Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The air was rushing past. Zelda had disappeared into a green light, grabbed by the arm and presumably teleported somewhere. She would be fine. Link though? She would not.

She thought it was quite unfair, seeing as she was going to die, right after finding out more about her past self. The corpse had re-ignited a part of her old memories, and now she wouldn't even get to think them through.

She wouldn't get to think of her little foster sister, who had been in Castle Town the night of the Calamity. She wouldn't get to think about how the Divine Beasts had a fail safe for if the Champions were to perish. She wouldn't get to think about how she now knew how to activate it. She wouldn't get to think of how her foster sister had activated the Master Cycle as her Divine Beast before Link had. She wouldn't get to think-

Why was she still thinking?

Twisting her body to look down beneath her she realized that she wasn't falling anymore. It seemed as if a flurry rush was happening, but reversed, she wasn't moving, but the world was. She could see giant chunks of stone falling, the castle rising, and even the master sword teetering on the edge of the chasm that had been left behind.

And then the magic she didn't know existed came to life.

Blue and gold light, intertwining and winding through the air, surrounded her. She felt herself start to disintegrate, like when she used the teleportation ability on the slate.

The slate!

The slate was falling directly towards her, well not directly. If she were able to move she would be able to reach it, but the magic that was teleporting her Hylia knows where wasn't allowing that.

That didn't stop her from reaching out. And then, the magic bent to her will. A small shot of mostly blue power flew towards the Sheikah Slate. Just as her vision went golden-blue.

Then black.

>:3

Link was a generally hard person to scare if he did say so himself.

Now, being hit by a person falling from the sky wasn't new. The Skyloftians did it all the time. The difference this time?

This person was unconscious. Light was making a pair of massive wings on their back, golden and blue, sparkling with an indescribable air of pure power.

Power that felt like Hylia, like Zelda. Which should not be possible.

The part that was even weirder though? This power was tethered. Zelda could only control it when Hylia guided her. This power was free, this power wasn't gifted, or passed down, this power wasn't blood. It was chosen.

Not chosen like Zelda.

Not chosen like him, where his destiny has been written, even now before it had happened.

Chosen by defying death hundreds of times, facing down threats without a thought, choosing the most impossible path because it was right.

It was chosen like it would never be used. Just for the fear it would hurt someone. It was chosen like it decided itself. Like it wanted this person and no one else.

And then the light swirled towards him.

“One day, you will understand, but today is not that day.”

The voice was silky smooth, but also rough and worn like it had spoken these words hundreds of times.

“I am sorry child, but you must forget.”

Then as the light hit him, his mind complied, and he felt his consciousness slip away.

>:3

Zelda had been following Link on her Loftwing, Blu, for a while now. But feeling the sudden rush of Goddess magic mixed with something else had her sneaking forgotten.

She zoomed forward on Blu just in time to see Golden and Blue light smack Link- and someone else apparently -Right off of Crimson.

"Link!" She called, diving off of Blu with a reckless abandon only Link showed occasionally.

Seeing that both her lov- FRIEND and the stranger were unconscious, she dived faster, reaching them at the same time Blu and Crimson did.

Grabbing hold of Blu's saddle and the stranger's hand, she hoisted herself and the man up.

Shouting at Blu to make sure the man stayed there, she jumped onto Crimson and reached for Link, grabbing his hand as well and pulling him onto Crimson with her.

She then leaned down and spoke gently into Crimson's ear, "You did good, bud, you did good." She raised her head towards Blu, "I've got to keep the other person on Blu, he probably doesn't have good balance seeing as he somehow fell. Kay?"

When she got a trill in response, she took it as a yes.

Trusting Crimson to take Link safely back towards Skyloft, she hopped back to Blu and settled down next to the man, who she then harnessed in as a precaution.

>:3

In the kingdom of Hyrule, it was an Era of Peace. There were no Wars to be won, not monsters to be slayed, and no threats to the Crown. Even the Yiga Clan had taken a break from the relentless attacking!

And all because the past Hero and Princess had won.

For generations now the Crown had one daughter without fail. It was part of the Royal Bloodline, or so that's how the stories said.

The only recorded mentions of a Second Princess were of the Hero of Legend. A Hero who has been thrown out of the Castle for existing, seeing as a second Princess was a bad omen in the kingdom of Hyrule.

