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Chapter Text

Link manages to slink past a multitude of castle servants on his trek toward the training grounds, where the knights are assembled for their debriefing on the plan to drive the oncoming army of monsters away. Zelda and their father have tried again and again to keep Link out of official battle plans, but neither have succeeded as of yet. Besides, even if Link can’t sit in on war meetings, he still gets everything from the head of the castle guard, who knows that the Prince will just sneak out anyway. He ducks behind a cart of wooden shields and catches the end of the King’s speech.

"The monsters are taking over. We must beat them back for the sake of Hyrule!" The King booms overhead. Link all but rolls his eyes. He is well aware of his father and his cruelty behind closed doors, so this kind and inspiring front doesn't fool him in the slightest. Biting his tongue, Link tries to sneak past the entrance of the training grounds. He's dressed in full armor so he blends in with the Royal Guard, missing only a helmet.

"Now where do you think you're going, son?" The King's voice calls from just down the hall. Tensing instinctively at the seemingly affectionate name being spit at him like malice, Link turns to face the King, their eyes meeting in a battle of wills. He's determined to win this time. If only to prove to himself that he won't be the man’s puppet anymore.

"Out." Link says through gritted teeth. If he doesn't hurry, he'll lose the rest of them and it'll be more dangerous for him to leave.

"You must stay with your sister in the castle and wait for Lady Impa to arrive. It's not safe out there for a prince."

Link scowls at the King's words. He’s not fragile, hasn't been since his 5th birthday when he finally got past basic sword training.

"I'm not weak. I've proved myself like every other knight out there." Link snaps.

"But every other knight out there is not a prince with a duty to the Kingdom." the King sighs, already annoyed at Link for trying to defy him once again.

"This isn't a game, Link. This is war." That finally makes Link snap. He knows that the King thinks that he’s just playing around, and that Link doesn’t understand the importance of being a knight, hence why he has not been given an official place in the guard.

"If you think for a second that I am playing then you don't know me at all. Oh, and 'duty’? The only thing I'm good for is being married off. You've made that perfectly clear." Link snarls. He can't do this. Link can't keep having this same argument with his father. The problem is that the King doesn't seem to understand that he and Zelda are their own people with their own ambitions and plans for the future. They may have a duty to their people now, but even before the Calamity was beginning to rise, the man had micromanaged every aspect of his children’s lives. Link understands the urgency in wanting Zelda to unlock her powers, but she's trying her best. Their father, however, completely dismisses it and calls her lazy and unfocused when she is devoting her time to researching technology that could very well save them. Link wants to run him through some days.

Today is one of those days.

Link watches as the King turns around sharply, scoffing at him as he walks off. The knight smiles triumphantly before sprinting off to follow the rest of the guard to help fight the monsters.

He finds the rest of Hyrule's knights as they fend off waves of monsters charging at them. Seeing a Moblin about to swing at a small group of cornered guards, Link manages to jump off a wall and lodge his sword into the beast's back. Falling with a cry, the Moblin disappears in a wall of black smoke with little garnet shimmers.

The captain of the guard, Farin, rushes out behind Link and fends off another monster.

"Getting a little slow there, Prince?" He jests, blocking a blow from a Bokoblin with his shield. 

"Wouldn't dream of it, Old Man." Link fires back, slicing away another monster himself.

As soon as they have a second to breathe, the group of knights Link saved make their way to the captain and start protesting that the Prince should not be participating in the raid. Link rolls his eyes, knowing that despite the fact that he has time and time again proven himself an essential member of the royal guard, there will always be some who think he shouldn't be on the battlefield.

“He’s the Prince!”

“It’s our job to be out here so he doesn’t put himself in danger!”

“How can we do our job if he’s out here?”

It’s the same argument every time. Link likes to think he’s heard every excuse people can come up with as to why he should stay in the castle and do research instead, but Zelda has heard just as many in regards to why she should be “focusing” on unlocking her power. Being the Prince of Hyrule is very monotonous. Training in combat started as a hobby, but as he got better and spent more time with the other knights, Link discovered that training kept him going. Maybe it's the adrenaline from fighting for his life, but being on the battlefield is one of the few times Link ever feels alive anymore. Hearing that is actually why Zelda has been so adamant about Link stopping his time with the guard, but the more she asks, the more he refuses.

 Zelda has a place where she belongs. She belongs on the throne. Link is still trying to find his place, and this is the closest he’s ever been.

He's not giving up so easily.

Chapter Text

It’s not long before the fleet of guards stumbles upon another horde of monsters.

“Just how many of these things are there?!” Link rolls his eyes at the frustrated shouting. These guys are the easy ones. It’s the Moblins you have to worry about. They’re spotted by another group–blue Bokoblins this time–when Link spots Impa sprinting away from a horde of red ones. Her hands are too full to grab her weapons, so she calls to him.

“You there! Help!”

Link is moving before he can think. He sprints towards the fleeing Sheikah girl and watches in almost slow motion as she trips. The things she was carrying go flying and Link jumps to catch them, unsure of just what they are. Link catches Impa’s things, but immediately turns his attention back to the fallen girl and the monsters quickly approaching her. He practically tosses the papers he just caught and rushes to her aid. The Bokoblins are moving faster than he is. They’re closer. They’re going to reach her before Link does and Impa is going to be hurt or killed and-

The ground starts violently shaking. Link looks around frantically before taking that time when the monsters are frozen to rush at Impa and scoop her up. Before he can get a good hold on her, the stone path in the castle town is cracking and pieces of it go flying.

“Why is this happening?!” She shouts. Link sees the Bokoblin too late. It’s running at them both and he doesn’t have enough time to dodge by himself, let alone with Impa in his arms. Between that and the unsteady footing, Link decides to brace himself for the club to smash into his skull. Nothing comes, however, and when Link opens his eyes again he sees more stone flying along with the Bokoblin in question. He looks at Impa, helping her stand before grabbing her wrist and running to find cover.

As suddenly as they began, the tremors ceased. Only then does Impa resist Link’s pulling. Link stops, wondering what Impa is doing. More monsters could be back at any moment. In fact, there’s shouting that alerts the duo to more monsters nearby. If he listens closely, Link hears shouts of two of the more dangerous monsters in Hyrule.

“You know I’m not helpless, Your Highness. You go after the Moblins, I’ve got the Wizzrobe.” Link gives her a look, but nods anyway.

“We’ll meet back here, okay? Once everything has calmed down.”

~

“Your Highness, come look at this,” Impa says, waving him over. Link jogs over and sees a slab of stone lighting up in a brilliant blue. Then, to make matters worse, an egg-like guardian rushes over to them. Impa thinks for a moment before she apparently makes a decision.

“Okay! Here’s what we’ll do. Your Highness, if you could grab the guardian, and I’ll grab the papers and Sheikah Slate. We need to get all of this to Princess Zelda. There’s no way we’ll figure this out on our own.”

Link goes to grab the little thing, but it beeps and runs off toward the castle.

“Hey! Get back here! Stop!” Impa cries, running after it. Link follows after her and the runaway guardian. The little thing is incredibly fast, and they lose sight of it multiple times before they reach the castle. It seems to have disappeared again when a worried voice calls out to them.

“Impa! Link! I’m so glad you’re both safe.” Zelda says, picking up her slow pace as she sees them all in one piece. Link didn’t realize they were already at the castle. She gives Impa a tight hug, also shooting Link a deadly glare.

“Don’t be too hard on him, Your Highness. The Prince over here saved me from a mob of Bokoblins.” Impa giggles, watching the two glare back and forth at one another now.

“Well if he didn’t always run off like that, he’d have no need to face any monsters!” Zelda huffs, “I was worried, you know. We were supposed to stay together in case something happened and they got into the castle! Then, you come back later than the rest of the guard and I don’t know what to think! Is he dead? Hurt? If he’s not, he’s going to be when I get my hands on him!” Zelda snaps, lunging at Link, eyes red and puffy.

“I was so scared…” She whines, all but collapsing into Link’s arms.

“I’m sorry, Zel. I promise I didn’t mean to make you worry.” Link says, ruffling her hair up a bit, causing her to jab him in the ribs. Out of nowhere, the tiny guardian rushes at Link and Zelda, beeping wildly. Link pushes Zelda off of him and grabs the thing before it can get closer to her.

“Link! The nerve- Oh! What is that?” Link looks at his sister to see her eyes light up in curiosity. She’s fascinated with the ancient Sheikah technology.

“Part of why we were held up, Princess. Look at this.” Impa explains, extending a hand to help Zelda stand as the Sheikah Slate continues to glow. The light appears to be almost pulsing. Link, once he’s sure the egg guardian isn’t going to charge Zelda again, stands up to look as well.

“It- It’s never done that before…” Zelda stammers, in awe at the Sheikah Slate’s sudden change.

“I know! We’ve been trying to figure this out for what feels like ages, and suddenly there’s this little guy and a tower and-” She pauses for a moment, “We have little hope of figuring this out on our own, as much as I hate to say it.”

 “We’re going to need to go back to Purah and Robbie.” Zelda finishes, her demeanor much lighter than Impa’s. Link feels himself chuckling before he can stop it or conceal it.

“We’ll have to convince the King.” Impa reminds the twins, and both of them tense instinctively. With the monster attacks becoming more and more frequent, the King has been more and more insistent that Zelda needs to work on obtaining her sealing power, and Link has always had a tense relationship with their father. There weren’t supposed to be two after all.

“Father won’t be back for a little while, he’s apparently searching for a knight who took out nearly all of the Moblins and up his rank. Link, would you happen to know anything about that?” Zelda asks, a knowing smile gracing her features. Impa laughs at their antics and before he knows it, Link is laughing too.

~

“Oh! This is so exciting! I haven’t been allowed out of the castle to go anywhere but the Springs in ages!” Zelda cheers as they walk through a passage walled by cliffs and boulders. The path is worn since this is a common route toward Hateno. The trio, along with a group of guards (at the King’s insistence), and the egg-guardian they’re making this trip for, aren’t more than ten feet into the passage when said guardian starts happily beeping and circling Zelda.

“I wonder why this little one is so attached to me.” Zelda wonders aloud. The happy beeps and coos turn into shrill screams as the mini guardian appears to be focused on something behind them.

Link hears it before he sees it. He was unable to sneak his sword and shield out of the castle, so he grabs one from a guard and jumps in front of Zelda. She had just turned around, and was staring with wide eyes at the rouge guardian. Link deflects the blast with his shield before grabbing Zelda’s hand and sprinting down the path.

“Monsters too? Now, of all times?!” Impa cries. Link turns his head to see that, yes, there are monsters in their path as well.

Well shit.

Chapter Text

With one final slash of his sword, Link manages to defeat the rampaging guardian. His breathing is very labored, and his arms are a little sore, but other than that he came out unharmed. He thinks that, anyway. When the adrenaline wears off, Link can feel his cracked ribs. Those Moblins had decent aim, he’ll give them that.

“Oh my Hylia, Link! You did it! Are you alright? I don’t know how to feel right now other than relieved that both you and Impa are okay!” Zelda is shaking terribly, and a little bruised, but they have time to heal. Besides, Mipha can always patch them up next time they visit, if need be. Her healing power really does wonders. When Zelda’s hold on him becomes too tight, Link jolts at the sudden pain.

“Oh! I’m sorry Link! I didn’t mean to-”

You’re fine, Zel. Link signs. She puts on a strained smile that says everything is decidedly not fine, but they have to keep moving if they want to make it to the lab before dark.

~

The data they received from Robbie and Purah haunts Zelda for days, Link can tell. Hell, it’s haunting him too. To think that everything they’ve done to prepare for the Calamity won’t be enough is really depressing. Zelda mopes around for a little while and stays in her room doing research until she finds herself willing to keep going again. With a new determination, Zelda decides that they are going to set off in search of the greatest warriors of the races and have them pilot the beasts. Choosing Mipha and Urbosa was a no-brainer, but who to choose from the Goron and the Rito?

“Link, have you heard of any exceptional fighters from the Rito? Urbosa knows a Goron that would probably help us.” Zelda asks. Link is shocked that she’s asking for his input, but it makes him happy nonetheless.

“Uh… Well, there’s been talk about this guy from the Tabantha region, which is where I’m assuming you’re looking for since Vah Medoh is there. Anyways, his name is Revali and he’s their best archer. He’s somewhere around our age too. I’ve heard he’s tough to get along with, but I don’t know for sure. I’ve never met him.” Link says, thinking hard. He’s well aware that is they are to choose a champion, they’ll need to be able to at least tolerate each other for this to work.

“I know you don’t do well with the cold, Link, but would it be best to split up? Getting to Lanayru is easy enough, and Urbosa would come here herself if I asked her to.” Zelda says with a soft smile.

“Urbosa would spite Hylia for you. She practically mothered us, Zel, of course she’ll come.” Link reassures. There’s a nice silence for a moment while Zelda finishes writing her letters to the different races, letting them know to expect them soon.

“You will head to Rito Village, but I don’t know if you will need to visit Goron City. It’s much more dangerous for us to go there, but Urbosa may have enough elixirs.” Zelda says thoughtfully.

“We could always just stick together.” Link offers. The amount of near-death experiences they’ve had this week alone is… Not good. Link doesn’t know what he’d do if he wasn’t there to protect Zelda when something happens.

“You’re right. That’s probably for the best. So, I suppose we leave tomorrow then?” She says hopefully.

“I need to see Mipha anyway. I think I cracked a rib during the guardian incident? I was planning on sneaking out there anyway.” Link says with a shrug, jumping from his seat and walking toward the door.

“Whoa whoa whoa. We are definitely talking about this, sit back down.” Zelda says firmly. Link reluctantly obeys, but not for long. She isn’t even done processing the fact that Link has had a cracked rib for weeks when her idiotic twin brother (Zelda’s words, not mine) sprints out of the room.

“Come back here you absolute buffoon! Link? Link!” Zelda calls down the hallway. When she receives no answer, she sighs, deciding that if she is going to pitch this idea to their father tomorrow then she needs at least one full night of sleep.

~

“So you will allow that… relic to follow you?” the King asks from his throne.

“After our visit to Purah and Robbie, we thought it would be best.” Zelda says honestly. Her gaze moves down to the little guardian and her face forms a tense smile.

“Then why must your brother go with you? Everyone talks about the Princess of Hyrule, but no one talks of the Prince. Link will be in constant danger-”

“Do not act like you care all of a sudden, I am the only one out of the guards other than the captain who I would trust with Zelda and Impa’s safety.” Link feels his voice shaking a little. He desperately wants to sign, his hands twitching, but the King won’t listen to him if he does, but it’s not like he did before anyway.

“You insult our guard?” the King asks, his tone nearly enough to make Link break down right there. Why won’t he just listen? He never listens.

“I have just as much of a right to go as Impa does.” Link deflects, not wanting to get into that argument again.

“You constantly put yourself at risk. When the monsters raided, you left Zelda alone in the castle. What if something happened to her? I won’t even start on the fact that it was you ,” the King snarls, “who rushed in to fight those Moblins. You’re no use to Hyrule dead, Link. Why must you complicate everything?” He pinches the bridge of his nose in irritation.

Link stares the King dead in the eyes as he says this, his glare firm.

“You and I both know that I wasn’t supposed to be born, you remind me of that every chance you get! You are no father of mine, so stop trying to act like it!” The room goes dead silent. Even the little guardian is quiet for the time being.

“Link, Father, please don’t continue fighting like this. I can’t bear you two being at each other’s throats so often! Father, I beg of you to let him come.” Zelda turns to address Link next.

“Link, I’ll deal with you in a minute. Stop before you make things worse.” She snaps in a low whisper.

“I will allow Link to accompany you, but once he steps out of this castle he is no longer any child of mine.” Link’s eyes widened, as did the girls’.

“Father please-”

“It’s done.” the King says, holding up his hand.

“Your majesty, I need you to think about this. The Prince has done so much for this family, for this kingdom! Are you sure?” Impa tries.

“I am. I’ve put up with his attitude for the last time.” The throne room door slams shut, alerting them all that Link has left. Zelda and Impa make their way out shortly after, hoping to catch Link before he decides to go off on his own.

Chapter Text

They almost don’t catch him before he leaves. Link packed a bag with clothes and rupees for the journey, his sword, a shield, and a bow and quiver on his person. Zelda, who knew he wouldn’t pack nearly enough, packed him some cold-weather gear and a spare vai outfit in case Urbosa doesn’t meet them at the domain. The boy is about to take off on his horse when Impa calls out to him.

“Link! Stop!” She cries, waving her arms frantically. He obeys, waiting until the girls reach him. The closer they get, the more they see just how broken Link is about all of this. He’s trembling, barely able to stay on his horse, and his eyes are red and puffy.

“Link… Impa, take my horse. I’ll ride with Link for now.” Zelda says, hooking their supplies to the horse’s back before climbing onto Link’s horse, squeezing the boy’s abdomen gently. His breathing is labored, much more than it should be even with his distressed state. It sounds like it hurts.

“We need to get to the Domain quickly. He’s not breathing too well.” Impa nods, taking the lead so Link can calm himself.

~

When they’re almost there, they have to leave their horses behind. A few guards come down to escort them up the river because the path has been infested with monsters for a little while now and Link is in no condition to fight. Not only is he injured, but he still looks distant.

Mipha greets them at the front entrance, hugging Impa and Zelda before turning to Link. She tries to hug him as well but Zelda stops him.

“He cracked a rib a little while ago and I don’t think it’s healing correctly, if at all. He and Father also went at it again and… Link isn’t exactly welcome back home.” Mipha covers her gaping mouth.

“Oh- Oh my… I can take care of him right away. Give him to me.” Mipha says, holding her arms out. Zelda watches worriedly as the Zora princess walks to the infirmary with her brother.

“Princess-”

“Impa I don’t know what to do! Father has taken things too far and Link is the only one who stands up to him. Do you really think Father won’t let him come home?” Zelda sobs, burying her face in her hands and sinking to the floor. Impa sits down with her, looking up at the night sky.

“I don’t know.”

~

Sooner than any of them expected, King Dorephan is ready for them. Zelda explains their plan; activate the beasts and use them to protect Hyrule in the inevitable war. She also mentions the others they have selected to pilot the beasts. the King eyes her warily.

“I’m afraid I have to deny your request. Mipha is the heir to the throne I sit on now and I certainly am not getting any younger.” Zelda hangs her head. Link, not wanting her to give up, steps forward to bargain with the King.

King Dorephan, this isn’t something we have taken lightly. Our next birthday is the predicted date of the Calamity’s awakening and it is quickly approaching. We have chosen Mipha because we trust her with our lives. We trust the Zora with our lives. Mipha and I have been close since we were young, and we can think of no better Zora for the job, Your Highness. Link signs, still not ready to speak after what happened earlier in the day.

“I understand, Link. I know that this is not to be taken lightly, which is why I must refu-”

“My king! We’re under attack!” A guard shouts, bursting into the throne room. the King moves to get his sword, he knows the monsters have been getting worse and worse lately.

“Guards! In position!”

~

Mipha stares out at the waterfalls at the reservoir, listening to the crashing of the liquid against the stone. Zelda is out with her as well, getting some much-needed cool, night air.

“Where are you headed next?” Mipha asks. The Hylian princess smiles softly.

“We’re going to get Urbosa in Gerudo Town. Packed a spare outfit for Link and everything.” This makes the Zora giggle.

“He is very beautiful. Not a facial hair to be seen either.”

“I will try to convince my father to let me pilot Vah Ruta, and I will send a letter when I have changed his mind. I know this is important, but I understand his concerns. It will be quite a while before Sidon can rule.” Zelda nods, but then she remembers something.

“Where is Sidon? I haven’t seen him here at all.” Mipha’s eyes widen as it hits her that her brother is nowhere to be found.

“Guards! Guards! Have you seen Sidon?” She calls, frantically rushing around the Domain to search. After a little while, he’s still nowhere to be seen.

“Bazz! Gaddison! Have you two seen Sidon?” Mipha asks, seeing the two running toward the Domain, most likely for more supplies. They’re both great warriors, but they’re also some of the fastest swimmers in the Domain.

“I’m afraid not, Your Highness. Last I heard he was going toward Shatterback Point.” Zelda grabs Mipha, pulling her to go find Link and Impa.

“Sidon must have heard about the Lynel! Oh Hylia, he better be alive!”

~

Link leads them up Shatterback Point quickly, and Mipha’s fears have become reality. Little Sidon is holding a trident too large for his small frame as he faces an electric Lynel. The Lynel rushes toward the young prince, but Link is already deflecting the beast’s blow with his shield. The wooden shield cracks on impact.

Mipha hands Sidon to Zelda before running into battle, followed quickly by Impa.

“Link!” Mipha cries, seeing a discarded shield and throwing it to the boy.

~

Link swears he re-broke his ribs, but they’re alive. Can’t say the same for the Lynel, but it was either them or it, and they aren’t controlled by Ganon. Link dislodges his sword from the Lynel. Wincing as blood drips off of it. As soon as the sword is out, the beast disappears into a deep black smoke with flickers of garnet. Not even a body is left.

“You’re alive! Link! You just took down a Lynel! A Lynel!” Link coughs wetly as Zelda crushes him in a hug, causing the girl to almost drop him in a hurry to let go of his torso.

“Ribs?” She asks, Link nods, they weren’t fully healed yet, even before the Lynel. Shouts from the battle below have the four of them looking over the cliffside. The Zora army is not doing well. They need help that not even Link could hope to give.

“Mipha, I know you cannot come with us, but Vah Ruta will answer to you. She will attack on your word, but we need her in range of the monsters.” Zelda explains quickly. Mipha nods, handing Sidon back to the Hylian and taking off toward the reservoir.

Link has never been on the Divine Beasts, but it is much worse than he could have ever imagined. Where’s his paraglider when he needs it? Mipha and Vah Ruta work smoothly together, like they were made to battle side by side, and Link knows they made the right choice. Not that he had doubts to begin with, but seeing them is something else.

“I beseech you, Vah Ruta, in our hour of need… Lend me your power!”

~

Mipha, true to her shark-like nature, is lethal in battle. As Crown Princess of the Zora, and second in command of their army, she has to be. Eventually, the title of second in command will fall to Sidon when Mipha becomes Queen of the Zora, but as long as she holds the position, she will do it diligently.

“It will take a moment to become acquainted with Ruta’s controls.” Mipha looks ahead, through the screens of the control board and sees monsters charging closer.

“We don’t have much time, I will have to forgo my initial caution. Hold on!” Vah Ruta lets out an ear-piercing screech, moving forward stiffly. Blue lights flash everywhere, and Zelda finds herself not knowing where to look. In her awe, she forgets that the Divine Beast is unpredictable and loses her balance. Link is quick to grab her, his other hand struggling to find purchase among the slick walls.

“Mipha!” Link cries. The Zora apologizes, quickly righting Vah Ruta’s main body, evening out the floor once more. Monsters come a bit too close, and in a flash of blue, they’re gone. Frozen and flying away at a velocity that they will not survive upon impact.

“This is the magnitude of a Divine Beast’s power… Incredible.” Mipha’s eyes gleam, determination fixing on her features as she bares her teeth. This is the warrior the twins rarely see. Protective, lethal, and a force to be reckoned with when angered. Vah Ruta’s power matches her well.

“Gentle giant… Our union, though new, feels age-old. We stride forward as one!” Horde after horde of beasts is blasted to bits as Vah Ruta screeches in response to Mipha’s war cry. They’re almost done when the scariest sight any of them could have possibly seen emerges from around the bend.

“I have never seen so many Lynels…” Zelda looks terrified, and that only spurs Mipha on.

“Still, we must press on!” The Zora princess presses a button that lets out a beam not dissimilar to that of the Guardians, which slices through the Lynels with dreadful ease. When the threat has been largely vanquished, each of the royals can breathe easy. It’s over.

The battle’s won.

~

Back in the throne room, King Dorephan looks at the four of them carefully.

“I know what I said before, but after seeing Mipha in action… I know this is best.” Mipha smiles brightly. Link and Zelda turn to eachother, absolutely beaming until the King speaks again.

“However,” he pauses for a moment, turning to face Mipha, “I require one thing.”

“What is it, Father?” Mipha asks, determination clear on her face. the King’s face softens.

