties, and the more he wore the mask the easier it was to put on again.

He’d reveled in traveling across time again, in dancing through battles and exploring the world without the Queen reprimanding him in her cold tones to stop wandering off. He’d pushed himself to learn more music in the last adventure, and even if his experience was more with what few instruments Ganon had had time to help him learn, he’d enjoyed sitting down with the others and borrowing one or another instrument to play a tune and sometimes he even got to sing.

He fell to comfortably into his role though, even with the changes, and he hadn’t even noticed when they’d come back to his world. To be fair, it was different in the daytime, and Hyrule had changed so much in the absence of her hero as he hid himself away from the eyes of civilization. Towns and roads had sprung up where there had only been fields before, and the Guardians that had littered the land had all been dug up and hauled to the castle to be either restored or destroyed by the Sheikah, depending on what Queen Zelda decided after she looked at them herself. The world was so different to him, so unlike that which he knew, that he’d failed to keep as alert as he ought to have been when he wandered about an open market with the others, laughing and chattering away with the other younger ones as Time and Legend herded them towards the needed stalls.

It was a traveler that was his downfall, a man who’d seen the Monster Hero and had been among the first to discover the disguise he wore.

No questions were asked when the word spread, and Wild hadn’t caught on to the whispers until a stone had struck his cheek and he was stumbling forwards on the path.

“Wild!” Twilight was at his side in a minute, Time right after him as Legend launched a barrage of insults at the guilty party who’d thrown the thing.

“’m fine.” He was careful to wipe the blood away with his cloak, holding the fabric to the wound to prevent bluish blood seeping down his face and exposing him to his brothers. He wanted to keep them as long as possible and proving himself to be a monster, not even Hylian, would surely have them turning their backs on him.

“Get away from him!” A woman scolded, grabbing ahold of two of the younger heroes while several other shoppers had like ways grabbed Legend and Sky. “Are you dears alright? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“Freaking what?” Legend shrieked. “Who’s the injured party here?”

“I’d avoid that thing, son.” A man huffed through a frankly walrus like mustache, eyes hard as they trailed to where Wild stood, cloak still pressed to his cheek as he attempted to wave off a fussing Twilight and Time. “It’s not natural. Sure, it looks like a normal Hylian, but that’s just an effective ruse.”

Another villager nodded. “It’s one of the Calamity’s puppets, a Gerudo-Bastard set on destroying the kingdom!”

“He’s the freaking hero!” Legend shrieked, barely being held back by a steely eyed Sky. “He saved all your freaking asses and all you can do is insult his flipping guts? Who’s the-”

“Enough.” There were few times that Sky’s voice reached levels worse than Twilight’s growls, but the stern command, regal and firm, froze all present as the man stiffened with a cold nod towards the villagers. “I see we are unwelcome here, and with that being the case it would be wise to spend our rupees elsewhere. Legend,” A tug to the boy’s shoulders. “Let’s join the others and be out of their hair. If they cannot be welcoming and kind to our brother than they will not receive our patronage.” And like a swan gathering it’s cygnets, Sky swept down the street, cape fluttering as he ushered the rest of them out of the town and back to the safety of the wilds. The village stared after them with wide eyes, as if they’d just been judged by a breathing god.

The stiffness in Sky’s shoulders faded as they neared the edge of the forest, and instantly the Chosen Hero been tutting over Wild, gently but firmly prying his hand away from his face with a kind smile that almost set Wild at ease. Almost.

“It’s fine, it’s just a scrape.”

“Still.” Sky crooned softly. “I’d rather we clean it up now and make sure it’s nothing worse than let it sit and get infected later.”

And though he’d tried to fight, his single Hylian hand was no match for the firm grip of the Skyloftian, and within minutes his face was exposed to the shocked faces and flickering eyes of his brothers.

“It’s blue...” Wind breathed as Hyrule darted forwards, hands already glowing softly only for them to stutter to a stop over Wild’s skin.

“It’s... Wild, why is your blood- why is-” The healer’s eyes had flickered golden for a moment, wide as they stared up at him. “What happened to you-”

“What the freak!” Legend had startled, blinking in surprise as he stared. “Your eyes are glowing!”

Shit! The healing properties of the arm had already taken affect and it was making everything act up all weird! He shot a glance down at his arm, one hand raising to tangle in the long hair he couldn’t even see at the moment, praying silently beneath his breath that nothing was showing through. It wasn’t, but that didn’t change how Hyrule had come to fixate on his right arm, or how the healer's fingers hovered over it sparking and eyes twinkling as he whispered softly under his breath.

“Wild.” Time had sighed. “I think this one is going to need an explanation.”

All the breath left his lung in instants.

He’d panicked to say the least and Time had eventually shooed the others away to make camp as the eldest hero had sat at his side, waiting silently for him to regulate his breathing. Touch was too much right now, and any attempts from the others to ease him down or help him level out his breathes had only made him panic more. But when at last his blue eyes blinked back to clarity it was to see Time sitting at his side, a gentle tune wafting from the Ocarina at his lips.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, trying his hardest not to startle Time or otherwise make the situation worse. “I should have said something, I know. I just- missed being Wild and I wanted to come back and be normal and I didn’t want to-”

“It’s alright.” Time’s voice rumbled softly, a single blue eye turning to him with a pained look, even as the man offered him a hint of a smile. “None of us talk about our adventures either.”

“Yes, but you’re people.” He sighed, rubbing the fingers of his glove together. “You’re allowed to choose things.”

There was pain in Time’s voice when their leader answered. “And you’re not?”

“I’m not Hylia anymore.” He whispered. “I don’t count.”

“You count to us.”

“That’s because you don’t know.”

Time shifted, turning to face him fully as the ocarina was set firmly in the grass. “That’s because you’re family and we care. Wild, I don’t care if Demise himself named you the king of the dead, you’re still my kid and Nayru knows I’m not going to let you go without a fight. If that means fighting you, alright, but you’d best better believe that no amount of physical or mental changes will break the bonds we all have with you.”

Something, something damaged and crushed and stitched up and torn open again clenched inside of him, tears pricking at his eyes as he stared up at Time’s royal blue gaze. “W-what?”

“You could be granted godhood, made a monster, I don’t care. You’re ours and you’ll have to deal with that.” Time smiled, warm even with the pain in his eyes as he looked down at him. “So how about you start again, maybe with the facts rather than the insults. Or,” Time softened, brows furrowing lightly. “If you want, we can just sit here and you can choose to talk about this later. We do need to know, so we can help you and keep you safe, but you don’t have to tell us right now. You can take some time to figure out what you want to say if you need.”

And, well, shoot him, but Time’s arms had always been a safe place and there was one thing he’d wanted more than anything since he had come back. Wild threw himself into his grand-mentor's arms with a soft sob, clutching tightly to the other, ignoring the armor and its sharp points and awkward shapes as he tried to hold back all the emotions swirling in his chest.

Time’s arms folding around him broke the floodgates though, and when the man’s hand had stroked through his shortened hair, he’d had to bury his face in Tim’s neck to muffle his sobs.

“There, there,” Time hummed softly, rocking slowly as he held the broken wild hero. “Let it out, little one. I have you, I’ve got you and I’m not letting anyone hurt you.”

[attllhak]

Wild’s Journey

@rhythmicreality @tortilla-of-courage

... Yeah I decided to post this.

So, this it what happened to Wild and his tiny fluffy baby wings.

Also hey! Tag list!

-----------------------------

Link couldn’t remember a time without wings.

He couldn’t remember a lot of things, but that’s not the point here.

When he woke up, a woman’s voice softly urging him to open his eyes, he didn’t immediately know they were there. The liquid (water?) drained from the pool he was laying in and he sat up completely dry. He swung his legs over the side to get out and froze at the feeling of something fluttering on his back.

He reached back there, running his fingers along his shoulders. It took him a moment to realize that they were a part of him, and he grew confused as to why he wouldn’t know that. He knew his feet were part of him, why not these soft, fluffy things on his back?

He pushed it aside when the woman started talking again, figuring that if there was a reason then he’d figure it out.

The worn clothing he’d found in the chests didn’t accommodate the fluffy things, which he had a feeling were wings by now, and so for the first long stretch of his time on the Great Plateau they were pressed uncomfortably between skin and fabric.

He tried jumping off a cliff when the Old Man said he couldn’t make it off the Plateau without dying. The Old Man was right. His wings were too small to fly, and if he jumped then he would die. 

The warm doublet had holes for his wings. It itched and made him sweat a little easier, but it had holes for his wings. No more feathers between skin and fabric and getting ruffled and rubbed uncomfortably. He did not take it off until he got something else.

Impa had laughed when she saw his wings, which made him ruffled and caused his wings to puff up. Impa and Paya both thought it made him look cute, which only really made him more ruffled.

Impa did apologize, and directed him to a shop in the village that would modify clothing to accommodate his wings. She told him of what happened, and who to talk to.

Purah was thrilled by his wings, and took a picture of them with his repaired Slate so he could see them. A soft greyish brown, with little bits of blue in them. She said that they’d be really pretty when they fully came in. He didn’t understand that, and Purah sent him back to Impa.

Impa did explain. Apparently, at the end of their first quest, since some had many, the Hero and Princess who beat back the evils would gain wings. It explained why he was the only one with wings. Apparently when he died, and also he died and wasn’t THAT a shock, his wings had begun to come in, but by placing him in the Shrine of Resurrection it seemed to have halted that process. Purah seemed to believe that at some point, likely after he rescued Zelda, his wings would finish coming in.

He got himself a new outfit, this time comfortable and with holes for his wings, and headed on his way.

He got dragged into Zora’s domain, and met Sidon, who didn’t notice the wings until after his father pointed out who Link was. After that, Sidon got really excited, and spent a moment cooing over Link’s wings.

Link, finding his enthusiasm sweet and rather cute, for as much as a ten foot tall shark man could be cute, fluttered his wings.

Sidon was thrilled about that.

Muzu caved the second Link put on the tunic. It was hard to argue who it could be for when Mipha had specifically tailored slits for his wings.

He got the shock arrows from the lynel, and he joined Sidon in fighting Ruta to free it and Mipha, someone Link barely remembered but knew had loved him dearly. She had planned to propose after all.

Mipha also thought his wings were cute, and, though he was still ruffled, found he wasn’t as mad when she said it. He thought he might have missed her a lot.

Her grace in hand, he headed for Death Mountain.

He made a stop on his way in Akkala, locating the Robbie that Purah mentioned. The man was, eccentric, and Link couldn’t find the source of that sound that played for effect when he spoke occasionally. It bothered him. The man was helpful though, and offered up a few more thoughts on Link’s wings.

Link didn’t stay long, intent on saving the rest of the friends he couldn’t remember.

He had to hide his wings on Death Mountain as well. The feathers caught fire too easily. This was annoying.

Yunobo was great though, and when Link downed a flamebreak potion once so he could stretch his wings, Yunobo thought they were fascinating. He treated them with so much care and gentleness, like he thought he’d break them or something. It was sweet. 

Daruk had laughed, said he was finally growing into his role. He also thought Link’s wings were downright adorable, and Link was only mildly put out by that phrasing.

The Korok forest was adorable, and Link loved the koroks. They loved him too, and he let them preen his wings when they asked because of how excited they were. It was really cute.

It was also the cleanest his wings had been since he woke up.

He had been excited to meet the Rito, they were after all bird people. They had wings too. He hoped that maybe, when his wings came in fully, they’d teach him how to fly.

Teba was an asshole. He was also stubborn and determined, and willing to throw down with a Divine Beast. As someone also stubborn and determined and willing to throw down with a Divine Beast, Link could respect that.

He made a note to come back to the flight range when his wings came in for practice.

Revali, once free, had laughed at how small Link’s wings were at first, making Link really upset that he couldn’t punch a ghost. Then Revali softened up, just for a second, and said that Link’s wings would be gorgeous when they came in, and that he was impressed. Then he went back to being a self-entitled jerk.

It was okay though, Link forgave him. Even if he was still bitter about being unable to punch a ghost.

The only place left was Gerudo Desert, and Link found his first issue in the form of being a man. He did meet a woman who sold him an outfit to disguise himself as a woman so he could sneak in.

(And if he, as he wandered the streets of Gerudo Town, learned that he sometimes wanted to be she, well, that was her business.)

Riju was very helpful. Buliara was not. And so Link found herself tasked with stealing something back from the Yiga. They needed the Thunder Helm to get to Naboris, and the Yiga stole it, so it had to be stolen back. Prove yourself, she said. Ugh. 

The Yiga pissed her off. And Kogah was a joke. That was all she wanted to comment about that matter.

Riju was more than happy to lead Link right into the storm, facing down the Divine Beast with prejudice. One more, then a few more shrines and the rest of her memories.

Urbosa, once saved from the most difficult of Blights (Link wasn’t bitter, shut up), had been very happy to see him. She smiled, and said she was proud of him, and mentioned how beautiful his wings would be when they came in. She asked him to look after Zelda. And then she sent him on his way.

Link had to blink back tears before Riju met up with him again. No one had said they were proud of him yet.

Riju caught on however, and then Link was dragged back to the streets of Gerudo Town until Riju had found something for her to wear on her wings. It was good.

Not long after that, Link went back to the scene of his death, trying to remember.

Rain, mud under foot, the princess behind him. Don’t stop, keep moving, keep her safe.

A whirring, followed by light.

Link raised his shield to block, the beam shattering the already flimsy wooden shield into splinters. He stumbled, slipping on the mud and falling to one knee. The Master Sword hit the dirt to balance him. He could hear Zelda speaking to him, but through the adrenaline and exhaustion there was very little that registered.

The beeping of a tracker locking on. Link forced himself to his feet, stumbling back. He was already injured, too injured to fight. His whole body ached, but still he stood. They would not get Zelda.

And then she was in front of him, and he opened his mouth to call out to her, but froze when he actually looked at her. A glowing triangle adorned her hand, and a golden light spilled out from her. Link watched, the pressure in his shoulder blades finally easing, just a bit.

He blinked hard once. Twice. He collapsed.

Words were hard to make out, but he could sense Zelda was worried. His last clear memory was her panicked expression as his eyes slipped shut.

Link gasped. The memory left him shaking, and he dropped to his knees. That was the day he died.

He took a day, just laid in bed in his house in Hateno. He needed it, to just decompress.

He got up the next morning, traveled to a stable and saddled up a horse, and then marched off to face Ganon.

Master sword in hand, his friends raining down covering fire for him, Link faced Calamity Ganon, Zelda’s voice ringing in his ears and mind.

The first half of the fight was hard, a drain on his body and what little energy he had left after fighting his way through the castle. And then he thought it was over. Ganon was gone.

He wasn’t.

Zelda called to him, warning him that Ganon had changed himself.

Link was standing in an empty field with his horse, a monster ten times any he’d ever faced before leering down at him.

This, Dark Beast Ganon was easily the size of a Divine Beast, but made of pure malice, and looking to kill him. More so than the Divine Beasts, that is.

Zelda gave him a bow, and arrows made of light, and told him to fire on the targets.

He did.

Mounting Epona, his dear horse Epona, and taking off around the monstrous boar, he drew back the string and aimed.

He ignored the tension in his shoulders and jaw, ignored how fluffed up and quivering his wings were, ignored the shaking of his hands. The only thing that mattered in that moment was his bow and the arrows and the monster he was aiming at.

One target, two, five. Link existed just to fight and shoot and dodge.

He wasn’t fast enough, the arrow flew, and it stuck, but Ganon got in a hit too.

All of Link’s air flew out of his lungs when he hit the ground, Epona whinnying and the sound of hooves thudding away from him.

He rolled, gritting his teeth, and struggling to his feet, left hand still wrapped tightly around the Bow of Light like a lifeline. He lifted his head and met the monster’s stare.

(Looking back, he’d say he felt the pressure. He’d say he felt the release. He’d say he could feel his wings come in. He's lying everytime he does.)

Flames licked at his skin and clothes and feathers, and the monster growled at him.

‘Link! Look up there!’

Link’s eyes traveled up to the glowing, golden point on the monster’s forehead. A target.

‘That’s the very core of Ganon’s being!’ Zelda coached in his mind, and Link nodded. ‘Do what you must, Link!’

Link struggled to his feet, spitting blood from where he’d bit his tongue, and faced the monster.

Ganon roared, charging him.

Link caught an updraft and went up, and how he gained the air without his paraglider was lost on him, though barely an afterthought as he drew back his bow.

Link aimed true, and loosed the arrow with the perfect accuracy he had come to be known for.

The shockwave it caused knocked him out of the air, greyish brown feathers obscuring his vision as he tumbled through the sky and back to the ground with a harsh thud.

It took him a minute to regain his breath, and shove the soft, strong wing covering him aside, before he got a look at Zelda.

She was almost exactly as he remembered her, only bathed in a glowing, golden light, and in possession of the most beautiful set of wings he’d ever seen.

The top half of her wings were a light blue, but the bottom half were pure white. The feathers closest to her back, her secondary and tertiary feathers, were longer than the rest and seemed to flutter behind her in the soft breeze that even still moved across the field.

Link could only see her back, and he was robbed of what little breath he had left.

For a moment, just a moment, he swore he was looking at Hylia herself.

He missed what happened in the moments that followed, still struggling to reorient himself and lost in the golden glow of the princess, but he got the important part. Ganon was gone. For good.

The light faded and Link’s senses returned one by one, the adrenaline crash would be brutal, but he utilized what still lingered in his system to push himself back to his feet, standing to face the princess, to face Zelda.

He missed the first few words she said, but he understood the last question clearly.

“Do you really remember me?”

Link couldn’t stop the stupid grin that stretched across his face. He nodded.

They crashed together, a mess of limbs and wings, blue and white and greyish brown feathers fluttering to the ground around them. Link held on tight, relieved to finally, finally, have a friend from before back, grateful to have not lost everything. Zelda likely was just glad to have something, someone, solid to hold on to after so long.

He denied being surprised when Zelda commented on his wings. He denied it then and will continue to deny it to his dying day. He knew they were there. Shut up.