A bad omen that was proven true by that very Princess. So they made the Hero of Legend a boy against her will. Not being able to ever have children meant she couldn't taint the bloodline.

But still, the Hero of Legend was the only Hero to ever go on more than four quests. The Hero of Legend was the only Hero whose seal on Ganon broke within her lifetime. Why?

Because a Second Princess couldn't control the Triforce of Wisdom. The only reason that the Era of Ruin came to be was because the Triforce was split evenly between the two Sisters.

And now the Era of Peace, was going to have twins. Two baby girls.

One they would name Zelda, the other Link. After the Hero of Legend, who had been bound to fail just as this little girl would.

But when the Princesses were born, their mother, the only person in all of Hyrule that could feel the power of the Triforce, died.

And with her died hope.

King Rhoam Bospheromus Hyrule had chosen the Daughter that came first by two minutes, to be Zelda.

The other daughter, Link, had been subject to a surgery that removed her ability to have children. Then, she was told she was a boy with the Triforce of Courage.

By the time she was there she could already hold a sword in almost every different position, do almost every single swing possible, and had invented multiple new ways too.

But she was the only one who could control time itself.

Though she would never tell anybody, she had long since realized she could control the golden rays of light. She used them and learned from them, and eventually they showed her how to give her power to Zelda.

Zelda needed it so that way she could stop whatever damage Link caused.

So Link taught her. Taught her every move and type of what she had taught herself. Yet it was not enough. Zelda had been the one born with the actual Wisdom part of the Triforce of Wisdom. Link had been born with the powers.

Though no one would believe them.

Two kids? One who the king himself decided was the Princess born to save them, and one who was supposedly the Hero? Why would they believe a boy had wisdom?

They wouldn't. And that was what truly led to the end of Hyrule.

Chapter Text

Waking up in the Knights Academy Infirmary has not been what Link was expecting, but who could blame him?

He didn't remember anything.

Scratch that, he remembered his life, so it wasn't that bad. He just didn't remember how he ended up here. He left on Crimson to do a practice flight for the Wing Ceremony, and then nothing.

Weird.

Then he heard shuffling at his left, and finally opened his eyes, flinching at the brightness. Proceeding to look to his left, he saw an unconscious boy he didn't recognize. He looked younger than Link thought he should be in the infirmary. He looked like he was fourteen!

Link was only fifteen but still!

Then he heard a cough and the boy flew straight into a sitting position, hands up and ready to fight, only to notice he wasn't wherever he thought he had been.

Link watched as the young boy took a couple breaths, with closed eyes and twitching ears. Then opened his eyes again.

Link didn't mean to, but he gasped.

The boy's eyes snapped over to him, analyzing him.

Link couldn't help but be mesmerized by his eyes.

They were a brilliant blue, the same color as the tunic he was wearing. But swirling inside of them were flakes of gold. It seemed as if the more he scrutinized the more gold appeared, until one eye was fully gold with the other halfway there.

If Link didn't know better, he would assume he was seeing things. But somehow, it felt as if he had seen this before, been mesmerized by it before, but he didn't know wh-

“Whe-” the boy was cut off by an aggressive cough that tore out of his throat.

It was then that Link noticed the scars, winding down all of the boy's left side, covering part of his vocal chords, and probably making it very hard to speak.

Link watched in awe as this boy pulled out Skyloftian Sign Language, something very few know, and even less have mastered.

Good thing Knights had to learn it.

The boy then signed,
“Where am I?” Despite looking wary of the place he was in.

Link didn't know how to respond, other than, “The infirmary?”

The other boy startled a bit, then signed “Which Village?”

Link was confused, there was only Skyloft, right?

“Skyloft.”

Link jumped a bit in his seat, the other boy just seemed to have expected it.

“I've never heard of Skyloft, where is it?” Were the next few signs.

Zelda continued, “Skyloft is, well, in the Sky?” She breathed out a sigh when the boy looked confused, “How about we start with introductions? Is that alright with you?”

Zelda gestures to Link then, to start talking, or at least that's what he assumed, “Oh, right! My name is Link!”

At that the boy's eyes widened. He spun one hand forward, in a “Go on” sort of gesture.

“I'm working towards being a knight of Skyloft, and this here is-”

“Zelda.”

The one croaking word startled both Zelda and Link.

Zelda recovered quicker than Link, “If you've never been to Skyloft, how do you know my name?” She stood towering over the boy, looking more scary than Link had ever seen her.

