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A few years after the Calamity struck, a myth rose amongst the people of Hyrule. A wandering spirit, usually benevolent, would sometimes help those who asked. It never spoke, but if you begged the spirit for protection, good luck, or even a good meal, you could sometimes find that very thing waiting for you the morning after. Monsters died mysteriously before they could attack a town, and guardians never aimed true if you asked the spirit to help you before entering their territory.
Sometimes, before receiving a gift from the spirit, people would hear an ocarina softly ringing in the distance.
A few people claimed to see the spirit over the years. The young Zora Prince said he saw it enter Vah Ruta, only for the malice to retreat afterwards, exactly 25 years after The Calamity, to the day.
Every quarter century, a Divine Beast was freed, until there were four beams of light pointing at the castle from all corners of Hyrule.
Over the decades, the myth changed a lot. Sometimes, the spirit was a child that had been killed in The Calamity, sometimes it was one of the champions, sometimes an ancient hero sent by Hylia. The only thing that stayed consistent was its benevolence.
A hundred years and two days after The Calamity struck, Ganon was sealed away, and the Princess and four champions were found alive.
The Hylian champion was not found, but the princess assured everyone he was resting at the Shrine of Resurrection, that his wounds had been extensive and would take a long time to heal.
They had no idea who, or what, freed them. The Champions hadn’t seen who rid them of the Blight. The princess had seen no one in the castle, and she had not done anything that could have defeated Ganon.
The people of Hyrule wasted no time in explaining the story of the spirit to the Champions. It took the Zora Princess no time to decide to look for it. After all, her little brother was the first that actually saw it with his own eyes, and was a little bit… smitten with the spirit. He regularly gushed about it and its bravery to anyone who would listen, and was keeping an archive of all the things it had done. It was a pretty long archive, but Mipha had nothing else to do, so she might as well find the one that had caught her brother’s eye.
She went with the proposition to the other champions. Zelda was hesitant, she had a lot to rebuild, but after some convincing they agreed they all needed some time to heal, and a low stakes adventure seemed perfect for that. Not all of them loved the wilderness, but it was okay, they could make it work.
No one mentioned the one who had loved the wild the most, the Hylian champion whose chances of waking up were dwindling rapidly.
Sidon’s archive was vital in their search. It showed a clear path for the spirit. It didn’t seem to have any rhyme nor reason, but at least they knew the spirit couldn’t be in two places at once, and that it couldn’t teleport or travel inhumanly fast.
They followed that path. They came across towns full of thankful people, empty monster camps and other evidence of its existence.
They found Impa. She was old, a testament to the one hundred years they spent trapped but didn’t remember. She told them about the spirit and its visits. It often left little jars of potions that eased her aches, or helped around the house doing some of the more taxing chores. She never saw it, but she was sure it was the same spirit everyone talked about. She spoke fondly of it, something maternal and fiercely protective in her eyes.
She also told them some bad news
“The Hero, Link, what have you heard of him?” She asked over dinner
“He’s recovering in the Shrine of Resurrection” Zelda tried to hide the worry in her eyes “It’s taking longer than I assumed, but his wounds were extensive, and they probably take a long time to heal”
Impa hung her head sadly “That’s what I feared. You haven’t checked the shrine, have you?”
“Why would we?” Revali scowled “If the Princess says he’s taking a nap, then let him sleep. It’s not like we’re missing much anyways”
“Link is dead” Her voice was harsh, but not cruel. “The Shrine of Resurrection was too broken; he succumbed to his wounds less than a year after you put him there. He’s buried in the lost woods.”
For a second, nobody spoke.
“What?” Mipha whispered “But… He can’t be dead. We are all fine, why is he the…” She trailed off with a sob
Revali stormed off without a word. Urbosa and Daruk were grim; they had seen the stoic teen as a little brother of sorts.
Zelda was frozen “But the Shrine… I check it pretty often, it says he’s in there, recovering.”
