Chapter Text
Link curled himself up as best he could in the corner of the wagon he rode in. He clutched the sword tightly to his chest in the same way he did on his night in Kara Kara. The girl he met earlier; “Zelda” she was called, sat next to him in the cart. She had long given up trying to shove his dirty sand boots off of the plush red velvet seats, even if it took her mother’s intervention to finally do it. She tried talking to him more after that, but he refused to lift his head. He had recognized the voices across from him as the King and Queen.
Link liked the Queen, her voice dropped down slowly like honey and her hands held the gentleness and warmness of a warm ray of sun. He still didn’t like the other two, though.
The King reminded him of the snowy hebra mountains, his eyes were as cold as ice and his voice was like the harsh wind. His words bit and frosted Link’s skin even worse then the actual frost did, years ago.
He didn’t know what Zelda reminded him of. Link peaked out of the cover of his arms to look at her. She reminded him of himself, he guessed. Her eyes burned with curiosity, constantly darting around at everything she could possibly lay her eyes on. He could see thoughts turning around in her eyes. The way her ears twitched and the way she fiddled with her hands, itching to hold onto something and play with it. Link decided she reminded him of the forest sword. She glowed with a similar light. Not literally, of course. But still.
The carriage pulled to a stop just outside of a set of large stone walls. There was a knocking at the door and was opened by one of the soldiers who had accompanied them.
“We have arrived at Castletown, your majesty.”
“Thank you, sir.” The King responded. “Instruct the guards to let us in.”
The knight bowed and shut the door closed.
It was a good five or so minutes before the carriage begun moving again. When it did, they moved across a bridge into a town that was waaay bigger the Gerudo town! The noise coming from outside peaked his curiosity enough for him to fully lift his head out of his knees. There were hylians everywhere. They were walking around on paved stone paths and coming in and out of colorful buildings that reached waaaay into the sky! It was the biggest, most populated place Link had ever seen!
He looked around amazed.
He looked at his kidnappers (actually this time) to see if they were as astonished as he was.
The King and Queen had the same neutral expressions they had on the way there.
Zelda was the opposite of Link. Her curiosity and fascination with the world around her seemed to die down when they rode into town. She now seemed much more interested in picking the muck out from under her fingernails then gazing out the carriage windows. Her glow was gone too, leaving only the dull silver of her blade.
They continued further into the town. Eventually, he begun seeing more species than just hylians. He had only really seen goron and zora in books, seeing them in real life was amazing! The zora stood much taller than any hylian man. They laughed merrily with the people around them, trading merchandise for fish or gems. There was Gerudo walking around too, he didn’t recognize any of them though and the hylians around seemed extremely wary. Link wondered why.
There were rito flying in and out of the streets, dropping letters in mailboxes and flying off to another building. There were Rito messengers who had flown through Gerudo town as well. They wouldn’t stay very long though. They would drop all the letters and packages off at the entrance and fly off.
The terrain changed the further they got into the city. It eventually curved back into a wide green field. They rode upon a winding path up to the ginormous castle Link had seen years ago!
That must have been where they were going! Link wondered what it was like inside. Would everything be fancy and plush like the carriage? Would the halls scale long and high like the ones in his storybooks? Oh, he was so excited!
There were a lew of much smaller and shabbier looking buildings that surrounded the castle. Link was very confused when the carriage stopped at the entrance of one of them. Standing in front of the cart was a man with a kind smile on his face. He begun walking up to the carriage the moment they stopped.
The King cleared his throat to get Link’s attention. “This is where you will be staying until the calamity, boy. We will start your knight training immediately. You are the hero, after all.”
Huh?
He was gonna do what now?
HE WAS WHAT NOW?!
Link didn’t have any more time to process what he had just been told before the door opened and he was fussed out of the carriage. He stepped out onto the cold, hard pavement and watched the carriage move on to the massive castle. He clutched the sword even tighter to his chest when the knight who pulled him out leaned down to talk to him.
