Chapter Text
Captain Link had a family. Growing up in the Lower District, that wasn’t exactly common; orphans and abandoned children were practically everywhere you turned. Hell, if it wasn’t for Gran-gran, he would be one of those orphans.
Gran-gran was his maternal grandmother. She wasn’t the soft and sweet old lady you’d hear about in children’s books; she’d often tell Link “I don’t want a grandson who curls up and hides at the first sign of the dark. You need to be strong and stand on your own two feet, boy.”
Of course, that wasn’t to say Gran-gran didn’t care for him. Link still vividly remembered the time she started a street fight after he’d nearly been price-gouged over some apples. The vendor still had the scars to prove it.
Link had a family in Gran-gran; she cared so deeply for him and he for her. But he could never see her.
It happened after it was revealed he bore the Spirit of the Hero. The nobility would never support a Link who was from such “common blood”. So his whole past, his voice, and his family had to be quietly swept under the rug, abandoned and forgotten.
He’d last seen his Gran-gran a little over two years ago, a week after he had learned of his fate. He still wrote whenever he could, sending every rupee he could spare to her so she could keep the tenement Link had grown up in.
He didn’t worry about her, though. She was strong and smart, so she could handle herself. He certainly didn’t worry whenever he heard about unrest in the Lower District, or when food shortages strike Castle Town, or when anything even remotely distressing happens.
That would signify he was worried about her, and he promised he wouldn’t worry.
-
As the summer months began in Hyrule, so too did the Festival of the Goddess. The festival marked the birth of both the kingdom of Hyrule and the birth of the Goddess Hylia herself. Understandably, festivities were always massive, and Castle Town allowed for no exception.
“Whoooooah!” The Sailor wasn’t even bothering to hide his glee as Link marched his division up the main boulevard back to the barracks. “And I thought the festivals on Windfall were big!” He bounced between the stalls like a fairy in a flower field.
Link chuckled at the Sailor’s antics. “This is just on one street. You haven't even seen the main square.”
The Hero of Winds wheeled on him, eyes like dinner plates. “There’s MORE ?”
Link laughed. “Once we get back to the barracks, we’ll ask Impa if we can have the night to ourselves. Everyone else will probably be getting the week off anyway to visit their families.”
Mask turned to him from ogling a stall framed by stuffed animals. “You make it sound like you don’t get the week off, Captain. Are you going to visit family?”
Um.
“W-well, I was going to spend some time with you two this week, since we’re basically brothers anyway. Unless you suddenly don’t want to spend time with me.” Link hoped his attempt at humor would hide the lump in his stomach.
Mask wasn’t buying it. “I didn’t say that. Do you have any other family you want to see?”
“Uh…”
Sailor, who was seemingly completely oblivious to Link’s discomfort, suddenly shouted, “Hey, Mask! They got a slingshot game! We could win that thing with our eyes closed!”
Mask ran off to join Sailor in strategizing how to obliterate the carnival games, but not before shooting Link another sad look. Like he knew what Link’s answer already was.
“You good, Captain?” one of the soldiers nearby shook Link from his stupor.
“Fine.” Link continued his march up the boulevard with renewed vigor.
He may not be able to visit his old family (which he was perfectly fine with), but the least he could do was make sure his new family was as happy as possible. It couldn’t be too hard to convince General Impa to let them have one night to themselves, right?
-
“Absolutely not.”
“What?!”
The Sailor glared at Impa, as if his stare could force her to change her mind. You might as well have asked a stone wall to turn into feathers. At least a stone wall would seem less impassive.
Zelda, at least, looked apologetic. “The Hero has certain … responsibilities to fill during the Festival. Because of those, we have to be able to know where you are and be able to quickly reach you.”
Mask groaned. “Great. More boring parties with stuffy nobles and seafood.”
“No, actually.” Zelda smiled. “Apparently one of my ancestors thought the endless parade of balls during the Festival Week was simply too much, so she wrote a law that the royal family were to spend the whole of the festival ‘offering their deepest devotions to the goddess.’”
“Translation: ‘please just let us sleep in and do what we want.’” Link smirked as he remembered being in Mask and Sailor’s shoes this time last year. He’d been utterly shocked the first time Zelda had asked to speak with him during the week. He’d entered the chamber fully prepared to spend the next several hours in prayer, not planning a new swordplay regimen for the Royal Guard.
He certainly didn’t complain, though.