“Promise me you’ll come home safe.” Mipha looks at her father for a moment before smiling reassuringly.

“I promise, Father.”

Chapter Text

“We’re going to see Urbosa next, correct?” Mipha asks, sitting behind Zelda on her horse now that they’re sure Link won’t collapse. Impa and Link are joking around with one another on his horse, filling the atmosphere with laughter.

“That’s right. After that we’ll go to Tabantha and Rito Village, and then to Goron City.” Zelda says, confident that they can get the other chosen pilots now that they have Mipha. She knew king Dorephan would be the hardest to convince.

“You chose a Rito champion? I thought you didn’t know anyone from the Rito like that.” The Zora says, confused.

“We don’t, but Link has heard through some of the guards about someone named Revali. Apparently he’s an exceptional archer. Link’s okay with a bow, but he’s much better with a sword.” Zelda explains. Mipha nods, smiling.

“Link is a fine archer. If this Revali is better than he is, he must be amazing.”

~

They’re almost half way through the desert when they see the first sign of trouble. Usually Gerudo soldiers are no issue for the young Hylian royals, but something’s different this time.

“Why are they chasing us?!” Impa cries, ducking behind a rock to avoid a flying spear. Mipha pulls Zelda behind a ruined wall.

“I don’t know! We have to find Urbosa and sort this out!”

“They’re still nearby, and they have the Zora Princess. They can’t get far without water.” A guard reasons, sounding much closer than any of them remember them being.

I’ll take care of them. You run. Link signs. The three girls are quick to sign out their disapproval, arguing that he can’t take them all on without armor. Link looks down at what he’s wearing. Nearly his entire torso is exposed, and even if it weren’t the fabric is silky and thin, not fit for hit battle style, that’s for sure. Link huffs, wanting nothing more than to be wearing his armour right now, despite the dry heat.

He points to the walls of the town, telling them they have to go.

“You’re coming with us!” Zelda whispers adamantly.

“I hear them, this way!”

“Run!” Impa cries, taking off toward the town. A spear flies at Link’s back as they retreat, but Mipha is quick to block it with her trident, directing it toward the ground. Link quickly thanks her and turns to face the town again. There’s a horde of warriors at each entrance, they’ll have to fight their way through.

You have your sword? Link signs, Zelda nods, clutching the sheathed blade at her hip. Nodding, Link turns to the others.

We have to fight through them .

~

They make it, but only just. Soon enough they’re face to face with Urbosa, but she too is different. There is no kindness radiating from her gaze.

“Urbosa, what is the meaning of this?” Zelda asks frantically. Link too feels scared, especially at the look they're given. The Gerudo Chieftess chuckles darkly.

“I mean to end the prophecy here, Princess. If you are out of the picture, Calamity Ganon can have free reign over Hyrule.” She lunges for Zelda, but Link blocks her path. Just as she is about to strike, they hear a snap. Suddenly, Urbosa is shocked with a strong force of electricity.

"I came back as soon as I could," she walks forward confidently, "this isn't what I was expecting to come home to." She turns to the twins, shooting them a soft smile.

"Urbosa?" Zelda asks.

"I hope you're alright, Little Bird. You too, Pup." Zelda smiles at the nickname.

"I'm not hurt."

The fake chieftess in front of them grumbles incoherently before changing in a puff of smoke. Urbosa moves in front of the group to protect them, Link stepping forward as well.

"You've got some nerve if you think you can go toe to toe with Master Kohga!" The figure stands up, and despite his covered face, they can tell he's smirking. With a single hand motion, Kohga calls on easily a dozen Yiga soldiers. Mipha and Impa step up as well, weapons at the ready.

"Yiga, assemble! Me excluded, of course." The man disappears in another puff of smoke and runes, leaving his own soldiers disoriented.

"He's… gone?" Mipha asks, not believing her eyes. Impa tightens her grip on her daggers, and Urbosa does the same with her scimitar’s hilt. The little eggbot whistles, sounding as confused as they all feel.

"He couldn’t have gone far.  Impa, you take Link around and search, I'll take the Princesses." Without another word, they split off in search of the Yiga Clan's leader.

~

The foot soldiers are nothing more than an annoyance, but the larger warriors give Link and Impa a run for their money. Eventually they meet up with the others, who have found Kohga and cornered him against a sandstone pillar.

"How could these losers defeat me?!" Urbosa raises her sword to the Yiga, inching closer.

"Look out!" Impa cries as another large soldier appears, blocking Urbosa's path. He swings at Link, who blocks with ease as Urbosa moves in to attack. With a wave of his dual swords, the man in front of them knocks both warriors back.

"Sooga! I nearly got peeled like a banana, where were you?!" This Sooga guy proceeds to pick up Kohga, turning to glare at Link and Urbosa.

"Forget them, Master. It is time to retreat." Urbosa grunts at this, charging in before they can run.

"I think not!" Before she reaches them, they've gone up in smoke. She curses, looking around quickly for any sight of them, but they’re nowhere in sight.

"I can't believe them! How dare they-?!" "Impa, I understand your frustration, but I don't believe we can do anything else for the time being." Mipha says, putting a consoling hand on the Sheikah's shoulder. She continues to fume silently, but her outward disgust is palpable.

"We should go back to town. Mipha will need water soon, and don't think I don't see you limping, Pup." Link scowls at the old nickname. Urbosa is a skilled warrior whom he looks up to and respects greatly, so what if he followed her around like a puppy when he was little?

After everyone is seen to, Urbosa leads the rest of them to Vah Naboris, the beast she will pilot.

"Thank you for meeting me out here. I know you all are tired, as am I, but being in town will likely drain us all more. It is rather… chaotic right now." Link snorts, earning a quick smack to the back of the head from Impa. He turns to glare at her, only turning back when Urbosa clears her throat.

"I trust you know of the Yiga Clan. Traitors from the Sheikah who work in the shadows to revive Calamity Ganon." Zelda stiffens up and Urbosa gives her a wry smile. Link looks to Impa, who glares at the sand as if it personally offended her.

"They have been causing havoc all over the desert and been a thorn in my side. They've been getting bolder by the day, and I know it can't be good." Everyone nods, able to put the pieces together themselves.

"I will pilot this Divine Beast. You are precious to me, and you need help. Who am I to refuse?" Link rolls his eyes. He knew Urbosa was going to agree, so this visit was just a formality anyway.

"Thank you, Urbosa. I too promise to perform my sworn duty." Urbosa's eyes soften, and Link knows what's coming.

"Has your father been overworking you again, Little Bird?" Zelda doesn't respond. With a sigh, the chieftess continues.

"However I can support you, I will. Just say the word." She says, placing a hand on Zelda's shoulder.

~

The fire roars in the background, the atmosphere tense despite Kohga’s twiddling about as he hums cheerfully. Fire roars in the background of the windowless room, lit only by a fireplace and some torches. A hooded figure sits opposite Kohga, and Sooga eyes him warily.

“So you turned and fled, is that it?” The hooded figure asks, unimpressed. Kohga seems unfazed as he responds, pausing his humming.

“Well, if they hadn’t interrupted me–”

“It seems that as low as my expectations were of you, I was still overly, how should I put it… optimistic.” The hooded figure stands, walking forward just as Kohga stops his movements, jumping up with a confused cry as Sooga reaches for his sword, prepared to protect his master at any cost just as he had been before the Gerudo Chieftess. The figure grabs a cog-looking piece from the table, and Kohga carefully sits back down, feigning his previously calm demeanor once more as he watches the cloaked figure with caution.

“My harbinger… Show me the future.” A round device emits smoky malice, inhumane screeching coming from the thing as even the candles surrounding them flicker mechanically. Swirls of malice appear to swarm upwards as the cog begins to float, an awed sound coming from the cloaked figure as an explosion of magenta constellations emits from the orb in the center. Suddenly, a vision from the future can be seen. It’s a terrifying scene as Calamity Ganon is jetting about the castle’s central tower in all of his unrivaled glory.

“The future as it will and must be… I will not allow anyone to alter its course.” The vision fades as a roar is seen–not heard–from the monster’s gaping jaws.

Chapter Text

“I’m glad we were able to get Urbosa a horse, I can’t imagine trekking all of this way on foot.” Zelda says, huffing warm air into her gloved hands once more. Although Urbosa ended up sharing with her, with Impa and Mipha on the other as they near Tabantha Stable. Link brings his own horse to a stop as the others begin to unpack for the day, opting to spend one more day in the warmth of “proper” housing before being subjected to Hebra’s climate for the foreseeable future.

Let me go ahead. Monsters are close . Link signs, his hands shaking with the effort, seeing as it is already freezing. Urbosa makes her way toward her coat, having braved the chill so far to keep Mipha warm, but Link holds up his hand to stop her.

I’ll go alone. Keep them safe. Link signs, choosing to buckle armour on instead of his own coat, which Impa and Zelda grabbed.

Give Mipha my coat. He adds, grabbing his sword and shield before climbing back onto his horse with some spicy elixirs in hand. He gulps one down, feeling its effects almost immediately as he gags at the taste. Not one he made, then. They don’t usually taste nearly as horrid.

Link makes it past Tabantha Tower, as Impa and Purah have called it, and almost to Kolami Bridge without more than the occasional monster camp. The sun dips below the horizon line, and the moon is as pale as can be, so there is no fear of a Blood Moon tonight. Good. Just as he is about to turn around, Link spots a small house. That’ll be perfect for the snowstorm that seems evident tomorrow, then. Especially since the Rito could not spare a warrior to guide them due to the increase in monster activity as of late. Of all the places for it to worsen other than Central Hyrule, Tabantha?

Link turns his horse around completely, satisfied with his progress for the night and happy to have found shelter for everyone in case the storm hits tomorrow when an arrow shoots past his ear. A warning shot if he’s ever seen one. He knew the Rito were superior archers, but that accuracy was pinpoint.

“Hello?” He calls, not seeing anyone out and about. He hears flapping wings, but not much else. That is until he hears a stray talon click on a patch of ice behind him. He should have brought Urbosa with him. Link swings his sword around, stopping just before the blade catches the Rito’s neck.

“Not bad for a Hylian.” The Rito says, snark evident in his voice. Link rolls his eyes, sheathing his sword once he is convinced the other is not a threat. The Rito puts his arrow back into its quiver as well.

“What is a Hylian doing out this late? And this close to a storm? You must be insane.” Link snorts, having heard that from all but Urbosa, who only fuels his death-defying tendencies. This Rito can’t be much older than he is if the red of his cheeks is anything to go by. His plumage is a beautiful muted blue, much like the color the King often put him in. While usually the color brings bile to his throat, Link can’t help but admire it in a natural setting such as this. He goes to begin signing his explanation, remembering that most Rito don’t understand Zora Sign, so his endeavors would be wasted. He also doesn’t speak, given he can’t bring himself to in front of a stranger very often, this case being a prime example of such behavior.

“It’s rude not to answer, Hylian, but I will allow it just this once providing I don’t see you this close to the village in the near future. With the storm coming, I can’t guarantee our warriors won’t attack.” Link huffs out a laugh, thinking that these warriors should get their eyes checked if they cannot tell the difference between a monster and a Hylian before remembering the tense relationship the Rito and Hylians have had throughout history. Despite being the “major rulers” of the land, Hylians haven’t been too kind to the other races. Urbosa and Kind Dorephan only stay civil for Link and Zelda, after all.

“Your rudeness is astounding, it seems. Run along, little Hylian. Hopefully back to the stable you came from.” Link rolls his eyes, making sure this Rito sees it before mounting his horse once more and riding off.

~

“You were out for longer than expected, Pup. We were starting to worry.” Link begins to sign his apology, but Urbosa’s low laughter leads him to believe that it was no true harm done.

“Did you meet anyone interesting? I could see some Rito flying above where you were headed.” Link nods, quickly signing his encounter with the blue Rito to the Chieftess. She apparently finds his ordeal hilarious, if her laughter is anything to go by, and he can’t say he blames her. While frustrating in experience, in hindsight it is rather entertaining of a story.

“I suppose we’ll have to deal with it as it comes, won’t we? Go to sleep, Pup. I’ll keep watch for a while.” She didn’t have to tell him twice, and he’s out not a moment after he’s flopped on the soft bed, armour and all.

~

Link crosses Kolami Bridge carefully, the little egg-guardian skittering around his feet and beeping almost happily. He can’t help but smile at the thing and its excitement, almost like when he himself was a child training with Urbosa and following her around like his nicknamessake–a puppy.

Flapping wings is all he has in terms of warning, however, as they’re ambushed by Rito warriors not moments later. Urbosa calls orders for Mipha to lead Zelda back to the little house Link discovered just yesterday as Impa, Link, and herself deal with the warriors.

Link is eventually separated from both Urbosa and Impa and forced closer to Rito Stable, where the same Rito from last night is waiting for him.

“This nonsense again? Rito Village is my home. While I’m here, you won’t be getting any closer.” With that, the Rito launches himself into the air, a feat Link has seen no other Rito do in his lifetime. He isn’t able to awe at the sight for long as bomb arrows rain down on him, obscured by the snowstorm’s fury around him. He’s almost too fast for Link to keep eyes on. Almost. It’s a challenge, for sure, but Link can’t afford to let his eyes stray or he’s done for.

The fight is exhilarating, and Link faces a challenge he hasn’t had in years, an opponent of similar aptitude. They exchange blows, leaving both breathing heavily, and Link feels the chill around him, but is unbothered. Almost like a Spicy Elixir, despite the one he drank earlier having worn off a while ago. Link manages a good hit, sending the Rito flying into the gate ahead of the stable, and in a puff of powdered snow, the Rito launches himself again, flipping mid-air and launching a bomb arrow up that Link tries not to forget about as he blocks the Rito’s talons with his shield that already looks a little worse-for-wear. The Rito disappears again in an instant, and the egg-guardian beeps in warning as Link throws up his shield a second too late, receiving a blast of slush to the face as three more bomb arrows explode around him in rapid succession. The Rito circles him, a predator knowing he’s won.

“You may think you’re good,” the Rito uses the clouded battlefield to his advantage, disappearing in one direction and diving through the smoke and snow of another before suddenly appearing just behind Link, as if he’s toying with him, where Link is almost too slow to deflect the incoming blow.

“But I’m better.” Link brings his sword around, his arms aching with the effort as the cold truly sets in at that very moment, and he sees the Rito, arrow nocked mere inches from his head.

“Stop, please!” The Rito and Link both turn their heads, seeing a white coat with golden accents now on the battlefield with them. Link stops his sword only a hair away from making contact with the Rito, while the other swiftly uses his wings to flip out of his attack, shooting the arrow away from the two of them, but the wind carries it back so it lands maybe a foot away from Zelda. Link turns to glare at the Rito before rushing toward Zelda, who holds up her hand to stop.

She is not his sister right now, but the future Queen of Hyrule, and she will have their respect.

Chapter Text

“Did we, or did we not send letters ahead of time letting you know we were coming?” Zelda asks, tone making even Link bow his head now. Calls can be heard in the distance from Urbosa and Impa. The lack of Mipha’s voice is concerning, but Link does not allow himself to show it, seeing as Zelda’s tone made him revert to what she dubs “knight mode.” He is standing perfectly still, almost waiting to be given orders or scolded.

“Your Highness.” The Rito says, still breathing heavily yet kneeling in respect.

“Why then, may I ask, were we met with such hostility? I came to speak with the Elder on a matter of great importance. I understand some resistance due to the monster attacks, but this? Why was my knight met with such forceful means?” Zelda’s tone leaves no room for bullshit, of that Link is certain. The Rito does have a response, however, as he sees the egg-guardian at Zelda’s feet.

“Your knight, Your Highness, had that thing .” The Rito’s tone makes both twins bristle, eyes finding the egg-guardian with ease and confusion.

“The guardian? He’s been with us for nearly a month now, what do you mean?” The Rito looks shocked now.

“That’s not possible, Your Highness.” The Rito says, tone dark.

“Do not tell me what is and isn’t possible, just explain on the way. I will have it held if that would make you more comfortable, but the guardian is to come along.”

~

“How long has it been since your Spicy Elixir wore off?” Mipha asks, still recovering from the cold herself. She, however, was able to recover quickly with some warm water. That is not a safe way for Hylians to recover from near-hypothermia.

Link shrugs, chuckling when the Zora princess lets out a strangled noise of frustration before her palms light up around Link’s chest and abdomen.

“Link, you’re so careless!”

I didn’t have time to drink one, I was fighting for my life. Mipha rolls her eyes.

“You and I both know that the only real opponent out there for you was that blue Rito. Between Urbosa and I, you have no issues with close-range attacks.” Link laughs, which is painful, much to his surprise.

“Stay still!” Mipha scolds.

“That was very informative. I understand their aggression now. It seems we were careless with the guardian in our midst and the issues others may have with it.” Zelda says, suddenly appearing in the doorway with the Elder.

“We have come to the conclusion that there is no way this is the guardian that led those monsters to us.” The Elder says, setting the blue Rito, who entered with them, at ease. Link, sits up, much to Mipha’s frustration.

What did I miss? Link signs. Zelda waves her hand dismissively, and Link glares at her.

“I must get going, as for Revali, it appears you have already met him.” With that, the Elder walks away, leaving Link gaping at the blue Rito in question.

“Of course he’s Revali, why would life be easy?” Urbosa laughs before adding, “This is no place to talk, however. Do you have a moment to spare?” Zelda relaxes as Urbosa takes over, even if briefly. She would like to fuss over her idiotic brother, thank you very much.

“We’ll be out in a moment, Urbosa.” Link is even more confused than he had been previously.

Why did Urbosa take him? Link signs, feeling still not back to his hands completely.

“Father is right about one thing, no one can know you’re the Prince.” Zelda says. Link nods, having known that. It’s more of a risk that way, even if he was disowned.

Not anymore, but I understand. Mipha smacks his hands at that.

“You are still the Prince, no matter what your father says. He’s a cruel man, and Hyrule would have crumbled without you–either of you–by now and you both know it.” Link nods, watching Zelda do the same.

“On that note, Revali seems to know we’re stalling. If he can see through Urbosa, he’s an intelligent one, that’s for sure.” Impa remarks. Link laughs at that, standing up despite his body’s protests. He has a job to do after all.

~

“I understand the situation now.” Revali is standing on the end of the landing, head tilted in a way that indicates he is listening despite being turned away from the group. Mipha and Urbosa are at the inn resting, seeing as they’re not used to this climate. Neither are Link and the others, but they are needed in an official capacity.

“I’m thankful no harm befell you. Either of you.” Zelda continues. Revali’s eyes meet Link’s before he snaps his head forward once more.

“Pardon me,” Impa interrupts, “But we must address the gravity of there being another guardian resembling this little one, Your Highness.” She’s right, as usual, though Link will never admit that particular thought aloud.

“Yes. If it is in some way connected to the Calamity, we must swiftly come up with a strategy.” Link nods, understanding. While he’d never admit this either, the little guardian has grown on him, so the thought of others having issues with it has rarely crossed his mind. A scoff comes from the Rito warrior, which pulls Link from his thoughts.

“Out with it.” Link finds his fists clenching, frustration building at the Rito’s arrogance.

“We both know you’ll be needing my unique skills,” The Rito pauses, raising his wing to motion to the sky where Vah Medoh soars before turning to continue.

“...to pilot that Divine Beast. Hm?” The Rito’s gaze falls to Link, making the women beside him tense up slightly. With his wings tucked behind his back, Revali walks toward him, talons clacking lightly against the wooden landing they stand on. He stops just in front of Link, his beak inches from the knight’s face. An intimidation tactic, surely, but not one that works on the Hylian Prince.

“However, about this pathetic knight in your service… Are you sure he’s got what it takes?” Link doesn’t take his gaze away, standing firm in his ground as their eyes meet. Before Link can even think of defending himself, and before Zelda allows her emotions to sway her next words, the little guardian beeps, the warm air that caused the noise blowing Link’s bangs into his eyes. The guardian’s eyes don’t show any emotion, but Link is sure that if it could, it would be glaring at the Rito warrior. It moves its gaze back and forth, trying and failing to be intimidating.

“What the–”

Impa walks forward as Link step out of the way. Revali, still not happy with the guardian’s presence, moves into a defensive stance. Impa ignores the warrior, bending down to face the guardian.

“Oh, I see. Our friend believes itself to be a knight as well, in service of the Princess.” The guardian chirps affirmatively. Revali’s eyes widen, surprised.

“It whaaat?” He asks. He throws a wing up, the other resting on his hip as he shakes his head. He scoffs, but his own amusement shines through.

“Ridiculous. Every last one of you.”

Chapter Text

“Vah Rudania is located in Death Mountain, we should head there before returning to the castle.” Urbosa suggests. Link nods, already thinking of the best way to go in his head. They were already at Snowfield Stable, so if they come off the main path now…

If we take the main path, we’ll have to pass through Central Hyrule anyway. Let’s go over Mount Drena. Link signs. Mipha sighs, knowing Link is probably right, but also knowing that will be a rougher path to trek.

“Link has a point, Little Bird.” Zelda, who had begun to shut down Link’s idea immediately, sighs in reluctance.

“I’m aware, Urbosa. The issue lies in the fact that this will put us between the Great Hyrule Forest and Thyphlo Ruins, both of which are incredibly dangerous.” Link fights of a snort, having been through both without much of an issue.

“Hasn’t Link been through both already? Didn’t you go with him all the way to Korok Forest?” Impa asks. Zelda sighs once more, her glare having no real heat behind it as she directs it at Impa and Link, who both grin in “innocence.”

“Yes, Link has been through both, but that does not mean I wish to go anywhere near those places on a diplomatic mission like this. Thyphlo Ruins are a bit too unpredictable, and Hyrule Forest is a maze unless you know how to get through.” Zelda reasons.

Luckily, we do . Link supplies cheekily.

“Link–” “What is he doing? Can you all understand him?” Revali asks. The women along with Link all freeze, having momentarily forgotten it wasn’t just them anymore.

“Why yes, actually! You see, Zora Sign is taught to all Zora at a young age, and Link, Zelda, and I have known eachother since childhood.” Mipha supplies, careful to leave out any relation between Link and the crown.

It’s okay to tell him I’m selectively mute, Mipha. Link signs.

“If you’re sure,” the Zora princess responds with a soft smile. Link nods before turning back to Zelda to debate the best course of action, hands moving quickly.

“Link is selectively mute. He has a hard time communicating with his words due to anxiety, and we all agreed that learning Zora Sign would benefit us, and it has! Link is much more talkative than anyone gives him credit for.” The Princess giggles as Link signs something that Revali, once more, doesn’t understand.

“While we won’t make you learn if you truly do not wish to, Link would probably appreciate it if you did,” Urbosa adds. The Rito warrior nods.

“So when I met you in the woods that day…” Link, who seems done arguing with Zelda, nods, knowing where the Rito was going.

“I am truly sorry for that, and as you’ve probably gathered, I do not apologize very much.”

It’s fine, I’m used to it. Link signs. A dark look passes over Zelda’s face, and Mipha is quick to chastise the knight.

“You shouldn’t be used to it, that’s the problem!” She cries, frustration clear in her voice.

“As enlightening as I’m sure this conversation has been, we are wasting daylight, and I’d rather not have to worry about any Stalmoblins.” Zelda shudders at the thought. Those skeletal monsters are always worse on her psyche that the regular ones.

They finally solidified their plan through Mount Drena, and started moving. With any luck, they’d reach the edge of Lake Mekar by nightfall. They manage to make camp before Zelda asks about the Goron they’re going to meet, Daruk.

“It has been a while since I’ve seen Daruk. Drinking with him is always interesting.” Zelda’s eyes widen, and Link coughs, momentarily choking on his dinner.

“U-Urbosa!” The Hylian princess is more than aware of the Gerudo’s heightened tolerance for alcohol. As a rule, they can out drink any Hylian, that’s for sure.

“Pfft–” Link tries and fails to hold in his laughter at Zelda’s mortified expression. It’s rather hilarious, if he’s being honest. Zelda, in turn, tries to smother the knight to get him to stop. It’s funny. They’re almost like…

“Are they always like this?” Revali asks. Impa nods solemnly as Urbosa and Mipha proceed to laugh as well. What kind of insanity did Revali get himself into?

