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Chapter Text

Where could he be? Where could he be?!

Zelda searched the mining facility frantically. Timeshift stones were going haywire, widening their effects and then dissipating at erratic measures. She’d barely found Groose in time to drag him from the rubble and call his loftwing to carry him to Skyloft, which still had better healing accommodations than their settlement on the Surface. Groose had been in fairly bad shape, but he was fit enough to try and argue with Zelda and insist that Link was still inside and needed help. Zelda had convinced him to return to Skyloft so he could heal and get reinforcements and said she wouldn’t leave until she’d found him.

So here she was, just one mere day after getting married, looking for her husband in the wreckage of an explosion. He could be bleeding and broken right now, he could be dead—

She shook her head, her mind overwhelmed with panic. Get it together, Zelda! You can’t help him if you can’t think!

She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, covering her face with her hands. So many possibilities flew through her head. Images she didn’t need to see, words she wouldn’t say, and an overwhelming nausea filled her. A small, pathetic part of her called for her father or Impa to come help like she was still a helpless child, but a stronger, hotter feeling welled inside of her. Zelda took slow, deep breaths in and out of her nose, lowering her hands to her side.

I am a goddess. I will find him.

Nodding to herself, she rushed into the debris, dodging timeshift effects as best as she could. Timeshift stones were funny things, typically only affecting creatures and items that were alive when the timeshift stone was first formed. However, there was an incident once where one of the settlers had magically turned into a child upon activating one cracked timeshift stone, and it was that day that they all realized there was far more to these mystical items than they really knew. With as unstable as this environment was, Zelda was half worried she might revert to her goddess form if she stumbled into the proximity of one, and the thought alone nearly froze her blood.

What if a timeshift stone affected Link? What if he’s a baby, crying and alone? What if he’s old and feeble and brittle with age?

Oh Golden Three. What if he’s dead, a pile a bones withered away by time like the bokoblins that once roamed this land?

Her thoughts began to grow frantic once more and she had to pause again and breathe before resuming her search. How had everything gone so wrong so quickly?

The morning had started out well enough. Link had slept in, of course. But then Groose had interrupted with an apologetic but frantic tone, and he’d said something was wrong in the Lanayru mines, and Link had rushed away.

And then his loftwing had come back screaming just an hour later.

She shook her head. Link would be fine. She willed the blessed butterflies in her stomach to go away, for her head to stop spinning, for her pounding headache to stop long enough for her to focus.

She started running. She called his name, she scouted every inch of land around the area. She combed every corner of the perimeter to the cave-in, which led to only one remaining conclusion: her worst fears were true, and Link was in fact trapped inside.

She started digging.

XXX

It had been two days. Zelda was nearly beside herself with worry. Others had arrived to help clear the rubble, but progress was painfully slow – some, including Zelda herself, had to endure Surface Sickness as their bodies adapted while they tried to dig through the rubble—after all, they’d all been on Skyloft for the wedding. She led the trek inside, moving rocks where she could, protecting the stronger workers from whatever monster lurked in the area – she still had knight’s training, after all. The farther they got into the cave, the harder it became to breathe, the more claustrophobic she felt, and her mind would scream new worries. The longer it took them, the less chance Link had at surviving.

Contingency plans and worst-case scenarios fought for dominance in her head, but something buzzed in the air, cutting through the noise. Warmth, electricity, magic; this was the sensation that overwhelmed someone when they’d step into a timeshift activated area, but no stones were near her. Something must have caused the stones to react in a different way.

Zelda reached out, feeling her fingers tingle as if with static electricity. She could taste the magic, sense it ripple through her. She could connect with it. Flipping her palm up like she was trying to scoop it out of the air, she could feel it gathering around her fingertips. She clutched her fist, focusing. She could take some of this magic with her, and she knew exactly where to go.

Turning, Zelda rushed to her loftwing and made her way to the settlement.

XXX

The Gate of Time stood before her. She had no way of getting through the rubble, but timeshift magic had been activated back there, and if she could use it with the gate, then maybe she could get to Link before the explosion. No matter what happened, then, he would be safe. Extending her hand towards the Gate, she felt the magic flow in her fingertips again, and she slowly picked up her harp. It felt warm in her hands, and she stroked it, tears filling her eyes as she thought of Link sitting in their bed playing it just a few nights ago.

Raising the harp, she played it. The Gate hummed, already energized by the magic she had brought. Slowly, the Gate activated, turning. The familiar gears appeared, and Zelda took a deep breath and charged ahead despite her anxiety, despite the painful memories that arose at seeing this Gate beckoning her once more.

When she exited, however, she was neither in the Temple of Hylia nor in Lanayru. In fact, she was somewhere completely unfamiliar to her.

Or… wait… was it unfamiliar? This was… was this the sacred spring at the Skyview Temple? But it didn’t look quite right… the area seemed almost decayed in comparison to what it used to be. Wait… did the Gate take her into the future instead of the past?! This didn’t make sense at all, the Gate of Time didn’t transport someone to a different location – she thought it might take her to Lanayru because of the magic she’d added that originated from there, but—

It was only as Zelda was observing the area in its entirety that she realized someone was standing in front of her.

Flinching, Zelda immediately reached for her sword when she quickly assessed that this young woman was not armed and looked completely caught off guard.

“Who are you?” Zelda asked, taking in the sight of the teenager in a white dress. A white dress… with… that necklace!

“I…” the girl replied, but before she could say anything else, a boy was in front of her, drawing a blade that…

What?!

“How did you get that sword?!” Zelda yelled, immediately unsheathing her weapon. “Where’s Link?!”

The two teenagers paused, a look of bemusement crossing their features. Then the girl gasped. “Your clothes—they look like his!”

Zelda felt her heartrate spike even more, temporarily forgetting the paradoxes standing in front of her. “Where is he?”

“He… he was found here,” the girl continued uncertainly behind the warrior. “I had just arrived. He was unconscious, he almost drowned in the spring… we took him back to the castle.”

Zelda felt her blood turn to ice as her body pumped another shot of adrenaline through her. “Is he okay?!”

“He was injured,” the girl answered.

Zelda felt tears sting in her eyes. She wanted to run to whatever this castle was right now, but there was another pressing matter on her mind as well. “Who are you?”

Here the girl paused, seemingly caught off guard again. “Who… who am I?”

The warrior remained stalwart, not letting Zelda take a step closer to either of them. He seemed all the more agitated by her question as well. Zelda decided she would sort this issue out later. Clearly, they were sometime in the future as she had initially deduced. But beyond that she knew nothing. The symbol the girl bore on her necklace looked like a loftwing, like a variation of the Goddess Crest, and this warrior was using the Master Sword itself – she definitely had a lot of questions, but the longer they stood there the more her concerns returned to Link.

“Take me to him.” She ordered, not quite ready to lower her blade, but not wanting to pick a fight.

Here the girl finally seemed to regain some footing, growing affronted. “You… you don’t even know who I am, and you’re trying to order me around?”

Zelda’s patience grew thin. She sheathed her sword to appease them, but she was on the verge of snapping entirely. Her newly wedded husband, the love of her life and her Chosen Hero who had helped her end a nearly timeless war, was lying somewhere gravely injured and these two imposters were stalling.

She reached out, making the warrior stiffen in anticipation, and she grabbed the blade in her bare right hand. Heat surged from her hand and the blade glowed white hot, its heat transferring into the handle and making the warrior gasp, releasing his grip on the hilt. Zelda plucked the blade from his slackening hold, and held it in her own hands, keeping it low to make her somewhat less threatening without losing the gesture entirely.

“Link and I forged this sword,” she explained, her tone low and commanding. “You cannot hurt me with it. Now take me to him.”

The two teenagers stood in a mixture of amazement, awe, and confusion. The warrior looked determined but nervous, unsure what just happened and what it could signify. Her words clearly baffled him, but to the girl… something in her eyes clicked.

The girl dropped to her knees. “You’re—you’re—”

Zelda stood there, part of her piecing together that this might signify she is still remembered in history, though in what context she isn’t sure. As the goddess Hylia reborn, this wasn’t a new concept to her (though she still found the sensation odd), but her mind was still whirling too much to entirely process the significance.

Instead, she just repeated her command. “Take me to him.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

The fire crackled, buzzing in the back of his mind. He gazed down at the sword in his lap. He felt… he didn’t know. Numb? Empty? Anxious? Terrified? Awed? All of it? He didn’t know how he felt, he didn’t know how he was supposed to feel.

All his life he’d been looked up to. Admired. Praised. He’s gifted, they’d said. When he’d drawn the Master Sword it had seemed almost a logical progression. And then the expectations had grown, and so had his anxieties.

Everyone expected everything of him, and he didn’t want to disappoint them.

But now there was this development. A new hero. A goddess.

Link had always believed in and worshipped Hylia. He’d prayed to her daily. To have her here in person… it made him dizzy. It made his breath catch just like it had with…

Link. But not him. The Hero of Legends of Old.

Link, the original warrior. Link, the starter of the line of heroes. Link, the creator of the Hero’s Spirit.

Link, the person everyone expected him to be.

It was no coincidence that heroes were always named Link. It was a popular name – who wouldn’t name their son after a legend?

This man was that legend.

And he was married to a goddess.

The goddess.

Hylia had descended to Hyrule.

Link just… didn’t know how to process any of this. Should he worship Hylia? Should he beg for her help? Should he even dare approach her? Was she angry at him for getting near her, for disrespecting her? Was she angry at Zelda?

What was he supposed to do? He knew that as the wielder of the Master Sword he was chosen by the goddesses to fulfill his destiny. Yet Hylia hadn’t seemed to recognize him. Maybe it was the Golden Three who did the choosing? But Hylia surely would have known that, right?

Link had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Maybe Zelda was wrong. Maybe it wasn’t the goddess. Maybe it was a magical being of some sort, but just not Hylia. She hadn’t exactly said she was Hylia, she’d just acknowledged Zelda when she’d spoken to her like she was.

None of this made sense.

Whoever the young woman was, she had power Link couldn’t fathom. After all, she’d practically turned the Master Sword against him, a blade that he’d wielded for so many years now that it seemed like a part of him. She’d said she’d forged it, alongside…

Link just… didn’t know how to process any of this. He felt even smaller now than he did before. Even more pressured. He didn’t know what in the world was going on nor how he should react to it. All he knew was the teenager broiling with fever in that room represented everything everyone expected him to be.

Because despite his uncertainties about the woman, he did know who that young man was. He sensed the familiarity the instant he’d seen him. He’d sensed something different, something special. The teenager had been wearing clothes that were worn in traditional settings and stories and religious ceremonies. Link had practically felt the Master Sword warm as he’d approached him. He didn’t need Sheikah and Hylian scholars to tell him what he already knew.

This was a Hero of Hyrule. But there were many of them in the stories, and it made it difficult to figure out which one this boy could have been.

Until the Maybe-Hylia had said it.

Because only one Hero had forged the Master Sword. Only one Hero had fought the king of evil before Hyrule’s existence. Only one Hero had been created by the goddesses and descended from the heavens in a beacon of light and purged the land of darkness so that Hyrule could be founded. Only one Hero had fought alongside Hylia.

And he was here. He was here.

Link didn’t know what to do. He shrank into himself and shivered.

What a momentous occasion. What a wonder, what a miracle.

What a mess.

XXX

The sword felt heavy in her hands. It was so stained in blood she couldn’t see any differentiation of color, the teal and steel grey lost in the crimson. Monsters screamed all around her. Demise stood before her.

“You will not win, Hylia,” he spat.

She raised her sword. “Enough with the foolish pronouncements, Demon.”

He laughed instead of engaging her, lightning sizzling all around him. She felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. She heard her people cry for help behind her.

But then there was one person who stood in front of her, between the two deities fighting for the fate of the world. Small, fragile, but courageous. He held her sword, but it wasn’t her sword. It was… different. Stronger.

“Link,” she breathed, trembling suddenly. Her own sword slipped out of her fingers.

“Your chosen hero will die,” Demise said in his dark, cruel voice. “And you will be witness to it.”

“Link!” She cried out, suddenly terrified, suddenly helpless, suddenly in pain. The warzone faded and morphed into an otherworldly place of blue skies and shallow waters. Every fiber of her being screamed as it was being consumed. She yelled out for Link again.

He stood in front of her, now facing her, an anger and determination that she had never before seen in his eyes.

My Chosen Hero. My Friend. My Link.

Tears poured out of her eyes. She couldn’t yell anymore.

Link was bleeding. He was battered and bruised. But he still stood. He deflected a blow and was electrocuted by another. She wanted to tear her eyes out just so she couldn’t see him hurt anymore. He dodged a blow and landed a hit on the demon king, and then he raised his sword to the sky. Lightning struck it, he gritted his teeth, the electricity sparked all around him, his eyes aglow, and he charged ahead, impaling the monster.

She felt her own gut sear as if he had impaled her, and then she felt nothing. A light started to pierce into her vision, and she slowly realized she was back in the temple.

Coughing. Someone was coughing. Someone was—

Zelda gasped, opening her eyes. She felt dizzy and disoriented. Looking around she saw that she was sitting in a chair beside a bed.

Right. Chair. She’d sat in a chair. Because she was in a strange place. A castle. And Link was—

Link!

She stood and rushed to the bed where Link was coughing so harshly his entire face was red and his veins in his neck were bulging. He could barely get a breath in between the wretched hacking. She sat him forward, pushed the pillows aside, climbed into the bed, and sat behind him, pulling him to her in a seated position. She rubbed circles on his back and then let him sink into her, his body heavy with exhaustion. His coughing fit subsided with a sickening gurgle, and she quickly grabbed a handkerchief that had been left on the nightstand, putting it over his mouth and telling him to spit out whatever he had coughed up. She then reached for a bowl of red potion that had been left by some sort of magical item that retained heat. The bowl was still steaming, and she wrapped her arms around Link in a hug and to hold the bowl in front of him, just under his chin. He inhaled the steam and it seemed to help as he lied against her, recovering from the fit.

He moaned in pain, his hands weakly clutching at his chest. “Z-Zel…”

“Shh,” she soothed, letting her free hand clasp his and kissing his neck where it met his shoulder. It was damp with sweat. “It’s okay, you’re okay now.”

He wheezed and let out another round of coughs, though not as bad as the first. He let out a small sob when he was finished, his body tense and writhing in her arms. Zelda swallowed the lump in her throat as she felt tears spill out of her eyes. She hated seeing him like this, hated feeling so powerless to do anything.

“Zelda…” he cried softly, pleadingly. Make it stop, he begged without speaking.

I wish I could, she replied silently as she started to rock back and forth, bringing him with her. She continued her gentle hushes and words, and she held the bowl firmly in place so he could try to breathe in as much of the potion as possible. His death grip on his shirt started to settle after a few moments, giving Zelda some reassurance.

Glancing out the one small window in the room, she could see that it was still pitch-black outside. She couldn’t have been asleep for long. She shook her head, sighing. She’d already had a feeling she wouldn’t be sleeping much tonight, so she shouldn’t have been surprised.

Probably for the best, she thought as traces of the nightmare flashed through her mind. She continued to rock herself and Link slowly, and his gasping started to even out. Eventually her arm grew tired, and she set the bowl of potion beside the enchanted item once more, wrapping both arms around her husband.

This was not the honeymoon we wanted, she thought bitterly.

She still hadn’t even figured out where or when they were. Honestly, though, she didn’t care where or when they were; once Link was well enough that he wasn’t in constant desperate need of potions, she would take him back to the gate and get them both home. She wanted to be safe with her husband and not have to worry about anything. The settlement was safe, and Skyloft was even safer right now.

“Haven’t we dealt with enough already?” she asked softly to no one in particular. Link’s shuddering breaths continued with the occasional hitch, but he didn’t give any indication of hearing her, still delirious with fever.

Golden Three. I hope the Gate is safe. She suddenly thought, feeling her chest tighten. I should tell those people to guard it until we can leave.

“Oh, Link,” she whispered, burying her head in the crook of his neck and continuing to rock him. “This is a nightmare.”

Link didn’t reply, but his ease of breathing was enough of a reassurance for her. Blowing out an enormous sigh of relief, she started to lean back against the headboard. Link’s head slipped from its place on her shoulder to her chest, and she started to run her fingers through his sweaty bangs, continuously brushing them out of his face. His wheezing sounded a little less severe. Good. At least that coughing fit got some of the junk out of his lungs.

She felt so… unsafe. So unsure. So scared. Her husband was so sick, and they were somewhere completely foreign. It was like she had fallen out of the sky all over again, as if she were discovering the Surface for the first time. She hated it. If Link weren’t so sick, if their honeymoon hadn’t been interrupted, if one of the mines hadn’t been practically destroyed, this might have been an exciting adventure, but…

She just wanted to go home.

Zelda shivered, suddenly cold, and her hands stilled. Her legs were starting to tingle and go numb from supporting Link’s weight. She shifted, slipping herself out from behind him and propping him back up on a pile of pillows. Link was finally asleep again and didn’t seem to care about the movement.

This was going to be a long night.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

“Did you know that Hylia is, in fact, in the flesh because she is from the past?”

Zelda watched her father in amazement. “The past?”

She had to admit, the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. It seemed more like Hylia coming from the heavens to express her disappointment in Zelda’s lack of ability to awaken her powers, but this was a far more logical and preferable explanation. It made so much sense that she felt like an idiot for not considering it – the flesh-bound goddess had no inkling of who Zelda or Link were, only her own Hero. Of course they were both from the same time – Hylia had spoken of Link being her husband, and legend claimed that the first king of Hyrule could have been the Hero himself.

The crushing dread that had been weighing her down disappeared, and the void was instead filled with excitement. Zelda had so many questions, and she wished it was polite to ask them of the goddess and the Hero. Without the thought of the goddess demanding Zelda fulfill her duty, this was absolutely fascinating.

“Yes,” her father continued with a sage nod, though his eyes sparkled with excitement. Zelda hadn’t seen this much life in him for many years. “We will have a celebration for them. Can you believe it, Zelda? The first King and Queen of Hyrule, Hylia herself and the original legendary Hero! This is destiny!”

Hearing her father speak the word destiny made it feel like a rock just dropped into her stomach. Zelda had to admit, it was certainly something. Shaking her head to rid it of any thought of anybody’s destinies, she instead wished she could speak to them and learn their wisdom, learn of the past and how Hyrule was founded (the history annals did not go back that far – their era was relegated to myth). But at the moment both were sequestered in the quarters her father had provided them so the Hero could properly recover. She supposed she would have to wait.

As the princess left her father to make preparations for the party, she wandered aimlessly through the castle. She glanced out the window and saw knights training, and she stopped dead in her tracks.

Link! Oh, I must talk to him about this.

The princess searched high and low around the castle. Link was likely outside practicing his swordsmanship, as he often did when he had nothing pressing. When she searched the common training areas, however, she had little luck finding him. Growing curious, she wondered if he’d left the castle and gone into town. There was only one other place to look before jumping to that conclusion.

Gathering her courage, she headed for Link’s room in the knights’ barracks. She paused at the door, her heart fluttering. This was a little unbecoming of a princess, going to the barracks at all, but she wanted to talk to him. She probably should have sent a servant to retrieve him, though.

Zelda shook her head. It didn’t matter. Link was one of the few people she could actually confide in and trust. After the Yiga incident, she’d been opening up to him more and he’d seemed receptive to it. Her previous assumptions about him thinking little of her didn’t hold water, and she’d actually gotten him to speak just last week.

Taking a deep breath, the princess knocked on the door. She was about to knock again when it opened to reveal her missing knight.

“May I… may I come in?” she asked, still feeling very out of place and just a little frazzled at the circumstances.

Link stepped aside, looking tired but attentive. Zelda noticed the dark circles under his eyes as she passed. When she was inside, he faced her, back straight, hands clasped behind him.

“Close the door, please.” Zelda requested. She knew this would make their predicament even more inappropriate, but she didn’t want everyone listening in on their conversation.

She really should have just sent for him.

Link did as he was told and then watched her again.

“So,” Princess Zelda started awkwardly. She fiddled with her long sleeves and then smoothed her dress. Then she noticed he hadn’t moved. “Oh—um, you can sit down, you know, and—”

To make him more comfortable with the idea, she sat down so they’d be at eye level. She immediately realized she’d sat down on his bed, and she hopped to her feet just as Link reached for a chair, her face flaming red.

“U-um, but I—no, no, please still sit, Link I—oh, this is just—” Zelda continued to stammer, completely flustered. Her knight’s face, though still neutral, seemed to soften, and his eyes sparkled in the dim light. Her heart raced even more.

For heaven’s sake, you are the Princess of Hyrule, pull yourself together! What is wrong with me?!

Snapping her mouth shut so tightly it was audible, Zelda forced herself to sit on Link’s bed. Slowly, Link pulled out the chair he had grabbed and seated himself across from her.

And then they stared at each other.

Groaning internally, Zelda tried to just restart the conversation in order to forget the entire embarrassing ordeal.

“I wanted to talk about yesterday.” She started. Link, usually unreadable, shifted slightly, his fingers briefly fiddling with his tunic. “I wanted to share my thoughts about it, and what I’ve just learned from my father.”

Link stilled, waiting attentively.

Zelda cleared her throat uncomfortably. She used to ramble on occasion to Impa, but that girl was so put together that Zelda felt like a fool for doing so. Since deciding that, she’d kept her anxieties to herself until recently, until she’d realized Link was in the same predicament. It felt… good to talk about it with someone, but it didn’t make it any less awkward sometimes.

“Well, I… you know, at first I thought she had to have been here for me,” she started uneasily, looking at her hands fiddling with her dress in her lap. “I wondered if… if she was here to guide me or, more likely, if she was here to rebuke me. But… Link, I just learned—” here she looked up to make eye contact with him, “that she’s from the past.”

Link blinked. Then it clicked, Zelda could practically see the lantern light in his eyes. His eyebrows rose a little.

“Don’t you see?” Zelda pressed excitedly, her nerves dissolving. “She doesn’t know about us! That’s why she was so hostile, Link – she was looking for her Hero, she knows nothing about us! She wasn’t here for me, or for you – she’s here for him!”

Link crinkled his brow for a moment before relaxing. Zelda, keen on watching his reactions after realizing why he tried so desperately to maintain a neutral façade, asked, “What is it?”

Link bit his lip. His voice was soft and unsure when he spoke. “Begging your pardon for my ignorance, Your Highness, but… isn’t Hylia also known as the Goddess of Time?”

Zelda eyed him confusedly. “Yes.”

“So, then… wouldn’t she be able to see into the future and know us anyway?”

Zelda opened her mouth, ready to explain, a finger in the air, and then paused.

Wait, could she…? But then… what?

“Well, I…” she tried, putting her hand to her chin in thought. “I don’t actually know. Maybe? But she clearly didn’t recognize us.”

“Is Your Highness certain she is the goddess Hylia?” Link asked softly, eyes discerning. He clearly had been thinking about this for a while.

Zelda lowered her hand as she nodded with certainty. “Absolutely. She told my father as much.”

Link’s gaze fell to his lap briefly before he returned his attention to her.

“It’s… I don’t really know, Link,” Zelda said, rising and hugging herself, filled with energy. Link rose as well, and she didn’t bother telling him to sit. “I thought… well, I thought things made sense for a moment. I’ll have to research this more thoroughly. Perhaps the library will have information on the matter.”

Yes. Yes, that was exactly what she needed. She needed information, not her own thoughts buzzing around in her mind. She could figure this out. She would.

The princess headed for the door, filled with purpose, when she paused as her hand touched the doorknob. Turning, she looked at Link. “Are… are you okay?”

Link swallowed, saying nothing. When Zelda continued to watch him, he finally relented. “It’s… a lot to take in.”

“But it’s the Hero!” Princess Zelda said helpfully with a smile. “He… I mean…”

Well, she wasn’t really sure what she meant by that. She wasn’t really sure what was to happen. She wasn’t sure what any of this meant.

“Something good must come of it, right?” she asked hopefully.

Link took a slow, measured breath, and tried to give her a little smile. “Yes, Your Highness.”

XXX

Zelda sighed as she gazed outside the window. There sadly wasn’t much to see at the moment. The day was foggy and gray, reminding her of all the days she had spent on the Surface before Demise’s defeat. With the cloud barrier firmly in place to protect people on Skyloft, the sun was a fabled light to those on the Surface, burning enough to heat the land without ever being seen. She shuddered at the thought of a life without its warm embrace. Her time on the Surface had been so disorienting and fascinating and exciting and terrifying…

And now…

Shaking her head, she shifted and looked to her right from where she sat. Link was finally sleeping peacefully. He had been tossing and turning most of last night and this morning from what she could remember, short of breath and in too much pain to really rest. However, after the healers had adjusted some herbs and potions, it seemed like he was at last at peace. The healer had insisted that he get as much rest as possible and should stay in bed until his breathing was no longer labored. The irony was practically palpable: the only time Link got permission to sleep in was the only time he struggled to enjoy the sleep in the first place. It made Zelda’s heart ache a little, but the worry was growing ever distant as her husband’s face grew even more peaceful in slumber.

Zelda smiled, rising and tucking her best friend in a little better. He let out a little sigh, which sounded like a soft cooing noise, as he shifted a little, and then he settled back to sleep. Zelda had to giggle at it. Her sweet little dove was too much sometimes.

Little? Ha! He is pretty tiny.

 Groose’s remark and Link’s indignant little huff of a response from when she first addressed him as such reverberated in her head. At the time she had laughed at his silly pouting, but when she’d reflected on it later, she’d been a bit bemused at her own nickname for him. Link was short compared to other men, it was true, but he was still taller than her. Except... he wasn’t. Her memories as Hylia yielded a different perspective, a Surface ablaze with sunlight, teeming with life, and so very… small. She had been so tall. She looked at her reflection in the window. She herself seemed too little now.

Zelda groaned, rubbing a hand down her face. It had been almost a year since her restored memories and yet she still could barely piece the two lives together. She felt ancient and young, timeless and so confined and mortal her bones would ache. Sometimes she didn’t know who she was anymore. And this new predicament was not helping.

What she did know, however, was that Link would always be there for her. He’d been nothing but patient and understanding the past ten months as she’d struggled to figure out how her two lives could coincide. He was her grounding force, her own personal hero, and she would never forget that.

“Mmm…”

The small noise made her jump, and she was at the bed in an instant. “Link?”

Her husband’s eyelids fluttered, his brow furrowing. Under the blanket she saw one of his hands shift to his stomach, and he groaned.

“Are you in pain?” she asked, feeling stupid asking what seemed to be an obvious question, but feeling lost as to what else she could say or do.

Slowly, Link opened his eyes, his gaze unfocused, though not glazed with fever as they’d been last time. He let out a small moan and moved to sit up in the bed. Zelda gently put her hands on his shoulders. “Link, wait.”

At her voice, he blew out a breath and practically collapsed under the touch as if she had pushed him. He looked at her, fully awake now, and gave his best pout he could muster in his exhausted state. “I’m hungry.”

Zelda let out a laugh, relieved. By the Three it was good to hear him speak a coherent sentence. Her Link was back, and that complaint was one she could address. “I’ll see if I can go to the kitchen and get something.”

“I’m sore.”

“Don’t worry, Dove, I’ll get the healer.”

“No,” Link shook his head and tried to sit up again. Zelda pressed against him once more, giving him a firm look. His pout returned. “Zel… I’m sore because I’m stiff. Can I please get up?”

She stared at him incredulously. “Did… did you just ask to get out of bed?”

Link’s pout turned into a scowl. “Ha. Yes. Don’t get used to it.”

Zelda laughed again, hard. But she quickly grew serious, shaking her head. “I hate to break it to you, sleepyhead, but you’re on strict bedrest. Besides, it’s evening.”

“But Zelda—”

“No, Link. You need to rest and heal.” Zelda insisted sternly. “Also, you’ve still got Surface Sickness to deal with too.”

“I’m… on the Surface?” Link asked confusedly, looking around.

“Yes…” Zelda answered slowly, watching him. “How much do you remember?”

“I…” Link squinted at nothing, focusing. “The mines—Groose!”

Zelda pushed on his shoulders before he even had a chance to shoot up off the bed. “He’s fine, Link. He’s safe.”

“But then where…?”

Zelda sighed. “I wish I could say. Somewhere different, but we’re still on the Surface. Don’t worry about it right now, worry about resting.”

Link took a moment to process her words before shaking his head. “I’m still on the Surface, right? So I’ve been on the Surface for a few days by now? Sickness should’ve worn off. I’m feeling fine now, Zel—”

“Link you have pneumonia. Not to mention the fatigue from Surface Sickness tends to linger, especially for you. Combining the two, you should probably be in bed for the next few days.”

Link sighed heavily, growing more frustrated. Zelda watched him worriedly. He usually wasn’t this antsy – the only times she’d known him to be stubbornly insistent on getting motivated were when fears and demons from the past were driving him forward. He’d literally fallen off the goddess statue after Demise’s defeat because he had insisted (lied) that he was fine. It had scared her to death and made her ever watchful of when he would get into spells of frantic and enduring activity.

She tried appeasing him. “I’ll ask for some food. I’ll be right back, okay?”

Something strange flashed across her hero’s face, and he cocked his head to the side. She was about to ask him when his breath hitched for a moment and he coughed, groaning and clutching his chest. Zelda stiffened, ready to help him sit up or get more steamed potion, but he settled fairly quickly.

Link looked down, defeated. She felt bad for him, and reached a physical and proverbial hand out, touching his cheek and making him look at her. “What’s wrong, Link?”

He shrank inward a little, shivering. Zelda paused. He looked so small in bed. He glanced around the room, his eyebrows curling together in confusion, and then he closed his eyes. He wasn’t just in pain, there was more.

Of course there was more. Link was somewhere he didn’t recognize. He never felt safe if he was somewhere foreign. And he didn’t even know how he’d gotten here, nor did he know the full severity of the situation.

Zelda was the explorer of the two, she was the one who didn’t mind new environments. Link followed her to the Surface to protect her, to rescue her, to be with her…

To be used by you.

Zelda shook her head sharply at the familiar self-rebuke. Not now. The issue now was that he was uncomfortable and scared. Link liked comfort and familiarity. Being hungry, weak, sick, and hurting in a completely foreign environment was overwhelming him. Which meant Zelda shouldn’t leave him alone.

Biting her lip, she looked over to the door exiting the room. Was there a way she could send for someone? She knew this place had servants.

A bitter taste entered her mouth. It was so odd – she’d first heard the word servant when she’d met Impa, who called herself a “servant of the goddess.” After regaining her memories she understood the meaning of the word more, but to see it utilized here for things as trivial as bringing food and clothes… Zelda didn’t need someone to defile the name over such vain things. Servants didn’t spoil someone, they helped them, they protected them.

Gazing back down at Link, Zelda then knew what she needed to do. She pulled the covers back, slipped off her boots, and slid in beside him, snuggling close. She could be a better servant for him than anyone else in the palace. His pain was causing him discomfort, but his fear was driving him to thoughts and actions that were not helpful for healing. The healer would be back soon. Zelda would take care of him in the meantime.

Link’s stiffening muscles relaxed, and he sighed through his nose, letting her rest her arm across his stomach. She felt him nuzzle his head into her hair, and his hand rested over hers. The two didn’t say a word; they didn’t have to. Zelda knew what Link needed, and he knew what she was doing. They breathed together, his chest rattling a little, huddled in warmth and comfort, and she eventually listened as her husband’s breathing evened out, his body becoming dead weight in the bed. His hand eventually slipped off hers and he let out a soft sigh. Zelda smiled.

Sleep well, my little dove.

Chapter Text

Link scrunched his face as his body ached. He really needed to get out of bed. Looking to his side, he noticed that he was alone, and he grew confused.

Where was Zelda?

“Master.”

Link’s breath caught. The musical voice reverberated in the room, a voice that he’d been deprived of for ten long months, a voice that he thought he would never hear again.

Sitting up in the bed, eyes wide, he whispered, “Fi?”

He heard her song, the caressing, comforting melody that would hum as she entered or exited the sword. It clearly was coming from the door. Bolting out of the foreign bed, Link was in a large, cavernous hallway in an instant. Off in the distance, he saw a faint blue and purple glow.

“Fi!” he yelled, running as fast as he could. The hallway seemed to go on forever, but it wasn’t a repetitive pattern. The walls bore paintings of different people and images, one blurring into the next as he hastened to find his friend.