Zelda took a picture for him, so he could see them. Greyish brown, with a long stripe of blue down the middle of the backside from shoulder to tip, and a soft orange starting at the base of his wings on the inside and fading into the rest as they went along.

“They look like a peregrine falcon,” Zelda commented once, sitting nearby as Impa and Paya ran fingers through their wings and preened for them.

Link had just hummed, content to let it be.

Now, he just had to convince her that throwing himself off a cliff was a perfectly reasonable way to learn how to fly...

[airplanned]

All the Trashy Novels Part 30

This was fun, y’all.  Thanks for humoring me!

Part 1...Part 29

***

She spent four days mostly standing in front of the Goddess statue, trying to glow without requiring something inappropriate to trigger it.  She could now get it every single time with very minimal effort, but that effort was usually Link coming up behind her and placing a kiss where her neck met her shoulder, or trailing his fingers from the inside of her elbow to her wrist.  And suddenly her skin was lit up like a camp fire, a fuzzy pleasure brushing over her like a thin blanket.  It was embarrassing and frustrating, but at least she could trigger it without an orgasm and could hold her luminous state for long stretches once she got it going.

"That's true," Link agreed.  He'd taken a seat on the ground with his arms resting on his bent knees.  "You just need to work on not making that face."

Zelda huffed, her arms flopping to her sides and her glow spluttering out.  "I'm trying!"

The problem was that now that she'd allowed herself to feel affection for Link, she always felt a little giddy and ridiculous when she did so.  Apparently, this manifested not only in a divine luminescence, but also in a love-struck look on her face.  Link referred to it as "bedroom eyes" when he was being polite, and "fuck me face" when he wasn't.  He'd taken a bunch of pictures to show her, and he was (annoyingly) correct.  She could not make that face in public.

"Maybe you'd look less sultry if you closed your eyes," he said.

"Then I wouldn't be able to see anything!"

"Can you use your Goddess powers to see things?"

"I can use my Goddess powers to glow!  They don't do anything else!"

"Are they supposed to?"

"I don't know!"

"Try it."

She closed her eyes and tried it.  She remembered the warm pressure in her chest and she remembered the heat of his breath on her skin and she thought about how he he'd made her a tiny little cake the night before and then blushed as she'd gushed over it.  Those were things that she liked about him.  Those were good things, and she felt a way about them.

The glow didn't light.  

Why not?  Those had made her feel things.  She felt things.  Things for Link.  She took another breath and pushed into less appropriate territory, of the way he'd wrapped around her back the night before and let his hands wander until she was moaning with abandon and glowing, burning.

"You got it?"  His hands came to rest on her hips, and her eyes popped open as she lit up.

Goddess, she hated that he could do that. She batted the thought away, and held tighter to her lust.  Goddess, she liked his hands on her.

He looked taken aback, almost awed.  Even though he was expecting it.  Even though he'd seen it dozens of times now.  

Part of why she needed to get her face under control was that it affected Link so.

He swallowed hard.  "Close your eyes.  Let's see if that...oh."  His voice turned rough.  "Oh, that's so much worse."

He pulled her in at the waist and kissed her desperately.

#

Link made himself scarce as she wrote up her field notes.  She had very little to write.  She'd made very little progress.

In frustration, she tossed her journal away.  She would just have to have Link come touch her when he was done battling Ganon.  Maybe he could magically poke her with his index finger as if she were the Sheikah slate.  And they most likely would evacuate the area, so it wouldn't matter if she had on her come-hither face.  Link would just have to deal with not making out with her for however long it took to seal the Calamity away.  And who cared if she made a face?  If making a face saved the world, no one would be allowed to say anything.

Except Zelda cared.  She didn't want to look ridiculous, and she didn't want to rely on Link to access her own powers.  She glared at her journal.

Where was Link anyway?

She stomped off to go glare at him.  Or go have him be gentle and compassionate until she had too much trouble holding onto her irritation.

She found him before the Goddess statue, his head bowed, the sword drawn with its tip resting against the ground.

She frowned harder.  "Are you praying?" she asked.

He startled and spun around.  "Oh.  Yeah.  Um.  You haven't been praying lately, so I've had to...pray by myself."

An old, familiar hurt settled over her. Of course he was on such good terms with the Goddess, when she was...she was...

She was working on her relationship with the Goddess.  She understood that maybe it was all a big misunderstanding, but that didn't mean it didn't still hurt, and it didn't mean she wasn't still upset that she couldn't fully access her powers without the help of someone the Goddess liked.

Link looked nervous, as if he knew she was about to shout at him again.  Guilt lanced at her stomach.  She lowered her eyes and stepped near him.  

"What do you pray for?" she asked quietly.

"Um.  Nothing?"

She snorted.  "You pray for me."

He didn't say anything, which confirmed it.

"Show me," she said.  She turned him back to face the Goddess, and slipped her way into his arms, her back to his chest.  She placed her hands over his as they planted the sword to the ground.

He held himself stiff with discomfort, but then relaxed his arms under hers and lowered his head.  "Close your eyes," he murmured.  

Well, this was her idea.  She closed her eyes and lowered her head.

"I pray for you to have some guidance," he said.  "Because you desperately want to please her, and you want to do it right, but all you have to go on are rumors and what you're ordered to do by people who don't know what they're doing either.  I pray for some sign that you're on the right path.  Not because I want to know, because I know you'll get there.  But for you.  You need assurance or your self-doubt eats at you, and there's no way that self-doubt will save Hyrule.

"And I pray for you to be happy.  Because you're beautiful when you're sad and you're beautiful when you're angry, but I would die to see you smile.  To hear you laugh.  The way you carry yourself when you're at ease, the excited way you talk when you catch onto something new.  That light in you could light the whole world.  It could burn away the Calamity."

"You're a charmer," she murmured.

"You're a peach."

She snorted.  "You don't pray like I do."

"Yeah?"

"I wouldn't tell the Goddess all that."

"Why not?"

Why not?  "Because she already knows?"

"But maybe she wants to hear you say it."

"She wants me to wax poetic about a girl?" she teased.

"Wax poetic about what you love."

"Love is a strong word."

"And you're asking for a powerful weapon."

Her eyebrows furrowed.  In a small voice she asked, "What should I pray for?"

He thought for a moment.  "Why do you want to save Hyrule?"

"Because it's my--" 

Duty.

She startled.  The answer had rolled off her tongue.

Anxiety she couldn't name clawed at her chest.  She shifted uncomfortably.  Maybe standing like this had been a bad idea.

"She'd like to hear you say it."

Her breath shook.  "I want to save my people.  My friends.  Urbosa and Revali and Mipha and Daruk.  They're so devoted and encouraging.  If they fell, then their people would suffer.  All the brilliance of our people would falter, all compassion and the triumphs.  The wonderful art and music and literature--"

"Even the bad literature."

"Especially the bad literature!  And the bad music!  All the ridiculous rumors, and the guards who devour those rumors, and all the fake girlfriends out there.  We would lose all of that!  And as shameful as it is, I would fight for those things."

"What else would you fighting for?"

"The Sheikah technology.  You don't know the victory you feel when two pieces snap together.  The thrill when a guardian lights blue under my hands.  The way Robbie nods along when I ramble and then picks up my thoughts and runs with them, taking them somewhere new, and the I can pick them up again and run farther.  The way Purah grabs my arm the moment I walk into the lab.  The way she drags me to a diagram and asks my opinion.  As if I'm wanted!  As if I'm needed!"

The sword flared under her hands, a ringing note at the base of her skull, and her eyes flew open at the call for attention.

She was glowing.  A warm pressure burned in her chest, and she grabbed hold of it to maintain it.

"What--"

"Things you care for," Link murmured.

She turned her head to look at him in surprise and confusion.

The corner of his mouth quirked.  "You're not making the face."

"How long have I been glowing?"

"Since you declared your love for trashy novels."

"Love is a strong word."

He shook his head and laughed under his breath. 

"But,” she said, “I need a strong weapon.”

His eyes darkened.  “You’re making the face again.”

When she kissed him, it was bright and sharp as the sun.

[0-racle-0-f-hylia]

Who did the Hero of Time end up with?

In every Zelda game I could always find some reason, convenient or otherwise, for Zelink to be present- every game except one.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, 1998. Unlike games previous to it, it had several female love interests for Link. Saria, Ruto, Nabooru, Malon, and of course Zelda herself.

I never really considered the first three mentioned to be a good match for Link though.

Saria is a perpetual 10 year old

Ruto forced a 10 year old Link into an engagement with her (he didn’t even know what that was) and had him carry her around in her shoulders like he was her servant. (Not to mention if they did have any kids they’d be Zora, not Hylian)

Nabooru is at LEAST 7 years older than Link. I mean, she was an adult when they met and he was a little kid. (Also it is hinted at in game that she is Malon’s MOTHER)(think about that)

And then there was Malon. Initially, I didn’t think much of Malon to begin with. I mean, to me she was just the npc that gave you a horse, but whatever. I didn’t like her as a love interest for Link because I didn’t think she was good enough for him. I really HATE shallow-female-love-interest-characters that do nothing to support plot/Link and are only there to look pretty.

And a never gave Malon a second thought because it seemed to me that during the game, Link had a stronger connection to Zelda than he did Malon.

Zelda gave him the Ocarina of Time, an essential tool for his quest

Guided him after his seven year sleep as Sheik and taught him the teleportation songs

Helped him in the final battle against Ganon

Had a heartfelt goodbye as she sent him back to relive his childhood

To me, there are two legitimate reasons why people ship Malink. One being that, in the manga, Malon had a crush on Link and dreamed he was the “Prince” she was waiting for. Two, in Twilight Princess, Link, a descendant of the Hero of Time, lives in a ranch. So people naturally assume that since Malon herself is also a rancher, the Hero of aTime married Malon and hence all his descendants are ranchers.

Now, since the Manga isn’t canon, the first reason is void, but the second? It does seem pretty solid doesn’t it?

And for the longest time, I couldn’t find any reason to deny that, even if it made me want to pull my hair out because I couldn’t find anything to prove it was wrong.

Every Zelda theorist I knew, claimed that Malink was canon and I COULDN’T DISPUTE IT.

But after looking through both OOT, TP, and every trusted Zelda resource that I know-

I’ve come to the conclusion- that it is far more likely the Hero of time married Zelda not Malon.

I do find it believable that Malon or Talon founded Ordon village as it is the closest thing TP has to LonLon ranch, sharing many similarities in culture. And it is logical to think that Malon’s descendants would live in Ordon village.

So, in conclusion, the Hero of Twilight, descendant of the Hero of Time, is related to Malon because he lives in the ranch-centered village of Ordon!

Yes, it’s the perfect theory! No flaws in it whatsoever.

. . . except for one thing- TP Link- is not an Ordonian.

It’s a tiny detail most people seem to miss. In Twilight Princess, alongside all the other races of Hyrule, there are two kinds of humanoids:

Hyruleans: the non-magic people of Hyrule with round ears.

Hylians: with long ears, gifted with the ability to “hear the gods” and possess magical ability, as said in the Hyrule Historia.

Link is from the latter category, as he has long, pointed ears. And while it is possible one of his parents or grandparents was Ordonian, there is no way to prove this as he looks the same as any other Hylian. Meaning, it is likely that Link had no relation to the Ordonians by blood.

There are no other Hylians in Ordon besides Link, which leads me to conclude that Link’s parents were from castle town, the only other place in TP where Hylians reside.

In the beginning of the game, Rusl does say that Link has never been to Hyrule. But that merely implies that Link has ever been outside the village in his memory or since Rusl has known him.

Meaning his parents may have lived there when he was a baby. Or he was found/given to the Ordonians after his parents death or disappearance. Similar to how the Hero of Time was raised as Kokiri because his Hylian mother brought him to Kokiri forest and died soon after.

Epona is another factor that needs to be accounted for. It could be argued that as TP Link has a horse named Epona, this ties him to Malon, as the original Epona came from LonLon ranch. But it is a null point as the Hero of Time owned Epona even if he didn’t marry Malon and therefore his descendants, wether or not they are related to Malon, could have a horse that is related to, or named after Epona.

Now I’ve stated a couple reasons why I think Link didn’t marry Malon, but I haven’t given any reasons why the Hero of Time would marry Zelda. But I’m getting to that :)

One of the reasons why I believe the Hero of Time married Zelda is due to his appearance on TP, specifically, the Hero’s Shade.

Besides his ghostly, skeletal figure, the most intriguing thing about him is his armor. Comparing his elaborate armor to the much simpler armor of the guards or soldiers (not knights, as some people think) in Ocarina of Time, makes me believe he is much higher ranked , probably an esteemed Knight or something similar.

Which makes sense, considering he was the one who warned the king of Ganondorf’s treachery and possesses amazing swordsmanship skills. It is also hinted at in Hyrule Historia, that Link’s father was a knight as well, making Knighthood, Link’s inheritance.

Another detail I find interesting is, though faded, you can tell that the Hero’s Shade’s armor was once gold with red detailing. The armor’s color scheme, red and gold, is typically used by kings of Hyrule.

As seen in Wind Waker and the Minish cap. King Gustaf, King Daltus, and King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule all wear red and gold.

Another peculiar detail about the Hero’s Shade’s armor is the shape of the breastplate resembling that of an owl’s head. Owls are associated with wisdom. In OOT, Zelda holds the triforce of WISDOM.

In TP, you can buy an item called magic armor in castletown. It’s design is reminiscent of Zelda’s appearance in the game. Including the design of the crown pauldrons and tassel. This makes me assume it once belonged to a prince of Hyrule. This is further backed up by its red and gold color scheme, colors associated with the king of Hyrule.

The most obvious connection between Hylian royalty and the Hero of time is concerning the magic armor. Specifically, the long, red cap included in the outfit. Compared to the rest of the armor Link gets in the game, the magic armor just doesn’t seem to fit.

The hero’s clothes have a green cap because it’s what the previous hero wore, Kokiri styled.

The Zora armor has a blue cap because it is made to resemble the Zora’s long head fin.

But the magic armor? Something made for royalty? In all the other games, no other Hylian royalty is depicted with a long cap, so where could this style have come from?

Well, if the Hero of Time married into the royal family, perhaps his unique style would have carried over into the traditional Hylian royalty get-up, as he become a prince. Creating an outfit that includes the royal colors, crown, tassel and the Hero of Time’s long cap.

On a side note, may I remind everyone that in Majorca’s Mask, when the Skull Kid was attempting to bring down the moon the first time, Link flashed back to his last moment with Zelda?

Sure he could have just been remembering the song of time and yes, the fact that he has Epona means he did go back to LonLon ranch to see Malon.

But one, he probably just went to LonLon to get his horse to travel with

And two, he didn’t flash back to his last moment with Malon, did he?

And three, the fact that he rembered how Zelda reminisced about their time together and he didn’t just recall the song of time just go’s to show how strongly he felt about their relationship.

[runtedfiction]

nicer

day 1: facade @zelinkweek2021

ao3

* * *

Years later, when Link faces the castle’s crumbling walls, he thinks about the Princess.

* * *

The day King Rhoam announces this year’s Harvest Festival is also the day his subjects know they're doomed. Officially, it’s supposed to be a normal holiday. Unofficially, the language in the announcement—“the last celebration before the fight against Calamity Ganon”, “the last time the palace will be open to Castletown until the fight is over”—convinces everyone that they’re partying in the face of the apocalypse.

“They have no faith in me,” Zelda says, putting down her pen. “Ganon is brewing deep beneath the castle. Everyone knows it. Everyone knows I can’t stop it. This is their last chance to let loose before all hell breaks loose.”

Impa frowns and hands her the final page of raw Guardian data to clean. “You're too hard on yourself. You still have time.”

“I just have Mount Lanayru next week.” She focuses on the Silent Princess above her desk. It's wilting. “Do you think I’ll be wise enough? Maybe Hylia will smite me right then and there for being an idiot.”

“Princess!”

“I know, I know.”

* * *

They wrap up that afternoon’s study, an incredibly useful session in quantifying the powers of the Guardians, to get ready for the ball.

Zelda’s dress is her signature blue, but a bit more fluid and feminine than the one she normally wears. Made for dancing and a summer night.

“Collarbones,” Impa notes, and Zelda laughs. “A little off the shoulder as well! And the subtle constellation pattern in the tulle--how stunning!”

“Don’t act as if you didn’t design it.”

“Guilty.”

Impa’s dress, an even deeper blue, is similarly gorgeous. It’s long sleeved, form fitting, and silky.

“Impa, I just want to say—” Zelda pauses, looking at their reflections in the mirror. When will they ever look this nice again? “Thank you for being my friend.”

Impa' smiles. “Of course. And Princess—if I may.”

“Yes?”

“With all your talk of the world ending, of doom coming.” Her voice gets small. “Do you think it would be worth telling him?”

Zelda stiffens. She thinks of him somewhere in the castle, dressed in his best uniform, walking to find her.

She lies. “No.”

Three quiet, efficient raps sound against her door. Zelda’s heart lurches.

* * *

In the hot, overcrowded ballroom, she can’t stop wondering if he thinks she looks pretty.

There are important people here she needs to talk to: researchers from the Royal Ancient Tech Lab, religious leaders, captains of industry, and so on. She finds her father and tries to reach some common ground on the one night they aren’t preparing for Evil Incarnate. (She fails.) She should find the court poet and give him the dance he’s been writing about for the past month.

But all she wants is for Link to look at her.

He’s indeed in his best uniform. His gloves and boots are blindingly white; his collar sits high and stiff against his neck. He’s uncommonly handsome, and the uniform emphasizes it. When someone pulls him in to dance (technically he should be keeping watch, but that someone really insists), she hates the jealousy that blooms in her chest and takes the hand of the poet. When she twirls, when she makes conversation, when she curtsies--she tries to see it all from Link’s perspective, if he can even find her in the crowd.

“Princess, are you feeling alright?”

“Oh.”

The poet looks at her in the way that a puppy looks at its master. The neediness satisfies and repulses her.

“Yes,” she says, smiling quickly. “Thank you for asking. How are you?”

