Chapter Text
Link shouted as she leapt away from the boulder the hinox threw. The great beast was catching its breath when Zelda’s arrow pierced its eye and it fell.
Link whooped in feral joy running back to Zelda and throwing her in the air. Zelda laughed, her teeth flashing in the sun.
“So what’s the deal with them?” Gil asked Beedle as they leisurely walked through the Hylians’ path of desolation.
“Well, I’ve known Link for about a year now, but Zelda for the last week or so. They’re the hero and princess from before, and I guess they’ve grown a lot closer since Zelda woke up. Link has memory loss, but she always made it sound like they barely tolerated each other before,” Beedle said, frowning slightly.
Gil nodded. In the distance, Link swung the master sword into a moblin’s thigh.
“So they’re not a thing?” Gil asked, squinting over Beedle’s head.
“Umm, not that I know of? Link calls Zelda her sister.” Beedle said, frowning.
Gil’s arm suddenly shot out, stunning a keese that had been angling for Beedle’s back. It fell to the ground stunned.
“Ugh, thanks,” Beedle said. “Are you going to kill it?”
“No, I don’t kill things unless it’s really necessary,” Gill replied as they resumed their stroll. He put his hand on his chin, in thought.
“I didn’t study Triforce bearers intensively, it was only tangentially related to my work about the great flood, but I think the hero and princess are often romantically involved. It’s fascinating because it seems like the Triforce of Wisdom is always passed on genetically while the Triforce of Courage only occasionally is. A member of the royal family has never been a Hero, even though some of the Hero’s line is commingled with their heritage. It seems that the Triforce of Power is inherently related to Gerudo genetics, though I suppose it's possible I am a descendant of Ganon himself… Are you alright?” Gil asked, looking at Beedle.
Zelda had taken Link’s hand and was resting her head on Link’s shoulder. Beedle had an odd look on his face.
“Oh, uh, sorry I don’t really know anything about Hylian history or lore. I’m not actually from Hylia,” Beedle said distractedly. “I’m Labrynnian.”
“Interesting!” Gil said, excitedly. His booming voice shocked Beedle to attention. Though they had not known each other long, Beedle knew that the intellectual focus of Gil was unavoidable.
“That’s quite far, isn’t it? East of Hebra?” Gil asked.
“Yeah, it wasn’t easy to get here…” Beedle acknowledged, “To be honest I almost died.”
“Faaaascinating. I’ve read that Labrynnians are particularly suited to mountain travel due to the high altitude of Labrynna, but that would also make sense that Hebra is about as terrible as it can get. What a terrible journey! Why did you come to Hyrule?” Gil pressed.
“Err… I had some differences with my village,” Beedle said.
“Enough to cross a desolate wasteland? That’s a very long way to go just because of differences.” Gil said.
“I umm… don’t really want to talk about it,” Beedle said, uncomfortably. “It was a hard journey, and I’m never going back. I don’t like to think about that part of my life.”
“Oh, sorry,” Gil said, blinking and leaning back out of Beedle’s personal space. “I have trouble sometimes when I try to figure something out. I sometimes forget how pushy I can be.
“No worries! It’s not really a secret, but it’s not something I like to dwell on or talk about lightly,” Beedle said, waving his hand casually. “If it ever comes up sometimes when we’re around a campfire, I’ll tell you, but for now-”
Beedle yanked the boat oar out of his pack, walloping the stone the Octorok spat back at it. It flopped back into its hole with a puff of smoke.
“Let’s keep moving!” He said posing with the oar and winking.
Gil snorted.
------------
The next morning, Beedle crested the hill a little behind Link. It made a lot of sense to leave his pack with the others at the stable, but he felt off-balance without its sturdy weight on his shoulders.
“That can’t be good for your back, Bee,” Link chided when he mentioned the feeling. She was halfway up a sheer cliff, twisted in a knot to grasp at a mushroom growing there, so Beedle didn’t think she had much room to talk.
At the top of the hill, the air seemed crisper, more electric. Beedle almost felt dizzy. He had no hand at magic, but often thought he could feel it, like a jolt of energy, on the air. He breathed deep.
