Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Link had been planning for this day for a while now. Ravio had since left Hyrule again. 

To make sure that Hilda was doing alright with the rebuilding of Lorule, he had said. 

Got tired of me more like it, he thought, as he filled his bag with whatever items he had that he didn’t want to leave behind. The ones with the least amount of trauma behind them, or that he couldn't bring himself to depart from. 

He paused as he looked at the one thing that his doppelganger had left behind when he left again. 

It wasn’t much, just a purple bracelet that allowed Legend to be able to turn himself into a painting, and a way to travel to Lorule if he needed to. 

Pursing his lips, Link left it where it was sitting on the table. 

Once his bag was packed with everything that he needed, he got changed into one of the many outfits that he had, but one of the few that he was actually taking with him. All his other ones would have to be left behind because of one reason or another. 

And, in the middle of the night, Link put his plan into action. Using one of the smaller daggers he had, he cut off most of his hair, making it to where no one would be able to recognize him because of it. He put the cut of strands by the pile of meat that he had bought from the butcher that day, along with the red tunic and blue hat that he had worn most often recently, right by where his bed was. 

Once Link was confident that everything was ready, he pulled on his Magic Cape, turning himself invisible, and left his house, his most powerful Fire Rod in hand. 

He had done this in the middle of the night for a reason. Everyone in town and the castle would be either asleep, or not paying much attention to his small house. After walking a small way down the path, he turned and took one last look at the house that had stopped really being his home after his uncle’s death many years ago.

Then, with the hood of his cape still up, he lifted up the Fire Rod, and turned it on.

His house and the nearby orchard went up in flames. It wasn’t long before he could smell the burning meat and hair that he had left for that sole purpose. Once he was sure that the fire would burn the whole building down, he turned around again, and left the inferno behind. 

In the distance, he could hear Kakariko Village waking up, the smell of the fire no doubt waking them up. Pulling the hood down further, he began to walk faster, wanting to get out of the area before anyone came to put out the flames. 

And that he did. 

By the time that the people from both the castle and the town were finally able to put out the flames, he had long since left Hyrule itself. But no one knew that. The smell of the burnt meat and seared hair had been burned into all of their noses as they worked to put out the flames, and when they had gone into the ashes of the flames, to look for him. All that they had found was the remains of his tunic, that was burnt onto meat that had been burnt far beyond being able to see that it had been bought from the local butcher. 

And so Hyrule mourned The Hero of Legend. When Ravio had returned, like he had said that he would, he also mourned. 

Little did any of them know, he was still alive, but had left to try and give himself a new life where he might be able to feel normal once again.

Chapter Text

Zelda awoke to the smell of smoke. It had been a cool night, so she left the window in her room partially open to let in the night air, but now the smell of smoke made its way through. 

Worried, she took a look out the window, and froze when she saw what was engulfed in flames. 

“No!” she bolted out of her room, not bothering to change out of her robe and slippers, and down the length of the castle. 

Upon reaching the gates, the full heat of the inferno hit her, and another smell burned it’s way into her nose. 

One of burning meat and hair. 

The princess of Hyrule sank to her knees and watched as the people around her worked to put out the flames that had engulfed the house of the Hero of Legend.
Hours went by as she watched them fight the fire, and it wasn’t until daybreak that the flames had died, and all that was left was just a charred skeleton of the house, and what few trees that had somehow remained untouched. 

A few brave souls went into what was left of the house, to see if anything, or anyone, had somehow survived. 

A good majority of his items had survived, their magic protecting them from the heat. The Lorulen bracelet that Ravio had given to him was found in a small pile of ash, but otherwise intact. 

As for what Zelda wanted to be found in the ashes, it was found, but not in the way that she had been hoping for. 

“He wasn’t able to make it out in time, poor kid.”
“Can’t imagine what those last moments for him would have been like.”
“Wasn’t he found right where his bed had been?”
“That means it might have gotten him while he was sleeping.”
“He probably didn’t even know what was going on until it was too late.”
“We can only hope that it was the smoke that got him then, and that the flames did their damage afterwards.”

Zelda only saw what had become of her brother once before she had to look away. He had been burned far beyond recognition, that it was only due to the rings that had stayed intact on his burnt up fingers that they could tell that it was Link. 

They were still preparing the funeral when Ravio returned from Lorule. 

He came through the portal that was in Zelda’s study, and he froze when he saw her in there. 