Sailor frowned. “Okay, okay, sure. But can we just get like one night at the carnival? We’ll stay in the main square-”
“No.” Impa’s rebuttal was as swift as last time.
“Why not?!”
“Security risk,” Impa responded immediately. “The Festival of the Goddess brings many travelers to the capital, and not all of them are friendly. If three bearers of the Hero’s Spirit were all together outside the keep, they would be a significant target for any bearers of ill will.”
The staring contest resumed, and Link was sure Sailor was either going to burn a hole in the wall or spontaneously combust. He needed to nip this in the bud.
“All right, General, we’ll respect your wishes. We aren’t here to start any fights.” Link directed the last part at the Sailor, hoping he’d let it drop.
Sailor looked like he was still going to drag it out, but Zelda seemed to pick up what Link was putting down. “Very well. Link, General, I’m sure you have other tasks to attend to. You are dismissed. Mask, Sailor, if you could remain, I have a matter to discuss with you…”
Link took his leave. Better the princess diffuse the Sailor right now than him, especially when he agreed with him. Why force the kids to stay cooped up when he was the only real risk?
This wouldn’t do. Mask and Sailor deserved to have a night to not worry about being heroes and just for once be actual kids. He had to figure something out…
-
“Lieutenant!”
Lieutenant Olivia Arch turned at the call of a familiar voice. “Hey hey, mon Capitaine! What’s with the laundry?”
Link adjusted the bundle of clothes in his arms. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk with you about. You know that the Hero has to stay in the castle during the Festival, right?”
“Sure.” She did not, in fact, know that before Link said it, but that was beside the point.
“I’m fine with staying back and planning with Zelda, but Impa wants to keep Mask and Sailor here too.”
“Doesn’t she know that won’t end well?” The last time those two had been forced to stay in the castle, Sailor had gone charging around the halls riding a pig for an hour before he’d been stopped.
Link shrugged. “Maybe she’s willing to deal with the consequences. In any case, I don’t want to inflict that on them, so I’m sneaking them out to the carnival tomorrow night.”
Arch grinned. “Oooh, going against direct orders! How rebellious of you, Link.”
“Shut up,” Link eloquently responded. “Either I do it for them and get in trouble with Impa, or they do it without me and we risk the castle burning down as collateral.”
“Fair,” Arch winced. “So where do I fit into this, Mr. Hero Man?”
“You’re going to go as their chaperone.”
Arch openly stared. “Let me get this straight. You’re going to go through all of this effort of planning an escape, complete with what I guess are disguises, and you aren’t even doing it for yourself?”
Link sighed. “Look. I may be willing to go against millennia of tradition and the General’s will, but I’m not irresponsible. This way, I can take the fall for them if they are missed, and they’ll be safe from any supposed evildoers.” He looked at her with pleading eyes. “This is the only way I can think of that leaves everyone happy in the end. Please?”
It’ll leave everyone happy but you, Arch thought, but such was the self-sacrificing nature of the Spirit of the Hero. “Fine. But you owe me for this.”
Link grinned. “Next round’s on me, then. I’ll probably leave them with you after lunch. Could you go let them know you’ll be with them tomorrow? Zelda’s certainly finished with them by now. Oh! And they can’t know they’re going to the carnival. I want it to be a surprise.” He dashed off, leaving Arch holding the bundle of clothes. (And how was she going to explain those, oh Hero of Well-Thought-Out Schemes?)
Arch sighed and began making her way towards the captain’s apartment. Knowing Mask and Sailor, they were probably halfway through concocting their own scheme to leave the castle. She’d have to find a way to dissuade them, but how?
A sudden idea formed. “Oh, captain, my captain,” she said to no one in particular, “you have another thing coming.”
-
[Hours earlier…]
This was so unfair! First Sailor had to march right past the awesomest fair in the whole world, then stupid Impa had to be all “no fun allowed” and tell him, Mask, and Captain they couldn’t even go to it! And Captain just rolled over and let her keep them here!
To top all that off, Zelda wanted to talk to them about some mysterious matter that she needed them to fill. What was so important that it needed two Links to hear about it?
“All right, to business then, Heroes. There’s a serious matter regarding Link I need your help with.”
Of all the things Sailor was expecting, it wasn’t that. “Huh?” he dumbly responded.
Zelda smirked at his baffled expression. “Yes. It’s about his family.”
