Chapter Text
They used to call her The Great Fairy.
They used to call her a blessing, a gift.
And to some, she was even called a sister.
But most importantly, they used to call her Cotera.
Long ago, The Great Fairy Cotera was a powerful fairy, capable of a great deal of magic. Tourists, travelers and villagers alike would come to give her offerings of rupees to fuel her powers.
Some, she recalled, asked her to bless their clothing, others asked to heal the sick. Some came just to see the breathtaking sight that was her fountain. After all, Cotera’s home was by far the easiest to travel to for most Hylians.
For the longest time, it was just her and her sisters, Kaysa, Mija and Tera. That was until the Calamity hit, when malice started ravaging the land.
Cotera did her best to keep the land around her safe, but even she was powerless against the destruction. Once the visitors stopped completely, she was resigned to what felt like eternity in her fountain, the fairy bud closing around her, blocking out all the light. Until one day, she wasn’t.
The first time that she met Link, he was confused. He stumbled up to the platform, and Cotera decided that that moment might be her only chance to be free once again. So, she stuck out her bejeweled hand, and spoke.
“Boy,” She addressed, and saw the boy’s back stiffen, a hand flying to his sword, which hung loosely on the back of his Hylian Tunic. Seeing the tunic’s design, she supposed that style had to change a bit over 100 years.
“Sweet boy… please… listen to my story,” The hero’s eyes widened, and he hesitantly nodded, his body still tense with fear. “I am the Great Fairy Cotera… this place was once a beautiful spring… but as time passed, fewer and fewer travelers arrived to offer me rupees. As a result, my power has abandoned me. I’m nearly powerless now, so I beg your help. I need rupees to become whole again,”
The boy hesitantly took his hand off of his sword, and pulled down his hood. His face was horrendously scarred, twisting on the left side of his face, onto his ear and down his neck, presumably onto the rest of his body. Cotera’s heart cracked at the sight. He looked like he had been through so much, and Cotera silently sent a prayer to the Goddess to spare him from anything else.
“All I need is 100 rupees… once my power has been restored, I can help you do great things, boy. Now, if you have rupees, hand them over to me. Quickly!” Cotera held her large hand out even further, trying to prompt the child. “In order to regain my power all I need is 100 rupees,”
The boy nodded again, and reached into a Sheikah device, one that Cotera identified as the Sheikah Slate, carried by the princess and her knight. It, however, didn’t matter to her whether he was the hero or not, he had what she needed. Eventually, he held out a small bag, radiating with the magic of rupees, and Cotera swiftly snatched it up.
“Thank you, you are too kind,” She mused. As the power started shifting the flower bud, she smiled. It thrummed with the familiar feel of magic, spreading through her body, all the way to her fingertips. “Ah, the power, it’s overflowing!”
And with that, the bud opened with a puff of purple smoke, its giant leaves dropping down to the ground, displaying a little pond with golden birds on the sides. The boy stumbled back and fell onto the ground, staring up in shock as the water rumbled and Cotera emerged, back to her full glory once more.
The fairy stretched, not hesitating to admit to herself that it felt good to be back, her sparkling jewelry clinking against each other. Remembering the child before her, she leaned her arm on the side of her fountain, and gazed down at the little one.
“Oh, what a feeling! That first breath of fresh air after an eternity of decay… it’s just so intoxicating!” Cotera exclaimed, and giggled as the boy stumbled to his feet, staring in wonder at the magic that took place before him. “Thanks to you, I’ve been returned to my former glory. And as they say- one good turn deserves another. I can help you, boy,”
“Allow me to enhance your clothing. It’s the least I can do, but I will need the necessary materials. With the power available to me… I should be able to enhance your clothing a little bit,” The boy thought for a moment, and then nodded eagerly, forgetting his former hesitance. “Which clothing item would you like me to enhance?”
Pulling out his Sheikah slate once more, the boy looked at a screen, one that had three articles of clothing on it, some tattered clothes, and what looked suspiciously like a warm doublet. He frowned to himself, before pointing to the Hylian armor he was wearing, adorned with a red tunic underneath, and a few belts on top of it, matching nicely with the tan trousers and the dark hood.
“Yes, I think I can enhance the Hylian Tunic, but it’ll require five bokoblin horns,” Cotera nodded, and watched as the now excited boy placed five monster parts into her hand. “All right, let me do my thing!”
The fairy brushed away her blonde hair, fixed her bracelets, and examined the bokoblin horns with big blue eyes. Then, she crushed them easily in between her fingers and rubbed her hands together, before holding them up to her lips and blowing the powder in a stream of magic at the little Hylian.
He shivered at first, but then smiled at the funny feeling and even giggled, a rough sound, but one that made Cotera smile nevertheless, even if his smile did pull at his scars.
“All finished! Just a bit stronger now… oh, you’ve heard about set bonuses, right? How a set of clothes that have all been enhanced twice could have a bonus? But only if you wear the whole set! Well, and not all sets have a bonus… do you want me to enhance anything else?” Cotera offered, and the boy stared with wide eyes, absorbing every piece of new information. He nodded vigorously, and Cotera took pleasure in enhancing all the clothing she could.
And after she was finished, she smiled as she watched the hero pick some blue nightshade flowers, sniffed the iron ironshrooms, and held a silent princess in his hands like it was the most precious thing he’s ever held.
“Now little one, I’ve forgotten to ask, what is your name?” Cotera questioned as the boy started to wave goodbye. He stiffened, before signing.
“ L-I-N-K,” He spelled out, and Cotera nodded. Could he not speak? The Great Fairy shook off her surprise.
“Well, Link, I hope to see you again,” She giggled, and grew a Silent Princess in her hands, before gently placing it behind the ear of the hero, who couldn’t help but beam. He waved goodbye, and Cotera decided that she liked this child.