“Your magic.” The boy signed, as if it explained everything.

Zelda looked shocked, only her and Link knew of the Goddess Magic she could call on. “How did you learn of that? It is something no one on this island knows.” She leaned right up in the boy's face, and continued to question him. “You were sent here by someone weren't you? Whoever the Demise that has been in my dreams is. You are a spy.”

The boy was shaking his head rapidly, trying to speak and sign, but not having the room to do so. He whispered something only Zelda could hear, and then went silent.

Zelda had a look of realization in her face now, “Link.” Zelda looked back and forth between the boy and himself, as if conflicted, and Zelda has never been conflicted before.

This boy meant trouble.

:3/p>

Just as Zelda was telling the boy he was a Spy, his eyes were flashing, swirling gold and blue, like they were fighting over who got control.

She saw the flapping hands and heard the stuttering whispers that seemed to be too jumbled to understand. Then she heard it.

“I have them too.”

Was all that was said.

Looking between Link and the boy she asked, “Can Link stay?”

“No.”

That was the only answer she got before Link darted forward.

"Link!"

“If you're here to hurt Zelda and confuse her, know that we won't let you. This place is sacred, chosen by the Goddess herself, and we will not stand for evil to penetrate our defenses!” His gaze was pinned on the boy. But the next words were directed at Zelda, “Zelda get out of here and get the guards, if he's dangerous we need someone better trained than me.” Link’s eyes flicked over to Zelda for half a second, before settling a scowl in his lips and staring threateningly at the other boy.

“Move.”

The command had more power in one word than Zelda has heard in her life. Link stumbled backwards, his body obeying to the more powerful person.

It hadn't been a sign, it hadn't been a whisper, it had been a strong voice, powerful and alive in every way the boy was not.

Zelda stood taller up, “Link, I need to speak with this boy.” Neither herself nor Link noticed the flinch that was let out at those words.

Zelda leveled her glare at Link, “Alone.”

Link nodded, but still said, “I will be waiting outside the door, call if you need me, alright?” At Zelda's nod, he left the room.

“You never gave us your name.”

“Who said I have to?” The voice was strong now, as if without Link, the boy could speak more freely.

“I did, now speak.”

“The name I was given at birth is Link.”

Zelda’s eyes narrowed at that. “And why may that be?”

“I was named after the Hero of Legend, the only known Second Born Princess, until I came along.”

“Hold on… Princess?!”

“Yes, please don't make a big deal out of it tho-”

“Why wouldn't I make it a big deal?!”

“Because I asked?” Link snorted, laughing at the way Zelda tried to stiffly bow.

She continued laughing as Zelda looked up in confusion.

Then Zelda spoke again, this time with confusion lacing into her voice, “Where do you come from then, Princess Link?”

“Oh, we are NOT doing formalities right now, I have to deal with them way too much.” She laughed, ‘But I come from the Kingdom of Hyrule.”

Zelda gasped. “Hyrule! Hyrule was the Kingdom that is Skyloftians left below the clouds!”

>:3

Link snorted again at Zelda’s excitement to find something new. She reminded her of Link's Zelda. Oh, shit.

“Oh shit what?”

“Oh shit I said that out loud.”

Zelda snorted again in the background. Her smile lit up just like Link’s Zelda’s smile did.

When Zelda gestured for her to go on and explain, she looked down sheepishly towards the sheets. “I have a sister, her name is also Zelda. So now I know two Zelda’s and another Link. This is going to get very confusing. And probably fast.”

It was then that the stabbing pain decided to appear.

“Ah, holy shit!” She said, screwing her eyes shut. It felt as if she was getting repeatedly blown up in the same spot by four different Guardians.

She curled forward and grabbed lightly at the area, only to find that that somehow hurt more.

She was on the verge of screaming in pain, but bit her lip to stop herself, making her lips bleed aggressively.

Zelda was panicking, that much was clear, she was fretting over Link and trying to help but didn't know how. Link heard with a ringing in her ears, “We need a nurse! Someone!”

Link tried to block out sounds, the yelling and the air and the voices outside, it was like everything was dialed up to a thousand. She could hear everything, even the buzz of the lights above her. Clawing at her ears while trying not to move her torso, she felt as if she was imploding one piece at a time.

Then she felt Mipha's magic wash over her.

Whatever had just happened had killed her.

How?

Good question.

Because she intended to find out