Eventually the hallway seemed to come to a dead end, a large semicircular vestibule of sorts lit up by countless candles. In the light were two figures facing away from him. One, a teenager around Link’s age, was kneeling on the ground, hugging himself and bending forward a little bit. He wore a blue tunic, and Link could see sturdy boots underneath him. His hair was fairly long, tied out of his face with a blue hair tie. Over him stood another figure, wearing a Skyloft knight’s armor, seeming to comfort the first one with a hand on his shoulder.

Link stared at the two, strangely entranced and feeling some sort of dread fill in his gut. The knight removed his hand slowly and started to turn. The first thing that immediately made Link uneasy was that he wore the same green as Link, yet the Chosen Hero knew he was the only one who received armor that year.

It became apparent as soon as the knight turned.

It was him.

But it wasn’t. This Link, this foreign Link, looked so much older. The same face with older eyes, exhaustion so apparent it sucked the vitality out of him. He looked battered, broken, and utterly spent. His eyes were dull, and under them were dark circles so prevalent they looked like bruises.

He heard a whimsical, oh so familiar chime, and then Fi was hovering over the two in the vestibule.

Slowly, this foreign Link raised his hand, pointing accusingly at Link. Then his skin started to peel away as if being burnt, leaving fat, then muscle, then bone. Link took a step away, horrified.

Cold laughter filled the room, and Link felt his own skin start to burn. He screamed.

Gasping, Link bolted into a seated position. He—what—where—he couldn’t breathe—

He felt a warm hand on his shoulder. “Link, it’s okay, you’re okay.”

Looking to his left, he saw Zelda beside him, her eyes worried. His chest burned, and he tried to catch his breath. She pulled his head to hers and let him rest his forehead on her until he was breathing steadily.

When he finally felt like he wasn’t going to burst, Link pulled away and then realized he was in a strange bed in a completely unfamiliar room. He whispered, “Zel, what happened?”

Because he really, honestly didn’t know. He remembered their wedding, remembered them going to sleep (crashing, really) at the end of it, remembered Groose banging on the door the next day, remembered flying to Lanayru… and then… wasn’t… there was the explosion! But wait—he had talked about this, Zelda had told him earlier that Groose was okay.

Earlier. Yes. When he’d said he was sore, and she’d said she’d get food from—

Wait, where were they?

Zelda took a deep breath, looking him in the eye. “Timeshift stones.”

“We’re in Lanayru Desert?” he asked, foggy headed and confused. The dream was still clawing at the edges of his mind, making his heart race as vestiges of adrenaline mixed with disorientation.

“No,” Zelda answered, looking away thoughtfully. “I think we might be somewhere in Faron's Province? But it was a long journey to get here so maybe not. I’m honestly not sure.”

Link looked around as she spoke, even more bewildered. They didn’t have anything like this on the Surface; they barely had homes built. Link and Zelda had only finally finished the walls, floor, and roof of their home. They’d only just gotten furniture as wedding gifts. This place was… well, Link had never seen such a strange looking house. It was made purely from stone and was a little drafty, and it had most of the furnishings of a house, but the bed was very large and had curtains, and there was no kitchen in sight.

“Who lives here?” he asked. He squinted at the wall, trying to remember how he’d ended up here from the mines of Lanayru. Vague, blurry images rose to the surface of his mind, but he couldn’t piece together what they meant. There was a memory of sitting on something moving and leaning against someone, a different memory of an old man with a weird golden circlet for a hat and a woman with a kind face… but he didn’t know how they fit into any of it.

“King Rhoam Bosphoramous Hyrule, I think.”

Link looked at her, bemused. “Who??”

Zelda shrugged. “That’s what he said his name was. But he’s not the only one, Link, there are so many people here.”

People? What people? None of this made sense! “How did we get here?”

“I followed you,” Zelda said softly, smiling at him and brushing some hair out of his eyes. “They found you at the sacred spring at the Skyview Temple. Or, well, what was left of it.”

“What was left of it?”

“Timeshift stone, remember?”

“Oh,” Link said dully, trying to piece everything together. “Wait, but those are in Lanayru, not Faron Woods.”

“I know. I didn’t say it made sense, it just is what it is.”

“So where’s the Timeshift stone?” Link asked. “Did Groose come too? Are the others here?”

“Link,” Zelda sighed, sitting up some more. “Look, let me start from the beginning. You and Groose were in the mine and it blew up, right? Well, your loftwing flew back to Skyloft and he was just downright frantic. I followed him to Lanayru and found Groose; he managed to fly himself back to Skyloft. We got search parties together and looked for you for two days, Link. Finally I realized that one of the Timeshift stones wasn’t acting right. Like it had been activated but there was no usual ring of the past sitting around, something was just different. I…”

Here she faltered, biting her lip. Link watched her worriedly, putting a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

“I used the Gate of Time,” she said finally.

Link’s eyes widened. “You did what?”

“It was the only way! We couldn’t find you!” Zelda argued.

“How the heck were you going to find me with the Gate?” Link asked. “It only goes back to—”

Link cut himself, refusing to bring it up.

Zelda shook her head. “I know how to manipulate the Gate, it was made by me.”

Link bit his tongue, still not really able to fathom that concept. “Right. Okay. So how did we get here?”

“Some people found you and brought you here. I followed once I arrived.”

“What people?”

Zelda sighed. “That’s what I’m still trying to figure out. This place… it’s… I don’t know. People know about Hylia here, and they know about you.”

“Wait, how do they know about me?” Link was even more bewildered now. Sure, there were legends of the goddess Hylia’s Chosen Hero, but they had been created for him, to guide him. Others knew of the legends, but they had no way of knowing who the actual Chosen Hero was.

“Link… we’re not in the past,” Zelda explained slowly. “We’re in the future.”

Oh. That made more sense.

Wait, what?!

“The future?” Link repeated, his mind whirling.

“Yeah. I… I don’t know how far into the future, but… yeah. They know… well, they’re calling me Hylia and you’re the Hero of Myth and Legend, from what I can gather.”

Link scrunched his nose at the concept, and Zelda giggled at his expression. Why were these people addressing Zelda as Hylia? That wasn’t exactly something the couple had decided to make public knowledge. It was something Zelda herself had been struggling to come to terms with, and Link had just been supporting her as best he could as she did so. He didn’t really know how to put the idea together, to comprehend that his wife used to be a goddess—was she still one? She used powers to seal away the Imprisoned, after all. Did that mean all the ceremonies and prayers they did to Hylia were meaningless because Hylia had been Zelda all along? What about when she said that she—

Link took a steadying breath, pushing the thoughts away. No. No. He wouldn’t think about that. What he would think about was how Zelda looked troubled at the prospect, what he would think about was that she was very clearly distressed over the entire ordeal.

So Link looked around, surmised what would be best to remedy the dilemma, and gave his wife a bright smile, poking her. “Well, why don’t we explore?”

Zelda blinked. “What?”

“Explore,” Link repeated. “Let’s go find out what’s going on.”

“You’re sick,” Zelda immediately argued, her tone brooking no argument.

Link usually let his wife guide him around and worry over him, and he was usually inclined to take any excuse to rest and relax, but today (tonight? It looked dark outside) he was going to be stubborn. “I’m fine. And we need to figure this out.”

Zelda watched him uncertainly, starting to cave in. She clearly did want to figure everything out. Her main hesitation was Link. He wasn’t going to let that stop her. Giving her a reassuring smile, he stretched and got out of the bed. “Come on, Zel. We’ve got an entire Surface to investigate.”

His wife chewed her lip, grasping for rebuttals.

“We can start by exploring this house, if you want,” Link tried to appease.

“Link, this place is enormous, we’ll never find our way out,” Zelda protested.

“Okay, then let’s go outside.”

“That’s the thing, we’ll never find our way outside!”

Link’s smile grew mischievous. “Do you have your sailcloth?”

“Yes,” Zelda answered hesitantly, brow furrowed as she tried to follow his train of thought.

Link grabbed a chair from the table and immediately smashed the single window in the room. “Then let’s go!”

Zelda jumped, startled, hissing, “Link! The guards will hear you!”

Link was already halfway out the window, reaching out to her with his arm. “Then hurry up!”

His best friend watched him a moment longer and then giggled, slipping her boots, belt, pouch, and sword on before running into his awaiting embrace. The two tumbled out of the window, and Link laughed as the air rushed over him.

Meanwhile, royal knights stormed into the room with concerned words on their tongues and they found an empty room, a shattered window, an overturned chair, and a fluttering cool breeze blowing through the air.

The knights looked at each other in apprehension, eyes blown wide. “Did… what…?”

“Nobody came in or out!” the other shouted, throwing his hands in the air.

“Is it the Calamity?!”

“Alert the others!”

XXX

“Hero!”

Link let out a startled snore as he jumped into a seated position. In the doorway to the barracks stood a royal guard holding a lantern.

“The Calamity has come!” the guard hissed. “It has taken the goddess and the Hero of Legend! Ready yourself for battle!”

Immediately alert, Link threw off the cover and grabbed the Master Sword, slipping some shoes on and throwing the champion’s tunic over his head. He tied his hair as he ran, heart racing, mind whirling.

This was it. This was it.

But the Calamity had taken the Hero and Hylia herself hostage? Link felt his blood run cold at the mere thought of it. What kind of power did this monster have if it could already overcome those two?

He shook his head. It didn’t matter. He’d stop it.

He rounded the corner and then his stride hitched as a thought tore through him.

What about the princess?

“Link.”

Jolting, Link whirled around to see a royal guard in the shadows. The man was impossible to see in the dark, but Link knew that voice like the back of his hand.

He snapped to attention as the guard turned to him a little bit.

“Go back to bed,” the man said tiredly. “The goddess and the Hero of Myth are missing, but there hasn’t been an attack. Anyone who thinks a goddess could be kidnapped so easily with no sign of the enemy is a fool.”

Link looked around uncertainly, eyes still wary, but the captain did speak logically. It was highly unlikely that Calamity Ganon had attacked and no one had noticed anything.

Perhaps the goddess and her Hero had returned to their own time?

“Link.”

He snapped to attention once more.

“Go to bed,” the captain repeated. “That’s an order. You have a long journey tomorrow. I’ll call you if we need you.”

Link hesitated for just a moment before nodding in acknowledgement and heading back for barracks. As he crossed through a courtyard, however, some movement caught his eye. Squinting through the darkness, Link crept closer to see the very missing figures themselves. He gasped softly and hid behind a pillar to allow himself time to assess the situation (and not at all because he didn’t want to be seen by the goddess or the Hero by himself in this courtyard). There didn’t seem to be any sign of distress between the two, nor were there any enemies in sight.

Hylia was hissing something to the Hero, who gasped and shoved her head down under some bushes as two guards patrolled by. Once the guards had passed, the two poked their heads over the bushes, looking almost ridiculously like children sneaking out past curfew.

“You should have put shoes on before we left!” Hylia whispered. “We’re going back to the room to get you some.”

“You said yourself we’d get lost!” the Hero replied.

“We can climb the wall,” Hylia argued.

“But the ivy over there is much easier to climb.”

“Link, you’re sick, we’re not making this worse!”

“Zel, we need to figure out what’s happening,” the Hero cut in, standing his ground. “This is the only way we’re going to get answers.”

Hylia opened her mouth to retort and then sighed instead.

Link stared at the pair, confused. The only way they were going to get answers? Figure out what was happening?

Did… did they not know what was happening? Link figured there was some confusion given what had occurred at the Spring, but…

Well, Zelda had said they were from the past. But again, Hylia was the goddess of time, shouldn’t she…? She should be able to…

Link shook his head. This was far beyond his ability to comprehend. Princess Zelda would be able to help him figure this out a bit more in the morning. The one good thing about all of this was he knew where they were, and he knew they were safe.

Backing out of the courtyard, he retraced his steps to track down the captain. When he saw the familiar face, he approached him.

The captain crossed his arms, and Link hesitated, feeling needlessly guilty, before standing at attention.

“I told you to go back to sleep, little knight.”

Link ignored the rebuke and said, “I found them.”

The captain’s eyebrows rose. “Report, then.”

“They’re in the southeast courtyard. They’re in good health and don’t seem to be in any distress. I don’t think any danger occurred to them. They seem…” Link paused, trying to find the right words to convey his observation. “Curious of their surroundings.”

“Did you speak with them?”

Link looked up at the captain, eyes wide and brow furrowed. He felt his face flush and he looked down, desperately trying to school his expression. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and blew it out evenly, and he was the stoic knight once more. He shook his head.

The captain’s gaze pierced into Link for a moment and then he looked away, sighing. “Very well. We’ll take it from here. Go to bed.”

Link nodded and departed quickly. He made his way back to his room directly and nearly slammed the door shut behind him, his head spinning.

This just kept getting weirder and weirder.

XXX

Link choked back a sneeze as his face got shoved into a flower bed by Zelda. Guards hastened by, shouting orders to each other about finding them. It almost reminded him of sneaking around Eldin Volcano. Except at least these weren’t bokoblins trying to kill him, and his lungs weren’t filled with soot, and his throat wasn’t swelling and burning and making him cough incessantly while his earrings glowed and magic kept him from straight up dying and—

Okay, maybe this was nothing like Eldin Volcano.

This was more like that one time Zelda and Link snuck out of the academy to go flying at night.

The pair reached the edge of the courtyard where ivy was growing over a wall, and Link glanced around hastily to make sure no one was in sight. Beckoning Zelda quietly, the two hopped onto the vines and started to climb. They were almost to the top when they heard footsteps below, and they nearly tore the vines off the wall in their effort to quicken their pace. Zelda reached the top first as Link started to gasp for air, and she pulled him up by his wrists, hauling him over the wall just in time as they ducked below the stone.

Link tried to hide the exhaustion that was starting to creep through him. He’d put his body through far worse – this was probably that pesky pneumonia trying to slow him down. He smiled at Zelda when she gave him a concerned look. Honestly, he’d love to go back to bed, but this area was bizarre and foreign and Zelda was stressed, so there was no point in attempting that.

Besides, this was kind of fun. And distracting. Distraction from nightmarish visions was good. Though this entire ordeal did raise more questions than it answered. Like who in the world were these people, why were there so many of them, and why were they looking for Zelda and Link like they were in some kind of prison and the inmates had just escaped?

The pair crawled to the other side of the wall and peered over to see how much more ground they needed to cover. It was hard to see much of anything in the dark, but Link could already appreciate just how enormous this house (didn’t Zelda call it a castle?) was. It was nearly the size of Skyloft itself.

Link sometimes marveled at just how expansive the Surface was. The fact that they could build such a structure was insane.

Zelda gasped, and Link returned his attention to the other side of the wall.

Was that… was that a town?! There was a Skyloft sized stone building and a town? Wait, no, this place was huge, that wasn’t a town it was bigger than that.

“This place is incredible,” Zelda whispered.

Link smiled at her excitement and nudged her with his shoulder. “Then let’s go check it out!”

Zelda hesitated a moment, glancing between Link and the large town, and Link gave his most reassuring expression possible while choking down another cough. Eventually he managed to convince her, and the two leapt off the wall, holding each other and pulling out Zelda’s sailcloth just before hitting the ground.

The cobblestone was a little uneven where they landed, making Link’s bare foot slip a bit, and he hissed at the cold damp sensation. Zelda immediately opened her mouth to say something and he waved her off, running ahead. “Come on, Zel!”

He buried a few coughs into his sleeve as he ducked around a house, and Zelda hurried after him. By the time she reached him he was breathing well and smiling, and she reflected the excited energy back at him. This place was so big – it was a little daunting, but since it was dark most of the people were asleep, which made it less intimidating.

Link’s heart ached a moment as he wished Fi could help guide them through this. The Surface had been so overwhelming when he’d first arrived, and she’d helped him every step of the way.

Shaking his head, he took Zelda by the hand and ran into the nearest street. His pneumonia and his grief could wait. Zelda needed cheering up, and they had an entirely new Surface to explore.

Chapter Text

The cool cobblestone made his bare feet sting, but Link hardly noticed it over his wonder and Zelda’s excitement. They had been wandering this big settlement for what felt like an eternity by now. The place was unimaginably enormous, and they’d found themselves going in circles a few times. The streets were empty since it was nighttime, but there were still so many things to investigate. Stalls for shops were clustered in one large area with an open plaza, so that had to be the marketplace. There were so many buildings, Link couldn’t fathom that they might be all houses – there was no way there were that many people in this town alone.

Of course, there were still some issues to address. Like what this town was called, why there was a Skyloft sized stone building that vaguely resembled a dungeon (maybe it was a dungeon, but if that were the case they escaped awfully easily), how Link had gotten here in the first place, how they were supposed to get home, and why Link swore he’d heard Fi at some point in this insanity.

Not to mention his dream. But that was not something he was going to think about right now.

Link gazed up at the sky. What he could see of the horizon was beginning to glow pink, indicating sunrise.

Zelda gasped, pointing. “Look, it’s a fountain!”

Link followed her, leading him to a large stone structure that was spitting water out of it like the waterspouts in the ancient cistern. Curious, he stepped into the water and started to climb the stone a little to see if there was a switch or puzzle to increase the water pressure.

Zelda giggled. “Link, what are you doing?”

“Just checking,” Link answered, biting his tongue in concentration. Despite his effort, though, his grip slipped on the smooth, wet stone, and he fell into the water pool below with a yelp.

Zelda was at his side in an instant. “Are you okay?”

Link spat out water and coughed a little, shivering. “Yeah. I just don’t get what this is doing here.”

“It’s a fountain,” Zelda said again, pulling him out of the water and hugging him to warm him up. “It’s for decoration.”

Link nuzzled into her hold, enjoying the warmth. He felt excessively ignorant, though – why did Zelda know what this was and he didn’t? He’d seen plenty of structures spitting out water, whether they were baths or the spouts in the cistern, but he’d never seen one utilized just for the sake of decoration. It was very pretty, though, and he quite liked it.

Zelda sat at the edge of the fountain, bringing Link with her. “They used to have these on the Surface.”

Link turned his head to look at his wife. Her gaze was distant, but not brooding. Instead, she looked like she was remembering something happy or beautiful. He wondered at it, feeling strangely disconnected from her and confused.

Zelda noticed his scrutiny and shriveled. “Oh. I, uh—I mean I guess they did, I think.”

Link frowned at the sudden change. He leaned towards her, kissing her cheek. “Were they this big back then?”

Zelda brightened in an instant. “They were bigger.”

Link’s eyebrows rose at that. He’d never considered what the Surface had been like before Skyloft was established, but it sounded interesting.

There was a noise all of a sudden, and Link whirled, his hand reaching for—

Nothing. He didn’t have a sword.

Glaring into the receding darkness, he tried to figure out what he could do to fight whatever threat he’d heard, when instead he got shoved sideways and then backwards, tucked behind Zelda as she drew her blade.

And then a small furry creature exited an alley.

Link peeked over Zelda’s shoulder. “Is… is that a remlit?”

Zelda relaxed, her weapon lowering to the ground. “It kind of looks like one but its ears are way too small.”

The not-remlit purred and meowed.

“It even sounds like one!” Link exclaimed.

The pair crept closer to the not-remlit cautiously, knowing now their own feline friends could act in the dark. This creature seemed a little friendlier, not outright attacking them, but instead watching them. It scurried away as movement came from the right alongside the sound of a door opening. Link looked around and saw lights steadily appearing in windows, and some people were already milling the streets.

There was a strange, high pitched sound, and Link saw a little furry animal running towards the not-remlit with its yelping noises. The not-remlit hissed, making Link take a hasty step away, and it ran into the alley. Then the other animal paused, noticing Link and Zelda, and approached them, wagging its tail and panting happily.

Link giggled at its adorable expression and held out his hand. “Hi, little guy!”

“He’s so cute!” Zelda squealed, petting the little grey animal.

Link turned to his shoulder automatically, about to ask Fi what the creature was, and then he stopped himself in the motion, his smile fading. Zelda thankfully didn’t notice, and he shook his head to knock himself out of the painful moment.

When he turned back, the animal had multiplied. There were now three of them all vying for Zelda’s attention. He laughed, delighted, and got on his knees, which incited the animals to jump all over him, licking his face. Collapsing into a giggling fit, Link was buried in the little furry creatures and he heard Zelda laugh at his plight.

“Your Grace.”

Zelda jumped, startled, raising her sword again. The motion scared the little animals away. Link leapt to his feet as Zelda stepped between him and the voice, and he looked and caught sight of someone dressed like a few of the people running around the stone building’s perimeter. He looked strangely familiar, as if Link might have met him before, but it wasn’t an exact certainty. The man was tall and broad, dirty blonde hair barely noticeable under a dark blue cap. His face was worn, clearly through stress more than age as he still looked fairly young, and his blue eyes were sharp.

“Who are you?” Zelda asked hesitantly as she began to relax. She seemed genuinely curious, as if the man was an anomaly to her.

The man slowly genuflected, making Link extremely bewildered. He said, “I’m the captain of the royal guard, Your Grace. Forgive the intrusion, but it is my duty by order of the king to ensure your safety.”

Zelda sheathed her blade. “I have Link.”

The captain huffed through his nose, a strange look of wonder and awe crossing what Link could see of his face. “I understand that, Your Grace, and I do not doubt his abilities. But your Hero is ill, and you are not familiar with this city. I respectfully request that Your Grace return to the castle.”

“What is this place?” Link asked suddenly, figuring he’d get better answers out of this captain than wandering the area.

“This is called Castle Town, Hero,” the captain answered. “It’s one of our main cities of Hyrule.”

“Hyrule?” Link repeated, even more confused.

Zelda gasped softly. “That’s a word the king used! What’s Hyrule?”

The captain’s gaze snapped up, eyes slightly widened, before he cleared his throat and looked down again. “All of this is Hyrule, Your Grace. The king is the ruler of Hyrule. It’s a country.”

Link and Zelda were silent as they both put the pieces together quickly. They were in the future, this was a country on the Surface.

Their settlement turned into this.

“O-oh,” Zelda said quietly.

Link stood there, uncomprehending. His brain just couldn’t process that. It’s no wonder they knew about himself and Zelda! This was… this was…

The captain cleared his throat. “Begging your forgiveness for asking, Your Grace, but I do request that you and your Hero return to the castle.”

“Right,” Zelda muttered. “Of course. We… we’ll go back.”

The captain rose to his feet, motioning for them to follow him. The pair walked behind the man in silence as Link tried to process what he’d heard. In light of that new information, this Castle Town seemed even bigger, so much more awe-inspiring and overwhelming.

So daunting.

How were they supposed to build all of this?

Goddesses. Goddesses. Link shook his head, feeling dizzy. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the captain continually glance at him, trying to be subtle. Link felt the tension in his chest increase, but he couldn’t place why.

Giddiness and excitement drained out of him, Link was left feeling exhausted and worried. He looked at Zelda and observed that she at least looked pensive rather than distressed. Well, he supposed the night was a partial success, then.

Link marched ahead, trying to keep himself together in spite of feeling like he was drowning all of a sudden.

XXX

Princess Zelda groaned as her neck ached. She slowly rose from where she’d passed out over scrolls and was immensely grateful that the undignified drooling she’d done had ended up on the table and not on the scrolls themselves.

Stretching, the princess stood, obviously stood too quickly, nearly fell over again, and gripped a chair for dear life as her body reoriented. The sun had just peeked over the horizon, which meant Link had to be awake by now, so she could bring what she’d learned to him.

The princess gathered the pile of scrolls into a haphazard bundle and hastily exited the library. Everything she could find on Hylia was mostly derived from oral tradition that got transcribed, so it was debatable how reliable it actually was, but there was still information to work with here. From what she’d gathered, Hylia's abilities were hardly spoken of at all, but time travel was mentioned at least once, and in one text she was claimed to have been called the goddess of time at some point in Hyrule’s history.

And that was about it. It was honestly slightly disheartening how little there was to go on.

Of course, that made it even more exhilarating that Zelda could talk to Hylia herself to learn the truth. Once she figured out how she was supposed to approach such a person, of course. After all, she may not know anything of the princess, but she was still a goddess, right? And she’d certainly been fixated on getting to her Hero.

Speaking of him, Zelda had tried to do some research on the Hero and was reminded of how little they knew about any of the heroes aside from the one who had defeated Calamity Ganon last time. So much time had passed between heroes that most scholars were half convinced there had only been a couple and the rest were stories created throughout the ages.

The princess avoided her faux pas from yesterday and asked a servant to retrieve Link and meet her in her study. She busied herself with trying to look presentable in the meantime, but the servant came back quickly with disappointing news.

Link was gone. He’d been sent by her father to escort Impa to the castle in time for the festival they were organizing, which would happen tomorrow evening.

Princess Zelda wilted a little. Impa was perfectly capable of escorting herself, why did Link have to go at such a crucial time? Who was Zelda going to talk to now?

Shaking her head, the princess stared determinedly at her scrolls. She’d just research more in the meantime. Also, she could figure out how to approach the goddess herself during the festival. And she no doubt had a role to fulfill in the festival itself. Perhaps her day was busy enough without speaking to Link about the matter.

Nodding to herself in determination, the princess got to work, preparing for the wonders, excitement, and terrifying chaos tomorrow would bring.

XXX

The sun had long since begun its descent for the day when Link breathed in the smell of clean laundry as he crossed the bridge in Hateno. He felt a smile pull at his lips, an almost unfamiliar gesture after being with the princess for so long. Despite the princess’ newfound efforts to establish a rapport after the attack at the bazaar, Link still found it difficult to be anything but stone faced around her and everyone else they encountered.

“Link!!”

His smile grew as he saw the little blonde girl running towards him, her arms wide open as if she could tackle hug him right there. He bent down and scooped her up, spinning her around as she squealed in delight.

“Hey Lyra,” he said softly.

“Link! You’re home! You’re home!” Lyra shouted excitedly after he put her down. “Piggyback ride!”

Link chuckled and leaned down so his sister could hop onto his back, and he looped his arms under her legs, making his way towards the house.

A blonde woman with a kind face rushed around the edge of the house, and Link felt his heart sing.

“Mama, look! Link’s home!” Lyra yelled.

His mother ran to meet them, engulfing both her children in a hug. “Oh, honey, it’s so good to see you!”

Link leaned into the embrace, nuzzling his cheek against her collarbone and relaxing. Here he could almost let down his guard. Here he could try to be himself.

“Is that Link?”

He couldn’t hide his joyful laugh now as he heard the booming voice of his grandfather. Lyra wiggled out of his grip, and he turned sharply to catch her as she unceremoniously tried to fall from his back. She pushed his arms off and hastily made her way to the entrance to the house while Link felt his mother kiss his cheek.

“Honey, how long are you going to be here? We weren’t expecting you.” She said as she looked at him with loving brown eyes.

Link straightened, pulling away from her embrace just a hair. “I’m meeting Impa at Kakariko Village tomorrow. We’ll make our way back to the castle from there.”

“Kakariko?” his mother repeated, her expression discerning and somewhat crestfallen. “You’ll have to leave first thing in the morning.”

Link felt a pang of sadness and guilt stab into his chest. He had debated coming here in the first place since he’d have so little time, but he’d desperately needed to go somewhere where he felt safe and comfortable. Things had been too… chaotic lately. When he’d been told he would be escorting Impa (not that the talented warrior needed an escort) from Kakariko back to the castle for the upcoming festivities, he’d opted to push himself to go to Hateno in the time allotted to him. But seeing his mother’s disappointment made him debate if it was worth it.

His mother hummed, biting her lip. “A hero’s life is always busy, I suppose.” Then she brightened, brushing some hair out of his face. “Well, come on, then. Dinner’s ready.”

Link smiled and followed his mother towards the entrance, where Lyra and their grandfather were dancing in circles to burn some of the girl’s energy. Their grandfather paused when he saw Link, and he let out another booming belly laugh before scooping Link (dragging him, really) into a hug that almost rivaled Daruk’s grip. Link coughed as the wind was knocked out of him by the large man and then he laughed as he was released just as quickly.

“It’s good to see you, Link. You doing okay?”

Link nodded with a smile. His grandfather huffed out a laugh and pat him on the back. “Well all right, then, let’s eat while we can! We all know Link will devour everything on the table!”

Link licked his lips, not bothering to deny it as he smelled dinner. Nothing beat his family’s meals, not by a longshot. The smell of home, the laughter of family, and the warmth of loving company beat any castle dining hall.

…Not that he didn’t like what the castle cooks whipped up, of course, because he absolutely did. But still.

Link eagerly took a seat at the table beside his little sister and let his mother serve dinner for the family. A lively conversation was struck up that was mostly led by Lyra, who told Link all about her exciting adventures in the village, including obtaining a cuccoo egg and raising the chick to almost adulthood. Link looked nervously at their mother, who smiled reassuringly, adding that Lyra was very good with the bird and had not once had any unfortunate incidents. The thought of it still made him nervous, though. Those birds were menaces, and he didn’t want his sister getting hurt. His mother, reading his expression, continued to allay his worries with stories of how Lyra and her feathered friend had many fun adventures.

The nice thing about his family was that they had adapted to his new role as he had. He’d rarely seen them once he’d become a knight, but as he’d grown more silent, they’d grown more understanding of it, especially his mother. Besides, there was no stopping Lyra once she started to talk. Sometimes he wished he had the bravery to speak with his parents about everything, or at least his mother, but something always blocked it. For his grandfather and father, he had to be dutiful and strong, for his mother and sister he didn’t want to scare them with stories of danger, and so he remained fairly quiet around his family. Still, he felt safe here.

And at the moment, he just felt suffocated at the castle, so he welcomed the respite.

After dinner was finished, Link felt his head bobbing in exhaustion. He’d really burned a lot of energy trying to get home before sunset so he could spend some time with family before heading to Kakariko. He was frustrated with the thought of it now. He wanted to spend more time with them.

“…And then he said I love you with my whole heart and I said well I love you with half my heart because the other half is for my family and the goddess Hylia!” Lyra continued, talking about some boy who had been infatuated with her. Link nearly choked on his drink with the blunt rebuttal his sister had given, and he felt his grandfather patting him on the back.

He had to break his silence. “How come we all get half with the goddess and he gets a whole half to himself?”

Lyra gasped. “You’re right! He’s stupid! He gets half a half!”

“You mean a quarter, honey,” their mother supplied.

“Do I get a whole half?” Link asked, delightedly watching his mother bury her face in her hands with an exasperated sigh.

“You get more than half of a half,” Lyra answered thoughtfully. “But Mama and Papa get a half too! And Hylia has to have a half! Oh, and Grandpapa too!”

Link could admit he was no expert in numbers, but he was fairly sure that wasn’t how that worked. He giggled. “I guess I half to have half.”

His grandfather snorted on his drink at the pun. Link beamed.

“Honey, you look exhausted,” their mother interrupted, her voice smooth, gentle, and concerned.

Link shook his head with a reassuring smile. He didn’t want this night to end. Despite his efforts, however, his body protested, making his eyelids droop as he tried to say he was fine. His mother, however, did not argue the point, smiling softly as her eyes gazed above him. Lyra suddenly grew quiet, biting her lip, and their grandfather chuckled and gathered dishes. Link felt like he was left out of a joke of some sort, but before he could ask about it, he felt strong hands grab the back of his tunic.

Link reached for the Master Sword, which he immediately remembered he had braced on the wall by the door, and his stomach lurched as his world was thrown onto its side.

He stared at the ground, his head and shoulders hanging down as his body was draped over a muscular shoulder. The clothing this person wore were colorful and patterned in the uniform of the royal guards.

He felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment and shame as he heard the familiar voice. “Well, if you’re tired, then it’s definitely time for bed.”

Link wiggled fruitlessly, his legs trapped by a strong hold as his mother and sister laughed.

“Papa!” Lyra yelled in delight. “I kept the secret, I kept the secret!”

“I know, sweetheart,” their father chimed, his voice colored with affection and amusement. “You did great.”

Link huffed, feeling mildly betrayed and annoyed. He was also confused – shouldn’t his father be at the palace, given the esteemed guests there?

“He came during dinner, honey,” his mother explained, walking around to stand behind his father and somewhat face him. She pulled the hair tie out of his hair, making it spill all over the place as his head continued to hang upside down. “Once I told him you were here he wanted to surprise you. We were expecting him because he actually sent word ahead to tell us he was coming.”

Link bit his tongue, saying nothing. He was in a humiliating position as it was, he’d probably make it worse if he said something.

“All right, time for bed,” his father said calmly but with that weight he always used to brook no argument. Link felt his body swing as his father turned around, and he heard his parents kiss.