~

Insanity indeed, it seems.

“LINK!” Mipha, Impa, and Zelda scream as the knight climbs the Ingeo Talus, successfully lighting himself aflame. Fireproof potion or not, Link should not be climbing that thing.

Urbosa’s booming laughter fills the air as she rushes forward, taking advantage of the knight’s momentary distraction. As soon as Link smacks the stone deposit on top of the Talus, it falls, launching some of the rocky ground beneath it as it does. Revali circles around, pulling his Greak Eagle Bow and nocking three bomb arrows. They light themselves automatically, and Link already learned once that holding one nocked for too long is grounds for an explosion. Revali wastes no time in firing the arrows, successfully destroying the Talus’ arms. Link falls flat on his back as the Talus tosses him off, and instead of a pained cry, laughter erupts from the knight’s mouth.

“He is having too much fun with this!” Mipha cries in frustration. Revali feels the same, this stupid knight is going to kill himself fighting like this. Revali has seen too many warriors fall with attitudes like Link’s.

“The pup is merely thrilled at a challenge! Death Mountain is full of them!” The woman’s smile is just as wide as Link’s as she says this.

“You two get along far too well!” Revali calls, decidedly ignoring the woman calling the Hylian knight a “pup.”

“Almost got it! Link!” Urbosa calls just as a familiar form launches by, surrounded by an orange glow.

“Boulder!” Revali calls, not recognizing the form as that, but an object. He’s rarely seen a Goron after all. They don’t tend to like Hebra too much. One hit from the new contender seems to be the last one needed to finally take town the Talus, and Link cheers as it goes down, immediately looking through the ore that falls.

“Daruk! I was wondering if you’d be joining us!” Urbosa’s booming voice is second only to the reply from the Goron.

That’s Daruk?! Link signs, forgoing the search of ore in favor of meeting the guy who just launched himself across a molten lake to fight with them.

“Little Bird, Pup, meet Daruk. He’s the Goron who agreed to help us in our mission to battle the Calamity.” Link looks at the Goron and Revali swears there’s stars in the knight’s eyes.

“Link, I know that look. Daruk will not be teaching you how to launch across a body of lava, do you understand? Do not even try!” Mipha scolds the knight quickly, seeing the mischief building.

“Is this the little guy you were telling me about, Urbosa?” Daruk’s gravelly voice asks. He looks at the knight, smile evident on his face. Link smiles right back, excited to meet the Goron warrior in person after hearing stories from Urbosa on their trek from Tabantha to here.

“The very same, Daruk. I do believe, however, your current business is with the Princess. Go on, Little Bird.” Zelda and Impa move away to talk a bit more privatgely with Daruk, even if the man’s voice is loud enough that they can still get most of the conversation. Mipha walks over to check Link, who Revali is learning is prone to injuries.

“Do you not care for your own wellbeing?” Revali asks, incredulous as the blue glow of Mipha’s healing power moves across Link’s body. The knight doesn’t respond other than a slight shrug. Revali scoffs, not believing what he’s seeing.

“You’re truly the Princess’ trusted knight? With such an attitude about your own life being displayed so freely, I’d think you have a death wish.” Link freezes, tensing up instinctively.

“Someone so ready to kill themselves fighting has no place on the battlefield.” Link glares at Revali now, openly showing his agitation.

“Revali, enough.” Urbosa says, but Revali isn’t done yet.

“You can’t protect the Princess if you’re dead, Knight, and you’d do well to remember that.”

Chapter Text

The trek toward Goron City is not a short one, nor an easy one, but it’s significantly better than it had been with a local guiding them through. Link, who prides himself on not letting the words of others get to him very often, seems to be shaken by Revali’s earlier outburst. Daruk, however, has not picked up on the tense atmosphere as the others have, and barrels through his monologue without another thought.

“What you’ll learn about me is that I never refuse a sincere request.” The Goron turns, smacking his fist into his chest, which ends in a loud booming noise that seems to shake the air around them.

“So of course I’m on board with your plan!” He turns around, thoughtful.

“Except… There is one problem.” Zelda makes a questioning noise, moving faster to come next to the Goron.

“Well, it’s just that Vah Rudania is in a difficult spot right now,” Daruk turns, looking at the mountain his people have made their home as he continues, “The Divine Beast was found pretty high up on Death Mountain. A lot of monsters have been crawling around lately, so even getting close to ol’ Rudania is a big pain.” Daruk turns back with a sigh.

“Only the bravest go up there now… So that's why it’s a good thing it’s gonna be us!” The Goron is excited, a large grin stretched across his face as his arms stretch out, motioning to their group.

“Oh, um, of course…” Zelda replies nervously.

“Come on! Death Mountain won’t climb itself!” Daruk begins marching toward the mountain path, leaving the others to trail behind him.

“Self-sacrificial, idiotic warriors will be the end of us all…” Revali grumbles, finding Mipha sharing his sentiment wholeheartedly. Impa and Zelda share a look, both looking at Link, who shrugs before moving faster to catch up with Daruk, trying to keep up with him despite his half-healed injuries from their previous fight.

~

Goron City is amazing, it’s open buildings and large entrances make Link feel smaller than he ever did in Hyrule Castle, but this feeling isn’t a bad one. He’s in awe at the size of everything, and one look at Zelda shows him that she is sharing a similar thought process.

“It’s magnificent.” Zelda says, awe freely shown in her tone.

“I told you, Little Bird, Goron City is like none you’ve seen before.” Zelda smiles, knowing immediately that this is true.

“Rito Village and Goron City both are vastly different from Zora’s Domain and Gerudo Town. Each settlement has their own unique characteristics, and yet all of them have the same feeling of warmth about them that has little to do with the physical climate. I’m glad we took this journey, even if it’s almost over now that we’re here.” The last part of Zelda’s little speech has Link stopping in his tracks, eyes looking lost. Impa and Zelda notice immediately, neither having seen that look since just after their departure from Hyrule Castle.

“Link–” “Allow me, Little Bird.” Before Zelda can get another word out, Urbosa has picked up Link and is carrying him away from the group. The knight does little to protest, seeming to be off in his own little world, laying almost limply as Urbosa slings the Hylian over her shoulder with ease.

~

Why did you do that? Link signs. Urbosa sighs, bending down so that she is eye level with the Hylian prince.

“You’re worrying Little Bird and Impa, Pup. It’s true that our journey here is almost over, but that doesn’t mean we’ll abandon you once it’s done. Believe it or not, you’re stuck with us.”

I was disowned, Urbosa. The Gerudo warrior feels anger build at the reminder (not that she was explicitly told , but she isn’t deaf), and knows if she lets it slip, Link will think it is directed at him and not for him.

“You were, that is correct. You are, however, still an integral part of Hyrule. Link, you and Zelda have brought all of Hyrule’s races together, do you realize that? The Sheikah, the Zora, the Gerudo, the Rito, and the Goron. You have one of each standing with you both, do you think you would have won Revali over with mere words? Your actions, your courage , is what drew that Rito to us, not Zelda’s words.” Link looks up, a contemplative look on his face.

Won Revali over? The signing is accompanied by a snort, disbelief in her words evident.

“Link, you are a vital part of Hyrule’s success. You understand that King Dorephan and I do not ally ourselves with Central Hyrule’s royalty for Rhoam, correct?” Link nods, looking anywhere but at Urbosa, and the warrior will have none of that. She tilts Link’s head up to make him look at her, seeing tears well up in the normally stoic knight’s eyes.

“Zelda will not abandon you, that is for certain. You may not be family in Rhoam’s eyes, but you are in hers, do you understand? Zelda would be lost without you, which is why she fought to allow you on this trip. You would be lost without her just the same, which is why you left the Castle despite Rhoam’s threat,” She was only told that part after she practically begged Impa and Zelda for details regarding Link’s behavior.

“You’re twins, and neither of you would willingly separate, Rhoam should remember that if nothing else. Disowning you merely gave Zelda a reason to fight back, do you understand?” Link nods, but Urbosa can see he doesn’t quite get it. Alas, the seed is planted, and she trusts the knight’s mind to sow it well.

“Let’s get back to the others, I’m sure they’re worried.”

~

“That look… Impa–” “I know, Princess. Link is running himself ragged because of it too.” Revali and Daruk are confused, but they have very different ways of showing it. While Daruk keeps his mouth shut, deciding that they’ll let him in on their secret when they deem appropriate, Revali has no qualms about being loud in his search for knowledge.

“Running himself ragged over what?” His tone is snappy, and if asked, he’d attribute it to the suffocating heat surrounding them, even if it is lessened in Goron City.

“Revali, it is up to Link to–” “A fool could tell you’re hiding something. When your supposed ‘knight’ was injured in Rito Village, Lady Urbosa dragged me away for pointless conversation in the middle of a diplomatic crisis, was that necessary, or a deflection?” Zelda sighs, realizing that Revali is right, and that he has every right not to trust their word.

“Didn’t Little Bird say she was going to let Link decide when to tell?” Urbosa rounds the corner, a less deal-looking knight by her side, his eyes noticeably red.

“What could you possibly be hiding that would call for such secrecy?” Revali asks, not expecting an answer.

“Something that could severely slow us down if it ever got out, as well as painting a larger target on our backs. I’d be shocked if the Yiga didn’t already know, but the monsters certainly don’t yet, and we need that small bit of grace from the goddesses right now.” Zelda says offhandedly.

“What do you mean the Yiga already know?” Urbosa asks darkly, grabbing Link in a protective manner that none of them have seen before.

Link signs something that Revali can’t understand from the little he picked up on their journey thus far, turning red at the squeak he involuntarily emitted.

“Urbosa, please put my knight down.” Zelda says, a fond smile on her face nonetheless.

“But the Yiga–” “Have always been an issue. How many times have they made it into the castle now? I’d be more surprised if they didn’t know, honestly.” Impa adds, trying to calm the Gerudo woman. Eventually, she lets go of the Hylian knight, but not without considerable reasoning with. It seems that this level of protectiveness over the two Hylians is normal for the Gerudo Chieftess.

“You both might as well be my own spawn, of course I’m going to be protective of you.” Link manages to will down his sudden blush, but his eyes dart nervously between Daruk and Revali.

“Whatever it is, tell us when you’re ready, Little Guy,” Daruk says, patting Link on the back hard enough for him to stumble a little too close to a lake of lava.

“Daruk!” “Whoa!” “Shit–” It’s only thanks to Revali’s quick thinking that Link ends up without singed hair. The knight strains to look at the Rito as he hangs just above the molten lake’s edge, held only by the talons gripping his armour. No one dares to breathe until Link is on the ground again. Link and Revali look at eachother, mirrored shock in their expressions. Eventually, the Rito scoffs.

“I may not like you, but I’m not going to let you die . While I’m sure we could protect the Princess just fine, even I can see she’d be distraught if something were to take you from her. Whatever’s going on…” Revali doesn’t finish his thought, but Link understands. He’ll leave it be for now, seeing as it’s not hindering their progress.

“Oh my goddess, are you alright? Daruk, why would you–!” Revali tunes out the rest as Zelda immediately rushes to Link’s side, turning to scold Daruk for his carelessness and remind him that none of them are Goron, and that this could have been any of them, or ended in a much worse manner. Link, who finally seems back to his normal self after his initial shock, signs quickly to assure the Hylian princess that he is fine.

Maybe they’ll take on Death Mountain tomorrow.

Chapter Text

“Remind me again why Mipha gets to stay back?” Revali complains, his entire body feels heavy, and he swears if one more feather falls out he’s going to commit a crime. He’s never sweat before, and he already hates it.

“Because she almost shriveled up in the desert and I wasn’t going to fry her here.” Zelda says, finding Revali’s state humorous. The Rito understands her reasoning, but he doesn’t have to like that he is in turn being dragged along for the ride.

“Ridiculous. Absolutely, horrendously, asinine. Where is your knight, by the way? Did we not agree to meet here at exactly–” “I told you I would buy you a set of Flamebreaker armour!” Revali, a little perturbed at being cut off, turns to where the Princess is looking, the shock on her face enough to realize that the knight must be doing something ridiculous. He is. Well… If the knight coming out of the main inn of Goron City wearing traditional vai garb can be counted as ridiculous. 

Link signs something, and Revali catches a few words: Rupees, bother, heavy.

See? He’s learning.

“What do you mean– Bother me?! Of all the times to worry about bothering me, you choose now ?!” Zelda can’t even find it in herself to be shocked, she’s simply disappointed at her knight’s antics.

“Little Bird, don’t be too harsh on him, he was about to come out in his regular armour and I stopped that, didn’t I?” Urbosa asks, stifling her laughter between her words. “Besides, I never tire of seeing him in Gerudo fashion. It looks rather stunning on him, wouldn’t you agree?”

“You– He– Fine ! Let’s just go already! We never should have looked so hard for a way for Link to enter Gerudo Town as children…” The Princess trails off, mumbling incoherently, but definitely angry.

“Can he really fight in that?” Revali asks. Urbosa chuckles at his disbelief.

“Better than our trainees, and a good amount of our guards. I’m the only one left who gives him trouble with a sword, not that your father would believe us.” Zelda and Link stop in their tracks, turning to Urbosa at her answer.

“Oh relax, I’m sure Revali doesn’t care what the pup’s father says.” Urbosa corrects. Link glares at them both lightly, and Zelda tries to relax as they move closer to the mountain trail. This is going to be a long day…

~

True to Urbosa’s words, Link fights like a dream in traditional vai garb. Better than donning his armour, even. Revali finds himself distracted by the Hylian’s movements more than once, especially as he takes down another fire Moblin with shocking ease. It’s all fun and games until another Ingeo Talus makes its presence known, and Urbosa and Link once more don matching feral grins. This time, however, it appears that Zelda has more of an aversion to Link fighting such a beast. It’s most likely due to the fact that their resident healer isn’t here, and that Link’s clothing can hardly be called armour, especially against this purely elemental being.

“Link!” Zelda calls, launching a bomb from the Sheikah Slate as Revali lets some bomb arrows free. Successfully taking out both of the Igneo Talus’ arms before they can be used as projectiles against Link and Urbosa. Impa appears before the Talus, quickly switching behind it to help aid Link in jumping atop the beast. Link rushes forward, using Impa’s clasped hands to catapult off the ground. He hisses as his unprotected hands find themselves in contact with the molten monster, and Revali distantly wonders if he has any ice arrows on hand to ease the knight’s pain.

Daruk throws his Boulder Breaker to Link, who somehow possesses enough strength to wield that monster of a claymore, and with a few more hits, the Igneo Talus falls in a fiery explosion. Link is launched once more into the air, and Revali once more decides to catch him before he can be hurt further. As he lowers the knight to the ground, ripping can be heard. No doubt that the sound comes from where his talons meet the cloth, Revali decides that after the Hylian is properly scolded, he may offer his assistance in fixing the Gerudo garb.

“You’ve got some strength, Little Guy! Not many outside the Goron can wield my sword, and usually those who can are tall, Gerudo women like Urbosa!” Link practically preens at the compliment, but Zelda comes right up to Link and smacks him on the back of the head. Hard .

“You… IDIOT!” Link’s eyes are wide, and while his stance appears defensive, anyone can see that he’s ready to sprint at a moment’s notice.

“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DANGEROUS THAT WAS?!” Link seems to be fighting the urge to run, and instead of listening to his impulse, simply straightens up and lowers his head in submission, much like a knight would to their commander, which technically is the current situation, even if it never appears that way. Revali shakes his head, deciding to listen instead of thinking over their untraditional dynamic.

“Oh, it’s not me you have to worry about! It’s not like I’d be heartbroken if you were gone, is it? It’s not like you’re the only one who has kept me sane when Urbosa can’t make her regular visits because the Yiga have been acting up again! It’s not as if I haven’t been telling you to be more careful for years now! I don’t care what ou– what Father says, you are just as important as I am! If you’re not going to be careful with yourself, I’ll send you back right now, do I make myself clear?!” The Princess’ tone leaves little room for argument, but somehow her knight finds the audacity.

Zelda please– Link starts, but the glare the Princess gives is more than enough to shut that down. Zelda turns around, tears in her eyes as she starts to distance herself from the knight she cares so much about.

“No, Link. You can’t keep doing this. I need you. Hyrule needs you. Did you ever stop to think what would happen if Fa– your father found out you’d died on the field, especially after– And Mipha would never recover from the loss, do you understand?” She turns her head to that Link may either nod or sign to show he’s listening. When he does so, she turns back around.

“Good. Now, let’s move. Vah Rudania needs her champion, does she not?”

~

The walk to Vah Rudania is silent. If it weren’t for the bubbling lava around them, one could probably hear a pin drop. Revali has long since thought better of offering any aid to Link until Zelda has calmed down. As right as she is that Link is going to get himself killed acting as he does, Revali knows that any outside input would only anger both further.

“Oooh,” Daruk starts as they come by a cliff. Looking down, Vah Rudania is in a pit of lava, and she looks just as beautiful as Vah Medoh did in the sky. The Divine Beasts truly are majestic in their “natural habitats”, at rest and at peace.

“Seeing it again, it’s even bigger than I remembered!” Even Daruk is in awe. The little guardian, who Revali will not be admitting he forgot about in all of the commotion, beeps and points to the Beast below them. They all have to go down there? Can’t Daruk just–

“Let’s get right to it, then.” Daruk says, rolling his shoulder as he stalks toward the cliff edge.

Chapter Text

Being inside of Vah Rudania is much different from Vah Ruta, that’s for sure. For starters, you’d think with that many joints on it’s legs it would be a smoother travel. You’d be wrong, but you’d think, right?

“Fire… Of course it can launch fire. Why wouldn’t it be able to launch fire?” Zelda looks to Impa like she’d have any idea, when Zelda probably knows more about Ancient Sheikah Tech than anyone barring Purah and Robbie.

This is awesome . Link signs. Urbosa’s booming laugh can somehow be heard above the incessant crunching of literal mountains beneath them. Zelda thanks Hylia and the triple goddesses every day that Link does not pilot a Divine Beast. She also thanks them for not involving Link in the prophecy, but that’s probably second on the list of things she thanks them for at this point.

“Heh. Getting here is all well and good, but I have no idea how to drive this thing!” Daruk calls over the crumbling terrain.

“Welp! The best way to learn is by doing. Let’s see what this thing is capable of!” That is an infinitely poor decision, but the horde of monsters around them does need to be dealt with… At Zelda’s nod, Daruk turns back to the control board.

“Time to run wild, Vah Rudania! That is, erm… if I can figure out how you work…” Daruk is admittedly a bit clumsy with the controls, but that’s to be expected. Once he gets the hang of it, it’s still not a smooth ride, but it’s not enough that there’s a concern for anyone to go flying off anymore.

“This is amazing!” Zelda cries once the initial shock has worn off. Vah Rudania is truly incredible, and a truly destructive force to be reckoned with. Link tries to sign as well, but from where he’s being held by Urbosa, who is also holding Zelda, mind you, it’s hard for him to control his arms. Urbosa seems to be worried about something, if her tightening grip on the two Hylians means anything, and Revali looks ahead. Impa and Daruk haven’t noticed them yet, but Revali has enough grace to not let them go any longer with such a mistake.

“A horde! Igneo Talus’ to your left!”

~

Finally back in Goron City, Zelda, Impa, and Daruk chat animatedly about the capabilities of Vah Rudania. Seeing as they’ve yet to see Vah Medoh or Vah Ruta’s capabilities, Zelda’s eyes sparkle at the prospect of what those beasts could accomplish, let alone all four together.

“The Divine Beasts are incredible, and I would trust Hyrule in their care. I just wish father saw it that way…” Urbosa puts a comforting hand on Zelda’s shoulder, and Link offers a warm smile. Zelda’s frown persists.

“I’m nearly seventeen, and the Spring of Wisdom may be our last hope for my powers.” Urbosa’s grip tightens, but not painfully.

“Your father is a fool.” Suddenly Revali understands Link’s lack of decorum with Princess Zelda, if he’s spent time around Urbosa, who speaks of Hyrule’s King in that manner so freely.

“But, Urbosa–” “No, Little Bird. Your father doesn’t see it the way Impa, Mipha, Link, and I do. You are not taking this laying down by not spending every waking moment in search of a power that has yet to awaken. You are actively researching technology that could make or break this war, much like your mother did. Both of your fathers are hard on you,” Urbosa is careful with her wording, “Much too hard for any almost seventeen year old to handle. Do you understand? Little Bird, the weight of the kingdom is not solely on your shoulders. You have always had us, you now have Daruk and Revali, and once we find him, we will have the bearer of the darkness-sealing sword as well. Do not let your idiot of a father erase all of the hard work you have already put into protecting us all.” Zelda finds herself sniffling before broken sobs escape her lips. Link immedtately reaches for the Princess, tears in his eyes as well. He signs a quick thank you to Urbosa, who reminds both of them to take her words to heart, for she is not one to use flowery language. Leave that to her fiance.

“Fiance?” Revali asks. Urbosa smiles brightly.

“Yes, my future wife, second to only myself in combat back in Gerudo Town. I plan to marry her when the Calamity has been dealt with. Zelda, once crowned, shall be our officiant. Gerudo weddings always feature a large party, and they last for days. As chieftess, although I wish to keep mine within the standard duration, might end up being a week long. Liquor and food flow freely through our home, and we spend that time together, as a whole. It is the only time voe are allowed in, and that is only if their wives permit it.” The last detail is one that shocks Revali. Men being allowed into Gerudo town?

“Rito weddings are much different. They’re more… intimate. I’ve only seen one, and it was our Elder’s. She raised me, and I stood beside her as she married the Rito she loved. She was a warrior, and he a musician. He died protecting us from an invasion when I was young.” Mipha, who no one realized had joined the group, speaks up next.

“Weddings are not a big deal in Zora culture, unless you’re royalty. Therefore, I have yet to see one. As for my mother… she died shortly after Sidon was born.” Link grabs Mipha’s hand, giving it a squeeze.

“Goron don’t really do weddings, our families have always been different. I believe the Hylian saying is that ‘it takes a village to raise a child?’ We take that to heart. My grandson is due to be born soon, and he will live long after me, when I finally erode or become one with our molten ancestors.” Everyone shares their congratulations before Impa speaks up.

“Weddings are up to the family, with the Sheikah. We’re just glad to have made it through another year with the ones we love.” They all sit in silence for a bit, realizing that with the Calamity drawing nearer, they may not get another year with those they cherish.

“As enlightening as this conversation has been, and as grateful as I am to have been allowed a window into each of your cultures, I do believe that it is getting late, and that we have a long journey ahead of us to get back to Central Hyrule. I must report to my father soon, or he’ll be worried.” With that comment from Hyrule’s princess, they all return to their lodgings for the night. Well… almost all of them.

“Link?” Zelda’s voice asks, and Revali stops, ducking behind a wall as to not ruin their moment. He must have signed something, because Zelda continues.

“Will we ever be as happy as Urbosa and Daruk? Getting married, having a family… Is that in our cards?” Revali holds his breath. Is this the nature of their relationship, then? Partners in every sense of the word?

“I don’t know, Zel.” The second voice sounds so… resigned. They part ways there for the night, leaving Revali with a lot to think about regarding their behavior toward one another.

Chapter Text

Link and Daruk walk ahead of the group as Revali circles above them, having been too uncomfortable to fly for very long, yet having the lack of flight make him irritable all the same. Stretching his wings feels nice, and apparently helps him dry out his feathers. Who knew? Besides, it gives him time to think about the secret Link and the Princess could be hiding.

They were talking about having a family… That suggests that they are romantically involved, which would make sense. They’re much closer that any knight should be to their superior, much to familiar with one another. They’re also strangely… touchy. They’re always touching in some form or another. A brush of hands, leaning against one another, messing with eachother’s hair, Link brushing Zelda’s hair… There’s a lot of evidence that Revali has overlooked. He’s broken from his thoughts by a booming laugh.

“That was unexpected, but we pulled through in the end.” Daruk says, cheerful. It appears their group conversation last night brought all of their spirits up. He turns to Link, quickly checking to make sure they are not near any lava pools before addressing Link directly.

“You really proved yourself, eh, Little Guy?” He claps Link on the back, his hand, larger than Link’s torso, forcing the small knight forward with a grunt.