“I was at the funeral. I saw his body with my own eyes. I’m sorry”
“But… It can’t be…”
“I’m so sorry, Zelda”
They left soon after that.
The next few days were hard. Revali liked to pretend nothing had happened, and was acting as boisterous as always, if not more, which angered them. Even if they hadn’t gotten along the greatest, Link had been one of them, and he should at least be respectful of their mourning, if he wouldn’t join them.
They kept following the spirit, but more to have something to do than anything. None of them had their heart on it, but the idea of just going back and mourning alone in a world that had already moved on was unthinkable. They had no idea why Revali was still there though.
His behavior annoyed them. He spoke loudly about his accomplishments, and still took any chance he could to take digs at the dead champion. Zelda looked murderous every time he spoke, and Mipha’s hand twitched closer to her trident every time he mentioned Link’s name.
It was just a matter of time before someone got in a fight with him. Which happened three days after they got the news, over dinner.
Meals were probably the worst part of the day. Link had been in charge of cooking, and it had been the only times they could see him express some emotion that wasn’t over his horse. No one could cook as well as he had, and every time they saw a cooking pot they were reminded of the little jingle he used to hum when he threw ingredients into one.
That particular night, they had walked more than usual and were all tired. Mipha had thrown together a fish stew which tasted somewhat decent, but not as good as anything Link could have done. Revali made his displease known quite loudly.
“Ugh, if there’s one thing the champion was good for, it was cooking if nothing else. What a pity he got himself killed. Oh, well.” He shrugged. It was nowhere near the top of awful things he had said, but something about his nonchalance bugged Mipha the wrong way
“He was good for a lot of things. Just because you’re an ass who can’t look past his own beak doesn’t mean you can insult him!”
“Oh, please! He had that special magic sword and even then all he did against The Calamity was die! A stupid ghost did more than he did, the so called Legendary Hero!”
“He saved my life, you asshole!” Zelda looked ready to kill “Or did you forget that? If it hadn’t been for him, I would be dead, and Ganon would have done whatever he wanted with Hyrule”
“All he did was take some damage meant for you! I’ll give you that, he was an adequate meat shield, and no one can take that away from him”
“Get out” Revali momentarily looked terrified at Urbosa. “Leave, and don’t come back until you’re ready to apologize. Link was just as much a hero as any of us, if not more. An even if he wasn’t, he was our friend.”
“He never spoke to any of us, what the fuck are you talking about? He was just a self centered ass!”
“The only self centered ass I see is you”
Revali scowled “Fine! If you want to be unreasonable about it, I’ll leave. Besides, you are slowing me down. I’ll find the spirit and thank it for being a real hero while you all mourn uselessly”
He stomped off, grabbing his copy of the archive and other things on the way.
Zelda’s face was a mix of anger and grief, so strong it seemed to spill over in waves “How dare he! After all Link did for us! Thank you for kicking him out, I was about to punch the beak off his face!” She seemed to deflate, all anger leaving her “Link would’ve known how to handle him. He was great at things like that”
“We all miss him.” Urbosa side hugged her “He was a great kid. He would’ve been great.”
“God, he was younger than me!” Zelda buried her face on her hands “I treated him so badly for so long, and he was…” She sobbed.
“I was going to propose to him” Mipha added “I still have the Zora armor I made him, my father and Sidon kept it safe all this time. I just wanted to give him a home after the Calamity was defeated.”
“I may or may not have made him a special outfit so he would look Vai enough to enter Gerudo Town”
“I was going to teach him a few Goron recipes I found in my Mama’s old cookbook”
They spent the rest of the night trading stories about Link. Turns out he had been a lot funnier than they gave him credit for. Also a lot weirder than they expected. Apparently he had ridden on a bear through the woods while naked once. And accidentally started a forest fire. They told stories, and felt a little better. A little less alone.
Some miles away, Revali was grumbling while trying to follow the path they had laid out. He had gotten turned around somewhere and was now hopelessly lost.