“Good night, Link!” Lyra ran over and hugged Link’s head, making him smile a little bit despite his embarrassment. Then she gasped. “Your hair’s gotten longer!”

“Yes, honey, hair grows when you don’t make time to cut it,” he heard his mother say. He swallowed, his face flushing even more. Then he felt her brush her fingers through it. “But it does look very nice. I do hope you’re taking care of yourself, though.”

“’m ok,” he mumbled softly, praying that his father would at least have the mercy to put him down now.

To his great relief, his father seemed to read his mind, bending his knees and letting Link’s feet touch solid earth. Link slid off his father’s shoulder, but couldn’t quite get out of his grip, getting pulled into a hug that promised safety and warmth, and his embarrassment started to fade.

Being around his father was like being on a ship on the ocean; he never knew when his father was going to be jovial and unassuming or expectant and serious, and it made him dizzy. There was a certain predictability to it in that if they were both on duty one would hardly guess they were related in their manner of address, but there were still times when his father would be affectionate while wearing the uniform and times when he would be demanding at home. Nevertheless, Link loved him very much and knew that his father loved him in return. He wanted to make him proud.

The hug lasted longer than he expected, and his body started to respond to the gesture, trembling and weakening. He tried to step away from his father to regain his footing and wake up a bit more, blinking sleep away, and his father let him. He felt his warm hand on his head, ruffling his hair. Link dazedly looked up to see the dirty blonde hair and blue eyes that he inherited framed in a weathered face and strong, stubbled jaw. His father smiled at him.

“I see you didn’t get too much sleep after last night’s adventure,” his father commented.

Link attempted to smile reassuringly in reply, half asleep at this point.

“What adventure?” his mother asked.

“I’ll tell you in a bit,” his father answered, and Link felt his father put a hand on his shoulder, turning him and guiding him up the stairs, much to his confusion – his and Lyra’s beds were tucked under the stairs, after all.

“I’m afraid Lyra made a mess of your bed,” his father remarked.

Link grunted in acknowledgement. Then he grew confused. So where was he sleeping? Rubbing his eyes, he felt his father stop guiding him and heard blankets rustle. He was about to head back for the stairs when his father scooped him into his arms.

“Papa!” he yelped, caught off guard.

Not bothering to reply, his father plopped him onto the bed and then settled in beside him, grabbing a book from the nightstand. “Go to sleep, Link.”

Link sighed heavily in exasperation, too tired to argue. He wasn’t a child and didn’t care for being treated like one, sleeping with his parents like a kid who needed comfort. He didn’t want to be perceived as weak. He tried to rationalize that this was more for his mother’s comfort than his own. Before he could settle down on the pillow, however, Lyra ran upstairs and jumped onto the bed.

“Lyra,” their father said chidingly, his stern demeanor coming forth.

“Sorry, Papa,” Lyra said quickly. “I wanted to show Link something before he went to sleep!”

Their father sighed, putting his book on his lap. “Just one thing, Lyra. He needs to sleep.”

Lyra nodded seriously and then pulled out a piece of paper she’d been hiding. “I drew you and Mipha!”

Link felt his mouth go dry in a heartbeat. He looked at the drawing, which he could vaguely tell was supposed to be him and Mipha based on the colors used to draw them (though it took him a moment since Lyra had given Mipha a fish tail in the artistic rendering). The two figures were holding hands and flowers were drawn all around them. He gave a little smile to his sister to acknowledge that he appreciated her attention, but he didn’t dare speak.

After all, despite their friendship, Mipha was still a princess, and his father was very aware of protocol and roles.

His family never outright approved or disapproved of his closeness to Mipha. They just didn’t really comment on it. Sly smiles, scrutinous eyes, and a lack of discouragement was the most he received on the matter. But Lyra was young and did not understand the difference in status between the pair, so to her it was normal.

“Do you like it?” she asked.

Link glanced at his father again, who was watching the scene with amusement, and nodded shyly.

“I do too!” Lyra continued. “It took so long to get the color right for Mipha! Can you show it to her?”

Link felt his blood run cold. Oh no. No, no, no. She can’t be serious.

“Sweetheart, ask him in the morning,” their mother interjected from downstairs where she was helping clean up.

“You heard your mother,” their father piped in supportively. “Go help clean up downstairs and let your brother rest.”

Lyra pouted briefly, making Link feel guilty, but then her sadness was forgotten in a heartbeat as she crawled over to the two, drawing scrunched in her grip, and gave them both a kiss before bouncing off the bed and down the stairs.

A breathy chuckle escaped his father’s nose, and then Link felt his father’s arm wrap around his shoulders. Link looked up at his father, trying to read if this was a simple and brief gesture or if it merited a response. His father let him go as quickly as he’d hugged him, and Link felt himself relax.

“Go on. Lie down.” He ordered softly.

Link nodded dutifully, slipping under the covers and turning away to face the wall, closing his eyes. He felt his father brush his fingers through his hair to try and detangle the mess.

“Good night, little knight,” he whispered.

Link felt himself smile as he finally fell asleep. It was good to be home.

Chapter Text

Link felt like he was floating in one of the Goron hot springs. His body was completely relaxed and blessedly warm. A comforting weight was pressed over his waist, grounding him. He stretched his legs lazily, feeling the blood flow. Faint birdsong echoed outside the window, making him slowly flutter his eyes open.

It was still fairly dark. The sky was midnight blue with the slightest hint of sunlight starting to peak over the horizon. It was time to get up.

Yawning, Link rubbed his eyes and started to sit up when he felt the weight on his waist once more. Glancing confusedly, he saw two arms draped over him.

What…?

A loud snore made him jump, and he remembered where he’d fallen asleep.

Looking to either side, he saw that he was flanked by his parents, who clearly had made an effort to both keep him comfortable and make sure they knew when he would be leaving.

Link debated pretending to sleep until they got up so he could sneak away. He hated goodbyes.

His father stirred first, and Link hastily slid back under the covers and closed his eyes like a child being caught awake after bedtime. He felt ridiculous, but he didn’t want to deal with any kind of parting words. He was never good at them, and they made him sad.

He felt his father shift in bed, scooting closer to him and snuggling against him and his mother. His arm moved to brush hair out of Link’s face.

Well, now he was trapped. He had to either bite the stick and deal with the consequences or arrive late to Kakariko, possibly missing Impa. The latter was unacceptable, so he gritted his teeth and started to sit up.

Despite his father’s movements, it was his mother who spoke first. “Honey, are you okay?”

Link nodded. “I have to go.”

“Not without some food in your stomach first, young man.”

Link sighed heavily at his father’s tone. He didn’t argue. Maybe he could get away while they prepped something… but the thought of skipping breakfast made his heart and stomach hurt almost as much as having to say goodbye.

Turning to sit up more, he felt his father grip his shirt gently and pull him back down. He looked at him to see the man’s eyes were closed, his brow furrowed.

Behind him, his mother chuckled.

Slowly, his father opened his eyes. “Stay here with your mother. I’ll make breakfast.”

Link didn’t like it, but he nodded, watching his father get out of bed and stretch before he felt his mother pull him closer to her. Well, at this rate he might as well give up on sneaking out. He bit his lip and sighed. There was no sense in fighting. Turning to face her, he snuggled into her embrace, enjoying the comfort while he could.

“I wanted to talk to you about something before you left,” she said into his hair.

Link stiffened, wondering what she was about to say.

His mother planted a kiss on his head and then pulled away to look him in the eye. “I heard about the stories from the castle. About the goddess herself and the legendary hero. Knights brought the news to the entire kingdom, even all the way out here. Your father was telling me about it last night, and he said you were in the middle of it. But I never got any letter or anything from you. I can’t even imagine what it was like. What happened?”

Link stared at her, unsure what to say, his throat closing up. The overwhelming emotions that he had come home to escape returned. His mother watched him for a while longer and then sighed, pulling him to her once more.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, running her hand over his hair. Link felt pathetic, but he didn’t push her away.

The morning air was quiet. The smell of eggs cooking filled the house. His mother gave him a gentle squeeze. “I… I know, Link, that you have a lot on your shoulders. I just… hope this isn’t making it worse. I want you to talk to me if something’s wrong, okay?”

Tears stung in his eyes, catching him off guard. He didn’t dare speak.

“Link?”

He buried his head into her neck in an attempt to avoid looking her in the eye, mumbling, “I love you, Mama.”

He heard her sigh, and a silent understanding slipped between them. “I love you too, sweetheart. More than anything.”

Eventually he would get a hold of himself. Eventually she would let him go. Eventually he would get out of bed and go outside to wash up and prepare to leave. Eventually he would eat the breakfast his father was making for him and accept the affectionate pat on his shoulder with a warm smile.

But for now, he would relax in the notion that his mother at least understood what he was going through, even if he hadn’t said a word. She always was the most intuitive person he’d ever met.

Closing his eyes, Link felt some of the weight lift off his shoulders, and he smiled through his tears.

XXX

The traces of a flowery perfume. Something stroking his hair. Someone humming. A heart beating.

Link took in a deep breath, shifting. His head was on something soft, something warm. Fingers massaged his scalp, and his skin tingled. He wanted to stay in this moment forever, but his chest burned too much for him to settle back to sleep. Opening his eyes, he saw Zelda’s shining face smiling at him.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” she greeted softly.

Link smiled, leaning forward to kiss her briefly. She pulled him closer to her, and he nuzzled her neck. His body ached, exhausted from being ill, stiff from being in bed for too long, sore from exertion yesterday, and burning from a desire that had yet to be satiated since they’d snoozed right through their wedding night. But he was at peace in this moment, and he ignored the feelings that were swirling inside of him. He was happy, and so was Zelda. They were together and they were safe.

Yesterday had definitely taken a toll on him, but he didn’t regret it. Zelda had been so lost and scared, and he knew exploring new things was something she loved. It was why he’d suggested they explore the city in the first place. What was it called again? Castle Town? He supposed that was easy enough to remember.

Then again, there was also the information they'd learned at the end of their expedition.

He still couldn’t quite fathom it, couldn’t quite process what he and Zelda had learned yesterday. That somehow, their settlement had blossomed into a city bigger than Skyloft, into a castle, into a land.

Hyrule. We made Hyrule.

 It didn’t make sense. It didn’t click. Saying it in his mind didn’t matter. It was just too much to take in right now. All it was at the moment was a statement, not a declaration, a robotic understanding of a fact rather than an acceptance of a truth. It felt kind of like the first time he’d gone to the Surface. Fi had explained so many different things to him that he’d grown overwhelmed, and her words had glossed over him like water on a loftwing’s back.

He felt Zelda kiss his temple. He sighed into her, and she giggled. Cooing like a dove, she’d called it one time. He’d felt a little silly the first time she’d described it as that, but it made her happy and that was all that mattered.

By the goddesses, he wished they could just stay like this. He was so tired, but his body refused to let him go back to sleep. He could settle for cuddling the day away, though.

There was a knock on the door, and the moment shattered. Link jumped, startled, and Zelda’s hand slid from his back to his ear, covering it while his other ear was pressed against her chest, listening to her heartbeat. He heard her melodious high voice reverberate through her chest, asking who was at the door. Some muffled voice replied, Link being unable to discern it with his other ear being covered. He supposed Zelda was trying to let him stay in his little half-asleep daze, but there was no point now.

He felt Zelda’s hand slide off his ear as she said, “Come in.”

Link stiffened, trying to sit up, not comfortable with a stranger entering and him being unprepared, but then he recognized the healer. The anxious tightness in his chest eased as the brunette middle-aged woman approached the bed.

“Good morning Your Grace,” she acknowledged with a deep bow to both of them. “Hero of Myth from the Sky, I have come to inquire after your wellbeing.”

Link stared at her, baffled by her words and mannerisms. He vaguely remembered her from previous encounters where she was much more casual and caring, but perhaps that was because he had been less cognizant.

Link and Zelda exchanged awkward glances, and then he said, “I’m okay, thank you.”

It was a bit of a lie, but he didn’t think the healer could do much else for him. He just needed to let his body take care of itself.

The healer kept her eyes downcast. “May I assess you?”

“Uh…” Link automatically looked at Zelda for guidance, still bemused by the healer’s behavior. Zelda shrugged. “Sure, but can we get dressed first?”

“Of course!” the healer chirped, seemingly frantic. “I apologize for coming unannounced, I simply wanted to check—”

“It’s okay,” Zelda interrupted kindly. “We know you didn’t mean any offense.”

The healer nodded gratefully. “I’ll be in the chamber outside, Hero. Your Grace.”

With another deep bow, she exited the room.

“Well, that was weird,” Link said.

Zelda sighed. “Yeah. Weird.”

The two dressed themselves in silence. Link didn’t like it. Zelda seemed uncomfortable and closed off. After hiding a wince as he put on his knight’s tunic, he walked over to her, placing his hand on her back. “Zel? You okay?”

Zelda shifted, turning slowly so his hand slid along her back. She watched him seriously for a moment, and then her face softened and she smiled. “I’m okay, Link.”

Link reflected her smile back at her, satisfied. “I wonder where we can get food?”

“They were bringing it to us before,” Zelda supplied thoughtfully. “But you were still bedridden at the time.”

Stretching, Link blew out an annoyed huff. He was glad he wasn’t stuck in bed anymore; as much as he loved sleeping, he also liked to move. He hated feeling confined.

The two finished reassembling their knights’ garb and made the bed before walking out together. The healer stood by a chair, alongside several strangers. Link paused, uneasy.

“Your Grace,” the strangers, three women wearing identical light blue plain dresses that reached their heels, greeted with a deep bow. They clasped their hands in front of them and seemed to work in a unit, any identifying feature hidden behind white headdresses, closed eyes, and schooled expressions. They then said, “Great Hero.”

Link felt himself take a small step back. He had started to grow accustomed to people treating Zelda differently, but not him. Zelda had mentioned that people here knew of him, but still…

The healer motioned towards the chair beside her, breaking the tension. “If I may, Hero, will you please sit here and let me assess you?”

Link nodded mutely, walking to the designated chair. He saw Zelda acknowledge the women, who rose and started to speak with her. Link tried to listen, only catching snippets of conversation over his drumming heartbeat in his ears as nerves got the best of him. He felt his chest tickle, the beginnings of a cough trying to escape, and he bit it back as best he could.

The healer’s soft hands started on his face, making him jump slightly. She apologized briefly, but her formal manner was lost in favor of an analytical eye and practiced movements. Satisfied that she felt no fever in his cheeks or forehead, she pulled out an object that, based on how she placed it in her ears and moved towards him, seemed to be some kind of listening device. She warned briefly that she would be reaching under his tunic to place the device against skin, and he watched her try to fiddle with his chainmail to little avail. He blushed in embarrassment; he supposed he shouldn’t have put everything back on if he was going to get an assessment from a healer.

Waving her off with an awkward laugh, he said, “Sorry… maybe I should take some of this off.”

Or at least, he was going to say that when his eyes fell on Zelda, who looked immensely ill at ease. He choked out “Sorry,” and then stood, ignoring the healer and walking to his beloved friend. “Zel, what’s wrong?”

Zelda took a deep breath, looking at the ground uncertainly, and then smiled at him reassuringly. “It’s… just weird. They’re doing a celebration for us today. It starts this afternoon and goes on through the night.”

“A… celebration? For us?” Link didn’t know how to process that. “What are they celebrating?”

“Just… us.”

“What did we do?”

Zelda shrugged. “I guess… the stuff we did… a while ago.”

“But… this is the future,” Link tried to reason out. “That… that would have been so long ago to them…”

“Begging your pardon, Your Grace, great Hero,” the healer haltingly interjected. Zelda and Link turned to face her, and she continued, “Your feats are our legends. You are… you are the living embodiment of everything we treasure. Everyone would love to meet you, to celebrate what you have done for us.”

What… what they had done for them?

Link felt the room spin a little bit. He… he hadn’t really pondered what he’d done almost a year ago, at least he hadn’t tried to. Nightmares would plague him and Zelda both, haunting looks would cross his beloved’s face, and then he would be forced to confront what had happened to them. He’d comfort Zelda, he’d support her through her trials. Their settlement, their entire life being uprooted was a glaring reminder, but he still refused to acknowledge it. He didn’t want to think about it. It was over. It was over and that was that. He'd... there was nothing else to say about it.

To think that such a journey still affected people thousands of years later… it was foolish to assume it wouldn’t, but…

Link leaned against Zelda, overwhelmed. He couldn’t process this. It was too much. His hands trembled as he held his wife’s arm.

Zelda’s steady hand rested over his grip, and he heard her say to the healer. “We appreciate the gesture, thank you. You may go now.”

The healer’s footsteps left, and Zelda turned to face Link fully, pulling him into an embrace. Link didn’t say anything, too overloaded with feelings and sensations and too dizzy. Zelda didn’t say anything either, knowing that words weren’t what he needed. The two remained there for an eternity, holding each other for stability and strength in a world so completely foreign and enormous.

Link had to smile. At least this time we have each other.

XXX

The sun shone brightly overhead, warming the earth despite the cool breeze that blew between the trees. The well worn road to Castle Town was practically packed the closer they got to the capital, and Link felt himself growing involuntarily tense at the sight of it.

Too many people. He didn’t like it.

There were a lot of reasons to dislike it, most notably due to threats. He wasn’t able to tell who was Yiga and who wasn’t, and the thought of Yiga trying to infiltrate the festivities was not an unreasonable one. Security in the castle and the capital was going to be extra tight.

Link, of course, would be at the princess’ side, alongside her royal advisor, Impa. The white haired Sheikah rode on her own steed just beside Link, eyes thoughtful.

“I can’t believe it,” she muttered, as she had been for a good portion of the trip. Impa often thought aloud, which was useful in filling the quiet void that Link’s silence created.

It also could grate on his nerves in specific situations.

“How do you even approach the goddess?” Impa wondered, stroking her chin. “I mean… it has to be more than what we do for His Majesty and the princess. But… well, do we even try to approach her?”

Link gripped the reins of his horse more tightly. He understood her dilemma, truly, but he was already going to have to deal with this upon their arrival. And it wasn’t like the thoughts hadn’t been spiraling in his mind ever since the possible-Hylia’s arrival.

He wondered if Princess Zelda had learned more of the situation. He imagined she had – she was the smartest person he’d ever met. If anyone could figure this out, she could.

Behind the pair was Impa’s entourage, who murmured to each other as Impa threw out more matters to ponder. All of the Sheikah were excited to see this goddess, just as the rest of Hyrule was.

Including Link’s family.

His father hadn’t spoken to him directly about the matter – all they’d briefly discussed at breakfast this morning was ensuring that the castle was secure. But he’d heard his parents speak about his father’s interaction with the goddess and the Hero.

He’d mentioned their unexpected departure from the castle and that he’d found them wandering Castle Town. He’d said something even quieter that Link hadn’t heard, but he wasn’t sure what to make of it.

It seemed like everyone had a better hand of the situation than him. His thoughts were only spiraling, especially once he really started thinking about the inevitability of the situation.

He’d have to interact with them tonight. He was sure of it.

Would he have to say something? He prayed he wouldn’t. And then he stopped in mid-prayer in a panic – he was praying to Hylia, after all, and she was—

This situation was so baffling. If there was at least one thing to look forward to tonight, it was that maybe Princess Zelda would have more answers for him.

As the gates to the capital came into view, Link had to slow his horse’s pace. There were literally hundreds of people crowding around the entrance, and security checks would make this a long process.

Guards on the wall caught sight of them and called for backup. Several soldiers cleared the road for Impa, Link, and the entourage to approach. As they did so, Link also caught sight of another group that was getting immediate access. Multiple female warriors entered, dressed in varying colorful clothes, cloaks covering their usually exposed tan skin to protect them from the cold that they were not adapted to.

Gerudo.

Urbosa noticed Link and smiled, nodding in acknowledgement before marching ahead with her people. She no doubt was going to hunt down the princess as soon as the formalities with the king were finished. Link would see her again soon. He had some reassurance from that – Lady Urbosa always had a confident air to her, knowing what to do. She was also an excellent warrior and good mentor and friend to the princess. Seeing her gave him comfort in knowing Princess Zelda would be safe and, dare he even hope, happy.

“Wow!” Impa gasped quietly after they passed through the gates. The city was decorated in colorful banners and flags, and the central square was filled to the brim with flowers, tables, and so, so much food. Link’s mouth watered at the sight of it.

Okay, so there was going to be something to look forward to tonight.

As they approached the entrance to the castle, the group dismounted. Impa’s entourage was held at the entryway for a security checkpoint while Link and Impa continued uninterrupted. Link caught sight of a flash of red and the glistening reflection of a hand-crafted spear, and he paused, doing a quick double take and seeing nothing.

Still, he couldn’t help the way his heart skipped a beat.

After all, given the circumstances, it was assured that all the champions would be here with their people.

Link swallowed hard and took a deep breath to settle himself. He watched Impa walk ahead to no doubt meet up with the princess and decided that despite his curiosity, he should wait to speak with her. Perhaps they’d have time before the festivities started.

Glancing out into the garden, Link caught sight of two familiar faces and felt his heart stop.

Oh goddess, they’re just… they’re just hanging out in the garden.

The knight quickly turned on his heel and headed in the opposite direction. He wasn’t going to have any extra interaction until this evening if he could help it. His nerves were frayed as it was.

He promptly almost headbutted the princess herself.

“Oh! Link!” she gasped as he stumbled back.

Link got a hold of his footwork in time to bow to her. The princess gave a quick flick of her hand in his line of sight, signaling for him to rise.

“I didn’t realize you’d gotten back,” she continued as he straightened himself. “But it’s good to see you! I have more information that I learned. A-also—”

Here she hesitated, and Link had to wonder what was possibly wrong. He waited patiently until she sighed.

“Well, it’s the ceremony. I am to lead the devotion to Hylia, and you are to present the Hero with a gift.”

Link curled and uncurled his fists. Oh.

He’d expected the princess to have a role in this festival, for sure. He’d expected to be involved by proximity.

He hadn’t considered that he himself would be part of the ceremony as well.

“You are to present him with the Sword that Seals the Darkness.”

Link almost instinctively reached for his blade. The Master Sword had become such a part of his identity at this point that the mere thought of giving to anyone else – why was he—?

Well. This was the original Hero, the one who had forged the Master Sword. He supposed it made sense. His mind treacherously returned to the memory of Hylia holding the blade and turning it against him.

Had he lost the right to the sword? Or was this merely ceremonial? What did this even signify? Was the Hero going to give the sword back?

Link felt dizzy and clamped his jaw shut tightly.

"As for my research, I'm afraid I didn't learn much more," Princess Zelda commented, blind to his racing thoughts. "The goddess Hylia was indeed called the goddess of time at one point, but I can't fathom why she wouldn't understand who we are. Perhaps she simply hasn't... looked...? I... don't really know how that works. But perhaps... well. I don't think we'll be speaking to her tonight - the festivities are more of a presentation than any chance for conversation, though I suppose that depends on the goddess herself, but..."

Princess Zelda looked like she was going to continued when another voice piped in.

“Little bird, there you are.”

The princess turned, her face lighting up at the gentle tone. “Urbosa!”

Link remained in place, his mind whirling as he watched the princess rush down the hall to greet the Gerudo chief. He hadn’t noticed the pair had long left until the corridor had been quiet for a considerable amount of time.

Tonight was going to be a nightmare.

XXX

The day was beautiful.

Zelda sighed happily, leaning against a large tree behind her. Link’s head was in her lap, his eyes closed as he relaxed peacefully. The sunlight was bright, with barely any clouds in the sky to block it out. A gentle breeze blew through the garden, carrying the scent of so many flowers Zelda didn’t recognize, the smells blending into a wonderful cacophony of olfactory sensations, leaving her smiling.

The start of their day had been too much for both of them, and Zelda had decided that after breakfast was brought to them by the servants who had met them with the healer, they’d go outside. Some fresh air would do them some good and make them feel less crushed under the weight of everything happening around them.

Zelda remembered celebrations in her honor as Hylia. She remembered services, worship, praise. She remembered people adoring her and petitioning to her, so, so long ago. It made her stomach churn. Not that she didn’t appreciate the sincerity and effort being put in, but… it reminded her of being someone she still wasn’t sure of, someone different. She and Link had struggled so much over the last ten months trying to rework their relationship, trying to help her figure out who she really was. Memories of Hylia flooded her mind, changing mannerisms and words, making Link flinch sometimes, making her heart break at the sight of it. But they’d gotten stronger together, they’d figured it out together, and this place was threatening to tear that apart all over again just days after they’d vowed to be together forever.

Link’s eyes slowly opened and then widened, and he gasped and shot up in an instant. Zelda jumped, her hands jerking away from where they’d been massaging his scalp. He pointed in a particular direction. “Zelda, look! Birds!!”

She followed his finger and saw a small group of tiny birds hopping around in the grass. Her heart melted at the sight of it, even more so after she saw Link’s face glowing with wonder.

“I can never get over how small they are,” he whispered. “These look even smaller than the ones we’ve seen before!”

He stood up quickly, scurrying over to the tiny balls of feathers. Zelda giggled and followed him and then bit her lip to stop herself from laughing as he let out a sad noise when they flew away.

“They’re so skittish,” he lamented, his lower lip sticking out in a pout.

“I have an idea, hang on,” Zelda said patting him on the shoulder, suddenly excited as she remembered something. There was a place on the other side of the garden where there was bird seed; she’d seen it when she’d wandered the area the other day. If they used that, surely they’d win them over. Rushing towards the castle, she burst through the door and down the hall to cut through to the other side of the courtyard. She passed a couple guards on the way, both of whom jumped, recognized her, and practically fell to their knees out of respect. She skidded to a halt just outside the entrance to the other side of the garden, grabbing a bag and scooping it full of bird seed before turning on her heel and rushing back, passing the same guards just as they had started rising only for them to fall to their knees again in a crash of armor.

Rushing back outside to where Link was, she dug her hand into the bag and gave him some. “This’ll help!”

Link gasped in delight at the seeds. Grinning widely at Zelda, he started to slowly make his way to the trees where the birds had gathered. He and Zelda both tossed seed all around them and patiently waited as the birds cautiously made their way over. Eventually, a sense of trust was developed and the two were on the ground giggling as birds landed in their hands to eat the treasures they offered.

“They’re so soft!” Link squeaked as he rubbed his cheek against one. “It’s like a baby loftwing!”

“Wait, I want to pet one!” Zelda said excitedly, slowly reaching her hand to the thoroughly fluffed bird nestled between Link’s hand and his cheek. The sensation was indeed similar to petting down feathers on a young loftwing, and she couldn’t help the wide smile that came to her face. A small part of her missed home at the sensation as well, but she wasn’t going to ruin the moment.

“Do you think they have pet birds?” Link asked curiously as all their new friends decided it was time to leave. “I know there aren’t loftwings here, but…”

He trailed off, suddenly sad. Zelda cocked her head to the side, about to ask what was wrong, but she figured she already knew.

“You miss him, don’t you?” she asked. Link looked down, nodding.

“I miss my loftwing too,” she added, leaning against him. “But we’ll see them soon.”

Link agreed happily, though she could tell by how he was starting to lean heavily on her he was about due for a nap. She didn’t dare say it out loud, though, or he’d vehemently protest. Stretching, she laid down in the grass, and Link automatically followed her. The two snuggled and settled in for a peaceful rest, the discomfort of the morning forgotten.

XXX

The king of Hyrule stood in his study watching the gardens down below through his window. Outside were the two people of interest that had the entire kingdom talking excitedly. Hylia Incarnate sat under a tree with the Hero of Time’s head resting comfortably on her lap. The king couldn’t fathom it. He’d long since accepted who they were, but upon seeing them in person, there was something that just struck him.

They were so young. Both were still obviously teenagers, and barely older than his own daughter, which meant they had just come of age. When he’d spoken to Hylia Reborn for the first time, she’d been somber and stoic, but also sometimes seemingly at a loss for words. He’d attributed it to the fact that she hadn’t slept in nearly two days and gave her and her hero much needed space and rest as preparations were made all throughout the kingdom to celebrate them.

The hero himself was very obviously young, perhaps even younger than his wife. But what struck the king about their age was that not only were they young, they were experienced. These two had already endured a calamity, the original Calamity himself, and had not only defeated it, but also started to found Hyrule and had gotten married. And they were barely of age. Were they still children when they’d fought their war? Were they still children when they’d established Hyrule?

Sometimes the king didn’t remember… sometimes he’d think of Hylia Incarnate at their meeting, he’d think of the scars on the Hero of Myth and Legend that he’d seen when the young man had first been brought to the castle, and he’d think that of course they’re the mythical figures he’d heard about all his life. And then he’d look out his study window and see the two cuddling under a tree, he’d see the hero spring up and yell “BIRDS!” upon seeing tiny feathered creatures fluttering about, he’d see Hylia in the flesh scurry into the castle to get bird seed so they could both attract their new little friends… and he’d realize they were still scraping out of the edges of childhood.

And it made him think about Zelda, his dearest daughter, whose childhood had been ripped from her on the day of her mother’s passing. He had pushed her from the age of six to fulfill her duty. Prophecies of doom had loomed over all of them since before the queen had died, and Rhoam could do nothing to stop them. It had all hinged on his daughter’s abilities. And then six years later, after so much fruitless training, the hero appeared, Master Sword in hand, young face taught with trepidation and determination. It had clearly impacted Zelda’s confidence and caused the king to worry even more.

He just wanted her to be safe. He just wanted his kingdom to be safe. How could he do that without pushing her? How could he be both a loving father and a good king? Could these two legends chasing birds be his answer? He felt guilty and weak at the thought of it, at the idea of requesting help from two who had already fulfilled their destinies and endured their own burdens, at the idea of admitting he was losing faith in his daughter’s ability to unlock her power on her own. But if they weren’t here to help, then why would they be sent here? As guilty as he felt, he didn’t want it all to sit on his daughter’s shoulders either, not when there was an alternative. And maybe, just maybe, he could then see his daughter laugh like those two did.

He would ask her. He would beg Hylia Incarnate for her help and her wisdom. He would help his Zelda.

He just couldn’t help feeling his heart ache when he heard the two young lovers squeal in excitement as birds started to gather around them.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Something made a strange noise, pulling her from the inky darkness she'd slipped into. Light. There was light. Taking a slow, deep breath, Zelda furrowed her brow a little as the light pierced through her eyelids, casting an amber glow in front of her eyes.

Amber.

Her eyes opened in an instant. But she wasn’t drained and collapsing into Link’s arms in the Temple of Hylia. She was…

Ah. That’s right.

Zelda shifted, feeling the cotton sheet scratch her bare skin. She was a little chilly, but not uncomfortable, though she did shuffle under the heavy blankets a bit more, pushing some disheveled hair out of her face. She stretched briefly, feeling her blood flow through her body, and glanced to the other side of the bed. Link was snuggled under the blanket all the way to his nose, his fluffy dirty blonde hair barely visible. Zelda smiled, her heart full.

Last night had been magical.

Slowly, she made her way over to her husband, holding him close against her for some extra warmth. Link mumbled in his sleep, turning towards her slightly. She lightly rubbed her nose against his, giggling as he scrunched his face and sniffled in response.

And then she nearly jumped out of her skin when there was a knock at the door.

Heart racing, Zelda bolted up, looked down at her less than fit-for-company appearance, and then snatched the blanket and shoved it up to her chin. Link shivered a little, rolling away from her and taking the blanket with him.

“Link!” Zelda hissed in protest as her fluffy shield was stripped away.

There was another knock at the door. “Your Grace, Hero of—”

“J-just a minute!” Zelda said, trying to sound commanding and only succeeding in sounding like a teenager caught in the midst of breaking some kind of rule.

Looking around frantically, Zelda saw a sash in one corner of the room, her dress in another, Link’s trousers lazily hanging over the chair, and accessories scattered in multiple nooks and crannies. It was a veritable puzzle that she had to piece together. She scrambled out of the bed, face flushing as she immediately went to the window to slam the curtains closed (what time was it? She felt like she'd only just fallen asleep), and then began to gather different articles of clothing.

Link continued to snore in bed. Zelda glanced at him at one point, exasperated. How could he sleep through this?!

Zelda felt something sharp and prickly dig into her heel and she hissed, hopping on one foot for a few seconds, leading to her balance being thrown off as she unceremoniously face planted onto the floor.

Snoring continued to float lazily from the bed.

“Your Grace, Great Hero, is everything all right?” the voice called from the door. It was unfamiliar, whoever it was, and that made Zelda all the more agitated.

Groaning, she pulled herself up from the floor, now shivering. “Yep! Fine! Just another minute please!”