“Hello, my name is Ethan.” He said in a soft voice with feigned delicacy. “What’s your name?”
Link didn’t say anything to him. Why should he trust this hylian with his name?
The man just chuckled. “You’re a shy one, huh? C’mon, I’ll show you around.”
The man held out a hand to Link, and he hesitated before taking it slowly. They walked into the building, Ethan walking him through and explaining each room.
“I know you’re nervous about staying here, but we will provide everything you need. Armor, food, baths and weapons will all be available to you for free.” He chuckled. “Not that you’ll need that last one eh? The barracks are comfortable, albeit cramped, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble falling asleep.”
The knight walked him through quite a few rooms. He was shown the kitchens, barracks, training grounds, baths and lavatories. He was encouraged to put his sword away in a locker. He refused.
Lastly, he was taken to a seamstress, who took his measurements. What for? Link had no idea. After that, he was given a shirt way too big for him to wear to bed. Link had inferred this was some sorta training camp, but for what?
At that point, it was getting late. The sun had already gone down and Link was having more trouble keeping awake as time went on. Ethan seemed to take note of it, and urged him towards the baths.
The baths had a few people in them now, Link wasn’t sure if it would always be like that. He was surprised to discover he had his own bath separate from the others.
"It’s because you’re so much younger than the rest of us." Ethan had explained. "You will be given some more privacy until you hit puberty. It’s mostly for your safety."
Link figured that made sense.
Ethan helped him take off his gold jewelry and untangle ornaments from his hair. Then, Link went off towards his separate bath to wash himself. The water was cold and the soap made his skin itch. He was really happy he washed his hair early, because he really didn’t wanna use the shampoo. It didn’t smell very good.
When he got out, he put back on his clothes and Ethan handed him a brush for his hair. Link took it gingerly and started combing through his hair the way his mom taught him. Start from the bottom, work your way up. Mom. Link tried his best not to cry. He didn’t know these people, it would be wrong to show them his vulnerabilities.
Link adjusted the ratty tunic over his frame as they walked back towards the barracks. He didn’t know how late it was, but it seemed like Ethan was getting sleepy too. He was walking kinda weird and wouldn’t stop yawning. Link really wished he still had his shoes. The stone path was much too cold.
The barracks hadn’t seemed that bad during the tour, but now seeing it filled with people it was much worse. Men were sitting upon their beds, some stopping by or sitting on others’ and talking. The volume was louder than a bokoblin horn and Link had to cover his ears just to muffle the sound a little bit. Ethan tugged him towards an empty bunk bed and encouraged him to uncover his ears.
“This is where you’ll be staying.”
Link’s anxiety spiked. While yes, he was aware that he would be staying in the barracks, he hadn’t fully believed it until then. Ethan continued on, not noticing his sudden heavy breath.
“You’ll be staying on the top bunk. I’ll be right under you, so don’t be afraid to wake me up if you have any questions. There is a small compartment under your bed.” He pointed to a slim drawer above the bottom bunk. “Where you can store your sword or any other personal items you brought.”
Link, unfortunately, was not tall enough to open the door himself, so Ethan lifted him and placed him on the top bunk. From there, Link bent down and opened the drawer, placing the sword inside and letting Ethan close it.
Ethan stretched out his muscles and just when it looked like he was about to get in bed, Link said something.
“Uhh.. Ethan.” He spoke just barely loud enough for him to hear over the shouting.
Ethan flinched. “…yes?”
“Where am I exactly? Why am I here?”
Ethan looked dumbfounded at that. “Did they.. not tell you?”
Link blinked. “Not tell me what?”
Ethan sighed. “Well, you’ve come here to start training to become a royal knight. You pulled the sword, so they are preparing you for your destiny and what is to come.”
“Why? Why me? What sword? The forest sword?”
Ethan blinked at him. “Oh Hylia, they really didn’t tell you anything did they? Well, You know the legend of the triforce, yes?”
Link nodded. Of course he did, it was plastered all over his history books. The hylians wouldn’t shut up about it.