“Oh, great spirit” He said sarcastically “Where the fuck am I?”
A soft blue glow shone from behind a tree, and the soft notes of an ocarina rang through the air
“No way” He muttered before following the glow. It led into the Lost Woods, but he was certain he could take care of any threat.
The glow seemed always just a bit out of reach, and the sound of the ocarina seemed close no matter which way he went. He spent what could have been minutes or hours following the light, until the forest opened up to a clearing and it faded away. The song in the air played its last few notes before fading as well.
Somehow, it was daytime already. Through the fog, a ray of sunlight peeked, falling over a slab of white stone.
Confused, Revali approached it. It was blank except for a triforce symbol engraved on it. Flowers, leaves and seeds seemed to be placed there on purpose. The Master Sword lay on top of the earth behind the slab, untouched. It was unsettling to see it sprawled on the earth, vines growing over it, as if it were nothing but an ordinary weapon.
With a start, he realized where he was.
Link’s grave.
In that instant, it became real. He was dead, had been killed trying to protect Zelda. He would never bicker with him again, would never fight by his side. He thought he had understood, that Link was dead, but there had been a part of him that still believed he would come crawling out of the Shrine of Resurrection, as blank and annoying and invincible as always.
He fell to his knees “Oh Hylia, I’m so sorry. Shit, I didn’t realize… You’re dead. Forever. No miracle is going to bring you back, you are not taking a nap. Shit. Shit” He tried to pretend the moisture in his eyes was not from crying.
The glow returned, to his left, but not the song. He was suddenly angry. “You saved all of us, why didn’t you save him too?”
The spirit didn’t answer
“I mean, would it have been so hard? You defeated Ganon, it’s not like saving a measly knight was out of your capabilities”
The glow flickered
“Yeah, you should be sorry” Revali stood up, more confident now that he had something else to think about “Who even are you any…” He trailed off
The spirit looked apologetic. ‘Sorry it took me so long to free you guys’ He signed ‘I tried to do it as fast as I could’
“No fucking way”
‘Sorry’
“Shut up, there’s no way you’re real”
‘I am’
“Then why are you here and not with your friends?”
A dark look passed over the spirit’s face ‘I died. I should let them mourn in peace’
“Shut up, shut the fuck up” He tried to grab him, to drag him off, but his wing passed through his arm “You are coming with me. The others need to see you!”
‘I don’t…’ His form flickered ‘I don’t think they would like to see me like this’
“No. No excuses, you are coming with me. They would like to see you, believe me. Jeez, I knew you were a workaholic, but you kept going even after you died? What is wrong with you?”
He shrugged
“No, don’t answer. Oh God, I’m so sorry for everything. I badmouthed you so much, and all this time you were… doing this.”
The spirit shrugged again ‘I don’t mind’
“You are insane. Whatever, you are coming with me, and you are talking to your friends! I’m not taking a no for an answer, you don’t have a choice”
The spirit smiled ‘okay’
“Great! Now lead me out of here, I have no idea where we are”
‘Sure’ He started walking
“Hey” The spirit turned around “I'm glad you're here, Link”
Revali really wanted to ask some questions on the way out of the Lost Woods, but Link took out his ocarina and happily played it, avoiding his questions. The tune was a happy one, it made Revali think of childhood games and fun times.
The tune called something to them. Little things, made of wood with leaves for faces, started dancing around them. Link looked happier seeing them laugh and cheer.
“Link, look!” One of the things showed them a seed “I found this for you! Where do I put it?”
Link looked pensive before his ocarina floated a few feet away, still emanating music. ‘I don’t think I can carry it with me, but you can put it on my grave if you want to. Who knows, it might sprout something nice’
“Okay” The thing ran off
“What are they?” Revali asked, trying to avoid thinking about the magic ocarina, or the mention of Link’s grave
‘Koroks’ Link fingerspelled it ‘Forest Sprites. Eternal children. I think they think I’m one of them’
It was strangely fitting. Link was never going to grow up; he would always be stuck as a teen, almost a child. Even if he did look alive at the moment.