Her foot throbbing in pain, Zelda glared down to see that the offending object that had caused the injury was her headdress from last night. Grumbling, she grabbed the cursed item and threw it onto the chair where it was less likely to cause damage. From her vantage point, though, she could see her dress, all crumpled up by the bed where Link was wrapped up at least three times over in two different blankets, his hair sticking out like he was some freshly harvested vegetable.

Zelda hastily threw the white garment over her head, growling as it fought against her desire to wear it, pulling in odd places with different layers sticking up. This fit just fine yesterday, why was this being such a pain?!

After finally managing to at least get the garment to flow freely from her head to her toes, she padded over to the door, trying to take a calming breath and slow her frantic heart rate. She smoothed her hands over her hair—which she immediately regretted because she could feel how tangled it must have looked—and cracked the door open.

And promptly felt her heart get stolen from her chest.

There was a woman in front of her, roughly around her age, with copious amounts of thick white hair tied in a half up, half down style. Her red eyes were wide, somewhat nervous but holding a fierce determination to them, and her face was stony.

But her forehead… it bore a symbol that Zelda had only seen on one other person.

Impa.

“Who are you?” Zelda asked quietly as she slowly straightened her posture, the door opening wider of its own accord.

The woman in front of her genuflected. “Your Grace, I am Impa of the Sheikah. I come to—”

The rest of her message was lost to Zelda. Impa?! How could this be Impa?! This made no sense!

Wait. Wait. The princess… her name is Zelda. The Hero’s name is Link. This woman must be a descendant or at least of the same people as Impa, then. The name is an honoring, just as the others are.

Zelda took a steadying breath as logic helped calm her whirling thoughts. She knew she had to be right. After all, this woman bore little to no resemblance to the Impa she knew apart from her eyes and the symbol.

The current dilemma, then, was that she was genuflecting, clearly expecting a reply, and Zelda had no idea what she had said beyond her name.

Zelda felt her dress push into her neck uncomfortably, and she pulled the collar down her chest a bit, swallowing. “I’m sorry, Impa, I… I didn’t… it’s nice to meet you, but what is it that you want?”

Impa slowly glanced up at the disheveled teenager and bit her lip, her cheeks blushing slightly. She quickly looked down again, as if ashamed or timid, like she bore some secret that she didn’t want revealed. Zelda grew confused, felt her dress ride up at her neck again, and yanked it irritably.

“Your Grace, I come bearing a message – a request for an audience from the king.”

The king? What could the king want at this hour of the morning? Zelda felt pretty tired, and it was still early light out; surely this could wait?

She supposed she didn’t have much right to argue, though. The king had been nothing but accommodating, and he’d thrown the most extravagant feast in her honor that she’d ever seen, past or present. Zelda sighed, running a hand down her face. Suddenly she felt both obligated and frustrated. How much longer should this farce even go on? She’d come here to find Link. That issue had been more than resolved.

But everything that she’d learned last night…

“Very well,” she said. “I just… does he want me to come right now?”

Impa glanced up again. Zelda finally realized she would remain genuflecting unless told otherwise.

Interrupting whatever the woman was about to say, Zelda hastily waved her hand upward. “Please, get up.”

Impa obeyed, straightening and standing at eye level. It made Zelda almost take a step away. The woman’s gaze was strong, though not as stern as the Impa she’d known. But the red eyes were unique, something that undeniably reminded her of the servant and friend who had guided and protected her for millennia.

“Your Grace, I believe given the situation, it is best to take your time and prepare for the audience.”

“What situation?” Zelda questioned, growing more anxious.

Impa cleared her throat uncomfortably and folded her hands behind her back, tipping her head towards Zelda.

The confusion returned, quelling her worries. “What is it?”

“Your Grace… um, you might want to check your dress.”

“My—“ another firm tug on her collar “My dress is beautiful, I don’t know who made it, but—”

“Your Grace. Check your dress.”

Zelda blinked, bewildered. Looking down, she immediately understood.

She was wearing her dress backwards.

Her cheeks burned, and she knew they likely matched the same shade of crimson as the woman’s eyes. “Ah. Uh, right. Right. I’ll just… um, please tell the king I’ll see him after breakfast and… yes. I’ll see him later.”

Impa nodded mutely, her eyes downcast as she tried to help Zelda save face.

Link snored loudly all of a sudden behind her.

“Thanks!” Zelda yelped, slamming the door in Impa’s face.

Groaning, she turned around and leaned against the door, sliding to the floor.

Well that was a great first impression.

XXX

The morning air was sharp in his lungs as he inhaled with a hiss, dodging a blow by a hair’s breadth. The creamy white trident gleamed in the sunlight, its fiery rose highlights catching his eyes before he pushed the weapon away with his shield.

“Oh! Link, are you alright? I almost hit you!” Mipha said, withdrawing a step or two.

Link hated to admit it, but Mipha was right – she had almost landed a blow that he could usually dodge easily. He wasn’t sure if she had improved her technique so substantially in her absence or if he was that distracted.

Mipha had certainly grown in her fighting prowess, but Link would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little out of sorts.

After last night’s fiasco, he’d spent the rest of the party meandering with the champions. Mipha had kept him fairly distracted and entertained, and he’d appreciated the gesture. It had mostly worked, too, but then he’d gone to bed and the anxieties he’d started to feel came up and clutched him by the throat.

Least to say, he hadn’t slept well.

Link breathed out as evenly as possible. He’d found Mipha first thing in the morning for sparring – he needed to get the energy out, he needed to feel like he could handle this blade once more.

It seemed this wasn’t helping much.

“I’m okay,” he said with a small attempt at a reassuring smile. “Let’s go again.”

But Mipha was distracted now, her gaze somewhere over Link’s shoulder. Confused and a little concerned, he turned to see what she was watching.

Several feet away in an adjacent part of the garden stood in the Hero of Myth.

Link immediately felt his mouth go dry and his body freeze. The Hero hadn’t noticed them yet, staring off somewhere, standing in profile to them. He was wearing the white undershirt and trousers from his outfit last night, substantially more dressed down in its untucked manner. His hands traced along some bushes absentmindedly, gaze distant, face cool and collected. It reminded Link eerily of himself, and he didn’t know what to make of that.

Mipha nudged him from behind. “Link, you should go talk to him. Maybe you two can spar together? Imagine what you could learn from him!”

Link felt his world practically flip upside down. He couldn’t say no; he was too choked up to say anything. He prayed Mipha would notice that he wasn’t in the mood to speak.

Mipha at least picked up on something. His dear friend turned to face him fully, her hand resting on his shoulder, the one warmth in his entire frigid body. He felt a cold sweat start to materialize on his brow, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He felt like he wanted to burst out of his skin and was going to throw up.

“What’s wrong?” she asked quietly so as not to alert the Hero.

“How did you get this blade?”

The question had been nearly hissed, almost accusatory. Link had been agonizing over it all night. Had the Hero not believed the tale told by the bard? Had he doubted that Link was actually the bearer of the Spirit of the Hero? How could he tell Mipha that the person he was supposed to live up to thought he was a failure already?

He felt a sharp, agonizing sympathy for Zelda all of a sudden.

There was a sound in the garden up ahead, and Mipha and Link both returned their attention to the Hero.

He’d noticed them.

Link’s eyes locked with his, and his chest tightened so much he couldn’t breathe. He didn’t know what to do.

The Hero of Myth watched them carefully, eyes boring into Link’s soul. His face looked pale in the morning light, and then—

And then he coughed harshly, bending over and rushing somewhere out of sight. Link could still hear him, and Mipha, the healer that she was, immediately ran to his aid.

Was… was he getting ill? It sounded like it, and it made Link’s own stomach churn uncomfortably.

Uncertainty held him back, but a natural empathy urged him forward. Link walked stiffly to catch up with Mipha, who had already run to the Hero’s side, just out of sight around a bend. When the two came back into view, the Hero was on his knees dry heaving into a bush with Mipha kneeling beside him, hand on his back.

“I’m going to get you some water,” Mipha said, rising. She looked pleadingly at Link. “Please keep an eye on him.”

A pang of irritation and horror combined into a strange mixture of a dizzying headache that made him snap to attention and want to scream all at once. Instead, he jerked his head forward in a stiff nod. Mipha watched him a moment longer, the concern in her eyes familiar, but it did little to soothe his anxieties when she’d practically thrown him at the one person he wanted so desperately to avoid.

He supposed there was little point in avoiding him now. His father would tell him to face his fears, anyway.

Link swallowed bile and awkwardly stepped forward, unsure what exactly he should do. Considering the cold reception he’d gotten last night, he was certain the Hero of Myth wanted nothing to do with him. He tried not to think about that.

“S-sorry…”

The weak, hoarse word was barely audible over the Hero’s pants for air, but it cut through the tension in an instant. Link shifted weight between his feet, wondering what he should say or do.

He really couldn’t say anything. He wouldn’t dare. Not after last night.

But Hero or not, this person was clearly feeling horrible. Link… wished he was better equipped for this, but…

The Hero glanced over at him a moment, pale and sweaty and suddenly looking so small. His eyes shifted from Link’s face to the sword on his back, and then he squeezed them shut, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Goddess above…”

Link stared, completely lost. Was the Hero disgusted at the mere sight of him?

Could this morning get any worse?

“Maybe you’ll have better luck than me,” the Hero muttered, his tone deep and dark and biting. Link flinched at the remark, and the one part of his brain that wasn’t just screaming really registered the words.

The response scraped out of him before he could stop it. “What?”

Oh goddess. Oh goddess. What did I just do, shut up shut up SHUT UP—

The Hero rose, wiping his mouth with his sleeve and facing him. He looked… incredibly tired. Placing a hand on Link’s shoulder, he squeezed it for a moment, some strange expression of empathy and worry and pity and guilt at war on his face, eyes constantly flicking from Link to the Master Sword, and then the Hero stepped away, letting his hand fall.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, walking away, leaving Link reeling in the garden alone.

What... what?

Link stood there for one, two, five minutes. And then he heard Mipha approaching.

Overwhelmed and confused, he ran back into the castle before anyone could find him. He...

He needed to talk to Zelda.

XXX

Zelda had come back to an empty bedroom after washing up, eating something, and putting on her knight attire. Though it worried her that Link was already up and about without her even knowing where he’d gone, she had still promised to meet up with the king to discuss… whatever it was he needed.

This was her last day of politely going along with this charade, however. Link was better. There was literally no reason for them to stay here anymore. They… they needed to go home.

Her mind whispered words that had been spoken last night. Legends of a calamity coming over and over again. She shook her head violently.

Maybe Link had been right. Maybe it was a different problem and they attributed it to Demise.

But it wasn’t just that, was it?

The king. The princess. They’re our family. We built this place.

She wanted to stay and learn more. She really did. But they’d just disappeared in the midst of a destructive accident back home. People had to be worrying by now.

Sighing, she clenched her fists and determinedly left the room, allowing the servant Impa to guide her to the main area where the king would be waiting for her. Following a Sheikah named Impa to her destination was so bizarrely familiar and out of place all at the same time that her world was spinning.

How could things be so different and so similar all at the same time? How could things be so astounding and amazing and magical and horrifying all at once? How could this place elate her and terrify her? It was like discovering the Surface all over again. At least here she had Link… but she desperately missed Impa now.

Zelda entered the same room as last night’s festivities, the one where she’d originally met the king. He stood on the ground level awaiting her, his face serious.

Zelda watched him warily. This… didn’t look good.

“Your Grace,” he acknowledged with a deep bow as the doors closed behind her, leaving them alone. “I hope you enjoyed all Hyrule had to offer you last night.”

Zelda lingered a little too long on what had transpired last night, and a blush colored her cheeks. She cleared her throat, shaking the thoughts and feelings away. “It… it was amazing. I appreciate the effort of showing us what Hyrule grows into.”

And she truly did appreciate it. Truly. But… she had a feeling that wasn’t what this meeting was about.

“Your Grace,” the king started slowly. “I… understand that traditions vary, that legends change depending on who speaks them. We did the best we could to maintain our history over the years, but I… cannot help but think that the story we gave you last night was not quite correct.”

Zelda raised her eyebrows in surprise. Had... someone actually figured out that she truly had no idea what the hell was going on? Had the king realized that, despite her past, she was still just a knight from Skyloft? Could she finally put her past behind her?

“I… do not understand the nature of your war against the Calamity,” the king explained. “Only that you and your Hero won it. However… the words spoken of its impending return are true. A prophecy was made many years ago, while my daughter was still a child. The Calamity will come.”

There was such a finality to those words. It wasn’t a matter of if the demon king would return, but when. Zelda felt the bottom drop out of her stomach as the cold, hard realization slammed into her.

Demise was still alive.

Golden Three. How was he still alive?! How was that possible?!

Was… was the king about to ask what she thought he was about to ask?

“Hyrule needs your help, Your Grace,” King Rhoam said finally. “…Zelda needs your help.”

Her mind immediately snapped back to the prayer last night.

“Goddess Hylia, I pray you give me the strength to protect my people.”

Oh. Oh, no. What… what were they expecting of her?

“My daughter is destined to seal away the Calamity, as you once did,” the king continued, unaware of Zelda’s internal crisis. “But she… she has been… having difficulty accessing her powers. She is the key to everything, and if she fails, Hyrule will fall. I… I beg of Your Grace. Please. Help my daughter fulfill her destiny. Help her defeat the Calamity as you once did.”

What?

She… he… he wanted her to be the princess’ guide? But—but she—this was—

What was she supposed to do? Was there a seal keeping Demise at bay? Where was the Triforce?

How had he survived?!

She had no plan here, she had no knowledge, nothing. Despite the confusion, despite the fear and the wonder and the chaos of her adventure, her memories had helped her at least know what she’d needed to do. She’d had a plan in place.

She knew nothing here.

“Where is he?” she asked. “And where’s the Triforce?”

The king’s expression turned to surprise and confusion. “Your Grace?”

“Where is he sealed?” Zelda asked slowly, hating everything about this. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She’d thought the war was over.

She heard Link’s screams in her mind. She felt her soul being ripped out of her body.

Shaking her head subtly, she pressed on, trying to keep her voice even. “Is the seal weakening? What about the Triforce?”

Was this the true reason Link had been thrown into the future? Was this some other plan Hylia—she had put together and she just hadn’t unlocked the memory yet? She… she’d sworn it was over!

“We don’t know where he is,” the king answered, shaking his head. “And the Triforce… the Triforce is an item of myth. I understand it must have been present during your time as the legends state, but… we no longer know of its location, if it even still exists.”

Zelda felt her blood freeze. She had sacrificed everything to protect the Triforce and it… was gone?!

“The ancient Hero of ten thousand years past was able to defeat the Calamity with the assistance of the divine beasts and the princess’ divine power,” King Rhoam spoke. “The Triforce was not used then, either.”

“No!” Zelda suddenly snapped, losing her mind and her composure. “Don’t you understand?! It’s not about sealing, it’s about killing – you can’t kill him without the Triforce!”

Her words echoed in the room, screaming in her mind. Brokenly, she said, “How can it be gone?”

This… this was a nightmare.

So this was what it all amounted to? Everything she and Link had fought for had been lost?

No, she argued back defiantly, closing her eyes and shielding her face with her hands. No. It isn’t all lost. Just look at everything around you! Look at the kingdom they made, despite all the odds!

But…

Impa. The countless beings in her memories. The humans who hadn’t been able to leave the Surface. They’d all died for nothing.

Zelda fell to her knees.

So this was why those legends existed. This was why Demise came back again and again and again.

But how had he survived the first time?! What could she do to stop him?!

Why was this happening?!

“I… I didn’t think it was possible to kill such a beast.”

The king’s voice was so quiet, so unsure, so frightened. Images of people hiding behind her and seeking her aid and protection seared into her mind, and a wave of protective ferocity drove her to lower her hands and open her eyes.

“Your Grace, I…” the king stammered uncertainly, looking downcast. “I have failed you. I do not know anything of the Triforce. But I… I beg of you, please… let me take the fall, but save my people. Help my daughter.”

Zelda let out a shuddering breath, and slowly rose. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know how to fix this.

But she wasn’t going to just leave them like this.

“I’ll help,” she said quietly. “But I need you to do something for me.”

The king’s sad eyes brightened, filled with hope and eagerness. “What does Your Grace need?”

“Send knights to the place where I appeared. A lot of them,” Zelda instructed. “And guard that area so no one can access it.”

She wasn’t making the same mistake as last time, after all. Nobody was going through the Gate of Time.

Golden Three, was… was that why? Was that the reason Demise was still here, countless millennia later?

Zelda’s head was spinning. She couldn’t wrap her mind around this anymore.

“Of course,” the king acknowledged with a nod of his head. “I’ll send my finest soldiers, as will the other leaders. You will have an army of Hylians, Zora, Gerudo, Rito, and Gorons protecting it.”

Gorons? At least she knew what Gorons were.

She supposed she’d be sticking around long enough to figure out the rest of them.

How in the world was she going to explain this to Link?

Oh, Link. She knew that between the two of them he had probably been far more eager to go home. Not to mention…

The only way to defeat Demise was with his help.

But… Zelda wasn’t quite sure how this was going to work. Her entire plan had relied on the Triforce. Link had been chosen because of his unbreakable spirit – the criteria was literally that the power and allure of the Triforce wouldn’t corrupt him. Zelda had held Demise at bay, the Master Sword had guided Link, and…

The Master Sword. That knight.

This was… a mess.

“Thank you,” Zelda muttered, her mind already a million miles away from the room, spinning and confused and so utterly lost. She had no idea how she was supposed to fix this.

I guess I can start by talking to the princess.

XXX

Link was hopelessly lost.

When he’d first awoken to an empty room, he’d wandered outside. The sight of tiny birds was enticing, and it would provide a good distraction. As amazing as last night had been, it was over, and the heavy thoughts weighing on his mind were trying to return.

So naturally he’d had to run into that knight. The new Chosen Hero. The person whose life he’d probably destroyed from his own ineptitude. That had been an entire fiasco, and he was just trying to find his way back to the little house given to him and Zelda inside this large structure. He’d thought it would be easy to find his way back – this place couldn’t be that big, right?

He’d been wrong. This place was huge. He swore it was bigger than Skyloft itself.

Sighing heavily, he leaned against a stone wall as the fires crackled on the torches. He’d been up most of the night with Zelda, and it had been, well, incredible, but also now he was exhausted, he’d already gotten so overwhelmingly stressed he’d gotten ill, and he had no idea where the heck he was.

I’ve got to be close, right? He thought desperately, his head starting to ache.

Link took a fortifying breath and started to walk again. At least he’d finally adjusted to the climate. Surface Sickness could be a pain with the lingering fatigue it often brought, but he’d been down here long enough that he’d adapted. He was sure Zelda felt the same way.

Where even was Zelda? He hadn’t seen her all morning.

A familiar anxiety tried to well its way into his mind, but he shook his head. No one here was going to hurt her; he learned that much from yesterday’s celebration.

Whispers of doubts, worries, and observations started to overwhelm him, and he shook his head again. No. He wasn’t going to think about it. He would just keep moving forward like he always did. Everything was fine.

Link felt some hope spark within him as he saw a door up ahead. That had to be it, right?

Picking up his pace, he opened the door to find himself in an unfamiliar room. White and grey tiles lined the floor and were occasionally covered with red velvet carpet. The stone walls had many bookshelves lined along them aside from multiple arched windows. A desk was in the corner, a vanity on the other wall beside a large four post bed, and a massive spiraling staircase was in front of the wall opposite of him.

Link bit his lip. This wasn’t the room provided to him, so he wouldn’t find Zelda here. But he was so tired, and he couldn’t tell what time it was, but the sun was definitely still hanging heavily, slowly crawling up into the sky. His mind was a fog, trying to hide words of curses and malice in a haze that left him feeling incapable of thinking straight. A nap would do him so good; he could find Zelda when he could actually focus.

Making his way to the bed, he promptly collapsed on top of the blanket, immediately falling asleep.

XXX

Princess Zelda scribbled some notes into her research journal and then leaned back in her seat. After the festivities earlier in the night she’d buried herself in work. She was eager to talk to their esteemed guests about the guardians and the divine beasts, and she was even more eager to learn about their era. Perhaps they knew about the divine beasts? Perhaps they were the ones who had ordered their construction? It was hard to tell – the tales spoke of their development ten thousand years ago, but there were other myths of different heroes and enemies and she didn’t know how they all fit together. Organizing it all in her journal would help.

It also gave her confidence to even approach them. Her brief interaction with Hylia last night had been exhilarating, but there was still a degree of timidity involved. As for the Hero of Myth, he was somewhat of an enigma; his gentle and soft features were unassuming and kind, but his mannerisms sometimes were contradictory. He had much more confidence and boldness in him than her appointed knight; sitting on the arm of the throne so casually with his arm draped around the goddess was quite the gesture, and everyone had commented on it. Zelda wasn’t really sure what to make of him. Still, if she’d learned anything from her experiences with her friend, it was to not judge a book by its cover.

Closing her journal, the princess stood and stretched. She’d probably take a walk around the castle a bit before heading to bed. When she exiting her study, however, she jolted to realize that it was early morning light.

Oh. Oops. No wonder I’m tired.

The princess had a momentary panic as she thought about whether she had any duties to attend to in the morning. When her addled mind found none, she relaxed. Perhaps she’d have time to sleep for a few hours before she was needed. Zelda walked across the bridge between the tower and her quarters and thoughtfully made her way down the spiral stairs into her room.

And then she stopped dead in her tracks as she heard soft snoring.

Her heart racing, she slowly crept towards her bed to see… to see…

Is that the Hero?!

Princess Zelda stared, completely flabbergasted. The Hero of Myth Descended from the Sky was prone on her bed, not even under the covers, not even in sleep clothes of any sort. He looked like he’d just belly flopped onto the mattress and passed out.

Zelda looked around wildly as if she should find someone else in the room. What was—why was he—what was she supposed to do?! What was happening?!

To be in her bedroom – such an action could have someone thrown in lockup, but this was the legendary Hero, this was—this was…

Zelda just stared, her brain fried. She didn’t know what to do.

The Hero continued to snore quietly, undeterred by the princess’ anxiety.

Gulping, Zelda tiptoed closer to her bed. Perhaps… he was unwell? And he just found her room? Or perhaps he had wanted to talk to her? Oh goddess, had he been up all night waiting for her?! No, that doesn’t fit, why would he be sleeping in my bed?!

Following her initial logic, she looked him over to see if he looked ill. Although there were bags under his eyes, a testament to his heavy sleeping, nothing else seemed unusual.

Shaking her head, she reached a tentative hand out and lightly tapped the young Hero on the shoulder. Nothing. Zelda gave another, more confident tap. Still nothing.

She cleared her throat. “E-excuse me.”

The snoring continued.

Starting to grow annoyed, Zelda huffed, “Excuse me.”

The Hero shifted, just a hair, and Zelda’s confidence vanished in a heartbeat. She took a startled step away, but it was for nothing. The Hero remained asleep.

Now what?!

She debated calling a guard or even her father, but she thought better of it. It wasn’t like he was doing anything too offensive, she supposed, even if it made absolutely no sense. Should she keep trying to wake him up? He clearly was exhausted.

Zelda bit her lip. She’d lost her boldness from earlier, no longer wishing to disturb him. She… she guessed he could just stay there. But where was she going to sleep?

Looking around the room and stepping away from the bed, Zelda’s gaze fell on the comfortable red chair in the center. Well… there was that.

I don’t want to sleep in a chair, she grumbled internally, and a part of her was incensed to awaken the Hero once more.

Energized, she tried again, but poking did nothing, speaking did little more than make the man occasionally twitch, and huffing in exasperation fell upon deaf ears.

Good grief, he is a heavy sleeper!

Eventually, Zelda gave up entirely. She didn’t want to bother going to one of the many guest quarters as they were nowhere near her room – and the instant she left her room she’d likely get absconded into some matter or another. She was almost too tired to care at this point.

Resigned to her fate, the princess dragged her feet to the chair, trying to get comfortable in some awkward position, and attempted to fall asleep. Her neck started to ache at the way she had it on the arm of the chair, and she felt confined in her dress, which she didn’t dare change out of while the Hero was in the room.

Well, she supposed she could grab her nightgown and change in the study, but… she didn’t feel comfortable doing so. Besides, what would that look like if a servant came in? She would be practically indecent with a married man, the Hero of Myth, her bloody ancestor in her room.

Maybe since he was her ancestor it wouldn’t look as scandalous? Or would it be even more so? She didn’t know.

Zelda sighed irritably, but then a sound caught her attention. It wasn’t gentle snores. It sounded… it sounded like a whimper.

Stiffening, she listened and heard it again. Uncurling from her chair, she glanced in the direction of the bed to see the Hero turning, his brow furrowed and his nose scrunched in what looked to be fear or worry. Was he waking up?

The Hero continued to shift, looking uncomfortable, and Zelda realized that he was still very much asleep.

A nightmare. He was having a nightmare.

Did heroes have nightmares? What could possibly scare him?

Zelda shook her head. She should know better than to ask that now. Link was spilling with anxiety at all times with the pressure he was under. She wondered if he had nightmares too.

The Hero let out a small whine. Zelda felt her chest clench. She couldn’t just watch him like this.

Rising, Zelda slowly and hesitantly walked to the bed. The Hero was on his side now, facing away from her. His body was tense and occasionally twitched, and he was subtly curling in on himself.

He looked so incredibly vulnerable. So normal. He didn’t look like a mythical hero, or the progenitor of the royal line, or the champion who triumphed over the original Calamity.

He was just a person, like Link. Like her.

Grabbing a hold of her resolve with this thought in mind, Zelda placed both hands on his arm and gave him a hard shake.

The Hero inhaled sharply through his nose, and his body froze. His breathing, initially rising to a level of gasping, was now evening out in careful, measured inhales and exhales. Though the princess couldn’t see his eyes, she could tell he was now awake.

She cleared her throat, trying not to startle him. The mild jump that shook his entire body indicated she didn’t quite succeed.

Quickly turning onto his back, the Hero’s eyes pierced into her, his face a little pale. Zelda swallowed, her nerves returning under his deep blue gaze. She had grown used to long, silent glances from Link, but his eyes somehow seemed… she didn’t know, the lighter blue made them less mysterious maybe. This Hero’s eyes were dark, like oceans that held so much in their depths that she couldn’t see. He seemed to be analyzing her for a moment, making her skin crawl, and then his eyes softened, his body easing into a more comfortable posture.

“Hi,” he said hoarsely, and his face relaxed.

Zelda blinked, not quite expecting such a simple greeting. “Um… hello. A-are you alright?”

The Hero gave a small smile, his head tilting somewhat into the pillow, and Zelda felt her heart melt as her muscles stopped clenching quite so hard. “I’m okay. Are you?”

Zelda bit her lip. “You were having a nightmare.”

His smile faded a little, and he looked away. “It happens.”

Zelda didn’t know what to say to that. She hugged herself, unsure what to do next. The Hero sighed and glanced back at her, asking, “Is this your bed?”

Her exasperation from earlier resurfaced, and she folded her arms. “Yes, actually.”

He hummed a moment and then said, “Is this your side of the bed? Do you have a side?”

Zelda blinked. What?

“There’s plenty of room.”

Zelda blinked again, horrified. What?!

The Hero smiled and stretched, closing his eyes, and then beginning to fall back asleep.

Wait a bloody second— “Um, excuse me.”

The Hero opened his eyes.

“This is my bed.”

The Hero stared at her. “Yes?”

Clearly, there was a miscommunication going on here. Zelda felt her cheeks blush as she grew flustered. “So I sleep in it.”

The Hero twisted, looking at the other side of the bed, glanced back at her, and pat the empty space beside him, bemused.

Was he—?! “I can’t sleep with you!”

The princess didn’t quite mean for her voice to sound like a near squeak when she said that.

The Hero looked even more confused. “Why not?”

“Why not?!” Zelda spluttered, feeling her ears redden as well. “Because—because it isn’t proper!”

“Proper for what?”

Zelda stared at him, mouth agape like a fish out of water.

The Hero furrowed his brow. “A bed’s for sleeping, after all. And there’s plenty of room for you to sleep here too.”

Zelda shut her mouth with a click on her teeth. She opened it again to protest and came up with nothing.

This was… this was ridiculous. But she was running out of both nerve and energy trying to explain how this was not okay, thank you very much.

But… he looked… so confused.

Who was this guy?! This legendary Hero of Myth from the Sky was the biggest enigma Zelda had ever met, and he…

She sighed, defeated. “At least take your boots off.”

Her heart skipped a beat at commanding a legend as if he were a normal person, and then she banished the thought. He was a normal person; she was recognizing that more and more.

And he was certainly an uncultured person. Downright feral, even. Who didn’t understand basic etiquette?!

The Hero bit his lip, looking positively brow beaten. “Sorry.”

Before Zelda could say anything, he kicked off his boots, letting them fall to the side of the bed, and then he slipped under the covers with a content sigh, closing his eyes.

Zelda stared at him. Then stared some more. Then stared some more.

What just happened? Had she just chastised the ancient Hero of Myth? Had he just apologized like a child being scolded? And was he still sleeping in her bed?!

She sighed again, exhausted. There was no arguing at this point. And she was too tired to care. And…

You know what? Screw it. He’s innocent and naïve, there’s no harm to it… it can’t be that bad.

Grabbing her nightdress, she tiptoed to her study, quickly changed clothes, and then made her way back to her room. The Hero was already snoozing. She watched him a moment more, grabbed a robe and wrapped herself in it with flustered energy, and then took a deep breath and settled onto the bed as if she were lying on a bed of charcoals in Goron City.

She did have to admit this was much more comfortable than trying to sleep in that chair, though.

With that thought in mind, Zelda turned to face away from the Hero and settled into an uneasy sleep.

Chapter Text

Zelda walked with haste, her mind so preoccupied with everything she’d just learned. She was caught in a confused haze, head whirling with too many words and images, to the point that she couldn’t focus on a single coherent train of thought. It felt like when she’d started to recover her memories – her mind had been so utterly overwhelmed with an entirely new life and revelation that she’d been practically catatonic for a few hours sometimes.

Speaking of being completely distracted, Zelda gasped in surprise when she nearly collided right into someone as she rounded the corner. The person had quick reflexes, taking a step back, and it took her a minute to recognize him.

It was that knight from before. The one with the Master Sword.

“Oh!” she said softly, eyes wide. “You’re—”

She paused, realizing several things at once. First, her interactions with him had been amidst a high amount of stress and emotions, meaning she’d been fairly rude, and second, she had absolutely no idea what his name was.

“U-uh…” she continued awkwardly. “I don’t think I ever actually got your name, sorry.”

The knight watched her carefully, face decidedly neutral as he blinked a few times, and then he said in a soft voice, “Link.”

Zelda stared.

Of course his name is Link, her mind whispered. Link and Zelda, here to save the world from Demise once again. What a cruel joke.

Had the Golden Goddesses even done anything to try to stop this? She barely remembered anything about them, even with all her recovered memories of a life past. Did they even care? Somehow she couldn’t figure it out – she felt like a part of her knew they were distantly invested, but she also reasoned out that they’d left her in charge of everything, which implied that they… weren’t paying attention anymore.

She didn’t even know. All she knew was that she was screwing up this conversation like she had the others.

“Right. Link.” She said, trying to gather her thoughts. “Um. I’m Zelda.”

The two stared at each other a moment, and then Zelda wanted to smack herself. Hastily, she shook her hands with an embarrassed laugh. “But you already—I mean—wow okay, I just—”

She sighed, cutting herself off. “I’m sorry. I’m—this is a lot. I wasn’t—I wasn’t prepared for any of this.”

The strange knight watched her, and his lack of reaction made her a little uneasy. His silence reminded her of her own Link, but her husband was so expressive, she could practically read his thoughts on his face. This one was very much the opposite.

What… had they done to him? Was he just like this? No one was naturally just like this.

“I guess it would be confusing to call me Zelda, what with the princess and all,” she said, trying to keep a conversation going. “But um… it’s nice to meet you. Formally, I mean. Because like… you know, we didn’t… I mean we met before, but I never got your name and there was a lot of stuff going on.”

The knight nodded subtly.

Zelda wondered if perhaps this was anxiety, or the same breeding as the other guards who had knelt and not even looked her in the eye. At least he was making eye contact.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, this Link also seemed to realize it, and his eyes widened as he clumsily fell to his knee.