Link walked up to the fountain, and Beedle was struck by how in her element she was. This was Link, a little feral, a lot magic, and good for making Beedle feel alive. Her outline seemed to shimmer in the rarefied air.
He must have missed something Link said, she was giving him one of those incredulous but sweet smiles and reached back to grab his forearm. Beedle stumbled forward in her grasp.
“-she’s offered before to me, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have to trade something. So we find out what it is first, then we can go get it.” Link was saying.
Beedle nodded. Had her eyes always been that blue?
He was shocked out of his reverie though, once they’d made it to the giant plant pod, which opened dramatically. Beedle thought he was prepared, but still, all thoughts were pushed out of his head but HUGE, SCARY, LOUD and-
“Pink,” he whispered helplessly to himself.
“What my friend here is wondering,” Link said, with a settling clap on Beedle’s back, “Is if you can use your power to do the opposite of what you offered me.”
The great fairy’s laugh shook the valley, sending birds from their trees.
“Oh, hero, child, I can do so, so many things you'd never believe. SO many things,” said the Great Fairy, wriggling her eyebrows suggestively at Link.
“She’s always like this, all of them are huge flirts,” Link whispered to Beedle.
“No secrets!” Kaysa said pouting and sending ribbons of blinding magic out of the pond. Beedle rubbed his eyes to see again. Suddenly his sight was overwhelmingly full of giant lady.
“It would be my pleasure to set body and mind in alignment for this handsome lad!”
Another eruption of stars. Beedle thought he heard the Great Fairy mutter, “shame about the nose though.”
The great fairy, Kaysa raised her arms in the air, gesturing broadly.
“This kind of transformation used to be my specialty, Link. Before the Calamity, when I was rich, err, I mean powerful, I had lines of beings of all shapes and sizes visiting my pond to get their gender presentation ironed out. And not all of them needed their bodies fixed, some just wanted someone to talk to…”
“Really?” Link interrupted, sounding like it was ripped from her throat. Beedle turned, she looked devastated. He took her hand out of instinct.
She startled, looking at their clasped hands in shock. But she seemed to snap out of it. Link gave Beedle a quick look of thanks before turning to the Kaysa.
Kaysa looked worried, which was simultaneously soft and beyond human understanding.
“Immortal beings don’t spend much time on ‘what-ifs,’” she said, reaching out to brush Link’s hair with her enormous thumb. “But I do sometimes wonder what might have been had you been born in the East, dear girl.”
Link huffed out a lung full of air.
“Well, regardless of what might have been, Beedle could use your help now,” Link said gruffly.
“Yes! Let’s get to business!” Kaysa said, turning her terrifying grin to Beedle.
A short conversation later, and Beedle was matching the Great Fairy for terrifying grins.
“You’re KIDDING me!” he squealed when Kaysa had finished. “That’s ALL? I can find that garbage in a day! And only 1,000 rupees?! LINK I’ll meet you back here, I have materials to find!!!!!”
Beedle ran off, because, seriously? He knew a spot to get garnet nearby and had always kept a hearty durian in his bag.
In the clearing, Kaysa laughed at the cloud of dust Beedle left behind.
“Well my dear, we’re finally alone,” she said, winking at Link.
“Guess so,” Link sighed, flopping down on the platform.
“I’m… sorry that I didn’t know, you know, a hundred years ago,” Kaysa said, reaching out again to stroke Link’s hair. “I don’t believe we met before the Calamity, though I did hear about your exploits. But this wasn’t on your mind when I saw you last, what changed since then, my dear girl?”
“I didn’t have my memories before,” Link said, leaning against Kaysa’s palm. “Now I do, and I almost can’t believe how broken I was, compared to who I am now. It’s just… painful to know that if I had only lived somewhere else I might have known who I was earlier. Maybe I couldn’t have changed anything, but at least I would have known…”
“It’s true my dear,” Kaysa sighed. “But it’s impossible to know what else that might have changed. Think of the friendships you’ve made, the people you know and knew because of what happened. Like your excitable man there.”
Link chuckled, and Kaysa bit her lip.
“Goddess, you have no idea how adorable you are,” the great fairy said with a sigh. “I would like to grant you a boon, which you can decide if you like or not, and I can undo it at any time.”