“How come not everyone can see you? Mipha’s little brother saw you, and Teba, but I don’t think anyone else did”
‘I can choose who sees me and how. It took a bit of practice, the first few times I tried to appear to someone I showed up looking like I did when I died’ Link chuckled soundlessly ‘Someone fainted once’
Revali’s blood froze in his veins “What… What did you look like?”
‘Let’s say bad and leave it at that’
“Can I see?” He had no idea why he was asking that
Link looked at him weirdly, but closed his eyes. The ocarina stopped playing and vanished in a puff of blue flames.
He turned back to Link and almost barfed. He could see why someone would faint.
He looked… very dead. Half of his face was burnt off, he could almost see the bone, and the rest of his body wasn’t much better. He had a hole on his left shoulder, and his other arm was missing from the elbow down. What part of him wasn’t covered in blood was pale, unnaturally so.
“Holy fuck!” Revali yelped
Link grimaced, and turned back to normal ‘Sorry. You asked though’
“Yeah, I know. I… and you say this is how you looked like when you died?”
‘Everything but the killing shot, yeah’
"The kid had survived all of that? Either he was incredibly strong, or incredibly stubborn. Or both.
“Are you okay?”
Link shot him a weird look ‘Yeah. I’ve had 100 years to get over it, don’t worry’ He flickered back to normal.
He noticed the Koroks were closer now, and one laid a hand on Link’s knee, which was about as high as it could.
Link chuckled at that and sat down. Instantly, about a dozen Koroks were climbing over him ‘Thanks guys, I’m fine. No, it doesn’t hurt.’
He was so good with kids. Revali swallowed a lump at the thought he would never get to have any of his own.
“We should go” He turned around to hide his face “We need to find the others as soon as possible”
Link smiled and materialized his ocarina once more. He started playing a soft and melancholic lullaby.
When they finally managed to leave the forest, Revali was met with a sobering fact
“I have no idea where we are, or where the others are”
Link just grinned and held out a hand. For a second, he had no idea what he was asking for, but then he realized it was probably the archive/map.
“Right. Here you go”
Link stared at if or a few seconds before he started walking east. Revali followed.
It turned out he had not gone very far, or the group had gone in the same direction, because it only took them forty minutes to find their camp. As they got closer, Revali saw Link put the ocarina away, and he started looking more and more nervous. Before he could think about it, he took Link’s hand and was surprised when it didn’t pass through
“It’ll be fine. They really miss you, you know?”
Link grimaced and seemed to curl in on himself. His form flickered, but his hand stayed solid.
Revali took a deep breath. They wouldn’t kick him out again; he brought some really good news. It would be fine. He would give a half apology and everyone would forgive him, and Link would be back in the group and everything would be normal again.
He saw Mipha look at him. She was still angry and didn’t seem to notice Link next to him. A glance told him the Hero was now wearing a hooded cape that hid his face. Nothing gave him out as a spirit, nor as Link. He just looked like a suspicious guy wearing a hood and holding Revali’s hand.
“I hope you’re here to grovel” Urbosa growled
“Erm… not really, but I brought something better!” He looked at Link. He seemed to have no intention to drop his hood.
“Who’s this?” Daruk was a bit hesitant, but he loved meeting people way too much to ignore Revali
“D’ya wanna drop the hood maybe?” He asked. Link shook his head “Come on, show them. They won’t believe me if I just tell them”
“Believe what?” Zelda crossed her arms, defiant.
‘Hi Zelda’ Link signed ‘It’s been a pretty long time, hasn’t it?’
“Do we know each other?”
And then Link removed his hood.
Well, if he ever wanted to shut up everyone, now he knew how. Just show them the ghost of a long dead friend.
“Link?” Mipha took a hesitant step forward “But… how? You’re…”
‘Dead. I know. People call me the Wandering Spirit.’