“Oh, Princess! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to come through this portal, but the one that’s in Mr. Hero’s house closed up-” 

Zelda cut him off and pulled him into a hug, as she began to cry into his shoulder. It was the first time since the night of the fire that she had done so, seeing the Lorulen counterpart of her now dead brother sending her carefully locked up emotions over the edge. 

Slowly, she was able to pull herself together again, and explained to Ravio what had happened. 

Then, it was Ravio’s turn to cry. 

They worked together on the funeral plans afterwards. One large enough to fit the savior and prince of Hyrule, but he was still buried in a humble plot, next to where his uncle was laid to rest. As those who knew him, knew that he wouldn’t have wanted to be put in the royal crypt. 

But that isn’t to say that everybody in Hyrule truly mourned the loss of the Hero of Legend. There were plenty of people, who still believed the lies that had been spread about him many years ago, wished him a good riddance. While those people numbered far fewer than those that mourned him, they made up for it by making their voices loud, making it seem like there were more of them than they really were. 

“Why should we mourn him?” they asked, “He was just the bastard son of the queen who did nothing but lie, steal, and parade around like he was important. It’s not like he ever did anything for us.” 

The people of Hyrule who knew Link however, ignored these people to the best of their abilities. There was a family of blacksmiths who would send a hard glare at anyone who spoke that way of him around them. Not to mention, one rude woman who often spoke ill about the Hero of Legend and had said that he had deserved his death, once awoke to the sight of what looked to be him, but with dark hair and a large purple outfit standing over her with an equally large hammer before fading into the wall. She had run out of her house screaming that night. The townsfolk would have written her off as having lost it, had it not been for others who had also spoken ill of the Hero having the same thing happen to them. A few even found some of their belongings smashed in, as though they had been hit with the large hammer. 

But for the most part, Hyrule mourned for their Hero, not knowing that in another country, he was very much alive, and finding a new life for himself. Leaving behind the titles and names that he had carried with him for nearly a decade.

Chapter Text

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~5 Years Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zelda was lost. She had been shopping with Ralph, the local noble in Labrynna she was visiting for diplomatic reasons, along with his childhood friend, and Oracle, Nayru, but after Ralph had run off into a different part of where they were, stating that he knew a great place for them to go, with Nayru following close behind, she had quickly lost both of them and gotten hopelessly lost, and was now wandering though a part of the town that she would have otherwise never gone to. 

 She attempted to find her way back to the main part of town. As she walked, she could feel the eyes of the people that she passed on her from all directions, wondering what she was doing there. Why wouldn’t they? Even if they couldn’t tell that she was the ruler of a neighboring country, they could tell that she was at least a noble of some kind due to how she was dressed. Zelda didn’t know what sort of people she might run into as she attempted to make her way back, so she wrapped her hand around the small dagger that she kept hidden in her dress. 

It wasn’t long before she felt someone grab onto the wrist of the hand that had been holding onto her dagger and pulled it out of her dress pocket, causing her to drop her dagger due to the person’s grip.

“Now, what’s a pretty little Lady like you doing out here all by herself?” a voice like venom asked as Zelda turned to face whomever it was that was restraining her hand at that moment. 

The person in question was an older man, who’s breath smelled of alcohol. 

“Unhand me this instant,” Zelda said as she attempted to pull away from the man’s grip.

“Or what?” he asked, showing off a smile that showed he was missing several teeth, “Daddy’s not here to protect you missy.”

The man’s comment cause a bit of anger to stir inside of her, but she refused to let it show. 

From behind her, Zelda could hear someone else approaching, and began to pull a bit harder, but otherwise outwardly remained calm. 

“She asked you to let go of her old man,” a new, somewhat familiar, voice came from behind her.

Zelda turned to look at the newcomer. She couldn’t see much, as they were wearing a brown, hooded cloak that covered their face, but she could tell that they were slightly shorter than she was. They also had the hilt of a sword poking out from the side of their cloak on their left side, but she had no way of knowing if that was just to intimate people in a way that their size couldn’t, if they really could use the sword, or both. 

The moment that Zelda was fully turned to face them in a way that they could see her face, the newcomer let out a small gasp, but then quickly tried to play it off.

“Surely even your drunk ass can tell that any sort of harm that you do to her, would only come back ten-fold on you the moment the other nobles discover what’s happened.”

The drunk responded to the cloaked person’s words by reaching into his pocket and taking out a rusted knife that looked as though it had never been properly cleaned since it was made, and held it up to Zelda’s neck. 