Zelda had to laugh at the maneuver, feeling equal parts guilty and amused. “Hey, it’s okay, stop doing that. I’m… we’re going to be working together a lot, I think. Please. Can we just be friends?”

Slowly, the knight glanced up at Zelda, timidness evident in the way his eyebrows were raised and how he hid his eyes under his hair. Zelda smiled, crouching down to be at eye level with him, and the motion made him pull back just a hair, eyes widening.

“I promise I don’t bite,” Zelda laughed. “Well. I mean… okay, if you asked my husband he’d say I bite but—”

The knight’s face flushed, and Zelda realized what she’d just said, hastily tripping over herself to explain, “I mean—like—like as in I can be aggressive, but—oh my gosh, that’s not—I’m—”

Just shut up, you’re making it worse!

“Ugh, this is so stupid,” Zelda finally said aloud, smacking herself in the face and rising. “I’m sorry, let’s just try again. I want to be friends, okay?”

The knight watched her for what felt like an eternity before he slowly stood. It seemed like it was the best reaction she was going to get out of him.

“So anyway,” Zelda continued awkwardly. Trying to have a conversation with this teenager felt like pulling teeth. Her own Link (good grief, they’d need to find a way to differentiate) had been very quiet and shy when they’d first become friends, but he hadn’t been so understated on top of it. “I was looking for the princess. Do you know where she is?”

The knight shook his head.

Zelda hummed thoughtfully. “Well, maybe we can look for her together? You know this place better than me; I’d get absolutely lost.”

The knight swallowed, nodding slowly. When nothing else happened, Zelda motioned for them to start walking down the cavernous hallway. A few moments later she realized he wasn’t beside her. She glanced back to see if he’d just stayed put, but instead he was following her a few paces back.

"You know... the hallway's big enough we can walk beside each other. You don't have to walk behind me." She noted, waving the space beside her with a smile.

The swordsman took a shaky, fortifying breath before stepping ahead a little faster to catch up to her. He continuously glanced at her, though he kept his face decidedly neutral. Zelda had to chuckle at it – the poor thing was very anxious, wasn’t he?

Her smile faded, as she realized her earlier behavior was probably part of the reason. That and, well… all the other things.

“I’m sorry,” she reiterated. “I… remember how I said I only bite sometimes? When people I love are in danger… I mean… especially Link… I wasn’t thinking. I just reacted, you know? I’m sorry I was mean to you.”

The knight stopped abruptly, making Zelda skid to a halt. He immediately regretted his decision, awkwardly trying to resume their walk and then stopping again when Zelda didn’t move.

“What is it?” she asked.

The newer Link remained stubbornly silent. Zelda crossed her arms. “I know you can talk, Link.”

The knight shriveled subtly, looking at the floor.

Zelda watched him a while longer, confused. “What’s wrong?”

After another shuddering breath, the knight whispered, “It’s n-nothing, Your Grace. I beg your pardon for s-stopping.”

The assertive, stubborn part of Zelda swelled within her, wanting to grab this knight by the shoulders and shake him and say she wasn’t going to strike him down if he uttered a sound and that he needed to lighten up. But she held herself in check, smiling instead and holding a hand out as if to a scared child. “Well let’s keep going, then. Maybe you can tell me about the palace?”

This Link watched her hand hesitantly as the realization dawned on him, and he slowly raised his own hand in response. When his fingers delicately folded around hers, he made a motion to kneel again, and Zelda was reminded strikingly of her and Link’s conversation in the Temple of Hylia.

She quickly jerked him towards her once she had a grip on him, erasing that memory and any attempt to repeat it. The knight stumbled forward, face finally expressing terror and shock, before she caught him easily by the shoulder. Then she laughed. “That’s better! Let’s go.”

Having his hand in hers was a grounding force for Zelda, and she sighed in relief as they strolled through the hallway. His grip was stiff, though, reminding her that she really should try to ease his worries. She herself was filled with a thousand anxieties, but she didn’t want to scare him when he already seemed petrified.

She wondered how knowing his destiny had affected him. What he even expected his destiny to be.

She’d ask later. He was far too scared for such a conversation right now. And it delayed the inevitable for a while longer – befriending him meant she didn’t have to think about the king’s request… at least until she found the princess.

“So what’s your story, Link?” she asked. “My husband trained as a knight too, you know. A lot of us do on Skyloft. Was it kind of just expected for you too? My father’s the headmaster of the knight’s academy, what about your family?”

Before Link could even attempt to answer, his gaze drifted elsewhere, and Zelda tracked it to see one of the colorfully dressed guards ahead. He looked like he was heading somewhere rather than standing guard, but he quickly noticed them. For an instant his eyes were fixed on Link rather than Zelda, and then he knelt.

Wait, she recognized this guard. “Hey, you’re the guard who found us in Castle Town the other night!”

“I am, Your Grace,” he acknowledged.

For a split second there was a strange moment where the guard glanced up long enough to look somewhere between Zelda and the knight she was with, and then he looked at the ground once more.

“Thanks for the help that night,” Zelda said. “You know, with answering questions and all that.”

“It is my honor, Your Grace.”

He reminded Zelda of Impa. Her Impa. He held a very strong sense of duty and protocol but wasn’t groveling or petrified like the others. She liked him.

“Do you know where Princess Zelda is?” she asked. “Link and I were looking for her.”

“To my knowledge, Your Grace, the princess is in her quarters.”

Zelda looked around uncertainly. “Oh. Uh… do you know where that is?”

“I can take Your Grace there if you please.”

Zelda hummed thoughtfully, glancing at Link. “Do you know where it is?”

The knight swallowed and nodded.

With that settled, Zelda smiled at the guard. “We got it, thanks! I don’t want to bother you too much, I’m sure you have important duties to attend to.”

She knew better than to wait for an acknowledgement, given how everyone acted around her, so instead she tugged the swordsman along as they walked around the guard. The hallway seemed to be never ending, and it felt like the knight was dragging his feet the farther they went.

Zelda tried to ease his worries, as well as her own, by talking about anything but what she’d just discussed with the king. “So how long have you been here? Do you know the castle pretty well?”

“I can direct you, Your Grace,” came the hesitant and quiet answer.

“No, that’s not—I mean like have you been here long,” Zelda clarified.

“A few years, Your Grace.”

“Oh! So you must be pretty familiar with all this,” Zelda said cheerily. “I could never – this place is so huge. Skyloft isn’t nearly this big. It’s just… it’s really amazing seeing what our settlement turns into. I never imagined it would be this big.”

When Link didn’t comment, Zelda changed tactics. “So how long will it take to get to the princess’ quarters? I feel like you could spend a couple days just going from one side of the castle to the other.”

The swordsman stilled, eyes downcast. Zelda watched him confusedly for a moment, prompting, “What’s wrong?”

“We’re…” he muttered. “We’re going the wrong way, Your Grace.”

Zelda blinked. Then she laughed. “Well, why didn’t you tell me, silly!”

As the pair got turned around, Zelda finally decided she really did need to address the skytail in the room. “Look. I… I understand this is weird, you know? With the ceremony, with how I acted before… but… I’m… we’re going to be working together and…”

Zelda paused, feeling vulnerable and not entirely sure she liked it. But if it meant this knight would stop acting so weird, she was willing to speak a little on the matter. “This place is overwhelming to me. I’m… I’m scared too. Please don’t think that just because your people worship means that I actually am an infallible goddess. I’m just me, I promise.”

Despite her words, she got little reaction from the knight. Sighing, she looked away, but then she felt the slightest squeeze in her hand, and she belatedly realized it was Link trying to give her something to work with.

She looked back at the knight and smiled. “Well… I guess we should keep looking. Maybe you should lead the way, though.”

The knight nodded, walking ahead with her hand still in his. With their objective made clear, Zelda found herself just as silent as her companion, no longer really able to push off the thoughts that were nagging her earlier. She instead redirected her attention to examining the knight. He really held little to no resemblance to her own Link – he was thinner in build, a little shorter, his hair was lighter and longer and less fluffy, and his demeanor was practically entirely opposite. Yet… there was something about him that made her watch him, something eerily familiar and practically magnetic.

Not to mention the sword that rested on his back.

Zelda felt the wind get knocked out of her just looking at the blade. It was still distressing realizing that after everything…

Why? Why? She had planned it all so meticulously, even had backup plans – for heaven’s sake, Link was the backup plan. He wasn’t even supposed to be involved if it wasn’t necessary.

Yet everything had failed. Everything.

She had failed in the original war. She’d only sealed him away, and at a terrible cost. She’d failed in the new plan, to obtain the Triforce herself, if possible, rather than involve Link. She’d failed in the backup plan, where Link was supposed to be the one to fix things while she held the seal.

Tears stung in her eyes, and she hastily wiped them away before anyone could notice. Why did Demise have to be a reality they still had to contend with? Why couldn’t they just… have a kingdom and be happy? Surely there were enough problems in the world without a demon king adding to them?

Perhaps it serves as a unifying thing, she thought listlessly, a small glimmering of hope latching to it. Everyone can get behind defeating pure evil.

If that were the case, though… if the entire world was unified in supporting this knight and the princess… why did he seem so broken and afraid?

She supposed it was a silly question. She herself had been terrified on her journey. But she’d had Impa. Link had Fi.

Who did this boy have? Surely he had everyone, right? Was he just naturally this timid? Or was it because she was viewed as Hylia by all?

Zelda’s musings were interrupted when they stopped in front of a door. The knight hesitantly raised his free hand to knock and then paused, glancing at her and waiting for her to give some kind of signal.

Smiling, she pushed ahead and knocked gently on the door. When she got no response, she started to open it, curious if the princess was even there. The pair slowly shuffled into the room, both a little sheepish (one far more so than the other), and then paused in the entranceway.

The soft snoring from the bed was immediately familiar. The two lumps in the bed told her the rest.

Zelda snorted out a laugh. Of course Link had somehow found his way here to sleep. She was surprised the princess was asleep in the middle of the day though. Her heart warmed with endearment as she whispered, “I guess some traits did make it through all the generations.”

Apparently Princess Zelda was as much of a sleepyhead as Link was.

She honestly didn’t want to wake them. She was certainly curious how Link had found his way here and how much he had talked to the princess before they’d both settled in for a nap, but she also didn’t want to disturb the moment. She definitely didn’t want to address the issue that had brought her here.

But there was honestly little point in avoiding it. Sighing, she pulled out some feathers from her pouch she’d been carrying with her, handing one to the knight. As she did so, she saw his stupefied expression as he stared at the pair in the bed, eyes wide and face pale.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

The swordsman jumped, startled, and glanced at her, bemusement apparent. His cheeks flushed, and he glanced between her and the bed.

Zelda stared, completely baffled. A thought slowly coalesced in her mind, picturing all the stiff protocol she’d seen so far. “Is this something to do with manners or something? Because she’s an important figure?”

The swordsman blinked, and despite his efforts for his stoicism, the disbelief was apparent on his face.

“You’re an important figure too, so it shouldn’t be a big deal to be in here, right?” Zelda questioned confusedly. “I mean… you didn’t have any issues leading me here.”

The knight’s brow furrowed.

“You were with her earlier,” Zelda threw out the observation with a shrug. “What’s the problem?”

When she got no response, she handed the feather over to him. “Here. I’ll wake up Link, you wake up the princess.”

Zelda went to the bed without sparing him another glance, bending over and inching the feather close to her beloved’s nose. Link was curled into the blankets, his face barely visible, but she still managed to maneuver the weapon into place. As she tickled under his nose, she giggled when he scrunched it in response, his brow furrowing. Link groaned slightly, slinking away and bumping into the princess’ back. Zelda smirked, having already started to wake him up, and decided drastic measures were required. Leaping into the air, she landed on the bed, bouncing right beside her husband as he yelped and kicked in all directions, landing a hit on both his wife and the bedpost.

“Ouch!” they both yelled as the princess squealed and fell right out of the bed with a loud thud.

Gasping, Zelda crawled over Link to look over at the floor, where the knight had also rushed to the princess’ side. “Are you okay?”

The princess was panting for air as if she’d run across all of Skyloft ten times over. Zelda felt a little guilty – she supposed she shouldn’t have startled the girl. She was just having some fun with Link.

“Sorry,” Zelda said, making the princess freeze. The girl looked up at her, horror in her eyes, and then she registered the knight in front of her and squeaked, pulling a blanket off the bed to wrap herself in it. In doing so, she yanked both Zelda and Link, making them tumbled over each other, but the princess didn’t have enough strength to actually get the cloth out from under them.

The knight rose to his feet awkwardly, brow pinched as he looked between the three.

“Zelda,” Link whined from underneath Zelda. Both she and the princess looked at him, and it was at that moment that Zelda realized they really needed to work out a naming system for everyone.

In the meantime, she said, “It’s time to get up, sleepyheads!”

Despite her cheer and Link’s good-natured grumbling, the princess seemed absolutely… mortified. She looked at the knight in horror, cheeks as red as Groose’s hair, and she pulled her nightgown more tightly around her, burying her face in her knees.

Zelda looked between the pair. She was definitely missing something. The knight turned around to look a different direction, staring pointedly at the wall.

Honestly, they were acting as if they’d stumbled in on the princess bathing or something.

Oh. Wait. Was… was finding her sleeping bad in this era?

Just as Zelda was about to ask, the princess rose and rushed towards some stairs, disappearing quickly. Zelda and Link exchanged confused glances. Before she could go after the girl, though, Link followed her, leaving her and the knight alone in the bedroom.

“That was weird,” Zelda muttered. “Is… did we do something wrong?”

The knight turned slightly, eying her in profile. From this vantage point, his neutral glance looked more questioning.

“Seriously, though,” Zelda pressed on. “I… you guys act so differently from us. What’s wrong?”

Eventually, the knight seemed to realize she was genuinely asking, and he faced her fully. “It’s… not proper to see someone undressed like that. Or in bed with... B-but—that just doesn't apply to Your Grace, I—”

Here the knight’s mouth snapped shut, like he was trying to explain but was fumbling too much to try and continue. Zelda watched him a moment longer, thinking about it, and then sighed. “Oh. Oops. I’m sorry.”

The room was dead silent, and then Zelda continued, staring at her lap. “It’s just… so different here. I didn’t mean any offense or anything. I didn’t mean to upset her, or you.”

She sighed, glancing up, and smiled despite the knight’s seemingly neutral reaction. “Well, maybe we shouldn’t linger in here, then. If it’s going to upset her and all. Can you show me where the gardens are? There were tiny birds there that I liked.”

The knight glanced at the stairs, as if to express his concern for the princess, and Zelda hopped off the bed, waving her hand. “Don’t worry about the princess. Link will talk to her.”

You’re avoiding the actual conversation you need to have, a voice whispered in her mind, but she ignored it. She didn't want to further upset the princess, after all. She'd let Link smooth it over; the pair had seemed to have bonded a little, at least. She could learn about the knight instead. He had the Master Sword. He was important too.

“Show me the way to the garden,” she asked, holding out her hand. “And tell me about yourself! I’ll tell you about me.”

The knight watched her before quickly taking her hand, as if he didn’t do so fast enough he’d be in trouble. She frowned at it. “Remember I said we could be friends, right?”

The knight stared at her. Zelda sighed. This was going to take some work. But she’d figure it out.

XXX

The stone stairs in the room led to a hallway that connected to a separate tower. Link had to marvel at the size of this place all over again. The room downstairs alone could act as a house for most on Skyloft.

Never mind the scale, however – something was upsetting the girl, the princess. What was her name again?

Oh, he abruptly remembered. Oh.

Princess Zelda was seated on the ground of the hallway between the stairs and the tower, knees tucked under her chin. Her head barely peeked over the stone railing. A gentle breeze blew by, rustling her soft silky robe and dress, rustling hair into Link’s face as he carelessly brushed it aside.

Approaching her hesitantly, Link asked, “Are you okay?”

The princess jumped, startled at his approach and his words. “Am I—what are you doing out here, you can’t see me like this! Nobody but servants and my family—”

She stopped abruptly. Link stared at her. The word family bounced around in his mind again, feeling so foreign and magical, bizarre and otherworldly, exciting and terrifying.

This girl was his family. Separated by countless years, yes, but family nonetheless. Link… hadn’t had that in a very long time. At least not by blood.

“You’re—I mean—don’t you understand how improper that was?!” the princess tried again, burying her face in her knees. “I can’t do anything right.”

“Improper?” Link repeated, tilting his head to the side. “Why?”

“Why?” the princess repeated, baffled as she looked at him once more. “What do you—because it’s—I’m dressed too—and I was in bed with—and—”

She lost either her nerve or her ability to articulate at this point, shaking her head and plopping her forehead on her knees once more. Link watched her a moment longer, unsure, and moved to sit beside her when she jumped, seeming to realize something.

“I don’t—I’m sorry to be rude,” she said hastily. “I-it isn’t my intent to be disrespectful or anything, it’s just—I—isn’t it improper for you too? Why were you in my bed?!”

Link furrowed his brow. Her tone had changed, as if she’d gone from mortified to scared. What was she afraid of?

…Was she afraid of him?

Link bit his lip uncertainly, plopping himself onto the ground beside her. What reason did she have to be afraid of him? Was it because of the big fuss her people made the other night? If the words they spoke in their fairytale rendering of his journey were what they truly believed, then they really didn’t understand the full magnitude of the situation.

They didn’t understand that this was his fault. They shouldn’t be showing him any kind of respect. Link hadn’t done his job, apparently.

Demise was still alive.

The thought both chilled him to his core and enraged him. He wanted to hunt him down now, he wanted to kill him now, he wanted to run away and hide in a corner and beg Fi to wake up and tell him what the hell he was supposed to do. None of this had been part of the plan.

Not like he’d been privileged to the plan anyway.

Link shook his head, ridding his mind of the unexpectedly bitter thought. He needed to focus on the princess, not his own issues.

“I’m sorry you’re upset,” he offered quietly.

“Link saw me in bed! And I was in bed with a stranger—well, you’re not a stranger, but—but you’re the Hero of Myth and Legend! The rumors that will fly—” the princess shook her head, her hands reached to her scalp and dug through her hair anxiously.

Was that what was bothering her? Rumors? “You shouldn’t worry about what others think of you. Besides, what are they going to say?”

“We were in bed together!”

“And?”

The princess stared at him again, a baffled expression on her face. “Doesn’t that mean something to you?”

Link squinted, wondering what in the world she was getting at. “…No?? Beds are for sleeping, and that’s what we did?”

The princess stared at him and seemed to give up, sighing and looking away.

“Who cares about rumors, anyway?” Link said, shrugging.

“It matters what people say about me,” the princess muttered. “You don’t have an entire kingdom relying on you.”

Link paused, feeling the heaviness in her words. He… didn’t really have a way to fathom it. The highest authoritative figure he knew was the headmaster, and Gaepora had never really cared if students didn’t like him. He wasn’t a bad man, but he did what he thought was best whether the students liked it or not. Besides, what if he had listened to popular opinion? What if he’d listened to Groose when he whined that Link wasn’t good enough for the academy?

Before Link could really ponder the matter more, the princess jolted and looked back at him and shook her head. “I—I didn’t mean—”

“No, you’re right,” Link cut in. “I don’t have that many people relying on me like that, I guess. I can’t even think about it. Just based on how many people I saw at the party… you have a lot depending on you.”

The princess bit her lip, looking down before returning his gaze. “You did too, I suppose. I shouldn’t assume that my problems are greater than yours, that just because I’m incapable in my duty that yours was somehow lesser.”

“Incapable in your duty?” Link repeated. “Is today really that bad?”

The princess sighed wearily. “No, it’s… it’s not that. I’m sorry.”

Silence filled the air, only interrupted by the wind whistling past flags and between the stone teeth cut into the railing above them. Link shifted uncomfortably; usually he wasn’t bothered by silence, but the anxious and dejected air about the girl was unfitting and he wanted to fix it. He tried changing tactics.

“Your name is Zelda, right?” Link asked, and the princess nodded. “That’s… so weird.”

At the princess’ bemused and embarrassed look, Link hastily added, “N-not in a bad way! It’s just… my wife’s name is Zelda too. I’m going to get you two confused if I say Zelda and you’re both with me!”

“She goes by Zelda?” the princess questioned.

“Yes,” Link immediately answered firmly. “She… she went by Hylia before, but ever since her, uh… her rebirth, she prefers to go by Zelda. It’s who she is now.”

“That’s so… fascinating,” Princess Zelda whispered, glancing off to Link’s left at nothing in particular.

“Well, either way, it’s going to be confusing,” Link said, dismissing the focus on his wife’s past. He didn’t entirely understand it still, but he knew it bothered her. He’d seen her discomfort during the feast, so he wasn’t going to encourage the behavior to continue. “Do you have a nickname? She doesn’t. Or—wait, your dad has like fifty names, right? Do you have more names?”

The princess stared at him a moment and then burst out laughing. Then her hands flew to her mouth, her cheeks as red as his loftwing. “I—I’m sorry, n-no, I don’t.”

Link thought about it a moment. “What about Zellie?”

The princess stared at him. “Zellie?”

Link shrugged. He wasn’t going to call her something she didn’t like, but she wasn’t coming up with anything, so he figured he’d just throw it out there. The princess watched him a moment longer, her gaze growing distant as a small smile played at her lips.

Closing her eyes, she seemed to try to center herself. “My mother used to call me that.”

Oh. Maybe a bit too personal, then. Link was about to say so when the princess said, “I like it.”

Link smiled. “Ok. Zellie, it is.” Then he grew somber as he remembered not seeing a female king (was there a term for that?) at the feast. “What… happened to your mother?”

“She died when I was six,” the princess answered. Her tone was neutral, polite, but he could tell in the way she was squeezing her hands that it still bothered her.

Link watched her for a moment longer and then looked away. “I’m sorry. I lost my dad around that time too.”

He heard her turn her head to look at him. “You had a dad?”

Link whipped his head to stare at her. “Yes??”

Then he remembered their story from the other night and he laughed. “I—I wasn’t made from a cloud, you know! I was born to parents just like you!”

The princess’ face flushed bright red. “I—”

Link waved a hand as he giggled. “It’s okay, it’s what you were taught. I just—”

He couldn’t continue, falling apart into a fit of laughter. Maybe he should have just said he actually was made from clouds; it would have been funnier.

I’ll do it next time someone asks.

“So… how did Hylia… I mean, did she even…” Zellie shifted to face him more fully. “What happened?”

Link’s laughter died down, reality sinking into him once more. He cleared his throat a little uncomfortably. “Uh… she… I mean, she chose me, but…”

“Is Hylia your… your mother…?” the princess asked, her face pinched in a manner that showed she was disgusted at the thought but trying not to show it.

“Ew, no!” Link immediately exclaimed. His reaction caused the princess to flinch, but the girl also looked relieved at the words. “My mother was a craftswoman, she worked in the bazaar.”

“What did she make?”

Link stared off and shrugged, looking back at her somewhat apologetically. “I… don’t remember what my dad said she made, honestly. He’s been gone so long, and… she died giving birth to me. I never knew her.”

She looked sad. “I’m sorry. To never know what having a mother is like… I can’t imagine.”

“What was your mother like?”

Zellie stared at her hands as her legs slowly slid out and straightened. “She was… wise. Beautiful. Caring and so gentle. She always seemed to know what to do.”

The princess bit her lip, somehow growing even more somber.

“I’m sorry,” Link said quietly. “She sounds like a good mother.”

“Oh, how I wish she could have met you and the goddess,” Zellie said, a sad smile playing at her lips. “I imagine she would have loved it. And… yes. She would have loved it.”

“She probably is loving it,” Link nudged her with his shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile. “Wherever she is. She’s probably laughing and thinking it’s silly that you were upset earlier.”

Zellie huffed. “It isn’t silly! My position is important, and maintaining dignity is part of it. I’m not like you, I…”

The princess cut herself off, rising abruptly, before she jolted and crouched beneath the railing to stay out of sight. It was… rather silly to watch. Link felt a little bad for her.

“Why aren’t you like me?” he asked.

Zellie continued to face away from him in her awkward crouch, and her shoulders drooped as she sighed. “Oh, this is all wrong. I shouldn’t be speaking to you this way, I apologize.”

“Why? What other way should you be speaking to me?” Link queried, wondering if she’d ever turn around. “I’m just me.”

“You’re the Hero. Created by Hylia—or, well, chosen by Hylia, I guess, but—you defeated the Calamity! You’re—” Zellie finally did turn, struggling for words. “I should be showing so much more respect to you. I’m sorry.”

“Please don’t be sorry,” Link immediately assuaged her worries, giving her a gentle smile. “I don’t like being talked to like I’m some fairytale. I’m a person, just like you.”

“I’m a princess.”

“So does that mean you’re not a person?”

“No! No, it’s just…” Zellie sighed, unsure how to continue. Then she huffed. “What you did the other night was just because you wanted to, wasn’t it? It had nothing to do with dominance.”

Dominance?? “Huh?”

“When you sat on the throne with the goddess.”

“I felt like I was going to pass out,” Link explained sheepishly. “I needed to sit. Also, Zel looked upset.”

The princess stared at him. Blinked. And then she let out a shaky breath. “You… oh, you’re still sick, that’s right.”

“No,” Link argued. “I was overwhelmed. I’ve never seen so many people, especially not all staring at me.”

“You… were scared?”

Link bit his tongue a moment. He’d gotten into the habit of saying he wasn’t scared, of saying things didn’t bother him. He’d had to. But… he felt like honesty was needed here. “…Yeah. Yeah, I was.”

If you wish to be of help to Her Grace, you must summon a shred of courage and face the trails laid out before you.

Goddesses above. He’d thought he had helped. Instead, he’d cursed everything and everyone.

Link felt sick. He felt so, so sick. His words hung in the air, held heavily in place in the stillness and silence. The words were swept away, however, when he heard a strange sound from far beneath them, like mechanical whirring and large footsteps. Curious, he rose and looked down over the railing to see a giant robot with legs akin to a skulltulla, its head swiveling as it people stood around it. The princess stood and peeked over, eyes barely above the railing, and she smiled.

“That’s a guardian,” she said eagerly.

Link felt his blood run cold at the word, and he shook his head. Clearly, this was something different than that. “O-oh?”

“They were made long ago by the Sheikah,” Zellie explained. “They helped defeat the Calamity ten thousand years ago. We’re hoping to reutilize them.”

“They still work?” Link questioned, squinting at them and thinking of all the broken down robots in Lanayru. “Or are you using timeshift stones?”

Zellie whipped her had to look at him. “Timeshift stones? What are those?”

Apparently not. “They control time within a certain radius. It’s… how I got here, I think.”

The princess slid to the ground again to stay hidden from the rest of the world, her brow furrowed. “You came here using a timeshift stone?”

“It… was an accident,” Link offered feebly with a shrug as he sat beside her again. “I was in a mine full of them and there was an explosion.”

“You… you came here by accident?”

“Uh… yeah.” Now Link was starting to feel guilty. Had… had they all actually thought he and Zel had come here on purpose? What was their thought process with that?

We seek your care and protection and favors,
And hope you grant them through your sages.

The prayer from the other night lingered in his mind once more, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. Did… did they…?

Oh goddesses.

He shut that train of thought down so quickly he could practically hear the door slam closed in his mind. This was just an adventure. This was fine. He was fine.

You can’t avoid your own failure, a voice whispered that sounded annoyingly like Impa.

His thoughts weren’t wrong, though. What was he going to do? If he’d kept avoiding the matter on his own adventure, Zel would be dead, Demise would have won, the world would have ended.

Why hadn’t it been enough? Why hadn’t he been enough?

“I hadn’t planned on being here,” Link said quietly, refusing to make eye contact, dragging the words out of him. “But… I think maybe the goddesses had. To help you.”

The princess was quiet a moment before saying softly, “I suppose Link will appreciate the help.”

Link? He was Link. What?

Goddess. That knight. “His… his name is Link too?”

“Well, yes,” Zellie answered matter-of-factly. “Many boys are named Link because of you.”

Nope. This was getting to be too much again. Link rose abruptly, growing dizzy. Words left him, and he hummed when Zellie also shot to her feet and held a hesitant hand out to stabilize him.

I suppose Link will appreciate the help. Ha! As if someone who seemed so capable could possibly need a failure’s assistance. He had Fi now. Link wasn’t needed. He was replaced.

Well, of course you were, this is a bajillion years in the future, idiot, he thought. Then he sighed. It didn’t matter. Whether there was a Chosen Hero or not… he’d…

He’d failed. He’d failed.

“I… I think he’s down there with Her Grace.”

Glancing over the railing, he saw Zel and the knight looking at the guardian. Fi was strapped securely on the knight’s back as if she belonged there.

Because she did.

He’d gotten sick earlier just looking at him, just thinking about all the ways he’d gone wrong, all the ways he’d dumped his failures onto the knight’s shoulders. It was no wonder the knight acted as if he were the scum of the earth.

He was.

Link wanted nothing more than to jump down there and be with his wife. He wanted nothing more than to go home and pretend he hadn’t learned about any of this. But how could he possibly avoid the truth of the future he’d doomed?

I suppose Link will appreciate the help. No. No, he wouldn’t. There was no way Link could help this knight.

You’ve already failed before and still gotten back up, he reminded himself. You completely failed Zelda and still…

Still what? Succeeded? Triumphed? Clearly not.

Link just… needed to be alone. He needed to get away. He pointedly looked away from Zelda and the knight, looked away from the princess who was watching him, and turned on his heel, disappearing down the stairs and letting his feet take him anywhere, anywhere to get him out of there.

XXX

“Wow,” Hylia breathed as she looked at the guardian. “These things are incredible. And so big!”

Link watched her hesitantly, still trying to get his heart rate under control. Despite the goddess’ casual demeanor, he still wasn’t quite able to shake the fact that he was talking to a goddess. There had to be some kind of protocol he was completely messing up, but she hadn’t shown offense and had insisted on casual interaction.

Of course, he wasn’t entirely sure what she considered casual interaction, so it was best to just stay silent unless prompted. And even then… goddess. He didn’t know what to do.

Goddess! Maybe he shouldn’t invoke her while he was thinking about her.

This entire day had been one disaster after another. First he’d been so distracted he’d nearly gotten himself injured while sparring with Mipha, worrying his dearest friend, and then he’d run into the Hero and had somehow—well. He didn’t know. He didn’t know.

Running into Hylia herself had not been in the plans for the day. He’d just wanted to find Zelda and talk to her. He’d just needed someone to parse his thoughts and worries with.

Of course running into the princess while she was in bed with a man was how this day was going to go. The impropriety of it all—the one good thing was that the only witnesses seemed completely clueless that it was wrong. Not to mention, if Hylia casually talked about running into the princess in bed alongside her immortal spouse and her current Hero, no one would question anything about it.

That didn’t make it any less embarrassing, though. And he felt bad for Zelda, too. The girl worried so much about protocols and how she was perceived.

“So they helped defeat De—Calamity Ganon in the past?”

Link nodded. Again, he wondered how she didn’t know this. How she didn’t know anything. He didn’t dare question it, didn’t dare try to parse out how a goddess of time wasn’t aware of what had happened through the ages. That felt sacrilegious to even think about, let alone ask her. Despite how seemingly normal she was trying to act, how much he truly wanted to ask about it, he wouldn't dare.

He had planned on asking Zelda, though. But he supposed it was a moot point now.

Link stared at the goddess longer than he probably should have, but… her attire caught his attention. She’d been wearing it when she’d first appeared. It was just like the Hero’s, like the ancient traditional garb from the stories and tapestries. He wondered if the Hero’s attire was fashioned after her own, then, when she’d created him. It looked nothing like the statues, and it was far more practical.

It was a uniform. It was armor. He could see the chainmail. Hylia wasn’t just a gentle, benign goddess. She was a warrior. It was an aspect of her that he’d never really known or realized, and he wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it.

If she’d been a warrior, too, why had she needed a Hero? Or was it ceremonial? Was she a goddess of knights and soldiers and he hadn’t known? Maybe that was why she didn’t know what was happening – maybe she wasn’t a goddess of time at all.

Somehow, imagining her as a goddess of knights made her more approachable than a goddess of time, but he had to remind himself that she was still a deity nonetheless. He shook his head subtly.

Hylia turned on her heel, a hand to her chin as she hummed thoughtfully. “Okay. So in the past the guardians, divine beasts, a hero and a princess defeated Ganon. They didn’t use the Triforce at all. But that still doesn’t fix the problem. He just keeps getting sealed away.”