“So, that sword you’re carrying around is the sword of legend. Which would make you the hero destined to defeat the calamity.”
“…oh.”
Link… did not know how to feel about that. Ethan seemed mighty distressed though.
“Oh, Din’s grace. I thought it was weird when they didn’t tell me your name but to think they didn’t even tell you what was happening or where you were going?! God, what a mess. Did they just grab you, throw you in a carriage and bring you here without a word?!”
They had, but Link didn’t think telling him that would be a very good idea.
“Oh my god, hold on, how old are you?”
“I’m ten.”
“TEN?!” Ethan squawked “I-I thought you would be at least 13, but ten?! We never start training that long! Where are your parents? Do they know you’re here?”
“Wolfie’s gone, ‘bosa saw them take me.”
Ethan blinked at him dumbly. “What?”
“Wolfie disappeared when I was younger. He was my big brother.”
“Your parents chose an ..interesting name for him.”
Link shook his head. “No, I named him since he couldn’t speak. I never knew my birth parents. Wolfie cause he’s a wolf.”
Ethan’s jaw fell. It was a few seconds before he spoke again.
“Uhm. Who is ‘bosa then?”
“She took care a’ me after Wolfie left. She was kinda my mom sort of. We lived in Gerudo town before I was taken.”
“Well, that would explain the accent and clothes…” Ethan mumbled.
BANG
BANG
BANG
“Lights out!”
Everyone mumbled their goodbyes and went off to their own beds.
Ethan turned to Link.
“Before we sleep, will you tell me your name now.”
Link thought about it. He had already told him a lot more than he originally planned… It couldn’t hurt, could it.
“It’s Link.”
Ethan smiled at him. “Very nice name. Do you want me to tuck you into bed, Link?”
“No I’m ok I think.”
“Alright. Good night, kid”
Ethan ruffled his hair and disappeared under the loft.
Link sighed and layed down. it took him much longer then usual to fall asleep. When he did, eventually fall, his dream wasn’t his normal one. He didn’t see the princess. Instead he saw a child a year or two younger then him, prancing around a think, lush forest with a fairy in tow behind him. Instead of the harp player and her friend, he saw a boy a little older then him sailing the seas and braiding his little sisters hair. The man was the same. But he was in a group this time, one with men who closely resembled the ones he mentioned previously. And he was laughing happily. He went to sleep in a camp with a smile on his face. No tears in sight, It comforted Link, it made the reality of his situation a little bit easier.
. . .
Link sighed as he lifted himself up into his loft. It had been a long day. He had to sell some of his goats today. Doing so was a common and normal part of raising goats, but selling them while knowing that they were off to get slaughtered didn’t get any easier. It had been a pretty normal day besides that. He herded his goats, milked them, inseminated some of the goats who had come of age, played with village kids, ate with Uli and.blank, and helped Jaggle with his farm.
When all was said and done, he got to rest his tired head in his bed and think. He thought about the people who were most important to him, or at least what was left of them. Some of Midna’s memories were starting to slip away from him, and most of his cub was already gone. He couldn’t even remember the boy’s name. The only memories he had of him was long, blonde hair that shone like the sun, wild and infectious laughter as little feet ran through a forest that welcomed him, one that would change and open to grant the little boy passage, and the feeling of tiny fingers gripping his fur. The cold, shivering skin that tried to stick close to him and steal body warmth was the most painful of them all.
Zelda had talked to royal doctors and physicians about the issue regarding his memory, but they couldn’t figure it out either. So, Link thought about the memories he did have, he tried his hardest to hold onto them and kept them close to his heart. This only really led to him missing them more and more. It made his already empty heart feel just that much emptier. And it didn’t really help. More of the both of them slipped away every day. In a week’s time, he probably wouldn’t remember that long blonde hair anymore. Link let out a choked sob and cried himself to sleep.
He woke up early the next morning, like he always did after he started taking his responsibilities seriously. He had to be up before the sun so he could let the goats out. He turned the latch on the door and watched the goats bellow at him in thanks (probably) and run off to play in the grass.
