Chapter Text
“Make me a sword.”
“Who’s there?” Link asked.
“Make me a sword, please?” The unknown voice questioned.
Link was certain he was dreaming. The air around him was hazy. Unsure of where he was or, in fact, if he was anywhere, Link decided the polite thing to do would be to answer.
“You want me to make a sword for you?” He asked.
This wasn’t an unusual request. He had almost fully taken over Grandpa’s blacksmith business. Anyone in town who needed metal work came to him, while grandpa enjoyed his retirement.
“No” the disembodied voice sounded almost annoyed now, “I want You to make Me a sword.”
The emphasis in its words did little to clear up its intended meaning. Link didn’t understand and said as much.
“I want you to make me into a sword,” the voice responded. “I want to be a sword.”
This was not a request Link had heard before. He wasn’t even sure he could do something like that.
“Are you Hylian?” Link asked the voice.
“I was human, a long time ago, but not anymore.”
“Why do you want to be a sword?”
“I’ve spent so long in the dark, sealed in the depths of the royal family’s archives.” The voice was a little quieter now, “I want to see the trees and mountains again. I want to be useful.”
“I have no use for a sword,” Link answered truthfully, “I have one already, and if it were up to me, I’d never use it again. Magic swords are a very dangerous thing.”
“Do you like making swords?”
“I will not play a role in creating a magical relic. The odds of it falling into the wrong hands...” Link frowned, “I’ve seen how power can corrupt.”
“Would it corrupt you?”
Link didn’t respond for a moment.
“I don’t think it would.” The strange voice continued, “You have a courageous spirit, you could not be tempted by darkness.”
“You don’t know me very well.”
The voice laughed at that, before it asked his name.
“Link.”
“Well Link, If you truly do not wish to make me a sword, there is nothing I can do to change your mind.”
After a moment of silence the voice made one more request, “You don’t have to make me a sword, but please, I ask you, don’t lock me away again, I don’t like to be alone.”
Link was still uncertain but the pleading in the strange voice was not something he could ignore. He gave a short nod, assuming the voice could see him even though he could not see it.
“Thank you.” The voice responds, evidently having seen Link’s answer, “Take some time to think about what I’ve said. I will be waiting at your kitchen table for you.”
Link was very suddenly awake. He was still lying in bed, the sun not even risen yet. That had been a strange dream, but the last words stuck with him.
With a sigh, he heaved himself out of bed. The dream probably meant nothing but Link was all too familiar with ominous messages and strange requests. Even though there was most likely nothing sitting at his kitchen table, he really should check. Just to make sure it’s nothing dangerous before Grandpa wakes up.
When he stepped into the room, Link was relieved to see it just as empty as when he went to bed the night before. It was early but Link didn’t feel like he would fall back asleep, so he got started on breakfast.
———
He was moving the eggs from the pan to the plates when Grandpa came downstairs.
“You were still in the forge when I turned in for the night, and you’re up making breakfast before the sunrise. Do you ever sleep, boy?”
“Had a weird dream last night.” Link shrugged off his concern, “couldn’t go back to sleep.”
“You need to take better care of yourself,” Grandpa Smith grumbled, “You know, Zelda came to visit you yesterday evening. When I told her you were in the forge, she decided to leave you to your work and not bother you.”
“I’ll go see her today.” Link promised.
“Well, she left something for you. She said it‘s some sort of relic of the royal family.” Smith continued, “I guess she figured you might know something about magic stones, on account that sword you forged.”
Link turned from the stove bringing over the breakfast plates.
“She left it on the kitchen table for you.”
Link, in his relief of not seeing a strange figure sitting in the kitchen that morning, had completely overlooked the smooth gray stone sitting at his place. He froze.
“Well, don’t let breakfast get cold.” Grandpa reminded him.
“Right.” Setting down the plates first, Link took his seat before picking up the strange stone to it examine closer. “Did she say anything else about it?”
“You have to go see her and ask for yourself,” Smith replies, “Now finish your breakfast first.”
