Chapter Text
They were on their slow way to recovery, that’s what Princess Zelda liked to think. After Ganon’s demise, the whole land suddenly felt… Lighter, as if the curse her land was under was finally broken. And the best part was that that wasn’t that far from the truth.
The process of bringing fallen buildings to their previous glory was monotonous, but also pleasant. Zelda couldn’t possibly describe the joy and satisfaction she felt when her people finally had a place to call home. It was truly a beautiful sight of a mother crying out of happiness and telling her children they’ll now live happily. It warmed Zelda’s heart every time, and hopefully, it still will.
The signs of Gloom and somewhere even Malice were still present, how could they not when Hyrule’s been under its influence for more than a hundred years. Luckily, now that they knew monsters weren’t going to be reviewed, more and more people swarmed to join prepared teams and defeat them.
Everyone tried their best to be as helpful as they could, and because of that, Hyrule’s Kingdom could live in peace.
Humming, Princess Zelda was currently riding on her horse with a few other people on their own — Including her two self-proclaimed knights, she appreciated their effort to make sure she was safe — going straight to Hateno village.
She was informed by some earlier sent warrior teams that the path was finally cleared, and guarded in the regions where the possibility of Bokoblins or Moblins swarming anew was the highest. Not only did she decide to see it for herself, but she also had some business in Hateno.
Said business was making sure the village was doing good — Taking the mentioned monsters into consideration — but also to spend some time at her place.
Zelda would never say that she’s avoiding her responsibility as the — Allegedly — Princess of the Hyrule Kingdom. But these rare moments where she could catch a break were lately even more rare than usual.
That’s why, when the proposition to slip out from the castle grounds was voiced by some of her guards, she was eager to leave this buzzing place.
“Storm, we’re here,” With that being said she pet said horse only to get off him soon after. Smiling at her companion, she turned around in the direction of slowly swarming residents.
“Princess Zelda!” Someone shouted and her heart immediately felt a welcoming warmness embracing it.
“Hello!” Replying, not even knowing to whom, she let the people around her feel like what she said was aimed at every one of them.
𓆩⟡𓆪
Sighing, Link left the underground part of the Castle, feeling like finally some weight was taken off his shoulders. Some of the — Maybe unnecessary, but he preferred to be safe than sorry, — tension left his body, letting him freely take the needed deep breath, without additional previous struggle.
Just like Kass expected and told him not these few hours ago, there was nothing there. Nothing by all means, because the state of the underground was left untouched. The wall runes were hardly readable but still recognizable enough to partially decipher them. The floor cracked with every step he took, and eventual ornaments were barely preserved.
It was as much of a ruin as the rest of the Castle, but that was good. It meant that the Calamity didn’t rise anew, they were safe. For all this time when he was there, verifying and hoping it wouldn’t all come down to his worst assumptions, nothing felt out of the norm. The rooms and corridors were… Breathing, but their breathing wasn’t as heavy when Malice was there.
So once again, leaving this dark place only to in the end realize he was wrong — And thank every other God for that, and Hylia — was something of a blessing in disguise. In disguise mostly because he had to worry in the first place about such a catastrophic possibility, but after being dead for so long it was bound to make you this bit paranoic he supposed.
Relief hit him for the second time like a wave, and he let his senses take a rest when in the distance he saw someone waving at him.
It wasn’t an abnormal occurrence to happen. After all, the Hyrule and these lands Hylians knew him as a traveler. Someone who was passing by this place and got so touched by its history that he decided to help. They couldn’t be more wrong, but a few only knew of his true origins.
Coming closer, he looked slightly up to face — As he now knew — Burwar who was becoming more eager in his actions the closer he got. Smiling slightly at the pure enthusiasm he could be a witness to, Link didn’t hesitate for long to reply similarly.
“Link, it’s good to see you!” He began with and got back to the previous stance as if suddenly remembering he was supposed to be on duty. Letting out a weak cough he continued. “Last I heard you were helping out Princess Zelda with clearing out the last bits of moblin camps from the outskirts around the Rito village!”
He nodded, confirming what the other just said.
‘Had to check something out. Did so. Now I’ll go.’ Link signed, trying to keep it short and simple for Burwar to follow.
“Mhm, mhm, that’s understandable…” The guard hummed. “Did you check what you wanted to then?”
Another nod, this time a more confident one. There weren’t many heroes before and Link could let himself be more open. Luckily, Burwar could be counted as one of those who fell into this category.