“Now, about me piloting Rudania… Well, go ahead and count the mighty Daruk in!” Zelda claps her hands happily, a smile clear in her face.

“Thank you, Daruk.”

“Of course! We’ll smash that Calamity Ganon jerk to smithereens.” He starts walking again before turning around once more, addressing the group.

“Ooh, wait a minute. You must be starving after all that fighting!” Link’s stomach decides to make itself known in that moment, and he rubs the back of his head sheepishly. Daruk takes that in stride.

“I know just the cure for that.” The sheer size of  the piece of… meat? Can that be considered meat? Made Revali concerned enough to come down and see that the group paused for.

“My favorite… Prime Rock Roast!” Link’s eyes sparkle at the amount of food in his hands, and the others, minus Daruk and Urbosa for some reason, look on in horror.

“Is he going to eat that?” Revali asks, trying to keep his tone neutral, but knowing skepticism seeps out.

“Doesn’t it look delicious? Why don’tcha dig in, Little Guy?” Link, who Revali is quickly learning has not a cautious bone in his body, nods before digging in.

“Link?!” Impa cries, the others too stunned to speak. Mipha grumbles about how she refuses to heal him if he chips his tooth this time, and Zelda looks like she’s going to strangle the knight where he stands. Meanwhile, Urbosa laughs heartily, wholly unsurprised by this sight, it seems.

“Gah, sorry! How thoughtless of me– I shoulda brought some for you, tiny princess!” Zelda shrinks back slightly.

“No, it’s fine–” “Next time, I promise to bring enough for everyone.” Zelda, seeming to know the Goron won’t take no for an answer on this subject, smiles wryly.

“Th-Thank you very much!”

~

“We’re almost there!” Zelda says, happy to finally be home. She loved getting to see every corner of Hyrule, but the castle will always be her home. Revali, who heard her call from his position above them, looks ahead to see the castle in all of it’s glory shortly ahead of them across the horizon.

“Once we get there, we’ll need to begin training, and planning for the Calamity. No matter how much I wish the measures we’ve taken were preventative.” Link, who had been leading the group on his horse, stops at a crossroad.

We’re at Thims Bridge, but it’s too late in the day. We should go to Woodland Stable to avoid travelling at night. The knight signs, looking to Impa and Zelda for input.

“I trust your judgement, Link.” Zelda says when Impa too looks to her.

“To Woodland Stable!” Zelda calls, looking up to make sure Revali heard them. He nods, moving in that direction as Link, Impa, and Urbosa turn their horses. Urbosa trots up to Link, curious about his decision.

“We’d be travelling in the dark for a few hours at best, why the detour?” The Gerudo warrior asks. Link points up, and Urbosa immediately understands.

“That’s kind of you, considering I doubt he’d show you the same courtesy.” Link shrugs the comment off, ignoring Urbosa’s look.

When they finally reach the stable, it is dark, but has been to for an hour at best. Revali is quick to get where the stable’s torches light the way, and Link knows he made the correct decision.

~

Entering Hyrule’s Castle Town is simple, but entrance into the castle is where the problems start for Link.

“Welcome back, Princess. Your father is waiting in the throneroom.” Zelda thanks the guard as he takes her horse’s reigns, allowing her to dismount. Impa is much less patient, climbing down to lend a hand to Urbosa. Link dismounts as well, and begins to follow the guards with the other horses until he’s stopped by the crossing of spears.

“ He is not permitted to enter.” Zelda begins to turn protest, but Urbosa raises her hand, stopping the Princess before she can utter a word.

“Allow me.” Zelda nods, keeping her amused smile behind her hand as she and the others watch Urbosa handle the situation.

“Link is here with me, and my guest. I presume there is no further issue?” Her voice is firm, commanding, and every bit the Gerudo Chieftess that she is, and that Daruk and Revali hadn’t seen on their journey thusfar.

“L-Lady Urbosa… The K-King’s orders w-were–” “To not allow one of his own knights back into the castle to report?” She finishes, knowing that is not how that sentence was going. Despite their scared expressions, they hold their spears strong, and Urbosa can almost commend them for that. Almost. They’re causing her Pup pain, after all.

“I suggest you remove those spears from this knight’s way before I tell the King you disrespected one of his valued guests. Are we clear?” The guard in question is shaking, brave front gone with the breeze that blows through the castle town.

“C-Crystal, Lady Urbosa.” The guard ducks his head, a sign of respect and obedience. As he should.

“Good. If I hear any of the guards giving this knight any trouble, they’ll have to answer to me, understand?” They nod obediently, and Urbosa smiles.

“Perfect. Carry on.”

~

“Princess Zelda, the King is ready for you and Lady Impa.” Urbosa chuckles darkly behind them, making the guard alerting them jump.

“I will be going with them, it’s been a long time since I’ve paid Rhoam a visit, the Yiga Clan has kept me busy as of late. Our knight will be joining us as well. Come on then.” Urbosa’s tone leaves no room for arguments as she leads the group in, leaving Mipha, Daruk, and Revali standing outside the throneroom in silence.

“I can’t say I’ve ever seen Urbosa like that…” Daruk says, concerned. Mipha laughs, sharp teeth showing proudly. The guards around them tense at the sight, making her smile grow.

“Oh, Lady Urbosa and the King have been on poor terms for years now. I do not wish to alter your perceptions about Hyrule’s king, but–” “He’s an unjustifiably cruel, malicious man?” Revali provides. Mipha nods.

“Ah, yes. I am familiar with that. The King has only been civil with the Zora and the Gerudo after all. The Rito have had no pleasant experiences with Hyrule’s King, and I doubt they will. He’s lucky we accepted the proposal at all.” Revali explains, failing to keep the contempt from his voice.

“They don’t like what they don’t understand, in fact it scares them, and Valoo is mysterious to them at the least. He, despite having turned on us early in our history, is our patron, not Hylia nor the triple goddesses of the triforce. The Hero of Wind helped us then, and the Rito are better for it. That was back when we were a less feathery race.” Revali explains. Mipha listens curiously, but Daruk is the one to question it.

“Valoo?”

“Yes, Valoo. Our patron deity and protector. He resided atop Dragon Roost Island in the time of the Hero of Wind, and he spoke the ancient Hylian language. Only his attendant, a young Rito named Medli, understood him, and even she had trouble.” Daruk doesn’t respond, merely nodding.

“That’s fascinating, Revali. I’d love to hear more about that in the future.”

“We don’t tend to speak of Valoo outside of Rito settlements and the village because many of us have been slaughtered for our belief in Valoo.” Mipha’s gaze softens at that.

“I’m sorry… That’s awful.” Revali nods solemnly.

“It is.”

Chapter Text

Urbosa comes storming out of the throneroom with Link in tow, the knight scrambling to catch up. He’s failing, but only because his legs are smaller and it takes much more effort, effort that his body is currently using not to burst into tears.

“Well?” Mipha asks, eyes hopeful. Urbosa shakes her head and Mipha’s heart drops. Just as suddenly as the feeling comes, it is replaced by fury. Mipha bears her teeth, pupils dilated, prepared to storm in there herself if Urbosa did not grab her to hold her back. The Gerudo woman looks to Link for help, and the Hylian grabs both of Mipha’s hands, bringing them to the sides of his face. She immediately calms down, her pupils returning to their normal state.

“Of all the brainless – Please tell me it isn’t true!” Mipha cries as Zelda walks out, eyes red and puffy. Zelda looks down, Impa putting a hand on her shoulder to show her support.

“I couldn’t– He was already upset that we brought him into the castle, we’re lucky he doesn’t throw him in the dungeons.” Zelda’s voice is thick with her previously shed tears.

“Why is the King so against the little guy staying here?” Daruk asks, unable to curb his curiosity. Revali winces, and Urbosa doesn’t miss it. Impa brushes right over Daruk’s question, explaining more of what happened.

“He said that Link has defied him for the last time… He said that before we left too. His decision is that Link is to be accompanied by one of us at all times, but if he’s with Zelda, there’s to be another. If caught alone, he’ll be put in the dungeons and–” “If I may interrupt.” The hallway goes silent, and Link’s gaze hardens as he turns to face the King of Hyrule.

“Zelda is right, you are lucky I am not sending you to the dungeons. That is only due to the fact that you are Lady Urbosa’s guest, have I made myself clear, Link?” The knight nods.

“None of that, I want words. Am. I. Clear?” Link chokes on his words for a moment before finally responding.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The King smirks with satisfaction as he walks away, only when they can no longer hear his footsteps does Zelda move toward Link, worried. She reaches a hand out, and Link flinches away from her touch.

“Link–” The knight immediately begins to walk away, Zelda following close behind. Impa sighs, knowing they’ll get in trouble alone.

“Are you alright showing them to the guest wing, Lady Urbosa, Princess Mipha? I’d take you myself but…” Impa motions to the Hylians who move further and further away. The two Champions nod.

“Go, we’ve got them.”

~

Revali is in the dining room, trying to keep civil as Link and Zelda finally come in, Impa at their tails. Link is wearing the same thing he was in before, but Zelda is in a gown the same blue as the outfit she’s been travelling in. It’s a vibrant color, but the gold ornaments and embroidery are what make the dress truly an elegant piece, and the King frowns at it.

“I thought we said to save that for the ceremony, Zelda. Did you even bother to brush your hair?” The King doesn’t look at his daughter for long, yet immediately there are criticisms, it seems. Zelda’s gaze is cold as she responds, and it takes everything Revali has for his beak not to fall open in shock. A look around the table shows that he is not alone in this, the other Champions are in varying stages of shock.

“Link has always done my hair, Father. Maybe if you’d just–” “That is out of the question. Link knows what he has done, and my word is final.” The King’s tone suggests that this is the end of the discussion, but Zelda’s face says she knows she’ll be hearing about this act of defiance later in the evening.

~

Link spends the rest of the evening holed up in his room, anger radiating off of him in near-palpable waves. That is, until he sneaks out the window and into the training grounds.

Grabbing a bow, Link nocks an arrow, staring down a target and letting the night’s breeze blow his hair out of his face before breathing out and letting go. The arrow finds the center circle on the target, and Link feels proud of himself. It’s not often he’s allowed to train with a bow, despite his mastery at bladed weaponry. When he was allowed by his father to train, it was strictly shortswords and claymores. Because of this, he’s the most proficient in those. He wasn’t even allowed to touch spears until Mipha insisted on training him.

Link nocks up another arrow, eyes narrowing as the sun continues to set. He can’t afford to let the lack of light hinder him, not when the Yiga Clan have only gotten braver at attempts on Zelda’s life. Arrow after arrow is shot at any visible target, and even some shields that have been left out. He’ll have to apologize to the Farin later, he needs to let his frustrations out now.

Urbosa had stood up to their father in a way that Link hasn’t seen in years. She openly shouted at and berated the man, leaving no room for him to defend himself. Just thinking about it makes Link smile. Not because his father got scolded by the Gerudo woman, but because Urbosa cares enough to even do that for him.

“I can’t believe you disowned him. Out of all the idiotic things your mind has come up with, this is the worst of them.” Urbosa starts, glaring daggers at Hyrule’s king. He stands, unwavering resolve bearing down as Urbosa continues to speak. That’s one thing Link gets from him, when he’s yelled at or berated, he shuts down externally, becoming an inexpressive wall of a Hylian.

“He constantly disobeys me, and needs to suffer the consequences of his actions.” The King replies simply.

“He disobeys you because you don’t listen to him, Rhoam. Both of them do. I know that’s not what this is really about. Your wife would have been ashamed of how you’re treating the twins. They should be your pride and joy, not tools in politics or prophecy. This is simply unacceptable!” Urbosa becomes visibly more furious the longer the King stands there, not even acknowledging that he’s done something terrible.

“Link needs to learn his place. He should listen when I speak, and obey my command. Zelda is much better at this, wouldn’t you agree? This would be much less complicated if she were an only child.” Link winces at these words as if he hasn’t heard them hundreds of times before. He knows his father would rather he’d never been born, but hearing him blatantly tell Urbosa this is beginning to bother him.

“They are children, Rhoam! They are going to disobey. I know you’ve tried to pit them against each other, and only Hylia is to thank for their continued closeness because if you had it your way, Zelda would hate Link too.”

~

After a week, Impa and Zelda walk the halls outside her and her brother’s rooms alone.

She’s seen how being home again has affected Link, he’s less animated now, more like he was before they left on their journey. She never realized how easy it was between them without their father in the way, watching their every interaction with such scrutiny. The other Champions seem to walk on eggshells around them as well, so she assumes that she is also in poor shape.

It’s not just them, either. Urbosa has been far too quick to anger, Mipha bares her teeth around most of the guard, despite being quite self-conscious of her (literal) killer smile, and Impa never strays from the twins’ side. Revali and Daruk have noticed the odd behavior, but neither have commented on it. Well, Daruk has started to, but Urbosa is quick to stop him seeing as he isn’t great about doing it at appropriate times. Revali has just been watching, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully whenever they land on Link or Zelda.

“His Majesty did not offer even a single word of praise.” The Shiekah says, pulling Zelda from her thoughts as they turn the corner. Zelda has been taking these sorts of walks frequently since they’ve returned, trying to clear her head. She’s home, she should feel more comfortable here than she did in those tents or in a stable bed… It’s clear that they cannot stay here for long, it appears that everyone will only suffer for it. Zelda speeds up a bit, trying not to look at Impa’s face, to see her disappointment, even if it is not aimed at her.

“Well… It’s only natural that Father would be frustrated.” Impa grabs Zelda’s shoulder, turning her around to face her. Her face says it all, and Zelda finds herself looking anywhere else but at her advisor in that moment.

“But… Your Highness…” Zelda breaks from Impa’s grip easily.

“Right now, we must do whatever is in our power,” Zelda turns away quickly, unable to handle the weight of Impa’s gaze. She quickly adds, “Please inform the others that we depart tomorrow morning.” The Sheikah sighs, but understands.

“Then you plan to go to the Divine Beasts? Understood.” Impa leaves Zelda alone with her thoughts, and Zelda keeps walking until she reaches Link’s door. She pauses outside of it, and tears spring to her eyes.

The egg guardian runs around her, and Zelda shifts to get out of its way.

“Oh my…” It beeps sadly, and Zelda bends down, ranting freely to the guardian.

“Father thinks that… He thinks that the reason my ability hasn’t awakened is because I haven’t worked hard enough.” She feels her frustration building as she remembers Urbosa’s words in Goron City. Why can’t the King see that Zelda is working her hardest here? Trying to procure more options than just herself for the defense of Hyrule? With a sigh, she continues, “I imagine that when we visit the Divine Beasts, he’ll say as much.”

The guardian looks past her, and Zelda hears the clicking of armour.

“Link, you–” Zelda starts sobbing into her brother’s shoulder. She looks to see who brought him, and sees Mipha standing there, watching the scene sadly.

“We can’t stay here.” Zelda says. Link sighs and nods.

“It’s not good for either of us.” Link agrees. Mipha has a determined look on her face.

“Impa said we leave tomorrow morning, is that smart? The Yiga have been more active than ever before, and–” “We have to. None of us can work with Father breathing down our necks like this. We mustn’t stay any longer. I’ll tell Father tonight.” Link begins to say something, but Zelda holds up her hand.

“Alone.”

~

Zelda leads the group through Hyrule Outpost this time, Sheikah Slate in hand as she tries to finish up the calibrations remotely. These adjustments should make it so the Champions have an easier time controlling the ancient technology, but they won’t know until they have all of the Divine Beasts tested again.

“The adjustments to the Divine Beasts are not yet complete. We must fine-tune them for the individual pilots, to ensure that they will be as effective as possible.” Zelda’s voice fades as she, Link, and a group of guards march ahead. The Champions stop, watching them go.

“Daruk, I have a request.” Mipha starts, “Might I… join you for training next time?” Mipha asks. Daruk smiles at the question, ready to respond when he realizes Mipha isn’t finished yet.

“I would like to be fully prepared. Learning new ways to fight foes might do me some good.” Mipha looks shy, but the others can tell she’s serious.

“I’m sure Daruk doesn’t mind, what if we all train together? Mixing it up a bit might prove beneficial. I could always use work against bows.” Urbosa says, nudging Revali. The Rito knows that Urbosa is trying to make the Zora princess feel better about asking, and nods.

“Of course! The more the merrier!” Daruk’s smile dims as something dawns on him.

“Thing is, we still need a knight gritty enough to seal the darkness, and they’re nowhere to be found. Mipha is taken aback by the sudden change.

“Y-Yes…” “Although, hey! If you see anybody that–” Daruk cuts himself off, but Mipha’s mind goes straight to Link. That can’t be the case though, right…? Daruk and the others follow her gaze, and Urbosa picks up on her thought process right away.

“He definitely has the will for it, but I hope that isn’t the case. Zelda thanks the goddesses every day that Link isn’t tied to this by destiny as she is.” Mipha nods along with Urbosa’s words, knowing of Zelda’s worries about her brother.

“That being said, if it isn’t him, I can’t see Link entrusting the safety of the Princess to another. Not another Hylian anyway.” Revali says, and Mipha and Urbosa don’t think he realizes the weight of those words.

“You’re right, he wouldn’t–” Urbosa catches Link tensing up, stepping ahead of Zelda to block her from a threat she herself hasn’t seen yet, and pulls out her scimitar. Tell-tale laughter makes her ready her shield as well. The other Champions are ready as well, it seems, and all have their weapons at the ready.

“What do they want?” Zelda asks as Yiga appear before them.

“Your Highnesses, I bring news. It regards your impending deaths.” Zelda grits her teeth, could they not just have one outing where– Zelda whips her head around to see Yiga behind them as well, surrounding the Champions on all sides.

That’s when she realizes Sooga mentioned both of them.

“Link, he knows! Stay near me!”

“Of course I know, our spies are thorough. Besides, there’s never been a set of twins born to the Hyrule family in times like this, you two are an anomaly…” With that, Sooga launches himself at the twins, only for Link to block the hit with his sword.

“At least you’ll make this fun.”

Chapter Text

Link is sprinting through the outpost, trying to make it through when a loud noise pierces through the area they inhabit. He knows that noise, and knows that Zelda needs to get out .

Take her . Link signs, face begging as Impa starts to refuse. The advisor is resigned, grabbing Zelda’s arm and trying to drag her away from the Hinox they just woke.

“Link, I’m not leaving you!” Zelda cries, desperation clear in her voice. The Hinox fixes its eye on them, and Link knows Zelda can’t stay here.

“Go.” He begs, and Zelda finally gives in.

“Promise you’ll find me.” She says, finally allowing Impa to lead her away. Link starts to fight it alone when the monster picks up the roof of a house, trying to hit him with it. A fire arrow hits the roof and it starts to burn, quickly burning the monster’s hand and making it drop the make-shift weapon. Link looks around, knowing who it must have been.

“Watch out!” Link is grabbed, no chance to prepare as he flies into the sky involuntarily. The Hinox slams itself down right there where Link used to be, and the knight finds himself once more in debt to the Rito for his quick thinking. Three times, he owes Revali for now.

“You’re an idiot, about to get squashed by a Hinox?!” Link shrugs, a stupid smile on his face that leaves Revali wanting to drop him right there. He decides against it for the Princess’ sake.

“I’m going to drop you on its head, and you’re going to distract it while I aim for its eye.” Link nods, happy with the plan, and prepares to be dropped.

He couldn’t have prepared enough, that’s for sure. Link screams as he’s dropped, mainly because he’s not usually falling from this high when he gets himself dropped by something. He’s barely to his feet when he receives a warning.

“Watch out!” Revali cries, and Link throws up his shield. He knows Revali has near-perfect aim ( perfect aim actually), but Hinox are an unpredictable species. Just as he predicted, the first arrow hit his shield, letting off an explosion.

“Hey!” Link complains, Revali falters slightly, but it’s enough to give the Hinox the chance to pluck Revali out of the sky.

“Shit.” Link mutters to himself, climbing off the Hinox’s head and trying to jump from its shoulder to its arm. He just has to get Revali free and then he can–

“Link!” The knight looks down, seeing Mipha and Daruk below him, on the ground. Link thinks for a moment before pointing to Mipha’s trident. How she got that, only Hylia knows, but she did, and Link finds it coming at him fast. He manages to catch it, and with what little strength he has left, is able to pierce it through the monster’s eye. It falls with a shriek, dropping Revali. Daruk catches him, and Mipha is already on her way to attempt to catch Link as he jumps from the monster’s shoulder.

Mipha catches him and is so thankful she could kiss him right now. She won’t because she’s in love with his sister, but that’s beside the point.

“You idiot! You loveable, obnoxious, brilliant idiot!” Mipha cheers. Link smiles at her before he remembers something, scrambling out of the Zora’s arms.

“Zelda.” He says, and takes off. Mipha lets him go, smiling fondly despite herself before twisting her trident, successfully disarming a Yiga footsoldier.

~

“Link!” Zelda cries, hugging her brother tightly, he wraps his arms around her tightly for a moment before pulling away to check her for injuries. When he deems her safe to move, they start sprinting to the opposite gate, Impa and the Champions following closely behind them.

They almost make it when Sooga suddenly appears in their way.

“Him again?!” Impa shouts.

“Watch out, he’s their strongest.” Urbosa warns. Link dashes toward Sooga before he can strike, putting him on the defensive immediately. Sooga may have the advantage with brute force, but Link has just enough speed on him to overwhelm him, that is, if he doesn’t collapse first.

“We’ve got the others, focus on Sooga.” Revali says, nocking up some arrows and firing them off without a second thought. Just as Link starts to get tired, swinging his sword as fast and as hard as he can, Sooga takes off and Link gives chase. Zelda follows him, not wanting to find her brother’s corpse somewhere in the outpost, and almost loses them when Sooga disappears. Link looks around, grabbing Zelda and putting her behind him and his shield. He sees them too late, the throwing knives aimed for Zelda. The mini guardian jumps up, but Link somehow manages to push it out of the way, holding his shield strong as they bat away the knives. The battlefield seems to freeze in that moment, Link and Sooga stare one another down. Sooga, who seems unaffected, and Link who is breathing heavily, but unwilling to give in.

“I suppose destiny is at work then. The future is fickle.” Sooga says before calling off the Yiga clan. Zelda looks at Link as they all disappear, Impa and the Champions coming up quickly behind them, calling out to them until they see the Hylians.

Link turns to Zelda, who is staring at him like all of her worst fears just came true. Unbeknownst to everyone but herself, they just did. Sooga’s comment about destiny rattled her to her core, and suddenly the idea that Link might be the Master Sword’s wielder is stuck and won’t leave Zelda alone.

“Link–” Zelda starts, unsure of what to say.

“Um…” Zelda can’t seem to get a thought out, but doesn’t have to when her fears are seemingly confirmed. The mini guardian runs up to Link, using one if its legs to point at the knight. The guardian knows too, then. Zelda feels tears well up, and Link steps forward to wipe them away.

 The others stay still, unsure of what’s going on when Link finally collapses before he reaches Zelda, exhaustion seeping in.

~

The Champions, sans Mipha, are resting in the remains of Hyrule Outpost. Mipha anxiously checks Link over again and again, making sure she didn’t miss anything from her previous checks, and that Link truly is passed out from exhaustion.

“Mipha, you’ve checked enough, you need rest too,” Impa says. The Zora princess nods, walking toward Zelda who has been staring fearfully at Link since the battle ended.

“I don’t want it to be him,” Zelda says, sounding more broken than any of them have ever heard her. Urbosa is quick to pick up on the situation, her eyebrows furrowed.

“You don’t mean–”

“It can’t be him!” Zelda screams, scaring the others. Zelda is one of the most collected people most of them have ever met when it comes to, well, anything except Link, but even then, they’ve never seen her so broken over the boy. Angry, yes. Worried, sure. 

Broken ?

Never.

“Zelda, we all thought the same thing earlier… If it isn’t him, then who is it?” Zelda’s breathing is heavy, and only getting worse.

“It can’t be him, it can’t! Link has nothing to do with this! Nothing to do with the Calamity! Link is going to be safe from all of this!” Zelda cries, trying to convince herself that it can’t be true.