She put a hand on his cheek. She was taller than him now, having hit a growth spurt in the months since the fall of the Calamity.
“How?”
Link shrugged. ‘After I died, I woke up as a ghost. I had unfinished business, you know?’ He smiled bitterly ‘I should have moved on when I defeated Ganon, I have no idea why I’m still here.’ He looked heart wrenched at the thought. ‘It looks like I’m trapped here’
“Do you… want to move on?”
Link shrugged ‘I’m a spirit. It’s been a hundred years. I- I’m tired Mipha’ His hands were shaking ‘But I’m glad I got to see you guys again. Even Revali’
Mipha suddenly hugged him with all the strength she could muster. Revali saw a flash of fear on Link’s eyes for a second before he disappeared and Mipha’s arms passed through thin air.
Link appeared a few feet away, looking a bit wild. ‘Sorry.’
Mipha shook her head “It's alright. I’m so glad you’re here. We thought we would never see you again” She teared up “I missed you so much…” She hesitatingly raised her hand to his cheek. He leaned into it for a second, but then tensed and vanished again.
He reappeared next to Revali.
‘Sorry’ He signed
Zelda stood up “It’s been a long time for you, hasn’t it?”
‘A hundred years. I tried to save you guys as fast as I could, but…’
“But you were alone. And… dead. It must have been tough”
Link shrugged ‘The loneliness was the worst part. Sidon and Impa helped though. Even if I never showed myself to them’
“I’m sorry” Tears were streaming down Zelda’s eyes “This is my fault”
Link shook his head ‘No it wasn’t. I made a choice, and I stand by it. Besides, I don’t think I could’ve fought like I did if I was alive. I would have died much more painfully’
“Link, that’s not much better.” Urbosa raised her hand, but aborted the motion halfway through “We would like for you to be happy and safe”
‘Well, I can’t really be any safer than this’ He smiled sardonically ‘Nothing bad can really happen to me, can it?’
Urbosa frowned, but didn’t comment on it.
‘I heard you guys looking for me’ The subject change was very obvious ‘Why?’
“We weren’t. We thought you were dead”
Link looked confused, so Revali decided to step in “We were looking for The Spirit that defeated Ganon, weren’t we?”
“Oh!” Mipha had recovered from the shock somewhat “Right! That’s you, isn’t it? We had nothing to do, and Zelda didn’t want to start rebuilding Hyrule just yet. We wanted to see how everything had changed, and besides… Sidon really likes you; I wanted to do something nice for him”
Revali had absolutely no idea how a ghost could blush, but Link managed it ‘Sidon talked about me?’
“He won’t shut up about you. He’s the one who compiled your achievements.”
Link’s face brightened a smidge ‘What did he tell you?’
Mipha suddenly looked mischievous “Link, do you have a crush on my little brother?”
Link grimaced ‘No?’
She gasped “You totally do! Oh, this is great! I’m pretty sure Sidon is fin over heels as well!”
Link looked like a tomato ‘But we never talked. He doesn’t even know who I am!’
“You two should get to know each other” She gasped “Zelda! We need to go to Zora Domain next! I’m not passing up the chance to make Link an official part of the family! ”
Link was as red as a very ripe tomato ‘I think you’re going a bit fast. I’m still dead, you know?’
“Let’s not think about the future just yet.” Zelda intervened “I don’t know how much Revali told you, but us looking for you was mostly an excuse to see how the world has changed. We were going to rebuild Hyrule Castle Town, but first we need to see if it’s even needed. Now that you’re here, you might be able to provide some more insight into our quest. You have seen the evolution of the different cultures after all.”
‘I’m not sure how useful what I have to say might be. Time escapes me very often. It is a side effect from being dead, I think’ He spoke so casually of his death, it was a bit unnerving. ‘I forget myself often. Once, I spent fifteen years playing a game of tag.’
“Then we can figure it out together. We have time.”