“Wonderful. I was sitting in the courtyard the other day and...”

It’s easy to tune him out and appear to be interested with the right amount of “mhmm” and “oh?” and eye contact. But every time he twirls her around, she tries to spot the top of a Royal Guard cap in the crowd.

She knows she’s being stupid. Even in the incredibly unlikely scenario where Link’s interested, what could they do? Given that her powers aren’t working, there’s only a sixty percent chance they’ll get through the Calamity. She thinks back to what Impa said earlier. Something about letting him know in the face of impending doom.

(Maybe it doesn’t make sense to do something that would possibly be useless, a tiny voice in the back of her head says. But on the flip side, it’s also possible that nothing will matter soon, so why not tell him?)

She scowls and lets the poet dip her far too low for common courtesy.

* * *

Link is definitely lost in the crowd now. The next song requires that they rotate between multiple partners, and she can’t spot him anywhere. There’s no way that he’d be looking at her anyway, because why would he? He’s the chosen one, kind and strong and handsome and blessed. She’s the failed reincarnation, mean and headstrong and cursed.

If (when) the world ends, it’ll be on her.

Zelda admits to herself, swaying in the arms of someone else who doesn’t matter, that because the world has an uncomfortably high probability of ending, it follows that maybe, possibly, probably it makes sense for her to say something.

A sense of urgency unfurls in the pit of her stomach. Where is he?

* * *

She tries to find him. She doesn’t know what she’d do--ask for a dance? Strike up a conversation? Maybe it's the heat getting to her, but it worries her that she's lost him. She walks the length of the ballroom and comes up with nothing.

There’s no way she could summon him, but…

She grabs a glass of water and walks out the ballroom to the nearest balcony.

Except in this very specific circumstance, it’s infuriating how easy it is for him to find her. Even when she doesn't want to be found, even when she’s actively running away (and nearly dying in the process), there he is. The knowledge that he’s almost always aware of her presence burns.

“Hello,” she says after a respectable amount of time.

He steps out behind her. Unfortunately, the moonlight’s softness makes him look angelic. “Hi.”

Zelda very rarely has no plan. She’s the one always bossing him around, deciding where they’ll go next and how they’ll get there and what they’ll do. She’s at a loss for words right now.

“Ah--hm.” A cooling night breeze passes by. “Are you--are you enjoying the festival?”

“Yes?” He looks confused. And hot, her unhelpful brain adds. Very hot. “Are you?”

“Yes. It’s quite warm inside, but I enjoy the music and the dancing.”

“The band is nice.”

She agrees and scrambles to find another conversation topic. Damn it. Still no plan. Think, think.

“Uh--” he starts the same time she asks, “Are you ready for Mount Lanayru next week?”

He nods, and she hates how she made the conversation about work. But he looks more confident now--talking about work is easier than trying to have whatever kind of conversation she had in mind. “Yeah. I read about the region and it seems relatively safe. We might see Naydra too.”

“That would be incredible,” she says. “I’d love to capture it on the Slate.”

He nods again. A silence passes (a horribly awkward one that eats at her) before she asks: “What were you going to say before I interrupted you?”

“Oh yes.” Link clears his throat, and the fact that he looks a bit nervous sends her heart pounding. Can he tell what her subconscious is trying to do? “I’ve been meaning to ask (oh God, oh God, what has he been meaning to ask)--are you avoiding me?”

She blinks. “What?”

He won’t make eye contact with her. Triforce of courage, my ass. “Are you avoiding me?”

“No?” She’s stunned. Avoiding? All she’s been doing for the past week is pining!

“But, I feel like.” He pauses to look at her briefly. Again, his nerves kick off her own. “Ever since we got back from the desert, you haven’t really talked to me.”

She needs to think. A week ago, what happened?

They were at the Kara Kara Bazaar, and she nearly died because she intentionally (stupidly) lost him. She relives the feeling of it now--the panic that came with facing certain death when she realized it wasn’t Link following her, but the Yiga, then the shock when he appeared out of thin air wielding the sword. His back, so strong and sure. His concern as he helped her get up afterwards.

How once she could process what happened, something kicked in her chest, and everything was so obvious so suddenly.

Then getting back from the desert, what did she do? She wrote a diary entry, spent a sleepless night deciding she had feelings for him that she didn’t want to name, and tried as hard as possible to conceal them. The pining was unbearable, and--oh. Looking at him made her face burn, so she turned away. She never knew what to say around him, so she chose to say nothing at all.

Perhaps she approached her yearning by offsetting it with its opposite.

They really haven’t spoken. Zelda shakes her head, and mentally kicks herself. How can someone like you back if you don’t even talk to them? “I promise, I’m not trying to avoid you.”

He furrows his brow a little. Cute. Unfair. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Ok. If you do--if you ever need more space, let me know.” He smiles a little. “I do have to follow you, but I can do it farther away or something.”

She smiles back. Please always follow me. “Thanks. No need.”

“Alright,” he says. He glances at her arms.“Do you want to go back inside? It’s a bit cold. You’re getting goosebumps.”

She didn’t even notice. An idea is forming in her mind, bright and hot and something that needs to rush out right now or she’s going to overthink it to death.

“Going back inside sounds good. When we do, would you--would you like to dance with me?”

The question leaves so quickly that she’s not too sure if he understood it. She holds her breath; she might throw up.

“Sure,” he says, and the disappointment that she expected to punch her gut doesn’t come; a flood of something wonderful washes over her instead. Sure is yes, her mind sings. “How about I find you before the last song? I’ve been doing a bad job of keeping watch.”

“Sure,” she echoes. Hopefully her excitement isn’t too obvious when she turns back and nearly runs into the ballroom.

* * *

When the band announces the last song of the night, Zelda lets go of the poet and steps back immediately.

“My Princess,” he says, and the normal repulsion she would feel turns into joy when she spots a navy blue cap making its way through the crowd. “I would be honored to have your final dance, if you would have me.”

“Another time,” she says, already turning to pick up her skirt and mosey her way through the last group of people separating her from a flash of sandy blonde hair. “Thank you though!”

She doesn’t wait for the poet’s response because the crowd is gone and Link is right in front of her, handsome and smiling slightly. Her heart is at a million miles a minute when she drops her skirt and steps forward to place her hand in his.

This isn’t like her. He must think she’s acting so strange. Either that, or it’s obvious just from looking at her what she’s thinking. It’s a frenzied array of thoughts, ranging from the obvious (handsome, handsome, smells so good?, handsome, kind eyes) and the embarrassing (The smallest, least repressed part of me has dreamed about this all week.)

The music starts and swells and she’s still dreaming. His hand on her back is firm. Thanks to the design of the dress, she can feel his glove pressing into her. She wonders if he can feel the heat of her skin.

“How are you doing?” he asks when they fall into a rhythm, and she smiles too fast, idiot, calm down.

“Great, how are you?”

“Good,” he says, and they spin. He smiles back. “Good to know you’re not avoiding me.”

“Of course not.” Stupid, you avoided him!

He dips her a perfectly appropriate amount.

She feels brave. It’s the adrenaline getting to her, because the rational part of her can’t stop (giddily) telling her that she’s dumb when she asks, “Why would you think that I'd avoid you?”

“Hm.” He looks away to consider the question. The tips of his eyelashes catch the chandelier light. “I thought that maybe last week was a bit too much.”

She thinks about how warm his hand was when he helped her get up after saving her life. “It wasn’t.”

“It’s ok if it was.”

“No, no, you’re too kind.”

Link clears his throat. “So you’re not avoiding me because I kept trying to follow you through the bazaar when you clearly didn’t want me to?”

She laughs. “No, it’s also incredibly stupid that I tried to lose you. Besides, what would’ve happened if you hadn’t?”

Link clears his throat.

She chooses to change the subject by asking an easy “What did you make for dinner tonight?” in an attempt to soak up the final minutes she has in his arms. He starts talking about mushroom risotto, and she can’t stop smiling.

* * *

At the end of the night, when he escorts her to her room, it’s late enough that silence is acceptable.

She’s decided that she needs to do something, but she doesn’t know what. A hug would be different, but too strange. I like you is simple, but too plain. Thinking about you makes my heart soft is embarrassing. I know I’ve been an incorrigible bitch but now my walls are down and I like you is too honest.

She turns around when they reach her doors.

“Tonight was fun,” she says.

He smiles. Zelda knows romance books don’t lie when her heart jumps at the sight of it. “It was.”

This is the moment. She takes a deep breath as quietly as she can. She has that nauseous feeling again. If nothing matters, tell him. Everyone knows the apocalypse is coming.

“Hey, listen,” he says right when she opens her mouth. He pauses to look at her. If she thought he looked nervous earlier when he asked her if she was avoiding him, it’s nothing compared to now. He does a visible gulp, and—

“I think I have feelings for you.”

She blinks. What?

“And I understand if you don’t feel the same way,” he continues, tense and fast, looking right at her, “especially in light of everything going on right now. But I just had to put that out there.”

What?!

She closes her eyes--what is happening right now--and when she opens them he’s still there. This isn’t a dream.

Holy fuck. “Really?”

He nods. “Really.”

“Huh,” she says. He beat her to it. “Huh.”

“Huh?”

She laughs. He beat her to it, and now all she has to do is the easiest thing in the world.

“I think I have feelings for you too,” she says. It’s so dark now she can’t see the blue of his eyes, but she can imagine it easily.

He’s surprised. “Really?”

“Really. In fact, I was meaning to tell you just now.”

“Really?”

She laughs. “Really.”

She smiles and takes his hand. He stiffens at first, then relaxes as she threads her fingers through his.

“Oh, actually, here, let me—” He lets go. Disappointment hits her briefly before she sees that he’s taking off his glove. Some of his scars are alabaster in the moonlight. He has so many.

(She wants to kiss all of them.)

His hand is warm and rough and lovely when he slips it back into hers.

“This feels nicer,” he says, and his voice is almost shy.

There are a million things she wants to say--what are we going to do if I end the world, what are we going to do if you save the world, how long have you known for, Hylia is going to smite both of us for being fools--but she settles on squeezing his hand instead. He squeezes back.

“Yes,” she agrees. Very gently, she cups his cheek with her other hand and leans in. He’s closed his eyes already. “Much nicer.”

[pastelsandpining]

congrats on 200 followers!! my request: botw zelink with Selfless by the strokes :)

this turned out a tiny bit more of a Zelda piece than a Zelink piece but it's still there! I hope this is to your liking volt my beloved

Selfless

words: 1806

warnings: read with caution; grief, death mention, vague disassociation

Masterlist

------

It was quite the feeling, to be everything and nothing all at once. Zelda couldn’t recall what it was like to be physical. She couldn’t recall much more than the blank space she existed in, and the horrible sounds that encompassed it every time she was so painfully reminded of where she was. Only in those moments of remembrance, of realization, was she able to get glimpses of the land she’d given up so much for. So much of her kingdom had been lost: children, buildings, the very friends she swore to fight alongside. The Calamity claimed everything in its path and it devoured her, too. It was only fitting, fair, even that she should suffer in the void of existence with nothing but a demon and whispers of hatred as her companion.

Zelda was not in Hyrule, not really. Her body might’ve been, but she was elsewhere, using every bit of strength that she’d failed to have before, in the hopes that her one connection to her home would find his way back to her. But for a very long time, he lay buried deep inside a shrine on a hill. The only evidence he was there at all was the warm, very small, and very dormant ball settled in her chest, pulsating softly with every breath he took in his endless slumber.

It was like that for one hundred long, lonely years. The rhythm of his heart, slow but stable, was what kept her from losing touch completely. Goddess powers or not, corporeal or not, someone could only take so much of corruption, of malice, until it started to gnaw away at her peace of mind. It was a good thing that peace of mind was not an essential part of the sealing power, but she’d already lost everything. It would be too easy to lose herself as well... No, he would come, she just knew it, and she would live against the odds, for him.

So Zelda waited, ever patient, watching the land of Hyrule pass in bleary, half conscious moments. A flicker of a new birth here, a wave of grief there, a family settling down, a crack of lightning, a call of a bird, all things once insignificant—common. Now, it gave her the assurance that people were still fighting on, continuing to push forwards despite a devastating loss. They were still Hylia’s people, after all, and the Goddess herself put up many good fights.

The kingdom was as still as ever, as silent as the heavy night, when the hero finally stirred. It was nothing more than a twitch of the eyelids, a strengthening of a heartbeat, but she felt it like a fire burning through her chest, sending hope to the tips of her very fingers. He was alive, to what extent, she didn’t know. But she took that warmth and reached out with it, surfing across Hyrule until finally, at last, he came into focus.

“Link,” she called out, into the void of nothing. His eyelids fluttered. If she was corporeal, if she had any physicality at all, she would’ve sobbed. Instead, she tried his name again, begging in a whisper, “open your eyes.”

Whether he was truly hearing her, whether he recognized her voice or not, his eyes opened. They’d never looked more blue.

But she was not the only powerful being with the capability to sense an awakening. Calamity Ganon could feel it too, and for a moment, Zelda was fearful that it would get to him before she did. It would cry out, loud and obnoxious and horrible, and get into his head like the monstrous thing it was. She couldn’t let that happen, not again. Link did not deserve the horrid fate of facing him twice, though the cards had already been dealt. So she did all she could, instructing him from afar until he emerged at last from his grave. The light was brighter now. She could see him better, all of him, from the scarred skin to the shaky limbs and anxious stature. He was lovely, still.

Zelda wanted nothing more than to burst from her prison and accompany him on his journey. She wished to heal his mind and heart, tell him everything so that he was no longer in the dark, and warn him about the horrors he would face. She wanted to feel his arms again, hear his voice, hug him in those moments she knew so well: those moments when it all felt like too much. But sealing the Calamity, caging its physical form in the very midst of Hyrule Castle, a mere few meters away from where her father and mother’s thrones once sat, took a great deal of power. She could not watch him, protect him as much as she wanted to. She wouldn’t last forever, and so conserving was key. Zelda did not rush him, she did not plead or beg. It was his decision to make, it was his readiness to determine, and she’d already waited a century. What was a little more time?

She lended him something else instead, with every break he took to confront the Goddess. She gave what she had plenty of: strength. Every bit of drained power, every little increase in difficulty to contain the demon, was worth it to see him thrive. Link would come in his own time, and she would be ready for him when he did. Besides, she didn’t mind waiting. She enjoyed those moments when clarity hit, when she could see his progress from her spot in the realm of nothingness. A naturally gifted boy in many ways, but there was something so precious in the way he worked. In the years before, Zelda had come to understand him as this hard working and duty driven boy, but it was so much more intimate to see his efforts herself. Oftentimes, she felt it was something she shouldn’t have been seeing, but she was proud nonetheless. Link would always come to be the hero he was meant to be. Courageous, determined, selfless.

And when he stormed the castle, the warm pulse in her chest thundering in time with his the closer he came, she’d never seen him look so angry. Of course, he’d lost as much as she, if not more. He had every right to be angry. For one bitter but sweet, satisfying moment, she felt for the Calamity. It had its victory, and Link would not let it get another. He was vicious and cruel and precise, and it seemed now, he was returning all of what she’d lent him. Perhaps it was just his presence that made her feel stronger in the midst of the first break she’d gotten in decades. It took hardly any effort to restrain the beast to Hyrule Field, and she took great pleasure in decorating it with glowing targets for the hero to strike.

In a brilliant moment of intensity, Zelda could feel the world around her again. She could feel her body grow solid, the golden glow encasing her with a divine power her mortal vessel shouldn’t have been able to handle, and she faced the Calamity head on for a second time. With a strained cry, with the fury of a thousand lost souls, with the hunger for revenge for her friends, her father, her kingdom, her hero, the princess took her duty upon her shoulders and swallowed the darkness in the holy light of the Goddess. She willed her magic to carve into every crevice, tear it apart, cause it to feel the very pain it rained down upon Hyrule tenfold, but it would never be enough. The Beast was gone too soon. After a century of holding everything hostage, it was reduced to nothing. That was perhaps the worst part of it all. They would never be able to cause it the pain it had caused them, because it was not human. It was not a thing that could feel pain or regret. The only thing it knew was hatred, and for a moment, as Zelda collapsed to her knees and dug her fingers into the dirt, she worried if she was too similar.

She hated Calamity Ganon, hated all it had done and all it had taken from her, and she hated that she didn’t feel satisfied. She was angry, so incredibly angry, that it got to crawl back into its coffin until another ten thousand years had passed, but all of those lost to its claws could never return. She was angry that she couldn’t cause it the pain that it caused her, that it could take everything away from her and no amount of revenge could ease her pain.

She was shaking. She didn’t realize she was crying. But Link, ever the kind, patient, selfless man that he was, did not leave her stranded. His feet came into view, prompting her to lift her head and blink hard to clear her vision just enough to see him kneel before her. He extended his hands to her. They were trembling just as hard. Zelda slowly pulled her fingers free of the dirt, uncurling them just enough to hesitantly slip her hands into his.

Once upon a time, she couldn’t read his expression. A century later, on the battered ground of Hyrule Field, his eyes were misty and he looked like he would crumble at any point, but he looked relieved. She grasped his hands tighter, more desperate than before, and sobbed out a “thank you.”

His thumbs brushed against her, gentle as ever, and she had very little composure left. Her anger, her dissatisfaction in the truth that the Calamity would never truly die, dissipated like it had never been there at all. She found she didn’t care anymore, at least not in that moment, because she had something. She had hope, she had courage. She had Link, if he wanted her. It was an ache in her chest, nagging in her brain, and before she could think better of it, she whispered, “May I ask…do you really remember me?”

She didn’t want to know the answer. He was quiet for what felt like an eternity, and she wasn’t sure she had another to give. But then he answered, quieter than the wind but as sure as the sky, “yes.”

He tugged her hands, pulled her forwards into an embrace, and she clutched the back of his tunic with eager fingers. She could cry again, but she realized with a start that he was the one sobbing instead. Zelda held him tighter, buried her face in his hair, whispered into the wind that she was here, that they were okay, that it was over.