An enthusiastic smile was what Burwar presented him with. “Great! Happy to hear that kid.”
Link snorted upon hearing the word kid. No matter what he did he still was seen as a teen, be it because of his height or the fact that his age was known. The latter is barely possible from being the reality, so the first reason suited him as the best answer.
And the hero could think that that would be it. He had places to be, and people to help. It was one of the many days for him when it came to helping with rebuilding his Kingdom.
He could teleport, his business on the Lookout Landing grounds was done and there was no reason for him to be here. As it turns out, fate always had a twisted sense of humor when it came to this land’s hero.
Because with the corner of his eyes, barely but still, he was able to notice one of the guards. Showing with his hands some kind of… Signals he guessed? Whatever it was, it successfully caught his attention. Making him sign a quick sorry to Burwar and moving past him, never noticing the pale expression the other had when he left.
‘Is there a problem, Scorpis?’ With a light tug of said man tunic he brought all the eyes on him.
And every God above and Hylia, a mistake it was indeed. Nothing could get him ready for all of a sudden more than four pairs of eyes turning to face him.
There were people present, many of them. If he paid closer attention he would catch a glimpse of the shortest member of their little group burying his sight onto him.
‘I… Can I help you?’ He ignored the first moment of hesitance, not being used to being a part of such a big conversation.
“L– Hello!” If Scorpis’ denial of mentioning his name around these strangers was anything to go by, there could be only a few options on who they were… And Link didn’t like any of them.
‘Hello.’ He signed back, trying to appear as innocent and defenseless as he could in the current situation. His look in this case is on his side rather than against him.
“I was just– These strangers were going out you see, nothing to worry about!”
“Hey, that’s completely unfair!” Nothing to worry about, huh?
He raised one of his brows unimpressed, not believing for a moment the words of the other. At that, the guard cracked him an uncertain smile.
“We’re being judged unfairly, ‘s a bunch of sh*t!”
“Wind!” Hissed one of the taller members of the group who was pushed by now-named Wind. Said boy only looked up at his friend with a glare as if daring him to say something.
“Boys, please–”
“Suck it, old man!” Was an instant reply. “I didn’t do anything this time, we’re practically being told to leave because, guess what, that’s right! Because some jerk decided to say so!” It was Scorpis’ turn to be leveled with a hard look. For a child, Link couldn’t deny that this kind of expression was impressive to make.
“Your presence made many uncomfortable the second you appeared in here!” Scorpis immediately replied, giving a nasty glare of his own aimed at all eight people.
It was probably a miracle the one with a closed eyelid pulled the kid closer, preventing any actual reason being given on why Lookout’s residents wouldn’t want them here.
“If we’re making them uncomfortable y’all could just tell us what our bunch is doin’ wrong, y’know?” If looks could kill, the — Man, teen? — one wearing a wolf pelt would be long ago six feet under. Death cause? Mentioned guy with only one functioning eye giving him the most disappointed ever possible look with the added premise of instant suffering.
‘What did they do?’ Link asked when no one said anything for a while.
At that, Scorpis sneered. “They barged in here and started asking strange questions, making them seem suspicious!” Not letting the party in front of them say anything, the hero pushed for more information.
‘What were these questions?’
“You aren’t going to believe what they said, Link–!” Scorpis freezes as if realizing a moment too late what he just said.
Mentioned traveler just raised his brow, one too many times for today. He wanted to ask why the urgent stop, but when he looked aside at the group… He realized every single one of them was now looking at him with their calculating eyes.
A shudder passed through his back signaling him something was wrong , he didn’t know yet what though. Every member of their getting unremarkably suspicious team was observing his every movement, making his fur ruffle at its ends.
“You are Link?” He couldn’t lie, it made him this tiny bit resigned. After hearing that sentence spoken in various variations through the lips of many it became a cycle. A cycle of realization that he’ll never be who he once was, just a shadow of a previous hero who was the one they expected.
Taking a deep sigh, he nodded. Proving his earlier point of being a mere ghost of his past, Scorpis didn’t wait to add a few words from himself.
“He’s certainly not the Link you’re looking for though!”
His head turned around in the guard’s direction with a face which had a freshly painted confusion. It took a stranger’s cough for them to be awakened from a trance of a guessing game played inside Link’s head.
“I think there’s been some misunderstanding–” It wasn’t given for the man with a blue scarf to finish.