“Who better to protect you, then?” Urbosa asks. Zelda’s anguished scream shakes them all to their cores, but they know they can do nothing but watch as Hyrule’s princess loses her hope to destiny.

Chapter Text

The road to Korok Forest is a rough one, especially since Link hasn’t woken up since they left Hyrule Outpost. Deciding not to take their chances, the group decides to head to Zora’s Domain for some rest. That’s when Link wakes up, days after the battle and frantically looking for Zelda.

Zelda . Link signs this to any Zora he passes, only to find their group in the pools below the Zora King’s throne.

“You’re awake!” Zelda calls. Link envelops her in a tight hug, as if he’s trying to fuse them into one being.

“Zelda.” Link says, voice hoarse from overuse.

“You’re safe.” Link says, and Zelda doesn’t cry, but it’s a close thing. She’s cried so much lately, and here Link goes worrying her again. What kind of brother is he?

“I missed you.” Zelda says, not willing to let go just yet.

“Is Link awake? Is Link awake?” A tiny voice calls, and Link looks over to see Sidon in the pool with Mipha, who is trying to shush him.

Hello Sidon. Link signs at the tiny Zora. Link thinks about this every time, but if the size of his fin is anything to go by, the little prince will easily surpass Mipha in height.

“Link! I was so worried! I missed you! Why were you asleep for so long? Were you that tired? Mipha always tells you to sleep more, you should listen to her.” Link laughs at the boy’s energy, scooping him up into his arms and whispering where a Hylian’s ear would be. Sidon gasps, nodding, and scampering across the pool to jump on Mipha’s head fin.

“I did it! Now what?” Sidon asks.

~

Revali watched carefully as Link handles the little Zora, and found himself in awe at how gently the knight handled the fledgling. Not that he expected him to be rough with him, but… awkward? Although, if Revali remembers correctly, Link and Zelda have been friends with Mipha since they were young…

The fledgling looks so happy to be given his secret mission by the knight, giggling while he “sneaks” across to jump on Mipha’s head. The sharp, toothy grin is enough to melt even the stoniest of hearts, and Revali is in no way immune to the fledgling’s charms.

“He’s always been good with Sidon.” Mipha explains from her place beside Revali. The two of them have gotten much closer as of late, although Revali can’t pinpoint why.

“Wh–” Revali can’t come up with an excuse, or the reason he feels like he should have one, and proceeds to dunk his head beneath the pool’s surface. It’s easier to come up with an excuse for that, after all.

Link turns to Revali and begins signing. Urbosa, who catches what he’s trying to communicate, holds back her laughter but doesn’t explain. Mipha is blushing hard enough for it to be seen through her thick scales, and Daruk coughs forcefully, looking away. Each reaction leaves Link and even Zelda puzzled. Just what had the knight signed?

“Revali, Link is asking if you want help fixing your braids when this is done.” Urbosa supplies, beating Zelda to it. Revali actually squawks at the idea, feathers puffing up in a way he thought he curbed in childhood.

“What’s wrong with that?” Zelda asks, genuinely unclear on why Link’s question is causing such a reaction. Impa decides to explain, keeping her face carefully neutral.

“Braiding is an integral part of Rito culture. Think of it like helping a Zora when they shed their scales, Princess. Typically reserved for those in an intimate relationship, of those in their family.” Now Zelda blushes crimson, staring oddly at Mipha, who looks away.

“Wait, did you not know that either? And have you– O-Oh… Mipha, I didn’t mean to–” The Zora in question stands abruptly, claiming she has something in the Domain to check on and rushing away. Zelda rushes off after her, concern clear as day. Link, who apparently knew about the Zora and their scales, is obviously experiencing secondhand embarrassment for the Hylian princess, and trying to focus on that rather than his own.

Link starts signing again, climbing out of the pool as well once he’s signed his piece.

“Link says he’s sorry if he offended you, he just knows wet hair is tough to braid by yourself sometimes. He’ll be in his room.” Revali starts to ask how Link knows where his room is, but realizes that Link is probably at the Domain a lot.

“Well, I thought Mipha and Zelda were courting already!” Sidon calls. The others, who forgot he was even here, start laughing while Revali is still puzzled about Link’s offer. He’s right, wet hair is hard to braid on oneself, it somehow clings to itself more than its dry counterpart.

~

“Link?” Revali asks through the door. He decided since Mipha is apparently busy with Zelda (maybe he was wrong about Zelda and Link then? They seemed so…) that he’d have to find another person to talk to.

Link cracks the door open, and Revali sees the shirtless knight peering nervously at him.

“You’re right, and my hair is turning out horrid. I cannot face the world with messy hair, I have a reputation to uphold. I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t desperate, as you can see, it’s mostly dried already, but I will not be able to fall asleep until–” Link holds up a finger to Revali’s beak, effectively shushing him.

“Did you just– You’re insufferable! See if I come to you for help again!” Revali fumes, beginning his trek back to his room when Link catches his attention.

“Revali, wait.” Link’s voice is still hoarse, but no less beautiful than it was that night in Goron City. The Rito decides to listen, turning to face the knight and wordlessly motioning for him to continue.

“I’m sorry. You were nervous, so I thought I’d help.” Link offers. Revali can tell by the way Link refuses to look at him that he too is nervous, but decides not to point it out.

“Fine, but if you tug on my hair too hard, I’m leaving.” Link nods with a small smile, he’s amicable to those terms.

~

The next day, there’s a letter from the King in Zelda’s hands.

They’re to search for the wielder of the Master Sword.

Chapter Text

“Hyrule’s king chose us to perform this pivotal task.” Revali steps forward, and Link has to fight not to roll his eyes. One look at Impa shows that she is in a similar boat, so Link makes a face at her when no one else is looking, making the Sheikah need to use a hand to cover her laughter. Zelda glares at the two of them, a silent order to behave .

“It will be my honor to excel, as always.” Revali slowly turns to Link, and the knight straightens up, trying to look more professional if only for Zelda’s peace of mind. Revali’s next words sting, however.

“Then there’s you, the one part that doesn’t add up. Why should this nobody ,” Revali uses his wing to motion to Link, and he, in turn, watches as Zelda clenches her fists at her side, trying to remain pleasant to the Champion despite the fact that he just insulted her brother to her face, “be trusted to lead us in the coming battle?”

“It doesn’t matter who’s the leader. We’re all in this together, right?” All heads look to Daruk now, who obviously has trouble reading a room. Don’t get him wrong, Link loves not having to guess where he stands with Daruk, but the Goron fails to realise that he just egged Revali on further in his rant.

“You are, of course, mistaken. My Divine Beast is the key! Really now, it makes no sense ,” The Rito stalks forward, talons clicking lightly against the stone cliff below them. Zelda’s eyebrows furrow as Revali faces Link once more, eyes narrowed at the knight.

Link knows better than to take the things the Rito says to heart, of course, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt in the moment. Besides, he knows all too well why other warriors act the way Revali does, failure would shatter him, has shattered him.

“Well… My one comfort is that your reputation will be completely ruined once you fail. The fallen knight!” Revali looks so confident in his observation, as if Link has a good reputation among the knights to begin with. Besides, it’s not as if Link is unaware of his own fault in this regard. Failure would shatter him as well. He doesn’t trust the rest of the guard to protect Zelda like he can. None of them are fast enough to deflect attacks like Sooga’s from before. If one of them could beat him in a spar, maybe he’d reconsider, but now? He’d much rather take care of it himself, thanks.

“Revali, how long do you expect us to put up with your prattle, huh?” Urbosa shoots Link a quick look, but the knight shakes his head. He’s fine.

Revali turns back around, “I’ve said enough. The time has come to show you what I’m made of. Now, witness Vah Medoh’s divine power!” The Rito motions to the sky, where Vah Medoh lets out a shrill caw, before the Rito propels himself into the air, soaring toward Vah Medoh to board her once more.

Link then notices the others, who look at him worriedly.

“Link, about what Revali said–” I’m fine. The knight signs, hand’s stiff. Zelda’s eyes widen at being cut off, but she decides not to try again, looking to the others for help.

“He was out of line.” Urbosa says plainly, and Link snorts.

“She’s right. Revali had no right to speak to or of you in that manner.” Impa’s insistence only seems to make Link more uncomfortable.

“No matter what, we’ll be here for you, Link.” Mipha says, putting a hand on Link’s shoulder as she passes to have a quiet conversation with Zelda that he can’t seem to hear. It gives him time to think while they wait for Revali to give the signal.

~

While not as challenging as he was led to believe by the other pilots, driving Vah Medoh with the intent to attack was still fairly difficult, as Revali imagined it would be. There were an observable twenty-seven outposts around the Great Hyrule Forest, and with his eye and Vah Medoh’s power, he was quickly able to dispose of each of them with little to no worry. Well, the outposts and a variety of Hinox and Lynels coming from all directions. The occasional Wizzrobe was no issue, as none of them could even get close to him without Vah Medoh blasting them out of the sky.

Once he deems it safe enough, Vah Medoh flies over the Great Hyrule Forest as Revali flies below her, searching for any stragglers. 

“All clear over here!” Revali calls over the wind whipping past his head, making it hard to hear the response.

“Okay, let’s go!” Zelda urges, trusting Revali to be able to find them. The group rushes through the Great Hyrule Forest with great urgency. Who knows when monsters could pop up, after all.

Link and Zelda lead the charge, being the only two who know their way through the forest’s thick treeline and mystical, protective fog. Revali catches up with them as they get further in, Link begrudgingly left a trail that Revali could cover as he went, upon Zelda’s insistence. The closer the group gets, however, the more off it feels. The others can’t tell, but Link and Zelda can. They’ve always been able to.

Someone’s here.

~

Astor stands before a group of Yiga, signaling them to be off when he suddenly feels a shift in the atmosphere. He lifts his head, looking to his glowing malice staff before sighing, voicing his thoughts aloud.

“And they’re here.”

~

Wooden melodic clinks make Link’s ears twitch slightly, but he knows they have to keep going. Their group doesn’t miss his reaction, each of them eyeing him warily before looking to one another.

“This is quite the fog,” Mipha remarks, trying to break the tense silence. Revali sighs, letting his frustration be known.

“Are we even making progress? We could just be going in circles.” Link gives him a sharp glare, but Daruk beats anyone to speaking next.

“Good point. If only someone could fly above and scout the way.” His tone is almost genuine enough to be believable. Only the mirth in his eyes shows how his sarcasm comes through.

“Ugh. As though I could see anything through this muck. Honestly, do you ever think before you speak?” Revali counters.

“Getting lost is the least of our worries. If something attacked us, we wouldn’t see it coming.” Urbosa says, irritation clear.

“Yes,” Zelda agrees, “We must be prepared for even the most unusual–” Zelda stops, eyes widening, and Link rushes back to her. Only when he’s right next to her does he see him.

“Shaka! Whee-hee-hee! Finally, finally, finally! Somebody sees me! Shakala-laka!” Zelda laughs at the large Korok’s antics, and Link smiles fondly.

“Huh? Where did you come from?” Daruk asks, shocked.

“And who are you?” Revali asks. The korok shakes his maracas happily, dancing around.

“Oh, me? I am the one who brings song and dance to Korok Forest, Hestu!” Link chuckles a bit, and Zelda is absolutely beaming.

“Hestu? Is he the little wood-fairy you told us about? What were they called again? Koroks?” Impa asks. Urbosa nods, adding, “Well, this one did say he is from Korok Forest, did he not? However, isn’t this the Great Hyrule Forest?” Urbosa directs the question to Link and Zelda, and the former begins to sign.

Korok Forest is within the Great Hyrule Forest. The fog protects Korok Forest from intruders. Urbosa, Impa, and Mipha all sigh.

“Of course the fog is magical, why wouldn’t it be?” Impa asks. Revali cuts in, not liking being out of the loop.

“What’s going on here?” He asks.

“The fog protects Korok Forest, which is within the Great Hyrule Forest, hence why you cannot scout ahead the best route. The forest decides whether we get there or not.” Link and Zelda are quick to deny that claim, correcting Impa’s understanding quickly.

“No, not if you know the way to tell which direction to go. The forest will tell us if we light a torch, but that method would be lighting a beacon to whatever could jump out of the fog if we make a wrong turn, so Hestu should lead us through this time.” Zelda explains. Everyone turns to the spirited musician, who visibly wilts at the idea.

“Shoko… I’d love to get home myself… But there are scary, mean monsters in the woods, and I can’t get past them…” Hestu whines. Zelda pats his arm reassuringly, while Revali huffs.

“You could probably sneak right by if you didn’t have those noisy maracas.” Zelda gasps, making an offended face as Urbosa steps up.

“Oh, never mind him. We have business in the forest. If you lead the way, we can handle the monsters for you.” Hestu perks up, jumping for joy at Urbosa’s words.

“Oooh, really?! Woo-hoo! Yaaaaay!” Hestu shakes his maracas in celebration, doing a happy dance as he turns around.

“In that case, follow! Follow!” Hestu leads, Link, Daruk, and Urbosa behind him. Zelda and Mipha share a concerned look, but follow anyway, guards and then Revali bringing up the rear.

Chapter Text

“A… dead end?” Impa asks, looking around in shock. It appears that even the forest behind them is closing, pushing them forward as they trek through. Impa turns on Hestu quickly, poking him and demanding answers as she does.

“Actually, you can pass through here!” Hestu sings, nervous undertone not going unnoticed as he waves his maracas, opening a pathway through a rather large log. Zelda giggles lightly at the Korok’s antics, patting his shoulder even as the others, minus Link, show concerned looks.

“Such a strange place for a pathway. Without a guide, we’d never have seen it.” Zelda looks to Link as she says this, and the knight rolls his eyes openly. It’s a secret the two of them have always shared, being able to find Korok Forest without much trouble. The group passes through the log, but are quickly stopped by Stalkoblins. Zelda visibly shudders at the sight. She hates the skeletal monsters, almost to the point that she doesn’t leave Hyrule Castle or the surrounding town at night when at home.

It’s not even that they’re more dangerous, or stronger, but that they can build themselves back up so easily. Truly an unfair (and disgusting) advantage in her eyes.

“Yeeeeek! Monsterrrrs! Hellllp!” Hestu cries, running around much like a headless cucco.

“Stay behind us, then!” Revali squaks, letting his frustration be known. They make quick work of the Stalkoblins before a Stalmoblin appears. both Hestu and Zelda squeal, hiding behind Link, who sighs in slight disappointment.

“S-Sorry…” Zelda says, a wobbly smile sent Link’s way. The knight, in turn, pats Zelda’s head, messing up her hair slightly before diving into battle with the others, clearing the crowd os skeletal creatures with ease.

“You can pass through here!” Hestu sings, opening up another pathway before spinning around quickly.

“But nowhere else! Watch your step!” He warns sternly. The group follows through, wary of what could happen if they stray from the path. Link and Zelda know that they’ll just appear in the front of the forest again, but the others don’t, and that’s half the fun.

“I can hardly discern anything through the fog,” Mipha says, inching closer to Zelda in the process.

“I can’t make sense of this, but I can tell you’ve got a real knack for it,” Daruk says to Hestu, who squeals happily at the compliment.

“Korok Forest is just ahead! This has been a breeze thanks to you all!” Hestu sings once more, and anyone can tell he’s grating on Revali’s nerves from the way he clicks his beak, glaring at the forest sprite menacingly.

“How can he be so happy when his home is in danger…” Link simply shrugs, Hestu is always that way.

Let’s keep going .

~

They finally reach a clearing, and everyone is breathing heavily. Stal- monsters are much harder to fight, seeing as they don’t have to account for pain, and a large group of them makes it hard to take them out for more than a few seconds at a time. The fog seems to grow even thicker as they stand here, wish isn’t promising. It’s then that an odd orb comes rolling into the clearing, making everyone freeze. At the angle Zelda is standing at, she can see that it’s an eye. As soon as she comes to that realization, large, bony hands spring from the ground. They soon meet up with an impressive ribcage, and the hands place the eye into the skull.

“It’s a Stalnox!”

“Wahhh, scary giant monster!”

Link rushes forward without a second thought, the others close behind him. Mipha manages to create some water to make the ground slick, and Daruk and Urbosa take out the legs to make the Stalnox topple over. Link is quick to use the ribcage of the monster to climb it, quickly making it to its eye, but just before Link can manage a hit, an arrow flies by him and directly into the Stalnox’s eye, sending the thing toppling onto its back, and knocking him off of it. Daruk comes to check on him, while Urbosa plunges her scimitar into the beast’s eye. This has to be the fastest Link has ever seen a Stalnox or Hinox go down, and he’s happy it’s already over. Those things can be tiring sometimes.

Zelda rushes up to them, Hestu close behind, and they’re both cheering happily. Zelda is impressed with the efficiency they all showed, and Hestu just excited to be involved. It’s endearing, truly, to have the Korok so excited. He should be terrified, all things considered, but he’s not. He’s a brave Korok, that’s for sure.

“Is everyone alright?” Zelda asks. The Champions all say they are, but each of them looks exhausted. Zelda vows to give them some time to rest when they’re finally back to Hyrule Castle. Maybe she can try to work on the Guardians a bit more, give the Champions a break to take care of themselves.

“Link?” Zelda asks. The knight is using a tree to hold himself up, but holds out a thumbs-up anyway, grinning away his exhaustion. The group rests for a little bit, Mipha healing what she can while preserving her own energy, when Link and Zelda feel the unwanted presence come back. They need to move.

Hestu seems to feel it too, “If we make it past here, we’ll be in Korok Forest! Shaka!”

~

“What is…” Zelda starts, eyes wide. There’s an odd, gooey substance blocking their path now.

“This is the entrance, but, hey… Who put all this weird mud here? Now we can’t get through!” Hestu is visibly upset now, and by the sounds of it close to crying. Zelda is quick to try to comfort the Korok while Link walks closer to the substance. Upon further observation, it looks like a physical version of the smoke that appears when they kill a monster. The weird feeling Link has been struggling to describe gets stronger around it too. Just what is this stuff?

Throwing caution to the wind, Link reaches to touch the substance. Once he makes contact with it, however, he jumps back on reflex, crying out in pain.

“Link!” Mipha cries, catching the Hylian as he loses his footing on a root, falling backwards. Zelda rushes toward them, immediately fussing over Link. While Mipha is happy she cares (unlike their father), Zelda being so close doesn’t help her examine the issue.

Hand. Link signs, seeing the substance still on his fingers. Mipha tells Zelda to back up, and is quick to heal his hand. The substance disappears when in contact with her magic. Strange.

“Link, are you okay?!” Zelda asks, coming back to her brother’s side quickly.She shares a look with Mipha, who looks back at Zelda warily, unsure of how to respond.

It burns, but I’ll live. Link signs.

“We should stay away from that then, if we can. Is there another way in?” Impa asks, turning to Hestu, who looks at the substance in horror.

“N-No! That’s the only way!” He cries. Link and Zelda share a knowing look.

“Then we have to clear it somehow.” Urbosa says calmly. Hestu nods, the leaves on hsi head rustling loudly as it is a full body motion for most Korok, Hestu included.

“Maybe we should look around…”

~

“Just being around that malice made me tired,” Zelda says with a yawn, although she’s moving faster the further away they get. The group decided to split up, Urbosa to the south, Mipha and Revali to the north, Daruk and Hestu to the east, and Link and Zelda to the west.

I know, my fingers still hurt. Link signs, it’s a little difficult, though.

“It’s terrible that it burned you, Link. I’ll have to do more research with Purah and Robbie to find out why you were the only one it burned, though.” Zelda gets choked up a bit as she says it, as if she doesn’t know exactly why this is happening to her brother.

That was weird .

“I just hope–” Zelda cuts herself off with a scream as she’s caught up in a swirl of malice. Luckily, Link smacks it away before it becomes corporeal enough to do Zelda any real harm. When they spot it again, however, it’s in an odd shape. Almost like…

“Revali?” Link manages, it’s not more than a gasp. It can’t be, with how shocked he feels.

“What is that thing? Some kind of twisted illusion?” Zelda asks, looking to Link for answers. He doesn’t have time to come up with an answer, seeing as he’s blocking arrows from hitting either of them before he can even think of opening his mouth.

He just hopes the others aren’t facing the same thing they are.

Chapter Text

They haven’t truly defeated the Malice-Champion when they get away, he’s just temporarily down. They do however, find themselves in Korok Forest. The twins would know this place anywhere, if only for the feeling it gives them.

Korok Forest is beautiful, otherworldly even. The fog has cleared up, and the sun rays frame the altar holding the Master Sword beautifully. The only thing that could have gone better would have been Link and Zelda not getting separated from everyone else before they reached their destination. Everything is calm for a moment, and the twins breathe a sigh of relief, looking at one another thankfully. That is, until a blast of energy interrupts them. They look ahead, seeing a hooded figure standing between them and the sword. Link rushes forward, but is met with resistance before he even reaches the hooded figure.

"What the hell-!" Link blocks a swing from Urbosa's scimitar, doing the same to Mipha’s trident before swinging his sword in retaliation. He dodges some arrows overhead, and flings himself out of the way of Daruk’s claymore. He could barely see the figures attacking him, but the weapons came close enough for him to see. Link runs up Daruk’s claymore, and is met with the malice iteration of the Goron himself, who he tries to attack, but it goes up in smoke. Nothing about this malice substance is right. That's what his attackers were, malice. Not their companions. Link is barely able to breathe before the malice begins to attack him again.

The figures flash in and out of existence, and Link doesn’t know where to look. The hooded figure chuckles, drawing Link’s attention, and he almost misses Malice-Urbosa sneaking up behind him. He swings his sword just in time to meet Malice-Mipha’s trident, but it gets caught between the prongs and snaps. Link tries and fails to dodge Malice-Revali’s bomb arrows, stumbling backward just in time to be met with Malice-Daruk’s claymore, which flings him past the hooded figure. He loses his grip on his shield, leaving him defenseless. He tries to get up, but his arm gives out. He can’t do it.

“LINK!” Zelda cries, finding her voice as she sees Link struggling. The hooded figure lifts his arms, pointing to Zelda as the Malice-Champions reappear.

“Kill her.” The Malice-Champions rush at Zelda, and she cries out in fear. Link, fueled by fury, tries once more to get up, failing miserably. The hooded figure chuckles at his attempt, turning back to watch his plan succeed when one final try has Link up and starting toward Zelda. A bright flash of light stops him, as it knocks his vision out, but when it clears, Zelda is still standing and the Malice-Champions are gone. Zelda looks past Link, shock and fear in her expression. Link follows her gaze, watching the Master Sword pulse lightly. He moves toward it, almost in a trance.

“What?!” The hooded figure asks, turning around and seeing Link with his hands around the Master Sword. 

Link pulls, and the sword moves .

~

“Little Bird! Pup! Where are you?” “Link! Zelda!” “Princess! Link!” “Little Buddy! Princess!”

They aren’t sure how they lost them, but Link, the mini-guardian, and Zelda got separated from the group, leaving Hestu, Impa, and the Champions alone in a forest no one but Hestu knows how to navigate.

“Where did they go?” Impa demands, marching up to Hestu with murder in her eyes. Hestu cries out, mumbling nervously and shaking like a leaf.

“Impa, you’re not helping by scaring the poor thing,” Urbosa scolds lightly. Mipha wants to do the same thing Impa just did, she’s sure she could get answers with her razor-sharp jaws on display, but upon listening further, she is able to decipher the Korok’s muttering.

“...I’m sorry! I brought you as far as I could and Korok forest only accepts the Hero and the Princess willingly and I couldn’t tell you because we’re not supposed to show ourselves to anyone but the Princess and the Hero and I didn’t mean to show myself to you but I know you would have thought the Princess was sick and I was a fever-dream and I couldn’t just–!” That’s it! That’s what they needed to hear!

“Did you say that the forest only willingly accepts the Hero and the Princess?” Mipha asks, rather loudly in order to gain the attention of everyone. Hestu nods frantically, trying to quell the anger of the Champions before him.

“Hestu, it’s alright. We’re not upset with you. We just wanted to know if they were safe. They’re both quite dear to us.” Urbosa explains. Hestu fidgets nervously, and the group goes quiet.

“They’re not safe, are they?” Hestu shakes his head and starts sobbing.