And when they finally lifted their heads, when Link smiled at her, she had no trouble believing it.

[redloftwingfeathers]

I feel like talking about the shit Zelda not only had to put up with but also what she subconsciously summoned herself and you're going to sit and listen and maybe cry with me okay? Okay.

While I don't think that was very cash-money of 'Hylia' to make Zelda wait until she's reached true, unrelenting despair to finally find her light, it made me wonder how everything came into play that made her journey so painstakingly hard, and not just Hylia pulling fast ones from the clouds. (Trust me I wanted to blame the goddess so bad after that moving performance at the spring of power but wait!! there's more!)

Things I'm looking at are specifically Zelda's anxieties of wanting to be a scholar but having to throw herself to the dogs of religion to keep Rhoam happy, the HEAVY depression she carries with not just from the loss of her mother but also just constantly being berated by her father and feeling like she's not good enough for Hylia, the jealousy and anger she harbors towards Link in their beginnings and how it effects her growth.

All of these are things (coming from someone who is very mentally ill) are ingredients that distract Zelda from her goals, intentional or not.

Zelda has a classic case of "I wanna do This Thing (studying, traveling) but I have to do That Thing (religion, strict orders) instead and now the fun is sucked out of it and my mind is buzzing and now I don't know what to do girl (hylia) HELP"

What's even worse is despite her hand-picked maturity, she KNOWS what is right and what she needs to do (her level of self awareness is impeccable sometimes) but she is still just a child in the end, wanting to live her life without dictation, which causes frustration and anger and can lead to self-doubts.

Starting with the loss of her mother, Rhoam claims that Zelda did not cry at all during the ceremony, and that it proved to him he could still be a strong king with how unwavering his daughter was. And although that's shown as an "awe inspiring" moment, it shows Rhoam does not understand how the processing of grief registers differently amongst people, especially children. She may have not showed it when she was, what, 6? (Not every normal 6 year old understands the fragility of mortality) but you can definitely see it affects her later on as Zelda grows older. It may not be entirely visible at first, but the way they portray it in HWAoC (I know its not entirely canon but bare with me on this) she longs for her mother's advice and comfort when her pleas and ideas fall deaf on the king's ears. Her mother seemed to be a very wise and compassionate queen, where Rhoam is a wise and a very bite-the-bullet king.

When stakes are high he trusts what he thinks needs to be done, and he enforces Zelda to finish her training Because she is part of his plan to push back the calamity. He knows protocol, and there's no room for creative thinking when the land of Hyrule is in danger. (Disclaimer: I hate Rhoam but I can also try to see what Nintendo was doing. He's not intentionally mean, he's an assertive dad that wants to see his daughter succeed (and also hella depressed) but he's really fucking bad at it and comes off as a dickhead. He is the embodiment of a boomer that does things the old fashioned way to get things done).

But all of this pressure he is putting on her, taking away things that make her happy so they don't distract her from her duty, shooting down her ideas because he wouldn't know how to even approach it from his standpoint, it really does a number on Zelda and really births her insecurities.

No matter how hard she prays and dedicates herself to Hylia, it doesn't work. Her mind is distracted, filled with fear and very little hope that the magic isn't Working. What even kicks me in the jaw more is that she's putting all of her effort into these prayers, and it's not even her wish she's making. It's Rhoam's wish. Her Ancestral Family's wish. That's why it hasn't sparked. She's praying on the behalf of her father and ancestors and not herself because she firmly believes there's other ways to settle the score. Zelda knows the importance of her role but its just not clicking when someone else is forcing you to do it. It just doesn't work like that.

Moving onto her liaison with Link, she is, well, in the beginning very irritated with him. Even a little bit after being chosen by Fi. But I don't think she MEANS to be angry at Link, he didn't do anything wrong in all honesty. She shouldn't take out her anger on him, but she's jealous, and he exists...so like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

When Link is suddenly chosen by the sword at a drop of a hat?? Yeah she's relieved, but there's also undertones of resentment. All of her Champions are here at the ready and she's still trying to figure out what shoe goes on first. She is the goddamn Princess of Hyrule, one who carries the blood of Hylia in her veins, and this random tiny knight who, mind you, fought tooth and nail to be her escort ends up finding his role before her? She is riding the struggle mule up Mount Lanayru (and I don't really blame her). And when she's exploring the shrines?? She makes it very clear to him she can work independently and does not need an escort, which although understood (freedom is a peace everyone strives for) she is careless regardless of her careful planning and efforts. She's a Princess, wandering Hyrule unarmed (and without her powers) with a horse as her only mode of transportation. You won't see yourself as a target even if they're pinned on your back, and with her determination to utilize these mysterious shrines as more Sheikah tech is being discovered is making her blind in remembering where she's placed in social status. It's dangerous, and I'm glad Link is there to see what she fails to see.

That's another thing too. As they progress and strengthen their friendship, Zelda sees Link as a mirror to question what her role really means. She uses him as guidance to help understand her situation, asking him "If you were told your whole life This is what you're meant to do, to take up your family's legacy...but one day realize this isn't what you want, would you still take the path you've been told to take?" In this case I think it's safe to say this is what Link knew he wanted. He loves being an aid to those in need, and becoming a knight despite following his father's path, this felt like his true calling. The spirit of the hero is VERY strong in his soul, and when he sees someone in need of help [Zelda] he's going to aid them whether they want it or not.

But Zelda still feels so lost, she feels so disconnected from her ancestors, as the previous daughters in the royal families were Given their powers at birth and meant to be awakened when the time has come. They were all given the gift of premonition, to be a medium for Hylia and a messenger of the gods, and overall able to keep Ganon away from the world no matter how many times he crawls back from the depths of hell. Being told your whole life you're meant to be like your ancestors, but not being able to fulfill any of those roles? It makes the past seem like one giant fairy tale when in you're in BotW Zelda's shoes.

No voices, no premonitions, no secret awakenings...Nothing.

At this moment, I finally understood why Urbosa said to Revali about Link. She said he is a constant reminder of Zelda's own failures. Link found his calling by following his instinct. Zelda has yet to figure out what she really wants, and is clouded by judgements not only from her father and people, but from herself too. With every passing day she is undergoing a meltdown, questioning if she is even meant to be apart of this whole plan anymore, probably something among the lines of "Was it meant to be someone else? I'm the only daughter, and yet I can't even do my one job." She lost everyone and everything, she's frightened, it feels like she's lost her faith in the gods, or even dare say, the gods lost faith in her.

But through absolute despair when Link just about gives his life for her protection, that's when it all clicked. She found her power and strength through Link, who was the one that, all this time, taught her about what she needed to do to awaken her powers without even directly telling her. Every conversation she had with him, she saw herself in Link. She saw all the effort he gave into becoming a royal knight, the unwavering determination in his eyes with every Lynel he slew, a never ending supply of optimism and hope no matter how high the stakes were. And yet he was also Free. He followed his path blindly, not even knowing where he'd end up, as long as he knew he was

able to protect those in need. And she wanted that.

He was her mirror, and Zelda managed to awaken herself when that mirror cracked.

Living the burden of being part of a prophecy and saying you're ready for anything, is very reckless. Understanding the heaviness that comes with sacrifice is not truly understood until it starts happening to you.

Zelda found her wish, her independence through Link. Her mind is finally clear and she understands what her role means in all of this.

She is meant to protect, to save, to understand more than just personal loss.

Zelda couldn't stand by idly anymore after everyone told her to do something else and let others handle the job. That was the last straw when Link stood in front of her, shield weak but at the ready when that guardian approached. She saw the desperation and said NO, which finally broke her seal. She chose to sacrifice herself, igniting her powers just as Hylia did for her people. She chose to save her last, literally dying hope, because Ganon cannot be fought alone.

He was the connection, the literal link, she needed to awaken her powers. And I just find that so fucking great.

Anyways thanks for coming to my TED talk I've been typing this for like 4 hours now

[sage-nebula]

Game Review — Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

Well, it’s that time. While some might already know at least a good chunk of my feelings due to one or two posts I’ve made while playing, I’ve now beaten the newest Hyrule Warriors game (at least in terms of the main story + secret ending) and I think it’s time for me to write up a review. 

Overall Score: 5.5/10

I know there are probably at least a few Legend of Zelda fans out there who want to tear me apart right now, but I urge them to actually read everything I have to say before they do. I’ve been a fan of this series since I was nine years old (I started with Ocarina of Time and Link’s Awakening simultaneously), and while my favorite Zelda game was Majora’s Mask for a very long time, Breath of the Wild unseated it and also took the spot as my favorite video game of all time, period. Thus, my expectations for this game were already pretty high, and the fact that Nintendo lied in the marketing . . . well, we’ll get to that. But overall the point that I’m trying to make is that I am a diehard Legend of Zelda fan, and I did like the original Hyrule Warriors as well, so this isn’t a case of “she just doesn’t like Zelda” or “she just doesn’t like Hyrule Warriors.” I promise my opinions are more educated than that. So with that said, let’s get to it (under a cut / on my blog for formatting reasons).

The Pros:

The little touches to make sure that Age of Calamity felt like it belonged in the same realm as Breath of the Wild made my heart sing the moment I first played the demo. Hearing the same menu sounds, seeing the same UI — all of that made me feel like I was returning home, and I really hadn’t realized just how much I missed the world of Breath of the Wild until that moment. While it is a Hyrule Warriors game for sure, it’s clear that they didn’t want to make it “Hyrule Warriors 2″ as much as they wanted to make it a Zelda game befitting Breath of the Wild, and I really appreciated the respect that went into that.

Overall, the voice acting was pretty top notch. Zelda’s voice still bothers me—there are times when she sounds okay, but I still wish they’d chosen a different actress to voice her—and Riju’s voice was a little weird, but overall the voice acting was just as good as it was in Breath of the Wild and I was happy to see every single cutscene voiced.

They put a lot of effort into giving everyone distinctive playstyles, even when it came to two characters of the same race who use the same weapons (e.g. Revali and Teba). The Neo Champions weren’t just clones of the previous Champions; rather, they stood out in their playstyle so that while you might like playing as one, perhaps you don’t like the other as much. (For instance, I hated playing as Revali, but Teba was very fun to play as.) And while I did stick with Link most of the time, there were enough characters that I really enjoyed playing as that it was no problem at all to me when I needed to switch characters mid-battle. In particular, I really loved playing as Impa and Urbosa aside from Link, with Riju, Zelda, and Teba as backups.

The music was incredible, but that’s to be expected from a Zelda game, let’s be honest. Of particular note is this track, which filled my heart with awe every time I heard it due to the inclusion of the Song of the Hero (seriously, when that choir kicks in at about 1:45 . . . [chef’s kiss]). But really, the entire soundtrack was incredible. I don’t think there was a single bad song. Which, again, is typical of a Zelda game, but I still feel it bears note.

Being able to pilot the Divine Beasts was AWESOME, no doubt about it. The best one (in my opinion) was Vah Naboris, followed by Vah Medoh. Vah Medoh was the easiest to use, but Vah Naboris was the most fun. After that comes Vah Ruta, which seemed always on the verge of dying, and then Vah Rudania. I just didn’t have as much fun with those two.

As far as I can tell, there aren’t any Points of No Return as far as the overworld quests go. While this does offer a gameplay and story segregation break (e.g. you can still face the Yiga as enemies even after they join you), at the same time I like it because you have to complete all the quests to get 100% completion, and it’d be rather awful if quests were deleted / cut off after a certain story point without warning.

Similarly, you can replay even main story quests at any time, which is useful for gathering materials you might need for other quests (or gathering apples which you need for healing and which, for some reason—I’ll save this for a later section).

The Neutrals:

Terrako. I just . . . okay. On the one hand, I hate Terrako because it is the catalyst for all the bullshit that happens in the plot, and the fact that Terrako was actually the most important one all along is annoying af. (Who will be key in defeating Calamity Ganon: The Hero & Princess of prophecy, or one eggy boi? The answer may surprise you!) But on the other hand, Terrako actually has a personality and is kind of cute as hell, and it was really sad when he succumbed to the brainwashing and you had to murder him. The memories Zelda has of King Rhoam taking Terrako away when she was a child as she sobbed and screamed for him to stop were also painful. So it’s like, I would like Terrako if, say, he’d been introduced in Breath of the Wild 2 as a tiny Guardian that Zelda built after the events of Breath of the Wild as like, a little companion / pet of sorts. In theory I like him as Zelda and Link’s child. On the other, I hate its role in this game, so I have really complicated feelings on Terrako over all. (I also apparently can’t decide which pronouns to use, but somehow I get the feeling that Terrako doesn’t even know what pronouns are and thus probably wouldn’t care.)

While the missions themselves were usually fun, the gameplay really isn’t friendly to anyone with any sort of carpal tunnel or anything similar. That is to say, a little bit of button mashing like this game’s gameplay requires made my thumb and wrist ache something awful. As a result, while I did have fun playing, I also experienced pain playing, and so I can’t really decide if this is good or bad, especially since there at least was some strategy involved depending on who you chose to play as (yet I feel it was less finessed than in Breath of the Wild, but since it’s a Warriors game that’s not too surprising to me).

The missions were fun, but they followed a similar format to the first Hyrule Warriors where you were going to be doing the same tasks over and over and over in different missions (e.g. capture the outposts, etc). The one plus is that I feel there was a bit more variety here in that there were escort missions and the like too, but again, that wasn’t too much and so it could get a little tiring after a bit. 

It was nice being able to see a lot of characters from Breath of the Wild that I loved again, but honestly? I feel like it was mostly a wasted opportunity because none of them (at least no one in the main group) received any more development or fleshing out that we didn’t already see in Breath of the Wild. In fact, arguably they were flattened. Revali was an arrogant, argumentative jerk from start to finish, with none of the respect he had for Zelda or any softer sides showing through. We saw that Mipha had a crush on Link and that she was protective over Sidon, but we already saw that in the original game + Champion’s Ballad. We saw that Urbosa was caring, but again, we’d already seen that . . . and so on. This was an opportunity to delve into each of them deeper, but the game just rehashed what we already knew of them from the previous game rather than going into it in any more depth. Arguably the only ones we got to see more sides of were, of all characters, Kohga and Rhoam, and even that wasn’t much. So while it was nice to see these characters again and spend more time with them, I also feel that there was a major wasted opportunity in terms of writing and characterization, particularly since we never saw any major bonding moments with them unlike what we saw in the Champion’s Ballad on photo day.

I LOVED Purah, but I was insanely disappointed that she wasn’t a playable character. At first I thought it might be because they didn’t want to give us two Sheikah, but they were fine giving us two Rito, two Zora, etc, so I don’t see why Purah couldn’t have been playable. Yeah, she’s a scientist, but she’s also a freaking ninja. You can’t tell me she wouldn’t be able to defend herself. So while I’m happy that she had such a big role in the plot (bigger than Robbie, arguably), it disappoints me that we weren’t able to play as her.

Astor is a fascinating character, and I feel it’s at least heavily implied that he was the oracle who foretold Calamity Ganon’s return in the actual timeline. But that’s not specified and we really don’t learn anything about him other than Ganon apparently chose Astor himself, and wanted to use him as his right-hand, so that was a bit of a letdown all things considered. If he was the prophet, why didn’t Rhoam say anything? And how could Calamity Ganon choose Astor from the Dark World, or wherever he was sealed this time? Before playing my original thought was that Astor was basically like Agahnim — that is, a manifestation of Ganon that he uses to act while he’s still sealed in the Dark World, rather than an actual person who exists. But that doesn’t seem to have been the case, so . . . who knows.

Some of the maps could be really frustrating, in that the path to take either wasn’t clear enough or there were gates closed with no clear clues on how to open them, blocking off an outpost you needed to get it. My method of getting around this was usually to tell one of the A.I. characters to go there and then follow them (or switch to another character and tell the character I had been playing with to go there and trust the A.I. to accomplish it, etc) but it was still pretty annoying. That said, at least there were ways around it, and the maps themselves tended to be pretty big and well detailed, so I don’t hate the map design too terribly.

Did Sooga die? I honestly could not tell. On the one hand, it sure seemed like he died considering he was never again shown in a cutscene after Astor betrayed the Yiga Clan. On the other, I seem to vaguely remember seeing him on the battlefield sometimes and I find it very strange that Kohga wouldn’t mention wanting to avenge Sooga in particular if he was dead. But I honestly couldn’t figure out whether Sooga was dead or alive, so this goes in the neutral category for now because I don’t know whether to be mad about it or not.

The Cons:

NINTENDO. FUCKING. LIED. ABOUT WHAT. THIS GAME. WAS SUPPOSED. TO BE. Yes, that needed to be bolded, and yes, it needed to be in all caps. Nintendo advertised Age of Calamity as a canon prequel to Breath of the Wild. They did it over, and over, and over again. And do you know what? They lied! Because Age of Calamity is not, and could never be, a canon prequel to Breath of the Wild. It can’t be, because it’s an Everybody Lives AU that negates Breath of the Wild in its entirety. And as someone who downloaded the demo thinking that this was going to be a canon prequel—as someone who tried to hold out hope for that even with the warning signs in the demo—that made me really angry, upset, and concerned about the canon sequel. Because you see, Breath of the Wild merged the original three timelines so that we wouldn’t have to deal with split timeline nonsense anymore. But now Nintendo, for some incomprehensible reason given that Aonuma himself was allegedly the one who didn’t want to have to deal with split timelines anymore, went ahead and created a new one. And my concern is whether any of the bullshit that happened in Age of Calamity will affect Breath of the Wild 2 or not. Realistically it shouldn’t, given that Age of Calamity can’t lead into Breath of the Wild at all. But with the Neo Champions having gone to Age of Calamity to help them, I have concerns. Major concerns. If Age of Calamity affects Breath of the Wild 2 in any way, I’m going to be livid. And before I continue, let me just take a moment to say this: It’s not that I wanted to see the Champions be murdered, per se. I love all four of the Champions and I think that their deaths were absolutely tragic. But at the same time, that was kind of the entire point, or at least part of it. The fall of Hyrule and the death of the Champions were traumatic scars on the land. Countless people died that day, on top of the Champions being murdered in their Divine Beasts. Link himself technically died, or at least very nearly did. Entire villages were wiped out. You can still see those ruins on the landscape, untouched, crawling with monsters. But despite that, over the past 100 years, Hyrule has rebuilt. People are still alive, and are still thriving in different villages across the landscape. Many have not forgotten the past, especially those who had sent Champions to defend Hyrule 100 years ago. But they’ve still continued living, and in that, have refused to let Calamity Ganon defeat them. Moreover, the battle from 100 years ago is not finished yet. Zelda has trapped Ganon in the castle with her and waits for Link to come help her finish things, which they do. The Champions died, but Hyrule did not lose. Hyrule put the battle on pause until they could win, which they did. Breath of the Wild, through having a massive tragedy take place in its backstory, gives us a tale about how victory can be grasped from the ashes, about how you can be broken, but not beaten, and how you can still push yourself up and win no matter how long it takes. That is a beautiful, a powerful story, and taking the Everybody Lives route completely demolishes that.  So suffice it to say, I thought the story presented in Age of Calamity was complete garbage.