Although his intention was pure, something made them stop in their tracks. A portal it was, that appeared directly below their feet. Making Link’s adrenaline rise to dangerous levels, hitting one base after another.
He thought at some point when he was falling he yelped, later to scream when his body was unwillingly taken away from the place he could call home. There wasn’t any moment for him to calm down and gather his thoughts, no. Rather than that, he must’ve bumped into something or someone while being forcefully taken away, his now aching shoulder only indicator of it actually happening.
If Hylia was there, she was a cruel goddess. Not only she didn’t let his spirit seek peace but she also left his homeland all alone, without a hero. Somewhere in the distance, a pigeon made its way to a waiting Princess.
𓆩⟡𓆪
“Almost done!” Zelda sang to herself while making the last corrections on the map in front of her.
Hidden deep inside her study to make sure no one would bother her, she looked for the last time at the piece of paper. As mentioned, it was a map. Not any map though because it was an important one, it had all the planned by her and other Monster-Control Crew members spots. They on the other hand were significant in their plan of clearing out paths for establishing a merchant-friendly trade trail.
It was a slow and monotone process, fighting these monsters. Because no matter what they did, sometimes the leftover Malice was too strong for the monsters to give up so easily.
It was in certain cases a forever battle between volunteers and said creatures. The need to get rid of them, luckily, was often stronger than losing all hope. That’s how they managed to fight off large swarms of these beasts, protecting what was rightfully these many years ago theirs.
“It’s a start, it’s a start!” She giggled letting out her inner child show. How could she not when they were making so much progress? It was a wonderful feeling!
Not only were they seeing the changes — For good! — but she also could see some cracks being made around Link's shell. A hero who he pretended not to be, she could notice more and more with every day.
It was a fact that he’d never be the same person, that’s something she was sure of. While sharing some traits with her personal guard she first met after waking up he was… He was starting to become his own person.
When the whole Calamity finally reached its end with a newfound inner peace that they defeated the ultimate evil, she started noticing. Noticing small things that slipped past her attention, making her now smile every time she thought of them.
Maybe Link shared some of the stoic postures he did then, and maybe some mannerisms stuck with him even if death stripped him of his memories. There was this newly discovered curiosity in his character though that previously he would try to hide.
Or it wasn’t there at all? She couldn’t tell. It didn’t matter, what did was that Link was letting himself experience life in a traveler fashion, not in the hero of Hyrule one. It was also a beginning. A start, call it whatever you wish but it was there, and she could see the smile on her friend’s face while he was talking — Talking, speaking! Forming words, there were words getting out of his lips! — with those close to him.
If Teba’s look was telling her anything it was that Link found a group of his own where he could be himself. And she couldn’t be more happy for him.
“Oh?” Zelda lifted her head, looking at the bird that was slowly descending from above. With a loud chirp, she stretched out her hand and let it perch there. “Hello there pretty lady.” She smiled warmly and scratched delicately the pigeon on the head.
“You have something…” Noticing a scrap of paper tied to the bird’s leg, carefully not to cause it any harm, she untied the bow and took it. “We have to tell Robbie his idea is working.” After saying that, she let the pigeon sit on her desk while she found her place on the nearby chair.
Eight strangers. Asking for Link around Lookout Landing, Central Huryle. Send a warning. Possibly Yiga. Armed. Don’t mention Link around them. With regards, Sprinn.
“What?” Was what finally left her mouth upon reading Sprinn’s message. “Oh no, oh no, no, no, no…” She mused out loud, not feeling her body slowly tense.
Strangers, so close to the Central Hyrule, to the Kingdom? The Yiga clan members didn’t go so near there knowing perfectly well they weren’t welcomed. Any kind of attempt in the past to do so ended up with enraged people who scared them off. Successfully making them resign from taking any further actions around this area.
So suddenly there was not one but eight possible strangers that were Yiga so close to their base… It was bad, it was really bad.
She bit one of her nails, a bad habit she seemed to pick up after being exposed to so much stress.
“I have to get out of here, quick, Storm–!” She called out to her horse, already in the middle of getting out from the well. When she was at the top, she swiftly jumped on her companion and not hesitating decided there was no time to waste.
Before anyone could realize it, she was far away behind the village’s borders. It was stupid, not thought through by her but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Link was the only one who could understand her, she wasn’t going to let her friend get thrown into danger.
At the same time, at the place to which the Princess was galloping on her horse… Link let out his scream to be the last thing panicked witnesses hear before a dark portal in the color of Malice swallowed him whole.