“There’s a mean man with a hood and he brought all the monsters and the malice and he can control it and the Great Deku Tree is in danger and I needed help and you came! My home will be safe once more, but we can’t let you in unless the Great Deku Tree, the Princess, and the Hero all agree! Those have been the rules since the Hero of Time was alive!”

~

The sword inches from its altar, and when the force of Link’s final pull sends it up, his hands above his head and his face even with the blade, Zelda doesn’t know whether she can hold herself together or not. The very forest around them seems to sigh as Link looks at the sword, bringing the blade above his head, his eyes never leaving it. For a moment, nothing else matters but him and the Master Sword, and many things make sense all at once. Link soon snaps out of it, turning to face the hooded man, a furious look on his face and a glowing blade in his hand. Link’s eyes seem to glow as he rushes forward, going after the hooded man who seems to disappear into thin air. Link can feel him, though, and takes off in a seemingly random direction.

“Link, stop!” Zelda cries, starting to take off after her brother when a soft voice carries over the clearing.

“He will live through this battle, Zelda.” The princess looks around, finally spotting the Great Deku Tree through the mist and sighing thankfully. If he is speaking to her, the clearing must be safe for the time being.

“Great Deku Tree… I have to make sure he doesn’t do anything reckless! You know how he is, how he’s always been!” Zelda cries, worry growing once more. She paces back and forth, knowing damn well that Link is going to do something stupid like take on Astor by himself. In fact, seeing as he’s the only one who knows where he is, that is exactly what her idiotic brother is going to do. When she gets her hands on him…

“He will live.” The Great Deku tree assures, failing to quell Zelda’s worry. He may live, yes, but in what state?

~

“There he is!” Impa cries, taking off after Link, who dashes out ahead of them. Revali follows quickly after, followed by the rest of their group as they hunt down the knight. Why he separated from Zelda, only Hylia knows, but for now, she must be safe.

“Link!” Impa shouts once more, but he’s gone, the only thing anyone has for clues to his whereabouts is grunts of pain, likely Link’s, and a deep voice. None of them can quite tell what it’s saying, but the voice seems outraged, which isn’t good for Link. Especially if this man was the one to lead the monsters into the forest.

“Where could he have gone so fast?” Mipha pants, and Revali finds himself wondering the same thing. It must be some sort of magic if even he and the Sheikah couldn’t keep up with him.

Chapter Text

“I will not let you leave here alive, little hero.” The hooded figure’s voice seems to echo in Link’s mind as he embarks on his fruitless chase. He comes to a clearing, looking around for any sign of the figure, when he reappears suddenly, a ball of garnet constellations surrounding him.

“I will end you myself, you nuisance!” Link dodges blasts of malice, but not well. He has nothing to deflect them but the sword, and he’s not exactly used to it yet, so he’s understandably a little off balance.

“Get the hell back here!” Link cries, enraged.

“Oh, so the little prince can talk?” The hooded figure asks, smirking when he knows it got to Link. The blonde swings the sword, but a glowing red barrier protects the swing’s victim. He jumps back, trying and failing to think of a solution to get around the barrier when he’s thrown to the ground by another creation of malice. He doesn’t get to see who or what it is before it picks him up, slamming him into the nearest tree. Feeling a pop in his shoulder and a snap in his upper arm, Link curses. The pain of his arm, however, is barely comparable to the pain in his throat, which is wrapped in malice. He’ll be out of commission for a while at this rate and they don’t have time for this. Mipha will need to recover some energy, which takes time, and he doesn’t recall if he thought about first-aid supplies when he was running out of the castle. He’s snapped out of his thoughts by another sickening crack. Link tries and fails to break free, remaining pinned to the harsh bark.

“You know, had I not heard about your skills from Kohga and his minions, I wouldn’t have known you were an issue. What I did know was that the last fight with the King still bothers you. It makes you weak.” The hooded figure floats closer and Link’s hand tightens on his sword.

“So, My Prince,” The hooded figure’s tone turns dark, “aren’t you filled with malice?” Suddenly a white hot pain erupts from Link’s dislocated shoulder. He slams his head back, biting his lip to keep his pained cries at bay. This is hell, surely. Looking at where the pain radiates, Link sees it surrounded in malice. It feels like it’s trying to eat his arm.

“Link? Where are you?” Zelda’s voice calls through the forest, her tone oozing with concern. He wants to call out to her, tell her he’s okay, but he can’t. If he opens his mouth he’ll scream and he doesn’t want to give the man any more satisfaction.

“Link! Come back!” Impa calls.

“Come on Pup, where could you have gone?” That’s Urbosa.

“If the sky wasn’t fogged over I could search from there.” Revali scoffs, but Link feels happy that he cares at all, especially after his earlier display.

“Little Guy! Hello?” Daruk booms. The trees shake in his wake, meaning he’s close. They’re close.

“Well, Little Prince, I suppose our game is over. I hope they don’t let you bleed out on the ground for long. If they ask for a name… Call me Astor.” With that, the hooded figure is gone. Link falls to his knees immediately, clutching his side with his good arm. He has to set the rib back in place before it really becomes an issue. A twig snaps and Link’s head shoots up to look for the sound’s origin to find the world around him spinning. How did it get to this? Not only is he physically torn up, but mentally too. Astor ripped open fresh wounds mentioning his disownment, and what the hell did that malice shit do to him?

“Hylia…Help! I need help! He’s here!” It’s Mipha. She runs a smooth hand across his forehead in an attempt to soothe him, but Link only cringes.

“Oh Hylia, LINK!” Zelda sobs dropping next to Mipha to look at her brother’s wounds. Link manages a weak smile before closing his eyes. He’s tired.

“Link if you don’t open your eyes right this second–!” 

He doesn’t hear the rest.

~

“He has to wake up, Mipha, I can’t lose him too.” Zelda’s raw voice, likely from sobbing, and is the first thing Link hears when he comes to. He lays there for a moment, completely still as he waits for the ringing in his ears to stop before allowing his eyes any light.

“You heard what the Great Deku Tree said, Little Bird. He will wake up, he just needs time. You will do no good staying cooped up as you have been, you’re bound to be exhausted. It’s been nearly a week, after all. Your father is bound to be worried.” Urbosa’s voice is kind, and Link imagines she is using her fingers to comb through Zelda’s golden locks, a gesture that does wonders to calm both twins when they’re stressed.

“About me, surely.” Zelda’s voice is bitter, more bitter than Link has ever heard, that’s for sure. Judging by the silence of Urbosa, Impa, and Mipha, it’s more bitter than they’ve heard before either.

“Little Bird–” “ No !”

“He was so cruel to him for nothing! Now, we’re going to go back to the castle and he’s going to congratulate us and it’s going to be so… wrong . It’s going to be absolutely awful for him. You already knew Farin was the only one who liked him!” Zelda is breathing heavily now, Link can hear it. He lifts his hands to sign, cracking his eyes open, but all progress is quickly halted when a sharp pain shoots down his spine.

Link emits a choked cry, using his good arm to cradle his shoulder as his head snaps back. Luckily there’s a pillow there to stop him from cracking his head against the hard ground. Mipha is at his side in an instant, and he feels the familiar sensation of her healing magic on his shoulder. It soothes the sharp pain, but a dull ache remains.

“It hurts…” Link grits out. Mipha looks on, sympathetic.

“You shouldn’t sign for a while, or move your arm at all.” Link’s eyes widen, and the look on his face is one that the others would only describe as scared . He starts to protest, but gets little more than a disagreeing grunt out before Mipha explains.

“You know I’d never bar you from it unless it was necessary, I’m not cruel. When we found you, your armor had been completely eaten through by malice, and it covered your shoulder completely.” Link’s gaze snaps to his shoulder and he can’t believe his eyes. There’s a bit of scarring, but that was expected. What wasn’t expected was the sickening sight of malice lingering on his skin. He goes to touch it and immediately cries out again. The patch of scarring goes from the base of his neck to under his shoulder blade, and will be visible when he wears his clothes. Link is unable to pull his gaze from the patch, and doesn’t remember the malice covering that much of his skin before.

“It wasn’t that big…” Link croaks, his voice rough from screaming in pain.

“I’m afraid the malice started to spread before we got you to a safe place. Even then, it was almost too stubborn to remove. It’s like a parasite, Link, and we don’t know if there’s any left there or if it’s just a bad scar.” Just looking at the scarring is enough to make Link nauseous.

“Everyone’s okay?” Link asks rapidly. Mipha turns away quickly, throwing her arms up and muttering bitterly about the knight needing to worry about himself for once.

“Everyone is alright, Link. He only went after you after…” Zelda, who was silent up until then, looks at the Master Sword the way she looks at the Stal-monsters. Terror fills her features, and fresh tears appear in her eyes.

“You were meant to be safe, you weren’t supposed to be bound to this. I can’t stand to see another choice taken from you, Link, but it seems Hylia has chosen her hero.” Zelda’s tone is so broken that Link pushes past the pain to sit up and hug his sister.

“I would have chosen to protect you anyway,” Link says, his conviction strong.

“I thought that, at least in this way, I’d finally be able to protect you. I never could protect you from Father, not like you did for me.” Tears are trickling down Zelda’s cheeks, and Link wipes them off with his thumb.

“We have to go back.” Link tries to sound confident, but he’s not even fooling himself. Nothing good will come from it, but worse things will follow if they do not return. He definitely isn’t looking forward to the false congratulations from their father, guard, and knights alike, but they’ve put off formally recognizing the Champions for long enough. Now that they have all of them, it’s only a matter of time until the final battle.

Chapter Text

Zelda and Link walk toward the Great Deku Tree hand in hand, the other Champions and Impa behind them for moral support. While this isn’t their first visit to Korok Forest, it is their most important visit, and first “official” visit, which makes them both extremely nervous.

“Great Deku Tree,” Zelda greets. As soon as she does, little Koroks float around them on their little propellor leaves, Deku Leaves, if Zelda remembers correctly. It’s quite the sight, all of them coming down almost like the first snow of the season, gentle and overwhelmingly calm.

“All is well,” The Great Deku Tree sighs, content now that his children are not being threatened any longer.

“The sword you hold is the key to sealing the Calamity—to sealing the darkness.” Zelda stops breathing for a moment, and Link squeezes her hand reassuringly.

“Young hero, you have been chosen by the sword to wield its power and vanquish the Calamity.” Zelda is shaking, though not visibly. Link can feel it where their hands are intertwined, and he wishes nothing more than to reassure his sister at this moment. She turns her head to look at the sword, and he can feel her stiffen up before looking at her hand, brows furrowing in what he assumes is frustration. He knows how much pressure their father puts on her to unlock her sealing power, and knows that this is likely what is stopping her, this pressure to be perfect now .

“And you, Princess,” The Great Deku Tree adds, “Do not lose hope. The path will open for you soon.” Zelda looks up at the Great Deku Tree, but she looks scared. Scared of the future, surely. She clenches her hand into a fist, glaring at it as she lowers it back to her side. A yawn from the Great Deku Tree breaks her from her thoughts.

“Forgive me. A deep slumber beckons, and even I cannot refuse.” Zelda opens her mouth to say something, but the Great Deku Tree isn’t done, it seems.

“You have all that is needed to face whatever destiny awaits. Hyrule’s fate… is in your hands…” Zelda drops Link’s hand, pulling her hands to rest on her stomach, which is probably churning with worry. She turns to face the others and walks toward them on shaky legs.

“We must return to the castle. Father will want to know of our progress, and will be… pleased with the results.” Link comes to meet Zelda, who in turn begins to walk toward the forest’s entrance, not waiting for Link to walk next to her. Link stands there, slightly offended and completely puzzled by this action. He looks to Urbosa, who only shakes her head, unsure herself about Zelda’s actions.

“Come, Link. Let me splint your arm before we move on.” The Knight protests with a pitiful whine, but Mipha isn’t having it, dragging him to their packed-up supplies to pull out bandages. It’s a good thing they brought extra.

~

Zelda and Link have been acting… strange. It doesn’t take a genius to notice, or even someone with an ounce of emotional intelligence. The Princess hardly looks at her knight, the sword on his back offensive to her eyes, and it’s hurting him. They had been inseparable before, but now there’s a wall between them that neither make the endeavor to touch.

The group follows the main road back to the castle, as instructed by the King for safety concerns, but stop momentarily to observe some relics in hope of lifting the Princess’ spirits. It wasn’t a long expedition, the King is expecting them, after all, but even the time they allotted in their travel plan should have allowed Zelda to go into more depth than she had. She wasn’t focused, eyes lingering on Link’s back whenever it was turned to her.

Now, she is focused on Link’s back as he rides ahead of her, sitting behind Impa with his bicep tied to his torso with bandages, which prevents him from moving his arm too much. Mipha has condemned him to staying on the horse until they reach the castle, but even that was an argument. She fought back viciously, however, citing that they had plenty of capable warriors in their midst and that Link didn’t need to be their primary line of defense all the time.

Zelda doesn’t even realize she started to cry until a tear hits her hand. Trying to limit the number of people who see this display of weakness, Zelda covers her face with one hand. The egg-guardian doesn’t miss it, though, and stops to check on Zelda, whistling lowly. The group stops upon hearing the noise, and Urbosa nears Zelda carefully, a concerned look on her face.

“How can I…” Zelda takes a moment to collect her thoughts before speaking again.

“If I am unable to awaken my inner power…” Words continue to fail her, and she begins to tremble.

“Princess…” Daruk sounds conflicted, and Zelda knows what must be going through his mind. They need her power, so there’s no choice but to unlock it. The Great Deku Tree assured them that it would appear, but how long until that occurs? Will her powers awaken in time?

Just as she begins to spiral, the egg-guardian begins to play a tune through its valves. It’s a familiar song, one that both she and Link recognize, but can’t immediately place. Urbosa seems to recognize it too, as her eyes widen upon hearing it.

“That song…” Zelda mutters weakly, staring in disbelief at the egg-guardian before flicking her gaze to Link, who is staring at her carefully.

Zelda reaches out to the egg-guardian, her hand much smaller than it should be, and full of baby fat. Her eyes drift closed, but not before she bids the little guardian goodnight.

Zelda’s eyes snap open, and suddenly there isn’t enough air in her lungs.

“I remember you…” Zelda reaches out once more, for real this time, but the moment is harshly interrupted by Impa’s sharp call.

“Enemy ahead!” The Champions ready their weapons, three of them standing ahead of them, and Revali soaring above them, bow drawn.

“Monsters, lots of them,” Urbosa observes.

“We’ll handle things here, you and Impa just look out for the Princess!” Daruk booms over the cries of Bokoblins swiftly nearing their current location. Impa looks frantically between the two royals, but Link makes the decision for her.

“Go with Zelda.” He says, and Impa nods, trusting Link’s judgement on the battlefield. Zelda immediately refuses, bringing up Link’s hurt arm, and why Impa was on the horse with him in the first place.

“You’re more important.” Link’s response is short, which angers Zelda to no end.

“And you’ll be dead if you can’t outrun them. Can you even steer your horse with one hand?” Zelda asks, tone dangerous.

“Hurry! We cannot hold against this horde for long.” Urbosa calls, and Link is off, carving a path with his horse. There are many Bokoblins, but the real danger for their small army is the Wizzrobes and the Black Moblins. Horrid, incredibly powerful creatures that are more intelligent than the Bokoblins that surround them. The monsters are trying to overwhelm them, but it isn’t working.

“Are those Hylian Knights?” Impa asks, and it’s then that Zelda sees the royal insignia on armour plates ahead. Luckily, Urbosa saves one of them from the Black Moblin ahead.

“You’re getting slow, Farin!” Urbosa jests, back to back with the Hylian Captain.

“Thanks for your help, Lady Urbosa. We will join the Princess’ escort from here on out.” Farin makes a point of looking to both twins when he says this, acknowledging Link. The knight smiles at Farin, who shoots a worried look back, obviously seeing his bandaged arm and that he is still on the horse instead of fighting like he knows the young knight wants to.

“We’ll explain back at the castle, protect them, Farin!” Urbosa calls before rushing to help some of the other knights.

“Come on, Your Highnesses. Hyrule Castle is almost within reach,” Farin says, climbing quickly onto the back of Link’s horse so that he can focus on steering and not knocking out monsters with his steed.

“We must break through the remaining outposts!” Impa calls, not far ahead of them. They race ahead, the Champions catching up quickly when their malice counterparts appear.

“Careful!” Revali shouts, tackling his own malice form out of the sky before he can shoot any arrows toward the Hylians.

“This can’t be!” Zelda cries, looking around frantically. Link scrambles to dismount, but Mipha isn’t having it.

“Do not let him off that horse!” The severity in her voice makes Link pause long enough for Farin to grab him. Link cries out as his arm is jostled, but Farin knows better than to let Link go, he’ll be on the battlefield in seconds if he does.

“He has to be close!” Link cries, anger fueling his struggle to be free of his mentor.

“Who?” Farin asks.

“Astor!” Link shouts. Farin and Impa look confused, but Zelda knows who Link must mean.

“Then we need to move faster, not stay here!” Determination fills Zelda as she orders this, pushing her horse through the Malice-Champions, making them falter long enough for them to be stricken down.

“Move!” Zelda orders. They get away from the hordes of monsters, and are met with a second to breathe.

“Is everyone alright?” Impa asks. Mipha is using her trident to stand, Revali looks like the breeze could knock him over, Urbosa has a nasty gash across her abdomen, and Daruk is lying flat on his back, but they all reply that they’re doing alright. They’re in the clear, it seems.

That is, until a knight leans against a large rock, animating it.

“We’ve come this far, and now we must contend with Taluses?!” Revali is enraged, and Daruk stands with a pained sigh.

“Still, the castle is in sight. Onward!” Farin orders, his knights crying out in reply as they rush the stone monster.

~

When the final Talus falls, there’s a wave of relief through each warrior. They march to the castle, the Champions, Zelda, and Impa leading the army home. Once they’re in the gates, they all relax. Some of the knights don’t wait, collapsing on the grass in front of them to rest their weary muscles.

“For a moment there, I was afraid we wouldn’t make it. Now that we’re here, all should be well,” Impa says, a tired feeling to her voice. Zelda nods, her eyes instinctively searching for Link in the mass of knights.

“He’s right here, Princess.” Farin’s voice draws her attention to her brother, whose bandages are still mostly intact.

“Link!” Zelda cries, hugging her brother tightly. Link winces, groaning in pain, but she doesn’t care at the moment.

“You handled this well, Princess. You’ll make a fine queen.” Farin’s comment makes Zelda flush, not feeling deserving of such a compliment.

“I only wish that I… Well, regardless. You should all be very proud of your performance today.” Link watches Zelda carefully, not missing her earlier comment.

“Zelda–”

“You all did wonderfully. Now, we should go greet Father, let him know we’re alright before we retire. Perhaps I can get him to push back the ceremony to give us time to recover.” Link wants to grab her, pull her into a tight hug once more, or even just hang onto her arm like he did when they were children, but she moves away too quickly. 

Chapter Text

Zelda walks toward the castle entrance, trying to get away from the scene behind her. It’s too much for her to handle at the moment. Everything is too much for her to handle at the moment.

“Link… He’s become so much stronger…” Zelda thinks aloud, tears filling her eyes.

“‘And yet, I have not.’ I presume that’s what you’re thinking, hm?” Zelda turns to see Urbosa standing just behind her, a kind smile on the woman’s face. Zelda nods, blinking back tears.

“More and more monsters have been appearing lately. It is a sign that the Calamity draws near.” Zelda looks down, clenching her fists at her side. She’s so frustrated with herself, especially now that Link has drawn the Master Sword from it’s pedestal.

“So… there isn’t much time. And still, no sign of my power awakening…” Zelda brings her hands into her line of vision, looking at them as if they’ve personally offended her.

“Little Bird… Perhaps you are missing the point, comparing your progress to the pup’s.” Urbosa turns, motioning to Link, who stands laughing with some newer knights, Farin, and Daruk.

“He is the same boy he was before acquiring that sword. He will rise to any challenge with no hesitation, will protect you with no hesitation. That’s all there is to it.” The Gerudo Chieftess turns back to Zelda, a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“In that regard, you two are one and the same. Look how hard you’ve worked to get this far.” Zelda’s eyes widen, turning to look at Urbosa in disbelief. Has she truly worked hard enough…?

“Well I… You see, I…” Zelda tries to look away as words fail her, but Urbosa moves with her gaze, making that impossible.

“What did the Great Deku Tree say? There’s no need to fret, Little Bird. I know that you are where you need to be. You must accept that too.” Zelda looks down, staring at the ground between their feet for a moment before chancing a look into the woman’s eyes.

“Thank you, Urbosa.”

~

All seven of them walk into the throne room, heads held high in triumph. Link and Zelda are hand-in-hand once more, despite their distance emotionally. They still need to talk some things out, but that doesn’t mean they won’t support one another before their father, as they have done for years.

“Whatever happens, I’m with you, Link.” Zelda says, squeezing her brother’s hand lightly. Link squeezes back, nodding. The egg-guardian beeps, sounding almost confident in their abilities as they walk forward together, as prepared as they’ll ever be to address their father.

“I’m glad you’ve returned safely, Zelda.” The fact that he only directed that to her makes her uneasy, but she pushes past it. The sooner this is over, the better.

“Father, we have news regarding the Master Sword’s wielder… We have found him.” Zelda’s nerves are on full display, her hands shaking as she steps forward, letting go of Link’s hand to present him to Hyrule’s King. She pauses, trying to muster up some composure even as anger seems to fuel her very being at the sight of the man who was so cruel to her brother for years.

“Well?” The King asks. Zelda takes a deep breath, exhaling shakily.

“Father, I would like to present the wielder of the Master Sword, Link.” It isn’t the name that leaves the King speechless, but the person behind it. The King glares down at his daughter and former son, fury clear in his gaze. He seems to remember that they are not alone, however, and quickly fixes his expression into a neutral one.

“That’s wonderful news, Zelda. To have found him so soon is more than I could have ever asked for. We should add our knight to the festivities right away.” The way the King says “our” grates at Zelda’s resolve as she cringes at the choice of words.

“No.” She says, before she can stop herself. The King pauses, looking dangerously at his daughter.

“No?” He asks.

“No,” Zelda repeats, “The Champions are all in varying stages if injury, Father. I ask that we push back the ceremony to recognize them, in order to give them time to heal. We want to put our best face forward for the people, do we not?” All eyes are on Zelda, varying stages of horror, shock, and pride on the Champions’ faces. Urbosa, the proudest of all.

Zelda and the King have a staredown of sorts, neither willing to back down just yet. It goes on for far too long, the throne room blanketed in a bubble of silence that none dare break.

“Fine. We will push the ceremony back for a few days.” The King finally relents, furthering the emotions brought by the Princess’ open defiance.

“Thank you, Father. May we be dismissed? I would like to get the Champions’ medical attention as soon as possible.” The King nods wordlessly, and Zelda grabs Link’s hand once more, practically dragging him from the throne room, the others following quickly after.

“Did I just…” Zelda can’t believe herself, she just stood up to her father. She openly defied him in front of everyone, and she isn’t dead for the effort. She’s sure there will be repercussions later, but for now? She feels as if she is floating on a cloud.

“Little Bird, that was wonderful.” Urbosa says, wrapping Zelda in a tight hug that grounds her more than she’ll ever admit. The egg-guardian zips around them, whistling happily until Link scoops it up, holding a finger to his lips.

“Urbosa, he was going to punish all of us for something we had no control over, and I couldn’t stand it. I had to–”

“Thank you.” Silence returns as Link’s voice carries through the hall. The egg-guardian makes its opinion known as well.

“I promised to be with you through whatever happened, Link, and I meant it. What kind of Queen would I be if I can’t stand up for those I care about most?”

It may not appear to be a big step to those who don’t know the situation, but to them, it was leaps and bounds of effort finally coming to a head. Things are truly beginning to look up.

~

Within days, preparations are being made regardless of the postponing of the ceremony. Each of the Champions has been pulled at some point or another for measurements, and only Zelda knows why. She’s thrilled to be able to do something nice for them, even if it is as little as this. She’s spent days designing their gifts, careful not to let any of them see. This means keeping an ear out for when Urbosa pulls her from her study, carrying her sketchpad with her at all times to keep Link’s hands off of it, and trusting Impa with it when she is pulled into sparring sessions with Urbosa and Mipha.