The cloaked figure didn’t seem all that phased, and Zelda even had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. 

“All the more proof that the spoiled nobility needs a sign to help knock them down a few pegs.”

“All that I’m saying is, that girl isn’t your run of the mill noble.”

Damn right I’m not, Zelda thought, as she wondered how she was going to get herself out of the situation she was in. 

When the bastard is distracted, stomp on his foot and he’ll drop the blade, another thought came to her head as both the cloaked figure and the drunken man bickered back and forth. 

After waiting a moment for the drunk to start talking again, Zelda carefully raised her foot, and stomped down hard on his, making sure that the heel of her shoe hit dead center. The drunk then cried out in pain, releasing both the knife, and Zelda’s wrist. She then quickly turned around, grabbing her own dagger from out of her pocket, and pointed it at the drunk, who was clutching his foot in pain. From behind her, Zelda heard the cloaked figure let out a small cuckle. 

“I am Zelda, Queen of Hyrule and you shall treat me as such.” 

Her voice was like ice and as the realization of who she was hit the drunken man, his eyes grew wide with fear. She stared him down for a good minute, before she gestured with her dagger for him to go, and that he did, going as fast as he could on his injured foot. 

Dagger still in hand, she turned back toward the cloaked figure. 

“I trust that you have enough common sense to not attempt what he just did now?” Zelda asked them, taking the opportunity to take a better look at them. 

Zelda could see the lower part of their face from the hood of their cloak, along with a bit of their hair. It was brown, although the part she could see of it to the left had more of a reddish color to it. She could also make out a slight bulge in their cape, as though they also had a shield equipped along with the sword that she noticed earlier. 

They also had a relaxed posture, but Zelda felt like this person would much rather be anywhere else at that moment, rather than where they were now. 

The figure shrugged, “Wouldn’t exactly call it common sense, but I’ve seen and heard enough to know that anyone who messes with the Hylian royal family ends up worse off than how they started. But what do I know?” 

Something about the way this person spoke was nagging at Zelda’s brain. It was as though she should recognize their voice, but she just couldn’t place where she’s heard it before, and who from. 

“Well, is there any chance that you would be able to lead me out of this part of town? I am sure that my companions have noticed that I was separated from them, and I would much rather get back to them than have them upturn everything looking for me.” 

The figure bowed, in a much more formal way than Zelda had expected them to, before saying, “As you wish.” 

Zelda felt a hint of sarcasm in their voice, but didn;t mention anything, as they had already stood back up and had turned to lead her out of the alleyway and back to the part of the city where she had been spending time with Ralph and Nayru. 

“ZELDA! THERE YOU ARE!” a voice called out from one of the busy side streets of the block. 

She turned to where the voice came from, seeing Ralph running over to her, hands waving. 

Zelda quickly went to thank the cloaked person for helping her, but when she turned back around, he was gone. 

She caught the barest glimpse of him headed back down the alleyway, before she was being pulled away again by the local noble.

Chapter Text

Link wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he walked out of the shop he had been looking around in, but seeing his sister was most definitely not it. 

For one thing, he hadn’t seen her for about half a decade now, and for another, this was not the part of town he would have even figured she would be in even if he had known she was in Labrynna in the first place. 

Luckily, he already had the hood of his cloak up, so he should be able to get away from where he currently was and back to the inn with no prob-

“Now, what’s a pretty little Lady like you doing out here all by herself?”

Link cursed himself as he turned around and saw a drunkard attempting to mug Zelda. 

Key word on attempting.

“Unhand me this instant,” Zelda said as Link saw her trying to pull away from the man’s grip.

“Or what? Daddy’s not here to protect you Missy.”

Oh he did not just go there.

Despite himself, Link found himself walking forward to help.

What the fuck are you doing! Don't get involved! Zelda can handle herself. The old fuck is drunk and she would have no problem taking care him

“She asked you to let go of her old man.”

YOU DUMBASS!

After the words left Link’s mouth, he had to fight the urge to smack himself in the face. Both Zelda and the drunkard had turned themselves to look at him, and a small gasp involuntary left his lips. 

“Surely even your drunk ass can tell that any sort of harm that you do to her, would only come back ten-fold on you the moment the other nobles discover what’s happened.” 

Shut up! Shut Up! SHUT UP! 

Somehow, the drunk proved to be an even bigger idiot than Link was, and took out a rusted knife that the quality of would have made a certain hero of old go berserk and held it up to Zelda's neck.