“I knew he was hiding something,” Mask said quietly. “He was acting weird when I asked him if he wanted to see anyone during the Festival.”
Zelda smiled sadly. “Yes. He does have some family. His grandmother lives in the Lower District of Castle Town. He loves her dearly, but he isn’t allowed to visit her.”
Sailor gasped. “What? Why not?”
“The nobility that provides funds for the war could barely stand hearing even the tiniest lilt of his accent from the District,” Zelda explained. “How do you think they would respond to learning that the Hero was not some unattainably perfect child of noble blood?”
The question hung unanswered in the air. No one needed to answer it.
“What can we do?” Mask’s eyes shone with conviction.
“Oh, I haven’t the faintest,” Zelda said suddenly. “After all, with one of the castle maps listing all of our secret passages missing, I wouldn’t even know where to send you in the first place.”
The map that Sailor had conveniently liberated from the dusty bookshelf it had been on just a week before. He almost opened his mouth to say as much, and also to ask “how did you know I took it?”, but he was silenced by a look from Zelda.
She continued, “And even if I knew you needed to take the passage hidden in the southeast library that connects to the sewers, I certainly wouldn’t tell you that you would need to take the second right and the fourth left to end up in Link’s neighborhood. That would be deeply irresponsible of me.”
…oh. Oh.
Sailor liked this Zelda.
“Got it, Princess,” he responded cheerfully. “We definitely won’t do anything with this information and are just going back to our room to plan all the fun card games we can play with Link during this week.”
“So I imagine.” Zelda’s eyes were bright with the mischief she had sown. “Farewell, Heroes. And remember, what we spoke of here is our secret.” She turned and left into her private quarters.
“C’mon!” Sailor practically dragged Mask along with him. “We gotta get this planned out!”
-
“Ugh, that won’t work either!”
Mask watched as Sailor crumpled up another plan and tossed it into the fireplace. This was their fifth scrapped plan now; at this rate, Captain would return from his mysterious absence before they could even make headway.
They’d thought of everything. Mask had dug through his collection of, well, masks, suggesting multiple that could help them. The Stone Mask seemed the most promising; no one would ever see the Hero where he shouldn't be if he couldn’t be seen. Theory plans all seemed to fall apart, though, for one simple reason.
“The problem is,” Mask supplied, “that Captain would never do any of this under normal circumstances.”
Sailor nodded, thinking. “Right. Captain may be desperate to see his one living relative, but he’s not irresponsible. He won’t just walk out of the castle without some serious motivation.”
They puzzled over it a bit more. Maybe Sailor could use those weird pear things to make a bird steal Captain’s hat? They could try to forge an official document asking him to investigate the passage and lure him out to the Lower District?
They were still brainstorming plans when there was a knock on the door.
“Crap,” Mask eloquently cursed. They didn’t have time to hide the map or their current plan draft.
The door opened, revealing Lieutenant Arch. “Hey, boys! Don’t mind me, just bringing in this totally random bundle of clothes for absolutely no reason whatsoever! Certainly not part of a plan by Link to let you guys have fun while he suffers!”
Mask and Sailor just stared. What? Captain was planning on sneaking them out to the carnival while he stayed behind?
“The nerve of some people!” Sailor facepalmed.
Arch looked a little bemused. “I assumed you were already working on a plan to get yourselves out, and since he left me on chaperoning duty, I decided I’d help you plan if you help Link join you out there. Is something wrong?”
Sailor and Mask looked at each other. This was certainly the gift horse being handed to them.
“Sort of,” Sailor explained. “Y’see…”
-
[The next afternoon…]
“Thank you for the wonderful meal, Your Highness,” Link said. “I’m afraid that the other Heroes and I were planning to spend the rest of the day in deeply devoted prayer to the Goddess. We request that we are not disturbed.”
“Of course, Bearer of Farore’s Will,” Zelda returned. Link referring to Zelda as “your Highness” in private company was code that he needed a break from all of the airs he had to put on during the day. She just liked to tease him with increasingly ridiculous titles whenever he did so. “I thank you for your service. See you in the morning.”
Link bowed, then took Mask and Sailor with him out of the room. If all was going to plan, Lieutenant Arch would be waiting in the suite to play her part. All he had to do was vanish into his bedchambers for a few minutes and he’d have plausible deniability. (Impa wouldn’t believe it for a second, but at least it would give them a little head start).