Zelda has been keeping Link busy as well. She wrote to Purah and Robbie, requesting their presence at Hyrule Castle to look at Link’s shoulder. Impa and Zelda will sometimes join them in checking how the malice interacts with Link’s skin, if only for moral support. Link doesn’t appreciate the poking and prodding, but he understands that, while he feels like a lab rat, they are looking for a cure to his unnatural scarring.

“Ow!” Link shouts as Purah pokes at a particularly sensitive spot. He glares at the scientist, even as she apologizes profusely for the pain she caused him. Impa feels conflicted in these moments, wanting to eviscerate Link for causing her sister any discomfort when she’s only trying to help, but knowing that he must be in immense pain to even think about treating Purah in such a way.

“Alright, that’s all for today. We’re not getting anywhere being at eachother’s throats like this.” Impa says, carefully pulling Link off the table they had him lying on.

“Link?” Zelda asks, but the knight shakes his head, a low whine coming from his throat as he grabs onto Zelda’s arm. She stiffens up, initially uncomfortable with the situation, but a sudden memory resurfaces, stopping her from shaking her brother off.

“Do you want to go back to training?” Link shakes his head, grabbing Zelda’s arm and hugging it much like the little Korok plush his mother made when they were infants.

Zelda has just reminded Link that their father does love him, that he has to, as their father. It’s not the first time she’s reminded him of this, and won’t be the last. It’s been hard since their mother died, and it’s been just over a year now. They sit on Link’s bed, cuddled so close together that they can feel eachother’s heartbeats.

“Do you want to come with me to Mother’s workshop?” Zelda asks. Link shakes his head once more, holding tighter to Zelda’s arm now.

“It’s alright, Link. We can stay here for a while.” Link nods, pulling away with tears in his eyes.

“I’m sorry…” He mutters, the tips of his ears red in embarrassment.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Link. I’ll always stay with you!”

“I’ll always be here for you, Link. Whenever you need me.” Zelda murmurs into his golden hair. He holds on tighter, not letting go to put his shirt back on as they exit the room.

Chapter Text

Revali wakes up before the sun, his usual routine, and makes his way to the training grounds. He’s careful not to wake the trainees in the barracks, setting up targets to fire at in order to blow off some steam. Staying at the castle has been strange, even more so than the last time they were here.

Link retreated into this… shell of a Hylian far more quickly than he did previously, hardly reacting to anything anymore. It’s unsettling, and Revali doesn’t know how to handle it. He nocks another arrow, firing it directly into the center of the next target with ease. The repetition of archery has always been comforting to him, but even now it hardly helps. His mind keeps wandering back to Link.

“What happened to him, Urbosa?” The voice makes Revali stop, holding fire and lowering his bow. It’s familiar, but not enough for Revali to be able to recognize.

“What do you mean?” Revali can’t see them, but he’s sure that Urbosa’s face is carefully neutral at the moment, trying not to give away how worried she is about the knight.

“He’s worse than I’ve ever seen him. Just yesterday he was clinging to the Princess’ arm like they were children again. He looked so small, Urbosa. Smaller than he’s ever looked before.” Urbosa’s sigh is one that Revali feels , not one he hears.

“We encountered an odd substance that Little Bird has deemed ‘malice.’ It seemed to sap energy right from the rest of us, but it burned the pup, Farin.” So that is the man’s name… Is he the Captain from before?

“Have you heard anything from the maids? Are they sharing a bed again?” Urbosa asks, not waiting for a response. The Captain sighs now too.

“I don’t believe it’s gotten to that point just yet, but it’s a near thing. You know, when Link was disowned, I felt relieved?” Revali’s eyes widen. Link was disowned ? He must have had a high place in the Hylian court, then. He’s not even going to touch on the fact that Link and Zelda have shared a bed in the past, he’s confused enough about their relationship as is.

“Relieved?” Urbosa’s tone is dark.

“Don’t give me that look. I was thankful Link wouldn’t have to deal with Rhoam anymore. I hoped that Link would finally be free from this.” Revali scoffs, nocking up another arrow and firing it off.

“He would never leave Zelda alone with him, you know that.” Urbosa seems to have forgone her initial fury, her voice sad.

“Rhoam has never been kind to either of them, but it seems Zelda is seeing it now.” There’s a low whistle, and Urbosa chuckles.

“I thought that was just another rumor going through the castle…” Farin says, voice betraying his surprise.

“I don’t know if I would have believed it if I hadn’t been there. Link’s disownment seems to have been the catalyst of Zelda’s righteous anger toward Rhoam. It’s about time, I’d say.” Urbosa adds. Revali pauses his archery for the time being, simply listening to the conversation as he lowers his bow.

“It appears our eavesdropper has given up on pretending he isn’t listening.” Urbosa says, her tone teasing.

“So you noticed him too?” Farin asks. The two round the corner, and Revali has half a mind to fly all the way back to his room, pride be damned.

“It’s alright, Revali. You were bound to find out sooner or later.” Urbosa says, not unkindly.

“It’s a wonder the King hasn’t paraded him around already.” Farin says bitterly. Urbosa makes her agreement known.

“Find out what? That he was disowned?” The older warriors look at each other before returning to gaze at Revali. Their silent conversation leaves the Rito nervous.

“You really haven’t gotten it yet, have you?” Urbosa asks, incredulous. Revali scoffs, turning to stare at the targets he has yet to clean up.

“Well, it does not matter if you have put the pieces together or not, Rhoam hasn’t told a soul how he’s going to present Link to the people of Hyrule, and that’s cause for greater concern.” Farin reminds.

“That’s very true. Will he stick to his prior decision or not?” Urbosa muses aloud. Revali, who is becoming more confused by the second, simply scoffs once more.

“It’s impossible to predict that man’s actions. Revali, have you met Farin? He and I trained Link ourselves.” Revali’s eyes narrow, causing the Hylian captain to take a step back, coming to a defensive stance.

“So you’re the reason he’s abysmal with a bow?”

~

Link wakes much later than he planned, the sun is higher on the horizon than he’d like. He can practically hear Rhoam scolding him for sleeping in, and he doesn’t pull back when he thinks you’ve got the point like Zelda does. He would never be that kind.

Link drags himself out of bed, thankful it’s Zelda’s day with the egg-guardian as he goes to his closet for a tunic and pants before padding around his room barefoot in search of his shoes. Logically he knows that he doesn’t need to be awake, as being disowned—even if temporarily, as he predicts his father will welcome him back “warmly” for drawing the Master Sword—has taken all responsibility within the castle from him, but old habits die hard. He anxiously makes his way to the training grounds, hoping to find Farin there so he can spar with his mentor. He does find Farin, but he also finds Revali and Urbosa. All three of them are sparring, and from the looks of it, it’s been going on for a while. Link grabs a sword, shield, bow, and quiver from weapon storage before launching into battle as well, saving Farin from an arrow that was never going to hit him, but came close enough that Link deemed it necessary to defend the man anyway.

“You’re awake!” Farin cheers, swinging his claymore around as Urbosa comes at him, lightning fast.

“And shouldn’t be fighting,” Urbosa sighs, but doesn’t stop. She heard that, based on Purah and Robbie’s observation, the malice won’t cause any further harm, just make Link extremely sore and tired for a while.

“Restless,” is the only response Link offers, nocking an arrow and nearly hitting Revali, though no clear target on his being, just in his direction.

“Truly, your archery is asinine,” Revali groans, shooting an arrow back at Link, who smiles cheekily.

“By Rito standards, yes. I told you that the King never allowed us to go in depth with archery, which is why our best archers come from places like Hateno,” Farin defends.

Between the four of them, it ends in a draw. Farin had no hope of reaching Revali, as high up as he was, and adding Link to the fight meant Urbosa and Farin couldn’t target each other without being taken out themselves.

It turns out that a good fight was just what Link needed to regain some of his life. After their spar, Link looks better than he has since Korok Forest. It sets all three of them, Revali, Urbosa, and Farin, at ease knowing that Link is regaining some of his former vitality already.

“The Princess is going to have our heads for letting Link fight, but he needed it,” Farin says, smiling as Link and Urbosa begin to spar again.

“It’s familiar to him, calming. Most of my warriors in Rito Village are the same way,” Revali explains. Farin shoots him an odd look.

“I’m the best archer in Rito Village, and their commander on the battlefield.” Farin chuckles, shaking his head.

“What?” Revali snaps.

“You’re so young, is all. You can’t be much older than Link himself with those cheeks.” Revali scoffs, and Farin openly laughs now. How this man knows about that aspect of Rito biology, he’ll never know.

“It’s not a bad thing to be so good so young, Revali, but it does mean I worry for your childhood.” They watch as Urbosa pins Link to the ground, but only because his shoulder flares in pain.

“Link trained to prove himself useful, a mindset in which we are still working to help him overcome. Why did you pick up a bow?”

~

“Help me.” Link is breathing heavily, still coming off of his loss to Urbosa, but still he walks up to Revali, bow in hand. Revali turns to him, observing him carefully.

“What?” The Rito asks.

“Help me,” Link repeats simply. Revali looks warily at the bow in the Hylian’s hands, appraising it carefully before deeming it useless.

“That bow is awful, is this what you trained on?” Revali asks, avoiding the question. Link cocks his head to the side, but nods. The Rito grabs it, examining it closer and feeling the weight of it in his wings.

“No wonder. It’s unbalanced, and not nearly durable enough to last a week of training, let alone a battle like the ones we’ve faced already.” Link puffs out his cheeks, an adorable sight, really, but Revali isn’t finished yet.

“I might be able to fix it up, but I’ll need a few days. With the ceremony approaching, it might not be done in a timely manner, but I can’t train you on… this .” The Hylian whines in protest. Revali then takes the bow off of his own back and offers it to Link for the time being.

“We’ll use mine, but only because I am here to watch you with it, and because I’m only letting you take five shots. Don’t give me that look, I saw you wince when I tugged the bow from your hands.” Link reluctantly gives in to the Rito’s demands, an endearing amount of excitement taking over before Revali has the chance to change his mind.

Chapter Text

Zelda wonders why the Champions are being kept out of the loop on the contents of the ceremony meant to recognize them. She also wonders, absently mind you, why her father is keeping parts of it secret to even her. The majority of it is simple, Link will stand beside her, the other four will kneel before herself and the King as some sort of vow is read for them to repeat back to them before an audience of Hylian elite. Zelda wished to invite a few from the other races, but was immediately shut down by council members. Her father didn’t disagree with them, but said nothing incriminating either.

All-in-all, it’s a typical knighting ceremony. One that she and Link have overseen countless times over the years. It is a grand party, as well, with dancing and food and a bit of alcohol to make it more bearable for everyone involved…

She makes a mental note to keep Urbosa from the alcohol. Not that she’d go overboard, but that if she has to deal with this sober (not that she’s of drinking age yet), so does the Chieftess. Besides, in order to truly become intoxicated, Urbosa would need to drink an amount obscene to most Hylians.

That’s beside the point. Zelda has been searching the plans for anything regarding Link, but there’s nothing here except that he is supposed to remain at her side, which is something their father has forbidden for the entirety of their return. It gives her an uneasy feeling that she can’t quell. Their Father is planning something, she’s sure of it.

~

“Glad you could make it, Little Bird.” The Champions have all been getting a little stir-crazy, and with the ceremony finally close enough for rehearsals to begin, their days have not been their own as of late. This outing is for them to relax, a “calm before the storm” situation, if you will. It may be the last time they’re together like this for a while, after all.

“Well, Father could see I haven’t been focused. I believe he wants me to stop questioning why he has yet to truly address Link pulling the sword. I’m concerned for Link’s role in the ceremony, and if my prediction in Korok Forest is found to be correct or not.” Urbosa frowns, remembering Zelda’s exclamation, her fury at her father and what she believes he will do, parading Link around as if he has done nothing wrong. The egg-guardian whistles lowly, thinking the same thing.

“Only time will tell, Little Bird. For now, the pup has made a large helping of Hearty Salmon Meunière, and a Rockroast for Daruk. Quite the chef, isn’t he?” Zelda laughs, a welcome sound to all of the Champions, who turn to see where Urbosa went when she left the campfire.

“Zelda!” Mipha cheers, coming over to wrap her arms around the Hylian Princess, nuzzling her cheek lightly. Zelda feels her face warm and can’t keep the dopey smile off of her face as Mipha leads her by the hand to the log she had previously been seated on. It didn’t take a genius to see that the two of them have been more affectionate lately. Ever since their time spent in Zora’s Domain when Impa blurted out an intimate part of Zora culture that Zelda had no prior knowledge of, a part of Zora culture that she and Mipha had participated in more often than Zelda would now care to admit, something changed between them. Mipha could no longer allow Zelda to be ignorant of her feelings for her own selfishness, her own desire to be near the Hylian royal.

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s eat!” Daruk exclaims, digging into his Rockroast with abandon. Link often eats in a similar manner when not under the King’s scrutinizing gaze, and shrugs his shoulders before doing so now. Revali looks on with barely concealed disgust, but there’s a fond undertone to his outraged muttering that everyone willfully ignored in order to keep the peace, even if Urbosa’s grin says she wishes nothing more than to disrupt it.

“Could Impa not get away?” Link asks. It’s still odd to be hearing his voice so often, but he can’t sign too well yet, especially not after training like he has undoubtedly been. His arm must be very sore for him to not even attempt.

“Purah stole Impa for the afternoon, I’m afraid. Something about ‘sisterly bonding time,’” Zelda explains. Link nods, understanding completely. Before they went in search of the Champions, he would often steal elda from her duties, often getting reprimanded for such actions afterward by their father, just to make her take a break and relax. If it weren’t for these moments, the two would be much more distant than they are even now. They haven’t had a chance to talk yet, not with their father breathing down their necks.

“Well, that’s a shame. She’s as much of a champion as the rest of us at this point. Divine Beast or not, Impa has been by our sides for this entire ordeal.” Zelda nods, agreeing wholeheartedly with Mipha’s words. Even Revali has no qualms about that statement. They’re all quiet as they eat, using their mouths for devouring the mouthwatering meal Link prepared instead of conversing, and sitting in comfortable silence for a while. It’s been two months at best, and yet their bond is strong. This is promising for the ordeal to come.

After everyone is done eating, Link holds up his uninjured arm, telling everyone to wait as he rushes to his horse, pulling a few things out of it’s satchel. Link distributes one of each item to the other Champions and Zelda, putting one off to the side for Impa. They’re flower crowns. Each one is different too. Urbosa’s is made of Electric Safflia, Revali’s of Warm Safflia, Mipha’s of Cool Safflia, Daruk’s of Armoranth, Impa’s of Blue Nightshade, and Zelda’s of Silent Princesses. They’re beautiful ornaments, and Zelda feels tears beginning to form as he looks at each of Link’s creations. He pulls his own out as well, made from Hyrule Herb, and watches as each Champion puts their crowns on. Even Revali. 

“It would be an insult to not wear a handmade gift,” The Rito says, crossing his wings as Link’s eyes bore into him with interest. His eyes finally pull away from him to look at Zelda, the only one not wearing her gift.

“It’s beautiful, Link. I didn’t think you remembered how to make these… I don’t even know if I do” Suddenly Link realizes the significance of this gift to Zelda. When they were little, their mother took them to the Satori Mountains for a weekend trip to the pond at its peak. Whilst there, they saw the Lord of the Mountain itself, along with many Blupees and beautiful flowers that were rarely seen anywhere else other than Fairy Fountains and Korok Forest, what is now known as the Silent Princess. On that trip, they sat and made flower crowns, which Link picked up much faster than Zelda, much to the Princess’ dismay. It’s one of the few memories Link has left of their mother, and one that brings tears to his eyes.

Link nods, acknowledging Zelda’s comment before turning away to put Impa’s crown back in his horse’s satchel for safekeeping, also wiping away his tears at the memory the sight of Zelda with her crown sparked. It doesn’t take long for the egg-guardian to whine in protest at not receiving a crown of its own, which makes the group burst into laughter.

~

It’s like the secret they’ve been hiding is so close, but Revali can’t seem to grasp it. They’re not romantically involved, that’s for sure if Mipha and Zelda’s behavior has been anything to go off of, but they’re not simply Knight and Princess either… Link must be someone important in Hyrule’s court then, but how? The King obviously hates him, anyone can see that, so why has Link been allowed to stay for so long without Urbosa’s direct intervention like the last time they were at the castle? None of this is making any sense. Besides, Link is too wild to be anyone too important to royal affairs, so he must be some small lordling to even be allowed near Zelda in their childhood, right?

…Right?

“I can see the gears turning, Revali. If the ceremony goes as Little Bird and I fear, you’ll know who Link is to her then. Just be patient.” Revali’s feathers puff up at being caught. He turns slowly, catching the Chieftess’ calculating gaze on him. How can Urbosa read him so well? She must get his question from the look on his face, because she answers accordingly.

“You’ve got that curious look in your eye. It bothers you to be out of the loop, but I promise that it has thus far been for the safety of both Link and Zelda that you have been kept in the dark regarding their relationship. Hyrule itself has been kept blind to the true nature of it,” She explains, although it does little to quell Revali’s curiosity. In fact, more questions arise.

“Only the guards, the Gerudo, and the Zora know. Both my people and Mipha’s are aware only because of the Queen.” With a sad look in her eyes, Urbosa stands, grabbing her scimitar and shield before turning to Link, a challenge in her eyes. The two are off immediately, exchanging blows as they go, matching feral grins on their faces as Urbosa summons lightning to near-smite the boy before her, confident that he’ll dodge. She’s right, and he uses the smoke left by the flaming grass to hide his next move, almost taking Urbosa by surprise with his next attack. Revali can tell by how her eyes widen that she’s impressed at how far he’s come with his training.

As she should be.

~

The walk back to Hyrule Castle is quiet, but not awkward. It’s merely them enjoying one another’s company. It’s much later than any of them planned on returning, a feat they will all suffer for in the morning when they have to be up for the final rehearsal for the ceremony. At the moment, however? None of them care. They’re sure that they can face whatever comes at them with each other at their sides, and that not even the Calamity will tear them apart.

Chapter Text

It's the dawn of the final day… 

…before the ceremony, and everyone except Link is ready to go.

“He is usually up before I am to train, where could he be?” Zelda thinks aloud, anxiously pacing back and forth before the throne room. If they wait too much longer, they’ll be late, which is unacceptable, but if they leave Link to be late on his own… They have to wait for him, that’s the only viable option.

“Perhaps we trained too much yesterday and his body is using sleep to fight off his soreness. It’s been known to happen to many injured warriors who prematurely resume their regular regimen,” Urbosa says with a sigh. Revali scoffs at that.

“He should know his own limits if he’s really as good of a knight as he seems.” The backhanded compliment doesn’t shock anyone as much as it would have in the past. Only the little guardian protests the jab, getting in Revali’s way and making him stumble down the hallway.

“Link has always had trouble identifying his limits in any capacity,” Mipha adds, nudging the guardian away with a solemn look on her face. Revali openly scowls.

“Every fledgling in Rito Village learns their limits before they’re allowed to pick up a bow, is that not the same here?” Urbosa glares mirthfully at Revali after that particular retort.

“You certainly don’t know your limits, Revali. I’ve seen you nock far too many arrows recently.” The Rito wills his feathers to stay down.

“You–! I do know my limits, I just know that they must be pushed.” Urbosa’s laugh booms through the hall just as Link rounds the corner dressed in just about the goofiest get-up any of them have ever seen him in. The Hyrule Royal Guard uniform is gaudy and, quite frankly, a ridiculous show of wealth on the King’s part. Its vibrant colors do not reflect the apparent stealth each member of the Guard is capable of in any capacity, and the hat is even worse. Even Zelda makes a face at seeing the knight in such attire.

“Why would Father make you wear this today?” Zelda asks, eyebrows raised.

I avoided it until now, he finally made Impa corner me. Zelda nods in understanding, knowing Impa had far too much fun forcing Link into this outfit, one he swore he’d never adorn as long as he lived.

“So this is what Father has you wearing?” Link nods solemnly, trying not to react as each of the champions stifles their laughter. The egg-guardian coos lightly, it’s almost a teasing sound. Impa appears shortly after to guide them all down the hall and into the throne room where the ceremony shall be held. Not out of necessity, mind you, but out of tradition.

When she pushes the door open for them, the King greets them all with a smile, which is off-putting in and of itself. Zelda knows something is wrong, but she can’t put her finger on what it is. Nothing appears to be amiss except for Link being put in an unnecessarily gaudy outfit that he won’t even be in if Zelda has a say tomorrow, and her father knows this. He knows about the presents she has planned for each of the champions, so why did he dress Link like this today?

“Is all of this rehearsal really necessary?” Revali complains, not loud enough for the King to hear, but loud enough for the other champions to take notice. Daruk chuckles loudly, earning a sharp hit to the back from Urbosa.

“The King doesn’t want to allow Link out of his sight if I had to guess,” Mipha says, eyes narrowed dangerously when they find the King, who is still talking. He’s been talking for far too long, his voice is grating on the Zora’s senses.

“I’m not so sure that’s the reason anymore,” Urbosa says, keeping her eyes carefully ahead, stepping forward when it’s her turn to be recognized. She is the first of the four foreign champions to be called out of respect, her title of Chieftess outranks the others. Then Mipha is called, then Daruk, and finally Revali. It is only after each of them that Link is going to be called up and recognized formally as the wielder of the Master Sword. That part of the ceremony still makes Zelda grit her teeth, but she knows that it’s necessary for the people of Hyrule to see that the Hero has come forward in order to keep them calm about the impending war.

“...and with the Hero identified, we stand that much stronger against the forces of Calamity.” The familiar droll makes even Urbosa grit her teeth, tired of the facade the King puts on. No one can blame her. It’s exhausting to keep up with him. Some may call his ability to control which emotions he shows an asset, but it’s a detriment to those around him, always guessing about what’s going to happen next. Whatever it might be, it can’t be good.

~

It’s well after noon when the ceremony rehearsal ends and Link practically flees from the throne room. The look on his face has Zelda hot on his heels, and the egg-guardian zooms after them. Impa follows if only to appease the King’s previous ruling that someone must accompany Link, especially if he’s with Zelda. While no one understands this ruling, they are all more than happy to abide by it if it means not leaving Link in such a vulnerable position

The three of them retreating leaves the Champions and the King himself alone in the throne room, a tense silence enveloping the room. It doesn’t take a Sheikah researcher to see that there’s a certain amount of hostility between them. The King turns to the Champions, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. Urbosa steps forward, almost as if to protect the other three from the King. A few eyes widen significantly at the sudden display of defiance, but if it were anyone, it would be Urbosa.

“Now, now… There’s no need for such hostility, Urbosa. It’s a shame I haven’t seen you around the Castle. Are we not old friends?” Revali and Daruk stiffen at the King’s words. The words appear kind, but the tone is sickeningly sweet. A low growl is heard nearby, and Revali’s eyes fall to the Zora Princess, whose current glare could kill a man.

“While I appreciate your… kindness in front of the children, I will not stand by and watch you make them miserable, Rhoam.” Revali openly flinches at the use of the King’s name, and Mipha gives him a worried look. Daruk, however, seems to pick up more and more from Urbosa’s interaction with Hyrule’s ruler.

“Hm? What do you mean? I will always ensure of my daughter’s comfort in her own home.” Something about the way the King says this sends shivers up each Champion’s spine. The poison so clearly dripping from his words is enough to gag anyone, but Urbosa prevails anyway.

“If you lay one finger on either of them, Gerudo Town won’t be so peaceful anymore. This has been our agreement since Daphne passed, but I see it deems repeating.” Urbosa and the King have a staredown, and Revali can tell by the twitch of Daruk’s hands that he too wishes to pull them apart. Mipha shakes her head at both of them, forbidding such an action, and Revali can’t help but feel out of the loop.

~

“Link!” The knight is on a warpath, it seems, but Zelda is unsure of the target. Usually, the target is their father, but they just came from the throne room, so where could Link be headed? One particularly sharp turn later and Zelda knows exactly where, the training grounds.