“... I’m listening,” Link said.
------
Just before sunset, Beedle made it back to the top of the hill, arms full of ingredients and heart fluttering. Link scrambled up to meet him.
“Finally you’re back! You have to see what we did!” Link said excitedly.
“Oh! Umm, okay, I’ll just put this down,” Beedle said, looking left and right for a spot to drop his spoils.
“I’ll take that, we can keep it in reserve for once you’ve observed my brilliance,” Kaysa said smugly, plucking everything from Beedle's arms.
“Okay! So! What’s different?” Link said, throwing her arms to the side. Beedle cocked his head to the side in confusion.
“While I thoroughly approve of showing off your fine body, I think we were more subtle than your man will be able to tell,” Kaysa demurred. “Let me explain. Beedle, both you and I know that Link isn’t interested in changing her body significantly to line up for whatever society defines being a woman as. Which is lovely. It’s hard for me to not spend my talents on my favorite hero though! So what could I do to grant a small, but not life-changing boon? Both you and I know that our hero has hips that any femme-identifying being would die for.”
“Obviously,” Beedle said, just as Link said, “duh.”
“So I made a subtle little change here and there to give Link a little more jiggle in the upper half without sacrificing mobility. It’s subtle but effective, I think.”
“Oh SHIT! Link! Stop doing that and put your arms together in front of your body,” Beedle said excitedly.
Link did, sharing her newly acquired cleavage.
“It’s such a small change, I don’t even feel them,” Link said, “I can still draw a bow and fight, but they do make me feel just a little more femme. And Kaysa can change them back if I change my mind.”
“I think boobs look great on you, Link! If you like it and it doesn’t bother you, then I think it’s wonderful. I’m so happy for you!” Beedle squealed!
Beedle and Link squealed and Kaysa sighed contentedly.
“Speaking of boobs, though, I’ve been dreaming of this day since Link told me it might be possible. If you’re ready, Great Fairy, I’d love to get this gender alignment party started,” Beedle said.
Kaysa laughed with joy, and the clearing flashed with light again.
---
The sensations were overwhelming the entire walk back. Beedle kept putting his hand to his chest, unbelieving at the lack of flesh and binder. It felt like his center of weight was in a different place and he had to walk just a little differently. The closest experience he could think of was when he had cut off his long curly hair for the first time. But even that was a thousand times weaker than this.
He felt like he was breathing in the right body for the first time.
He had been somewhere dark and warm when a flash of light brought him back to the earth. Link and the great fairy came back into focus as well as an awareness of an ache throughout his whole body.
“You’ll need to take it easy for a few days, while I can change your body in a second, it will take your brain a while to adjust. And just remember, we agreed on fully functioning equipment, so you’ll have to take the appropriate contraceptive precautions once you’re 100%.” Kaysa reminded him as he slowly got to his feet.
“You also might find some changes in your mood, if they get too unmanageable, come and we’ll talk. Or just come and talk anyways,” She continued.
Kaysa was shocked into silence as a sobbing Beedle leaping fully from the platform to hug her neck. Beedle blubbered something that may have been profuse thanks, or potentially Gerudo. Even he wasn’t exactly sure.
“Well aren’t you a sweetheart! Yes, do come to visit me whenever you feel like you need to, you are welcome, and please don’t do anything even approaching that strenuous in the next 36 hours,” Kaysa said, patting Beedle affectionately.
---------------------------
As Link and Beedle neared the table, Link asked, “Do you want to tell the others?”
“Huh!” Beedle said. “I mean, I’ll tell Toren, he’s always been a friend, and he’ll be so excited to hear about the great fairy. If you want to tell Zelda and Gil, that’s fine, I’m sure you’ll want to tell them about your exciting add ons,” Beedle said, elbowing Link.
“I’ll tell Zelda and Gil, but I don't really care about anyone else,” Link said. “I figure it’s my body, my business. You’re the main person I talk to about the trans stuff anyways. For the most part, everyone uses the right gender these days, which I know is thanks to you in no small part.”
“We look out for each other, that’s just how it works,” Beedle said, stretching, and enjoying the feeling of his new chest.
He smiled hugely at Link.