Sure enough, Arch was waiting for them when they arrived. The pile of clothes she was holding looked bigger than when he’d given it to her. Strange.
“Lieutenant Arch? What are you doing here?” Mask asked.
“Put on these clothes and I’ll tell ya,” Arch responded, tossing him a bundle. She followed up with a pass to Sailor, then surprisingly, Link.
Link stared at the bundle of patchwork clothes in his arms, even as the other two wandered back to their rooms to change. “This wasn’t part of the plan.”
Yeah, it wasn’t. And neither was my disguise, apparently.” Sure enough, there was one more pile of clothes to be had, along with what looked like a blonde wig.
Link opened his mouth to voice his concerns, but Arch silenced him with a look . “One, you barely even told me your plan in the first place, so how the hell do you expect me to follow it, and two, the kids gave me the puppy dog eyes when they found out they wouldn’t be with you this afternoon. You know I can’t resist the puppy dog eyes.”
“Touché,” Link allowed. Even he couldn’t resist the puppy dog eyes. “The plan was basically ‘I redirect the guards from the main halfway long enough that you can sneak into the public areas and leave through the front door.’ You wouldn’t’ve had to do much of anything.”
“Sure, sure,” Arch said, not believing it for a second. “And we’d just be able to waltz into the public areas with no problem huh?”
Link chose to ignore the snide commentary. “We’d better hurry and change, before Mask and Sailor come out while we’re arguing.”
Arch grinned. “That’s the spirit.”
Soon they were all in their disguises and moving with purpose down to the viewing gallery. It was a bit hairy to find a gap in the guards, but they did manage it. Shortly thereafter, they were outside and headed to the carnival.
Traditionally, most people didn’t join the festivities until later in the evening. Even so, the carnival was in full swing, with stalls and games bursting with color and activity.
In hindsight, it was probably good that Link was there to support Arch corralling the boys in their endeavor to bleed the carnival games dry of all they were worth. They were both bouncing between stalls with no respect for order or patterns, gleefully passing tips to each other in the half seconds they were sprinting past one another.
Link had never seen either of them this free. Mask usually wore his displeasure on his sleeve, but not a single line of worry creased his face. The Sailor’s facade didn’t feel like a farce, genuine glee oozing from every pore of his body.
In the end, it wasn’t until the sun was brushing the horizon that Link finally managed to drag everyone back in the direction of the castle, laden with candy and prizes. Mask was particularly proud of a massive stuffed horse almost as tall as he was. The plush had already been given the name Epona, and would probably be staging with Link until the War reached its end.
As they approached the main gate, Arch suddenly pulled them down a side street. “Hold on,” she said, “we need to find a new route into the castle.”
“What? Why would we need to do that?” Link asked.
“First rule of sneaking! Don’t take the same route twice!” Sailor crowed proudly.
“Uh-huh. Do you happen to know an alternative?”
“Of course! I got a map of the castle with all of the passages on it!” Right, Sailor memorized maps like they were going out of style. “There should be an entrance we can use near here somewhere…”
Sure enough, they found a disguised doorway against the outer wall of the castle and made their way in. Things hadn’t gone exactly to plan, but soon they’d all be back where they belonged.
-
Everything was proceeding exactly to plan. Sailor led them through the passages easily, without even needing to reference the map once (which was good, because otherwise Captain would get suspicious of how far they were going from their “destination”). It was a good thing all of the secret passages connected to each other (often though even more secret passages), because then the game would be up.
Arch had been easy to convince to join in on Operation Homemade Soup (working title). She’d already been half-planning to loop them in on Captain’s plot on the condition they force him to join. Once she had heard what they’d found out from Zelda, she’d help them work in the steps to take Captain home, down to the idea to use the secret passages on the way “back”. Sailor was glad they’d managed it all so well.
Soon they reached the sewer path Zelda had described to them. This was the hardest part.
“Sailor, you sure you know where you’re going?” Captain asked. “Because this doesn’t look like the area beneath the castle.”
“I’m sure,” Sailor responded, intentionally answering slightly too fast to be true.
Captain affixed him with a look . “You sure don’t sound sure, Sailor. You should double-check that map of yours to be sure.”
“...Okay.” He really dragged it out to sound more morose. He made a bit of a show patting himself down before saying, “I think I left it in the apartment.”
“Golden Thr- you left it in the apartment? ”
“...Sorry?”