Link looked up at the sky and hummed. The sun was high enough to shroud everything in light, but it was still dark enough to put a blueish filter on everything. No one else would be up yet, which meant he had some time to himself before he had to go back to work. Link sat by a tree near the entrance of the village and sighed. He was older than he used to be. Admittedly not by much, but the harsh labor he did day to day was enough to put a constant ache in his bones.
He watched whatever went on in the forest beyond his home. A pair of doe leaped through the trees, stopping and startling at every strange noise. He looked at birds who made their best in the trees above them and the squirrels that scurried through the tree roots collecting food and avoiding predators
He turned his head back towards the entrance, where the soft crunching of leaves could be heard. Walking towards the village were two men and a young boy, maybe twelve?
It wasn’t uncommon to see travelers come through Ordon village, but they would rarely stay longer than it took to ask for directions and purchase provisions. These ones were odd though, whereas mostly it was traveling merchants or farmers on their way to find a bigger income in castle town, these ones were very obviously swordsmen, including the child. The air was tense around them, like they didn’t want to be around each other.
The oldest of the three wore armor. Like, knight’s armor. But he did not bear the crest of the royal family. His blonde hair was short. Tattoos covered the sides of his face, a gruff and neutral expression covered it. He looked familiar, but Link couldn’t quite put his name on it.
The second man had brown hair and much softer features. They were delicate, in a way. A sad expression was etched onto them. His sword was covered in a cloth and a small harp lay at his hip. Link chose to ignore how his tunic looked almost exactly like his own hero tunic
The youngest of the bunch was pouting. He was by far dressed the lightest, only wearing a blue shirt with a simple lobster pattern and white pants.
They were walking towards him, not just the town. Probably looking for directions. Link stood up with a grunt and stretched
“Y’all lookin’ for Castletown?”
“Uhh, maybe?” Cloth sword asked “We actually wanted to know if you knew the location of the hero?”
Link raised his eyebrow. “You’re gonna have to be more specific, man. What kind a’ hero? What do they look like?”
“Oh um.. well just a hero of Hyrule, I guess? He should be carrying a sword that sort of looks like this?”
The man pulled the cloth-covered sword out of its hilt and presented it to Link, taking the cloth off.
The sword was a near-perfect replica of his own. He flinched when it started pulsing with light.
Oh my god it’s not a replica.
How could there be another one? Why were there two? Why could this man hold it?
“Why’re you lookin’ for him?”
“So you know where he is, then?” The kid interjects
“That depends on why you’re lookin’”
The one with soft features glared at him, which honestly didn’t seem possible before it happened. He took a step forward, trying to intimidate. “That’s between us and the hero, country boy”
Country boy? Well that was just dumb. Less like an insult, more like a statement.
The tallest (and oldest looking) put his hand between the two. “We need to speak to him. We believe the goddess has a mission for him.”
The man’s voice sounded even more familiar. It was on the tip of Link’s tongue, where did he know the guy from? Also, why would he know what the goddess has in store? Link had already served the goddess with a mission twice, and was forced away from people he cared for.
----
BANG
BANG
BANG
“RISE AND SHINE SOLDIERS”
Link sighed and burrowed further into the thin mattress below him. He wasn’t ready to let go of that warmth yet. Just a few more seconds…..
Hands gripped his side and pushed.
CRASH
Link hit the floor.
“That means you too, Champion.” A voice sneered. “Being the Hero doesn’t make you exempt from the rules the rest of us follow. You should know that by now.”
He grabbed onto the side of his bed and hoisted himself up. Link really wasn’t in the mood to use more energy then he had to. Ethan had long since been transferred. Link didn’t remember where exactly, but it must have been further south. His new bunkmate was skinny, with a thick pair of glasses that had obviously ended up broken more then once, if the painter’s tape that covered them said anything. He was still significantly shorter than the other soldiers. He was thirteen, and the medics said he still had some growing to do, maybe eventually he would be taller than everyone else! The medics said it wasn’t likely.