———
Zelda was happy to see him. Link was embarrassed he hadn’t made time to see her in quite a while, but Zelda waved off his apologies.
“Just visit more often, and then you won’t have to apologize every time you finally do.” She said.
They were in the castle gardens together, enjoying the warm spring weather and each other’s company, when Link finally brought up the mysterious stone.
“Ah,” Zelda said, “It belonged to my great, great, many times great, grandmother. It‘s been passed down through the royal family for generations.”
“It sounds important.” Link looked confused, “so why give it to me?”
Zelda took a breath before continuing, “I understand this may be difficult to believe, but I speak the truth. That mysterious stone, well, it actually spoke to me-“
“Oh yeah, I heard it too.” Link interrupted. Zelda just gave him a look that said ‘explain now.’
“Uh, it came to me in a dream.” Link shrugged.
”And it spoke to you?” Zelda asked, “What did it say?”
“It wanted me to make a sword; make It into a sword, more specifically. I have to ask,” Link continued, turning his full attention to Zelda instead of looking out into the garden as he had been doing. “Do you think the stone is malicious? Would anything bad would come from honoring its request?”
“It has been kept safe by the royal family for hundreds of years. While it has been a treausured artifact, none have ever heard it communicate. Or if they have I have heard nothing of it.” Zelda paused a moment to think, “I first heard the stone about seven months ago.”
“After Vaati’s defeat?” Link asked, a bit concerned.
“Yes, it seemed to already know much of Hyrule’s history.”
“How so?”
“It spoke of battles, wars I’d never heard of in all my studies. Whatever or whoever that mysterious stone is, it is both smart and powerful. It knows of things that are lost to us in this time.” Zelda continued, “There’s also the matter of the request it made.”
“What did it say?”
“It asked me to find you.”
“Me?”
“Specifically, it asked for ‘the boy with the tunic of four colors.’ I didn’t have a clue who it was talking about, that is, until you start wearing that awful thing a few weeks ago.”
Ignoring the jab at his fashion choices, Link asked, “is that not more suspicious? How do we know this isn’t some plan by an evil force to take control?”
Zelda sighed, “I have not ruled out the possibility. But the fact that it seems to have premonitions of the future is worrying, to say the least.”
“So why did you bring that stone to me? Why leave it in my house?”
“I had a dream the other night. I’ve told you it spoke to me multiple times, but this was different. It sounded scared.”
“Scared?”
“Truly terrified.” Zelda nodded, “In a way I do not believe to be faked so convincingly. There is a storm coming. Something awful on the horizon is brewing, and I fear you may not have the choice of avoiding it.”
Something changed in Link’s expression as Zelda spoke. Some might see it as determination, but to Zelda it looked more like resignation. She had wanted to avoid dragging her dear childhood friend into another world-altering event, but if there was no choice at least he would be prepared, knowing just as much as she knew.
They sat together hours longer than either of them realized, discussing the important as well as the mundane. Link hadn’t realized the time until Zelda’s attendants came to fetch her for dinner. Despite her offer, Link refused to join them. After his reassurance that he would come visit her again soon, he began making his way back home. He had questions for that strange stone.
———
Link honestly thought speaking aloud to the rock on the table was kinda silly. He had brought it into his workshop and placed it on the workbench while he tried to decide how to start this conversation.
“Do you have a name?” He asked after some deliberation.
When a few minutes had passed and the room was still silent, Link accepted that he wasn’t getting an answer and turned to begin work in his forge.
The bar of metal in his hand clattered to the floor in surprise as a voice spoke suddenly.
“There will be a portal, shifting and purple, and you will be unable to escape its pull. You will be taken centuries into the future. You must be prepared.”
Recovering from the shock and picking the metal back up from the floor, Link responded, “Ok cool, but that was not the question I asked.”
“Ok? Cool?” Echoed through the room, followed by what Link can only describe as an exasperated sigh. “Fine. Right. Are you not concerned about the portal, though?”
Link shrugged, “Ah, these kinds of things happen. Do you know when it will appear?”
“I do not.”