Captain looked like he was going to pop something if they kept “aimlessly wandering” the sewers for any longer. Mercifully, Mask stepped in. “We can just poke our heads up through the grate to get our bearings. You think that could help, Sailor?”
“That could help me figure out where we are, yeah.” It could also conveniently let them out directly into Captain’s neighborhood, exactly as planned. Sailor grabbed onto the nearest ladder and began to climb. “C’mon, we probably all need the fresh air anyways.”
They crawled out in the middle of an alleyway. The buildings on both sides obstructed their view of the castle, so they made their way to the streets.
Their disguises were twice as effective here, since everyone’s clothes looked so much like theirs. The area they were in was clearly not the wealthy districts they usually were allowed to romp in. Everything, even the buildings, seemed second-hand and cobbled together. The few people in the streets moved quickly, avoiding eye contact with anyone.
“What?” The Captain clearly recognized where they were. “Why are-” Something visibly clicked in his brain. “This was a setup.”
Arch grinned. “Finally figured it out, Mr. Hero Man?”
Captain wasn’t amused. “Who told you where I live?”
“Zelda,” Mask replied. “She was tired of you looking like a sad-sack and wanted you to see your grandma.”
“Which brings me to my question: why didn’t you tell me you had a grandma?” Sailor asked. “Grandmas are so cool! I should know, I have one!”
Captain was now visibly struggling to respond. “Why? Why do all of this for me?”
Arch groaned. “Oh hell no, not this imposter syndrome junk again. We did this for you ‘cause we love you, you dork!”
Sailor nodded, going in for a hug. “You’ve done so much to help us for the past coupla months. Least we could do in return, is all.”
“I know what it’s like to leave someone you love behind, knowing you’ll never see them again,” Mask said softly, suddenly looking much older than his body said he was. “You won’t suffer like that; not if I have anything to say about it.” He joined their embrace.
They were all quiet for a minute, aside from the suddenly very heavy breaths from Captain. (If anyone claimed to see them crying, each of them would claim it was the sewage gas catching up to them.)
Captain composed himself a moment later, coughing to get their attention. “Well, I guess we’re doing this. Time to go home.”
-
Link led them to one of the food stalls lining the side of the road. Eriksonn was still running it after all these years.
“Well met, strangers. What can I do ya for?”
“Lookin’ fer directions, and a person.” It was strange to use his natural voice after practicing speaking in a court accent for so long, but it was refreshing, like slipping into a comfortable pair of shoes. “Used ta live here with my Gran-gran, and wanted ta know if she still here.”
Eriksonn’s expression suddenly closed like the castle portcullis. “Yer ‘Gran-gran,’ eh? Who’s askin’ fer ol’ Aryll, anyway?”
Sailor’s eyes flew wide, and he looked like he was about to ask something, but Arch wisely covered his mouth.
Link continued. “Ya really don’t recognize me, Erkisonn? Leave fer two years, and ‘m suddenly a stranger to ya?”
Eriksonn leaned forward, getting close to Link’s face. Eriksonn’s vision had been going for a while, and was clearly further out the door since they’d last met. Recognition finally sparked in his eyes. “Lil’ Linky? Izzat you?”
“‘M not all that ‘little’ anymore, Eriksonn.”
“Hahah! True enough! Tho th’ last time I saw ya clearlike, ya barely came up ta me waist!”
Link felt the color rising in his face as the others barely suppressed their snickers. “Yeah, yeah, yer a blind old coot now. Ya know where Gran-gran is or not?”
Eriksonn chuckled a little more, before straightening. “Okay, ya know her old tenement she used ta live in? She’s not there no more. Moved upstairs.”
Link's blood froze. No, she couldn’t’ve, wouldn’t he have heard-
“Ya know, to th’ fancy studio on top! Some rich goon keeps tossin’ money at her like she’s a debt collector or sumthin. Bought the place a year back.”
…Link wasn’t sure his heart could take another shock like that one.
“Thanks fer the tip, Eriksonn. Good ta see ya ‘gain.”
“Don’t be a stranger, Link! If ya need Eriksonn fer anythin’ else just give me a holler!” Eriksonn waved as they departed.
Sailor waited (im)patiently until they were out of earshot before turning to Link and blurting out, “Your Gran-gran’s name is Aryll ? That’s my sister’s name!”
Link smiled. “The Goddesses move in mysterious ways, Sailor. Maybe it was fate.”