But honestly, it isn’t just the story completely demolishing and trashing all over the themes of Breath of the Wild that makes it bad, but it’s also what was done with the characters. There were so many pointless retcons of established story and character elements that were thrown completely out the window that a.) destroyed character relationships and b.) flattened characters and took away what made them well-written in the first place. As just a few examples: — It is established in Creating a Champion (the Breath of the Wild compendium) that Link pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal when he was around 11 or 12 years old, and thus was known to be the Hero from that point forward. Note that he had already been in the knights at this point; we know from Mipha’s diary in the original game that he visited Zora’s Domain as a small child and was already sparring with adult knights at that time (which seems crazy, but he is the Hero, so). Nevertheless, being the Hero made Link realize just how much was riding on him, and how everyone in the kingdom was now looking to him as the Hero who would save them, personally. This caused Link to completely shut down his emotions out of anxiety of letting the people down or disappointing them in any way. He also stopped talking for the most part, again afraid that he would say the wrong thing and disappoint everyone. But in Age of Calamity, this is thrown out the window. From a gameplay perspective I get that perhaps they didn’t want you to have the Master Sword at the start, but since you can keep strengthening the Master Sword anyway there’s no reason why they couldn’t have just started it off as a kind of weak weapon that you power up over time. More importantly though is that Link has the same exact personality that he had in the memories in Breath of the Wild, even though he is not the Hero at the start of the game. I mean, he is, but no one knows that yet, and as such he has no reason to be stoic and silent, because his reason for being that way in Breath of the Wild’s backstory is completely gone. We could have gotten to see a goofier, more personable Link (even if they still wanted to keep him mostly silent), but instead we got a stoic, silent Link for literally no reason. It makes absolutely no sense.  — As an added contradiction to the above, Mipha tells Link in Age of Calamity that he “hasn’t changed a bit” when they meet again in Zora’s Domain. This is in direct contrast to her diary, wherein she notes that the wild boy she met when they were both children has changed completely when they meet again as teenagers into someone stolid, though she’s not aware of the reason why. So once again, they doubled down on removing backstory that made Link into a more complex, well-written character. — To that end, Link and Zelda’s relationship is also rewritten entirely (and by rewritten, I mean “had all complexity stripped from it and with it any meaningful development). Since Link is appointed Zelda’s personal knight because he fights well instead of because he’s the Hero, Zelda has absolutely no reason to resent him being appointed her knight here like she did in the original history. You see, in the original history, Zelda resented Link for seemingly stepping into his destiny with zero effort given, and also thought (because of her own insecurities and the rumors that Rhoam told her to her face were being circulated about her being “heir to a throne of nothing”) that he looked down on her for not being able to awaken her powers and step into hers. For this reason, she spent most of her time either avoiding him or yelling at him, though she notes in her diary that she feels bad for doing so because she knows that it’s not fair of her to treat him badly when he’s technically just trying to do his job. It’s not until he saves her from Yiga assassins that she starts to do a hard reassessment of her treatment of him, and starts to try to get to know him better . . . which results in her getting him to open up to her, and her being able to open up to him in turn, and both of them becoming each other’s confidant. This in turn makes it understandable when it’s Link’s near death which finally allows Zelda to come into her powers; on top of having lost everyone and seemingly everything else, Zelda saw the one person she could be vulnerable in front of about to die protecting her. Link was so important to her by that point, regardless of whether you see her feelings for him as romantic or not, because he supported her emotionally on top of being there for her in physical defense. That is why her powers awakened when they did, why he was the final trigger. But in Age of Calamity, none of that happens. Zelda doesn’t resent Link because he’s not the Hero at the time he’s appointed her personal knight. Even when he gets the Master Sword later, Zelda is just sad about it rather than holding any sort of resentment or anger toward him. We never see them bond or become close; unlike in Breath of the Wild, where we have memories of Zelda trying to feed him a frog, opening a conversation about fate and destiny and whether one could make a choice in opposition to those things, or scolding him while patching up his wounds, all we get here are repeated scenes of Link defending Zelda from attacks. That’s it. We never see her have any sort of actual conversation with him, we never see them bond or have any non-battle related moments together. We certainly never get an indication that Link opens up to her either, which means that each time he protects her here it’s less “I’m protecting the one person who I’ve been able to open up to about who I really am” and more “it’s all about my paycheck.” Link and Zelda’s relationship, whether you saw it as romantic or not, was the core relationship in Breath of the Wild. And yet, in an alleged prequel (that wasn’t really a prequel after all!), it’s pretty much nonexistent.  — Moreover, Zelda’s character gets flattened, too. Here’s the thing about Zelda in Breath of the Wild: She’s written like a real person. She has many good qualities (selfless, devoted, intelligent), but also many flaws (stubborn, short-tempered, quick to judgement). The way Zelda decided she knew all she needed to know about Link right away and reacted accordingly (and by “reacted accordingly” I mean “treated him badly”) was a result of her flaws. But Zelda realizing that what she was doing was wrong and endeavoring to make things right was a direct result of her good qualities. Breath of the Wild’s Zelda is not a perfect person, not because she has a difficult time unlocking her powers (pretty much anyone would in her position, she was dealt the shittiest hand in the world), but because she’s a realistic person who has flaws and makes mistakes and is just doing her best in a world that is determined to knock her down at any opportunity. As a result, we see a lot of emotional range from Zelda throughout the memories in Breath of the Wild. We see her curious and inquisitive, we see her frustrated, we see her sad, anxious, angry, playful, determined, loving, impatient, brave. She’s a compelling character because she is a character, rather than the Deus Ex Machina perfect princess who exists only to either be rescued or be a holy figure who seals away the evil at the end. (Which I mean, she does seal away the evil at the end, but that’s far and away not the only thing she does.)  But in Age of Calamity we see . . . basically none of that. There are very brief moments where Zelda is curious about technology, or where she daintily laughs at something Terrako does. She does get determination and her anxieties wiped away after she awakens her power near the end. But for 90% of the game all we see from her is her being anxious or sad about her power. We don’t see her get irrationally resentful of or angry toward Link. We don’t see her getting impatient, making hasty judgments about people or animals (remember, she also judged her horse as unworthy of the royal bridle before Link helped her learn how to bond with her horse properly), or doing mischievous things like trying to make her personal knight eat a frog for Science. I’m going to be perfectly honest with you: While I deeply felt for Zelda in the flashbacks of Breath of the Wild, I got tired of her constant “:( I’m useless :(” angst in Age of Calamity. It got old pretty quickly. And most of all, I was so disappointed to see that the character I loved was now just here to be a woobie, rescued by Link half a dozen times and sad for most of the story. Breath of the Wild’s Zelda is my favorite Zelda, and she was done such an injustice in this game. It was immensely disappointing.  — Link and Zelda were not the only issues here, though. The way the Yiga Clan also needs to be talked about, and in order to discuss them, I have to first remind everyone of their history. So. 10,000 years ago. Civilization was thriving thanks to Sheikah scientists and innovators, who created things such as the Sheikah Slate, the Guardians, and the Divine Beasts. It was this technology that allowed Hyrule to triumph over Calamity Ganon the first time he came around to play (or at least that time that he came around to play), and they won pretty handily at that. However, the Hyrulean King at the time quickly grew suspicious and fearful of the Sheikah. Although the Sheikah had faithfully served the Hyrulean Royal Family for milennia due to their goddess-given oaths, the King of Hyrule felt that the Sheikah not only could, but would use their technology to rebel against Hyrule and dismantle the Royal Family. As a result, he: - Exiled the Sheikah from Central Hyrule, as well as any villages or towns where Hylians lived. - Criminalized Sheikah technology, which included imprisoning (or even executing) any Sheikah known to be conducting scientific research, as well as destroying Sheikah technology (or burying what could not be destroyed, such as the Divine Beasts and Guardians).  - Essentially legalized Sheikah oppression. The people of Hyrule backed the king in his decree, for the most part, buying into the bigotry and prejudice that spurred it on. The Sheikah had everything taken from them and destroyed: their homes, their research, their artifacts, everything. And while some Sheikah remained loyal to the oaths they swore to the goddesses and decided to keep peacefully in a newly formed, yet secret out of fear of retaliation, village (Kakariko), another group of Sheikah were rightfully fucking pissed at being oppressed and subjugated for no good reason, especially right after they helped save the world. Their opinion on the matter was “fuck that guy, AND his entire family.” These Sheikah became known as the Yiga Clan. Now, why they felt it was a good idea to side with Calamity Ganon is not entirely clear, given that destroying the world would also mean destroying them. But I think that on top of being furious with the Royal Family for this betrayal, they were also furious with the goddesses, because not a single goddess stepped in to defend them when they were being betrayed and oppressed. The Sheikah had kept loyal to their oaths for millennia, and yet this was how they were repaid. If you think about it like that, then the Yiga siding with the one who would destroy everything and everyone the goddesses had ever created makes a twisted kind of sense, even though it assures their own destruction right along with it. And now that we’ve refreshed that backstory . . . let us visit what happens with the Yiga in Age of Calamity. So. First, we see that Astor is the one who has convinced Kohga to go along with reviving Calamity Ganon, even though that doesn’t really make sense since serving Calamity Ganon has kind of been the Yiga’s thing from the get-go, and that they didn’t hate Zelda and Link because Astor told them to, but rather because Zelda was a member of the Royal Family (a.k.a. the people the Yiga have held a grudge against for 10,000 years), and Link is the knight defending her / the Hero. Next, we see that they’re completely aimless without instructions from Astor, which again, doesn’t really make sense considering their goals have always been pretty clear and they’ve been a tightly-run organization from the beginning no matter how bumbling Kohga is. Finally, Age of Calamity has them join the Royal Family and heroes despite this being the antithesis of what they’ve been devoted to for, again, 10,000 years.  And here’s the problem with that: In Age of Calamity, Kohga’s alleged reasoning for wanting to join with Zelda (and bowing to her, what the fuck) is because Astor used Yiga Clan foot soldiers (and I think Sooga? It was unclear) to fuel Evil Terrako to resurrect Calamity Ganon. Kohga felt betrayed by this and thus decided to take Astor down. Given that the Yiga Clan have been established to hold grudges over betrayal for millennia, Kohga turning on Astor makes sense. However, it was also already established that the Yiga wanted to revive Calamity Ganon to destroy the entire damn world even though it would mean their deaths as well, because they hated the Royal Family and goddesses just that much. So Kohga deciding to join the Royal Family, and actually bowing to Zelda, makes absolutely zero sense and cannot be excused just because they gave him a line about gagging at the fact that he joined up with Zelda. It’s a complete dismissal of and slap in the face to the legitimate reasons that the Yiga Clan had for defecting from the Sheikah, and does absolutely nothing to address the oppression the Sheikah people suffered as a direct result of the Hyrulean Royal Family’s laws. And yes, that was 10,000 years ago and Zelda herself had nothing to do with it, but we also have little evidence that the current Royal Family has done anything to change it, at least for reasons other than their own benefit. It’s stated in Creating a Champion that King Rhoam was the first king since then to reach out to the Sheikah to try to repair that relationship, and that he only did so when the prophecy about Calamity Ganon rising again was made. Moreover, he made sure to keep a very tight watch on the Sheikah scientists, indicating that he still may not trust them. So whiel the actual betrayal was 10,000 years ago, it’s clear that the Royal Family has not once in 10,000 years attempted to genuinely make up for the oppression that was forced upon the Sheikah, and so the Yiga Clan have every right to still be absolutely fucking furious about it. I can’t blame them for that at all, and I hated seeing Kohga bow to Zelda like that for that reason. (All of this said, no, it doesn’t excuse their other bastardry, such as stealing the Thunder Helm, or murdering the wife of someone who tried to peacefully defect and then threatening to also murder his young children if he didn’t continue to do Yiga missions. The Yiga do some truly fucked up things and that bastardry is not excused by their sad history. However, when it comes to the Royal Family their resentment and fury makes sense, and I hate that this wasn’t addressed in a game that wanted you to team up with the Yiga. They’re not the haha funny bad guys, they’re people who had a legitimate reason to be furious, and the Sheikah as a whole were never given anything remotely close to reparations by the Hyrulean Royal Family. This is something I hope is addressed in Breath of the Wild 2, although my expectations for that are pretty low.) — Finally, while a much lesser note than all of the above, I also found Riju’s characterization to be questionable. I might be misremembering her small part in Breath of the Wild, but while we learn from her diary that she does have some doubts about her ability to lead the Gerudo at her age (particularly given that the Thunder Helm was stolen from her), I don’t remember her having such low confidence, or being so meek so that she would constantly need Urbosa supporting her. I feel like they may have characterized her that way because she’s a child, which I mean, I guess I understand, but it just felt like an alteration of her character to me. I could be wrong since it’s been a while since I played through that part of Breath of the Wild, but that aspect of her character just felt off to me.

Moving on from the story and the characters, I also have to say that the amount of graphical inconsistencies in this game were really just . . . impressive in number. I’m talking specifically about Link’s different outfits, and whether he would actually be wearing them in cutscenes or not, because honestly? You could never know if he was going to be in the outfit you put him in, or if he was going to be in the Default Outfit for any given cutscene. I get the feeling that the difference lies somewhere in-between whether something was a pre-rendered cutscene or like, a quick time event one, but nonetheless it just felt incredibly sloppy and kind of defeated the purpose, at times, of being able to dress Link how you wanted him.

I had issues with the gameplay at times as well, apart from what I already mentioned before. Namely, I found it incredibly frustrating how sometimes, despite being locked on to an enemy, the Sheikah Slate apps wouldn’t actually target that enemy (e.g. Stasis activating on a bokoblin instead of the targeted attacking Lynel). Similarly, I wasn’t a fan of how A.I. characters couldn’t be easily pointed around the map at times, refusing to go to certain locations until you swtiched to them and forced them to go there (e.g. when you had to manually make them jump down to the field during the Akkala Citadel battle).

Why in the actual hell can you not a.) eat ingredients other than apples during battle to heal, and b.) BUY APPLES LIKE ANY OTHER INGREDIENT? Holy fuck it was so goddamn annoying having to go into random battles to try and scrounge up apples from crates and boxes, and only really being able to do it from lower level battles because higher level battles wouldn’t give them as readily to "increase difficulty” (more like to increase frustration). I see no reason why you couldn’t purchase apples from shops, or eat other food items like berries or fish like you could in Breath of the Wild. Apples didn’t even heal that much health, so you had to mash several of them at once late game, and you could only hold a small number and couldn’t buy more . . . frustrating. Just absolutely frustrating for no good reason. (Like if it was a harder difficulty restriction I’d understand, but for normal difficulty? Jeez.)

All in all, if Nintendo had just been upfront and honest about this being an alternate universe game from the very start, I probably wouldn’t have been as furious as the story as I was. I would have still been disappointed, but the anger wouldn’t have been there at the very least. But the weren’t honest—they lied in order to get people to buy the game, and so that dragged the score down along with everything else. While I did like some aspects of this game, overall I feel that it could have been so much better, and all I can hope is that none of it affects Breath of the Wild 2 in any way, shape, or form.

[misterewrites]

I get by with a little help from my friends (and Link)

Hey everyone! E here with a random story popped into my head! I needed to write this for practice for another project but I still had a lot of fun with it. So this story takes place in the wild timeline between Age of Calamity and breath of the wild. Like that weird middle ground where the champions were getting ready. Upfront I did as much research as I could cuz it has been a while since I played BOTW and I did use a wiki with some references to the game and such, avoided spoilers I think and I did kinda go with my own conclusion in some places for the sake of story cuz the wiki only knows so much and I can't replay the entire game again. Well I can but not in a short time for this story. Also some Light Zelda and link cuz they’re cute and if nintendo wont canon them, I will! 

So I hope you enjoy! have fun, stay safe, wear a mask and wash your hands! E is out! have a great week everyone! If you want to leave me comments or just have an easier time reading this story, it has been uploaded to Ao3. My user name is MrE42

“He’s still there, isn’t he?”

Impa shrugged, unsure what the princess was expecting her to say “You know he is.”

Zelda huffed, irritated at her father’s watchdog who silently kept watch just outside, stoic and stalwart in his duty to an annoying degree.

Zelda, princess of Hyrule and aspiring scholar, trained from birth to be poised and refined in the harshest situations, made a face towards the library door.

“I do not need a babysitter.” Zelda fumed as she filmed through the bookshelves “You are here Impa and far more suited to the task than my father’s knights.”

“Your knights” Impa corrected “And normally I would agree but with Yiga clan beginning to cause more and more trouble, you and the kingdom need my Sheikah to prevent their tricks. I am their leader and I have to lead. Same as you princess.”

“I know” Zelda replied, unable to keep out the frustration out of her voice “But I wish my father chose a...different person”

Impa rolled her eyes “We both know that Link is the most capable solider in the kingdom. He is without equal and you are only mad at him because your father chose him.”

“I am not a child Impa.”

“No but you are the magical princess whose power would help keep the calamity at bay. I can’t fathom why your father would want you protected at all times.”