Hylia narrowed her eyes at the ground, and her face grew stormy. Link swore he could feel the atmosphere chill at the sight of it.

“Damn that demon,” she swore softly. “Damn him.”

Link swallowed, shifting uncomfortably in place.

Hylia sighed, seeming to remember he was there. “Sorry. We… he just… it’s a lot to take in. I know that you’re looking to me for help. I’ll… we’ll figure it out.”

Figure it out? Did she not know what to do? Hylia herself didn’t know what to do?

Link had so many questions.

"I wonder if Fi still has any of him sealed away in the blade,” Hylia thought aloud, staring at Link. "Or... perhaps since she's drawn... that's the part of him that broke away?"

Fi? Was he supposed to know who that was? Link looked back at her, fear making his palms sweat, wondering if she was expecting a response. Great go—good grief, he sincerely missed the days when the pressure on him was just to fight and destroy, not to provide answers and information.

Hylia stared at him too long, and he felt his mouth go dry. Was he supposed to say something?

“You must be a very good knight,” Hylia commented. “You seem to take your duty very seriously.”

Link’s heart skipped a beat. He felt pride swell in him while simultaneously being crushed down by the expectations behind it. It was an honor, truly, but…

Hylia laughed suddenly, poking him so hard he nearly fell over. “But lighten up a little, Link! I understand this is serious business, but it doesn’t have to be all the time!”

Link gasped as he took a few steps back to catch himself. Hylia’s mirth faded, a worried expression crossing her face.

“There’s just… it’s scary,” she said softly. “And we have to focus and fix this and stuff. I get that. It was like that on my journey too. But… you can’t always be scared. You shouldn’t be. There was so much to enjoy when I was finding my path. I hope… I hope we can do the same, you know?”

“You’re scared?” the words spilled out of his mouth before he could catch them, and he knew, he knew he was going to die right there on the spot. What was he thinking, questioning a goddess—

“Yeah,” Hylia replied immediately. “Yeah, I am. I’m… sorry if that scares you too. But it’s true. I… we… we were supposed to protect you from this. I don’t understand why it didn’t work. Link beat him. I got my spirit back. We won.”

Got her spirit back? What did that mean? And…

Link stared at Hylia, watched her as she hugged herself and looked at the ground, on the verge of tears. She looked so alone.

He couldn’t not do something.

Reaching out, he put a hand on her shoulder, catching her attention, and said, “We’ll figure it out. I promise.”

Hylia held his gaze, and for the millionth time that day he felt like he was going to die on the spot. What the actual hell did I just say oh Golden Three above—

Hylia smiled, eyes shining, and she wrapped him in a tight hug. “Thanks. You’re right. We’ll figure it out.”

Link stood awkwardly in the hug, not really able to return it, but she was squeezing him so tightly he was fairly certainly he’d pop something out of joint if he tried to move anyway. It… felt good, actually.

Well… the goddess had initiated it. So it wasn’t bad, right?

Hylia let him go with a sigh. “I guess I should actually go talk to the princess now. I figure Link’s calmed her down, at least. Maybe you can talk to him?”

Link froze. Oh. Oh, no.

“Come on!” Hylia said with a laugh, dragging him out of the courtyard. “Let’s go find them.”

Chapter Text

The crisp breeze and bright sunlight cut through the air in the outdoor corridor of one of the courtyards as a royal guard passed through it. He was doing his usual morning rounds, patrolling from station to station, checking in on the others and ensuring the safety of the castle. With the ever-growing ominous shadow of the oncoming Calamity, security had steadily grown tighter, but now that such esteemed guests were housed here, it was all the more paramount.

A familiar whirring noise emitted from the courtyard, and the guard glanced outside, squinting against the sunlight. Guardians were twittering, their blue eyes swirling like a whirlpool as they skittered to and fro, testing their legs. Their claws, sharp and heavy, dug into the earth, much to the local gardener’s dismay, who gestured his displeasure towards the Sheikah technicians. The guardian flopped unceremoniously on its large base, legs sprawling out lazily at the Sheikah’s command so it would cause less damage.

Abel marveled at it. Such technology was astounding. To think the Sheikah had made this mechanical creature ten thousand years ago, and they could still revive it. Knowing they would have a veritable army of mobile cannons brought him some peace; he and his men were more than willing to fight the Calamity, but it was foolhardy to not utilize all available resources.

Such as their guests.

Then again, the captain of the royal guard supposed, perhaps Hylia and her Legendary Hero were here for other reasons. Though they did petition for their help. Though…

Honestly, he couldn’t help but wonder. With the way the two had behaved in Castle Town that night… with the questions they had asked… with the way Hylia bounced around the castle hallways with Link in tow…

Abel looked away from the guardians, doubt filling his heart, and he felt unsure over it all. The goddess had always protected and watched over Hyrule, and he knew she had heard his prayers time and again. The fact that his wife hadn’t died all those years ago from that terrible illness had been a testament to Hylia’s grace and love. But the girl whose smile shone like the sun was not quite the picture he’d been painting in his mind, and certainly not the one carved in stones across the country.

He had honestly been tempted to pray about it, but it seemed too strange now. Would the girl hear him? Perhaps he should test the theory.

Of all the prayers he could come up with, though, the only one that truly sank in his mind heavily was for Link’s protection. The image of Hylia dragging him around by the hand was both reassuring and… disconcerting.

After all, she had already claimed a Hero in every way possible. She had created a Hero. Had… what did she want with Link? Yes, he was chosen by her, but…

Abel bit his lip, resuming his walk, nervous energy driving his feet and body to move.

The stories told that Hylia had created a Hero and taken a mortal form, creating the royal bloodline. Perhaps… perhaps this was Hylia from the past, then, rather than the goddess in the current time, and therefore she didn’t know about Hyrule or its sufferings.

Would that mean there were two Hylias right now? One in mortal form and the one Abel had been praying to?

The whole affair was otherworldly and bizarre, and that was far out of the captain’s comfort zone and understanding. He was a simple man, admittedly – he understood his duty, the need to protect Hyrule and its people, the importance and honor of such a task. He’d instilled that into his son as well. Anything beyond that… the matter of the divine, of magic and technological wonders from an ancient past… well, frankly, it consisted of matters that he had little knowledge of. Hylia had heard his prayers in the past, so why could she not hear the princess? Was Her Highness doing something wrong, or did Hylia wish for another path to be taken instead? What of Link and his destiny? Everything had been going according to plan for his son, honestly.

Until all of this had happened, at least.

But perhaps Hylia and her hero’s appearance were a blessing. He was sure they had to be – what else would they indicate?

But the way they behaved… they acted like carefree children running through Hateno while avoiding farming chores.

Was it sacrilegious to think such a thing? He wasn’t being struck down, so he had to assume it wasn’t that bad. Abel found himself wishing he had a better frame of reference to work with, but there was no frame of reference for the divine. He was no sage, no royal advisor, no Sheikah. He was simply a knight who was trying to fulfill his duty.

Logic demanded answers, but duty demanded other obligations. Worry demanded assurances, but rules demanded silence. He could keep an eye on his son and ascertain what he could from a distance, he supposed. His duty did involve protecting the royal family – the king had ordered that obviously it extend to the goddess as well.

Abel did wonder what kind of protection a goddess could possibly need, though. She looked young, but even so, she didn’t look frail. Rumor had it she even drew a sword upon her arrival. And today she wore armor.

He turned the corner and froze.

The courtyard was encased by four outdoor corridors, windowless openings to the outdoors allowing the scent of morning dew to waft into the stony area and hover in the arched ceilings. Ivy grew along the sides sometimes, curling around the framework of the architecture and providing the occasional shade from the morning light.

Apparently, it could also hide a legendary hero fairly well.

While Hylia had been running around with a skip to her step with Link at her side, the Hero of Myth and Legend was seemingly brooding in the shadows. The young man—boy, really, but Abel wasn’t sure if that mattered—watched the guardians tiredly, shifting in a similar fashion to the mechanical beasts as if he were too restless to stand still.

This was not the goddess. Abel didn’t have to kneel before him. But he was a mythical figure nonetheless, was he not? The king’s advisors did not give any information on protocol for this matter. Then again, he had spoken with both of them the night they had run amok in the city.

Yet another example of how nothing quite seemed to fit in place.

Perhaps their godly ways were just beyond his comprehension, but… they just seemed like kids to him. No different than how Link had been before the impending Calamity had molded him into the silent, stoic young man that he was now.

Abel wondered how this Hero could be so different. After all, he was created by Hylia for the sole purpose of eliminating the Calamity, was he not? If Abel recalled the mythology correctly, he had originally defeated it, even before the Ancient Hero of ten thousand years ago. He was the Spirit of the Hero, the legendary figure that imbued the current Hero with his strength and wisdom. Some said that the Spirit would possess the new Hero when the time came for battle. Others said he reincarnated and lived the Hero’s entire life. Abel’s wife had fretted over the matter when the boy had first drawn the sword.

It’s not a possession, Abel had assured her. He is simply guided by the goddess and protected by the Hero of Myth.

Not that he actually knew that for certain, but it made more sense than a possession. Perhaps it was reincarnation, but that thought—the idea of raising a legendary hero who had been created by Hylia—had frankly been too terrifying to contemplate, and so he pushed it aside. Abel said his prayers and honored the goddess, but unless he had some kind of actual proof on the matter, he wasn’t going to accept most of the far-fetched beliefs people spread on the matter. He had tried to look up as much as possible on the Hero once his son had come into his sight wielding a sword from legend, but there unfortunately wasn’t much to research beyond hearsay.

That aside, though, the character of this Hero was a mystery to him. He didn’t particularly care for pondering how everyone’s minds worked, or their hearts on matters – that was his wife’s preference. But he did want to know more about this Hero, this Link, the original Link.

More to the point, he wanted to know why he was here. He wanted to know what his plans were with his son.

The real matter, he supposed, was how he went about figuring that out. Although this person was not the goddess Hylia, he was her creation, an immortal being forged from Light and Sky, born of the clouds and imbued with an unbreakable power to fight an unbeatable foe. Ancient and immovable, such a being should—

Abel bit the inside of his cheek, brow furrowing. Such a being shouldn’t be playing with puppies while sending the entire castle into a frenzy because he busted out of a room through the window. Such a being shouldn’t be bedridden and writhing in pain and delirious with fever, clinging to Abel’s arm for comfort because he didn’t even know what was going on as the healers attended to him.

Honestly… it was… he didn’t know. He should keep his head down and not ask questions.

Let’s see how much I can push my luck.

He really shouldn’t. That wasn’t his duty.

But Link is.

Link was fully grown, though young. He could take care of himself.

He’s still my boy, though.

Abel sighed. Then he walked forward. “Can I assist you with something, Hero?”

The ancient one jumped, startled, and looked at him with wide eyes. Abel tried to ignore the fact that he looked so incredibly young.

He looks like he’s Link’s age.

Were all heroes this young when destiny called them? Abel knew the goddesses would protect them, of course, but… why? Muscle and bone were young and supple and strong, but the mind… Abel recalled his first battle against beasts when he was barely sixteen, and he recalled the absolute terror of it. Perhaps… he supposed it was a frightful affair no matter the age, though by this point he was far more accustomed to it. Bokoblins were hardly a threat to him – about the only beast that made him nervous was a hinox or a lynel.

And those blasted taluses. He’d yet to best one of them, though he’d heard that Link had managed to do so. It made him swell with pride at the thought of it. But that wasn’t being addressed at the moment.

Hylia’s Immortal One watched him a moment longer, seeming to get his bearings, and he looked back outside, shaking his head.

The pair stood in silence for a while, and Abel was painfully reminded of his own son. An unsettling feeling pulled at him, whispering maybe your boy is actually the same as this one, and he shoved it down so hard he felt his body grow cold.

Well, if there was something to be taken from this, it was that he was certainly accustomed to silence. He took another step forward.

“Is something wrong, Hero?”

The ancient one’s eyes looked at him, seeming haunted and exhausted. Abel swallowed, shifting uncomfortably. Perhaps he had grown too bold. His anxiety only increased when the Hero faced him fully and didn’t say a word, eyes piercing into his own.

Abel took a less assertive posture, stepping back a hair and clasping his hands behind his back.

The Hero sighed, eyes tracing to the floor. “I didn’t want this.”

Abel blinked. He… what?

“I’m sorry,” the Hero mumbled. “I’m wasting your time.”

With that, he sighed again and turned back towards the window, hands settling on its rim as he watched the guardians once more. Abel looked between him and the machines uncertainly. Should he pursue the matter, or was this a dismissal? This felt very much like a dismissal. He’d dealt with diplomatic situations enough to know.

Abel opened his mouth to speak and found himself losing his nerve. This went against everything in him, pushing beyond necessary, questioning a superior, conversing with someone so entirely out of his station. He bit his lip and turned to walk away, gaze lingering on the seemingly forlorn legend.

Well, this left him even more bewildered and concerned. Great.

As he reentered the castle proper, he nearly ran into someone else, though he could hardly blame himself for it – Princess Mipha’s small steps were so quiet they were practically silent.

“Your Highness,” he acknowledged with a bow.

“Oh! Sir Abel!” Princess Mipha gasped and then smiled. “How are you? I didn’t get to see you at the festival, but I imagine you must have been busy.”

“Quite busy, Princess,” Abel replied with a small smile in return. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people gathered in one place.”

“I’m glad it all went smoothly,” the Zora girl said genuinely. Abel relaxed under the kind princess’ gaze – he’d known her since she was a child, and she had one of the kindest hearts he’d ever seen. He almost felt like he could act somewhat naturally around her, but he still recognized he was just a simple knight and she was royalty. For her part, Mipha was used to leading conversations in general, and so she continued, “Have you… have you seen Link? We were sparring and things… well…”

Abel’s smile vanished in an instant, and the princess hastily threw her hands up to deter his worries. “Oh! Oh, no I—nothing went terribly wrong, I assure you, but—well, we ran into the Hero of Myth, and it was quite the ordeal.”

Oh?

Abel waited patiently to see if the princess would privy him to what she meant, and she obliged, explaining, “Well, you see, when we saw him, we of course went over to him, but he suddenly got quite ill. I went to fetch some water for him, but by the time I was back they were both gone. I’ve been looking all over, I wanted to make sure they were alright. Have you seen either of them?”

What a strange morning this was turning out to be.

“Link is with Her Grace,” Abel answered. “The Hero of Legend is outside in an adjacent corridor.”

“They—Link’s with the goddess Hylia?” Princess Mipha gasped. “Oh, my. That’s… that’s quite an honor!”

“Yes,” Abel answered neutrally, his eyes scanning the cavernous hallway.

“Sir Abel…”

The hesitancy in the princess’ voice made him look back at her. She wrung her hands nervously, as she often was wont to do when with people she trusted. It was a testament to their own relationship that she acted this way in front of him – she was the picture-perfect princess in public, usually. Abel felt his heart warm a little, as well as feeling strangely privileged and a little unsettled. The Zora certainly were more casual than Hylian royalty, he supposed. King Rhoam would never act this way around him, despite having known him for years.

Then again, Link and the Zora princess were friends.

“What’s the matter, Princess?” he prompted, his tone softening.

“Do…” Mipha spoke hesitantly, quietly, as if discussing a secret. “Do you really think they’re here to help us? I… I do believe it. But Link… he… he seems so uneasy about it. I don’t understand what’s wrong, but something most certainly is.”

It was honestly hard to tell if anything bothered Link anymore. Abel certainly wasn’t good at reading him these days. The boy used to be very open, but maturity had tempered that. Abel was a little glad for it, honestly, as it would assist him in handling the matters he was thrown into, but…

Well. He supposed it was expected that a parent would be sad to see their child grow up. He just hadn’t expected to feel so utterly useless to the boy once he did.

“What makes you say that?” Abel asked, crossing his arms unknowingly.

“He was so distracted at sparring this morning,” Princess Mipha said. “And at the party… well, he seemed a little happy, but he mostly just seemed overwhelmed. I suppose that’s reasonable; as you said, there were many people there. He was probably as on edge as you were, Sir Abel.”

On edge was one thing. Losing focus in a fight was another matter. Abel would have to find Link, but… that meant he would have to find the goddess as well. And he had a castle to protect.

At least one thing was for certain – if the Hero of Myth and Legend had gotten ill earlier in the day, that meant protecting him was higher on Abel’s priority list. Which meant that keeping an eye on him was on his priority list. And perhaps figuring out what was going on.

“If I see him, I’ll tell him you’re looking for him, Princess,” Abel finally replied with a bow.

XXX

Zelda had to admit, she hadn’t felt this anxious and jittery in a long time.

Sure, her journey in reviving her memories of the past had been a lot, but it had been beautiful and fun as well as overwhelming. The farther along she’d gone, the harder it had gotten, but it had never felt so… out of control? After all, the more memories she got, the more things fit into place rather than made less sense, even if it was…

Well. It had been out of control, in a sense. She’d set all of it up, but had forgotten it, and suddenly she was losing herself to… herself.

It still didn’t make sense. It was still uncomfortable and confusing. But at least it had been planned.

As she wandered the halls with the knight from the future, she found herself getting gnawed away by worries over how to handle this situation. But she also was jittery with excitement, rather like she had been on her journey. New places to explore, new people to meet, a chance to help this Link and the princess, a chance to kick Demise’s ass once and for all… but with absolutely no plan in place.

Well. At least not one she’d made. The king seemed to have a plan.

All Zelda knew of that plan was that the princess was supposed to seal away Demise as she had. Not kill him. Seal him. Was this why he kept coming back? Had no one else tried to kill him? What about the Triforce? Where was it?

She shook her head. Maybe she could just help the princess with sealing Demise away and they could figure out the rest after. The reassurance from the knight beside her earlier had been helpful, had calmed her nerves, had reminded her that despite the difference circumstances, she wasn’t alone.

And it wasn’t like she hadn’t done this before.

So instead, she took a deep, calming breath, and tried to focus on the people around her. She wanted to get to know them, this new hero, her family. Why had Fi chosen another Hero, anyway? Zelda only remembered… choosing Link.

This one was named Link too. That still bothered her; it was like the goddesses were trying Zel—Hylia’s plan, over and over until it could actually work.

She was changing that. These two new people weren’t just—just replacements.

“I guess we’re going to have to make up nicknames since we all have the same names,” Zelda surmised aloud as she and the knight walked. “It’s only fair that we all do it. Not sure what to call myself, though. What about you and my Link?”

The knight shifted uncomfortably.

“Oh come on now,” Zelda prompted with a smile. “You’re not going to upset me.”

“Maybe… Cloud? For your Hero?” he offered quietly.

Zelda felt absolute delight radiate through her. “That’s perfect! He adores the skies, and he’s the reason the cloud barrier’s gone.”

Not to mention he was an airhead, so it worked twofold. Zelda laughed out loud.

“So how about you?” she continued.

“Whatever suits Your Grace,” the knight answered, looking towards his feet as he walked.

Zelda pondered it for a second. If her Link was of the sky and the clouds, then this one was of the soil and the earth. What nickname would work? The idea of Kikwis popped in her head briefly, but she had to stop herself from laughing – this poor boy was insecure enough, she doubted naming him after soft, cute, little creatures would be appropriate.

As she debated the matter further, though, something suddenly snapped in her mind, a cold, shuddering, sinking feeling, like an ice dagger that stabbed into her heart and bled into her stomach, spreading frigid poison throughout. She stopped dead in her tracks, surroundings forgotten, breath stolen away, eyes wide, lost in the pain and panic of the sensation.

The temple was in ruins, the land scorched. She walked over the dead, blood dripping down her arm and off her sword.

He laughed. Cruel, heartless, gleeful. He wasn’t just causing all this destruction; he was enjoying it.

She—he—

It was cold wherever this was. Her body ached, landing barely cushioned by the flora, by her desperate attempts to make a sailcloth out of her now torn dress.

She hadn’t expected the cold. She hadn’t expected any of it. But her bones froze, her heart fluttering with terror, something so innately wrong permeating the air.

She heard footsteps stop beside her, and the quiet knight gently prompted, “Your Grace?”

The knight. Link. Zelda gasped, breathless, and turned to him with a startled twitch in her step. If he had spoken up to get her attention, she must have been zoned out for a while.

But what had—what was—

“I—I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I… we were looking for the princess, right?”

Zelda walked ahead without waiting for acknowledgement, without even really knowing where she was going. That feeling – she hadn’t—she hadn’t felt that since—since the Sealed Grounds.

Surely—Golden Three—

The king had already confirmed it. She’d known it. She’d known.

It didn’t make the sensation any better, it didn’t eliminate the fear, the sheer horror. That monster was not only still alive, but he was breaking the seal. It had to be close if she could sense it – but where? They weren’t at the Sealed Grounds anymore, right? The Gate of Time had led to a place that looked eerily like one of the springs she’d visited.

But the Gate had never been at the springs. So what…? Was the castle built over the Sealed Grounds??

No. No, no, no. They wouldn’t. That seemed… too strange, too wrong. They would make a fortress around the seal, not a city full of innocent people. Zelda blinked the images of bodies away, of fallen men, women, and children, of those slaughtered by Demise’s demons during the war that had nearly destroyed the world.

A sense of urgency filled her, but she didn’t even know where to place it. A plan, a plan, they needed a plan.

“My daughter is destined to seal away the Calamity as you once did.”

What part had gone wrong?! How was he still alive when the Triforce had killed him in the present and Link had done so in the past?! Link had killed him – Zelda’s soul had been freed, which meant that there was no way he was still alive. She hardly remembered the possession, the awful sensation, but…

She’d have to talk to Link to figure out what had truly happened. He’d never spoken of it.

Either way, if the princess was supposed to seal Demise away as Zelda had when she was Hylia…

But she’d… she’d died doing that. She’d been mortally wounded, so she guessed maybe it wouldn’t be that bad, but…

Zelda turned corridor after corridor in a mild frenzy, not looking where she was going, until she nearly ran face first into a colorful chest plate.

Gasping, she stumbled back a little, just as she got a full view of the person. It was that woman from the festival – one of the champions. The woman bowed before her. “Your Grace.”

“H-hi,” Zelda stuttered, regaining her footing. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—do you—do you know where the princess is?”

“I believe she’s in her quarters,” the champion replied. “I trust Link can show you the way.”

Right. She’d been ignoring the poor knight. She looked at him now, waiting for him to lead. He seemed to take the hint, though his neutral façade was half crumbled as his eyes watched her with worry. She brushed by the champion as the pair moved on.

Champion. Champion.

That Urbosa woman was a champion of her people. The others had been introduced as champions as well, including this Link. They were champions, chosen or proving themselves to be worthy to fight against Demise.

They were preparing for a war. A war Zelda had seen as Hylia, a war she and Link had helped prevent to save Skyloft and everyone on the Surface.

A war repeated over and over.

The poisonous ice that had frozen her before was long gone, but she wished nothing more than to latch on to it and use it as a rope to trace back to its source. She wished nothing more than to walk into that abyss alongside Link and stab Demise in the throat.

“Champion,” she said softly.

The knight paused, glancing at her.

She looked at him, eyes filled with fire. “That’s your nickname. Because that’s what you are. A Champion for Hyrule. We all will be. I promise you that.”

The fire slid out of her easily, though, remorse and fear intermingling in the void created from its loss. She hugged herself. “Come on. Let’s keep going.”

It didn’t take long for them to get to the princess’ quarters again. The cheer and mischief from earlier long forgotten, the room feeling empty and uninviting. The princess was in a pretty blue dress, far less disheveled than before.

“Your Grace,” the princess acknowledged, though there was a touch of a blush to her cheeks as she and the knight—Champion—pointedly ignored each other.

“Where’s Link?” she asked, eyes searching the room. She’d figured the pair would have still been together, and she wanted to talk to him about what she’d sensed.

“He… he left a little bit ago. I thought maybe he was looking for you. He didn’t say where he was going.”

Great. She’d lost him again in this enormous place. Was this how he’d felt when he’d been following her? It was beginning to grow frustrating.

Impa’s voice came to mind, reminding her to focus on her mission and not her heart. She could talk to Link later.

“Y-Your Grace, about earlier,” the princess said awkwardly. “I—the Hero—”

“Don’t worry about it; Link falls asleep everywhere,” Zelda interrupted dismissively. “That wasn’t why I was here anyway.”

She really hadn’t wanted to cut right to the chase. How had Impa introduced herself to her? She’d assured her she was safe first. But safety wasn’t an issue here. The circumstances were so different. This wasn’t Zelda falling into a foreign world, scared and wounded and overwhelmed and hunted. This was a princess in her kingdom, in her seat of power, surrounded by protection and loved ones and subjects. Zelda was still the foreigner in this scenario.

She didn’t even know how to approach this.

“Your father… he talked to me about the Calamity,” she tried to start.

“From long ago?” the princess added on. “I… I do have questions about your fight, about the past, about all of it.”

“I do too,” Zelda muttered. “Listen, I—I…”

Great heavens, she did not want to talk about this right now. She didn’t even know how to start talking about this. She wished so desperately that Impa was here. She would know what to do.

It seemed she didn’t have to say anything at all, though. Some kind of realization seemed to hit the princess, whose hesitant curiosity fell into a crestfallen despair.

“My father,” she said softly. “He talked to you, you said?”

Zelda nodded.

The princess bit her lip, looking at the floor. “I… I understand.”

She did…? “So… about the Calamity, then… what’s the plan?”

“P-plan?” The princess repeated, looking up at her with surprised eyes.

“Yeah… you said you understood?”

“Did my father not talk to you about… about me?”

“He did,” Zelda answered. “He said you needed help sealing the Calamity away.”

The princess swallowed, hands clasped tightly in front of her. She looked… well, for lack of a better word, ashamed.

Why would she look upset like that? Sure, Zelda hadn’t been happy at the realization of her destiny, but… wait, did the princess have to seal herself away alongside Demise? But that would mean she was scared, not embarrassed, right?

Wait. What exactly was entailed with this, anyway?

“What does he mean?” Zelda asked slowly. “Back… where I’m from, I… I sealed him away, and Link helped maintain the seal, but… but the end goal was to kill him, not just keep him imprisoned.”

“K-killed?” the princess repeated. “O-oh. Your Grace, I… I don’t… none of us even considered that a possibility. Calamity Ganon was defeated time and again, but… never killed. It’s… not something mortals can do.”

Link would beg to differ, Zelda huffed internally.

“Okay…” she acknowledged uncertainly. “So the plan isn’t to kill him, then… what’s the plan?”

The princess sighed heavily, hugging herself and looking out the window. She was silent for a long time, so long Zelda almost asked again, but she finally explained, “The guardians will help hold the Calamity at bay from the innocents. The Champions will support Link and I… each with their own divine beast. Link with the Master Sword will fight the Calamity, and I…”

“You…” Zelda continued when the princess grew mute. “…Seal it away?”

The princess bit her lip, closing her eyes. She looked on the verge of tears. Zelda felt like she did and didn’t know where this was coming from, but she was going to get to the bottom of it. She looked to her right to see the knight watching the princess with worried eyes. When he noticed Zelda’s scrutiny, he looked at her abruptly, startled.

“Please leave,” she requested. When she’d had to face this herself, Link had been left in the dark until all the pieces had been in place. She wasn’t sure if the situation was the same here, but she didn’t want to make the princess any more uncomfortable than she already seemed.

The champion nodded, bowing, and departed.

Zelda took a fortifying breath, walking towards the princess. “Hey… it’s… please tell me what’s wrong.”

The princess turned away from her, her body rigid. “I-it’s… I… just… I just wanted to learn. I’m… I’m so sorry, Your Grace, I’m so sorry.”

This was getting even more confusing. “Sorry?”

“I tried,” the princess continued shakily, though the more she spoke, the harsher her voice became. “I tried, I prayed, I begged. I—I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong, I—and you’re here, unaware, from the distant past, and I—I thought maybe—I’m such an idiot.”

Zelda’s brow furrowed as she felt her own frustration pulling at her. She took two swift steps to the princess, grabbing her firmly but carefully by the shoulder to make her face her. “Princess, I have no idea what you’re talking about. All your dad said to me was that you were having trouble with your powers and he wanted me to help you. I don’t get where all this is coming from, but I… when I had to do what I did to maintain the seal… look, I get it. It’s… it’s terrifying. I…”

I didn’t want to do it. But I deserved it. And I had to do it.

 She… she couldn’t ask that of anyone else. She couldn’t ask this poor girl to clean up her mess.

The princess’ eyes filled with tears, but her face was flushed with something that was far more passionate than whatever had been there before. “Terrifying? W-what could possibly scare a goddess? At least—at least you have your abilities, I—I don’t understand, you won’t listen, or, well—not you, but—well, maybe you, but—”

The teenager let out a growl of frustration, hands flying to her face to hide it and scrape the tears away. She grew rigid in a heartbeat, seeming to catch herself, and stepped back, eyes wide with horror. “Your Grace, I—I’m so sorry, I—I didn’t mean—I didn’t mean any disrespect—”

“Please stop,” Zelda cut in tiredly. “I don’t even know what’s wrong.”

The answer burst out of the girl. “I’m a failure! A princess to a throne of nothing! The entire country is looking to me to be the final piece, the final warrior, to seal Ganon away, and I can’t access my powers to do it!”

…Oh.

The princess fell to her knees. “I—I didn’t mean to yell, Your Grace, I—I mean no disrepct, you—I know you are benevolent and powerful and—”

“Stop, stop it,” Zelda nearly cried. “Stop talking to me like I—”

Like I’m responsible for this.

Because she was. She was.

The princess had nearly curled into herself so much she was practically on all fours. Zelda’s heart was racing. She wanted nothing more than to leave, but doing so now would destroy whatever trust she could build and she knew it. She tired to regain control of her breathing, and knelt in front of… in front of her descendant.

She tried to remember the joy of that thought from last night. She tried to remember the joy that had happened after. She tried to remember the beauty of what came of their settlement they were building, the wonders of the festival, the magnitude of the country. She tried to remember that this was her daughter by countless generations.

Zelda, ancient and young, old and new, couldn’t entirely wrap her mind around it, but goddesses, she tried. She tried to think of the good while her heart screamed, she tried to get herself together when she wanted nothing more than to curl up as the princess had and cry.

“Please,” she whispered. “I’m… I’m not…”

Not what? Not responsible for this? Wasn’t she, though?

“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” she burst out, her own voice shaking. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. Link and I fought him so you wouldn’t have to, the fact that he’s still here—”

Darn it, get it together! She screamed at herself. This wasn’t helping anything!

Zelda reached forward as the princess began to look at her with hesitant curiosity, and she took her hands in her own, feeling the soft cloth of her white gloves under her own calloused fingers. “Whatever’s going to happen, we’ll figure it out together, okay? I… I don’t know what’s going on, I don’t understand what you mean that you can’t access your powers, but… but I won’t… I won’t let anything happen to this place, or to you. Okay?” 

Princess Zelda watched her, frozen in place, eyes wide, filled with wonder, hope, terror, hurt, and Zelda couldn’t even read what else. But a dam finally seemed to break, and she hiccupped once, twice, thrice before next thing Zelda knew the girl was sobbing, hands desperately trying to wiggle out of her own to hide her face.

Zelda watched her for a few moments, lost and scared herself, and she remembered that Champion had just given her the same reassurance outside. She felt her heart warm at it. No matter the generations, Zelda would always have Link to support her. But here she could support her own descendant just fine. She reached forward, pulling the princess into a hug, trembling herself but strong enough to bear the grief and terror they both were drowning in.

I promise, she vowed. I promise I will protect Hyrule. I protected this land before…

I  will do it again.

Chapter Text

They needed to talk. They needed to plan.

Despite the overwhelming despair and uncertainty, despite the fear and pain, Zelda found herself growing motivated the longer she held the princess. She felt the fire returning, the stubborn determination that made a goddess let herself die and be reborn, the steadfastness that pushed her to seal herself away for thousands of years, the protectiveness that had led to the creation of Skyloft.

And so, after wiping the princess’ tears, Zelda had told her they were going to talk to Link. Both of them.

The champion had been easy to locate. He had been hovering outside, trying his best to look calm but easily giving away his concern with the way his eyes lingered too long on the princess, the speed at which he walked to her. Zelda had explained quickly that they needed to find her Link next, and they set about that goal quickly.

The conviction of a goddess mixed with the nervousness of a teenager, though, and Zelda fell into her habit of worrying when it concerned those she cared about… particularly Link.