Arch arched her eyebrows. “Damn, Link, didn’t take you for a poet. Or a slums boy for that matter.”
Link averted his eyes. “Figured it’d be better to sound like one of the people here than a castle guard or something.”
“Never said it was bad. You sound so much more relaxed when you talk like that.”
“I do relax. I have to work to bury my speaking voice for the sake of the war effort. No one wants to hear a street rat as their Chosen Hero.” They’d reached the building, and started to climb the stairs.
Mask gave him a look. “You need therapy.”
“That makes two of us,” Link replied. Mask didn’t bother arguing.
They reached the door to the studio. There were sounds of cooking, and of a crying baby. Link hesitated at the door.
Two years since he’d seen her. He couldn’t even write; all the money he sent had to be delivered anonymously. Would she even want to see him? Had she moved on, accepting the only traces of her grandson were the wallets of rupees that arrived at her door every month?
Sailor was clearly not a fan of waiting, as he elbowed past Link to knock on the door. “If you aren’t gonna, I will.”
“Mature,” Link replied.
Sailor didn’t get the chance to reply, as the door opened.
A young woman holding a baby stood in the doorway, her tired eyes sliding over each of them in turn. “Who’re y’all supposed to be, Hylia’s Witnesses?” Her expression was guarded.
“Nah, we ain’t here to proselytize,” Link replied, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. “Is Gran-gran here? Tell her Link’s at the door.”
The guarded expression never left her face. Nevertheless, she leaned back into the house. “Gran!” she hollered over the baby. “Ya got guests here!”
The sound of cooking stopped. “Who’s comin’ at the door?” The voice that replied was a little older than Link remembered, a little more worn, but still familiar.
“Says he’s called Link! Ya know ‘im?”
There was a pause, then footsteps approached the door. Gran-gran appeared a moment later.
She was exactly as he remembered her. Average build, gray-white hair pulled into a messy bun to keep it out of her face. Piercing blue eyes scrutinized his face from behind round wire-frame glasses. The only color on her clothes was the same red shawl he’d always seen her wear.
She barely even moved at the sight of him. “So. Finally back, eh?”
Link fought the lump in his throat. “‘M sor-” he began.
“Don’t apologize, boy. You and I both knew what this hero business meant when you drew the sword. It’s good to see you at all.”
Link nodded. “Good to see you too, Gran-gran,” was all he could manage.
Gran-gran nodded curtly, then turned towards the others. “Now, where are your manners? Will you introduce me to your friends or what?”
Sailor stepped up before Link could respond. “Hi, Link’s Gran-gran! I’m Link, too! I go by Sailor, so it’s not as confusing! The other kid’s Link, too, and he goes by Mask, ‘cause of his cool magic masks. It’s really cool to meet you! Is that girl yours too? What’s her name?”
Gran-gran chuckled as Sailor finally came up for air. “Chatty one, aren’t you? Come in, we’ll finish introductions inside. This woman is Dierdre, and I’m looking after her for now.”
Deirdre managed a small wave. “Hello. Gran-gran told me a bit about you, Link.”
Link finally managed to recover enough to give Gran-gran a look . “All good things, I presume?”
“Don’t ask questions you can’t handle the answers to, Link.” Gran-gran’s eyes twinkled with mischief as she spoke.
“Hey!”
Lieutenant Arch took the opportunity to jump in. “So this is where you got your humor from, oh Captain my Captain.” She extended her hand to Gran-gran. “Lieutenant Olivia Arch, at your service. I’m Link’s right hand woman in the army.”
Gran-gran looked her up and down, then shook her hand. “Good to know my grandson has someone to help loosen him up. He needs all the help he can get in that department.”
Arch nodded seriously. “Believe me ma’am, I take my job with the patience of a saint. He doesn’t make it easy at all.”
“Hey!” Link protested. “I can be loose!”
-
Many years later (or perhaps before, it’s hard to tell when you fight a War Across Eras), in a ranch house on Hyrule Field, in a quiet corner of an attic, there sits a stuffed horse. It’s clearly battered from many years of usage, with the original color long faded, one of its original eyes missing, and multiple small tears and worn spots. But each tear has a carefully sewn stitch, each spot worn through has a patch placed delicately on. A beautiful button rests in the spot where its old eye had once been. This was something that was clearly loved to death, then all the way back to life. A gift given by family, and will always remain with family.