“Then no use worrying over something I can’t control.” As Link rummaged through his tools he called other his shoulder into the empty room, “So? Your name?”
“I was hoping you’d forget,” it muttered. “I can’t remember.”
“You don’t remember your name?”
“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”
“But you remember that you had a name.”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
Link looked pensive, “I suppose no one has a name until they are given one.”
“Would you like to give me a name, then?”
“Me?”
“Think of it as temporary if you’d like. Something to call me just until I remember.”
“I’ll think about it.” Link finally agreed. “Now, onto other matters. What kind of sword do you want to be?”
———
Even after waiting several minutes Link heard nothing. The next day the stone was silent as well. It was four days before he finally heard from the strange stone again.
It spoke to him in a dream like it had the first time.
“Rubies hold the magical aspect of fire, correct?”
“Yes.” Link nodded, “Where were you?”
“I exist through the use of magic energy. While I have stockpiled quite a lot, it does run out eventually.”
“Understood.” Link was beginning to find this strange disembodied voice a bit endearing in an annoying sort of way. “Why did you want to know about rubies?”
“You asked me what kind of sword I wanted, remember?”
“Oh, so you don’t want to be a regular sword, you want to be a flame sword?” Link was practically mocking the stranger at this point, but in his defense it was quite fun to do.
“Now you’re getting it!” The voice jabbed back, “So does this mean you’ve decided me make me a sword?”
“Nope.” Link grinned.
When the voice didn’t dignify that with a response, Link continued, “I’m still deciding. I’d like to get to know you better, first. Before I give you access to volatile magic, y’know? You can’t blame me for being cautious.”
“That I can not.” It spoke like it was smiling, “caution is a good trait to have.”
“By the way,” Link continued, “I’ve decided on a name to call you, if you still want that.”
“Yes, please. Do tell.”
“What do you think of the name Raven?”
“Good enough.”
“What do you mean, good enough?” Link scoffed.
Light laughter filled the air, and Link opened his eyes, awake again. The hour was still early, and it was easy enough for him to fall back asleep.
When Link woke a second time, it was to the sound of birds chirping outside his window. He had a slight headache, but it was nothing a good breakfast wouldn’t solve.
At the bottom of the stairs he could see grandpa already in the kitchen looking out the window. “Link, come look. It’s the strangest thing-“
And there, standing tall in the backyard, was a softly glowing, swirling portal. Purple just as Raven said it would be.
As he scuttled around the house getting all the possible item he may need, Link explained what he knew to grandpa.
“Well, you’ll have time to eat before all this, right?” The old man asked in a way that wasn’t a question.
And so the two enjoyed a meal, quiet except for the occasional clank of metal as Link moved. The four sword was secure on his back. He had retrieved it from the sanctuary shortly after his talk with Zelda. It was good to be prepared.
After words were exchanged, both of them reminding each other to take care of themselves in the other’s absence, Link was as ready as he’d ever be to get dragged into another quest.
———
When the overwhelming spinning feeling finally abated, Link looked around to see where the portal had dropped him. He stood at the edge of a forest, a wide open field to his left. To his right, deeper into the trees, he could hear running water. Link decided to head towards the river.
Someone was already there, knelt at the bank filling a canteen. Link was surprised, but not as surprised as the person by the river who jumped in fright when Link announced his presence. The stranger turned his head to look at Link, offering a meek smile when he realized there was no danger. The brown-haired hylian greeted Link, who responded in kind.
Link couldn’t help but notice the sword on his back and when he pointed it out the boy unsheathed it to allow Link a closer look.
It was impressive, elaborate, detailed work. And the magic energy pouring from the sword was hard to ignore. It almost looked like something Link himself might make. His mind was already racing, cataloging details and mentally sketching out the shape of the sword. Why did something about it seem so familiar.
The other hylian, still holding the silver sword helpfully offered up a piece of information.
“Her name’s Raven.” He gestured towards the blade, “The sword, I mean, is named Raven.”
Link just calmly looked straight up at the clouds, as if staring at the goddesses themselves, and sighed before saying, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”