Zelda glared openly at her best friend “Your sarcasm is noted and ignored.”

“Excellent” Impa beamed “But in all seriousness, these are dangerous princess. Your father caused quite a ruckus choosing a country bumpkin instead of the nobles lovely, incompetent children.”

Zelda shifted guiltily at the mention of the nobility. They were not pleased that the king of Hyrule had decided to entrust the safety of his only heir and future ruler of their kingdom to a nobody from Hateno Village. It did not matter that Link had come from a long line of knights whom had been protecting the land for almost as long as Zelda’s family had been ruling it. Nor did it matter that he was their most fierce and well trained warrior. He was not of nobility and it angered her that someone who simply wanted to do their best was being mistreated.

Even if she was guilty of the same crime.

“I just wish he appeared more human.” Zelda quietly admitted, hoping Link could not hear “He is emotionless. His gaze is entirely steely and he has not spoken a single word to me. He simply stands, watching and waiting.

“Judging?” Impa added.

Zelda glanced to the side shamefully “Judging. Judging that his talents are wasted on a princess who cannot even perform the single duty that has been entrusted to her.”

“I think you’re projecting.”

“And you are far too calm.”

Impa giggled cutely “Appearances. I’m as nervous as you princess but I know better than anyone how uneasy people get if their leaders show panic. Your powers will come when they come. You will figure it out.”

Zelda turned to the ninja leader fearfully “And if they don’t?”

“Then I’ll protect you.” Impa answered truthfully “Link will protect you and the champions will kick some ganon butt! You’re not alone so stop acting like it.”

“Thank you Impa.” Zelda moved in for a hug.

“Nope!” Impa took a step back “No, no, no! That’s not proper.”

“I order you to give your princess a hug.”

“…..sigh, yes your highness.”

-----

Zelda’s eyes twinkled with a rare softness as she, Link and Mipha watched the young zora prince Sidon swim so carefree in the deep blue waters of the lake. Link was further ahead of the two princesses, standing at the shore of the lake vigilante for any signs of trouble.

“He certainly takes his duty seriously.” Zelda murmured under her breath.

Mipha laughed softly “It is nice to see how age has calmed him.”

Zelda tilted curiously to the champion “Mipha, you’ve known Link since you were both children, correct?”

Mipha nodded in confirmation “Yes ever since he arrived with a group of knights on orders of King Rhoam. Even then he was courageous. Impossibly reckless however but I suppose that is simply who Link is.

Mipha’s soft laughter grew into a playful chortle. Zelda quizzically stared at her fellow princess.

“Sorry your highness.” Mipha waved her hand in embarrassment “I was just thinking to myself how much healing practice Link has gotten me. I suppose I am as proficient as I am thanks him.”

“Oh?”

“He was always getting into trouble.” Mipha began, her voice taking on a hue of nostalgia “Always injured after throwing himself head first into danger. He hated sitting still, allowing others to suffer for him. His shell might be more silent and stoic but he is still the kind boy I knew. That I…”

Zelda caught the slight longing in the zora princess’s tone “Mipha?”

“It is nothing.”

Mipha slipped into a comfortable silence but Zelda bristled uneasily at a sudden realization.

“Mipha….”

Mipha faced Zelda, worry and concern etched in the scholar’s face.

“Do you think…” Zelda spoke slowly “Link hates me? That his talented and training is wasted watching a princess who cannot even produce a glare of light. I drag him everywhere, fuming at his presence all while he watches with an endless vigil.”

Mipha gently placed her hand onto Zelda’s shoulder. Zelda felt a calming presence fill her body and a quiet peace that came with it.

Mipha gave a soft smile “Link knows better than anyone how hard you are trying. He knows how desperate you must be. He does not disdain your loathing. He simply is giving you the space you desire. His duty is everything to him and he will perform it to his dying breath. You are his princess. He will ensure your safety.”

Zelda said nothing and despite the calming peace she felt, the twinge of guilt began to eat at her.

“LINK!”

The tension broke as Zelda and Mipha glanced back towards the lake. Sidon giggled and chuckled at a full swim, rapidly heading for the shore and Link. Link, caught off guard in a rare moment, began to panic. He moved this way and that, frantically searching beyond the approaching zora in search for a nonexistent threat.

He realized, too late, what Sidon was up to.

With a mighty push, Sidon flew out of the deep blue waters and sailed through the air, hands outstretched as he collided with Link. Link flailed backwards, struggling to keep his footing but ultimately losing it. He fell backwards onto the shore, Sidon embracing him tightly a bone breaking hug. Even young, a zora was strong.

“Sidon!” Mipha chastised but before she could move closer, Link stood up with the still embracing prince, an evil glint in his eyes.

“Oh dear.”

“What is happening?” Zelda asked, unsure what was going on.

Link picked up Sidon, holding him high into the air as the young prince chanted “Do it, do it, do it!”

And just like that, Link spun around. Around and around, once, twice, five times building speed with Sidon’s cheers filled the air. Without warning, Link chucked the young zora through the air and back into the lake.

Sidon dove in wholeheartedly and broke the surface with a triumphant yell.

“20 feet! A NEW RECORD!”

Mipha rubbed her eyes tiredly “Boys.”

Zelda giggled softly as Link rose his arms in victory.

-----

“Daruk?”

“Yeah tiny princess?”

“Is that...a rock?”

“Yeah it is!”

“And why...is Link….eating the rock?”

“It’s prime rock roast! He got a real taste for it after the first time.”

“Oh. Right. I recall that now.”

Daruk bellowed with a hearty laugh “Dontcha worry princess, little guy might a hylian but he’s got the stomach of a goron! I bet he’d eat anything. Even some kind of dubious food that’s just too gross to look at. KEEP IT UP LINK!”

Link raised a thumb as he continued to chew on the rocky texture of the roast.

Zelda couldn’t help but smile the Daruk’s presence. His good nature and cheeriness were too infectious for even the royal princess to resist.

“Now what brings you out here tiny princess? Did you finally want to try out the roast? I can have cooks whip up a fresh, steaming one for ya.”

“What? Oh no.” Zelda quickly responded “No. I ate at home before we arrived so I am quite full. Perhaps next time. I am actually here to see if you needed anything.”

Daruk rubbed the back of his neck shyly “Aww thanks tiny princess! I appreciate it! Though if you don’t wanna eat the roast, you can just tell me. I know it isn’t everyone’s taste.”

“Oh. I am sorry I simply did not want to hurt your feelings.”

“Not to worry, I can’t be hurt!” Daruk beamed, posing heroic as an orangish translucent dome appeared over the goron chief for a moment, shielding him from the outside world.

The pair broke into a joyful laugh.

“Thank you Daruk.”

“Think nothing of it tiny princess. Though, now that you mentioned it I might need a little favor from ya.”

Zelda eagerly listened “Name it Daruk and I shall do everything in my power to ensure it done.”

“It’s about Rudania.”

Zelda’s heart sank “The divine beast? Is something amiss?”

“Oh no no no.” Daruk raised his hands as if to physically stop that line of thinking “Nothing serious. It’s just that that wonderful fantastic machine is able to have some alterations. The controls aren’t exactly goron friendly, ya know?”

“Oh! Hmm, I shall talk to Purah and Robbie. If anyone can alter Rudania, it is them.”

“Thanks tiny princess!” Daruk patted her back in a friendly manner. Zelda had to brace herself to make sure she didn’t fall sprawling to the floor.

Rudania.

Zelda glanced upwards Death Mountain, the divine beast in question clinging to the side the volcanic mountain as if keeping an eye out for the calamity.

The divine beasts, ancient Sheikah machines made of stone and an unknown source of power. Her father claimed these machines had been around since the dawn of Hyrule. Though information on these and other Sheikah made devices were contradictory at best and nonexistent at worst. Even Impa, clan leader, knew next to nothing about their functionality or purpose. Luckily for everyone Purah and Robbie had devoted their lives to the study of these machines and it was only thanks to the pairs ceaseless work (and Zelda would say sometimes obsession) that the champions could practice and grew proficient with their individual machines.

“How is your training with Rudania going Daruk?”

Daruk scratched the back of his neck anxiously “I wish I could say it’s going good but it’s not exactly a stroll in the lava, ya know?”

“Of...course.” Zelda nodded slowly, unsure what a stroll in lava would entail “Perhaps we can search for some sort of manual or instructions.”

“Nah” Daruk waved her off “We both know nothing like that probably exists but that’s alright. I’mma going just go for it and do my best!”

Zelda stared at the goron with admiration “I wish I could be as confident as you are.”

“I’m not!”

Zelda watched as Daruk’s face beaming grin melt into an uneasy smile

“I’m not confident” Daruk admitted “This is hard. This is a piece of technology unlike anything else in our little home. I have no idea how to use it or even if I’m doing it right. Heck, I don’t even know if what I’m doing is working. I’m a goron and I’m good at that but this? This is something else.”

Zelda felt that. Her inability to draw on her powers. Her failures and her father’s growing desperation pushing her to extremes, to find an answer regardless of the cost.

“But, I’mma gonna try all the same.”

Daruk’s smile returned. Not with happiness but with determination.

“That’s all we can do, right tiny princess?” Daruk chuckled “Do our best. Maybe it’ll be enough. Maybe it won’t but we gotta at least try.”

Zelda smiled “You are right Daruk. We must at least try. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome! Haha, for what?”

-----

Zelda could feel Link shift his weight back and forth ontop of the snow bank. The pair were bundled in winter gear, huddled close in an attempt to stay warm in the frigid chill of the snowy breeze. Though Zelda knew that wasn’t why Link was unhappy.

“You still here knight? Go home. You need to train some more if you want to keep up with me.”

Link’s face remained as impassive as ever but Zelda could see by the tensing of his cheeks that he was fuming: Revali had that effect on the knight.

She was unsure why the Rito had such a deep disdain for Link but it made it difficult to plan training exercises between the two. Even visits to check on Revali were scarce given the fact Link followed his orders diligently. Nothing would dissuade Link from his task, not even insults and mockery.

Zelda had been softening her stance on Link over the last few weeks. True she hadn’t reached the point where she completely accepted his presence but she no longer loathed him for it. It was not his fault her father was so stubborn and final in his decrees. He did what he was told and he did it with as much respect as he could muster. It was oddly comforting to have him near in the rare moment she was being honest. Whether it be researching any leads to unlocking her powers to her hobby of cataloging the various flora and fauna of Hyrule, he did not judge her. He watched in a quiet reverence, his eyes darting about for signs of danger so she would feel safe enough to focus on her task. And the more time they spent together, the more she realized he was more expressive than she previously thought.

His emotions were far subtler: A twitch of the ear, a raised eyebrow, clenching of his jaws. This is how Link spoke. This is how he displayed his emotions. Little signs easily missed unless you had been searching for them.

Not that Zelda was looking. That would be silly for her to simply stare at the knight accompanying her all across the kingdom, protecting her from the various threats found throughout. She was merely making observations like the good scholar she was. Link was no different than the flora and fauna she studied. Granted he was a much more interesting subject but….

“Princess.”

Zelda snapped out of her thoughts, her face flushed with embarrassment at her trailing thoughts.

“Are you well?” Revali cocked his head sideways “Your face is red. I rather you not get sick simply because you wish to stand in this cold.”

“I-it is nothing Revali!” Zelda stammered out “Perhaps a small chill. It will pass. I am here to…”

“To see if I need anything” he finished for her “No princess, unlike certain people” he eyed Link distastefully “I am fine.”

Link said nothing but rather shifted the weight on his feet once more.

“Link” Zelda turned to her knight “Perhaps you could patrol the area. I fear the winds are growing more fierce. I would not want to walk back to the castle among an ambush if there is a storm.”

Link remained silent but gave a rigid, steely nod. He caught Revali’s gaze for a moment then trudge off into the snow.

“I don’t why you bring him” Revali sneered “He’s a worthless knight.”

“If he’s so worthless, why do you waste your time berating him?”

Revali turned his head “Hmmph, if your knight is so fragile that a little mockery scares him off, he has no business being with us.”

“Revali!” Zelda began but was silenced by his outstretched wing.

“I am the best princess.” He spoke matter of fact “I am your greatest warrior. My skill is unrivaled across the kingdom.”

Zelda fumed but allowed him to continue.

“I have overcome many challenges and challengers to my title” Revali’s looked out to the various snowy hills and slopes of the mountain, the Rito village barely visible among the snow flurry “I bested them all. When you are so talented, many eyes will fall upon you and their expectations as well. They will say whatever they wish. You must ignore them. You must not allow their pitiful jealousy distract from your task, your goal. I am here to protect my people and for that, I must be the best. I must work with the best and I must train with people with some skill.”

“Revali, what are you…?”

Revali scoffed “You have kept me from training princess. Your knight might be the best among you but he certainly is no match for me. How is he supposed to survive the upcoming fight unless he fights with his all against a superior opponent.”

“I see” Zelda slowly caught on.

“Good. I will be at the castle tomorrow. Make sure your knight is ready for bruises and sores. I won’t have him die on us because he was being lazy.”

“Of course Revali. I’m sure Link will appreciate your concern.”

Revali huffed “I don’t like deadweight is all.”

Zelda said nothing but remembered that Link had won the champion’s last archery contest a few weeks ago.

-----

The desert was colder than you would expect at night but Zelda was not stranger to it. She loved coming out to the Gerudo desert with her mother, spending all day among the Gerudo and its splendor. It was quiet out here, bringing a rare peace not found in the city. The distant sound of thunder boomed but it was soft and enlightening more than frightening. It comforted Zelda.

“Thinking of her again little bird?”

Zelda nodded honestly, the desert stretched out before her as the twinkling stars glimmered beautifully overhead.

Urbosa, champion and her mother’s dearest friend, stood watch nearby.

Zelda turned back to Link, unable to keep the grin off her face as he remained slumped against the wall, his riding hood and cloak turned into a makeshift blanket. His breathing was slow and steady and while it was clear he was sleeping, she also knew that with one word from her lips he would awaken, ready for whatever awaited him.

She was glad he was resting at least. This had been his first trip to the desert and he had not quite been prepared for the intense heat nor the attention he received from the town. A male within its walls was a rare sight. She knew Link disliked attention above all else, except perhaps Revali.

She giggled at her joke.

“You seem more comfortable with Link than I remember.”

“Oh.” Zelda cleared her throat, willing her blush away “Well y-yes. Some of my conversations with the others have led to some interesting insight. Perhaps I had not been considerate towards Link. He is just performing his duty.”

Urbosa leaned in teasingly “Link now is it? Not the knight or he?”

Zelda’s blush spread rapidly throughout her cheeks.

Urbosa laughed loudly “You are far too easy to fluster little bird.”

“I am not flustered!”

“I don’t blame you” Urbosa glanced at Link’s sleeping form “He is quite handsome and not like most men.”

“Urbosa!”

Urbosa laugh once more “So it worked then?”

Zelda was confused “What did?”

“My distraction.”

“Distraction? From?” Realization washed over Zelda “Oh.”

Urbosa gave a solemn nod “I miss your mother terribly. She was an amazing woman and I feel her loss deeply now as I did then.”

Zelda tucked her legs under her arms “I feel like she would be disappointed in me. Not having unlocked my power. Chasing down lead after lead with nothing to show for it.”

“Don’t be absurd!” Urbosa scolded “She would be proud of you. Her beautiful daughter, a natural leader. Especially between Link and Revali. Hylia’s miracle you managed to wrangle them into line. I thought they were going to murder each other at their last training session.”

“I admit I was worried I was about to have to arrest one of them for murder.” Zelda admitted.

The two shared a laugh.

“Do not fret little bird.” Urbosa cupped Zelda’s cheek lovingly “She would think the world of you. She would want you to do your best, not hers.”

“I miss her Urbosa.” Zelda shed a single tear “I just miss her so terribly.”

“Me too little bird. But she lives on in you.”

Zelda clenched her fist, holding it close to her heart as she closed her eyes “I suppose I’ll just have keep at it.”

“That a girl. Now want to see something funny?” Urbosa grinned mischievously, a snap at the ready while she approached the slumbering form of Link.

-----

Link was unsure what to make of princess Zelda’s request to ask him some questions. It had been a few months since he was first assigned to her guard detail and while it had been rather rocky start, she grew to tolerate his presence and was almost friendly with him.

Almost.

Today started off no different than any other: Princess Zelda wanted to stretch her legs out in the fields. Link was used to this particularly outing. He noticed the princess often wished to leave the castle on the days her father was being forceful about her training her powers. Something that was happening with increasing occurrence nowadays.

Despite his lack of talking and general stoic disposition, he enjoyed his time with the princess. True most of it had been at a distance, carefully watching out for her safety but these last few weeks had been a nice change of pace. She allowed to walk closer to her, hadn’t scoffed or turned up her nose at him trailing behind her and became more visibly relaxed when alone with him.

Though she had also become more distracting to the young knight. Everyone knew the princess was beautiful but Link still hadn’t gotten used to it even after all this time. Every morning he would face that same beauty and every morning he would be thoroughly flatfooted at the sight of her. It was easier when she forced him to watch far away, when she spoke to and about him with a quiet disdain. She didn’t like him and he was just here to do his job. Nice, done and easy.

But lately the princess had been asking him to stay close regardless if they were traveling through the countryside or to the frigid Rito Village or the blazing furnace that was Death Mountain. She smiled often now, especially when she found a new plant or animal about. Link would be standing, vigilante when the princess would call for him and when he whirled around, sword at the ready, he found not monsters but the sight of the princess mid-smile and holding out some new thing for him to see, excitement twinkling in her eyes.

It was getting really hard to focus on his task.

“Link, are you alright?”

Link flushed, nearly tripping over himself as the princess broke him from his stupor.

They were sitting at peaceful meadow not too far the castle, the princess’s notebook at her side filled with her various observations and musings.

Link must’ve spaced out because he had not noticed the princess approach him, her face inches away from his.

“I am sorry.” She apologized “I did not mean to startle you.”

Link shook his head in disagreement, raising a hand to tell her not to worry.