Link pulled on his plated armor and followed the other soldiers to morning training, grabbing The Master Sword on his way out.
He wasn’t permitted to keep the leather scabbard he came here with. They took it away from him and gave him a shiny metal one that matched the sword in coloring. As pretty as this new one was, he missed the engraved leather. It was pretty much the only thing he was able to bring with him from Gerudo Town. The only tangible object that reminded him of his home.
They didn’t allow him to keep his hair, either. It was now cropped just above his neck, leaving his ears cold. He loved the weight of it and how it felt when he shook his head, but he had to cut it. It was regulation, apparently. Hylians believed that long hair could not look “neat” on men specifically (which is NOT true, by the way).
There was so much emphasis on gender in hylian culture, arguably more than in Gerudo. Which was crazy, because Gerudo had it literally engraved in stone!
The hylians’ rules surrounding gender aren’t engraved into laws, but everyone is expected to know and follow it anyway. Men and women have different roles, they’re supposed to dress and carry themselves and talk completely differently!
It honestly all went over Link’s head completely, but whatever. Rules were rules he guessed.
The morning training regimen was the same as always. Stretching, sparring, running, and a little bit of archery (they didn’t focus on it that much, the Captain says that archery is better left to the Rito).
Link usually trained through most of lunch. He had to train way more, since he was supposed to be the hero and all. Link didn’t mind it that much, even when his stomach ached from hunger and he felt like he would throw up his breakfast (if he had eaten breakfast).
When he did eat lunch, it would usually just be bread and water. Most of the other soldiers got a little more. Some fruit, veggies, bread, and occasionally meat covered trays. Link never got that much for lunch, unless it was a holiday. He was told it was part of his training. He would have to be strong enough to fight on a low-energy body if he wanted to defeat The Calamity.
He would have to scarf it down as well. If lunch time ended before he got to finish, his bread would be tossed to the ducks.
After lunch there was more sparring, and then they would travel out into a nearby field to train.
It was mostly just chu chus and the occasional red bokoblin.
You would think with all the high quality weapons and armor the hylian infantry has, they would travel a little farther out to train against tougher monsters, but the hylian infantry was trained for war between domains. Why would they train for the Calamity? They had Link to deal with it for them.
Not that Link was getting trained for tougher monsters, but whatever.
Dinner time was right after that, and walking through the mess hall doors always felt like walking through the gates of heaven. The tray of wet slop and bottle of milk looked like nectar and ambrosia to him. He was allowed to eat the same portions as everyone else at dinner time, and by god, was he thankful.
As soon as he stuffed it in his mouth, he felt queasy. No matter how good it tasted, Link could never stomach anything more than the buttered biscuit on the side of the tray. His stomach always grumbled for more, but could barely keep down what he put in it! He would only eat more when he fainted and was sent to the infirmary, but that was because the nurse would have to force it in him. Most of the time, his slop was traded with other knights, so he could borrow a book or two.
Bath time hadn’t changed in three years, same cold water and itchy soap.
He had taken to reading before Light’s out, these days. It wasn’t exactly easy to make friends with men who were 7 to 30 years older than you.
Link didn’t mind for the most part. He found it to be fun to laugh over peoples’ poor representation and understanding of other races, and to hear about how other heroes might have saved Hyrule. No one really knew the other heroes by anything other than their titles, but it was fun to speculate.
His favorite story was one he borrowed from his bunkmate, about the Hero of Time. It was titled Majora’s Mask and was by far one of the silliest books Link had ever read. Everything the author described was silly, and sometimes inexplicable. The moon had a face (as if that wasn’t silly enough as it is) that was described as a “Constipated Goron” and Link couldn’t help but giggle at the image. Even with all the funny bits, the author somehow managed to perfectly balance it out with how dark the book was. It comforted Link to know how someone could turn impending doom and terror into a light situation like that. It made him wonder if he could do the same…