“Okay,” she said as she marched ahead, nearly dragging the other two with her. “Okay. So. The plan—the plan is to seal him away. We can sort out killing him after. We can do that. We just need to figure out what’s going on with your ability to seal him away. And you—” here she turned to the champion, finger pointing with enough ferocity to be a dagger “You get to kick his ass, but I’m helping do that too because I want to punch his stupid face. I’m sure Link—my Link—uh, Cloud can help with that too, but we need to find him. This is just—this is fine. This is fine. We don’t need the Triforce yet, it’ll be okay. This is fine.”

The look exchanged between the princess and the champion implied that her ramblings were not, in fact, fine, but Zelda ignored it.

Her anxious energy began to grow frustrated as they wandered the castle. Link’s plight of constantly chasing her down was becoming extremely relatable at the moment. As they rounded yet another corner, Zelda felt relief at seeing a familiar colorful uniform with sandy blonde hair peeking out of the navy blue cap.

“Excuse me!” Zelda called, running towards the familiar guard. He genuflected when he turned and saw her. “Have you seen Link? My Link?”

“I know his location, Your Grace,” he answered. “I was actually heading his way. Would you like me to take you to him?”

Given all the information she’d been dealing with, and given all the running around she’d already done, the sheer comfort and happiness at not only hearing that someone could help her locate her husband, but that it was the one person who reminded her of Impa, made Zelda laugh and fall to her knees to be at eye level with the guard. She hugged him tightly. “Thank goodness! Thank you so much, I would love that!”

The guard stiffened under her hold, just as Impa had the first time she’d hugged her, but she didn’t care. Goddesses she needed some kind of stable rock to rely on in this place, and she didn’t have one, but this guard came close. She saw the reflection of the window ahead of her that he was looking at the princess and the champion, the former holding a hand over her mouth to cover a gasp while the latter watched the guard worriedly.

Honestly, these people. How did any society develop to be so emotionally stifled, anyway?

“I need to teach all of you that hugs are a good thing, good grief,” she chuckled as she pulled away. “But anyway, please do show us where Link is.”

The guard took a deep breath, nodding and rising. He guided them in silence, though the sights of the castle kept Zelda preoccupied – they were heading somewhere she hadn’t been yet, and though the stone walls all blended into each other to create a massive maze, she saw light from outside and grew hopeful. It seemed Link, just like her, didn’t care for being cooped up in this stone prison of sorts, as beautiful as it was.

Zelda had to admit that, though she wanted to help her people grow on the Surface, she was a child of the Sky nonetheless.

They wandered a path that seemed vaguely familiar from their expedition into the nearby large town, though the guard guided them down a road that Link and Zelda had pointedly avoided due to the place flooding with people. Eventually, they wound up near a tower farthest from the castle, overlooking a good portion of land and the town below. The sun was high in the sky now, and Zelda turned to the guard as they approached the tower.

“Is there somewhere we can get food in town?” she asked. She was well aware the castle had food too, but she… didn’t want to go back there.

“We can arrange to have lunch brought to you here, if you wish,” the guard replied. “But yes, there are many places in Castle Town where you can get food.”

Upon their arrival to the structure, the guard dismissed the two colorfully clad knights who had been standing post in the entranceway. He turned to face the group. “The Hero is inside, Your Grace. I’ll ensure no one enters.” His gaze moved beyond her, settling on the champion, and he spoke with a softer tone, “When time allows, Link, Princess Mipha wished to speak with you.”

With that, the knight moved aside to let them pass, standing guard. Zelda looked back at the other two, temporarily distracted—was there another princess? Did Princess Zelda have a sister that they hadn’t met yet? She shook her head, returning her focus to the task at hand. She could only gather so many people together at once, after all. It had taken half the day just to get to this point.

Motioning to the two behind her, she walked into the cavernous structure, hearing Link’s footsteps scraping the stone up above. They climbed a ladder to reach the upper level, the bright daylight dazzling Zelda’s eyes for a moment, and she saw the silhouette of her husband pacing back and forth, clearly agitated.

“Link,” she called with a smile, relieved they were all finally together. Her smile fell, however, at the distressed look on her husband’s face.

Link froze, facing away from her, holding himself with trembling hands. She approached him slowly, worry eating away at her already weary heart. When she was close enough to touch him, she wrapped her arms slowly around him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. “What’s the matter, Dove?”

Link felt tense under her arms, but then he draped his arms over hers and squeezed her wrists lovingly, stroking her hands with his thumbs. She shifted so she could stand beside him, peeking around his arm with a curious glance. His expression was soft, enchanted by what he saw, but his eyes were dark and stormy. He glanced at her, his heavy brow relaxing a little. “We started all this.”

There was wonder and a quiet timidity to his voice, awe and disbelief and acceptance settling into him. Zelda squeezed him reassuringly, cocking her head to the side and giving him a soft smile. “Yeah. We did.”

Link let out a shaky breath, and then he let her go, looking down. Zelda’s arms fell to her sides, and she grew worried as she watched him ruminate.

His mouth became a thin line. “And I… I screwed it all up. I cursed everything, everyone. I cursed them.”

“Link,” Zelda said, caught off guard. Although the guilt was gnawing at her as well, she wasn’t entirely blaming herself in such a manner. Demise had outplayed them, and it made her angry and scared and mournful, it made her question how they could actually defeat him if she hadn’t been able to as a goddess or with the Triforce, but she’d still placed the majority of the blame on the demon king himself, not her or Link. Her husband’s worries were clearly eating him alive. He hadn’t even noticed that they weren’t alone.

“Don’t,” Link immediately hissed, growing stormy. “Don’t even try it. You did everything right, you did your part, you trusted me to finish things and I didn’t.”

“What are you talking about?” Zelda asked, putting a hand to his cheek. “Link, you defeated him. We had no way of knowing—”

“I did,” Link spat, pulling out of her reach and turning away, his hands shaking as he clenched his fists. His shoulders hunched and his entire body was so tense it was ready to snap. “He said it himself. I thought—I was such an idiot, Zelda, I—I thought—he started speaking about how his hatred would follow my spirit and your bloodline, and it sounded like the dying words of a monster, I—I didn’t realize it was a promise, a curse, that he was—I didn’t—I d-didn’t—”

Link’s body stiffened even further as shuddering gasps and hiccups interrupted his words, and he bowed his head, hugging himself. Zelda immediately rushed around him to face him fully once more, dragging him into the tightest hug she could muster, willing all of her love into it as her mind whirled.

“You had no way of knowing,” she repeated as she processed what he’d said. What promise was he speaking of? Did it even matter? “And who’s to say it was a curse right in that moment? Who’s to say it wouldn’t have happened whether he spoke it or not? Who’s to say there was any stopping it? Link, I was a goddess. I was a goddess and I couldn’t stop him. You did everything you were meant to do – you solved the puzzles, you tempered the Goddess Sword and made it into the Blade of Evil’s Bane, you traveled through time, you got the Triforce and used it to kill him. You beat him. It was Ghirahim who screwed everything up.”

Ghirahim. It was Ghirahim.

Was that truly why they were in this mess? The realization struck her as she spoke the words, because they were true – she’d exited her slumber because Demise had been killed, after all. Ghirahim was the one who sabotaged it, but Link had ensured that…

“What exactly did he say?” she asked, pulling away to look her husband in the eye.

“He said… he said his hatred never dies. That it would be born again and again, that those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero would forever be bound to this curse: an incarnation of his hatred would follow our kind forever, dooming them to darkness and bloodshed.” Link said slowly, refusing to look at her.

Zelda stared at him, dumbfounded. Why… why hadn’t he ever mentioned this before?

As if reading her mind, he stepped away from her, shaking his head and saying, “I—I thought—he was defeated, Zel, I stabbed him in the chest, I thought it was over. The amount of times Ghirahim would give some speech or another despite being defeated, the words were meaningless at that point. Just some other enemy spouting hatred while he bleeds to death. The sword… Fi told me to raise the sword, that it would absorb the remaining evil, that she would seal him away as designed. I didn’t—I didn’t realize—what did I do wrong?”

The trembling of his tone tore at her heart, and Zelda tried to walk towards him again. She couldn’t fathom why Link wouldn’t have mentioned this, but at the same time, his words made sense—and brought so many more questions to mind. How many times had he fought Ghirahim, anyway? The more she considered it, the more she realized she hadn’t really asked much about his adventure. Their time after that journey had been spent recovering and then pointedly avoiding the topic altogether.

Goddesses above, this was all a mess.

“Impa was right,” Link said suddenly, his voice no longer trembling, but so, so dark. “You were wrong. Hylia was wrong. I’m no Hero. Even Fi has decided that! She already chose a successor, after all.”

“Link,” Zelda tried to argue, immediately growing agitated. This sort of talk wasn’t going to do them any good, and she hated seeing him like this. “This isn’t—I know—”

Link’s eyes narrowed at her as if she were an enemy. The look stole her voice from her throat and made her blood freeze. She’d never seen Link this upset. “Yes, you know. Your Grace knows everything. You always did, stringing me along without ever telling me everything until it was too late to even stop you from—from—How does it feel to not have all the pieces until it’s too late? You were wrong.”

Zelda took a step back, her breath sucking in like a gasp as if she’d just been smacked. Link sighed, sensing the change in atmosphere, immediate regret flashing across his face before he finally seemed to notice the other two, who at this point were practically trying to disappear into the walls.

Link’s eyes fixed on the champion, and then he shook his head. The fight quickly drained out of him, but so did any desire to continue talking. He moved quickly towards one of the openings and leapt out of it. Zelda didn’t follow.

The champion ran across the way to peer over where Link had jumped. The princess slowly walked towards Zelda, who was still trying to catch her breath.

There was silence for a long time as the princess hovered near her, as she tried to catch her breath, as Link’s words played over and over in her head.

“Your Grace…?” The princess began hesitantly, a tenderness and shyness to her voice.

Zelda burst into tears.

You always did, stringing me along without ever telling me everything until it was too late.

Guilt sprang forth anew, revitalized by her husband’s accusations, having been squished again and again by both her and Link. It reared its ugly head, reminding her that the fact that Link had been dragged into all of this was very much her fault. Despite being the best fighter among the knights of Skyloft, Link was a softhearted young man through and through. She should have never—but—what choice did she—

Zelda continued to cry, bending over and hugging herself and falling to her knees. Her hiccups and sobs echoed in the area, lost to her own whirling mind but very much laying heavily on the other two occupants.

Link, Champion of Hyrule, felt very much out of place. But he also felt very desperate to try and help. He made his way to the goddess, crumpled on the floor, and his heart hurt to see her like that. He knelt carefully, gently resting a hand on her shoulder, desperately looking at the princess for help.

His own mind was whirling as much as everyone else’s likely was. The words that had been spat out by the Hero of Myth and Legend no longer held the same sting to them. Instead, they rang with such a heartbreaking familiarity, all the way down to the misplaced vitriol.

Zelda. He’d sounded like Zelda.

Never in his life had Link considered that if he ever met the Spirit of the Hero, it would act exactly as his dejected princess did.

He wanted nothing more than to reassure the weeping goddess that it wasn’t her fault at all, just as it wasn’t his fault that Zelda struggled to fulfill her destiny while his came easily. He wanted to tell her that the Hero just needed time and help, just as his princess did. But he was in absolutely no position to do so – he didn’t know what words he could say to reassure Hylia herself, nor could he brainstorm such a conversation with the princess as she herself was just as much a culprit of such behavior as the Hero was. Though, to her credit, she was trying to improve that, hence their budding friendship. But…

Desperate, Link looked pleadingly at Zelda, motioning to the goddess with his head. Do something.

The princess held her hands in front of her chest anxiously, one hand playing with the her wrist. “Your Grace… I… I’m sure he didn’t…”

Hylia continued to cry, not acknowledging either of them. At least she wasn’t upset that Link was touching her. He really wished he could do more.

Link thought of suggesting that they get lunch, but he had a feeling his own love for food would not help the matter. Hylia didn’t seem like the thought of a delicious meal would cheer her up.

The champion was quickly running out of ideas, just as his friend seemed equally clueless. However, Zelda finally knelt down as well, ignoring the dirt she was getting on her dress, and placed her hand on Hylia’s other shoulder. “Your Grace, I’m… I’m sorry.”

Hylia glanced up, eyes puffy, tears staining her flushed cheeks. It was… not a look Link would expect from a goddess.

He supposed he had never thought a goddess could get upset like this. He remembered her radiant smile and eagerness to befriend earlier in the day, and his heart ached even more.

He opened his mouth to speak, but still found himself choking on words. He didn’t know what he could say to help her, what would be appropriate, what would be helpful. Hylia’s gaze was fixed on the princess instead, and Link hesitantly pulled away to give the two some space. Zelda’s eyes quickly darted to his, pleading for support, but he didn’t know what to do.

Hylia stole Zelda’s attention anyway as she hiccupped and shook her head, her gaze dropping to the floor again as she squeezed her eyes shut. The princess shuffled a little closer. Link stepped further away, trying to figure out how he could help, what he could do. He could at least maybe get them some food, giving Hylia and her descendant time to regain composure, and then he could help them in that regard.

Sliding down the ladder, Link continued to hesitate as he dragged his feet to the exit of the guard house. His father was surprisingly missing, despite having been standing guard, leaving Link a little disappointed. He doubted his father could give him advice on the matter, but it would have been nice to at least see him. Instead, Link fumbled to follow through on his decision, feeling like it wasn’t helpful but not knowing what else to do.

“Oh, Link! There you are!”

Startled, Link turned to see his friend, Mipha, approaching, looking relieved. She smiled, red scales glowing in the noon sun, and Link felt like he was drowning in the ocean and just finally saw a lighthouse guiding him.

Link strode up to her immediately, hands gesturing frantically with words he couldn’t piece together, and his friend quickly noticed his distress. “Link, what’s wrong?”

“He—she—” Link spat out, his chest about to burst, trying desperately to hold the words in but unable to do so. He wasn’t sure this was appropriate to share, but by the goddesses he needed to say something. “He’s just like Zelda.”

The words flew out of his mouth like an arrow released from a bow, and he nearly collapsed onto the nearest bench, overwhelmed and exhausted at holding it in for so long, at the sheer relief that nearly drowned him and screamed he doesn’t actually hate me. Mipha slowly sat beside him, watching him hesitantly. He shook his head, leaning over until his face was buried in his hands. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Well…” Mipha said slowly. “You… could start by telling me what you mean.”

Oh. He supposed she needed context.

“The Hero,” he started slowly. “He… feels bad about himself. Like… like the princess. But he… and Hylia… he made… she’s crying, and I…”

Mipha jumped a little. “Hylia’s crying?”

“I don’t know what to do,” Link shook his head. “Mipha, what am I supposed to do?”

“Why is she crying?” Mipha asked.

“She—he—” Link stopped himself and took a breath to reorganize his thoughts. “The Hero. He… he got upset. Really upset. Like… remember when I… when I mentioned… I mean, you kind of dragged it out of me, but…”

Mipha, bless her, remained patient, knowing how Link could struggle to express himself. He’d barely spoken to anyone these last few months, but he’d finally started opening back up to his friend, even if it was just a little. She was the only one who knew that Zelda had yelled at Link in their first weeks together, although the other Champions had clearly sensed the tension.

“He got angry at her,” Link explained slowly. “He got angry. He’s… he said he was a failure, that he wasn’t worthy of being the Hero of Legend. Mipha, it’s… he sounded just like Zelda. But he… he got angry at Hylia about it, and now she’s crying.”

“Oh, my,” Mipha said softly, hand over her mouth. “I… didn’t realize a goddess could cry. That’s… awful.”

“It is awful,” Link agreed, the words spilling out of him now as his emotions mixed with them. “Mipha, what do I do? How do you cheer up a goddess?”

His friend was quiet for a long time, ruminating the matter. “Well… I suppose the same way you cheer anyone up. She cries just like the rest of us… perhaps she just needs kindness like the rest of us too.”

Link thought about the words, remembering all the rituals they did for the goddess. But then he remembered once, when he was very little, when he’d offered flowers to the goddess statue in Hateno, to the warmth that had filled his heart and soul when he’d done so, to the smile that always pulled at his lips whenever he saw silent princesses ever since.

Silent Princess. Zelda’s favorite flower. It always put a smile on the princess’ face too.

Link’s eyes lingered on the one garden that had tried to cultivate the flower, the only one that had succeeded so far, though herbalists hardly called it a success as only one or two flowers grew from the entire batch, and one was wilting already.

Filled with relief and hope, Link dragged Mipha into a hug. “Thank you.”

His friend was stiff under his embrace, and he felt her heart fluttering against his chest. Suddenly, the embrace felt too intimate, too personal, too close, and Link felt his own cheeks blush as he quickly pulled away. Before either party could speak, he hastily made his way to the flower bed, fingers reaching for the healthier of the two specimens.

“Link, wait, isn’t that endangered—”

The silent princess yielded easily to his fingers as he pointedly ignored how the tips of his ears burned, but as he reoriented to his original excitement, he stared at the beautiful, delicate blue-and-white petals with determination.

He turned and smiled at Mipha, nodding in gratitude, before rushing back to the guard house. By the time he reached the top, Hylia’s sobs had evened out, though she was still crumped on the ground. Zelda was on the floor beside her, arm halfway across her shoulders in a hesitant but heartfelt hug. Link took a steadying breath and walked towards the pair, kneeling in front of them. When the two looked up at him, he offered the flower quietly, eyes trying to convey everything his mouth refused to speak.

Hylia stared at him a moment before her gaze lingered on the flower. She reached out slowly, carefully taking the plant from his grasp and turning it in her own calloused fingers.

Her eyes watered, but a smile pulled at her trembling lips. The heaviness of the air seemed to dissipate, and Link smiled back at her.

“It’ll be all right,” he finally said softly.

“We’re here for you,” Zelda added on, growing bolder. “Just as you are for us, Your Grace. I… I may not… I may not have my powers, but I…”

The princess sighed shakily and continued, “I will still do my duty, and I will support you just as you’re trying to do for us.”

Hylia let out another sob, brow pulling together, but the way her face glowed, the way her cheeks puffed and lips pulled conveyed it for the emotional, relieved laugh that it was.

XXX

Abel supposed it was time to break protocol.

He ignored the anxious words warding him away from his goal as he walked down the stone path towards the city. He could practically hear the drill sergeants from his youth telling him to listen to superiors at all costs, to respect those in charge, to fulfill his duty and never question those above his station.

He could hear his heart telling him to do otherwise, his mind set in stone in his path, his beloved wife encouraging him to keep walking forward.

The Hero of Myth and Legend sat on the wall dividing the castle from Castle Town. Abel leaned against the stone beside him, staring out as the sun began to descend from its zenith.

The Hero glanced at him, startled, and moved to get up, but Abel ordered immediately, “Stay put.”

Oh, how his decades of training balked at ordering such a figure around. But mostly, it felt familiar, like when he was talking to his son. Perhaps the fact that they shared a name and a destiny helped.

The Hero slowly resumed his previous posture, bolstering Abel’s confidence on the matter. Now the captain of the guard just had to figure out what to say.

He’d honestly tried not to listen to the conversations in the guard tower. It wasn’t his business – his son, the princess, the goddess, and the mythical hero were all far above him in importance. Although he would always cherish Link, he respected the role his boy had to play, and he wasn’t going to interfere or be so immature as to eavesdrop on important discussions.

It was hard not to hear it, though, when the Immortal Hero was shouting.

Words of a curse, of a demon king, of blame and failure and guilt – they’d all spilled down into Abel’s ears as easily as rain. And it was hard to get them out of his head once heard.

Abel once again found himself wondering what the benefit was in having heroes so young. He still had plenty of strength and endurance in him at the ripe age of thirty-seven, and he didn’t have the emotional issues he’d had when hew as a teenager. Experience was as good a weapon as any.

Not to mention it assisted in cutting through drama and getting to the heart of the matter.

Of course, it still didn’t prepare Abel for such a conversation. It hadn’t prepared him for any of the conversations he’d had with his son once Hyrule had noticed a Hero had arisen. The words the Hero had hissed rang in his ears once more, thoughts of demon kings hunting down his son buzzing before he pushed them away. His son had been preparing for years had the support of all of Hyrule, and Abel would double his efforts in protecting the castle. This one, on the other hand, was a soldier in an eternal war, and Abel and even Link were simply another battlefield on which he had to fight. It seemed he was only just realizing that too, which was... odd and... heartbreaking.

He really had no frame of reference for this person, young and ancient, magical and so unbelievably normal. But he could speak to what he’d seen, and… he dearly hoped it was enough. He hoped it was enough and would be taken in the right spirit. The fact that the—the boy had listened was a promising start, after all.

“I don’t understand what it could possibly be like, being created by the goddess Hylia for the sole purpose of fighting off a demon king,” Abel started honestly, bluntly. “You look as Hylian as anyone else.”

The Ancient One glanced at him, tired and hurting and confused all at once. “I… I don’t know what that is.”

He didn’t know what a Hylian was? Abel supposed he wouldn’t. He was created to fight. Yet he was just like any other teenager. It still made no sense to the captain, but… a boy was a boy. Abel motioned towards the boy’s ears, small and curved like leaves, unique and honestly a little cute. It had always been said that Hylians’ ears were the way they were to better help them hear the goddess – perhaps his were shaped so differently so only he could hear her whispers, so only he could be privileged to her song. It… honestly made Abel’s skin crawl a little. He wished the Hero didn’t look so young – the thought of a child being molded to fight and married off to the goddess… it felt…

Abel didn’t dare say the sacrilegious word, but the ill feeling in his stomach lingered nonetheless. He tried to remind himself that this strange figure was ancient and not actually a teenager, even if he seemed to act like one.

“Your ears,” he commented. “They’re as Hylian as anyone else’s.”

The Hero instinctively reached up to touch his own ears, staring at Abel with wide, genuinely curious eyes now. The traces of guilt and sorrow were fading away in wake of his bemusement, and in that moment he really, truly looked like a kid.

Abel swallowed, trying to get to his point. “You’re… different, perhaps, but you still seem pretty Hylian to me, if you’ll pardon my ignorance on the matter. And if that is the case… then it seems such pressure that you’re putting on yourself is unrealistic.”

Hylia’s Chosen stiffened, though he didn’t comment.

“Calamity Ganon is a scourge that has plagued this land for millennia,” Abel said carefully. “And each time it has come, it has taken all of Hyrule to fight it. Though the Spirit of the Hero and the power of the Goddess are required to vanquish it, they have never fought alone. It seems… unreasonable to expect any different of yourself.”

The Hero bit his lip, his hands falling to his lap as he looked down. “But I was supposed to.”

“Did you defeat him?” Abel asked.

The Hero glanced at him, and though he held guilt in his gaze, he nodded.

“So you defeated him alone, which no one has ever accomplished before or since then,” Abel pointed out. “Yet you blame yourself for his return? If you fought him before and won, this should be easy, should it not?”

“But I—”

“But what?” Abel pressed on. “You can’t change that he’s here. Only that you’re here to stop him. Are you going to fight him or not?”

The Hero stared at him for a long while, eyes growing weary. Abel recognized the look, the exhaustion of war, the scars hidden within. He faced the boy fully.

“You won’t be alone this time,” he told him firmly. “Link will fight alongside you, as well as all the Champions, the guardians, and Hyrule’s army.”

“Sounds rather like I’m not needed,” the Hero said softly, a sad smile pulling at his lips.

“I am not one to waste resources,” Abel replied perhaps a bit too curtly, but he was tired of the adolescent’s moping. This was what the ancient child had been created for, after all, was it not? “You defeated Calamity Ganon long before any army ever could be raised against him. If you fight alongside our forces, if you support Link, then it makes the likelihood of actually killing it all the higher.”

Hylia’s Chosen perked up at the idea given to him, though he still looked a bit uncertain.

“Will you fight alongside Link?” Abel prompted. “Will you help him? Or are you going to drown in your sorrows instead while the rest of Hyrule tries to fight?”

“I’m the only one who can,” the Hero muttered, eyes darkening once more, shoulders set in resignation. “That’s what he said. That’s… what they always say. It’s my destiny.”

Abel waited, unsure what to say to such a remark. The ancient one’s words held a pain and exhaustion to them, but also a bite, and the captain of the guard was suddenly reminded that he was a nobody speaking to a legend.

The Hero of Myth and Legend stared out at Hyrule, sitting up straighter. “I won’t let him destroy this place. I won’t let him hurt Link, or Zelda. Or the princess. I promise.”

“I thank you for your protection,” Abel said genuinely with a bow of his head, catching the Hero’s attention.

“But I…” the Hero continued hesitantly. “I shouldn’t have said what I did. She’s… I know I upset her.”

Abel hadn’t heard Hylia’s reply to any of the words the Hero had said, but he supposed accusing her of being wrong would be upsetting. She seemed too kind to get angry, though, and the hurt on the magical boy’s face implied it as well.

Well. This was certainly a topic he could relate to. He was rather short tempered compared to others, after all. “We’re not perfect, Hero. We will say things that hurt those we love. What matters is that we apologize for them.”

Hylia’s Chosen watched him with a look so eerily similar to Link’s own when his son had been younger—so eager for wisdom from his father, so desperate for guidance—that it almost made Abel falter. Then the boy sighed and nodded in agreement.

Abel smiled as best he could. “Now, I believe Her Grace is waiting for you, great Hero. And if I may be so bold as to say… as a married man, I advise you be quick – our wives don’t like to wait for long.”

The smile that broke out on the Hero’s face was unexpectedly soft and sweet, his eyes glittering as if he was coming back to life, and the Immortal One leapt off the wall, much to Abel’s shock. The captain reached out hastily before seeing the Hero deploy some sort of paraglider, and he sighed heavily, realizing that now he had yet another hero who was going to give him heart attacks on a regular basis.

Oh, how he wished he could hold his son in that moment. But duty called, and he had strayed from it for long enough.

XXX

Admittedly, despite how his heart warmed at the thought of being with Zelda again, Link felt guilt crushing him the closer he got back to the structure he’d run from.

He knew what he’d said was hurtful. He’d chosen his words very particularly so that they would sting. He hadn’t wanted Zelda’s reassurances because he’d known they’d be empty, and suddenly hurt and resentment that had been long forgotten and shoved into the dark recesses of his mind had snarled into the light.

Link was ashamed to even get near his beloved. But he’d be damned if he didn’t own up to it.

And he missed her. He missed her smile, he missed her warmth, he missed her embrace. He was drowning and he wanted nothing more than to hold on to her. He supposed after what he’d said earlier it was a selfish thought at this point, but… if there was one constant in his life, no matter the storm, it had always been her.

He wasn’t going to be the one to lose her again. He wasn’t going to be the one to push her away.

The walk felt like it took an eternity, even though it was only a few minutes. Link hesitantly stared at the ladder leading up to the top, and then he climbed it, steeling himself.

When he got to the top, he found only a couple guards.

Link didn’t bother to speak with them, sliding down once more, and nearly jumped out of his skin as he was met with one of the stranger looking people from the festival. Their skin was red and shimmering, eyes nearly the same shade of amber as the crystal that had held Zelda in a trance for millennia. Their fingers were delicate but held sharp claws, and a blue sash was the only clothing they wore, though their body was adorned in glimmering jewelry.

“Hello, Hero,” the person said in a soft, feminine tone.

Wait, he’d seen her before. She had been sparring with the new Hero that morning.

“Do you—do you know where Zelda is?” he asked quickly, nearly laughing at the irony of such a question given his history with it.

“The princess is with Her Grace and Sir Link,” the woman answered. “They decided to head out into Hyrule Field, I believe. They were going to pick up lunch on the way.”

Hyrule Field? “Where’s that?”

The woman pointed back to the direction where he’d just come from. “It’s just beyond Castle Town. If I were them, I would go to the Sacred Grounds. It’s a pleasant place for a picnic. It’s close to the center of Hyrule Field, you can’t miss it. Would you… like me to take you there?”

Out of a nearly gone habit, Link nearly said no, as if he would find it on his map and could dowse for Zelda beyond that. Goddess. He shook his head, and then hastily said, “Yes, please.”

The strange looking woman—girl? Woman??—smiled and asked him to walk with her. Link tried to ignore the people staring at them as they progressed, feeling the number of eyes on them grow as they entered the big town he and Zelda had explored a few nights ago.

The joy of that exploration felt so far away now. He felt so empty, so unbelievably alone. But the guard had promised he wasn’t, and he…

He just wanted to go home. But it was just like his original journey, wasn’t it? He hadn’t wanted the weight of the world on his shoulders then. He’d just wanted to find Zelda. Headmaster Gaepora had said that the destiny of the world was his to bear, and his alone. No one could know.

Just as now, it was his destiny to fight Demise once more. But… the guard had said it himself.

Link wasn’t alone. Even if he deserved to be, after somehow managing to mess this up.

He would be alone if he continued to push everyone away, though, and he knew it. He remembered just after the world had nearly ended, remembered how isolated he was, and how Zelda had been the only one who could reach him in those dark moments.

Link hardly noticed that they’d reached the fields, hardly noticed that the woman he was with kept glancing at him to make sure he was okay. She seemed to understand he didn’t want to talk and was somehow blessedly fine with it, making the occasional remark about the weather or anything else to ensure it didn’t get too awkwardly quiet.

The awkwardness did linger, though, when Link realized he didn’t know her name. When she stopped and pointed straight ahead, he said, “Thank you… I… didn’t get your name.”

The woman’s eyes widened, suddenly embarrassed. “O-oh! I’m—I’m so very sorry, I—my name is Mipha, Princess of the Zora. I beg your pardon for my lack of manners!”

Another princess? Link stared at her, curious, but then smiled. “Thank you, Mipha.”

The woman’s shame faded, and she nodded, heading back towards Castle Town. Link took a fortifying breath and walked towards the Sacred Grounds. The trees hid some of the area and his approach, allowing him to see the new Hero sitting on the ground alongside Zellie and his wife. His successor was eating away cheerily, garnering a chuckle from Zellie, and Zelda… picked at her food quietly. She smiled when acknowledged, but didn’t seem to have much of an appetite.

Link wanted to kick himself. He also kind of wished the other two weren’t there.

Miraculously, Zelda alone seemed to notice his approach. She paused from holding her food, watching him with a little trepidation. Her eyebrows wrinkled together, and the hurt and worry on her face made Link want to melt into the earth. Zellie seemed to notice something was up, but before she could speak, Zelda rose and walked slowly in his direction.

She paused just out of his reach, and the pair watched each other quietly. A wind stirred between them, trying to push Link away, and he nearly gave in to it, shaking like a leaf.

“Link…?” Zelda called quietly, almost timidly.

Link wasn’t sure if it was the stress of everything catching up to him again, or if it was the way his own wife was scared to approach him as if he were shatter or explode on her… all he knew was that he was crying.

“I’m sorry,” he immediately said, shaking his head, taking a frightened step away. “I’m sorry, Zelda, I’m sorry I’m sorry—”

Zelda’s eyes widened, and she immediately covered the ground between them, nearly tackling him in a hug, carrying him with strong but trembling arms, easing him down to the earth as the world spun around him. He couldn’t get anything else out aside from apologies that stumbled over each other, words only stopping when he hiccupped or gasped for air, his tears endlessly staining her shoulder.

“It’s okay,” she soothed, tightening her hug.

“No it’s not!” Link sobbed. “None of it is, I’m so sorry, I’m—”

Again and again the apologies came forth until he’d exhausted himself, until he found himself clinging to her with as much desperation as he had when she’d awoken from her trance months ago.

He heard Zelda take a shaky breath, her exhale tickling his ear. “I am too.”

The words were raw, the sentiment so genuine it ached. Link didn’t have the emotional energy to reply, couldn’t defend her after trying so many times to reassure her and then eating his own words due to his outburst. He had nothing left to offer except himself, broken and worthless and idiotic as he was, and he just held her all the more.

The sun shone brightly on the pair as the other two slowly rose and watched in silence.

Chapter Text

The sunlight was being hidden away by the clouds, reminding him strikingly of his days on the Surface a few months ago. It was still warm, almost too warm, but he shivered nonetheless.

Link and Zelda had been given some privacy as they’d walked away from the picnic site, instead standing on a hill overlooking a good portion of the field. In the distance there were many structures, some stone and some wood, some with people and some with strange animals.

“I didn’t think we’d be stuck doing this again,” Link finally commented, feeling Zelda’s fingers interlace with his own.

Zelda sighed solemnly, staring out at the vastness of the land alongside him. “I… didn’t either.”

There was no going home at this point. They both knew it.