“I-if you don’t feel comfortable answering my questions, you do not have to.”

Link gestured for her to continue.

“Link” the princess composed herself “Why don’t you speak?”

Link was caught off guard by the question. No one really questioned why he chose not to speak. Most assumed it was some strange choice by some stranger lad from the country. Or perhaps he could not speak. As long as he stabbed the bad guy, no one seemed to care beyond that and the more renown he gained, the more Link felt he needed to maintain the illusion, the stoic unflappable hero of Hyrule.

Well, until the real hero of Hyrule appeared.

Link mused for a moment, wondering how to best explain his situation to the princess.

“I’m sorry.”

Link was taken aback by the princess’s shameful tone.

“I….I did not mean to be so personal.” She began, eyes cast away from him “It….it just occurs to me I have known you for a few months now and yet I have never once heard you speak. I know I have not been most friendly person to you and I understand if you find me rude or perhaps annoying. I know watching me wade through the fields is not the most effective use of your talents.”

Link could feel panic setting in. He couldn’t let the princess blame herself! Especially now that she was making an effort to open up to him. Link licked his lips, willing the words to form into existence.

“I am sorry Link” Link’s heart fluttered at the sound of his name. She said his name! She said his name! She’s never said his name to him before!

“Perhaps I should just remain silent.” the princess went on “I am truly sorry for mistreating you and taking my frustration about my father out on you. You did not deserve that.”

Wait! No no no no!

The princess sighed dejectedly, turning away from Link.

Link bit his lip, taking deep slow breathes as he tried to form the words in his head.

-----

Zelda was disappointed but not surprised by Link’s lack of a response. She knew it might’ve been a little too late given her treatment of him but she had been hoping perhaps she could convince him that she was not as nasty as she appeared to him. Alas, it seems it was for naught.

“W-wait.”

Zelda blinked, unsure if she really heard what she thought she heard. She turned slowly to Link, surprised to see him with a hand outstretched, sweat forming upon his brow as he awkwardly moved his mouth as if trying to get it to work.

“D-did you say something Link?” She asked quizzically.

Link gave a short nod.

Zelda whirled around, knees against the grass as she leaned in closer, unable to get Link’s voice out of her ears.

Link gestured to himself, touching his chest with an open hand.

“You.”

Link nodded, wincing as he struggled to speak.

“I. Don’t. Like. Talking.”

Zelda was in awe at Link. For a warrior so fierce, so steely, so loyal his voice was soft. It was gentle and quiet like a breeze yet still lingered in her mind.

“You don’t like talking” Zelda repeated “I understand.”

Link nodded once before breaking into a toothy smile.

Zelda’s heart raced at the sight of the indifferent Link forming a full smile on his face. She pulled back, trying to will the red out of her hair.

Link tilted his head curiously towards Zelda before he closed the distance.

Zelda’s heart thundered in her ears as Link placed a cool hand upon her forehead, his face returning to its stony indifference but his eyes filled with worry.

“I’m fine!” Zelda waved him off, pulling away before she turned any redder “I...just thought of something.”

Link looked unconvinced but let it go. He stood to his feet and offered his hand to the princess.

Zelda stared up, the sun glowing brightly behind Link’s form as he waited patiently for her. She took his hand and he, firmly but gently, pulled her to her feet.

Link gestured to her horse.

“Yes.” Zelda nodded in agreement “Perhaps it is time to go home.”

Link gave a thumbs up and went to retrieve their horses.

Zelda pinched her cheeks with all her might.

“Urbosa was right. He is handsome.”

[nikibogwater]

Prince of Silence: a Breath of the Wild fanfiction

My renewed interest in Breath of the Wild has brought to my attention that I never posted Prince of Silence here on Tumblr. For those of you who aren’t aware, this was the first fanfic I ever wrote to break 100 Favorites on fanfiction.net (back before I realized AO3 existed and was leagues better), and was my magnum opus for nearly two years until the publication of The City Never Sleeps. It is still one of the stories that I am most proud of, in spite of its age. Anyways, I thought some of my mutuals might be interested in it, so here you are: A cute (at least in my humble opinion) oneshot featuring established Zelink, courtly love, assassination attempts, and a very awkward proposal.

Read on AO3

Or under the cut:

Ten years ago, on this day, near this very castle, Link and I sealed the Calamity Ganon.

Zelda paused for a moment, her quill hovering above the page. Behind her, a fierce wind rattled a windowpane noisily. After a bit of thought, she dipped it in the inkwell, and continued to write.

It feels as though it was only yesterday, yet looking around me, it may as well have been a lifetime ago. So much has changed, so much has been rebuilt. Though the scars of Ganon’s return will never fully fade, Hyrule has prospered like never before these past ten years. It is more than I could have ever dreamed of.

I had thought about celebrating with a banquet, now that we have a castle to host one in, but I know Link hates crowds, and he feels uncomfortable whenever someone brings up his role in the fated event. Besides that, he has been extra quiet lately. I think there is something on his mind, but it is hard to get him to tell me these kinds of things. It seems not everything has changed since the Calamity’s defeat.

She was interrupted by a soft knock on the door to her bedroom, and a familiar, warm voice calling softly, “Permission to enter, Your Highness.”

“Granted,” she called back, hastily closing her diary before he could see it. Link crept in as silently as a cat on the hunt, a somewhat unnerving skill he had picked up during his journeys. Compared to him, Zelda made quite a racket wherever she went. His face seemed to relax just a fraction when his eyes met hers, and there was a tiny upturning at the right corner of his mouth that spoke of infinite fondness. To everyone else, he was as cold and professional as he needed to be. But Zelda could always pick up on his telltale quirks and signs that let her know how he was feeling.

“I came to see if my lady requires anything of me before I retire.”

“Thank you, Link, but I think I’m alright. You can go to bed.” He nodded and gave a swift bow. But as he turned to leave, Zelda spoke again. “Wait.” He glanced back at her expectantly. “There is....something...” she murmured with a shy smile, the tips of her ears turning pink.

“What is it?”

Rather than answer him, she stood up from her desk, her skirts swishing as she crossed over to him. She stopped just a hand’s breadth away from him, cupped his face in her hands, closed her eyes, and tilted her chin up invitingly. There was a split second of hesitation, as he checked to make sure the door behind them was firmly closed, and then Link gently met her lips with his own.

Neither of them were quite sure how long it had been like this. They had been stealing secret kisses and covertly showing each other affection more or less for the past ten years. Sometime after Ganon had been sealed, Zelda managed to convince herself she had worked up enough courage to tell him how she felt. Unfortunately, when she found him standing before her, waiting to hear what she had to tell him, her stomach twisted into a knot and her mouth dried up so she could not speak. Desperate to do at least something with the opportunity she had, she darted forward and kissed his cheek.

They could not remember ever really discussing it afterwards, but somehow, they got a new system fixed into place. From then on, it simply became a habit to exchange furtive glances every now and then, or find more excuses than usual to hold hands. During brief moments of privacy, chaste kisses were hastily exchanged, as neither one of them was too keen on being discovered by chance and having this development of their relationship become fuel for the gossip mill. They did not particularly like the thought of their love being anyone’s business besides their own.

They parted after just a second, though Link did take the risk of fondly resting his forehead against hers for a moment, after he had stolen another cautious glance at the still-closed door.

“Will there be anything else?” he whispered. Zelda swiftly pressed another kiss to his lips before replying.

“That will do for now.”

“Then I shall bid you goodnight, my lady.” He drew back and offered a courteous bow before turning to leave. He faltered briefly by the door and brought his hand up to his shoulder with a slight grimace.

“What is it?” Zelda demanded, hurrying towards him.

“Just an old Guardian wound,” he assured her. “They ache whenever a storm approaches.”

“Curious...” the queen murmured, a familiar spark lighting up her eyes. “Could it be the result of dark magic? Or is it an element specific to Guardian lasers that causes the body to become sensitive to the atmospheric--”

“Sleep well, Zelda,” Link said with finality....and just a hint of amusement. ***** Heavy clouds rolled over the skies above Castletown like angry Gorons. Thunder growled ominously from time to time, yet the rain held back, as though waiting for something. Link sat on the edge of his bed, massaging his aching shoulder with a sigh of frustration. He could not remember receiving this particular wound which left him with the scar that stretched from the center of his chest, around his shoulder and behind his neck. Zelda once told him it was one of the reasons she had him sent to the Shrine of Resurrection, but said little more about it. She became so morose whenever she thought of that day that he did his best to hide the evidence from her whenever possible. She had said it was from a Guardian, and he had similar, albeit much smaller scars from later in his journey that also tingled a little whenever the weather took a turn. But it was his shoulder that caused him the greatest discomfort. It felt as though an immense boulder was being forced down into the space between his neck and arm, sometimes to the point that he was certain his arm would pop out of its socket if he tried to move it. The only thing he could do was wait, and try to keep his muscles as loose as possible until relief eventually found him.

Tired of waiting for sleep that would not keep company with such pain, he stood up, donned his Champion’s tunic and sheath, and walked out into the hallway outside of his bedroom. He paced across the red carpet restlessly, rolling his shoulder back and forth as he gingerly rubbed the smarting wound. A routine security check around the castle interior would hopefully ease the pressure and allow him to get some sleep. As he passed Zelda’s bedroom, which was practically right next door to his, he paused and listened. All was still, as it should be. Satisfied, he began to continue, when a very soft thud stopped him in his tracks.

Link knew the sounds of the castle. He knew the sounds of his queen. He knew the sounds of the knights and servants who resided there. That thud was not a native sound. It was the distinct impact of a light frame jumping to the floor while making as little noise as possible. He was very familiar with it, as it was one of the noises he had never quite been able to silence when he practiced stealth maneuvers. He also knew that it did not belong in his queen’s bedroom at this hour of the night. And when not a split second later, he heard said queen give a startled squeak before abruptly falling silent, he knew exactly who had made it.

The Yiga assassin did not know what hit him. One moment, he had the queen’s neck firmly in his grasp with a sedative treated rag pinned against her face, ready to drive his sickle into her gut the moment she was unconscious, and the next, he was on the floor with a boot crushing his chest and a sword at his throat. Link stared down at him with a look of such intense loathing he might as well have had a serpent pinned under his foot. Behind him, Zelda collapsed beside the bed, clutching her throat and gasping for air. The sedative had not taken full effect yet, but a few of her senses had been overwhelmed, leaving her weak and breathless.

Link took stock of the situation very quickly. They were at least three stories above ground level, but Yiga were expert climbers. Had the rain come any sooner, it would have deterred them, but the clouds had held firm just long enough to provide a window of time in which to slaughter their target. Speaking of windows, he distinctly remembered Zelda’s being closed and locked when he came to say goodnight. That meant someone from inside the castle had unlocked it from the inside, someone who had access to the queen’s bedroom. All of this flashed through his mind with blinding speed and precise clarity, so that he had worked out the entire thing by the time the assassin had collected his senses enough to start struggling.

Under normal circumstances, Link would have liked to think that this scoundrel stood no chance against him. But just when it was most important that he be at the top of his game, the thunder gave another ominous roll outside, and as if in response, his shoulder spasmed so intensely, he could not stop his hand from flying up to it and clutching it in agony. Then before he could gather himself, Link felt a slicing pain across the back of his leg, and jumped backwards with a hiss. He had forgotten some of the Yiga’s tricks in the last ten years, such as the kunai they always kept equipped below their wrists for situations just like this one. The assassin reached for his Vicious Sickle, only to find that Link had liberated him of it and flung it across the room during their first encounter. While he was distracted by this discovery, Link took the opportunity to slam his sword hilt against the Yiga’s head, and although it clearly disoriented him, it did not have the desired effect of rendering him unconscious. He still had enough sense to ram his fist into the knight’s gut and set off a smoke bomb. Link dove to shield Zelda in case the assassin tried to use his momentary blindness to finish off the queen, but as the smoke began to clear, there was no sign of the attacker anywhere in the room. He had chosen his life over his mission, and teleported out. Link let out a frustrated growl, then turned his attention to the still-shaken Zelda.

She was winded and dazed, but unharmed. He breathed a prayer of thanksgiving to the goddesses as several guards, who had been alerted by the sound of the smoke bomb going off, came barreling into the room in a panicked frenzy, readying their spears against a now absent enemy. Link was going to have a few things to say to them later about their lack of form when it came to responding to dangerous situations.

“Whasgoinon?” one of the younger ones slurred, having clearly just been awoken from an on-duty nap. Nonetheless, Link chose to set aside his grievances with them for the time being and answered the question instead.

“One of the Yiga has attempted to assassinate our Queen. He teleported out, but there could still be others within the castle grounds. Alert the knights and have them search the area. One of you should also investigate Gretchen’s room in the servants’ quarters. I have reason to believe she was involved.” Zelda’s hand fisted against his tunic and she shuddered. It was not the first time someone had tried to assassinate her, nor the first time one of her own servants was involved, but such an attack and betrayal of trust still left her reeling. Link’s arm tightened reassuringly around her shoulders. The guards bustled out of the room with a hasty salute and tremulous “Yessir!” to their captain.

“L-Link...” Zelda rasped as he turned his attention back to her. “Your l-leg...” He looked down to find the cut on his leg enthusiastically gushing blood all over his ripped trousers. Had he not been a knight and in the presence of a lady, he probably would have cursed. As it was, he let out a quiet groan of frustration and quickly apologized for staining her carpet. “Oh, for Din’s sake, Link...” she sighed. She shakily got to her feet with his help, clinging tightly to his forearms in case she toppled over again. After a minute, she steadied herself, and began leading him towards her bathroom, where a medical kit was kept beside the sink. “Come on, let’s take care of that.” ***** The castle was a whirlwind of activity for the next few days. Every key was confiscated, every lock was replaced, and every staff member questioned. Zelda’s maidservant Gretchen was, of course, nowhere to be found. A search of her belongings yielded a few correspondences written in Ancient Sheikah, leading Link to believe that this had not been a spur-of-the-moment attempt. The Yiga had been planning this for quite some time, using Gretchen as a means to achieve entry into the otherwise secure castle. Throughout the whole investigation, Link all but chained himself to Zelda’s side, shadowing her more intently than ever before. She supposed it should have irritated her, but the attempt on her life and the revelation of her maidservant’s betrayal left her feeling deeply violated and shaken. As a result, she dearly appreciated Link’s constant presence. The world could fall to pieces around her, but as long as he stayed beside her, she knew they would be alright.

However, there was something about her beloved knight that was bothering her. He seemed far more tense around her than usual. At first, she attributed it to the shock of the assassination attempt, but when she thought about it, he had been acting strangely for several months now. It had only intensified in the weeks since the attempt. It was as though they had relapsed into the days before the Calamity, when he refused to speak freely with her and others around him. He was reluctant to make eye contact with her as well, and often stumbled over his words like an inept schoolboy. Once or twice, she caught him staring at her with the strangest look on his face, while his hand fiddled with something in his pocket. She tried to give him his space, trusting that he would come to her of his own volition in time, but she was starting to miss the way he used to surreptitiously twine his fingers with her when no one was looking, or let her steal secret kisses even when he was technically on duty.

He has become so distant lately, she wrote in her diary one evening. I’m almost afraid I’ve done something wrong, but he doesn’t seem angry with me specifically. Something else is bothering him.

She paused for a moment, and glanced at the rainbow of purple and orange shining through her window. It was a beautiful Autumn evening, every leaf dancing like feathers on the wind in a glorious show of color. The queen let herself pout for a minute. It was too lovely outside for the problems she had to deal with. She did not want it to be so beautiful when she could not properly share it with the one she loved. She looked back down at her diary, dipped her quill, and resolutely wrote on the next line, I’ve had enough. ***** Darkness cloaked the sky in velvety black. The stars glittered like diamonds and the moon shone like a pearl. Zelda sat cross-armed on the edge of her bed, tapping her foot impatiently. When Link came to say goodnight, she was going to put an end to this nonsense once and for all. When at last, she heard his knuckles softly rapping on her door, she jumped off her bed, marched across the room, and wrenched the door open aggressively.

“Permission to--gah!” Before he could finish, Link was yanked forcefully into the room by his collar. Zelda shut the door behind them with an ominous click, and stood staring at him fixedly for a minute. “M-My lady?” he stuttered.

“Link, it has come to my attention that there is something bothering you,” the queen announced stiffly. “You have been unusually distant these past few weeks, ever since before the assassination attempt.” Her voice softened a bit. “Tell me the truth; have I done something wrong?” She would have been lying if she said she did not feel immense relief when his guarded expression relaxed into one of affection.

“No, Your Highness. You’ve done nothing,” he answered softly, yet firmly.

“Then what has you so....unsettled?”

“I...” He gaped for a moment, searching for the right words. Oddly enough, she saw his hand briefly stray towards his pocket again.

“Link,” she murmured, taking a step towards him and resting a hand on his shoulder. “Please tell me what’s troubling you.” He struggled for a minute, avoiding her gaze. Then, he seemed to come to a decision. His expression hardened into impassive determination again, and he finally looked her in the eye for what felt like the first time in ages.

“My lady, I am worried for your safety,” he said in a rigidly calm voice. Zelda blinked a few times in surprise.

“But...you’ve been by my side more than ever these last few weeks. I’ve never been more protected in my life.”

“There are limits to what I can do to ensure your safety.” His voice was uncomfortably formal. “When you retire for the night, you are left alone in your bedroom, and susceptible to attack.” Zelda took an abrupt step backwards.

“Wha-what are you suggesting, exactly?” she demanded hotly.

“My lady, I have thought long and hard about this, and...I believe it would be beneficial if I stayed in your room to protect you while you slept.”

“Excuse me?” Zelda squeaked, a rush of indignation coloring her cheeks red. “Do you realize how utterly improper--”

“I am aware that this is a violation of the knights’ code, but I believe I’ve found a way to override this standard,” he interrupted. His voice was still level and controlled, but his words were coming a bit faster. “Please understand that I would not ask this of you if I did not believe it to be in your best interest.” With that, he took her hand in his, and dropped quite suddenly onto one knee.