“All the more proof that the spoiled nobility needs a sign to help knock them down a few pegs.”

Did this guy really not recognize who he was trying to mug?  

“All that I’m saying is, that girl isn’t your run of the mill noble.”

On the edge of his mind, Link felt the mental connection he had shared with Zelda from the start of his very first adventure over 15 years ago now. He knew that it was a bad idea to use it now, he just knew it. Sure he was able to make anything that he said to her though it seem like one of her own thoughts, but he hadn’t tried to send anything through it for a while now, it would be too risky to try now. 

So of course, like an idiot, he did anyway.

He knew he wasn't known for his wisdom, but this had to be up there with one of his dumbest moves.

If Zelda recognized his voice in her head, she didn’t show it. Link at least knew that it did reach her at least, since a few moments after he sent the thought to her, she acted on it, bringing her heeled foot down on the drunkard’s. 

After a few moments, the drunkard was sent scraping, and Link had to fight off a bit of laughter that came with the sight, as right afterwards, the Queen of Hyrule turned her attention back to the cloaked figure of her twin brother. 

“I trust that you have enough common sense to not attempt what he just did now?” she asked as she studied him. 

Link did his best to make it seem as though he was relaxed, despite the fact he was internally at himself to get as far away from the conversation as possible.

Shit shit shit shit shit shit she's going to figure out it's me shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit.

“Wouldn’t exactly call it common sense, but I’ve seen and heard enough to know that anyone who messes with the Hylian royal family ends up worse off than how they started. But what do I know?”

APPARENTLY NOT ENOUGH! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LEAVE ALREADY! BEFORE SHE FIGURES YOU OUT!

Zelda narrowed her eyes on him, and Link had a feeling it was because something about him was reminding her of someone, but she couldn’t place who. 

Link desperately hoped that she wouldn’t be able to figure it out, but knowing his sister, and his luck, it was only a matter of time before she did.

Which was all the more reason for him to try and find an out so he could get out of there.

“Well, is there any chance that you would be able to lead me out of this part of town?” Zelda asked, still eyeing him with a hint of suspicion, “I am sure that my companions have noticed that I was separated from them, and I would much rather get back to them than have them upturn everything looking for me.” 

Seeing an opportunity to get back to a point where they lived separate lives, probably with at least one country's borders between them, Link took it and ran. 

Bowing in much the same way that Impa had shown him how to many years ago, he couldn't stop the barest hint of sarcasm from finding its way into his voice as he said, “As you wish.” 

If she caught it, she didn’t say anything, or if she did, he didn’t hear it as he has already turned around and made his way through the near maze like path through the alley’s of Labrynna and back to the part of the city that whoever she had been with (he desperately hoped it wasn’t Ralph or Naryu) would be in.

“ZELDA! THERE YOU ARE!” Ralph’s voice called out shortly after they had left the alley, Nayru following closely behind him. 

GODDESS DAMINT!

Link saw her turn towards the noble and took the opportunity to duck around her and head back down the alleyway before either Ralph or Nayru noticed he was even there.

Link let his feet take him down the alleyway and through the many twists and turns that made up the back part of the city. Purposely taking the long way back to the Inn and not risking looking back as he did so. He was afraid that, if he did, the part of him that missed his friends would end up forcing him to stay, to tell them that he was okay. 

No, it was for the better this way. 

Even with the winding path he took, he was back at the Inn in what felt like no time at all. Shaking stray thoughts out of his head, Link pulled down the hood of his cloak so that he could better get a hold on his breathing. 

He took a seat on the steps outside of the inn as he took deep breaths to calm himself down. The close call had shook him up a bit, activated the part of himself that was always right there at the front when he was The Hero . Link supposed that, even after 5 years it would still be there, that it always would be there. Just because it wasn't who he was now, it was still a part of him. 

Just let the feeling pass, Link told himself, there is no reason to get worked up about what happened. You'll still be able to head to Calatia in the morning. 

He repeated the words over and over in his head until he finally felt himself relax. 

Zelda very likely wouldn't have recognized him. Link made sure not to give the Hyrulen Queen anything that would help her with finding out who he was. He would be safe. 

If not, he still had the ring that let him somehow look like someone who wouldn't even be born for a few hundred years. He could just wear that as he headed out.

A small smile formed on Link's face as he ran his hand though his dyed hair, Well Ruliee, looks like you're still helping out even now.