“You sure this wasn’t part of your plan?” he asked, glancing at her. Given his earlier accusation, he felt like dirt even asking, but he had to at least have something to cling to.

“I wish it was,” Zelda muttered bitterly. “At least then I’d know what to do.”

Link felt… hopelessly lost. The words of assurance from the captain echoed in his mind, but what good were those assurances when Hylia’s own plan fell through?

Well. It wasn’t like Hylia had been perfect, he thought with maybe a touch too much resentment. He squeezed Zelda’s hand all the more, trying to push that out of his mind. As much as he tried to separate the two, there was no separating them. As much as Zelda insisted she was still the person he knew, that didn’t change the fact that her past was intermingled with something far beyond his comprehension.

That didn’t mean she still hadn’t used him.

What difference does that make? It was for a good reason.

A reason which had failed. But he knew that was his own doing, not Hylia’s.

Link’s gaze drifted back towards the stone pillars, towards the area in the center of the field where the other two sat. His successor and his descendant. The pair were eating quietly, one more eagerly than the other, but both seemed to occasionally remember Link and Zelda were there and would glance in their direction.

He supposed there was no avoiding them now. Not that he minded being near Zellie all that much, but goddesses above sometimes it was just too much hearing about all of it. As for his successor…

“Link, I…” Zelda started to say, her words lost in the wind for a moment. Link looked back at her, heart clenching at the torn look on her face. “I’m sorry. For all of this.”

“Don’t apologize,” he immediately replied. “This isn’t your fault, it’s mine.”

“But it all started with me,” Zelda noted quietly. “It all started with Hylia.”

Link bit his lip. He’d be a hypocrite to argue against her at this point, at least after all he’d said earlier. Goddesses he wished he’d kept silent. He tried a different tactic. “Whoever started it, I’m the one who—”

“Oh, just stop,” Zelda cut in tiredly, releasing his hand and hugging herself. “Please, just—I just—”

“I just wish it wasn’t like this,” Link finished for her, slowly wrapping his arms around her and letting her melt into the reassuring embrace.

They were in the future. The future. They were beholding the fruits of their efforts. Why couldn’t this just be a happy occasion? At least for Zelda – for Link it would’ve been beyond his comprehension, really, overwhelming and amazing and wild and wonderful, but… anything would’ve been better than this sinking realization.

It’s over. It’s finally over.

Zelda’s words, mixed with tears and choking on relief and joy, echoed in his mind. They’d thought it was over.

“What are we going to do?” he asked her.

Zelda shuddered in his hold, burying her face in his chest. “I don’t know. They… they don’t even know if the Triforce still exists.”

Link blanched, pulling away. “What? That was the entire crux of our plan!”

“I know,” Zelda cried. “I know! I don’t understand how—what—they said something about beasts, about those guardian things and the sword—”

“Fi? How’s Fi going to fix this?” Link asked. “Can she—is she even awake? Can she talk?”

He didn’t think she could, honestly – not based on her reaction when he’d held her at the festival. She’d sung, yes, but he should’ve heard her voice. Fi had said she’d go into an eternal slumber for the sole purpose of keeping Demise sealed away.

Maybe that was where they could start, then. Maybe something had happened to Fi.

“We need to talk to them,” Link said firmly, looking back at the pair again. His resolve faltered at the thought of speaking to his successor, as he didn’t really even deserve to, but Zelda’s tears motivated him well enough. If his beloved was floundering, he’d find a solution, because he would never leave her in such a helpless state.

Link’s resolve faded the closer they got to the pair, but it was too late by then. Zellie and the new Hero noticed their approach, watching them. As Link’s steps faltered from shame over his failure, Zelda took the lead, guiding him forward with a gentle hand. When the pair sat across from the other two, the Hero carefully pushed food towards Link.

Everyone stared at each other awkwardly.

“So,” Zelda said, finally taking the lead. “You mentioned guardians and divine beasts would help you fight De—Calamity Ganon. And then… you two would fight him? Right?”

Zellie looked at her Hero and then back at Zelda before nodding.

Link opened his mouth to ask about Fi and then found his voice not cooperating. He looked down, hands balling up his tunic and releasing it in anxious movements.

“And you need help with your powers,” Zelda continued.

The princess visibly wilted, looking down.

Link blinked. “What powers?”

Zellie and the new Hero’s eyes immediately went to him, widened as if he’d spoken some kind of heresy.

“I think she’s supposed to have the magic to seal him away,” Zelda answered hesitantly. “That’s what I’ve gathered, at least?”

The pair switched their horrified gazes to Zelda now. Well… at least Link wasn’t melting under their stares anymore. But why the faces?

“You—you think?” Zellie repeated. “But I—my prayers—”

“Look,” Zelda interrupted. “Let’s get this straight. Whatever prayers you’re saying, or anyone is saying—I’m not hearing them. I’m not—I don’t have that kind of power, to read people’s minds and stuff. And—and whoever you’re praying to, you’re doing it in this era, you know? I’m—we’re from the past.”

“W-well, yes,” Zellie acknowledged a little uncomfortably. But it seemed curiosity got the better of her, her eyes shining. “But—how—what is it like, where you are? Can you sense—I mean, you got here somehow, and—”

“I got here because of Link,” Zelda interrupted before hastily adding, “B-but obviously we were destined to be here, too. I mean—what else are the odds that we learn of the demon king’s survival just as you’re preparing for him? But I—this wasn’t my planning. I don’t know what’s happening. We’re trying to piece it together.”

Link’s gaze drifted towards the Master Sword, and he found himself making eye contact with the Hero wielding it. He quickly looked back at Zellie, who seemed simultaneously worried and fascinated.

“All my life, I’ve… I’ve had to try and teach myself this power,” Zellie said softly, her expression growing despairing, frustrated, before she looked hopefully at Zelda. “If you can… if Your Grace would be so kind as to help me… I…”

“I already promised you I would,” Zelda assured her with a smile. “Knight’s honor.”

Zellie blinked. “Knight’s… honor?”

“Oh. Sorry. Expression,” Zelda chuckled nervously, rubbing her hands together.

“Zelda’s a knight,” Link immediately said. “Not a goddess.”

Well. She was his goddess, but that was beside the point. The point was he knew how much this Your Grace nonsense was bothering her. He’d seen her tolerate it fine with Impa, but that was during her rediscovery of her past. She’d been trying to reconcile it since then, and Farore knew this wasn’t helping.

Zelda sighed at the bemused expressions they were receiving. “I… I am the goddess Hylia reborn. But I… look. I’m just… I was born a human like everyone else. I can barely remember my life as Hylia. I…”

“Why?” the princess asked before catching herself.

Zelda quickly waved off her apology that she was about to splutter. “Because I—Hylia, I mean—was killed. I—Hylia sacrificed herself to seal the calamity away until I could come back to defeat him with Link.”

Here she paused, looking at Link, eyes alight with love, face glowing with pride. Despite his own guilt and shame, Link couldn’t help melting a little at the gaze, smiling at her in return.

“Fascinating,” Zellie whispered.

Zelda and Link lost the girl’s wonder in their own attention to each other before his beloved finally smiled back at the other two. “If we’re going to figure out how to stop the demon king, we’ll need to see everything involved in this plan of yours. And as for your powers… my memories were awakened at the sacred springs. Maybe we could start there?”

It was interesting watching the princess’ reactions to Zelda’s words. She was delighted at first, and ashamed at the end. Clearly, her powers were a point of contention for her.

Link could sympathize. Goddess… he hoped she didn’t feel as he did, but he had a sinking suspicion that was indeed the case. How could she possibly feel such a way? It wasn’t as if her lack of abilities had caused harm yet, right? It couldn’t be any more catastrophic than his own failures – despite the obvious one, he’d also nearly let Zelda die at the hands of Ghirahim. Were it not for Impa in the Earth Temple, all would have been lost due to Link’s ineptitude.

And in the end, what difference did it make?

Link shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Stop. This isn’t helping.

He looked ahead again and saw the knight staring at him. Abruptly, he felt his cheeks flush and he looked down at his uneaten food. He hesitantly pushed it back towards the knight.

The pair stared at each other again before their gaze drifted to the plate. The knight hesitantly took the food back, eating it.

“Well, if you want to see guardians, I can show you some at the castle,” Zellie said eagerly, rising to her feet. “But the divine beasts reside in their champions’ domains. I can arrange for all of us to travel across Hyrule! It will—we can stop at the springs as well, but—you’ll see all that we have built, all we have prepared for the coming calamity.”

Link and Zelda looked at each other, surprised, before looking back at the princess. “There’s… more to Hyrule?”

Zellie practically glowed with pride. “Why yes, of course! Come, we must hurry, I’ll prepare everything!”

Well… at least they had a plan. Link rose at the same time as the knight, and the two nearly bumped shoulders, making Link stumbled towards Zelda. He was pretty certain he’d fumbled enough conversations today, so perhaps he’d save asking about Fi for later. But as the four walked, it was immediately apparent he was stuck lingering with his successor while Zellie babbled excitedly in the front of the group, nearly holding Zelda hostage with her conversation. Link found that he couldn’t help but stare at the blade, aching for its warmth, for Fi’s voice to echo in his mind and heart.

He felt so incredibly alone seeing her on someone else’s back.

Zelda stopped abruptly. “Oh! I almost forgot. We have to have nicknames, or this is going to get way too confusing. We have a few already – Dove, you’ll go by Cloud, and he’ll go by Champion. Now we just need to figure out me and the princess.”

Cloud? Link tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow at his wife, curious where that nickname had come from. He’d accept it, of course… did this have to do with the cloud barrier? Skyloft? Or was it a joke based on that story at the festival?

He felt a smile pull at his lips. As much as he’d shot down the ideas the princess had brought up about his existence, it was beginning to grow on him. He could at least garner some entertainment from the absolute ignorance surrounding his identity. Besides, he’d promised himself he’d buy into it the next time someone brought it up. It was too funny not to.

Helpfully, he added, “The princess said she’s okay with going by Zellie.”

The knight, Champion, stared at the princess a moment, and though his face was placid as ever, Link could sense some kind of underlying question hidden in it.

“I guess that just leaves me,” Zelda muttered thoughtfully.

“Your Grace… wants a nickname?” Zellie questioned.

“Of course I do!” Zelda answered sincerely. “I mean… we’re going to be friends! I don’t want you addressing me like some distant deity and the like. I may be the spirit maiden, but… I want us to be friends. This isn’t… this isn’t my…”

Zelda faltered, stumbling on words and thoughts, and Link watched her reluctantly. He wasn’t exactly eager to back her up in this instance – she’d spent their entire venture discovering her identity as someone else, and she had been struggling to retain her own self as Zelda since then. He wasn’t going to encourage her taking on a new persona, even if it was just a nickname.

“We’ll figure it out,” he finally cut in quietly just to move the conversation away from it.

Zelda sighed, shrugging, and the princess continued to lead them back to the castle. Link kept up this time, though, so as to avoid looking at Fi any longer. It seemed Champion always remained two steps behind his princess, anyway.

Noticing how the Champion lagged behind, Zelda smiled welcomingly and fell back so she could be in step with him, leaving Zellie and Link in the front. As Link looked around, he found other things to focus on. Like how distinctly open and alive this place felt while simultaneously… lacking something. The more he stared at the world around him, the strangely more apparent it became, and he wasn’t sure why he’d only just noticed it now, or what it meant.

This land of Hyrule was beautiful and vast, stunning beyond all comprehension. But the Surface that Link knew was brimming with something else in the air, the very fabric of the life woven through the land was teeming with magic and energy. Here, it simply… wasn’t. He wasn’t sure what to make of that. It felt like something had been lost while so much had been gained, and it suddenly made him pause. Perhaps this was what was lost when there was no trace of the Triforce, no guidance from Fi, with magic steadily draining from this land.

Link felt all the lonelier for it.

“Hero? Um… C-Cloud?”

Cloud? Oh, yes. That was him. Link looked somewhat reluctantly at the princess, waiting for her to continue. They’d talked so easily earlier, but he’d left that conversation rather abruptly. He hoped he hadn’t seemed too rude. Not that his conversation with Zelda had gone any better, though at least…

Wait. Wait. Had those two… had they been there? If that captain had heard his argument…

Oh goddess.

Despite his own feelings on the matter, the princess’ eyes showed only pity. That solidified his dreaded suspicion, though it simultaneously confused him – given how horribly he’d talked to Zelda, he’d expect disgust or disdain, not whatever it was Zellie was currently conveying.

Despite seeming to be practically overflowing with words to say, the princess faltered in her approach. Instead, she looked down at her clasped hands, wringing them nervously. Link wished he could say something instead, wished that he could maybe figure out if she truly did feel like she was failing because of whatever issue she was having with her powers, but… he could hardly hold on to any kind of assurances for himself; there was little way he could find a way to comfort her.

But Link hated to see her like this. He hated to see anyone he cared about hurting. And by the goddesses, he could see Zelda in every feature of this girl, in her blonde hair, in her intelligent eyes, in her love and pride in her people.

And he could see himself. He could see his sensitivity in her, he could see how the responsibility on her shoulders was crushing her just as his journey had crushed him.

Instinctively, Link reached out, letting his hand rest on her shoulder. Zellie jumped a little, startled, and looked back at him as he smiled at her. Perhaps he didn’t have the words to cheer her up at the moment, but he could at least offer support in other ways.

Zellie let out a soft sigh and smiled. “I can’t wait for you to see Hyrule.”

The words settled in Link’s heart, and he smiled in return. Despite his catastrophic failure, this land had not only survived but grown far beyond his ability to even fathom. And that… that had to mean something, didn’t it? If time and time again Demise had tried to destroy the land, and it had still somehow managed to turn into this, then…

Then maybe it wasn’t such a failure, after all.

XXX

The beauty of the castle gardens was terrifyingly diminished with the howls of anguish and anger coming from the royal horticulturalist as Mipha awkwardly sidled away from the newly tainted silent princess flower bed. She had escorted the Hero of Myth to the others before excusing herself, as she was not at all capable or important enough to be near a goddess, and had sought peace near the fountains in the castle grounds. Given the drama unfolding with other royal attendants trying to calm the woman, Mipha decided it was best to patrol the area.

Seeing Hyrule Castle was always an incredible sight, but the longer she lingered here, the more she ached for home. She missed her baby brother Sidon, she missed her father, she missed the flowing rivers and waterfalls, the diving places and beautiful scenery and mountains. Zora’s Domain was a sprawling city in its own right, but it somehow was far more homely than Castle Town, and it was less stifling than the royal halls. Perhaps it was the open architecture of her home, or perhaps it was the looming responsibility that hung heavily in the air here, a constant reminder of an evil that was coming.

It was no wonder Link had grown to be so quiet and stressed. Mipha would too if she were constantly living here.

The Zora princess leaned against a stone wall, hiding in the shade so she could enjoy the cool a little bit. She would be returning to the Domain tomorrow with her entourage, which was a relief. She would miss Link, but… well… duty came first. For all of them.

Her heart a little heavier, she tried to cheer herself up by finding her guards and attendants, when she instead nearly walked into the path of the goddess Hylia herself, and Mipha bit back a startled yelp as she dove for the nearest bush to hide in. She landed highly unceremoniously, feet in the air as she was caught in branches, hissing as twigs rubbed against her scales, though thankfully they could not cut through them. Mipha wiggled helplessly, at least tucking her feet in as best she could, before she heard gravel crunch and footsteps stop in front of her newfound prison.

When silence prevailed, Mipha turned her gaze as best she could, catching sight of familiar boots. She hesitantly whispered, “L-Link?”

Hands rested around her waist, making her heart speed up far more than it really should have (and oh why did that have to be the case, when they used to be able to laugh and play and push each other and fight as children and never was it so strange or awkward or different), and she was gently lifted out of the bush and placed on the ground. Link’s hold stayed on her as he stared at her, face calm but eyes soft, one cheek sucked in like he was trying desperately not to laugh. Mipha’s eyes looked frantically around them, and she was relieved to see that the rest of the party must have moved forward without him.

“O-oh, I’m—that was so incredibly—I’m very sorry, Link,” Mipha stammered, growing ever more frantic the longer the two of them stood so close to each other. Link’s hands slid off her waist at that, and he took a step back. Mipha cleared her throat and also mirrored the move, giving both of them more breathing room. “W-well. I. Yes. Thank you.”

Link watched her for a while longer, all earlier frazzled energy long gone. He was back to the stoic knight he always seemed to be, or at least most of the time. His eyes caught sight of something, and he reached forward to pluck a leaf out of her jewelry on her head.

Mipha felt herself blush in embarrassment at the reminder of her silly maneuver and even sillier predicament, and she ran her fingers across all her jewelry to ensure she was presentable. Trying to push the matter aside, she asked, “D-did… did everything go well with the goddess?”

Her friend nodded.

“Well, that’s good,” Mipha said with a smile. Then she shifted a little, heart growing heavy once more. “Link, I… I’m going to be leaving tomorrow. I… it was truly wonderful to see you again. I hope, perhaps, we can see each other again soon.”

Another nod was the acknowledgement. Mipha bit back a sigh. She understood, truly. But… well…

There was a way for him to ease up a little. But he had to agree to it.

“I was wondering… before I left… if—if, well…” oh goodness, this shouldn’t be so hard to ask! They used to swim together all the time! “I was going to go for a swim in the moat tonight. Would… would you like to join me?”

Link watched her a moment, and Mipha felt like she could melt into a puddle as he deliberated it. But then he nodded again, and her heart fluttered as a genuine smile pulled at her lips. She gave him a place where they could meet up, and he nodded, continuing along the path where the others had gone.

XXX

To say that he felt sure of anything in his life anymore was little more than a joke. Ever since his wife’s death and the prophecy, King Rhoam had felt like his life had spiraled entirely out of control. He had been an outsider to the royals, marrying into the family, purely there for support of his wife as she ruled the kingdom and served as a religious symbol and leader to their people. Yet her untimely death left him in charge, a man who had not been raised for such a rule, a man who had to do everything in his power to be the steady leader the people looked up to him to be, and to somehow raise his daughter to be just as wise and powerful as her mother.

He was failing, of course. As was Zelda. But Rhoam had continued to persevere, and if pushing his daughter to the breaking point was the way to protect her and help her grow, he’d be the subject of her ire. Despite it all, she had to prevail, even if he was failing.

But by the ancient goddesses, he had never in his life felt so utterly useless and lost. The franticness and demands that Her Grace Hylia had spouted during their conversation rang in his mind like a bell. Words of a mystical Triforce, something that was only remembered through symbolism and threadbare stories, made him feel far more incapable than he thought possible. How could he have failed Hyrule so? The prophecy had spoken of the solution to the Calamity being found under the ground, and the ancient Sheikah tech had been discovered buried in the earth. It had seemed heaven-sent solution, alongside the appearance of the Hero. Rhoam had just needed to get Zelda ready and it would have been fine. But what of the Triforce, then? The goddess seemed downright frantic at his lack of knowledge on the matter, and though she had promised to help Zelda, giving him hope, he still felt like he’d failed catastrophically.

He had to figure this out. A trip to the royal library was in order. To his surprise, the king found his daughter there as well. “Zelda?”

His dearest yelped as she whirled around. “Father! I was just doing some research and preparation. Her Grace, the goddess Hylia, and her Sacred Hero will be accompanying me as I show them the Divine Beasts and—”

The Divine Beasts?! What did that have to do with her training? Feeling his cheeks grow hot, the king interrupted, “You should be focusing on your duty, Zelda, not that of the Champions. Do not waste such prestigious guests’ time. I prayed to Her Grace for your sake.”

Zelda stiffened. “Y-yes, I—I know, Father, I just—they wanted to see them too.”

Oh. Well, then. The king found himself incapable of backtracking after snapping at her, and he felt all the worse for it. “When will you leave?”

“The sooner the better,” his daughter answered, regaining some of her excitement, though it was far more muted. Rhoam truly prayed that Hylia could help his child – the sooner she could discover her powers, the sooner she could be safe, the kingdom could be safe, and maybe… maybe he could attempt to rebuild his relationship with her. “I was thinking tomorrow, perhaps? But I wanted to plan the trip a little first.”

Rhoam agreed that the sooner his daughter could embark on her training the better, but he also felt his heart beat a little faster at the thought of such a quick departure. It wasn’t just his daughter with her appointed knight, a pair who could travel fairly indiscriminately and not attract too much attention outside of towns and villages. The two were safe together. But to include the goddess and her Hero… it felt nearly inappropriate to rush such a journey with them involved. Perhaps he should get the captain of the royal guard and arrange for some kind of escort?

The king left his daughter in peace to prepare, catching movement out of the corner of his eye, but when he looked there was no one there. Filling with anxious energy, he set out to summon the captain and then he could return to his own studies. Perhaps he should save researching about the Triforce for tomorrow… but no. He had to focus on his own duties as much as he pushed Zelda to focus on hers.

The captain of the royal guard came promptly when called for, and he knelt immediately upon entering the sanctum.

“Rise,” Rhoam ordered. “My daughter will be setting out with her knight tomorrow, and Her Grace, the Goddess Hylia, will be accompanying them alongside the Hero of Myth. I want to ensure their security is of paramount importance.”

Captain Abel watched the king a moment, stoic demeanor the spitting image of his son. The boy had come from a fine lineage of knights, and his father was no different. The captain was reliable, and Rhoam waited patiently as the man thought through the process.

“Your Majesty,” he started. “With all due respect, Princess Zelda and Her Grace Hylia are protected by the best Hylian knight in the land and the Hero of Myth and Legend, a warrior created by the goddess for the sole purpose of defeating Ganon. It would be a misuse of resources to send the royal guard, or even a battalion of knights, to go with them. We must stay here and protect you and the royal scientists, as well as their important work on the guardians.”

Ah, and this was where father differed from son. Link was a silent knight, obeying every command given to him. While his father’s loyalty was unquestionable, the man did what he believed was best for Hyrule, and though he would also inevitably follow any command ordered of him, he might offer a rebuttal first. Rhoam appreciated it, as his advice was usually sound.

Such as now. But the king couldn’t help but worry. “Surely we can afford to send at least a few knights, Captain.”

“I will do as Your Majesty commands if you wish it so,” the captain answered with a bow. “Where will they be going?”

“They will be visiting the Divine Beasts, as well as the sacred springs,” Rhoam replied.

Captain Abel remained quiet a moment, considering, and then suggested, “Perhaps we could request the Champions to accompany them? I can think of no finer protection.”

Ah, yes, of course! Although Rhoam had little authority to command certain Champions to act as guards for his daughter, they would be obliged to accompany Hylia, particularly if going to their own domains. Rhoam smiled at the captain. “That is a perfect idea, Captain. Please, summon the Champions to the sanctum. I will make my request to them.”

The royal knight bowed deeply before exiting the sanctum, leaving Rhoam to his thoughts. With the added protection of the Champions, the goddess would be both safe and honored properly. Perhaps it would help his daughter focus a little better too, as she often lost her way when left in charge of an expedition. Nevertheless, Zelda was the commander of the Champions, and it was good for her to travel a bit more with them anyway. Rhoam prayed it was enough. He would research tirelessly on other ways to help, however minimal it might be.

It would be enough. It had to be.

XXX

The sun hung heavily on the horizon as Link and Zelda sat side by side on stone that helped support the highest tower in the castle. After the fairly awkward picnic lunch, the group had gone their separate ways, Champion disappearing entirely upon reentering the castle grounds while Zellie eagerly said she’d plan out their trip and vanished around a corner. Link and Zelda had remained quiet for most of the afternoon, piecing together their resolve while still drawing strength from each other. They had silently grown tired of the confinement of the stone walls and climbed to the highest point of the castle. The air was a touch chillier here, though not nearly clear and relieving enough, but it was still better than being trapped inside.

And Zelda would be lying if she said it wasn’t beautiful.

The scale of the castle was all the more apparent up here, rivaling Skyloft in size, and Castle Town was nearly as large. Beyond the large protective walls of the town was the sprawling green beauty of greater Hyrule, and settlements speckled the area, promising of more to see and more to explore. Zelda could hardly believe it.

Link’s fingers settled over hers as he shifted his hand closer. Zelda glanced over at him, seeing the sunlight sparkle in his eyes as he gazed out in wonder.

This felt like all the times they’d sit together at the edge of Skyloft, having played themselves into exhaustion and silence. Link had always been a quiet one, and Zelda had never had an issue with it, sometimes enjoying the tenderness such silence could bring. She especially appreciated it on days that Groose was particularly loud and annoying.

But looking at her beloved husband right now reminded her of their earlier fight, of his words and the princess’ fears and the king’s request and her own anxieties. She again found herself wondering how she was going to juggle all this, how she could help the princess fight Demise, how they could even defeat him this time. At least with a trip to look at these divine beast things, there was a plan in place. Zelda could work with a plan.

Besides… maybe the springs could hold something for her as well. Maybe… maybe in the past… when she’d been Hylia… surely she’d seen this coming, right?

Right?

Zelda didn’t know what to do. She had no guide. She missed Impa so much it hurt.

At least I have Link with me this time, she thought, though there was a touch of bitterness to it. Of course he was with her this time – it wasn’t like he could escape this wretched fate, either. But honestly… she couldn’t imagine dealing with this with anyone else. As much as she wished Impa was here, she was forever grateful that Link was. If only both of them could accompany her. If only things could make sense.

But never mind that. There was a whole new world to explore. The Surface had been amazingly new and beautiful, and her restored memories had not lessened that. She couldn’t wait to see what the Surface had become now.

She tried to focus on that, tried to reorient her mind to recognizing that this wasn’t just a terrifying preparation for the war to begin anew. It was an adventure, and she would make sure it ended well.

But wait. Someone else had been on their adventure.

Zelda found herself thinking of her own people, of her friends and her father and the other settlers. She hoped and prayed they were alright.

And that they wouldn’t get near the Gate. Surely… surely they wouldn’t. There was no way they could. Groose was injured (Golden Three, she hoped he was doing okay), and no one else dared enter the Sealed Temple.

She hoped the guards she asked for would keep the place safe.

Zelda leaned over, letting her head rest on Link’s shoulder, and her husband settled his head atop hers. Tomorrow was going to be the start of something entirely new, and she was glad they would face it together.

“I love you,” she whispered.

Link turned his head to nuzzle into her hair a little more, and his arm moved to wrap around her. “I love you too.”

XXX

Hyrule Castle hummed with anticipation as the last rays of sunlight seeped out of the sky. Champions genuflected to the king, spoke with their guards and servants, and prepared themselves for the honor of accompanying a deity. The princess of Hyrule sprawled out on her bed, maps and books all over the covers, though they did little benefit as the girl’s head slowly plopped directly on to a book about the history of the Temple of Time, soft snores escaping her. The royal guards protecting the goddess’ quarters grew anxious as no goddess appeared, while two teenagers snuggled high up above the castle, enjoying the clear night sky. The captain of the guard prayed quietly in his quarters, dinner forgotten, as he thought about the trip the next day. The king moved restlessly through the royal library as he tried to find any clues of the Triforce.

Meanwhile, the princess’ appointed knight snuck around the castle walls, looking around the docks before finding a suitable place to strip off his shirt as the Zora princess waved at him.

The water was cold, and Link felt himself involuntarily gasp as he dipped his bare feet into it. Grabbing hold of his resolve, he leapt into the water, knowing the best way to adjust to the temperature was to just take the plunge. He let it invigorate him, startling all the worries of the day out of his mind as he just focused on swimming. Somehow, just floating in the water helped carry his worries away. He always enjoyed it.

Mipha giggled, catching his attention, and he swam over to her, smiling. They hadn’t done this in what felt like years—maybe it actually had been that long. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed it until just now.

“Oh Link,” Mipha said happily. “I’m so glad you could join me!”

Link’s smile grew, and the princess took that as a cue to continue.

“King Rhoam asked for me,” she noted, catching his attention. “Alongside all the other Champions. He asked us to accompany you and the princess as she took the goddess Hylia around Hyrule. I could hardly say no to such a request, but—oh, Link, how can I even get near such a being? Surely I’m not worthy of that. Do you think she’ll go in a carriage or something? At least that way she’ll never see me.”

Link stared at her a moment, letting the words flow through him like the water. The king wished the Champions to go with them? That wasn’t unreasonable, but it certainly changed things a little. Mostly for the better, honestly.

Except for Revali. Ugh. Great.

But having Mipha around would be nice. And Princess Zelda would appreciate Chief Urbosa’s company. Not to mention Daruk’s company would be nice. Though… Link wasn’t sure how Hylia or her Hero would take it.

But Mipha’s concerns registered in his mind, and he shook his head. In the solitude of the castle waters, he didn’t have to hide himself, though the paranoia persisted despite being with his friend. He pushed himself to speak freely. “She’s… not what I expected. I don’t think she’ll dislike you, Mipha.”

“Perhaps,” his friend agreed uncertainly, eyes looking at the moonlight dancing on the water.

“Nobody could dislike you,” Link reassured her, swimming a little closer and sinking into the water so he ended up in her line of sight. Mipha giggled at him as the only part of him that was visible above water was from his nose to the top of his head. She dove abruptly, and Link followed suit, the pair smiling at each other as they swam in circles. It almost felt like they were kids again, playing in Zora’s Domain while Link’s father was assigned there. It almost made him forget everything that was happening.

Almost.

Though, now that he had stepped away from the others, now that he was allowed to just have some simple fun and be with a friend, his mind felt much clearer. The usual immense weight on his shoulders felt a little less heavy, even just momentarily. While Hylia herself was still quite the mystery, her Hero was less so. And while Link still felt a little intimidated approaching him or Her Grace, he could at least draw courage from the fact that neither of them hated him.

He hoped the trip would be fruitful for Zelda. He truly did. The poor princess deserved it.

But what else would this trip bring? What could Link possibly contribute to it? Nothing, he supposed, except for his protection, as always. He supposed that was enough.

As Link and Mipha breached the water’s surface, he glanced back at the castle, wondering what this journey would bring. The playful moment was gone, Mipha stilled beside him, and then she said quietly, “The Calamity draws ever nearer… but Link… we have so much going for us. It must all end well, right?”

I don’t know. He truly didn’t. But… he nodded nonetheless. Because Mipha didn’t need to worry, and honestly, Link would do everything in his power to ensure that Calamity Ganon would be defeated. That had always been enough.

“I pray it will,” Mipha continued, before smiling gently at him. “I will strive to improve my fighting abilities in the meantime. I hope Her Grace and the Hero enjoy seeing the Domain—oh! Oh, I must send word to my father! We can’t be unprepared over such a visit!”

And just like that, his friend was in a frenzy, fretting about divine visitors and speaking about how Zora’s Domain should be ready. Link followed her back to the shore, somewhat amused—he was pretty certain there was nothing she could do to alert her father at the moment, but he was no stranger to worrying over everything and nothing in the middle of the night—and the pair snuck back into the castle. Link tried to hide his shivers as he crept along, listening to water drip off them both on the cobblestone.

“Oh, you’re freezing!” Mipha fretted, immediately grabbing him and holding him close. Link felt his heart skip a beat and by the goddesses he wished he didn’t—they’d done this as children; all the Zora had huddled together for warmth when exiting frigid waters. As children they weren’t quite adept and regulating their temperature, and they knew that Link himself was not capable. But it felt—now it was—

Link swallowed, feeling his cheeks warm up far faster than the rest of him, and Mipha froze. The two locked eyes for a moment, and the Zora princess immediately spluttered and stumbled back so quickly she nearly fell into yet another plant. Link reached out automatically, catching her by the wrist, and she hastily said, “I m-must go, I’m so very sorry, Link, good night!”

The young knight watched his friend practically flee indoors, and he felt… he didn’t know. Guilty? Sad? Embarrassed? All three?

He sighed as his gaze drifted upward along the castle. The worries from a moment ago bled out of him easily as anxieties over tomorrow filled the void. He didn’t think he would be sleeping much tonight. But the focus was back on Princess Zelda, where it belonged. He was there to fulfill a duty as well, but it didn’t require attention or scrutiny. He could guard and watch. He could do that.

He found himself wondering if the Hero of Legend would do that as well. He found himself wondering what he was even supposed to do with that Hero.

He didn’t know what he was supposed to do anymore, honestly. And while he no longer held any worry that his predecessor hated him, he certainly had little idea of how to help him. Assuming he even needed help.

It was all just… confusing. If this trip was fruitful in any way, he hoped it would at least make things less confusing.

I suppose I’ll find out, he thought as he followed Mipha’s wet footprints inside the castle, slipping back into the façade of the perfect soldier.

Chapter Text