“What on earth are you--” Zelda began, then abruptly froze as the realization hit her like a shot from an Octorok.

“My lady,” he said quietly, then paused. “Zelda,” he amended, looking up at her with such a pleading look in his eyes that she would have laughed if she had not been so shocked. “Will you allow me to fulfill my duty to protect you from all harm at all times? Will....Will you marry me?”

Zelda breathed out a soft Oh in understanding. She felt girlish butterflies erupting in her stomach as unwelcome tears of joy rose to her eyes. She quickly swallowed and schooled her emotions, staring down at him with a guarded expression. “Is this....something you truly desire, Link?” she asked carefully. She knew in her heart what the answer was, but she needed to hear him say it first.

“More than anything,” he answered firmly.

“Th-then...” Zelda ordered her voice to stop shaking. “Then I shall grant your request.” And with that, she dropped the facade, tugged him to his feet, and kissed him, over and over again until she had to stop to breathe. She did not realize she was crying until she felt his hand tentatively brush her cheek and thumb her tears away gently. “Goddesses, Link,” she gasped, holding his hand against her face and laughing breathlessly. “Only you would use an assassination attempt as an excuse to propose.”

“S-sorry,” he mumbled, flushing a becoming shade of pink. “I got too scared whenever I tried to ask before.”

“So....may I see what’s in your pocket now?” Zelda asked coyly. She had a pretty good guess as to what it was.

“Oh, right. I forgot.” Link took his hand back and fished around in his pocket for a moment, struggling to fasten his still-trembling fingers around the object within. At last, he got it out and placed it in her left hand. It was nothing particularly special, just a plain, silver ring. Link refused to accept pay for his position as Zelda’s personal knight, and had few Rupees to spend on personal items. But to the queen, it was more beautiful than all the precious jewels in the castle treasury. “Y-you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to, of course. I just thought I should try to make this as proper as--” She cut him off by pressing her lips to his once again.

“I’ll never take it off as long as I live,” she vowed. ***** It would not be until years later that the Hylian commonfolk learned of what had transpired that night between the queen and her appointed knight. Since Link and Zelda were still uncomfortable with the idea of their relationship being put in the spotlight for the public eye, they did the sensible thing and simply eloped; took a research trip down to Tarry Town and came back married. Of course, rumors spread quickly as to the nature of the silver ring that had mysteriously appeared on Link’s left hand. These were accompanied by unproven claims that the queen wore a matching ring on a chain around her neck, but kept it hidden beneath her high-collared gown. Still more stories circulated around town that the queen and her knight had been caught kissing in a pantry in the castle kitchens, but the cook who supposedly saw them had been known to weave more than a few tall tales in her time, so her claim was usually taken with a grain of salt.

When the queen gave birth to the crown prince two years later, it finally came to light that she was, in fact, married, and Hyrule had an official Prince Consort. People had often wondered what position her silent companion held and why he was always inexplicably at her side for even the most mundane of governmental affairs. Apparently he’d had a hand in running the country for quite some time now. Some called it scandal, but Kapson the Zora priest was able to produce a marriage license with a date from two years previously, proving that they had indeed upheld the knights’ code of honor and Hylian social standard. The code never said anything about publicity, so at the most, people could only feel offended for not knowing what was none of their business in the first place.

Government records in Hyrule have since made a few references to The Silent Prince of Hyrule, but over time, his true identity was lost to the pages of myth. There was, however, a queer passage written in the Royal Book of Genealogy that described Queen Zelda of the time as “Hyrule’s Happiest Monarch.” The section seemed to have been penned in by a previously unseen hand, and no script was ever found later in the text that matched the penmanship.

Historians presume they lived happily ever after.

[attllhak]

Flora’s Musings

So, here’s the WingAU fic I mentioned. It’s the first one I wrote and features the fun trope of “The Unreliable Narrator That Is History”, which I had a lot of fun with.

I, don’t have a tag list for this AU at this point. So, this part is just my preamble I guess. So, preamble over, here’s the fic.

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Zelda ran her fingertips between her shoulder blades. She tried not to think about what wasn’t there.

Her wings would come in, she hoped, no she knew they would. They had to. As the princess fated to stop Calamity Ganon it was her duty to unlock her sealing powers, face him, and earn her wings.

It was why she was down here now, in the hidden and secret library they’d excavated. No one cared about this area of the castle, but Zelda loved it there. It was so full of knowledge, and there were records about the Queens and Princesses of the past, ones who had wings themselves.

It was certainly a good excuse to hide down there and do research.

There weren’t many documents on the founders of Hyrule, but she’d translated a few of the ancient texts and had learned much. Apparently her powers came from the fact she was descended from Hylia herself! There were exactly three paintings of her down there, and all of them were old and weathered. Two, one of her alone and one next to her husband, the first King of Hyrule, who was holding the Master Sword, his own wings giving him away as the first of Link’s incarnations, were so old almost all of the colour was gone. The last one, however, had been tucked into a book and, protected from the elements, retained some of its colour.

The goddess reborn had gold wings, bright and shining and as beautiful as everyone expected them to be. Her Hero, however, had red wings, a bright crimson with soft gold flight feathers. What was more, this painting seemed to depict them in their downtime, the goddess still dressed up and all, but leaning over the edge of her throne. Her Hero sat on the dias and leaned against the throne, and was messing with something in his hands that the goddess seemed to be watching, though age obscured what it was. It was entirely unprofessional and sweet, and it made Zelda happy. It made them seem less like untouchable figures of pure good and more like real people. She liked that they were people too.

There was only one picture of the next Queen, and it was so old and weathered that Zelda was scared to touch it lest it crumble into dust. This queen had smaller wings, though Zelda couldn’t tell what colour they were supposed to be. Her Hero was there too, and he had four wings, and Zelda couldn’t be sure but it almost seemed like each wing was a different colour. She couldn’t find any other record of these two, and so she’d taken a picture of the image on the Sheikah Slate to preserve it. This painting was important.

One of the Queens came from the point in history called the Split, a strange period of several thousand years where very different events happened at the same time. They had, through the records in the castle libraries and the temples across Hyrule, figured out this Queen had lived three different recorded lives. Regardless, she always looked the same, or similar at least, in all of her lives. She was a warrior, and her wings, indigo and white and flecked with gold, were always held in a way that showed pride.

Her Hero wasn’t always with her, in two of her lifetimes she ruled alone. In one of them, her Hero had died trying to fight Ganon, and was buried with wings wrapped about him, as was traditional for Heroes and their Queens. The Queen had been Princess then, the books say, and was only 17. I made Zelda uneasy, Link had turned 17 just a few months ago, and her 17th birthday was fast approaching. To think the Hero of Time could die at 17 made her worried for her own Hero. The next of the two he just, wasn’t there. There was no record of the Hero after he defeated Ganon, he just vanished without a trace. Zelda still wanted to know why. The last life gave the most information on the Hero, but he wasn’t listed as a Hero at all. There was no fight in this life, just peace and a failed arrest. As far as historians could tell, this was the most accurate life of hers, but Zelda wasn’t so sure. After all, she and the head of her Royal Guard both had wings. Something had to have happened. These were the only records of the Hero of Time where his wings were visible. A beautiful metallic copper, with darker bronze flight feathers. He seemed to keep them close to his body, like he didn’t want anyone to pay attention to him or them. He apparently married a farm girl in this life.

There were different heirs in each of these lives. For the first life the Queen was a fighter, one with all kinds of magic at her fingertips. Her wings were pink and red, and when she spread them a little bit of gold could be seen at the base of them. This was a Queen who never shied away from the many, many issues her people faced. And many issues there were, records argued whether the number of quests her Hero went on was five or six or twelve. He seemed grumpy in every painting, but after seven-ish quests Zelda would be too. His wings were pink, a million different shades at once. He also seemed to prefer long tunics or dresses to pants. Apparently he didn’t like pants.

After them came a pair of Queens. Zelda initially thought they were cousins, but apparently one was the other’s ancestor, as bizarre as that was. Only one of the two had wings, a soft amber or honey colour, a safe, warm brown. The Princess didn’t have wings, but was no less important if the records and paintings were to be believed. Their Hero didn’t look like much, but his wings, a deep, dark green with earthy brown flight feathers, told of his heroics enough that his looks didn’t have to. Records said he married the Princess, but they never had children, instead helping the Queen raise her bastard twins as a group. Zelda wondered if perhaps the three had all been together, so to speak, and the twins were actually his.

In the second life, there was only one heir, a woman who was named ‘Tetra’ and not Zelda. Her wings were blue, with red separating the blue from gold flight feathers. It was a beautiful colour. Her Hero was usually pictured at her side, his silver tipped sea foam green feathers shining next to her. Those two were always painted outside, and usually on a boat of some kind.

Following the timeline that was decided to be ‘true’, the Queen following the Queen of Three Lives was her great-granddaughter. Her wings, sleek and graceful, were solid black save for the lowest layer of feathers, which was a soft golden-orange colour. Her Hero was hardly ever at her side, history said he spent most of his time in his home village or on assignments for the Queen. Zelda didn’t know if they didn’t get along, or if he hated the city and castle, or why it was that he was never around his Queen, but there was only one painting of him next to her. His wings were big, wide and strong, a range of soft oranges with a rare black feather scattered across them. He also wore a strange charm on a rope around his neck, but no one seemed to know what it was.

The only other Queen, save for the one from 10 000 years ago, was one with a story so outlandish that historians debated on whether or not she was real. She always held a sword or bow in hand, and her wings were either spread for flight or held in close for combat. They were gold, with white flight feathers that seemed to go indigo at the base of each feather. Black flecked the gold, making it obvious she was a fighter. Her Hero was always with her, his wings out behind him, flared up in a show of pride or confidence, a rallying cry for his troops. They fought in a war, so the records claimed. His wings were gold, shiny silver spots scattered over his wings, not dissimilar to the stars in the sky, that made his wings look like they glittered. He was beautiful, as was his Queen, and it was clear that the two were very close.

There weren’t any records on the wings of the Queen 10 000 years ago, nor her Hero, and Zelda didn’t know why that was. Perhaps those records were lost when the Sheikah split. It was unlikely she would ever know.

Zelda didn’t know when her wings would come in, and some days she feared they never would. It was a comfort at least that Link’s wings hadn’t come in yet either.

He found her a few hours later, bringing her a blanket and some food. He sat with her and politely signed a request for her to read to him. They read all through the night, and Impa found them the next morning, Zelda leaned over the desk with her head on her arms and Link leaning on the side of her desk, head tilted back and drooling. She left them there.

When the Calamity hit and she didn’t get her wings she felt like such a failure, especially since Link’s wings had just broken skin a few moments ago, greyish brown wings that were still all fluff coming through the slits in his tunic designed to accommodate them.

She sat next to him in the Shrine of Resurrection, just before they sealed it. His wings were still small, they had never had the chance to come in fully before he fell. She reached over and brushed hair from his face, watching his relaxed features and ignoring the burns on the rest of his body.

“Don’t worry, Link,” she whispered. “I’ll make sure they’re all safe until you wake up,”

She marched on the castle then, staring down the Calamity and ready to give everything she had to keep him at bay.

She reached forward, holding her hand out to the monster and ready to fight. She could feel the triforce on her hand burn in response, her body spilling a radiant golden light. The monster dove for her, and she held her ground, eyes open and ready to stand and fight.

A push on her shoulders, then the pressure bursting and wings spread out behind her.

Blue and white feathers sat on the ground where she was moments before.

(---)

Link stepped into the castle, tiny wings fluffed up in anxiety and nerves making them quiver. He paused as he moved towards the heart, lifting one foot.

Under his boot, was a pair of blue and white feathers, perfectly preserved from when they fell there 100 years before.

[songbirdstargazer]

Resume Chapter 7, Goron City

This definitely isn't three days late

Why would you think that

I think I might have hesitantly settled on an update schedule of an update every other week? Maybe on a Sunday or Monday? Maybe? I struggle a little with schedules (if you've been following this story you probably know that though) so this is very hesitant and might not happen as well as I'd like, but I'm working on it?

Well, anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

oO0Oo

Zelda wiped the sweat from her brow, tying her hair back into a high ponytail. The heat was stifling, even with the fireproof elixirs that Link had bought at the stable. They were tromping up Death Mountain, on their way to see the leader of the Goron people and fellow Champion, Daruk.

Zelda wouldn't admit it, but she was apprehensive, especially after what happened at Zora's Domain. That's not to say that she didn't deserve it, because she did, but it ignited all the worst fears smoldering in the corners of her mind. Did the champions resent her? Did… did Link resent her?

She hoped not, but she couldn't blame them. It was her fault that this all happened. If only she could have just done what she was born to do earlier…

She didn't want to know. She didn't want to do much of anything, really, until she could get her thoughts sorted. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen.

She sighed. No use dwelling on it now. All she could do was keep walking.

oO0Oo

Goron City was just as she remembered it. Gorons rolled along metal bridges, never paying mind to the slowly flowing magma just underneath. Children laughed, playing their games without a care in the world as shopkeepers shouted their wares to the passing Hylians and Gorons.

Zelda sighed. It reminded her of Castle Town. They carefully crossed the hot iron bridges, making their way toward Daruk's house. He met them outside with a boisterous greeting, and Zelda's eyes were immediately drawn to the chipped rock all along his left arm. She looked away. Unfortunately, Daruk saw this. "Tiny princess! It's great to see you! We saw you and the little guy kick that pig seven ways to Tuesday! You two are alright, right?"

A small smile came to the princess's face at Daruk's usual cheerfulness. She was among friends. "Yes Daruk, I think we both are fine. Uh, pardon me for saying this but… what happened to your arm?"

Daruk's smile never dropped as he quickly changed the subject. "Just a scratch from the blight, I'm fine. He didn't stand a chance! What brings you two up here, anyway?"

Zelda tried to keep her smile plastered on her face. Someone else hurt because of her. Speaking of which, what was he talking about? A blight? She set that thought aside to mention later. "We actually came to talk to you about Goron City. Is there somewhere it would be best to talk?"

oO0Oo

Later, as Link and Zelda walked down from Daruk's house and back to the inn, Zelda contemplated how resilient her people were. Daruk had informed her that not only were the monster camps on Death Mountain taken care of by the Gorons and some brave Hylians, they had also started to push off the volcano, taking back control and stopping any major damage.

The princess smiled to herself. Her father would be pleased. She'd have to pen a letter once they reached the inn. They had actually planned to leave immediately in order to make it to Rito Village by the next day, but Daruk had invited them to a Goron feast, and, well, Zelda wasn't one to refuse him.

Once they reached the inn, Link walked to the desk to check in with the elderly goron sitting there. Zelda wandered to the stone surfaces and got out her stationary, wincing as she sat down on the hard surface. She needed to inform her father of the situation with the Zoras.

oO0Oo

Time passed quickly, and before Zelda knew it Link was offering his arm to her to escort her to the center of town, where Daruk, as well as several other gorons, were waiting. They crossed the short distance arm in arm, not talking much. The close contact was enough, especially after writing out the conversation with the King Dorephan for her father.

Link only let go of her arm when they reached the huge tables the gorons had set up. They approached the Goron chief, who greeted them boisterously for the second time that day, speaking loudly over the chatter of the crowd around them.

"Hello, Daruk! Thanks again for inviting us, we've had such a great time so far! It's been much better than travelling!"

"Of course, tiny princess! I'd never pass up seeing you and the little guy again! Now, enough talking, let's get eating!"

Zelda could practically feel Link brightening at the thought. She laughed at his expression, taking a seat on the stone bench. She quickly sobered when she remembered what she needed to talk to Daruk about.

She contemplated how to go about it while they were served, but she brightened as she watched Link and Daruk scarf down the food (or in some cases, rocks) in front of them. Laughing merrily, Zelda let herself relax and enjoy the time with dear friends.

Unfortunately, as all good things do in Zelda's experience, it had to come to an end. And with the Gorons stumbling home slowly, inebriated from the various ales they had enjoyed, Zelda knew the topic had to be discussed. She took a deep breath in, and began.

"Daruk, may I ask you something?"

Daruk looked up from the pint of ale he was drinking and grinned. "Of course, tiny princess! What's got you so glum?"

Link looked over to her at this, brow slightly furrowed. She met his worried gaze for a moment, but looked away, pursing her lips. She looked back to Daruk, who was also starting to look a little worried at the exchange.

"I… I was just wondering about the blight you mentioned… What was it?"

Daruk's face dropped, scowling momentarily into his cup. He quickly schooled his face though, looking back up at her with a neutral expression.

"It's nothing to worry about, just something Ganon spawned in Rudania. Had to fight it off to get control of the Divine Beast back. Not much trouble."

Zelda frowned at his clipped tone, glancing back at Link. He tilted his head from Daruk to his empty plate, then up to her. She shared a glance with him, and Zelda knew he was just as worried as her. She changed the subject.

"Well, it's getting late. We better be getting back, especially if we want to get to Tabantha by tomorrow. Link, are you ready?"

Link nodded quickly to her and stood, and she turned to Daruk, who had done the same.

"Thanks for the visit, princess, little guy! It was good to see you again! You get back down the mountain safely, alright? I'll see you again soon!"

A small smile came to the princess's face at the renewed enthusiasm as she left the table, waving. She looped her arm around Link again, leaning on him slightly as they walked.

Zelda contemplated bringing up Daruk's aversion to the topic of blights when they reached the inn. Link left her side again, though, to talk to the innkeeper about when to wake them up, and she walked slowly to the bed, pulling the curtain to change. The topic remained unapproached the short rest of the night.

oO0Oo

The next morning, Link and Zelda rose early, packing quickly and silently. As they walked out of the inn and down the sleepy mountain, the princess mourned the fact that they couldn't stay longer. Unfortunately, they were on a tight schedule, and they needed to leave now if they wanted to reach Rito Village soon.

It didn't stop her from missing the friendly and judgement free hospitality of Goron City, though.

oO0Oo

I hope you enjoyed, and I really appreciate constructive criticism if there was something you noticed. Comments are wonderful. Thanks for reading!