“Link, stop,” Zelda tries. Her brother doesn’t listen, and Zelda picks up her pace, reaching out a hand to grab onto him.

“I said, stop !” Zelda cries, grabbing Link’s bicep. He whips his head around, a wild look in his eyes as he stares at Zelda for a brief moment, gaze piercing, before looking at where her hand meets his clothed skin.

“I hate him,” Link seethes. Zelda holds her breath for a moment, unable to answer. Link shakes his head, trying to distract himself from the sudden bout of panic he feels. He’s never put it out there like that, the feeling he feels towards the man half-responsible for his creation. He can tell that the feeling is mutual, that the King feels the same way, but he’s never told Zelda his feelings, knowing she still cares for the man to some degree.

“Link…” Zelda’s tone is hurt, and Link feels like he’s going to throw up. He doesn’t back down, though.

“I really hate him.” He says these words with such conviction, such clarity, that it brings tears into his own eyes and he crumples to the ground right before the training grounds, gasping for air as broken sobs leave him in waves. The egg-guardian rounds the corner just Zelda falls in front of him, pulling forcefully until they are enveloped in a bone-crushing hug, their sobs echoing through the hall.

Neither of them is willing to sleep alone that night.

Chapter Text

The morning of the ceremony arrives and each of the Champions, sans Link, have agreed to greet Zelda at her room. They’re sure that Link would have come with them, but they haven’t seen either of them since the day before. No one is sure where Link is even staying in the castle, but Urbosa, Impa, and Mipha have their suspicions.

“Little Bird, it is time to wake up.” Urbosa’s voice is soft, yet it easily carries down the hall. She shares a look with Mipha upon hearing no movement from inside and sighs, proceeding to knock on the door instead.

“Come on now, Little Bird. Today is a big day, is it not?” A groan is heard from inside, but it is much deeper than anyone expects it to be. The egg-guardian is screeching as it runs through the crack in the doorway, providing a much needed distraction.

“It appears Little Bird needs a few moments to collect herself,” Urbosa sighs, looking exasperated as she looks to Impa and Mipha for help. Both of them immediately understand. Impa makes a show of sighing dejectedly before speaking.

“I need to go look for the little guardian. I’ll look for Link along the way.” As Impa leaves with the cooing guardian trailing behind her, Revali scoffs.

“Maybe if he told us where he was staying, we’d know where he was.”

~

Link groans as someone knocks on the door. He cuddles closer to Zelda, pulling her closer to his chest as he tries to fall back asleep. The sun coming through the window doesn’t help very much with that. His eyes flutter open as he finally gives in, rolling onto his back and sighing. As soon as his eyes adjust to the sudden brightness of the room, Impa bursts in through the secret passage that connects Link’s room to Zelda’s and frantically rushes around the room.

“You have to get up. Now.” Link and a now groggily moving Zelda both rush to stand, neither wanting to be awake at this hour.

“What’s wrong?” Zelda asks. Impa doesn’t respond at first, running into Zelda’s closet to grab not only her blue dress, but the Champion’s gifts.

“Everyone is just outside your room waiting for you. They wanted to surprise you. If we had any idea that Link would still be here, Urbosa and I never would have encouraged them to do this.” Zelda and Link share a wide-eyed look, both immediately springing into action. Link runs through the passage back to his own room, noting that Impa left not only the Hyrule Royal Guard uniform from the previous day, but a separate pair of pants. Confused, Link leaves the spare bottoms on his bed and rushes with Impa back through the hall.

~

Impa and Link walk as casually as they can back toward the Champions, signing back and forth in an effort to keep the fact that both of them are obviously out of breath a secret. The egg-guardian announces their presence as Mipha catches their eyes, flashing a toothy smile in greeting.

“Oh, there you are! We were worried you got distracted, or went without us. Are you alright?” She asks. Link knows what she’s asking about and nods, half-smiling gratefully.

“Is Zelda out yet?” Impa asks. Urbosa takes that as a cue to knock once more. When a soft voice is heard through the door, Urbosa pushes the wooden barrier open and greets Zelda, who is dressed in her blue gown from dinner the last time the group stayed at the castle.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, it seems I was not ready to get up this morning. You haven’t been waiting long, have you?” Zelda asks, smiling sheepishly. Urbosa assures her that they haven’t, but Revali isn’t content on leaving that be.

“Not any longer than we were waiting on Link, anyway,” He grumbles. Link elbows him lightly, earning a squawk as Revali is forced to catch himself.

“Now, boys,” Urbosa chides. Revali at least has the decency to look guilty for the disruption. Link, however, is fitted with a cheeky grin. Zelda sighs, rolling her eyes as she fiddles with a brush in her hand. Link immediately takes it from her, moving to sit cross-legged on her bed as she asks Impa to grab the boxes atop her dresser. The Sheikah woman smiles happily and practically skips over before handing one box to each of the champions. Zelda then sits in front of Link, who immediately begins detangling her hair.

Many eyes widen as she instructs them to open the gifts. Mipha gasps lightly, a giddy grin on her face as she practically tackles the Princess with a hug. Zelda blushes up to her ears, frozen in place until Mipha lets her go, the Zora awkwardly clearing her throat and looking away. Daruk begins to put his gift on, the blue fabric a welcome contrast to his warm toned rocky complexion. The two of them have blue sashes. Urbosa assists Daruk with his sash before looking at her own gift, a skirt in the same blue fabric.

“They’re beautiful, Little Bird. How did you keep this from us?” Zelda smiles, explaining that it was hard, but that it was more than worth it to see them all so happy. The little guardian coos happily from its spot in the doorway, earning a soft smile from Link as well. Revali has yet to take his eyes off of his scarf, frozen in place with his beak slightly open. He’s honored to have received such a gift, but he feels that it’s too nice for him. Not that he’ll ever say it, of course. The Rito has an image to uphold as the resident asshole, after all.

“This embroidery must have taken ages…” Is all Revali manages to say, against his better judgement. Zelda nods, looking to her notebook as she explains the process.

“I designed them all myself. I wanted to include the designs on the Sheikah mural, but I had to sketch the designs out by hand. There was so much fabric left over after my dress that they were just going to put in storage… I couldn’t let it go to waste.” Urbosa smiles warmly, sitting beside Zelda and holding one of her hands.

“Ah, but Link hasn’t opened his yet, has he?” Link finally tunes back into the conversation upon hearing his name. He cocks his head to the side, not having heard the entirety of the line but interested anyway. Especially when Zelda suddenly stands up, grabbing the last box from under her bed.

“I thought Link would sniff it out, so I had to hide his separately,” Zelda says, laughing when Link’s confusion grows.

“Open it, Link.” Upon removing the lid and seeing the beginnings of a bright blue tunic, Link lets out a sigh of immense relief. He flops back on the bed, uncaring of his injured arm as he holds the tunic close, an absolute beam of a smile on his face. There’s even a long-sleeved high-necked shirt inside to cover his scarring.

“What are you waiting for, Link? Go put it on before we’re late! Everyone else out, too. Urbosa still needs to change.”

~

The Champions make their way toward the throne room, much later than they were expected to be, but none of them seem to care as Link and Zelda lead them through the hall, both smiling as bright as ever. Revali doesn’t think he’s seen a smile this big on Link yet, and it’s mesmerizing.

“You’re staring, Revali,” Mipha says. The Rito jumps, totally not squawking. He tries to stammer out a response, but Mipha merely giggles.

“It’s alright, I’m the same way with Zelda. Those two are quite beautiful, aren’t they?” Revali chokes on air at the insinuation. He knows Mipha has a crush on Zelda, he’s known since Zora’s Domain, but him having a crush on Link ? Asinine.

“I won’t judge you, I’d be a hypocrite to even try. I thought I had a crush on Link for a while myself, but I know better now. It took a long time for me to come to terms with loving a girl, let alone the Princess of Hyrule herself…” Revali listens, too afraid to open his beak.

“I won’t pry, but you know I’m always here to talk to,” Mipha says, folding her hands in front of her. Revali nods before turning back to look ahead at the two Hylians. Mipha is right about one thing, they’re both beautiful.

~

“Ladies and Gentleman, I wish to welcome you to Hyrule Kingdom,” Rhoam’s voice booms through the throne room, immediately silencing any and all chatter. He’s always had a commanding presence.

“I believe I can speak for the entire castle when I say that we are grateful that each of you could join us today.” Link and Zelda stand on either side of the King, just as they always have in these kinds of ceremonies. The other Champions stand in the back, lined up in order of when they will be presented to the public. Impa stands at the back entrance of the throne room, acting as a silent guard and supporter of her friends. There are representatives from each race here. The Goron’s Boss and Daruk’s family tower over many of the attendees, Urbosa’s fiance and her second-in-command of the Gerudo army stand together, the Rito Elder and Revali’s second-in-command are seen in the crowd, and the attending Zora are Bazz, Gaddison, Rivan, and Sidon himself. Although the room is filled mainly with Hylians, it’s nice to see that there is a semi-diverse group attending the ceremony.

“We have waited far too long to acknowledge the Champions who have been chosen to pilot the Divine Beasts, but when the Hero himself was made known to us, it seemed that we had no excuse to hold the ceremony off any longer!”

Chapter Text

“How does he still have a voice?” Mipha asks, genuinely surprised that the King can go on for this long. It has to have been at least half an hour now. Revali can’t help but agree, this is getting ridiculous. Even Daruk is dozing off where he stands.

“We will now recognize our Champions in order of rank. Please step forward, Lady Urbosa, Chieftess of the Gerudo People and Pilot of Vah Naboris.” Urbosa steps forward, standing just behind Rhoam as he begins talking about some of her accomplishments.

“...and she serves as the main adversary of the Yiga Clan to this day. Thank you, Lady Urbosa, for your continued service to this kingdom and her people. May the Goddess Hylia smile down upon you,” Rhoam says diplomatically, although his grip on her shoulder is tense. Next he calls for Mipha, but Urbosa tunes him out, meeting her fiance’s eyes in the crowd and nearly tearing up at the amount of pride she sees in her gaze.

“Princess Mipha has led her kingdom’s army for years and has been a dear friend of the royal family for some time now, which is more than I could ever hope for. Princess, I thank you for your kind heart, as well as your battle prowess as we near the Calamity. May the Goddess Hylia smile down upon you.” Mipha glances at Urbosa warily as Rhoam moves onto Daruk.

“Do you think he’ll…?” The Zora mouths. Urbosa nods, a wry smile on her face. The closer they get to Link’s turn, the harder it is to stand by and let it happen.

“...and has conquered Death Mountain many a time, helping to keep Goron City safe and well fed as the years have passed. May the Goddess Hylia smile down upon you, Daruk, and thank you for your aid in these times of Calamity,” Rhoam says, now motioning for Revali to come forward.

“Revali, the adopted son of Elder Kressali, has more than earned his place here. He is the best archer in Hyrule and the surrounding lands, the leader of the Rito’s militia at only seventeen, and a fierce opponent in battle. Revali, I wish you only the best as we work together in defeating this threat to our livelihoods. May the Goddess Hylia smile down upon you.” As the applause rings through the throneroom, Revali tries not to be a little bitter that he had a much shorter list than the others. He nods to the crowd, acknowledging their praise before meeting the eye of the Rito who has become his mother. She wipes tears from her eyes with her wings, placing her right wing over her heart before raising it to the sky to thank Valoo for his part in everything as well. Revali repeats the motion, ignoring the look he receives from the King for daring to do so.

“Now, for our final Champion. The one who wields the Master Sword.” Hushed whispers fill the room at the King’s word choice.

“Yes, I do mean ‘boy.’ My boy, in fact,” The King says, a triumphant smile on his face as he places a firm hand on Link’s injured shoulder. The crowd goes dead silent, no one even moving as Rhoam nudges (read: shoves) Link forward by his injured shoulder, eliciting a sharp hiss of pain through a tight smile.

“I would like to formally introduce once more to the Kingdom of Hyrule my son and Zelda’s twin brother, Prince Link Gaepora Hyrule. A loyal knight to the throne, and he who wields the Master Sword.” The thunderous applause that follows makes all of the Champions sick.

~

“He’s what ?” Revali asks Urbosa as soon as he can. The Champions, plus Impa and Zelda but minus Link, are all standing together now, having beaten the sudden rush of people congratulating them and complimenting their matching attire. Urbosa’s fiance, Sanait, joins them as well, frantic with worry about the Hylian Prince.

“Now do you see why we couldn’t say anything? Do you see how Rhoam treats him? I also have no doubt that the reason he was targeted was not solely because of the Master Sword…” Mipha says with the darkest scowl anyone has ever seen on the normally sweet Zora Princess.

“Poor Link, I would like to say I can’t believe Rhoam has done this, but…” Urbosa squeezes her fiance’s hand lightly before bringing it up to her lips.

“I’m sorry you had to see such a display, My Dearest. I also want to apologize for leaving you so soon, but the pup–”

“Go find our boy, Urbosa,” Sanait urges, her conviction strong as she adds, “We should have just taken the twins in, regardless of our law. I know voe are not allowed, but you know as well as I that Link would never harm us. Bring him back to us.”

“The problem is, none of us saw where he went. Even Impa missed the little guy’s escape…” Daruk sighs. Mipha is currently comforting Zelda, who is a wreck after what her father did to Link.

“After he was–”

“I know, Zelda.”

“Link was so–”

“We’ll figure it out, I promise.”

“He’s gone !” Zelda wails, drawing a few eyes toward their group, as if they hadn’t been already. The little guardian coos lightly, leaning into Zelda’s leg to offer some comfort.

“Well I won’t stand around and do nothing, even if I am furious at being kept in the dark. Link didn’t deserve that. I know we can’t all leave right away, so we’ll go in shifts. I can scout from above, he shouldn’t be too hard to find in his tunic. Who else is coming?” While shocking, Revali’s words bring a sense of determination to the surrounding group, but none more so than Urbosa, righteous fury burning in her sharp glare.

~

Revali has been flying in circles for a while now, his wings sore from disuse as he zips through the towers of Hyrule Castle. Urbosa was the first to come with him on foot since Mipha was comforting Zelda and keeping Sidon from making a scene, and Daruk was too large to slip out easily. Impa said she'd keep an eye out for Link in the throne room as well as let Kressali know where Revali rushed off to. He’d rather his mother and the leader of his people not think he’s being irresponsible, thank you.

“Where could he have gone? He’s not that small of a Hylian…” Revali lands just in front of Urbosa, who is looking increasingly frustrated at the situation and worried about Link. The Rito has to agree, he himself mirroring both emotions.

“Any luck?” The Chieftess asks. Revali shakes his head solemnly, preparing to take flight once more when Urbosa grabs his wing, shaking her head.

“We have to let the others try. They can only cover for us for so long, Revali.” Urbosa’s words ring true, but that doesn’t mean he’s happy about it.

“Maybe they’ll have better luck than we did, Valoo willing.”

~

The next group to exit the throne room is Mipha and Impa. Urbosa takes Mipha’s place, comforting Zelda while Revali stands by Kressali and, surprisingly enough, the little Zora Prince.

“Are you alright, Revali? This must be a shock to you as well,” The Elder asks, bringing a wing up to Revali’s face. The younger Rito leans into the comforting touch, but the sigh that leaves him says it all.

“You spoke so fondly of him in your letters, I imagine this is hard for you.” Revali nods in agreement before doing a double-take. Fondly? He voices his concerns, not much for beating around the bush.

“Oh, you do it in your own way. I raised you, Nestling. Don’t think for a second that I don’t know when you are being affectionate. I have to decipher it every time I speak to you as is.” Revali is left speechless, and his surprise only doubles down as she proceeds to smooth out his puffed plumage. Unluckily for him, that is when Prince Sidon decides he’s not getting enough attention.

“You’re the guy from before! Resali? Ravali? Ravioli…?” Kressali smirks at Revali’s misfortune, offering no sort of backup or assist in this matter. He scoffs, earning a quick smack to the back of the head as he quickly corrects himself.

“My name is Revali, Prince Sidon. Mipha and I will be spending a lot of time together, so I might get to see you more. Try to remember my name next time, will you?” It’s a struggle to remember that fledglings can’t always understand how Revali communicates, so he tends to be overly soft with them when he remembers. Sidon just caught him at an awful time.

“Really?! You’re so cool, I’ve never seen Link go red like that before, you know? He almost looked like me!” Revali’s plumage puffs back up with a vengeance, and Kressali coos teasingly behind him.

“What happened there?” The Elder asks.

“Nothing–!”

“Link asked to braid Revali’s hair!” Revali decides then and there, as his mother has the gall to laugh , that if they ever find Link, he’s going to kill him.

Chapter Text

“Link!” Impa shouts, using her agility to reach higher places than Mipha can. She hears the Zora Princess close by, calling the Prince’s name as loudly as she can.

“Link, we’re all worried about you. Please just let us know you’re alright!”

The two regroup, neither wanting to give in, but both realizing that they obviously need to return to the festivities sooner rather than later to avoid suspicion. They make the trek back together, obviously discouraged from their lack of results. As the two prepare themselves to relay the bad news, they come face-to-face with the King, who quirks an eyebrow when he sees them outside the throne room.

“Not enjoying the festivities?” He asks.

“The party is wonderful, we just needed some air, Your Majesty,” Impa assures, tone carefully even. Rhoam hums, making his distrust known as he makes his way toward one of the on-duty guards.

This could be bad.

~

“So, the King knows Link is missing and not just avoiding him now,” Impa relays as soon as she can gather the group again. Revali scoffs, displeased by this development.

“Oh, like you had any better luck finding him?” Impa snaps. The little guardian makes a sad noise, still tucked close to Zelda.

“Well we didn’t let the King know there was anything wrong by running into him, now did we?” Revali retorts.

“Revali, that is no way to treat a lady, I thought I raised you better,” Kressali scolds, whacking him with her wing. Revali doesn’t back down, though.

“Link is out there doing Valoo knows what, and we’re stuck here waiting for him to self-destruct. I’m sorry if I am a little keyed up, Elder.” Urbosa tenses at his words. Sanait puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but the Chieftess brushes it off, crossing her arms.

“Revali is right, Link is more likely to hurt himself when his emotions run high. He doesn’t know his limits, a fact that we all can attest to.” Many nods follow Urbosa’s declaration.

“Now that Rhoam is on alert, Link is actually in danger. I told him that if he lays a hand on either of them that Gerudo Town will no longer stand with Hyrule, but I cannot abandon Little Bird or my Pup in their time of need.” Sanait threads her fingers through Urbosa’s, bringing her fiance’s hand to her lips.

“We’ll find him before it comes to that, My Love. We will.”

~

Link has heard them looking for him, but he’s in no state to face anyone at the moment. Link is curled up on the floor of his mother’s workshop. No one will find him here, since this is usually Zelda’s hiding spot, and he can’t be more thankful for that. He had a feeling this was coming, he prepared himself for it, even. So why did it hurt so bad? Why does his chest feel like it’s going to suck the rest of him up inside it? Link is starting to hate destiny as much as Zelda does, honestly.

“Don’t say that.” 

Link jumps up, sword already drawn. 

“Who’s there?” Link asks, voice rough from both crying and disuse. When no one answers, he begins to scour the room. Nothing seems wrong, and no one is hiding as far as he can see, so what’s happening? Did someone break into the castle?

“No one broke in, Master. No one is near.” Link whips his head around, swinging his sword and narrowly missing the nearby bookshelf. He’s going crazy, he must be. Maybe all the stress is finally getting to him. Some hero he is…

“You are the Hero, although of what you have no name yet. There have been many before you. The Hero of the Sky, the Hero of Time, the Hero of Twilight, the Hero of–”

“ Enough !” Link roars, dropping the Master Sword and clutching his head as he falls to his knees. The sunlight from the window behind him reflects off the sword, and Link looks at it for a moment, jumping back and scrambling away from the sword in a hurry. There’s a face in the sword.

There’s a face in the sword .

“Hello, Master. My name is Fi,” The being says, seeming to look into Link’s soul as it continues, “I am not sure why I have awoken now of all times, but I am here to help you.”

~

Link runs back to the throne room, not even wanting to begin to comprehend this by himself right now. As soon as he enters, he is bombarded with questions. Zelda latches onto him in an instant, apologizing for not being able to stop their father from doing what he did, but Link is too panicked to deal with that again right now. He needs answers first.

Face… sword… Fi…?  I don’t know what’s going on! Zelda looks like she’s about to faint, and the other Champions are looking at him like he’s gone completely insane. To be fair, he might have done just that, he’s too overwhelmed to even consider what he they think right now. Urbosa, as usual, is the first to recover.

“We can deal with that later. First thing’s first, we are going to have a good time if it kills us, are we clear?” Urbosa looks to each of the Champions individually. They all nod, except for Link.

“Well, Pup?” Link looks between the sword in his hand and the people around him before deciding to sheath the sword for now and handle it–her?–later. As soon as that’s done, Sanait envelops Link in a tight hug, leading him away from the group.

“How have you been, Link?”

~

Revali is both pissed that he ran off and extremely worried for Link’s sanity. Alas, he promised the Chieftess that he would at the very least try to have fun, and has since been pulled off by Mipha. Revali finds his mind wandering back to the Hylian Prince more often than he’d like.

“Hey, Link will be alright. Hyrule’s court has always known about him, as have the Zora and the Gerudo. This is the first time Link has been publicly introduced to Hyrule’s entirety, but this has been something he has prepared for his entire life. It is not ideal, but Link will survive,” Mipha explains, linking her arm with one of Revali’s wings. The Rito rolls his eyes, scoffing.

“I know that. He’s too stubborn for this to be his end.”

“How are you feeling about it, then?” Mipha asks. Revali stays carefully silent, not looking in Mipha’s direction. The Zora isn’t having it, though.

“Do not ignore me, Revali. I know more about this than anyone,” She says, voice firmer than Revali has ever heard it.

“About what? Being in love with Link?” Revali asks, knowing he’s being unreasonable but unable to stop it. He doesn’t even realize what he’s admitted, nor does Mipha seem to care as she scowls, eyes narrowed in a way that makes Revali feel as if he is about to be preyed upon by some beast or another instead of scolded by one of his (dare he say closest) companions.

“You do not get to put words in my mouth. I told you that in confidence, you do not get to use that against me,” Mipha growls, frustration growing tenfold. There’s a pause, the Princess surely expecting an apology that Revali is too proud to give.

“I am sure that Rhoam wishes it were Link I’m in love with, but I’m not sure I ever was.” Revali finds comfort in those words, an apologetic smile forming on his beak. A peace offering.

“If it makes you feel any better,” Mipha says, a teasing lilt to her voice, “I am positive that Link wants your attention. I’ve seen him smile more and more again since you promised to make him a bow. I’ve been reminding him of that whenever I see him particularly down on himself.”

Revali tries to fight off his feathers, he really does. The smile Mipha gives him lets him know he failed, but he still continues to try. His mind is racing, eyes darting around the room to make sure that Link–or worse, his mother – doesn’t see him in such a state. It’s bad enough that he’s being this bad about it in public, but he supposes he’s been less composed lately than normal. Mipha only lets it go on for a moment longer than necessary before she pulls him away from everything.

“Thank you,” Revali manages, turning and looking at the nearest reflective surface. He smooths down his feathers before leaning against a wall and bringing his wings to his face. He’s only just managed to take a calming breath when Mipha taps on his shoulder.

“So, you’re in love with him?”

Now, Revali would never intentionally cause a political incident, but Mipha is forcing his wing, really. The two cause quite a ruckus in the hallway, Revali trying (and failing) to smother the Zora Princess as she nearly succumbs to a fit of giggles. It is only when someone clears their throat nearby that the two recognize that they are causing a scene.

“While I am glad to see you two acting your age, I believe there is a party waiting for us inside,” Urbosa says, a fond smile on her face as she puts a hand on her hip. The three of them walk back into the celebration so see Link and Zelda laughing together about something, their earlier distance seemingly forgotten as Zelda clings to his arm like he’ll run if she isn’t touching him. Who knows, he just might. The little guardian all but toddles between them, occasionally letting out happy little cooing noises as it moves. In one instance it even trips Link, which makes both him and Revali, who is watching it happen, laugh. If his gaze lingers on the Hylian Prince’s smile… no it doesn't.